Liberty Newspost Feb-15-10

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Police arrest 26 at Aldermaston nuclear weapons plant blockade (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:11:51 AM

Hundreds of demonstrators block entrance to Berkshire factory that makes Trident warheads Police made 26 arrests at a peace protest today when hundreds of demonstrators blocked entrances to a nuclear weapons site.

Organisers of the protest said up to 800 people travelled from across the UK to take part in the blockade of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Aldermaston, Berkshire, where warheads for Trident submarines are made. Thames Valley police said about 400 people attended.

Demonstrators, including some from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, arrived at 7am and blocked the seven gates at the site by either sitting down in

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front of them or locking themselves together.

Two Nobel peace prize recipients, Jody Williams, who led a campaign to ban landmines, and Mairead Maguire, who fronted a drive to end violence in Northern Ireland, were among those taking part.

CND chairwoman Kate Hudson said: "People have come from all over the UK and we also have a big international contingent. It's the biggest blockade for many years.

"It's a reflection of the fact that the majority of the population is against the British possession of nuclear weapons.

"The government wants to be a leading player in nuclear disarmament, but they can't say that and press ahead with the Trident replacement."

Brian Larkin, from Trident Ploughshares, which helped organise the protest, travelled from Helensburgh in Scotland to

attend. He said: "This is the biggest blockade of Aldermaston in years and comes at a time when even major political parties are questioning the logic of spending up to £97bn on useless weapons. It demonstrates the depth and breadth of determined civil society opposition to Trident and its planned replacement.

"Although the government now seems to have delayed the next phase of Trident replacement until after the general election, the ongoing construction of facilities at the AWE for the design, development and manufacture of new nuclear warheads is illegal and immoral and will only lead to further proliferation of nuclear weapons."

Angie Zelter, co-founder of Trident Ploughshares, who travelled from Knighton in Wales, added: "In May, world governments will meet to review

the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but this programme of modernisation of UK nuclear weapons violates the treaty and could lead to a disastrous failure of the review conference."

Sarah Lasenby, from Oxford, said: "The time has come for the UK to disarm its nuclear weapons. Instead of building a new generation, the government should go to the upcoming conference and commit to negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention to abolish nuclear weapons worldwide."

Chief Inspector Judith Johnson, deputy commander for West Berkshire local police area, said: "The vast majority of protesters were peaceful and we would like to express our thanks to them for their co-operation and consideration throughout the day.

"However a small minority seemed intent on causing problems. Our foremost priority

was public safety and minimising disruption to the community and local businesses."

Assistant Chief Constable Brian Langston added: "We have taken steps to learn the lessons highlighted from the G20 demonstrations last year and have been liaising with the protest groups during the course of the year to ensure that there were no surprises for either the police or the protesters."

• Nuclear weapons • Arms trade • Protest • Police guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

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Beyond the talk show fireworks, Cheney supported some Obama decisions

by David Alexander (Front Row Washington)

Afghanistan.

He backed an end to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that limits Submitted at 2/14/2010 8:37:30 PM the ability of homosexuals to Former Vice President Dick serve in the military.

Cheney swapped barbs with Vice And he disagreed with former President Joe Biden on the Republican vice presidential morning talk shows Sunday. candidate Sarah Palin’s comment Beyond the fireworks, however, that people might think Obama is there were interesting things they tough enough to be president if didn’t argue about. he would declare war on Iran.

Cheney endorsed President “I’m a complete supporter of Barack Obama’s approach in w h a t t h e y ’ r e d o i n g i n

Afghanistan,” Cheney told ABC’s “This Week” program. “I think the president made the right decision to send troops into Afghanistan.”

One complaint, though, was the nearly nine months it took Obama to approve a way forward.

“I thought it took him a while to get there,” Cheney said.

Cheney told ABC it was time to move beyond the “don’t ask,

don’t tell” policy that allows homosexuals to serve in the military only if their sexual preferences remain unknown.

Obama promised in his State of the Union address to work to repeal the measure.

“I think the society has moved on. I think it’s partly a generational question,” Cheney said.

“Twenty years ago, the military were strong advocates of ‘don’t

ask, don’t tell’ when I was secretary of defense,” he said. “I think things have changed significantly since then.”

He said Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had indicated the U.S. should support a change of policy.

“When the chiefs come forward and say, ‘We think we can do it,’ BEYOND page 3

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then it strikes me that it’s time to reconsider the policy. And I think think Admiral Mullen said that,” Cheney said.

The former vice president also expressed reservations about remarks made recently by Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor who was Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate in 2008.

Arguing that the Obama administration is weak on terrorism, Palin said recently people might begin to think Obama was tough enough to be president if he decided to declare war on Iran.

“I don’t think a president can

make a judgment like that on the basis of politics. The stakes are too high, the consequences too significant to be treating those as simple political calculations,” Cheney said when asked about the remark.

“When you begin to talk about war, talk about crossing international borders, you talk about committing American men and women to combat, that takes place on a plane clear above any political considerations.”

Asked if Palin was qualified to be president, Cheney said he hadn’t made a decision yet on who he would support for president in 2012.

“All the prospective candidates out there have a lot of work to do if … they’re going to persuade a majority of Americans that they’re ready to take on the world’s toughest job,” he said.

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: Reuters/Larry Downing (Biden and Cheney at the U.S. Capitol in January 2009)

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Rockin’ finch strums guitar [video] (Holy Kaw!)

tech playground in the aviary with amps, electric guitars, and other musical instruments, French artist and composer Boursier-Mougenot recorded the Celeste Boursier-Mougenot musical talents of the colorful creates projects that seek out birds, including one finch (let’s sound from unexpected sources, call him Les Paul) that rocked altering how we see (and hear) out a solo using a stick as a everyday situations. His latest guitar pick. installation at London’s Barbican Full story at Huffington Post.

Centre taps into the inner Jimi Tune in to the top music news.

Hendrix of Zebra Finches. Permalink| Leave a comment » Creating what looks like a highSubmitted at 2/15/2010 10:25:09 AM

Six Cutting-Edge Totes We'd Be Proud to Carry to Work

by Anne C. Lee (Fast Company) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:42:14 AM

Photograph by Kang Kim Don't shoot the messenger! That look may be a tad passé, but here are six new bags we'd be proud to carry to work.

DELVAUX Newspaper bag, 1,550 euros ($2,290) delvaux.com This Belgian-made bag is lined with basane, a sheepskin leather traditionally used for bookbinding. In the spirit of that literary heritage, the straps are designed to hold your daily

paper. FreitagF76 Leo, 250 francs ($244) freitag.ch The newest model from every hipster's favorite Swiss bag maker uses those signature recycled tarps, but boasts an integrated laptop sleeve as well

backpack, $80 timbuk2.com A backpack channeling a messenger bag, the Swig can be customized with your choice of fabrics and colors. Bonus: a built -in bottle opener. Hard Graft3Fold multi-use bag, 409 euros ($604) hardgraft.com Handmade of Italian leather, this versatile case does triple duty: It can be reconfigured as a laptop as extra pockets inside and out. style points for the pinstripes. carrier, an overnight bag, or a SpeckCorePack Fly messenger Jack SpadeIndustrial canvas portfolio. bag, $89.95 speckproducts.com d i p p e d c o a l b a g , $ 2 2 5 No more fumbling at the airport j a c k s p a d e . c o m -- a TSA -- friendly laptop sleeve The bottom of this canvas tote is means you can leave your h a n d - d i p p e d i n l a t e x f o r computer inside this bag. Extra reinforcement. Timbuk2Swig

Leftover Valentine's Chocolate? Measure the Speed of Light!

by Kathy Ceceri (Wired Top Stories)

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Steel oligarch named Russia's richest man

by Luke Harding (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:15:24 AM

Former coalmine mechanic is declared the wealthiest of the country's 77 billionaires, with fortune put at $18.8bn A former mechanic whose life has been described as a proletarian success story was today unveiled as Russia's richest man, in a survey revealing that the country's oligarchs have bounced back triumphantly from last year's financial crisis.

The business magazine Finans named the low-profile steel magnate Vladimir Lisin as Russia's wealthiest individual, worth $18.8bn (£12bn). In second place with $17.85bn was Mikhail Prokhorov, the metals and banking magnate who came top last year.

Roman Abramovich, the reticent Chelsea FC owner, was third.

His wealth was put at $17bn. It is the first time that Abramovich has failed to make the top two, but Finans noted wryly that he was still wealthy enough to fund his London football team for the "next 100 years".

Lisin has appeared before in the top 10 on Russia's rich lists, but this is the first time he has sprung to global prominence.

The businessman owes his wealth to the Novolipetsk steel mill, one of the world's largest.

He also owns an electricity firm.

His industrial complex in the

town of Lipetsk declined to comment.

Born in 1956, Lisin got his first job in 1975 as a lowly mechanic in a Soviet coalmine. He studied at Siberia's Metallurgy Institute and took a job as a steelworker.

He rose swiftly. In 1992 he joined a group of tenacious traders, the Trans-World Group, who won control of Russia's steel and aluminium industry.

When the partners split in 2000, Lisin got 13% of the company and later won a controlling share.

Married with three children, he is a keen clay pigeon shooter and cigar smoker. He has a collection of rare 19th-century cast-iron equine sculptures from the middle Urals town of Kasli.

The secret of Lisin's success, the magazine suggested, has been to work hard and stay out of politics. The oligarch has avoided the fate of Mikhail Khordorkovsky, formerly Russia's richest man, who has been in prison since 2003 after challenging Vladimir Putin.

Lisin has also snubbed the golddiggers of Moscow's VIP party scene.

The Finans deputy editor, Andrei Shkolin, said Russia's oligarchs had recovered from the global economic slump, which saw their fortunes shrink dramatically. The assets of the country's top 10 entrepreneurs had gone up from $75.9bn last year to $139.3bn in 2010, he said. Russia now boasts 77 billionaires.

Asked whether the gap between Russia's poor and super-rich had got larger, he said: "Yes, but you have to define your terms."

Several oligarchs have received billions in stand handouts, including Oleg Deripaska, who is close to the Kremlin.

According to Shkolin, however, the Kremlin had no choice but to rescue strategic industries.

According to the survey, Alexander Lebedev – the former KGB officer and owner of the London Evening Standard – also saw his fortune increase. Finans said he was worth $3.4bn, up from $1.95bn last year. The rise is due to an increase in the value of Lebedev's bank, the National Reserve Corporation. The banking sector generally posted a strong recovery, Shkolin said.

Lebedev is currently in negotiations to buy the Independent and the Independent on Sunday. Independent News and Media confirmed today that talks had been extended until 26 February. Other parts of Lebedev's business empire have recently experienced problems, with his German-based Blue Wings airline filing for bankruptcy in Dusseldorf.

Lebedev has said this was due to a business dispute with the airline's German co-owner.

Vladimir Putin's friend Gennady Timchenko, meanwhile, saw his fortune soar last year to $4.15bn.

Timochenko is the co-owner of Gunvor, the Swiss-based oil trader that now exports around a

third of Russia's oil products.

Timchenko was 'extremely active' in 2009 with several major acquisitions, Shkolin said.

Russia's richest men Vladimir Lisin Russia's new super-oligarch. Lisin's first job in the seventies1970s was as a mechanic in a coalmine in the 1970s. He is now officially the country's richest man with $18.8bn. He keeps a low-profile and avoids Moscow's clamorous party scene. In a 2004 interview with Forbes magazine, he put his success down to sheer singlemindedness.

Mikhail Prokhorov Down from first place to second. Prokhorov had the foresight to sell his multibillion-dollar stake in Norilsk mining in early 2008, just before the global credit crunch took hold. French police interviewed Prokohorov, a bachelor, in January 2007 in connection with a prostitution ring in the ski resort of Courchevel. They subsequently apologised.

Roman Abramovich Down from second to third. The Chelsea FC owner had a good year, with his assets bouncing back from $13.9bn in 2009 to $17bn this time. Abramovich has recently enjoyed personal happiness too.

He became a father again in December, when his curatorpartner Dasha Zhukova gave birth to their son Aaron in Los Angeles.

Oleg Deripaska Vladimir Putin's favourite oligarch. Deripaska has

had a remarkable turnaround following a disastrous 2008-9 that saw billions wiped off his assets. The recipient of vast Kremlin handouts, he is now worth $13.8bn. His aluminium firm Rusal has just had a successful flotation in Hong Kong, enabling him to pay off debts.

Alisher Usmanov Seventh.

Usmanov's fortunes have also recovered dramatically, growing from $4.5bn to $12.4bn in a single year. Usmanov is now in a strong position to pursue his apparent long-term ambition to secure control over Arsenal FC. He currently owns around a quarter of the London club's shares.

Alexander Lebedev 32nd.

Lebedev's net worth has gone up from $1.95bn to $3.4bn.

