Thursday, March 14, 2013

New Zealand gay marriage bill passes critical test

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ? New Zealand lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill allowing same-sex marriage Wednesday, all but assuring that it will soon become law.

Lawmakers supported the bill 77 to 44 in the second of three votes needed for a bill to be approved. The second vote is typically the most crucial one. The third and final vote is likely to be little more than a formality and could be taken as early as next month.

Wednesday's vote came after a committee of lawmakers considered emails and letters from thousands of New Zealanders.

More than 200 people crammed into the Parliament's public gallery to watch lawmakers debate the bill before they voted at about 10:15 p.m. The mostly young crowd clapped and cheered for lawmakers who spoke in support of the bill, and sat in silence for those who spoke in opposition.

"I'm very excited, as excited as the young people," bill sponsor Louisa Wall said after the vote. "It's a fantastic result."

The result was little changed from the 80-to-40 result in the first vote in August. There were some minor changes to the bill, including wording to make it clear that clergy can decline to preside over gay marriage ceremonies if they conflict with their beliefs.

In her speech supporting the bill, Wall said denying marriage to any person devalues that person's right to participate fully in all that life offers.

"Marriage belongs to society as a whole, and that requires the involvement of the whole of society," Wall said. "The role of the state in marriage is to issue a license to two people who love each other and want to commit to one another formally. That's what this bill does."

Wall, who is gay, quoted Seattle singer Macklemore: "And I can't change, even if I tried, even if I wanted to, I can't change."

Many New Zealand church groups opposed the bill.

Lawmaker Chester Borrows said he opposes the bill because it would redefine marriage from the heterosexual institution it has always been.

Student Rory Sweeney, 20, was one of a handful of people who were unable initially to get into Parliament's public gallery because it was full. He said he was in favor of the bill because "everybody needs to be treated the same under the law."

New Zealand already has same-sex civil union laws that confer many legal rights to gay couples.

Polls indicate about two-thirds of New Zealanders support gay marriage. The bill was given impetus last year by President Barack Obama's public support of the issue.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zealand-gay-marriage-bill-passes-critical-test-105522774.html

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Look at This Idiot Using His Typewriter in a Starbucks

We've already been plenty vocal on our opinions of people who use coffee shops as their personal office. But this guy—this digital rebel found by Twitter user @DGoddamnGlover—makes those non-ordering, space-consuming table squatters look like saints—and this their new pope. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/9ZO8uYL1WUQ/look-at-this-idiot-using-his-typewriter-in-a-starbucks

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Researchers solve riddle of what has been holding two unlikely materials together

Mar. 11, 2013 ? For years, researchers have developed thin films of bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) -- which converts heat into electricity or electricity to cooling -- on top of gallium arsenide (GaAs) to create cooling devices for electronics. But while they knew it could be done, it was not clear how -- because the atomic structures of those unlikely pair of materials do not appear to be compatible. Now researchers from North Carolina State University and RTI International have solved the mystery, opening the door to new research in the field.

"We've used state-of-the-art technology to solve a mystery that has been around for years," says Dr. James LeBeau, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research. "And now that we know what is going on, we can pursue research to fine-tune the interface of these materials to develop more efficient mechanisms for converting electricity to cooling or heat into electricity. Ultimately, this could have applications in a wide range of electronic devices."

To study the phenomenon, the researchers had to create the nanometer-scale thin films on a GaAs substrate, or foundation. The GaAs is first placed in a vapor deposition chamber. Molecules containing bismuth and tellurium are then introduced into the chamber, where they react with each other and "grow" into a crystalline Bi2Te3 structure on the surface of the GaAs.

Using advanced "Super-X" X-ray spectroscopy technology in conjunction with an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope, the researchers were able to determine what was binding the Bi2Te3 to the GaAs -- and it was not what they were expecting.

They found that when the tellurium molecules were introduced to the vapor deposition chamber, the tellurium reacted with the GaAs substrate to create a new surface layer of gallium telluride, which was only one molecule thick. The Bi2Te3 then formed a thin film on top of that new surface layer.

Because gallium telluride does not react with Bi2Te3, the research team knew chemical bonding could not be holding them together. Instead, the two layers are held together by the weaker force of van der Waals bonds -- meaning the materials are held together by weak electrical forces.

"While these materials have been investigated previously by RTI and NC State, the state-of-the-art techniques applied by LeBeau and his team have revealed significant new insights into how the film grows," notes Dr. Rama Venkatasubramanian of RTI International, who is also a co-author of the paper.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by North Carolina State University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. J. Houston Dycus, Ryan M. White, Jonathan M. Pierce, Rama Venkatasubramanian, James M. LeBeau. Atomic scale structure and chemistry of Bi2Te3/GaAs interfaces grown by metallorganic van der Waals epitaxy. Applied Physics Letters, 2013; 102 (8): 081601 DOI: 10.1063/1.4793518

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/-baivAsSwsA/130311091535.htm

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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Build Your Own Arduino Clone for Less Than $5

Build Your Own Arduino Clone for Less Than $5At about $30, the Arduino isn't an expensive device, but if you want to make your own, simpler version, electronics blog Hardware Startup shows off how to build an Arduino clone for less than $5.

Hardware Startup's build includes: a USB to serial converter, an ATmega328p, a 5V power circuit, and some headers. Then, you load the the Arduino bootloader on the ATmega, connect everything up, and you're good to go. If you find yourself taking on a lot of Arduino projects and don't want to spend the $30 for every single one, this is one way to keep your DIYing cheap. Head over to Hardware Startup for the guide to making this for yourself.

How to build a 5$ Arduino (Clone) | Hardware Startup

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/87GSlul_RbM/build-your-own-arduino-clone-for-less-than-5

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Monday, March 11, 2013

Who Was Bribed with Birkin Bags on 'The Hills'?

Now that she's a mom, Kristin Cavallari is trying to undo some damage to her reputation. In an interview with Giuliana Rancic, the former Hills star claimed that her "drug problem" was invented by MTV producers -- and that her castmates were encouraged to make up stories about her hard-partying ways.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/kristin-cavallari-says-hills-cast-was-bribed-talk-about-her-drug-problem/1-a-526782?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Akristin-cavallari-says-hills-cast-was-bribed-talk-about-her-drug-problem-526782

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SEO Tips - Top 5 Tips to SEO Beginners - best seo tips,web hosting ...

Here are 5 SEO tips for SEO fledglings to move toward getting stacked up in web indexing tools.


Don't buy another realm: Do not buy another dominion unless you need to. Web indexes do compute the area age and to what extent your site have been around. You can redirect your old dominion to your new realm, however the best wager is to utilize the old dominion. In the event that you are beginning your locale sans preparation and don't have an old dominion, you need to lose certain movement until your locale inches toward getting listed.

Enhance your destination for gathering of people: The most normal confusion SEO tenderfoots do is that they attempt to enhance the locale to draw in internet searching tools. The vast majority of the time, in a try to draw in web indexing tools, they neglect to streamline the destination in a manner to draw in guests. Web indexing tool associations are adjusting their contrivances and giving necessity to pages that are client well disposed.

Essential word Phrases: Research your decisive word expresses broadly. Catchphrase determination is the base for a SEO crusade. Getting #1 in Google for irrelevant magic words doesn't benefit you in any case. Don't pick nonexclusive essential words like "machines", "health" and so on... Alternately pick long tail catchphrases which are frequently called as purchaser arranged watchwords.