Although his airline company Blue Wings has just filed for bankruptcy in Germany, Lebedev is still in a strong position to buy the Independent and the Independent on Sunday, although a deal with papers' parent company is yet to be agreed.

• Russia • Rich lists • Roman Abramovich • Alexander Lebedev Luke Harding guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | STEEL page 5

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Eduardo Catalano obituary

by Jonathan Glancey (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

paraboloid, made from straight sections of timber, and held in unlikely place at two of its corners by concrete buttresses Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:26:40 AM and steel tension cables passing Inventive Argentinian architect underground between them. The and teacher whose work was square living area below, divided eye-openingly modern into elegant rooms, was sheathed When, in 1956, the Argentinian entirely in glass. architect Eduardo Catalano, who Ever since, the Catalano House has died aged 92, won House has been a staple of design and Home magazine's House of magazines and books on the the Decade award, even the history of inventive 1950s hyper-critical Frank Lloyd homes, one of those charismatic Wright was impressed. He wrote modern houses pointing to a a letter to the US monthly future form of design that the praising the radical design of the family home worldwide, let house Catalano had designed for alone the US, had little intention h i m s e l f i n R a l e i g h , N o r t h of adopting. Even Catalano Carolina. himself only lived here for a Built in 1954, this was certainly year. After several years of some house: a feat of neglect, the house was imagination, adventurous demolished in 2001. geometry and bravura structural Catalano moved on, not just engineering. Eye-openingly from the teaching post created modern, it was also beautiful. for him in 1951 at the new Essentially a glazed pavilion School of Design at North with a free-flowing plan that Carolina State University, but wove interior and surrounding also from the very form of garden together, the Catalano design and structure that had House stood under a daring roof. made his name during his years Some compared this with a in Raleigh. His later works, saddle, some to the wing of an notably the various buildings, aircraft and others, less kindly, to including the Stratton Student a potato crisp. The 4,000 sq ft Centre, on the campus of the roof warping over Catalano's M a s s a c h u s e t t s I n s t i t u t e o f three-bedroom family house was T e c h n o l o g y ( M I T ) , i n a n 8 7 f t - w i d e h y p e r b o l i c Cambridge, and the new US

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embassy building in Buenos Aires, were formidable, even brutalist, concrete affairs.

Rigorous? Yes. Powerful?

Definitely. Mathematical?

Without a shadow of doubt. Yet the spirit of sheer joy and creative lightness of the house in Raleigh seems to have been buried some time between Catalano's departure from Raleigh and his arrival at MIT in 1956.

He went on to become a revered teacher at MIT until his retirement in 1977 when he reemerged as an architect-artist as if the years of heavy concrete had suddenly been lifted from him. In 2002, his Floralis Generica, an enormous aluminium and stainless steel flower that opens at dawn and folds at sunset, was built next to the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires.

Flamboyant and slightly bonkers, the 75ft high, 18-tonne sculpture was made, to exacting specifications, from materials supplied by Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina; here flora and aeronautics were grafted on to one another.

Catalano studied architecture at Buenos Aires University and won a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania. He

moved on to a postgraduate course at Harvard under Walter Gropius, founding director of the Bauhaus in Weimar Germany.

Catalano's academic prowess was rewarded with a year's teaching at the Architectural Association in London, before he was headhunted for a professorship at North Carolina State University in 1951.

In Raleigh, the Catalano House provoked a mix of incredulity and bemusement. Catalano liked to tell the story of the day after a hurricane blasted Raleigh while the house was under construction. The roof structure had been fixed and, although the architect initially feared that it might be lifted like a kite in the storm, it flexed, but otherwise stood in place. "A very young man came," said Catalano, "delivering rolls of fibreglass sheets for use in roofing the shell. He saw the twisted roof, opened his eyes wide, and, as if trying to comfort me, placed one hand on my shoulder, sighing 'Oh, boy! You really got it!'"

In the late 1990s, Preservation North Carolina sought to buy the property and looked for $1m to rebuild it. Help never came, and so the house went. In 2005, Catalano offered to design and pay $1.5m for a pavilion on the

campus of North Carolina State University in the guise of the roof of his demolished house.

This, however, was seen as an intrusion on the landscape. All went quiet; nothing has happened since.

In New York, meanwhile, the architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro have been rebuilding the Juilliard school of music and the Alice Tully hall at Lincoln Center, designed by Catalano with Pietro Belluschi. The legacy of this inventive designer and inspired teacher may be in safe – or at least, imaginative – hands.

The ghost of the Catalano House in Raleigh lives on to haunt the architectural imagination.

Catalano is survived by a son and a daughter.

• Eduardo Fernando Catalano, architect, born 19 December 1917; died 28 January 2010 • Architecture • United States • Argentina • Massachusetts Jonathan Glancey guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

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Doug Fieger obituary

by Dave Laing (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:24:19 AM

Founder member of American band the Knack and co-writer of their hit My Sharona For a couple of months in late 1979, My Sharona, by the Knack, crowded out almost every other pop song from the airwaves of north America and western Europe. The song was co-written by Doug Fieger, who has died of cancer, aged 57.

He was born in Detroit, learning piano at the age of five and taking trumpet lessons at 11.

When the Beatles and other British Invasion groups arrived in America he took up the guitar, eventually playing the bass guitar with a local group, Sky. At 14, he and Sky were the support band for visiting acts such as the Who and Traffic. The group made two albums in London, overseen by the Rolling Stones' producer Jimmy Miller, before splitting up.

Fieger moved to Los Angeles at the beginning of the 1970s, forming a songwriting partnership with the guitarist Berton Averre. After playing at

recording sessions, the duo formed the Knack with the drummer Bruce Gary and bass player Prescott Niles in 1978.

Fieger was the main singer and rhythm guitarist.

The group played in a melodic style harking back to the British Invasion sound that came to be called power-pop or "skinny-tie" music and which contrasted with the punk sound that had dominated the LA scene for the previous few years. Rolling Stone even called them "the new Fab Four". The Knack built up a large following in southern California clubs and by the beginning of 1979 there were reported to be up to a dozen labels bidding to sign them to a recording contract.

Eventually they signed to Capitol, the American division of EMI Records and entered the recording studio with the Australian-born producer Mike Chapman. After writing and producing hits in London with Nicky Chinn for Suzi Quatro, the Sweet, Mud and Smokie, Chapman had emigrated in 1975, making his name in America through his productions for Blondie. He spent 11 days in the studio with the Knack, recording

enough songs for an album at the minute cost of $18,000.

The album The Knack and the single My Sharona were issued in August 1979, becoming immediate hits. After blanket airplay on America's Top 40 radio stations, My Sharona sold a million copies in a fortnight. It topped the charts for six weeks and reached No 6 in Britain. The record went on to sell over 10m copies worldwide. The album was also a No 1 hit in the US and eventually sold five million. By now, the Knack's success had inspired other record companies to issue albums by other "power pop" groups including the Pop, 20/20 and the Plimsouls.

However, Fieger and the group were never able to match the success of My Sharona with their subsequent records. Good Girls Don't, the next single, was a top 20 hit in America, but it flopped in Britain. Their second album, But the Little Girls Understand, issued in March 1980, sold only 600,000 copies. Chapman put this failure down to Fieger's megalomania: "He started to think that he was like Jim Morrison or Buddy Holly, that there was nothing he could do that wouldn't work, and I guess

we all believed it!"

The group had also inspired a critical backlash, as journalists enthused by punk or hard rock attacked the Knack as slavish Beatles imitators, because of their stage outfits and sets, or purveyors of sexist and puerile sentiments, or both. The slogan "Knuke The Knack" did the rounds of the Los Angeles club scene. Fieger and the others released a third album, Round Trip, but in 1981 they recognised that their career was over. While his colleagues went on to perform and record as the Game, Fieger formed Taking Chances with a new team of Los Angeles musicians.

Meanwhile, My Sharona had become a staple of radio programming and Fieger received offers to re-form the Knack for national tours. In 1987, he agreed to reunite with Averre and Niles, plus the drummer Billy Ward. When a 1991 album Serious Fun for the Charisma label sold poorly, they disbanded again.

Fieger found a minor role in the television series Roseanne and made a solo album with the producer Don Was before once again reanimating the Knack in

1994, prompted by the inclusion of My Sharona in the film Reality Bites. The song continues to have a presence in popular culture, and was used last year in a British television commercial for breakfast cereal.

The Knack has also occasionally toured and recorded albums such as Zoom (1998) and Normal As the Next Guy (2001).

In 2004, Fieger was diagnosed with lung cancer. After major surgery in 2006, the illness went into remission but returned six months ago.

He is survived by a sister and brother.

• Douglas Fieger, singer and songwriter, born 20 August 1952; died 14 February 2010 • Pop and rock • United States • The Beatles Dave Laing guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

Unemployed Ohio man chills out in extreme igloo (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:22:28 AM

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Russia 'obstructing Litvinenko murder inquiry'

by Helen Pidd (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

claimed asylum in the UK in 2003, alleges that Terluk, under the pseudonym "Pyotr", accused him of being behind Litvinenko's Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:59:17 AM killing on a Russian TV show in Marina Litvinenko a witness for 2007. oligarch Boris Berezovsky in Terluk denies that he is Pyotr libel battle over who was behind but yesterday alleged that poisoning of ex-spy in London Litvinenko had bullied him into The widow of Alexander making a false confession about Litvinenko, the former Russian being a Russian KGB assassin spy who was poisoned with a ordered to murder Berezovsky. radioactive isotope in 2006, This confession was then used to appeared at the high court in bolster Berezovsky's successful London today to dismiss as asylum claim by showing that he "propaganda" claims that her had a real fear of persecution, he husband's billionaire friend and said. benefactor was behind the At part of Berezovsky's asylum murder. case in 2003, Litvinenko, then Marina Litvinenko also accused still alive, testified that Terluk the Russian authorities of had told him that he had been keeping her "in limbo" by ordered to reconnoitre Bow obstructing the investigation into Street magistrates court, where her husband's death as she Berezovsky was due to appear, appeared as a witness for the and see how easy it would be to R u s s i a n o l i g a r c h B o r i s kill the Russian oligarch.

Berezovsky in his libel battle "The purpose of this was to see with a man called Vladimir whether it would be possible to Terluk. Berezovsky, a fierce take in unexamined pens and critic of the Kremlin who cigarettes and to see if there was

some place within the premises where someone posing as a journalist would be able to get sufficiently close to Berezovsky to drip fluid from the pen on to his clothing or shoe and then light a cigarette, blowing smoke in the direction of the fluid," Litvinenko testified, according to papers submitted to the high court today.

"The introduction of smoke could be a catalyst for a poison of some sort," he added. The court has already heard that Berezovsky considered Litvinenko one of his "most trusted friends in London". He provided the Litvinenkos with accommodation when they fled to London from Russia after Litvinenko turned whistleblower and said that he had been told to assassinate Berezovsky. Asked

by Berezovsky's barrister, Desmond Browne QC, whether she had grounds to suspect that Berezovsky was party to her husband's murder, Marina Litvinenko said: "No, I do not."

"I knew that the accusation against Boris was propaganda but I knew others in the Russianspeaking community would be likely to swallow that propaganda," she said in her witness statement.

She told the court: "In the months following the death I followed every aspect of the police investigation. I remain in limbo as the Russian authorities have obstructed the course of justice and have refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, whom the British Crown Prosecution Service named as the man they wished to charge with the murder." The case continues.

• Russia • Vladimir Putin

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Grandmother fends off shark attack (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:45:00 AM

Never underestimate the strength of a determined grandmother. A shark off the Australian coast may have learned that lesson after 60-yearold Paddy Trumbull repeatedly kicked and punched a huge shark

that began attacking her as she snorkeled.

The fierce granny felt “the most almighty huge tug” as she swam in the water and immediately knew the time had come to fight, fight, fight or risk becoming fish food. Commenting on the incident, Trumbull said: “I get the better of me’ and I started thought ‘this shark’s not going to p u n c h i n g i t o n t h e n o s e ,

punching, punching, punching.

And then it got me under the water, but not much because I started kicking at its neck.”

Trumbull said she felt no pain, but doctors at the hospital where she was airlifted after the attack estimate she lost 40 percent of her blood volume. Not one to look on the dreary side of things,

Trumbull later joked at the hospital, “I have to have a new, remodeled bottom, so that’s a positive.”

Full story at BBC. All the best news from BBC. Photo credit: Fotolia Permalink| Leave a comment »

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Who Pood on the Hollywood Sign? A Preservationist Message Goes Down the Toilet [UPDATED]

by Alissa Walker (Fast Company) Submitted at 2/14/2010 3:06:40 PM

UPDATE: Like a 36-hour game of Wheel of Fortune gone awry, the Hollywood sign reluctantly revealed its new message on a sunny Presidents' Day weekend, while coining other important phrases like SAVE THE POOD and SAVE THE PEOK along the way. We can only guess what new fun sayings will be revealed as the letters come down (we're pulling for HOLLYWEAK).