Now and then it is demanding to find long tail essential words in few specialties utilizing any catchphrase instrument. You need to think out-of-crate that time. Research Yahoo answers and discover what individuals are scanning for in your specialty. Use Google infer, AdWords to figure out catchphrases.

Substance: Do not duplicate the substance from else where. Compose your particular substance. Compose one of a kind and initial substance for your post. You can outsource this work to different journalists. You can find value journalists in locales like Elance, Odesk and whatnot... You will find authors who work for as flat as $3 for every 500 word article.

Join-worthy destination: As you know, backlinks play a major part in online searching tool rankings. So remember this focus and make your post a 'connection worthy' locale.

a. Most recent news/tips to the guests.

b. High caliber substance.

c. Teach your guests utilizing motion pictures.

d. Gather input from your guests.

Every last trace of the above aides your locale to end up being a connection worthy locale.

Source: http://zubair141.blogspot.com/2013/03/seo-tips-top-5-tips-to-seo-beginners.html

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Sunday, March 10, 2013

Inexpensive Auto Insurance Broker | CulturaPopulara.ro

Try to find low mileage discounts. You might be entitled to a low mileage discount, if you?re an driver. If your car isn?t actually out on the trail greatly a cheap car insurance professional will dsicover you as less of a risk.

Stick to third-party insurance?.

Have you been buying cheap auto insurance agent? You?re probably thinking about, Who isnt? Here are some tips for what discounts to check for, and enquire about, when looking for an inexpensive car insurance agent.

Search for low mileage savings. You could be eligible for a low mileage discount, if you?re an driver. If your car isn?t really out on the street quite definitely a cheap car insurance agent will dsicover you as less of a danger.

Stick to third-party insurance. Third-party insurance is a lot cheaper than full coverage insurance, and depending on the value of one?s car, you may want to select staying with third-party insurance when seeking a low priced car insurance agent.

Hold owners to the very least. When looking for a low priced car insurance agent, keeping the individuals you enhance your car insurance policy to the absolute minimum helps. Until the individuals usually push the car( s) on the car insurance policy, keep them off the car insurance policy and save some cash to yourself.

Keep your vehicle safe. Still another way to impress an inexpensive car insurance agent is by keepin constantly your car safe. If you are now living in an area that is considered dangerous especially one that?s a lot of car-related crime an insurance agent will see you as less of a risk if you take the measures to safely store your car through the night or anytime it isnt being pushed.

Young individuals don?t quit hope! Small people should make the most of starter policies. These procedures, which often last anywhere from six to eight months, are perfect for young individuals still beginning on earth of car and driving insurance. Beginning policies are cheaper than non-starter policies, and they allow no claims bonuses to be built up by the young drivers. Any driving courses should be also asked about by young drivers they can take to help them get auto insurance discounts. commercial gas

Source: http://culturapopulara.ro/?p=30015

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Italy court rules hospitalized Berlusconi can attend tax trial

MILAN (Reuters) - Milan court doctors ruled on Saturday that Silvio Berlusconi was able to attend a tax fraud appeal, rejecting the former prime minister complaint that an eye condition prevented him leaving hospital.

The 76-year-old center-right leader and media mogul faces a spate of trials this month as he fights for his political future following the inconclusive national election.

On Friday a hearing in a trial where he is accused of having sex with an under-age prostitute was postponed after he entered hospital with an eye problem, despite the prosecutor's complaint that the hospitalization was merely a delaying tactic.

However, on Saturday the court in the tax fraud case sent inspectors to examine him in the clinic where he was being treated by his private doctor and they ruled that his problem was not a "legitimate impediment" to him appearing in court.

"It's been rejected, we are carrying on," one of Berlusconi's lawyers told Reuters.

Berlusconi's doctor had said the inflammation in his patient's left eye caused him pain and disturbed vision. But the ruling meant the appeals hearing could go ahead on Saturday with or without the defendant being present.

Berlusconi is appealing against a four-year jail sentence for tax fraud in connection with the purchase of broadcasting rights by his television network Mediaset.

Berlusconi denies all wrongdoing and said on Thursday he was the victim of "judicial persecution ... which re-emerges every time there are politically complex moments in the political life of our country".

He fell short of a victory in last month's election, even though he rallied his supporters and performed better than expected. The vote ended with a hung parliament and Italy's president is still struggling to form a new government.

Berlusconi's People of Liberty party (PDL) has organized a pubic rally on March 23 to protest against prosecutors that Berlusconi calls the "cancer of our democracy".

Under Italian law, Berlusconi will not serve any jail time until the appeals process is exhausted.

In the tax fraud case even if the appeals court upholds his previous 4-year jail sentence it could still be overturned by a higher court. Two appeals are standard procedure in Italy's criminal justice system.

Berlusconi was convicted three times during the 1990s, before being either cleared by higher courts or benefiting from the statute of limitations by which cases expire if a final verdict is not reached within a given time period.

On Thursday, he was sentenced to one year in jail over the publication by his family's newspaper of a transcript of a leaked wiretap connected to a banking scandal in 2006.

In that case, the statute of limitations for the charges expires in September, before the appeals process can be completed, legal sources said.

(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes; Writing by Gavin Jones; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italy-court-rules-hospitalized-berlusconi-attend-tax-trial-160826952.html

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City Council speaker launches NYC mayoral bid

Surrounded by family and supporters, New York City Council speaker and mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn, center, speaks to the media as she announces her mayoral run in New York, Sunday, March 10, 2013. The New York City Council speaker has formally launched what she hopes will be a history-making mayoral bid this fall. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Surrounded by family and supporters, New York City Council speaker and mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn, center, speaks to the media as she announces her mayoral run in New York, Sunday, March 10, 2013. The New York City Council speaker has formally launched what she hopes will be a history-making mayoral bid this fall. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York City Council speaker and mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn, center, walks with friends and family during a "walk and talk" tour as part of her announcement to run for mayor in New York, Sunday, March 10, 2013. The New York City Council speaker has formally launched what she hopes will be a history-making mayoral bid this fall. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Surrounded by family and supporters, New York City Council speaker and mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn, center, speaks to the media as she announces her mayoral run in New York, Sunday, March 10, 2013. The New York City Council speaker has formally launched what she hopes will be a history-making mayoral bid this fall. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Surrounded by family and supporters, New York City Council speaker and mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn, center, speaks to the media as she announces her mayoral run in New York, Sunday, March 10, 2013. The New York City Council speaker has formally launched what she hopes will be a history-making mayoral bid this fall. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York City Council speaker and mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn, center, walks with supporters and family as part of her announcement to run for mayor in New York, Sunday, March 10, 2013. The New York City Council speaker has formally launched what she hopes will be a history-making mayoral bid this fall. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

(AP) ? Long seen as a leading contender, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn formally launched Sunday what she hopes will be a history-making mayoral bid.

A veteran of city politics, Quinn would be a groundbreaking mayor across two personal dimensions: She would be the first female and first openly gay mayor to lead the nation's largest city.

Announcing on Twitter that she's in the race, Quinn said she wanted to give middle- and working-class New Yorkers the same opportunities generations of her family got when they came here.

"I'm running for mayor because I love this city. It's the greatest place in the world," she said in a video linked to her post, before starting what she called a walk-and-talk tour intended to take her to every neighborhood in the city before the Democratic primary in September.

Her first stop was the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Inwood, where she was surrounded by supporters carrying signs that read "Christine Quinn for Mayor" and wearing baseball caps with her initials on them.

Before the walk, Quinn told reporters, "I'm running today and I'll stack my record against anybody else's in this field. ... I balance budgets on time, and I had the wisdom in the first three years I was speaker, when there were surpluses, to not spend that money."

Her attempts to meet the people led to a classic New York City moment.

She shook hands with everyone ? people on the street, workers in a diner and even a bedraggled-looking man sitting on a sidewalk bench.

"Hi, I'm Christine Quinn and I'm running for mayor," she told the man, who looked up at her, seemingly puzzled.

"I need some change," he replied as she searched her pockets, saying, "I don't have any."

A former tenant organizer and director of a gay and lesbian advocacy group, Quinn, 46, has been on the City Council since 1999 and its leader since 2006. The position has afforded her considerable exposure going into the crowded field of candidates vying to succeed term-limited Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

She's enjoyed a considerable edge over other Democratic contenders in polls. A Quinnipiac University poll late last month gave her 37 percent of the Democratic vote, while her opponents each got less than 15 percent. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 6 to 1 in the city, though that hasn't translated into Democratic success in a mayor's race since 1989.

Quinn has generally been perceived as likely to get the backing of Republican-turned-independent Bloomberg, and with it support from business leaders.

Some of her Democratic opponents have tried to use that against her, suggesting Quinn is too close to a mayor they say has sometimes turned a cold shoulder to the concerns of middle-class and working-class New Yorkers. Opponents have faulted her, for example, for joining Bloomberg in opposing a plan to require businesses with at least five employees to provide paid sick leave. Quinn has said it's a worthy goal, but now is not the economic time to do it.

She also has taken heat for helping Bloomberg get the council to agree to extend term limits so he could run for a third time in 2008, without asking the voters who had approved a two-term limit twice in the 1990s.

In office, Quinn leads 50 other council members and largely controls what proposals come to a vote. Under her leadership, the council has taken on matters including requiring electronics manufacturers to collect their products for recycling, making it tougher for immigration officials to deport people being released from city jails or police custody and barring employers from discriminating against unemployed job applicants ? the last of which Bloomberg vetoed. Quinn has vowed the council will override his veto.

Quinn and her longtime partner, products liability lawyer Kim Catullo, married last year after more than a decade together. Their wedding guest list was a who's-who of New York politics, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Bloomberg and many other officeholders in attendance.

The year before, Quinn had invoked her personal story in lobbying state lawmakers to legalize gay marriage, a cause Cuomo championed. She called it "one of the best feelings I have ever had in my life" when the measure passed in June 2011.

Her announced and likely Democratic opponents include former City Councilman Sal Albanese; Public Advocate Bill de Blasio; Comptroller John Liu; and former Comptroller Bill Thompson.

Republican contenders include former Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota; Tom Allon, a publisher; billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis; and George McDonald, the head of a nonprofit that helps the homeless.

Former Bronx borough president and federal housing official Adolfo Carrion, a former Democrat who is now unaffiliated, is running on the Independence Party line and seeking Republican backing.

___

Associated Press writer Verena Dobnik contributed to this report. Follow Jennifer Peltz at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-10-NYC%20Mayor's%20Race/id-49c7d237a8e646e3bf00e18dd8db19ea

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Saturday, March 9, 2013

make money online now: The Six-Figure Second Income - Email ...

The Six-Figure Second Income: How To Start and Grow A Successful Online Business Without Quitting Your Day Job

The Six-Figure Second Income: How To Start and Grow A Successful Online Business Without Quitting Your Day Job

List Price: $24.95


The Six-Figure Second Income: How To Start and Grow A Successful Online Business Without Quitting Your Day Job

List Price: $24.95

Your Price: $8.99- The Six-Figure Second Income: How To Start and Grow A Successful Online Business Without Quitting Your Day Job

Proven methods for building an online income stream

You don?t have to quit your current job, or already have piles of money, or be 24 years old, or riding a booming economy, in order to start a successful online business.

The Six-Figure Second Income explains how to start or grow a business even when you think you have plenty of strikes against you.

In the course of building an eight-figure real estate information marketing business, David Lindahl and Jonathan Rozek tested dozens of tools and techniques. This book is centered around principles they derived from all the tests they ran, tools they used, and money they spent.

If you?re tired of the gimmicks and skepticism that anyone can really succeed online, this book will give you the no-hype, no-nonsense advice you need.

Proven methods for building an online income stream

You don?t have to quit your current job, or already have piles of money, or be 24 years old, or riding a booming economy, in order to start a successful online business.

The Six-Figure Second Income explains how to start or grow a business even when you think you have plenty of strikes against you.

In the course of building an eight-figure real estate information marketing business, David Lindahl and Jonathan Rozek tested dozens of tools and techniques. This book is centered around principles they derived from all the tests they ran, tools they used, and money they spent.

If you?re tired of the gimmicks and skepticism that anyone can really succeed online, this book will give you the no-hype, no-nonsense advice you need.

Amazon Exclusive: Business Tips from Authors David Lindhal and Jonathan Rozek

Think back to some great advice you received about something in your life. Let?s just say for a moment that you had multiple job offers and ?Bob? was urging you to go accept his. Now let?s think how Bob might deliver that advice. If he were a typical internet marketer, this is how Bob would sound: ?I?ve got a closely-guarded secret that other big employers don?t want you to know about!!!!!? ?Oh, what?s that?? ?Well you just gotta accept our Chicago offer!!!!!! Why, the moment you say ?Yes? to our offer, you?re life?s gonna change! Trust me! I mean, it?s an absolute dream job! We?ll pay you so much money that you?ll tell us to stop. Plus, about the work?there won?t be any. Just show up and we?ll pay you?.But you gotta decide right now because this offer won?t last long!!!!? If Bob talked like that to you, we?re pretty sure that you?d slowly back away from old Bob and find an excuse to leave. Why is it, then that so many internet marketers talk like Bob? They breathlessly talk about how they?re finally going to reveal the true secret to making mountains of cash from the Internet?how it?s ?push-button easy? to set up sites in minutes that will crush your competitors and make you a bloody fortune with no work, no money, and no risk. If you?re the kind of person who gets all excited by the Internet Bobs, and you?re looking for a true Silver Bullet to be revealed at last?don?t bother buying this book. Take your money and buy a fantasy movie through Amazon?s DVD department. They have lots of ?em. Our book, Six Figure Second Income, is much more like the solid advice you would get from a trusted friend. We?ll tell you the truth as we know it, and that means the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. We?ll tell you that success takes a certain amount of work, but that there are some handy shortcuts you can take to minimize that work and expense. We?ll tell you: ? How to follow a simple, straightforward path to finding your first product to sell online ? How to get a perfectly good website for just a few bucks or even for free?with no gimmicks, no spammy stuff, and no ads on your site ? ? Exactly where to look for people who will buy your product ? How to create a relationship with your customers so they pay you again and again This book is about clearing away the barriers that may have prevented you from making money online. It?s also about showing you the tested and proven tools you can use to start that income stream while you still have a day job. No gimmicks and no fakery to seduce you. Just straight talk about what works. If that sounds like a breath of fresh air, then we invite you to get 232 pages of it in our book.