That's scheduled to begin tomorrow. You can watch the progress on the Web cam at HollywoodSign.org As the sun set over Los Angeles today, millions of local residents looked to the north and wondered, "Who's Sally?"

The nine letters marking the world's most famous neighborhood--and possibly one of the planet's most effective billboards--had been planned to be altered to read SAVE THE PEAK. But a late start, light breeze and difficulties working with a delicate historic monument proved slow going for the team, who had to work entirely by hand securing 45-foot mesh fabric banners along the backs of the letters. By 5:00 only the S and the A had been covered. Tonight, it would be a Sallywood Night.

The sign's transformation hoped to draw attention to the fact that the peak nearby--some 138 acres seen to the left of the thenSollywood sign here--needs to be purchased from developer Fox River Financial Resources to prevent a hypothetical four mansions from being built along the ridge. A movement was launched by the Trust for Public Land named Save Cahuenga Peak and has already raised $6.3 million dollars from celebrities (Tiffany & Co. chipped in another million in time for the press conference today). The campaign needs to double that amount by April 14 in order for the sale to go through.

Although he can't be blamed for the disconnect between launching a campaign to protect the view of the Hollywood sign and transforming it into an eyesore for a few days, the

after the Depression, and that's the reason most of the land remains wilderness today. (See, economic downturns can be good!)

The undeveloped land near the sign was eventually purchased

by Howard Hughes, whose palatial Lago Vista home you can see here, in the Sallywood Hills (it was later owned by Madonna). The Cahuenga Peak land was purchased from Hughes' estate by Chicago-based Fox River in 2002, and all public creative execution for the piece figures" (although the Trust for use of the hiking trails, which fell on Ramy Baramily from Public Land says it was all thread into Griffith Park, the Signquest. His company got the donated). Baramily didn't have largest urban park in the country call a few weeks ago to start plans to recycle the fabric, but at 4,200 acres, as well as nearby designing the banners, and only instead, said it would all go back Lake Hollywood, ceased received official permission to to the city. One can only hope immediately. install them yesterday. I asked the mesh fabric can be sewn into But this idyllic view has been in him if they considered using the tote bags and sold for more danger before. Back in 1978, the Hollywood sign typeface (they SAVE THE PEAK cash. sign itself had become pitted and did) and why they chose red (it's The irony in all this--besides the decayed and the "O" was long what the city wanted). I then fact that Sally's Beauty Supply gone, looking more like " asked him how they planned to got a lovely boost of free HUILYWC D." Then, like now, solve a looming logistical advertising today--is that the sign Hollywood itself rallied to problem: SAVE THE PEAK has itself once advertised another protect its iconic label. two more characters than real estate development: Celebrities like Hugh Hefner, HOLLYWOOD. "You're the Hollywoodland. (In 1943, the Alice Cooper and Gene Autry first person to ask me that," he "LAND" was subsequently pitched in that time around. said, amazed. The "THE" will be removed to reflect the name of There was an auction at the squeezed onto the space of the Y, the entire neighborhood, not just Playboy Mansion: Alice Cooper he told me. I think we're about to the subdivision.) Starting in bought an O! Now that's witness a typographic disaster of 1923, the entire peak was in fact creative. So why didn't we take landmark proportions. once divided up into tracts for this opportunity to tap a local Not to mention a sustainability homeowners to purchase. But the artist or designer to highlight the one: thousands of yards of mesh i n v e s t m e n t b y f o r m e r L o s true value of the peak in question fabric, used for five days, and at Angeles Times publisher Harry a cost of "in the high five Chandler didn't fare too well WHO page 10

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9

What Will Vancouver Look Like When the Winter Games Are Gone?

by Jesse Ashlock (Fast Company) Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:02:30 AM

Most Vancouverites remain grumpy about the Winter Olympics, but the Games are likely to improve the city in many ways, from better public transportation options to new public art.

On the eve of the 2010 Winter Olympics, a Vancouver Sun poll revealed that most Vancouver residents remain ambivalent about the Games--nearly 60% of respondents calling them a waste of money that could have been better spent elsewhere. That's not exactly surprising, considering the taxpayer bailout that was needed to finish the $1 billion Olympic Village, or the widespread perception that private developers had just a little too much influence over the planning process. Somewhat counter-intuitively, however, the poll also showed that Vancouverites are mostly optimistic about the legacy the Olympics will have on their city.

There's no Bird's Nest or Water Cube here, and Vancouver's budget was just a fraction of Beijing's; these Games will transform the host city in much subtler, though still significant ways.

The closest thing to a Bird's

Nest is the $178-million Richmond Oval, to be used for all speed-skating events. It features an undulating roof design (made from a million board feet of reclaimed lumber that had been damaged by pine beetles) which also facilitates rainwater recapture. Outside, Water Sky Garden, a floating public sculpture by artist Janet Echelman, one of dozens of new permanent artworks around the city, visually connects the building with adjacent wetlands.

But while the Bird's Nest has sat largely empty since its 2008 debut, the Richmond Oval will become a community recreation center and the centerpiece of a new waterfront neighborhood.

Similarly, a curling facility will later be converted into a community center. Indeed, the governing principle in Vancouver seems to have been "leave no trace," to create multiuse facilities that quietly integrate into the fabric of city life once the games are gone.

As the largest city ever to host a Winter Olympics, Vancouver made sustainability the centerpiece of its design strategy, an approach that's evident in the high-density Southeast False Creek Olympic Village complex, where units will be sold as condos after the Games (assuming anyone's buying).

Built to a LEED Gold standard, it's won plaudits from

environmental advocates for its green roofs, rainwater reuse, and integration with parkland and public transit.

The centerpiece of the city's public transit overhaul is the Canada Line, an airport-todowntown rapid-rail service, which was completed last summer. And the Olympic Line, a 60-day demonstration project timed to coincide with the festivities, brings the streetcar back to Vancouver along a little over a mile of legacy track. The project, which has already won a Sustainability Star, is meant to demonstrate the viability of a permanent downtown streetcar service.

For those determined to be

grumpy about the impact of the Olympics on their city, the brand -new site Shape Vancouver 2050 lets anyone fashion a digital model of the Vancouver of their imagination. And the Winter Games' signature artwork, Rafael Lozano-Hammer's Vectorial Vancouver, also gives regular people a measure of control over the look of Vancouver: Anyone can log in during the month of February to control 20 robotic searchlights arranged around the city's English Bay to create massive light sculptures in the night sky.

Related: Designing the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

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WHO continued from page 8

--the fact that it's not covered in bad advertising! Sussman/Prejza, the designers behind the 1984 Olympics--who designed the stunning, glittery characters at the newly-opened W Hollywood --could have wowed us with some temporary signage installation that was beautiful and readable from more than a few miles away.

Or how about this? Since its lights were removed in 1943, the sign has only been lit on special occasions like the 1984 Olympics and the turn of the millennium. We could have simply turned on the Hollywood sign's lights for a few nights-wind or solar-powered, of course --to bring awe and attention to

this part of the city. An environmentally-conscious event for all of L.A. to enjoy.

Danny Finegood had a message he wanted to get out to the city when he altered the sign on July 1, 1976. It was the day that relaxed marijuana laws went into effect in California, and he wanted everyone in L.A. to know it. He considered this his lifetime achievement, according to High Times. And he should have been proud. It was a powerful message, simple, beautifully executed, and there was no doubt to anyone within viewing distance what it meant.

And hey, man, it was green.

SAVE THE PEAK still means very little to the city's open space

movement, but now SALLYWOOD will go down in history as Hollywood's great missed opportunity to do something truly positive for preservation. Besides, if they had hired someone like Finegood to do it, the sign would have been finished by morning. At this point, they might as well change it to SORRYWOOD. [Additional photos, HollywoodSign.org] [ Save Cahuenga Peak]

Kerry: Palin Represents Entertainment Over Politics (Newsmax - Politics) Submitted at 2/14/2010 1:50:51 PM

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Sen. John Kerry told CNN's Larry King that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin "represents the transformation in American Politics to Entertainment." Kerry

Cat Bond Market Shift Favors Goldman Sachs

by Tom Johansmeyer (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:20:00 PM

Filed under: Industry, Goldman Sachs Group (GS) Nine catastrophe bonds have matured so far in the first quarter of 2010, removing $1.8 billion in risk-transfer capacity, according to data from Reuters. The insurance industry has compensated with $508 million in new cat bond risk capital, with

the busy fourth quarter helping to absorb what is maturing now.

Only one cat bond has closed so far this year, The Hartford's ( HIG) $180 million Foundation Re III. But, the first quarter is usually a quiet one for the cat bond market.

It partly replaces the $105 million in protection that Foundation Re D afforded. Swiss Re ( SWCEY) and SCOR ( SCRYY) are also among the insurance companies with bonds

maturing that have at least partial coverage from new cat bond issuances. Another four bonds have matured, however, with no new related issuance, affecting Munich Re ( MURGY), AXA (

Video: Metropolis (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 2/14/2010 3:30:47 PM

This is the last three minutes of “Metropolis,” a really unique approach to the narrative history

of the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, by Rob Carter.[Video]

AXA) and others.

Continue reading Cat Bond Market Shift Favors Goldman Sachs Cat Bond Market Shift Favors Goldman Sachs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

said he was not concerned about her, a feeling that was echoed by the Democrats on King's panel.

Watch the video at Newsmax here. © Newsmax. All rights reserved.

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Joe the Plumber: 'McCain Used Me' (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 2/14/2010 9:01:39 PM

Joe the Plumber sounds bitter: Joe the Plumber goes off on McCain, says he ‘screwed up my life’.

“McCain was trying to use me,” Wurzelbacher said, according to public radio correspondent Scott Detrow. “I happened to be the face of middle Americans. It was a ploy.”

Really? Ya think? What was your first clue, Joe?

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Mobile Biggies Fend Off Apple's App Store

by Tom Taulli (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:00:00 PM

Filed under: Competitive Strategy, Apple Inc (AAPL), AT and T (T), Verizon Communications (VZ) When Apple ( APPL) launched the iPhone three years ago, the big attraction was the sleek design and cool graphics.

However, there was something else that was truly innovative: the app store. Basically, Apple allowed third-party developers to create applications for the iPhone, which certainly benefited customers. It has turned into a cash machine, as Apple gets a cut of all the downloads.

Wanting to capitalize on this -as well as try to slow down Apple -- a group of mobile companies have formed an

11

Treasury to Stop Banks from Freezing Social Security Accounts

Calif: 'Ugly' Politics Stop GOP Lt. Gov Nominee

by Connie Madon (BloggingStocks)

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The vote on whether to confirm moderate Republican Abel Maldonado as California's lieutenant governor shows Assembly Democrats' vow to change their ways was just so much window-dressing. Very, very ugly. So much for a newlook Legislature, according to a latimes.com report. Š All Rights Reserved.

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Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:40:00 PM

Filed under: Management, Law, Consumer Experience, Scandals alliance, called the Wholesale Federal law bars creditors from Applications Community. The taking Social Security to recover members include 24 companies, a debt. Other deposits that are such as AT&T ( T), China e x e m p t i n c l u d e p e n s i o n s , Mobile ( CHL), Verizon ( VZ), payments to disabled veterans NTT DoCoMo, Bharti Airtel and and survivors' benefits for children.

Vodafone ( VOD).

C o n t i n u e r e a d i n g M o b i l e Banks have been ignoring the Biggies Fend Off Apple's App l a w w h e n i t c o m e s t o garnishment orders. They freeze Store Mobile Biggies Fend Off the accounts, then rip off people Apple's App Store originally by charging them outrageous appeared on BloggingStocks on fees. First the account goes into Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:00:00 deficit and there is a fee Then the EST. Please see our terms for account goes on hold and the use of feeds. Permalink| Email customer cannot get access to his or her money. If the customer this| Comments tries to use a debit card, it is rejected and another fee is added.

Once the account is in deficit, the banks keep adding fees on and on ...

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(Newsmax - Politics) Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:44:34 AM

Gunman Opens Fire Inside North Carolina Hospital (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:51:57 AM

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LAURINBURG, N.C. Police

say a gunman shot a patient at a hospital in Laurinburg and tried to shoot the patient's girlfriend.

Police say the gunfire followed a fight at a club early Monday.

Laurinburg police Capt.

Kimothy Monroe said Wayne "Wolf" Simmons, the father of

one of the women in the club fight, came to Scotland Memorial Hospital. She said Simmons entered a room and fired at Domario Covington, who was being treated for injuries from the fight.

Monroe said Covington ran

away and Simmons then tried to shoot Covington's girlfriend, but the gun didn't fire. Simmons was arrested in the hospital parking lot.

Covington was in critical but stable condition.

Monroe said Simmons faces

charges including attempted murder.

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Private Equity Dry Child Rio Carnival queen in tears Powder Off by a Third, Distressed Debt Leads (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)

Viradouro's president, took her by the hand and presented her to the crowd.

Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:38:01 AM But 10 minutes into the parade, Message from fivefilters.org: If as she was surrounded by you can, please donate to the full photographers and reporters, she

by Tom Johansmeyer -text RSS service so we can burst into tears.

(BloggingStocks) continue developing it.

"She cried because there were a Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:30:00 PM A seven-year-old has broken lot of people on top of her," Mr down crying as she took the Lira said.

Filed under: Private Equity controversial lead of a Rio de After a brief period to cool The corner of the private equity Janeiro carnival parade. down, away from the glare of the sector focused on distressed Julia Lira became the youngest cameras, Julia returned to her investment opportunities has a considerable amount of cash on decline of 29% from the 2007 drum corps queen in memory, place at the front of the massive the sidelines. Distressed debt peak, but the dry powder levels but her role has sparked much drum line. debate in Brazil.

It was unclear to what extent she funds lead the private equity remain robust. industry in terms of dry powder, Continue reading Private Equity A judge had earlier over-ruled completed the parade, although followed by special situation and Dry Powder Off by a Third, objections from a child rights her father said he had held her a g e n c y t h a t s a i d i t w a s hand as she had crossed the turnaround funds, according to Distressed Debt Leads alternative investment research Private Equity Dry Powder Off inappropriate given the carnival's finish line.

Divided opinion firm Preqin. by a Third, Distressed Debt sexual focus.

Tourism officials have estimated Hundreds of thousands of fans, Though global dry powder has Leads originally appeared on fallen from its worldwide high of BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Feb about 730,000 visitors have including celebrities such as $59.9 billion in December 2007, 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see arrived in Rio for the party. singer Madonna, watched the its January 2010 level of $42.5 our terms for use of feeds. Julia led the Viradouro samba first parades, while TV pictures billion is still far above the $18.7 P e r m a l i n k | E m a i l t h i s | p a r a d e i n t o t h e p a c k e d were broadcast to millions across Sambodrome wearing a sequined Brazil. billion reached in December C o m m e n t s halter top and miniskirt made of Julia's role continued to divide 2004. This does represent a purple feathers. opinion.

Her father, Marco, who is

Winter Olympic Games posters: 1924 to 2010 (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:39:19 AM

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games kicked off in Vancouver Friday, marking the twenty-first time the world’s most elite athletes gathered to compete in cold weather disciplines like skiing, skating, and curling.

The first Winter Games opened in Chamonix, France in 1924 with only sixteen events and seven sports. By contrast, the Vancouver Games will include eighty-six events and fifteen sports. Needless to say, the Winter Games have changed over the past eighty-six, so WebExpedition18 decided to

take a look back at the evolution of official posters from the

Winter Olympics, from 1924 to this year’s showdown in Vancouver.

Full gallery at WebExpedition18.

Ski over to check out tons of Winter Olympics coverage.

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"She is too young to be drum corps queen," said Marister Deniz, 60, who was watching from the stands.

"A girl that size shouldn't be thrust into such a role."

Carlos Alberto, 25, a drummer with Viradouro, said the role of the drum queen was not necessarily sexual.

"Every school has the right to innovate and to put the artist of its choice at the head of the corps, be it a woman with a gorgeous body or an innocent and marvellous child," he said.

The carnival is the first since Rio was named as host of the 2016 Olympics and city officials have been working hard to show it can safely stage major events.

So far, there have been few reports of criminality.

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Taliban 'forced from strongholds' (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:53:12 AM

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A joint Nato and Afghan military operation is succeeding in pushing Taliban fighters from their strongholds in Helmand province, officials say.

On day three of Operation Moshtarak, senior Afghan officers said areas around Marjah and Nad Ali were being cleared of insurgents.

However, US troops in Marjah were being slowed down by snipers and home-made bombs, a BBC correspondent says.

The campaign aims to bring the areas back under Afghan government control.

However, the operation suffered a setback on Sunday when rockets fired by coalition troops killed 12 civilians.

Nato commander Gen Stanley McChrystal said that he "deeply regretted this tragic loss of life".

'Low resistance' On Monday, Afghan Brig Gen Sher Mohammad Zazai said coalition troops had largely contained the insurgents.

He said local residents were helping troops to locate explosives left by the Taliban.

"Today there is no major movement of the enemy," he said.

"South of Marjah they are very

weak. There has been low resistance. Soon we will have Marjah cleared of enemies."

Gen Aminullah Patiani told AFP news agency "all of the areas of Marjah and Nad Ali have been taken by combined forces. They are under our control".

It's day three of the joint NatoAfghan military operation and forces have experienced both successes and setbacks.

After inserting thousands of troops by helicopter into Taliban -held territory, Nato commanders say they are so far achieving their military objectives.

Meanwhile US, British and Afghan forces are having to cope with an unexpectedly high number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Kandahar air base, says a clear difference is emerging between Nad Ali - where British troops are operating, and Marjah to the south where US troops are focused.

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General Stanley McChrystal on ''protecting the people of Afghanistan'' While British forces have been able to move quickly to their objectives, US Marines are advancing slowly and painstakingly, being held back by snipers and more home-made bombs than they had expected, he said.

The BBC's Ian Pannell, embedded with British forces in Nad Ali, says troops have been For all the hi-tech aerial Dawud Ahmadi, a spokesman spreading out to try to reassure surveillance, infrared cameras for Helmand's governor, said locals, listen to their complaints and sophisticated eavesdropping nearly 1,000 displaced families and assuage their fears. at Nato's disposal, its forces had arrived in the provincial He says the locals appeared appear to have underestimated capital, Lashkar Gah. happy to see the Afghan army the scale of the problem of these Afghan MP Fauzia Koffi told but did not want the arrival of roadside bombs. the BBC that residents were police, who they see as corrupt, He added: "The Taliban have confused about the operation, partisan and inept. left the areas, but the threat from because the military offensive Military intelligence experts IEDs [improvised explosive was very different from the believe most Taliban who have devices] remains." suggestion at a recent conference chosen to stay and fight are M a r j a h r e s i d e n t H a j i in London that elements of the concentrated around Marjah.

Mohammed Jan told the BBC Taliban should be engaged in In northern Marjah on Monday, the Taliban had tried to stop talks. an armoured column came under people leaving, but he and others She also said that the Taliban fire from at least three sniper had managed to escape. had not allowed civilians to leave teams, AP news agency reported.

"We don't have anything, we Marjah and if civilian casualties Reuters quoted US Marines as didn't bring anything with us, increased it would adversely saying they had twice some friends give us blankets," affect the opinion of the Afghan unsuccessfully tried to clear one he said. "All we had we have left people. behind. We don't like fighting. 'Exceptionally proud' TALIBAN page 17 We are tired of it."

The BBC's Frank Gardner, at

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US warns on Iran 'dictatorship' (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:00:47 AM

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Hillary Clinton: "Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship" Iran is "becoming a military dictatorship", US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said.

She was speaking to students at a Qatar university during a tour of the region.

She said Iran's elite army corps, the Revolutionary Guard, had gained so much power they had effectively supplanted the government.

Earlier, aides revealed Mrs Clinton would press Saudi Arabia to help persuade China to support a tougher stand against Iran's nuclear ambitions.

In response, Iran rejected criticism from the West about its human rights record at a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

'Supplanted' Asked if the US was planning to attack Iran, Mrs Clinton said Washington wanted to bring the world community together to agree on sanctions against the Revolutionary Guard.

"We see that the government of Iran, the supreme leader, the president, the parliament, is being supplanted and that Iran is

moving toward a military dictatorship. That is our view," Mrs Clinton said.

She also said the US would "not stand idly by" and watch Iran acquire a nuclear weapon.

On Monday a senior Iranian official, speaking in Geneva to a UN Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) review of Iran, rejected the accusations made against Tehran.

"Iran is becoming one of the predominant democratic states in the region," Iranian High Council for Human Rights secretary general Mohammad Javad Larijani said.

But US and European delegates told the UNHCR Iran had suppressed street protests after disputed elections in June.

On Thursday, the US announced it was extending already-existing sanctions it imposed against a construction company run by the Revolutionary Guard and the general who is the company's chief officer.

The profits made by the company from infrastructure projects were being funnelled back into Iran's missile and nuclear programmes, the US Treasury said.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps was set up in 1979, following the Shah's deposal, to protect the ruling system and the supreme leader from attacks from both outside and within Iran.

It has extended its interests into Iran's economy, controlling a

number of enterprises and industries.

"Mrs Clinton is targeting the Revolutionary Guards with her rhetoric because she wants to target them with sanctions," the BBC's world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds says.

"Discussions about further measures against Iran are currently going on among security council members and the aim is to try to put a squeeze on the Revolutionary Guards as opposed to hitting at ordinary people."

Chinese influence Earlier, Mrs Clinton's aides revealed she will ask the Saudis to reassure China that they will meet any shortfall in its oil needs

if further UN sanctions are imposed, aides say.

She will meet King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal during her first visit to the kingdom.

On Sunday, she urged Iran to reconsider its "dangerous policy decisions".

Mrs Clinton told a conference in Qatar it was leaving the international community little choice but to impose further sanctions.

The US and its allies fear Iran is attempting to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

'Under pressure' A senior state department official said on Saturday that the US wanted Saudi Arabia, which has growing trade relations with China, to persuade Beijing to abandon opposition to a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions.

"We would expect them [the Saudis] to use these visits, to use their relationships in ways that can help increase the pressure that Iran would feel," Jeffrey Feltman, the acting assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs, told reporters.

China, which wields a veto on the Security Council as a permanent member, is against imposing more sanctions.

The BBC's Kim Ghattas, who is travelling with Mrs Clinton, says WARNS page 17

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Relatives wonder how Ala. prof in slaying hired (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)

the episode was a tragic accident.

She was never charged, through current Braintree police Chief Message from fivefilters.org: If Paul Frazier questions how the you can, please donate to the full investigation was handled.

-text RSS service so we can In another incident, The Boston continue developing it.

Globe reported that Bishop and HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Grieving her husband were questioned by relatives of three professors investigators looking into a pipe gunned down at a university bomb sent to one of Bishop's faculty meeting questioned why colleagues, Dr. Paul Rosenberg, their accused colleague was at Children's Hospital Boston in hired despite a dispute with a 1993. The bomb did not go off, former boss who received a pipe and nobody was ever charged. bomb and the shooting death of Bishop's father-in-law, Jim her brother.

Anderson, told The Associated Amy Bishop is charged in the Press that his son and daughterthree deaths and the wounding of in-law "were cleared when the three other professors at a e v i d e n c e p r o v e d t h e y h a d meeting Friday at the University n o t h i n g t o d o w i t h i t . " of Alabama in Huntsville. She He said ATF conducted the was vocal in her resentment over investigation. "They focused on being denied tenure and the the wrong persons and let the looming loss of her teaching bad guy(s) flee," he said. post, though relatives and Sylvia Fluckiger, a lab students said she had never technician who worked with suggested she might become Bishop at the time, said Bishop violent. had been in a dispute with The outbreak of violence was Rosenberg shortly before the f o l l o w e d b y w e e k e n d o f bombs were discovered, though revelations that Bishop had a she didn't know the nature of the difficult past that she did not disagreement. d i s c u s s w i t h h e r A l a b a m a "It was common knowledge," colleagues. she told the AP Sunday.

In 1986, Bishop shot and killed Bishop told Fluckiger she was her 18-year-old brother with a questioned by police. "They shotgun at their Braintree, Mass., must have had their reasons," home. She told police at the time Fluckiger said. that she had been trying to learn The widower and two how to use the gun, which her stepdaughters of one of the father had bought for protection, professors killed said they were when it accidentally discharged. shocked that Bishop was hired Authorities released her and said by the university, given her past.

Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:22:13 AM

"I think they need to do a little more investigation when coming down to hiring teachers and things like that. Maybe looking a little deeper into their past about certain things. This is a lot coming out ... It's a shocker," said Melissa Davis, whose stepmother was Maria Ragland Davis, on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday.

Her sister Latashia Davis said she was angry: "How did she even get a job working at the school if she had this type of background?"

Still, those who knew Bishop said nothing suggested she might become violent. Several family members, friends and students said the intelligent and at times awkward teacher seemed normal in the hours before police say she opened fire in a faculty meeting Friday afternoon.

Investigators have declined to discuss a motive, but Bishop didn't hide her displeasure over the fact she'd been denied tenure — a type of job-for-life security afforded to academics.

Police say the gun she's accused of using in the Alabama shooting wasn't registered, and investigators don't know how or where she got it.

Bishop, who has four children, was arrested soon after the shooting and charged with capital murder. Three counts of attempted murder were filed against Bishop over the weekend, according to jail

records. Her husband was detained and questioned by police but has not been charged.

James Anderson said his wife had an attorney but would not say who it was. He declined further comment to The Associated Press on Sunday.