Your Price: $8.99 ? The Six-Figure Second Income: How To Start and Grow A Successful Online Business Without Quitting Your Day Job

Source: http://emailmarketing.earn-cash-make-money.net/2013/03/09/make-money-online-now-the-six-figure-second-income-how-to-start-and-grow-a-successful-online-business-without-quitting-your-day-job/

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Pennsylvania board votes to shut 23 Philadelphia schools

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The Pennsylvania board that oversees Philadelphia's troubled school system voted at a raucous meeting on Thursday to close 23 of the city's 247 schools to help solve a budget crunch.

The district, the nation's eighth largest with about 150,000 students, has experienced a reduction of about $400 million in state funding over the last two fiscal years.

Cries of "Shame on you" rang out at a packed meeting of the School Reform Commission as it voted, school-by-school, on a list of a proposed 27 closures.

"I will not lower the quality of my education," Totiana Myers, a student at Paul Robeson High School in West Philadelphia, told the panel as a crowd of several hundred parents, students and teachers cheered. "I am the future. It is time for the young people to stand up and care about the quality of our education."

Robeson High was among four schools that will remain open.

Police arrested 19 people, including American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, for disorderly conduct because they were blocking entrances to the meeting room, Police Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan said.

If all 27 schools had been closed, the savings would have amounted to $24.5 million per year, school district spokesman Fernando Gallard said. There was no immediate estimate for the savings from Thursday's action.

The district has been scraping by after borrowing $300 million to pay its bills for this year, Gallard said. He also said Philadelphia is not alone in considering school closings. He said Chicago is weighing whether to close 70 to 80 schools.

In most cases, the board's decision was greeted with frustration. Several people spoke out in favor of saving Germantown High School, which serves a mostly working-class neighborhood, but the board voted to shut it down.

But a handful of those speaking out got what they asked for.

Jacqueline Pinkston, a teacher at the Bayard Taylor Elementary School, in North Philadelphia, raised safety issues, saying she was concerned about moving her students into a school with older kids and into a neighborhood she considers dangerous.

"I have numerous safety concerns about moving our smaller children into a school with middle school children the size of grown adults," she told the panel. "Not only is the school unsafe. But the area the school is located in is not safe either."

(Editing By Edith Honan and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pennsylvania-board-votes-shut-23-philadelphia-schools-041550883.html

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Files App for iOS creates a virtual space - The Next Web

File management can be a tricky business on the iPhone and iPad. Provided you?re working with files that have been created using a specific app ? take Instagram and the default Photos app, for example ? iOS works well and allows you to move content around relatively easily.

If you want to quickly move a PDF document across from your Mac though, or watch a short movie recorded by a friend, iOS can fall down rather quickly. Your options are to either try to save it with a supported iOS service, such as Photo Stream, or move it to a cloud-based storage solution such as Dropbox.

Files App wants to solve that problem though by bringing all of your everyday files into a single space, making them accessible and a joy to look at.

How it works

Once the app has been launched, you can start importing files right away using the plus icon in the top left-hand corner. Files from Dropbox, Google Drive and Box can be browsed instantly and downloaded directly from within the app, using a process that?s as simple as just tapping the file name and hitting Done.

filesappscreens1 Files App for iOS creates a virtual space and gives you an easy way to view and manage files on the move

To bring across a file from your Mac or PC, the app supplies you with a unique IP address that can be typed straight into the browser. The interface and experience here is almost identical to the mobile app, allowing you to just drag and drop files from your desktop.

It works well for the most part, although in our tests we noticed that some actions, such as moving or deleting groups of files, wasn?t supported from the browser.

Elsewhere, it?s possible to pull in images from the default Photos app, as well as an email or website URL.

The interface

Once all of your files are available in the app, the viewing experience is very functional but not particularly original. Files can be grouped together in various folders simply by long pressing on a thumbnail and dragging it to the appropriate location. It?s the same gesture used to create icon folders on the iOS homescreen, and the scratched out metal background gives everything a very familiar feel.

Photos load with a black background, although if you tap the screen it?s possible to see the full set of images queued in the gallery. Swiping back and forth feels very responsive and there?s a limited share button for sending it via email.

filesappscreens2 Files App for iOS creates a virtual space and gives you an easy way to view and manage files on the move

Music files are played using what appears to be an entirely original audio player, although the various chrome buttons and blue sliders hint at the design cues used in Apple?s own offerings. Again, it?s very functional, but fails to offer anything particularly innovative or superior to other apps.

Viewing PDF files is the most enjoyable experience by far. Flicking through pages feels very slick and the thumbnails at the bottom makes it remarkably easy to jump forwards and backwards. There?s a few different viewing modes that will allow you to see more than one page at a time, and the pinch-to-zoom gestures feel snappy and accurate.

The bottom line

Files App solves just one problem, but does it very well. Occasionally the app will stumble, with an oddly placed toggle or missing gesture, but for the most part it?s very responsive and intuitive.

If you work with files that are difficult to access on iOS, this is certainly worth checking out.?Available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, it?s currently priced at $0.99 on the App Store.

? Files App | iOS

Disclosure: This article contains an affiliate link. While we only ever write about products we think deserve to be on the pages of our site, The Next Web may earn a small commission if you click through and buy the product in question. For more information, please see our?Terms of Service.

Source: http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/03/08/files-app-is-a-robust-ios-app-for-managing-and-viewing-your-pdfs-photos-and-videos-on-the-go/

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

The cast of characters in the Bolshoi attack

FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 4, 2013 file photo, artistic director of the Bolshoi ballet Sergei Filin speaks to the media as he leaves a hospital in Moscow, Russia. The artistic director, a boyish 42-year-old former Bolshoi dancer, suffers severe burns to his eyes and face in the Jan. 17 attack, which the theater management links to Filin?s power to decide which dancers are awarded the prized roles. The attack exposes a culture of fierce competition and intrigue at the famed theater. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)

FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 4, 2013 file photo, artistic director of the Bolshoi ballet Sergei Filin speaks to the media as he leaves a hospital in Moscow, Russia. The artistic director, a boyish 42-year-old former Bolshoi dancer, suffers severe burns to his eyes and face in the Jan. 17 attack, which the theater management links to Filin?s power to decide which dancers are awarded the prized roles. The attack exposes a culture of fierce competition and intrigue at the famed theater. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)

Bolshoi soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko listens in a courtroom in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 7, 2013. The 29-year-old soloist admits to organizing the attack, but tells a Moscow court Thursday that he never intended for it to cause such harm to Filin. In his most famous roles the dancer plays villainous or violent men, and his new real-life role adds a creepiness factor to the photographs of him leaping across the stage with a dagger or sword in hand. Dmitrichenko says he was angry at Filin for what he describes as corruption and favoritism at the theater, while reports have played up his relationship with a young ballerina who feels she has been unfairly passed over for starring roles. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 file photo Bolshoi ballet dancer Anzhelina Vorontsova talks with Nikolai Tsiskaridze, left, during a rehearsal in the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia.. The newspaper Izvestia reports that Vorontsova, who is Dmitrichenko's girlfriend, asked the ballet chief Filin in December to cast her as the lead in "Swan Lake," but Filin turned her down, making disparaging comments about her weight and choice of teachers. Ballet critics concur on the extra pounds and note that Filin then gives the ballerina a major role in the showcase ballet "The Nutcracker." (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

In this photo made Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, Bolshoi dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze leads a rehearsal in the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia. The veteran principal dancer takes ballerina Anzhelina Vorontsova under his tutelage when she joins the Bolshoi and, according to the dancers cited by newspaper Izvestia, understands that Bolshoi Artistic Director Sergei Filin's criticism of the ballerina is directed at him as her teacher. Tsiskaridze has long been highly critical of theater management and has been seen as maneuvering to take over the theater himself. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

In this frame grab taken from video on Moscow Interior Ministry branch website on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, Yuri Zarutsky is in Moscow. The thuggish ex-con with tattoos on his hands is accused of carrying out the attack. Dmitrichenko says Zarutsky offered to rough up Filin for him and he agreed, but that he did not tell him to use acid. Police say Dmitrichenko paid Zarutsky 50,000 rubles (about $1,600). (AP Photo/ Interior Ministry branch website)

(AP) ? The story of the acid attack on the Bolshoi ballet chief has plot twists and colorful characters worthy of the grand Moscow theater. Here is a look at the cast, which includes the Bolshoi soloist who confessed to organizing the attack, his ambitious dancer girlfriend and the ex-con accused of throwing the jarful of acid at the ballet chief on a dark winter night.

? Sergei Filin. The artistic director, a boyish 42-year-old former Bolshoi dancer, suffers severe burns to his eyes and face in the Jan. 17 attack, which the theater management links to Filin's power to decide which dancers are awarded the prized roles. The attack exposes a culture of fierce competition and intrigue at the famed theater, where Filin's rivals include a veteran principal dancer and his prot?g?s.

? Pavel Dmitrichenko. The 29-year-old soloist admits to organizing the attack, but tells a Moscow court Thursday he never intended for it to cause such harm to Filin. In his most famous roles the dancer plays villainous or violent men, and his new real-life role adds a creepiness factor to the photographs of him leaping across the stage with a dagger or sword in hand. Dmitrichenko says he was angry at Filin for what he describes as corruption and favoritism at the theater, while reports have played up his relationship with a young ballerina who feels she has been unfairly passed over for starring roles.

? Anzhelina Vorontsova. The talented young ballerina is brought to Moscow in 2008 to finish her studies courtesy of Filin, who expects she will then join him at the other Moscow ballet company where he is then artistic director. Instead, she goes to the Bolshoi. The newspaper Izvestia, citing interviews with unidentified fellow dancers, reports that Vorontsova, who is Dmitrichenko's girlfriend, asks the ballet chief in December to cast her as the lead in "Swan Lake," but Filin turns her down, making disparaging comments about her weight and choice of teachers. Ballet critics concur on the extra pounds and note that Filin then gives the ballerina a major role in the showcase ballet "The Nutcracker."

? Nikolai Tsiskaridze. The veteran principal dancer takes Vorontsova under his tutelage when she joins the Bolshoi and, according to the dancers cited by Izvestia, understands that Filin's criticism of the ballerina is directed at him as her teacher. Tsiskaridze has long been highly critical of theater management and has been seen as maneuvering to take over the theater himself.

? Yuri Zarutsky. The thuggish ex-con with tattoos on his hands is accused of carrying out the attack. Dmitrichenko says Zarutsky offered to rough up Filin for him and he agreed, but that he did not tell him to use acid. Police say Dmitrichenko paid Zarutsky 50,000 rubles (about $1,600).

? Andrei Lipatov. He is accused of driving Zarutsky to and from the scene of the crime, but Lipatov insists he had no knowledge of the planned attack. He appears with Zarutsky and Dmitrichenko in a court on Thursday, where a judge orders all three held until April 18 while investigators finish their work.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-07-Russia-Bolshoi%20Attack-Cast/id-9b48a7b8acf34f4d8972c1aa2b38c5d3

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EU fines Microsoft $731 million for broken promise, warns others

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union fined Microsoft Corp 561 million euros ($731 million) on Wednesday for failing to offer users a choice of Web browser, an unprecedented sanction that will act as a warning to other firms involved in EU antitrust disputes.

It said the U.S. software company had broken a legally binding commitment made in 2009 to ensure that consumers had a choice of how they access the internet, rather than defaulting to Microsoft's Explorer browser.

An investigation found that Microsoft had failed to honor that obligation in software issued between May 2011 and July 2012, meaning 15 million users were not given a choice.

It is the first time the European Commission, the EU's anti-trust authority, has handed down a fine to a company for failing to meet its obligations.

While the sanction is sizeable, representing more than 11 percent of Microsoft's expected net profit this quarter and 1 percent of annual sales, the Commission could have charged the company up to 10 percent of annual global revenue.

The world's largest software company can easily pay the fine out of its $68 billion in cash reserves. It holds $61 billion of that outside the United States, much of it in Europe, to take advantage of low tax rates.

Microsoft shares fell 0.9 percent to $28.09 on Nasdaq.

"If companies agree to offer commitments which then become legally binding, they must do what they have committed to do or face the consequences," Joaquin Almunia, the EU's competition commissioner, told a news conference.

"I hope this decision will make companies think twice before they even think of intentionally breaching their obligations or even of neglecting their duty to ensure strict compliance."

Microsoft said it took full responsibility for the incident, which it has blamed on a technical error. The board cut chief executive Steve Ballmer's bonus last year partly as a result, and also faulted former Windows head Steven Sinofsky who left the company last year for unrelated reasons.

The company did not say whether it would challenge the ruling, but it is not expected to do so, largely so as not to antagonize regulators.

"We have apologized for it," Microsoft said in a statement.

"We provided the Commission with a complete and candid assessment of the situation, and we have taken steps to strengthen our software development and other processes to help avoid this mistake - or anything similar - in the future."

Almunia said regulators may have made a mistake by allowing Microsoft to police its own behavior instead of appointing an external trustee to ensure compliance with the commitments.

"In 2009, we were even more naive than today," he said.

WARNING SHOT TO GOOGLE, OTHERS

Microsoft's fine is a good example of the Commission's hard line approach toward companies which disregard rules whether deliberately or not, said Charles Whiddington, a partner at London-based law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse.

"The implications for companies going forward is that they must be more rigorous in complying with any agreement with the Commission, which does not take prisoners for infractions," he said.

"Companies face severe sanctions for flouting EU rules, even accidentally."

Wednesday's fine brings the total of EU fines issued against Microsoft over the past decade to more than 2.2 billion euros, making it the world's worst offender of EU rules.

While the charge could have been higher, it still marks a firm sanction and will be noted by the likes of Google, which is involved in a dispute with the Commission over how it ranks search engine results.

Google is under pressure to offer concessions to prevent the Commission moving to the next stage in the case, which could involve fines. Other major technology companies such as Samsung Electronics are also under investigation.

Wednesday's decision is expected to help Microsoft draw a line under its troubles in Europe as it gears up for an intensified battle against Google. Microsoft is one of the complainants in the EU's investigation into the search giant.

Almunia has also signaled EU regulators' concern over antitrust issues in the links between technology platform owners and application developers, in a move that could spell trouble for Apple Inc and Google, whose iPads and Android tablets are leading the growth of the computer market.