However, he told the Chronicle of Higher Education earlier in the day that he had no idea his wife had a gun — nor did he know of any threats or plans to carry out the shooting when he dropped her off at the faculty meeting Friday.

Just after the shooting, Anderson told the Chronicle, she called and asked him to pick her up. She never mentioned the shooting, he said.

UAH student Andrew Cole was in Bishop's anatomy class Friday morning and said she seemed perfectly normal. Kourtney Lattimore, 19, a sophomore studying nursing who had Bishop for anatomy and physiology courses, said she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"She was fine. It was a normal day," Lattimore said.

Bishop had worked closely for three years with Dick Reeves, who had been CEO of BizTech, which had been working with her to market a cell incubator she invented to replace traditional equipment used in live cell cultures. Bishop often mentioned the issue of tenure in their discussions, Reeves said.

"It was important to her," he said.

However, the two had spoken as early as Wednesday, and Reeves said she showed no signs of distress.

Killed were Gopi K. Podila, the chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences, and professors Adriel Johnson and Davis. Three people were wounded. Two of them — Joseph Leahy and staffer Stephanie Monticciolo — were in critical condition Monday.

The third, Luis Cruz-Vera, had been released from the hospital.

Sammie Lee Davis, Davis' husband, said in a brief phone interview that he was told a faculty member got angry while discussing tenure at the meeting and started shooting. He said his wife had described Bishop as "not being able to deal with reality" and "not as good as she thought she was."

Bishop was calm as she got into a police car Friday, denying that the shootings occurred. "It didn't happen. There's no way. ... They are still alive." ___ Associated Press Writer Stephen Singer in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.

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Hundreds turn out for viewing of Murtha in W.Pa. (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 2/14/2010 7:08:29 PM

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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Hundreds of mourners braved light snow and bitter cold Sunday before slowly filing past the casket of late congressman John Murtha at a funeral home less than a mile from where he lived.

The mourners ranged from Gov. Ed Rendell to average citizens, especially veterans, who revered Murtha, a powerful Democrat who headed the House appropriations defense subcommittee.

Rendell said Murtha's death Feb. 8 at age 77 after complications from gallbladder surgery cost him a plainspoken friend and cost Pennsylvania"the best ally we ever had" in Washington.

Murtha's influence on Pennsylvania, and especially his ability to bring defense spending and jobs to the state following the steel industry meltdown of the 1970s and early '80s, was felt well beyond his 12th District,

composed of parts of nine western counties, Rendell said.

"He was our go-to guy," Rendell said.

Rendell, who said that as mayor of Philadelphia he called upon Murtha for help, credited Murtha with saving the Philadelphia shipyard industry.

"Nobody is irreplaceable in the long run," Rendell said. "But he is as close to it as anybody I've seen."

Murtha's wife, Joyce Murtha, touted as a possible replacement for her husband, greeted mourners who had lined up outside the simple white-frame funeral home. His adult children and three grandchildren also greeted mourners.

Shuttle buses brought groups of mourners from a nearby parking area.

"When you met him on the streets of Johnstown he would not talk at you, he would talk to you," said Michael Holub, a retired Army sergeant major from Johnstown, Murtha's hometown.

The mood inside and outside the funeral home was subdued but not somber. Most people

remembered Murtha with stories of his good cheer as a public servant or humorous anecdotes.

High-powered dignitaries were few and far between but included lobbyist Tony Podesta, Democratic state Sen. John Wozniak and Democratic Ohio U.S. Reps. Zach Space and Charlie Wilson.

Wozniak has been touted as a possible candidate to replace Murtha but said outside the funeral home, "That statement we'll be making after I bury my friend."

Before that, Wozniak credited Murtha with "diversification of the economy" in his district, which had very high unemployment in the 1980s.

Besides defense contractors, boosted by contracts Murtha helped them land with the government, the region now boasts several high-tech and other industries, Wozniak said.

Murtha spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said 15 members from Pennsylvania's congressional delegation will act as honorary pall bearers at Murtha's funeral Tuesday. At least 30 Congress members, led

by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will attend the funeral.

Sunday's viewing was a simpler affair. Murtha's casket was decorated with a spray of his favorite flowers, blue delphiniums, which he was known to grow in his garden.

Flags from the United States and Pennsylvania were at either side of the casket, and a folded American flag— to be draped over his casket and given to his widow at the funeral — was the only object placed beside him.

Dorothy Helsel had worked on Murtha's campaigns since he became the first Vietnam veteran in Congress in 1974. She remembered Murtha when he owned a car wash in Johnstown and her husband was its first customer.

"He's a people person," she said.

"He loves us, the people of his territory."

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

How dumb is your password?

(Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:24:00 AM

How secure is your password?

Or, to put it another way, how stereotypical is it? The breach of RockYou’s thirty-two million passwords showed that these the ten most popular passwords: • 123456 • 12345 • 123456789 • Password • iloveyou • princess • rockyou • 1234567 • 12345678 • abc123 The best part of the article, though, was the display of passwords by type of person.

Full story and graphic at CXO. More on network security.

Permalink| Leave a comment »

Ski Techs Turn Fluorocarbon to Gold

by Mark McClusky (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:52:00 AM

WHISTLER, British Columbia — When the best speed skiers in the world take to the slopes for the men’s downhill, it’s not just

their bodies and their minds that are honed to a razor’s edge.

Their skis will be as well. The selection, setup, care, and

preparation of a set of world- exclusively European technicians class downhill racing skis is an in what are called the wax cabins intricate blend of art and science, here. practiced by a group of almost

Tech News/

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WARNS

continued from page 13

bazaar area in Marjah of enemy positions.

Despite the setbacks, Nato and Afghan commanders insist they now have enough troops to hold the ground taken and will soon be bringing in hundreds of newly trained police to re-establish Afghan government control, our correspondent adds.

Operation Moshtarak, meaning "together" in the Dari language, is the biggest coalition attack since the Taliban fell in 2001.

The operation is also considered the first big test of US President Barack Obama's new "surge" strategy for Afghanistan.

Nato has stressed that the safety of civilians in the areas targeted is their highest priority.

However, on Sunday two rockets fired from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars) in the Marjah area missed their target, hit a building and killed 12 Afghan civilians.

Gen McChrystal immediately suspended all use of the rocket system involved and Afghan President Hamid Karzai ordered an investigation.

At a news conference on Monday, Gen McChrystal said that before the operation had

continued from page 14

begun, President Karzai had stressed the importance of protecting Afghan civilians.

"This operation has been done with that in mind," he said.

"While this is an Afghan-led operation, I think it highlights the special partnership which we've developed that I'm very proud of. And I would ask the media to watch the bravery of Afghan national security forces and their coalition partners because I'm exceptionally proud of how they are performing."

Speaking at the same conference, Afghan interior minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar urged Taliban fighters to lay down their arms and take up the government's offer of reconciliation.

"There is no way you can win there, the Afghan people are determined to win," he said.

The 15,000-strong coalition force includes 4,000 US Marines, a similar number of British troops plus a large Afghan contingent. Soldiers from Canada, Denmark and Estonia are also involved.

Two Nato deaths related to Operation Moshtarak have so far been confirmed.

On Saturday, a British soldier,

Lance Sergeant David Greenhalgh of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, died in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack, while a US soldier was killed by gunfire in Marjah.

Another British casualty was announced on Monday, although not connected to Operation Moshtarak. UK officials said the soldier from 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment died during an night-time patrol near Musa Qaleh in Helmand on Sunday.

At least 20 Taliban fighters were killed and another 11 detained on Saturday, the Afghan army said.

Are you in Helmand province?

What will the military operation there achieve? Send us your views using the form below.

The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.

Print Sponsor Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Microsoft Announces New Mobile OS

by Brian X. Chen (Wired Top Stories)

17

Microsoft on Monday announced its latest mobile operating system at the Mobile

World Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Beijing fears a major loss of revenue from investments in Iran, and disruption of oil supplies from a country providing it with 400,000 barrels a day.

The secretary of state is expected to press the Saudis to reassure the Chinese that the kingdom can offset any disruption.

Mrs Clinton recently warned China that it would be "under a lot of pressure to recognise the destabilising impact that a nuclear-armed Iran would have in the Gulf, from which they receive a significant percentage of their oil".

On Sunday, US Vice-President Joe Biden said he was confident Beijing would change its approach and back new sanctions.

Diplomatic drive In a wide-ranging speech at the US-Islamic World forum in Doha, Mrs Clinton appealed to Muslim leaders to help in halting Iran's nuclear programme, saying its policies suggested it was developing nuclear weapons.

"The evidence is accumulating that that's exactly what they are trying to do," she said. "I would like to figure out a way to handle it in as peaceful an approach possible, and I certainly welcome any meaningful engagement,

but... we don't want to be engaging while they are building their bomb."

Our correspondent says Mrs Clinton's speech also seemed to appeal to Muslims and Arabs not to give up on the Obama administration.

She acknowledged there had been setbacks in re-launching peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and in closing the military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, but insisted Washington was committed to achieving both.

Mrs Clinton's two deputies will head to the region in the coming days, travelling to Israel, Jordan and Egypt.

And on Monday, William Burns, the under-secretary for political affairs, will travel to Lebanon and Syria.

Our correspondent says Washington is still hoping it can loosen the links between Damascus and Tehran, while Lebanon currently holds a seat on the Security Council.

Print Sponsor Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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US hikers' mothers seek Iran trip (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)

They have been accused of spying and illegal entry.

'Lost travellers' Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:21:34 AM But their families say they Message from fivefilters.org: If crossed the border into Iran you can, please donate to the full accidentally while hiking in -text RSS service so we can Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. continue developing it.

Their mothers said the three The mothers of three US hikers friends had not been allowed to who are being held in Tehran for make any phone calls or to write crossing into Iran illegally want letters. to travel to the country to meet "For more than three months, we the president. have no independent information Cindy Hickey, Norah Shourd about our children's health or and Laura Fattal have written a their state of mind," they wrote letter to Iranian President in the letter released on Monday.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"We cannot explain why for In it, they say they would be more than six months, Iran has honoured to tell him in person not found it in its heart to why their children "do not d e m o n s t r a t e m a g n a n i m i t y deserve to continue to be held in toward our children - young detention". travellers whose only mistake The three hikers have been held appears to have been to lose their for more than 200 days in Evin way on a hiking vacation," the prison. letter said.

Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and In an interview with Iranian Josh Fattal were seized by state TV at the beginning of Iranian border guards on 31 July F e b r u a r y , P r e s i d e n t 2009 near the town of Marivan. Ahmadinejad said there were

ongoing negotiations about a possible prisoner swap in exchange for several Iranians jailed in the US. But US National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said the US had not entered "into any discussion with Iran about an exchange".

The letter by the three mothers ends with a personal appeal to Mr Ahmadinejad in his role as a father: "You too are a parent, Mr President.

"Surely you understand the depth of our distress, and the hopelessness we feel after appealing to you time and again to show our children the compassion they deserve, irrespective of their land of birth."

Print Sponsor Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Traders focus on Europe’s fiscal problems

by Matt Burns (CrunchGear)

(Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:26:02 AM

When LEGOs and a laptop can solve a puzzle that I’ve never been able to, it either means our children will be enslaved by evil robot overlords or I need to apply myself a bit more.

Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full -text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

By Jamie Chisholm, Global

(FOXNews.com)

locker room and only one person, a rink worker, was on the ice.

Message from fivefilters.org: If The worker heard a crack and you can, please donate to the full told people to get out of the -text RSS service so we can building, Shawley said. About continue developing it.

100 people inside the rink bolted ROSTRAVER, Pa. Heavy for the exits. snow buildup from recent storms There were reports of people likely contributed to the collapse unaccounted for amid the postof an ice rink roof, causing a c o l l a p s e c o n f u s i o n , b u t panicked evacuation but no authorities searched the building injuries, a fire official and the with cadaver dogs and thermalbuilding's owner said. imaging cameras before "We believe it was excessive declaring that no one was w e i g h t f r o m t h e c o p i o u s missing. quantities of snow that we've had Murphy could not immediately over the past 10 days," Jim estimate the cost of the damage.

Murphy, who has owned the He said he hoped to have heat Rostraver Ice Garden since 1993, and electricity turned on so pipes said Monday. "We believe a would not freeze. laminated wood truss broke and The rink, about 30 miles that caused two other ones to go southeast of Pittsburgh, is in the and the roof to pancake in that middle of facility, which was area." built in 1965, and is flanked by a The region has gotten more than banquet hall on one side and a two feet of snow in the past pub on the other. Those sections week and a half. Justin Shawley, were not damaged, Murphy said. assistant chief of the Rostraver The rink will not reopen anytime markets Commentator Published: February 15 2010 C e n t r a l V o l u n t e e r F i r e s o o n , t h o u g h t h e p u b a n d 08:39 | Last updated: February Company, also said snow and ice banquet facilities could, he said. buildup may have contributed to Five Filters featured article: 15 2010 17:26 Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Five Filters featured article: the collapse.

Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: A 100-foot-by-200-foot roof PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, section fell in during a youth Term Extraction. hockey tournament Sunday Term Extraction. afternoon. The teams were in the

The LEGO CubeStormer proves we’re one step closer to robocalypse Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:00:47 AM

Heavy Snow Likely to Blame for Pa. Ice Rink Collapse Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:54:33 AM

Popular News/ Tech/ Tech Blog/

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Body of Fourth Lynn University Student Found in Haiti

19

2nd Ave Deli (Scripting News)

Jewish soul food restaurant, very much about people. Chase? Who knows what that is anymore. A (FOXNews.com) The U.S. State Department has "She was a beautiful young Sitting in a Starbucks on 2nd subsidiary of JP Morgan? A now recovered the remains of all woman who gave her life serving Ave at 11th St. I knew this place bailed out government agency Submitted at 2/15/2010 6:58:11 AM six people who were staying at others," he said. "We will miss was here cause I used to stop in with the name of an old bank.

Message from fivefilters.org: If the Hotel Montana in Port-au- her terribly." after eating at the 2nd Ave Deli, Where was the government when you can, please donate to the full Prince when the quake struck.

S c h o o l o f f i c i a l s s a i d o n which used to be a block away. t h e m a t z o h b a l l s o u p a n d -text RSS service so we can Gengel and the others were part Saturday that one of its faculty What's there now? A Chase pastrami needed bailing out? continue developing it. o f a l a r g e r g r o u p o n a members, Richard Bruno, 59, branch. The kind with no people PS: According to Google Maps The body of a fourth Lynn humanitarian mission in Haiti. had been officially declared in it. there used to be a restaurant University student was found in Eight other members of that dead.

Not saying anyone did anything named Pastel here before the the rubble of a collapsed hotel in group were evacuated from the Bruno, an assistant professor in wrong, just thinking about how Chase branch. Looks pretty fruHaiti, school officials announced country and returned to Florida. L y n n ' s C o l l e g e o f L i b e r a l the universe allocates real estate, fru to me. Good to know the Sunday. “ W h i l e a t L y n n , B r i t n e y Education, joined the university and how it's changing. I know u n i v e r s e r e j e c t e d a f a n c y Britney Gengel, a sophomore at triumphed academically and four years ago. the 2nd Ave Deli re-opened restaurant in place of the 2nd the university in Boca Raton, s o c i a l l y a n d w a s a t r u e Five Filters featured article: uptown, on 33rd betw Lex and Ave Deli.

Fla., and three other students and i n s p i r a t i o n t o t h e L y n n Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: 3rd. Not on 2nd Ave. It's a two faculty members were community and the community PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, unaccounted for after a 7.0- at large," Lynn University Term Extraction. magnitude earthquake rocked President Kevin Ross said in a Haiti last month. statement released Sunday.

Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:35:01 AM

Dance around the world (photo essay) (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:51:55 AM

Boston.com has a great collection of pictures of dancers/dancing from around the

world. (In case you hadn’t noticed, I love Boston.com’s photo essay column called The Big Picture.)

See the full collection of pictures at Boston.com’s Part I

Photo credit: Fotolia Permalink| Leave a comment » and Part II. More on photography.

Samsung Wave Brings Another Mobile OS to the Table

by Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)

bada (yes, in lowercase).

The device itself, called Samsung Wave or S8500, is well Submitted at 2/15/2010 6:36:01 AM equipped. Besides a 1GHz CPU, Samsung has a new smartphone it has a 3.3 inch, 800×480 pixel out: it’s fast, it’s good looking, AMOLED screen, a 5 megapixel but most importantly, it sports an camera, 2 or 8 GB of storage e n t i r e l y n e w m o b i l e O S space (expandable via microSD it comes to connectivity, it developed by Samsung, called memory cards), and aGPS. When

supports WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and 3G. Finally, it’s great at chewing multimedia content, with support for MP3, WMV, DivX and XviD. However, judging from first impressions, the OS itself (while sporting some important features such as multi-tasking and multi-

touch) is still buggy and prone to crashes. The jury is still out for this one, hopefully Samsung will be able to iron out the bugs before the device hits the market.

Reviews: Bluetooth Tags: Mobile 2.0, samsung, wave

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Mashable’s Weekly Social Media & Marketing Event Guide

by Tamar Weinberg (Mashable!)

Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:55:48 AM

It’s a brand new week, which means it’s time for Mashable’s guide to upcoming social media and web events, parties, and conferences. For more upcoming event listings, check out Mashable’s Events section.

Is your event not on this list?

Contact us at least one month before your event and let’s establish a media partnership.

Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace.

February 15, 2010, Barcelona, Spain: The Mobile Premier Awards recognize the year’s best in Mobile Startup Innovation and are the largest open, global startup competition in the mobile industry. The awards are the point of reference in startup premiers during the Mobile World Congress and are organized in collaboration with some of the main networks in the industry. Participation to the awards is free and open to any startup with a mobile angle. Sign up at mobilepremierawards.com and take your chance to walk the red carpet in Barcelona!

February 16, 2010, San Diego, CA: BlogWell: How Big Brands Use Social Media features 8 great case studies on the best social media programs at large corporations. Starbucks, Clorox,

USAA, Intuit, Avery Dennison, Community Medical Centers, State Farm Insurance, and the Navy Office of Information share case studies in corporate social media. You’ll learn how to get started, get past roadblocks, and make your social media program phenomenal. From GasPedal and the Social Media Business Council. Save $39 off registration by using the code ILoveMashable.

February 17, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Startup Riot is an annual event that focuses on giving fifty startups an opportunity to present, in three minutes, to a large audience of investors, corporate business development and M&A representatives, and other interested parties.

Attendees are pre-screened so the room is never filled with service providers, job hunters, or others who are not the target audience. Selected presenting entrepreneurs pay nothing to attend. In 2010 we will move to a bigger venue for the event and the always popular after-party.

Also new in 2010 are prizes for presenters and attendees. We are currently accepting applications to attend and present.

February 19, 2010, London, UK: What game changing technologies are on the horizon?

What new business models will drive growth and value? Who will evolve? Who will go extinct? London Business School’s fourth annual Technology Summit explores

these and many other questions on the eve of a brand new decade. The Summit promises to be a watershed event for the London technology community.

It brings together global thought leaders at the intersection of enterprise, consumer interest and emerging technology for an exciting day of provocative discussions. Come to hear fresh business insights from Facebook, Skype, Goojet, Advent Venture P a r t n e r s , DoTheGreenThing.com, INQ Mobile, IDEO, BT Design and many others. Buy your 10% discount tickets here.

February 19-21, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: SCALE 8X is the 8th Annual Southern California Linux Expo. As the premier community run Linux / Open Source conference, it will feature tutorial sessions designed to show users of all skill levels what Open Source can do and how to do it. Whatever your interest is in Open Source, SCALE 8x will have something for you. Mashable’s readers can receive 40% off registration with the promo code MASH8.

February 19-21, 2010, Miami, FL: The Miami iPhone Boot Camp offers a three day workshops on iPhone Development, a full 24 hours of training in Obj-C and the iPhone SDK 3.0, from basic to pro iPhone application development.

The workshop is part seminar, part training, part hack-a-thon and students get plenty of hands on exercises. Limited in size the workshop is taught by iPhone developer Ben Sgro. He has released four iPhone applications to the appstore RapLyrics, RapLyricsRaw, 5KQuotes, WisestOne. His current project is a 2D engine that will power a series of game. The training is a great way to jump start your iPhone app development and save weeks of effort trying to figure out the iPhone SDK on you own. Currently the early bird rate is in effect, a savings of $400 and a 10% discount to Mashable readers using entering discount code mashable on the registration page: miamiiphone.eventbrite.com/ February 22-24, 2010, New York, NY: From authoring, editing, and layout to distribution and consumption, new technologies are changing all aspects of publishing. TOC will help you navigate these changes and understand how to apply them to your business or organization for a more profitable future in publishing.

You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in conversations that are shaping that future as often as they are describing it.

The fourth annual O’Reilly TOC Conference is your opportunity to join those inventing the future of publishing. Register now and s a v e a t : en.oreilly.com/toc2010/public/re

gister. Save an additional 15% when you use the Discount Code: toc10mas.

February 22-24 2010, Miami, FL: The Future of Web Apps Miami is a three day event for web application developers and entrepreneurs and includes tutorials, inspiration and workshops taught by leading figures at the cutting edge of today’s web. Companies at the event include Twitter, Facebook, Mint.com, Palm, FreshBooks, Reddit and Mozilla. Topics include HTML5, jQuery, online marketing, funding strategies, measuring the success of your web app and Facebook Connect.

Save $50 when using promo code MASHABLE. February 22–25, 2010 San Diego, CA: Online Marketing Summit, the premier educational event for marketing professionals, is coming to San Diego this February. Join your marketing peers as they share ideas, hear from expert practitioners, and learn best practices in the areas of: Social Media, Search, Email, Analytics, and more – in a completely vendor free environment!

Register now and receive 25% off using discount code MASHABLE. February 23, 2010, Milwaukee, WI: Think Tank Live! Search Marketing & Social Media Summit. An Internet marketing MASHABLE’S page 21

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conference focused on using digital marketing and social media to drive strategic business results, increase profits, and lower costs. Be prepared to learn: Emerging best practices for key online marketing channels • Align your business for customers on the web • Create a strategy to increase clients and profits. Topics: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) • SEM / Pay Per Click • Web Analytics • Social Media • WordPress. Our speakers are professionals from Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin who are committed to providing high level insights to provide real-world results for your business. To register, visit ThinkTankLive.com. Please use discount code Mashable for $50 off.

February 23-26, 2010, San Jose, CA: At FAST ‘10, explore new directions in the design, implementation, evaluation, and deployment of storage systems.

Learn from leaders in the storage industry, beginning Tuesday, February 23, with groundbreaking file and storage tutorials by industry leaders such as Brent Welch, Marc Unangst, Michael Condict, and more. This year’s innovative 3-day technical program includes 21 technical papers, as well as two keynote addresses, Work-in-Progress Reports (WiPs), and a Poster Session. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to meet with premier storage system researchers and

industry practitioners from around the globe. Register by February 8 and save! Mashable readers get $100 off using code FASTMASH10.

February 26, 2010, New York, NY: NY Tech Cares (@nytechcares) for Haiti, Irving Plaza, was pioneered in light of the heart wrenching devastation that has struck Haiti. The NY Tech community has come together in a collaborative effort to launch and host a disaster relief and fund raising effort to help Haiti’s 1 million homeless and wounded. Many are joining us, so please visit nytechcares.org for more information on this event with an exciting line up of musicians, a live feed to Haiti and a silent auction.

February 26-28, 2010, Washington DC: The Washington D.C. iPhone Boot Camp offers a three day workshops on iPhone Development, a full 2 hours of training in Obj-C and the iPhone SDK 3.0, from basic to pro iPhone application development.

The workshops are part seminar, part training, part hack-a-thon and students get plenty of hands on exercise. The workshops are limited in size and taught by iPhone developer Matt Campbell, iPhone developer with several apps in the app store and author of the popular book “How to Make an iPhone Application” The training is a great way to jump start your iPhone app

development and save weeks of effort trying to figure out the iPhone SDK on you own.

Currently the early bird rate is in effect, a savings of $500 and a 10% discount to Mashable readers using entering discount code mashable on the registration page: dc1.eventbrite.com February 26-28, 2010, Saint Louis, MO: The Saint Louis Innovation Camp is a three day event focused on the needs of the Saint Louis IT and Entrepreneurial community. This camp will be hosted on the UMSL campus in Saint Louis, MO. In this camp, local leaders from the Business, IT, Education, and Marketing communities have all joined forces to accomplish the singular goal of supporting entrepreneurs in the successful development of business models which focus on the delivery of technical products and services. To accomplish this goal, this camp offers no nonsense education, hands-on assistance, interactive networking exposure, and a follow through support package to spark technical innovation in the Saint Louis Market. Enter Mashable as the discount code for a 10% savings on the standard ticket price.

March 1-4, 2010, Ottawa, ON: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute’s Forum on Social Media for Government: How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest

Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results, to learn how to capture the power of social media in your organization, along with helpful tools, tips and techniques to get started. Hear practical advice, firsthand, from leading government agencies and organizations such as: ON Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care; Parks Canada; Communications Community Office; City of Ottawa, ON; Public Safety Canada; Indian & Northern Affairs Canada; Toronto Police Service, ON; Canadian Forces Aerospace Warfare Centre; Human Resources & Skills Development Canada; Northern Lights Canada; Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation; Royal Bank of Canada; Genome Alberta; Business Development Bank of Canada; Thornley Fallis Communications; Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing, & more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200.