Relations between the EU's antitrust body and Microsoft have frequently been tense. In 2004, the Commission found that the company had abused its dominant market position by tying Windows Media Player to the Windows software package.

In 2009, in order to resolve other competition concerns, Microsoft undertook to offer users a browser choice screen allowing them to download a browser other than Explorer.

The Commission made that obligation legally binding for five years, until 2014, and initially the company complied. From March 2010 until November 2010, 84 million browsers were downloaded via the screen, the Commission said.

But the Windows 7 service pack 1 rolled out between mid-2011 and mid-2012 failed to offer the choice, leading to the investigation that resulted in Wednesday's fine.

In calculating the fine, the Commission said it had taken into account that Microsoft had cooperated by providing information that had helped speed up the investigation.

Analysts always found it odd that Microsoft would have purposefully failed to offer a choice of browsers via its software given that the potential fine for such a failure would far exceed any potential income from not offering it.

Microsoft's share of the European browser market has more than halved since 2008 to 24 percent. Google's Chrome has a 35 percent share, followed by Mozilla's Firefox with 29 percent, according to Web traffic analysis company StatCounter.

Given Microsoft's fading power in the browser market, some questioned the size and point of the fine.

"As always, the regulators are late to the party," said Kim Forrest, senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh. "How did the EU come up with that figure in damages? There are no restrictions as to being able to place a new browser on the PC and it's really kind of clear that Microsoft isn't benefiting monetarily from the browser at this point."

(Additional reporting by Bill Rigby in Seattle. Editing by Luke Baker, Anna Willard, Andrew Hay and Carol Bishopric)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eu-fines-microsoft-731-million-broken-promise-warns-004553384.html

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World's Largest SmartPhone - Galaxy Note 8 Is Official

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 official: 1.6GHz Exynos 4 Quad, 1280 x 800 display, HSPA 21, Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 official  1.6GHz Exynos 4 Quad  1280 x 800 display  HSPA  21  Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 Samsung made it official at MWC this past week. The world's largest smartphone, with an 8 inch screen, has turned the phablet into the tabphone. This tablet sized phone does everything the Note 2 does, with a lot more screen real estate. Of course, nobody would put this thing up to their ear to make a phone call, would they? Hmmm... it would certainly draw attention to an attention seeking geek with some hubris. Not the FutureLawyer certainly, who is a wallflower who doesn't like to call attention to himself in public. But, I digress. This is not just a big, honking phone. It is a high end, high spec, hybrid device that does it all. That said, I am perfectly happy with the Note 2 screen size, and I don't even need to carry my Nexus 7 tablet around much anymore. For long reading stints, I still pick up my Galaxy Tab 10.1, because it has an LTE chip so I don't have to go looking for a WiFi signal. But, jeez, this thing is big and beautiful, isn't it?

Source: http://futurelawyer.typepad.com/futurelawyer/2013/03/worlds-largest-smartphone-galaxy-note-8-is-official.html

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DigitalOptics' fast MEMS camera enables Lytro-like post-capture refocus (video)

DigitalOptics' fast MEMS lens actuator enables Lytrolike postcapture refocus video

Tech shows like CES and MWC are great for taking a peek at what's coming up in the world of consumer electronics, even down to the component level. At the latter show this year, we came across DigitalOptics whose name may not sound familiar, but you may already be using its HDR, red eye removal, face tracking, face beautification and other related technologies on many phones (like Oppo's) and cameras (sorry, not allowed to name them here). Now, this year the company will also be offering its MEMS (microelectromechanical system) lens actuator, which claims to be faster (10ms settling time instead of 20 to 25ms), more reliable, longer lasting and more efficient than its traditional voice coil counterpart.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/05/digitaloptics-mems-cam/

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Today on New Scientist: 6 March 2013

Don't let US knee-jerk secrecy slow down space flight

Government red tape threatens to deprive the fledgling space-flight community of important technical insights

Salty food exacerbates multiple sclerosis in mice

If a high-salt diet also aggravates autoimmune diseases in humans, the discovery may lead to new ways to control conditions such as psoriasis

Astrophile: Glistening cloud acts as cosmic centimetre

Eclipsing stars have yielded the best measurement yet of the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud, the first rung on the cosmic distance ladder

Fire destroys the City of Science in Naples, Italy

Born to revive an old industrial site and to spread scientific culture in Italy, the City of Science may have been destroyed by Italian Camorra

Need to get fit? Try running from zombies

The undead could soon be helping the living for the British National Health Service if an app in development for doctors takes off

Old dog tricks: The survival of the friendliest

The wolves bold enough to approach humans and eat our scraps evolved into dogs - did we too "self-domesticate", asks evolutionary anthropologist Brian Hare

Shy Higgs boson continues to vex particle hunters

The latest results from CERN still don't say whether the boson discovered there is the Higgs predicted by theory, or something more surprising

The father of all men is 340,000 years old

We had thought that all men share a common male ancestor who lived within the last 140,000 years ? but one African American man has broken the mould

Trafficking now the greatest threat to wild apes

Tourist entertainment and private collectors are now a greater threat to wild apes than deforestation and bushmeat poachers

Sucking salamander uses jaw power to bend prey

Watch a giant salamander engulf a roach, showing how amphibian jaws evolved the ability to suck

Solve four big problems to get people to Mars by 2018

Inspiration Mars has identified four challenges standing between them and the Red Planet - whatever happens, the effort will aid future deep space missions

Who needs sex? Six animals that cloned alone

A growing number of animals are turning out not to have had a father. Meet some of our favourites

Physics crunch: The dark void at cosmology's heart

Our established picture of the universe is supremely successful - maybe because most of it is completely made up, says Stephen Battersby

Subscribe to New Scientist Magazine

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Malaysia troops hunt Filipino clan amid Sabah violence

  • Reuters - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    Wed Mar 6, 2013 6:25am EST (Adds Rizal share offering, details on deals) HONG KONG, March 6 (Reuters) - Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corp and medium-sized bank Rizal Commercial Banking Corp ...

  • Nurses? group slams Cynthia Villar?s ?room nurse? tag

    GMA News - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) on Wednesday said it "strongly detests" the "room nurse" label used by senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar in a ...

  • PNoy CBCP discuss environment steer clear of RH law

    GMA News - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    President Aquino and members of the permanent council of the Catholic Bishops? Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) met Tuesday night to discuss "five important matters," but the ...

  • PHL urges that humanitarian ship be allowed to dock in Sabah

    GMA News - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    The Philippines continues to appeal to Malaysian authorities to allow the humanitarian ship it sent to dock in Sabah to treat those wounded in the firefights between Malaysian security forces and a ...

  • EU triples aid to Pablo victims

    GMA News - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    The European Union has tripled its emergency aid to the victims of Typhoon Pablo (international name Bopha) by adding ?7 million, bringing Europe?s total humanitarian funding to ?10 ...

  • Aquino orders charges vs. cops soldiers in Atimonan bloodbath

    GMA News - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    Agreeing that the January 6 bloodbath in Atimonan, Quezon, was a case of rubout, President Benigno Aquino III ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file criminal and administrative charges ...