March 1-5, 2010, worldwide: 70+ Ignites will take place in cities around the world. Upwards of 10,000 entrepreneurs, technologists, DIYers, creative professionals, and enthusiastic knowledge-seekers will gather for an evening that is a unique blend of networking, information, and fun. In talks that are exactly five minutes

long, Ignite presenters share their personal and professional passions. Local Ignites will stream live video during the event, and those videos will be archived on the new Ignite video site that is being launched in conjunction with the event. At least 500 five-minute session videos will be available on the new site when it debuts. Don’t miss being part of this enlightening week—attend, present, or lead an Ignite in your city: globaligniteweek.com.

March 2-4, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: Search Marketing Expo – SMX West offers 50 sessions in 12 tracks on all of the search engine marketing topics – SEO, PPC, social media marketing, real time search, local & mobile, and more. You’ll appreciate the depth and flexibility the SMX West agenda offers, whether you’re new to search or a seasoned vet, own a small business or employed at a Fortune 500 company. Featured keynote – Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Get 3 jam-packed days of content for only $1295 if you register by March 1 and use discount code smx100mashable.

Only two weeks left until the show! For more info visit http://smxwest.com.

March 3, 2010, Seattle, WA: Join a select number of PR, marketing and communications professionals at PR+MKTG Camp™ Seattle for a full day of MASHABLE’S page 22

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highly interactive discussions on social media — complete with marshmallows and a virtual campfire. It will explore how to market, measure and manage the opportunities and challenges that social media presents. Our format avoids panels or PowerPoint demonstrations. Top agency and brand executives serve as moderators to help participants find solutions to their social media questions.

Mashable readers get a ten percent discount with promo c o d e MASHABLECAMPSEATTLE. March 4-5, 2010, Chicago, IL: At SOHO’s 2-Day, “The CoAlignment of the Corporate and Personal Brand,” a Strategy Framework, develop your exclusive copy of “The Draft,” SOHO’s 16-page social communications policy workbook for businesses and corporations. The focus in 2010 is aligning the corporate brand with internal and external communications. SOHO brings to you presentations, case studies and Town Hall meetings with Olivier Blanchard and Dan Schawbel, and other experienced practitioners. For more information and to register, please visit Sohobiztube.com.

Use discount code MashableChi for a 20% discount on a 2-day “The Draft” ticket.

March 6, 2010, Cape Cod, MA: Geek Girl Tech Boot Camp – Cape Cod 2010 is going to rock!

Geek Girl Boot Camps are full-

day technology “unconferences” for women, taught by women, of all ages and knowledge levels where you can find workshops on everything to do with computers and the Internet!

Workshops include PC and Mac, Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), Photoshop, QuickBooks, Blogging, Podcasting, WordPress, Google Tools, Dreamweaver, Video, Inbound Marketing, digital photography, and more. The workshops are designed for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

There are Discussion Groups and an all day Help Desk. The Mission of Geek Girl Camp is to educate and empower every girl and woman at every age level, on every skill level, at every income level on computer technology with fun and provide a legacy by giving back and paying it forward. Mashable readers get an exclusive $30 discount off the standard pricing of $139 with special code mashable2010 when registering!

March 6, 2010, Reno, NV: Nevada Interact will bring together business owners, nonprofit advocates, publishers, newsmakers, bloggers, podcasters, filmmakers, media, PR and advertising professionals and anyone else interested in interactive media from every corner of Nevada together for hands-on learning, rich discussions, opportunities to meet with local companies

working in interactive media and plentiful networking opportunities. Proposals are being accepted until February 8 t h , 2 0 1 0 : nevadanewmedia.org/nevadanew-media-summit/submissions March 8, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: At digiday:MOBILE, discuss the question “Is Mobile The Next Critical Mass Medium?” Discover the what the future holds for you and this game changing media platform at digiday:MOBILE in Los Angeles. During this high-level full day event – top Publishers, Agency Executives and Brand Marketers will come together to discuss and debate how to fully utilize the next critical mass medium: MOBILE. DIGIDAY gives media leaders a chance to converge and discuss high level strategies and the future of Mobile Marketing. www.digidaymobile.com. Get $100 off for Mashable Readers with discount code: Mashable.

March 9, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: At digiday:SOCIAL we’ll discuss the question of The New Media Reality: Everything is Social. Are You? During this high-level event, top Publishers, Agency Executives and Brand Marketers will come together to discuss how Social Media is everywhere and is changing everything. DIGIDAY gives media and marketing leaders a chance to converge and reveal high-level success strategies as well as offer insights on how the

future of Social Media Marketing will play out for all.

Get $100 off for Mashable Readers using code Mashable.

March 9-10, New York, NY: Is your intranet dead or alive? Fire it up at INTRANET INSIDER WORLD TOUR LIVE 2010: Making Enterprise 2.0 Work.

Learn how to get the intranet basics right (governance, buy in, usability, etc.), plus how to start down the Enterprise 2.0 journey with blogs, wikis, internal social networks, podcasts and video .

Learn what leading edge companies such as IBM, ESPN, Alcatel-Lucent, Deloitte and EMC are doing to “socialize” their intranets for communication, collaboration and bottom-line success.

Register today with promo code mashable10 to receive $200 off registration.

March 9-11, 2010, Baltimore, MD: At the Gartner Portals, Content & Collaboration Summit: Evolution in Real Time, you’ll learn how to bring your workplace, information, and processes up to real-time speed for greater efficiency. In 3 days, 30+ Gartner analyst sessions, case studies, workshops and roundtable discussions you’ll gain a set of tools and insights on Gen4 collaboration, cloud-based portal and content services, social networking, Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0, megavendor wars and more. Save $300 off the standard rate when you register at gartner.com/us/pcc with

priority code PCCMASH. March 10, 2010, New York, NY: Cross Media NYC brings together leaders from all key media industries to discuss, demonstrate, and debate cross media integration and partnerships. Our goal is to bridge the gap between the different media sectors in order to share information and find new opportunities. We want the gaming people to meet the TV people, the publishing people to meet the web video people, and everyone to meet the advertising people but let’s be honest, in the end, it’s all about the money.

Use Registration Code mashable to get 15% off.

March 15-16, 2010, London, UK: At Social Media World Forum, learn from social networks, brands, advertisers and analysts. Hear from leading social networks on their strategy, revenue models and how they are approaching the future.

Worldwide case studies from global brands and corporations on their use of social media.

Examine the current market conditions, future forecasts and predictions from leading analysts. Mention you are a Mashable reader to receive 15% discount.

March 17, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Join SF New Tech, the Bay Area’s largest and longest running monthly tech event, to get an early look at of some of MASHABLE’S page 23

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the hottest new tech around.

Famous for its sold out events where executives (and the occasional hacker or two) takes to the stage to strut their stuff, SF New Tech is *the* place where early adaptors, developers, influnencers, venture capitalists, journalists, bloggers, and regular every-day folks converge to see the latest and greatest technology. Visit sfnewtech.com for details.

March 19, 2010, London, UK: Justmeans’ Social Media and Stakeholder Engagement Conference will bring together the top minds in sustainability, marketing, innovation and technology. This executive forum will explore how technology can enable sustainable business by involving stakeholders in the value creation process and will showcase examples of success and failure in this rapidly evolving market. Use this link for a 10% registration discount.

March 22-23, 2010, Paris, France: At Marketing 2.0 Conference, learn from brands’ social media initiatives, advertisers, researchers and analyst. Hear from leading people in the Social Media business on their strategy, revenue models and how they are approaching the upcoming trends in the Social Mediasphere.

Worldwide case studies from global brands and corporations on their use of social media.

Examine the current market

conditions, future forecasts and predictions from leading researchers. The socialmash2010 discount code gives you €200 off.

March 22-25, 2010, Dallas, TX: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute’s 17th Forum on Social Media for Governmen t: How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results, to learn how to capture the power of social media in your organization, along with helpful tools, tips and techniques to get started. Hear practical advice, firsthand, from leading government agencies and organizations such as: Transportation Security Administration; NASA; Microsoft U.S. Public Sector, CDC; GovLoop; Southwest Airlines; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Army Reserve; City of Sugar Land, TX; Missouri River Regional Library; City of Reno, NV; Texas Parks & Wildlife Department; Deloitte Services, LP; GolinHarris; 2ndSix; & Panetta Communications. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200.

March 22-26, New York, NY: Go beyond search at the Search Engine Strategies. Learn the newest trends, strategic action plans, and technology that industry leaders are employing today. Our experts will trace the natural evolution of search

exploring topics such as: digital asset optimization, mobile application development, transition from search to discovery and more. SAVE 15% with code MHNY15. Program will focus on cutting edge strategies, tips, and tactics that will be driving search in 2010.

Hear from the leading voices in search and digital like Avinash Kaushik, David Meerman Scott, Tim Ash, Ray Comstock and more.

March 23-24, 2010, Berlin, Germany: Learn, discuss and explore the challenges and commercial opportunities that exist within the mobile internet ecosystem and make the most of best-practice perspectives over a two day period offering a programme packed with case studies, roundtable discussions, industry snapshots, masterclasses and fishbowl sessions.

Significant discount for Mobile Operators, Online/Mobile Communities, and Content providers! Go to iirmobileinternet.com/mashable for more information.

March 24, 2010, New York, NY: Social Reputation Management: Protecting and Strengthening Your Brand Across the Social Web is a conference that will share the best case studies on how communicators and marketers listen to conversations, monitor and comprehend what is being said, and engage through the social web. The case studies will

be followed by moderated interactive roundtables. Use promo code MASH for a discounted rate of $155.

March 24, 2010, Rutherford, NJ: Learn about how you would grow your business, talk to your customers, interact and engage.

Social Media will help your business grow, financially and in relation to your customers.

Topics include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogging, etc. This workshop is geared for small businesses that want to grow their fanbase and reach potential customers and make your relationships better with by using the social web. Click over to socialbiz324.eventbrite.com to purchase tickets to the event and use the code mashable to save 50%.

March 24-25, 2010, San Francisco, CA: EyeforTravel’s Social Media Strategies for Travel conference goes beyond the ‘what is social media?’ debates (that were so 2008!) and examines the strategic importance of social media to travel brands. The 2 day conference will share leading case studies, hits, tips and advice from top travel companies including JetBlue, Hilton, Virgin America and more. Use the discount MASHABLE to save $100 on the registration fee!

March 25, 2010, Santa Monica, CA: Join us for more rock solid networking with tech geeks, VCs, entrepreneurs and good folks just like you. Schmoozd is

an exclusive social mixer bringing together professionals in marketing, advertising, technology, social media and startups. The event is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, relationship building and deal making. For more information, p l e a s e v i s i t www.schmoozd.com. Mashable readers get 50% off when registering via this link.

March 30, 2010, London, UK: The upcoming Hit Me! Social Media and Search event is designed for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to find out the latest practical business advice and information about Social Media and Search.

Freshbusinessthinking.com has partnered with Microsoft to deliver this power-packed one day event featuring experts and leading practitioners from the world of social media and search. Stats published by Nielsen show that social media usage has increased by 82% in the last year. The challenge for organisations of all sizes is how to use social media to drive business. Over 1500 delegates have attended our one-day events and the average rating is 8.5 out of 10 – the next one is shaping up to be the best ever with a host of experts on hand to give you the information and advice you need to grow your business online. Mashable readers: get a discount entering promotional MASHABLE’S page 25

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Microsoft hits redial in phone effort (Q&A) (CNET News.com)

catch up to leaders like Apple, Google and Research In Motion.

There is also a separate Message from fivefilters.org: If Microsoft-designed phone effort, you can, please donate to the full code-named Pink, that is due out -text RSS service so we can this year, ahead of the first crop continue developing it. of third-party Windows Phone 7 While CEO Steve Ballmer is the Series devices, although Lees one who will get top billing at wouldn't talk about those. the Mobile World Congress in Here's an edited transcript of our Barcelona, it is Microsoft veteran conversation: Andy Lees who is largely Q: So essentially what is responsible for shepherding the Windows Mobile 7, or whatever long-delayed software project to it's being called? completion.

Andy Lees: Windows Phone 7 Ballmer and Lees, who came Series. As you may remember, from Microsoft's server unit in we about 18 months ago decided March 2008, will be showing the that we're going to re-evaluate fruits of that work--a ground-up our mobile strategy, and what redesign of the phone operating we're doing in the mobile space. system into something that looks That was based on the inflection a lot more like the Zune HD than point that was happening in a it does any prior version of number of ways, both in terms of Windows Mobile. convergence of different Lees(Credit: Microsoft) industries colliding together, and While Microsoft won't be also the technologies of what is building the phones itself, it is becoming possible, of course, being pretty strict about both the driven by Moore's Law in the c o m p o n e n t s t h a t m u s t b e hardware, connectivity, and newincluded (think FM radio and user paradigms, people using capacitive touch screen) as well their phones in concert with the as also prohibiting phone makers Web, and their PCs, and TVs, from putting their own skin over and things. And so that really the user interface, something that created the impetus to go through many had taken to doing to hide it.