  • Filipino sultan?s quest sparks crisis in Malaysia

    Inquirer Global Nation - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    Filipino Sultan Jamalul Kiram III listens to questions from reporters at his residence in suburban Taguig, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday March 3, 2013. Malaysia?s police chief said at ...

  • Malaysians Kill Filipino Fighters Amid Fears of Wider Conflict

    International Herald Tribune - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    MANILA – An air and ground assault by Malaysian forces killed at least 13 of the nearly 200 militants seeking to reclaim part of Borneo Island for a Filipino sultan, Malaysian police ...

  • SE Asia Stocks-Up on Dow rally Indonesia Philippines hit record high

    Reuters - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    BANGKOK, March 6 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stocks rose on Wednesday as a record close on Wall Street lifted appetite for riskier assets and gains in large caps such as PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia ...

  • 13 bodies of alleged Filipino gunmen found in Sabah ? Malaysian media

    Inquirer Global Nation - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    MANILA, Philippines ? The Malaysian defense minister said Wednesday that 13 alleged members of the Sulu ';royal army'; were killed in the air and ground assault conducted by ...

  • Armed Filipinos in Sabah masquerading as locals ? Malaysian police

    Inquirer Global Nation - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    Malaysian troops moving in to flush out members of the Sulu Sultanate?s ?royal army? from a remote village in Lahad Datu, Sabah. The Star/Bernama-Asia News Network file photo ...

  • Philippines to file murder charges against 21 police 14 soldiers in checkpoint killings

    Canada.com - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    MANILA, Philippines - Murder charges will be filed in the Philippines against 21 police officers and 14 soldiers in the January killings of 13 suspected criminals at a road checkpoint. Justice ...

  • Malaysia troops hunt Filipino clan amid Sabah violence

    BBC - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    Malaysian troops are searching houses and terrain for armed members of a Filipino clan embroiled in a three-week conflict in Sabah on Borneo island. Police say one gunman was shot in brief clashes ...

  • Filipino cities tackle climate change

    IRIN - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    A family from Davao that is staying put post-floods -- illegally DAVAO, 6 March 2013 (IRIN) - When asked what resilience means, the head of city planning for the Philippines? second largest ...

  • Customs intercepts smuggled rice cargo in Cebu

    Inquirer - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    MANILA, Philippines--The Bureau of Customs has seized P10 million worth of smuggled Taiwanese rice, misdeclared as slabs of wall insulators, at the Port of Cebu. Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon ...

  • Sabah dispute causing grief to both Pinoys Malaysians

    GMA News - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    Residents evacuate to safer grounds during Sabah conflict. Residents on Tuesday leave their village in Tanjung Labian near Tanduo, where the Malaysian military launched an attack against 300 armed ...

  • De Lima Legal study on Sabah claim 90 done

    GMA News - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday said she is already finishing up her legal study on the Philippine claim on Sabah but added that she would not reveal it to the public without President ...

  • Comelec 22 of 33 Senate bets have illegal posters

    GMA News - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    The Commission on Elections on Wednesday said 22 out of 33 senatorial candidates have been sent notices for putting up illegal posters, according to its latest batch of data on the matter. In an ...

  • Philippine Airlines to start flights to Brisbane Perth and Darwin

    ABT - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    " alt="Philippine Airlines to start flights to Brisbane, Perth and Darwin" style="position: absolute; top: 50%; left: 50%; margin-left: -233.5px; margin-top: -130px;" ...

  • Malaysia insists right to charge Filipino gunmen

    Inquirer Global Nation - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    Abner Afuang, a retired Filipino policeman, burns a Malaysian flag in front of the National Press Club office in Manila Wednesday. JAMIE ELONA/INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines ? The Malaysian ...

  • Malaysian military bombs forces of Philippine sultan

    wsws.org - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    On March 5, Malaysian F/A 18 and Hawk fighter jets bombed the followers of the Philippine Sultan of Sulu occupying Lahad Datu, in Sabah, North Borneo. The bombing lasted for 30 minutes. In its ...

  • FVR to PNoy Meet with Sultan Kiram to address Sabah conflict

    GMA News - Wednesday 6th March, 2013

    Former President Fidel V. Ramos on Wednesday advised President Benigno Aquino III to personally meet with Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to address the ongoing conflict in ...

  • Source: http://www.philippinesnews.net/index.php/sid/213021013/scat/0267775d6f1c3971

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    7 Best Cars For Teenagers | Bankrate.com

    7 best cars for teenagers ? Pinkcandy/Shutterstock.com

    If you're a nervous parent, this list can serve as a starting point for choosing a first car for your freshly minted young driver.

    Convinced the more sheet metal surrounding your teen, the better, Bankrate didn't include any subcompacts. In fact, four of the choices are mid-size or bigger by Environmental Protection Agency standards.

    Because of their high center of gravity and their greater potential for roof-strength accidents, SUVs weren't considered either.

    Every car had to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest rating of "good" in its crash tests. All of these cars are also IIHS Top Safety Picks.

    Bankrate established a price ceiling of $23,000 for cars, having automatic transmissions but before delivery charges are added.

    Each car must have EPA-estimated fuel economy of at least 20 miles per gallon in city and highway driving.

    Finally, power windows, door locks, outboard mirrors and six air bags are standard in every car.

    Your teen may not think some of these cars are cool, but we think safety and cost to own are cool. This is Bankrate's list of the best cars for teenagers.


    Source: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/best-cars-for-teenagers-1.aspx

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    Methods To Turn Your Self Improvement Goals Into Reality

    Obtaining Started With your Self Improvement Goals

    Often it truly is difficult to start a new program of self improvement. At times it can be hard to know exactly where to begin. This article gives quite a few inspirational ideas and guidance for setting and reaching your personal objectives. You will find lots of diverse ideas right here to help you accomplish your goals.

    Your goals for self improvement should be precise enough in order that you might be in a position to appreciate accomplishment. Having a particular end outcome to function towards gives you a lot more precise approaches to have towards the objective, and provides you a much better likelihood at succeeding.

    If you're possessing trouble dealing with anxiousness in public, try going to the movies having a friend. You will be out and about but you don't have to speak a lot or perhaps see who you are with most of the time. Eventually, it will likely be second nature to become around a big level of individuals.

    To have the most out of your self improvement efforts, make sure to aim higher and value what exactly is best. You ought to constantly strive to do your ideal in all aspects of your life. Strive to make daily much better than the earlier a single. Always perform towards making improvements.

    Create up a motivational speech for oneself. Make a self-empowering post-it note or note card. Always hold it on you, and study it anytime you may need a boost. Greater but, videotape yourself reading it aloud and view the video regularly. How will this help?

    Stressful Conditions Can Challenge Self Improvement

    When you are faced with hard, stressful situations, find out to utilize your intellect more than your emotions. Should you learn the best way to manage essentially the most stressful situations in life, then the smaller stuff will really feel manageable, generating your everyday life far better. Take some time in the course of your day to cease and take breaths.

    Uncover a few texts that give you encouragement and assistance. Many people see it spiritually, whereas other people just find it inspirational. In case you have anything specific which you can go read if you must ground oneself, you've a ready-to-use approach to usually put oneself at ease.

    Far more Self Improvement Road Blocks

    Get yourself out from the habit of constant worrying. Worrying is producing a situation within your head that has not occurred, and in most instances, is not going to happen. As an option to worrying, think about the worst point that could happen and after that create a program to address that scenario need to it take place. By performing, this you are going to feel ready to deal with what ever the scenario throws at you, so you will no longer must worry.

    By breaking your self improvement procedure into small, manageable objectives, you will find yourself closer for your ambitions by the finish of each and every day. You will have the ability to practice what you are looking for to adopt as habit, and you will increase your own morale to continue. These self improvement suggestions are only a springboard, it's as much as you to build a greater life.

    Source: http://personal-development-forum.blogspot.com/2013/03/methods-to-turn-your-self-improvement.html

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    Heidi Klum new judge on 'America's Got Talent'

    FILE - This Sept. 23, 2012 file photo shows model Heidi Klum arriving at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. NBC says Klum has been added to "America's Got Talent" as its fourth judge. The network announced Monday, March 4, 2013, that Klum will join fellow incoming judge Mel B this summer for the talent competition's eighth season. Howie Mandel and Howard Stern will be back at the judges' panel.(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

    FILE - This Sept. 23, 2012 file photo shows model Heidi Klum arriving at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. NBC says Klum has been added to "America's Got Talent" as its fourth judge. The network announced Monday, March 4, 2013, that Klum will join fellow incoming judge Mel B this summer for the talent competition's eighth season. Howie Mandel and Howard Stern will be back at the judges' panel.(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

    (AP) ? NBC says Heidi Klum has been added to "America's Got Talent" as its fourth judge.

    The network announced Monday that the supermodel will join fellow incoming judge Mel B this summer for the talent competition's eighth season. Howie Mandel and Howard Stern will be back at the judges' panel.

    Klum says she's excited to join the show and size up the talent, "from the ridiculous to the fantastic!"

    She continues to host the Peabody Award-winning "Project Runway" on Lifetime and Germany's "Next Top Model."

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-04-US-TV-Klum-Americas-Got-Talent/id-281b60514d2f4da587e2c61368936e09

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    Friday, March 1, 2013

    US boosts aid to Syrian opposition, rebel fighters

    ROME (AP) ? In a significant policy shift, the Obama administration said Thursday it would for the first time provide non-lethal aid directly to rebels who are battling to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, announcing an additional $60 million in assistance to Syria's political opposition.

    The modest package of aid to the military wing of the opposition will consist of an as yet undetermined amount of food rations and medical supplies for members of the Free Syrian Army who will be carefully screened to ensure they do not have links to extremists.

    The move was announced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at an international conference on Syria in Rome, and several European nations are expected in the coming days to take similar steps in working with the military wing of the opposition in order to ramp up pressure on Assad to step down and pave the way for a democratic transition. However, a number of Syrian opposition figures expressed disappointment with the limited assistance.

    "We do this because we need to stand on the side of those in this fight who want to see Syria rise again and see democracy and human rights," Kerry said. "The stakes are really high, and we can't risk letting this country in the heart of the Middle East be destroyed by vicious autocrats or hijacked by the extremists."

    "No nation, no people should live in fear of their so-called leaders," he said, adding that President Barack Obama's "decision to take further steps now is the result of the brutality of a superior armed force propped up by foreign fighters from Iran and Hezbollah."

    Kerry and senior officials from 11 countries most active in calling for Assad to leave said in a joint statement released by the Italian foreign ministry that they had agreed in Rome on "the need to change the balance of power on the ground." It said the countries represented "will coordinate their efforts closely so as to best empower the Syrian people and support the Supreme Military Command of the Free Syrian Army in its efforts to help them exercise self-defense."

    Britain and France, two countries that Kerry visited before traveling to Italy on his first official trip as secretary of state, have signaled that they want to begin supplying the rebels with defensive military equipment such as combat body armor, armored vehicles, night vision goggles and training. They are expected to make decisions on those items in the near future, in line with new guidance from the European Union, which still bars the provision of weapons and ammunition to anyone in Syria.

    "We must go above and beyond the efforts we are making now," said Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi, who hosted the conference. "We can no longer allow this massacre to continue."

    Appearing beside Terzi and Kerry, the leader of the Syrian opposition coalition, Mouaz al-Khatib, delivered a forceful and emotional demand for Assad to stop the brutality of his forces that have in recent days launched scud missile attacks on the city of Aleppo that have been roundly condemned by much of the Western and Arab worlds

    "Bashar Assad, for once in your life, behave as a human being," Khatib said. "Bashar Assad, you have to make at least one wise decision in your life for the future of your country."

    The opposition has been appealing for some time for the international community to boost its support and to provide its military wing with lethal assistance, and while al-Khatib did not mention those requests, he pointedly made no reference to the new assistance that Kerry announced. Instead, he urged outside nations to support the creation of protected humanitarian corridors inside Syria, which the foreign ministers said they had "positively considered" by made no decisions.

    Walid al-Bunni, a spokesman for the Syrian National Coalition, said the Syrian people have every right to feel "bitter" at the world's inaction even while "the scuds rain down on Aleppo" and expressed dissatisfaction with the aid announced by Kerry.

    "We would have wished to receive a means with which to protect the innocent civilians dying from the regime's warplanes and scud missiles, but unfortunately, that was not even on the table," he said by telephone from Budapest.

    The head of the rebel's Supreme Military Council, Gen. Salim Idris, told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency before the meeting Thursday that the rebels' needs include anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

    "We hope that a decision is reached at the Friends of the Syrian People meeting which will enable us to obtain the weapons we need," the agency quoted Idris as saying. Idris said Assad's regime receives "unlimited" support from Russia and Iran.

    Kerry defended the limited U.S. assistance, saying it was just part of what was being offered and that other countries would fill in any gaps. He said he was confident that the "totality" of the aid should be enough to prod Assad to start changing his calculations on remaining in power.

    "We're doing this, but other countries are doing other things," he replied, without going into specifics. "I am confident the totality of this effort is going to have an impact on the ability of the Syrian opposition to accomplish its goals." Kerry said Thursday's meeting marked the "beginning of a process that will in fact change his (Assad's) calculation."

    Washington has already provided $385 million in humanitarian aid to Syria's war-weary population and $54 million in communications equipment, medical supplies and other nonlethal assistance to Syria's political opposition. The U.S. also has screened rebel groups for Turkey and American allies in the Arab world that have armed rebel fighters.

    But until now, no U.S. dollars or provisions have gone directly to rebel fighters, reflecting concerns about forces that have allied themselves with more radical Islamic elements since Assad's initial crackdown on peaceful protesters in March 2011.

    The $60 million in new aid to the political opposition is intended to help the opposition govern newly liberated areas of Syria by aiding in the delivery of services and improving rule of law and human rights as well as to blunt the influence of extremists who have made inroads in some places.

    The rations and medical supplies for the fighters will be delivered to the military council for distribution only to carefully vetted members of the Free Syrian Army, U.S. officials said.

    The U.S. will be sending technical advisers to the Syrian National Coalition offices in Cairo to oversee and help them spend the money for good governance and rule of law. The advisers will be from non-governmental organizations and other groups that do this kind of work.

    The foreign ministers' presentation was disrupted by one protester who called on them to "stop supporting terrorists."

    ___

    Associated Press writers Suzan Frazer in Ankara, Turkey, and Ben Hubbard in Beirut contributed to this report.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-boosts-aid-syrian-opposition-rebel-fighters-141321282--politics.html

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