Windows Mobile in recent What we've done is, we have generations. left no stone unturned going In an interview just before he from the bottom right through to headed to Barcelona, Lees talked the top to say, if you could really about Microsoft's different look at this as being a new approach with the new software, entrant, what would you do? the role of Zune and Xbox in the W e ' v e c h a n g e d t h e c o r e p r o d u c t , a s w e l l a s w h y operating-system platform with a Microsoft still believes it can new version of the OS, and we Submitted at 2/15/2010 6:00:00 AM

system. And then you also have one for Office.

The third one is about really making sure that the ecosystem is in harmony and that includes hardware, software, applications, and games, and services and this makes it so that the OEMs, ourselves, operators, and have built a lot of software in the developers can work in a way p h o n e s t o e n a b l e u s e r that everybody is in harmony. experiences inside of it, and the The start screen in Windows net result basically comes out Phone 7 Series features various "live tiles" that can link to with three main things.

No. 1 is a completely new user individuals, applications as well interface that's going to be as "hubs" for things like people, consistent across all of our pictures and applications.(Credit: p h o n e s , t h a t i s , w e t h i n k , Microsoft) solidifies this notion of smart Today, there are sort of two design. You'll see things like models. There is one model these Live Tiles, which provide a which is the, "I'm going to do the very simple way of seeing what's hardware and the software and happening in your life, and then open up some elements of my drilling to have more detail. It platform in a controlled way," has a very fresh look and feel. and it's all about control. The It's not a grid of icons, as nearly other end of the spectrum is all phones are basically today, where you have an ecosystem where the user has to poke and that's chaotic, and the problem hope in order that they find the w i t h t h a t i s e v e r y o n e i s innovating, but you find out that functionality that they need.

The second thing is that we are some software doesn't really building in a whole set of the work well with hardware, or you core things that people want to have great hardware and it's not do with phones. And so things fully utilized by the software, or like having Bing built-in in a rich every piece of hardware has its integrated way, having Zune for own UI. It's confusing as to how music and videos built-in in a it works and things. way, having Xbox Live gaming I take it you're referring to the built-in to be able to do games in i P h o n e a n d A n d r o i d a new way. So we have a hub for r e s p e c t i v e l y ? music, a hub for games, a hub Lees: You can choose those as for people, hub for photos and examples, those extremes. You search that's built across the have RIM, and you have Nokia... there's a variety of different ones,

and they tend to jump to those two spectrums.

Microsoft isn't making these phones. So, who is going to make these phones and when will they be out?

Lees: The phones will be out for [the] holiday [season] and there's a list of [phone makers] that we'll be shipping in time for [the] holiday [season] and that includes LG, Samsung, ASUS, HTC, Dell, and HP. Is this a clean break from past versions? Will software written for older versions of Windows Mobile work with the new OS? If not what kinds of apps will run?

Lees: So, we are announcing the product next week [in Barcelona]. The detail on the platform will be given out at a conference called Mix, which happens in March. It's a very sort of advanced platform that really works across PC, phone, and console. And so, we will give out details at the Mix conference.

And so you can find out all about that then.

Is this a multi-touch interface.

What does it look like?

Lees: To give you the level of detail that we've gone to in this, we don't [just] stipulate that it needs to be a touch interface or not a touch interface. We've stipulated that for this to work properly, we're going to use fourpoint capacitive touch. And MICROSOFT page 26

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code MASHABLE. March 30-April 1, 2010, San Jose, CA: Become Location Enabled at Where 2.0. Now in its sixth year, Where 2.0 is one of the world’s foremost events dedicated to exploring the emerging technologies in the geospatial industry. At Where 2.0, we expose the tools pushing the boundaries of the location frontier. Join us and meet the people behind the mashups, the people behind the platforms, and the people looking ahead to the future of geospatial. Find out what’s viable now, what’s lurking just below the radar and how to gain a competitive edge.

Register now and save 15% at en.oreilly.com/where2010. Use code whr10mash.

April 8-10, Atlanta, GA: The 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference will bring together more than 1,000 nonprofit leaders, IT innovators, communications gurus, fundraising superstars and nonprofit staffers from all over.

You’ll learn the latest trends, practical how-tos, and IT solutions that can optimize your organization’s use of technology and help you meet your mission to create more social good in the world — and you’ll have a good time, to boot. Select “Mashable” from the “How did you hear?” field to receive an $100 discount.

April 12–15, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: The 6th annual MySQL Conference & Expo, presented

by O’Reilly Media, brings over

2,000 open source and database enthusiasts together to harness the power of MySQL and celebrate the huge MySQL ecosystem. The O’Reilly MySQL Conference & Expo is a new event that builds on the tradition of past MySQL conferences (previous events were co-presented with MySQL AB and with Sun). This inclusive, innovative event will showcase the full spectrum of the MySQL ecosystem, from global corporations and diverse service vendors to start-ups and grassroots projects. Our growing lineup of speakers, program committee members, and sponsors represent a wide array of some of the most influential companies and projects in the MySQL community. Register now and save an additional 15% at: en.oreilly.com/mysql2010.

Use discount code mys10msh.

April 17, 2010, New York, NY: Seven on Seven will pair seven leading artists with seven gamechanging technologists, and challenge them to develop something new –be it an application, social media, artwork, or whatever they imagine– over the course of a single day. The seven teams will unveil their ideas at a one-day, public event at the New Museum. Participants: Tauba Auerbach, Ayah Bdeir, Cao Fei Jeff Hammerbacher, David Karp, Aaron Koblin, Andrew Kortina, Hilary Mason, Matt Mullenweg, Monica Narula, Marc Andre

Robinson, Evan Roth, Josh Schachter, and Ryan Trecartin.

Use registration code mash to get 15% off.

April 20-23, 2010, San Mateo, CA: At NewComm Forum 2010, don’t miss the premier conference for unlocking the power of the social web for business. Speakers include a who’s who of social media experts and practitioners from leading companies. Five comprehensive tracks include: Online Communications & Communities, Social CRM, Markets are Conversations, Understanding the New Media Landscape, and NewComm Essentials. Early Bird discounts through March 12th Use discount code NCF2010MASH to save an additional $100 – register now – seats are limited!

April 21, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Join SF New Tech, the Bay Area’s largest and longest running monthly tech event, to get an early look at of some of the hottest new tech around.

Famous for its sold out events where executives (and the occasional hacker or two) takes to the stage to strut their stuff, SF New Tech is *the* place where early adaptors, developers, influnencers, venture capitalists, journalists, bloggers, and regular every-day folks converge to see the latest and greatest technology. Visit sfnewtech.com for details.

April 22–23, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: If you’re like most

marketers, your intention to react with quickness and quality outpaces your ability. Forrester’s Marketing Forum 2010 connects you with analysts, peers, and industry leaders whose expertise will help you establish and embrace adaptive marketing practices. Call 888-343-6786 and save 20% off the regular rate with VIP code MFXMSH. Discount applies to new registrations only and cannot be combined with other offers.

April 25-27, 2010, Toronto, ON: Now in its 9th year, FITC Toronto is 3 full days and nights of events, plus one day of optional pre-festival workshops.

With some of the most unique and engaging presenters from around the globe, FITC Toronto is an information blitz of over 70 presentations, demonstrations, and panel discussions covering the Creative, Technical, and Business aspects of Flash and digital media. Sandwiched between our legendary FITC parties, abundant networking opportunities, and opped off with the FITC Award Show, it’s three days and nights that will leave you inspired, energized and awed. Buy your 10% discount ticket today using the code: mashable April 26, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The Future of Money & Technology Summit will bring together the best and brightest thinkers around money, including visionaries, entrepreneurial business people,

developers, press, investors, authors, solution/service providers, and organizations who work where cash and commerce collide. We meet to discuss the evolving money ecosystem in a proactive, conducive to dealmaking environment.

Featured speakers include Ben Parr from Mashable, as well as representatives from Wells Fargo Bank, Kiva, SharesPost, Jambool, Founders Fund, Outright.com, SoftTech VC, and many more. Entering the discount code Mashable will get you 10% off. Look forward to (hopefully) seeing you there…

April 26-28, Berlin, Germany: Embedded Mobile & M2M. Services conference is a great chance to compare approaches to building a profitable Embedded Mobile and M2M business. The opportunities of the Embedded Mobile and M2M market are clear to see. This event will help you to realise them. Visit the website today and book your place at this exciting event.

Receive a 10% discount by quoting I2AENMASH when registering. View our website at embeddedm2m.net/mashable April 28-30, 2010, San Jose, CA: At NSDI ‘10, meet with leading researchers to explore the design principles of largescale networked and distributed systems. This year’s 3-day technical program includes 29 technical papers with topics MASHABLE’S page 27

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we're that specific, because if you're a developer and you want to write a game, and you know [what] you have. Most capacitive touch screens use two points of touch, but if you make four points a minimum, and it works consistently, then the (software developer) can fully exploit fourpoint touch. This is why we've worked so closely with Qualcomm, for example, and other chipmakers, other ancillary systems, to make it that we have this level of specificity, so that the people who are writing the Xbox Live games know precisely the characteristics of the graphics, the characteristics of the hardware, so they can fully exploit it.

You talk about this being an 18month project, but from my recollection you guys have been working on the successor to the current generation of Windows Mobile even longer than that.

Why did it take so long to develop?

Lees: We hit the reset button because we're at an inflection point as to the compute power that is available. For example, all of the phones have graphics hardware acceleration. That really is just becoming viable now to guarantee that that's on all the phones that you're going to ship on. Having that as a prerequisite means that the style of what you can design is quite different.

And we're at that point in so many different areas of what the

phone hardware can do, and actually what connectivity will do, and also kind of as we're seeing this convergence that's taking place, TV on phones, music on phones, social networking on phones, the hardware that's available and all of those things, we're getting to an inflection point. And you can see that in the numbers. You can see the dramatic change of people flipping over to buy smart phones versus (traditional cell phones). So now is the time to do that.

So why will someone want to buy a Windows Phone 7 Series over, say, iPhone or an Android phone?

Lees: I think they get smart design with things like Live Tiles, and the start screen, and how the UI works. I think they get integrated experiences with things like Zune music and video, the social networking built -in, Bing built-in, Xbox Live built-in, Office built-in, and those things. So they get the integrated experiences, and hubs which are unique. And then the third thing that they get is a choice. But a choice in a way that is in harmony between hardware, software, and services.

And what is the future of sort of the other piece of Microsoft's phone business, the Danger business, and the Microsoftdesigned Pink phone I've been hearing about?

Lees: We're not announcing anything.

Will there be a next generation of the Sidekick?

Lees: We're not announcing anything. I don't mean to be sort of nasty and bluffing, but we're just not ready to talk about that.

What's the future for the existing Windows Mobile platform? Will it live on through the holiday time frame or beyond?

Lees: I think what will happen is they'll co-exist for a year, maybe two actually, and I think the reason for that is because, for example, enterprises have standardized on it in a number of places, they'll want to continue to buy what they've standardized on, they'll go through an evaluation period, and so there will be a demand for that crossover.

There are certain price points and form factors that are becoming very popular in some parts of the world, which is slightly different to Windows Phone 7 Series. And so those places we'll see it continue. So, I think what will happen is that they'll continue in parallel for, say, 18 months and maybe two years, and then I think everything will have shifted over by that stage.

It seems like Windows Mobile, sorry, Windows Phone 7 Series borrows a fair bit from the design of Zune HD. Can you talk about the design philosophy a little?

Lees: What Zune was doing is Zune was celebrating the content of the device, rather than the UI.

We tried to minimize things. The thing that's front and center on a Zune device is the content. To play something you tap it, to find out about an artist you tap the name of the artist.

Now, on a phone content is richer, because it isn't just about music and video. In fact, music and video is there, but it's absolutely about people, it's about the way they communicate. It's about games in a much richer way. It's about photos in a much richer way. So, we have this project that was internally codenamed Metro, which is really what came up with the user interface.

The "people" hub, seen here, contains people with whom one has recently been in contact, a directory of all contacts, as well as status updates from places like Facebook and Windows Live.

The information is presented as part of a panorama, only part of which can be seen on the phone at any one time. Moving from side to side requires the flick of a finger.(Credit: Microsoft) There are still applications on the system, don't get me wrong, and you can still get a list of the applications on the system and choose "run," effectively. But, we think that it's a different approach that we think people will like.

How important is the Xbox gaming aspect, and what will one be able to do in terms of gaming?

Lees: First of all, it's a powerful software and hardware platform.

And, again, we'll outline that at Mix. So, in terms of writing games you've got a lot of flexibility to write very powerful games on the device. A big part of our strategy here is to make it so that it's easy to author software that runs in multiple places, knowing that you want to really optimize for the places where it runs.

A game developer can start to develop these multi-screen games, and because we have the Xbox Live service, we have all of the achievements that you have and the games that you're in the middle of playing, you get to see that, and where you're at from your phone. But also you get the ability to play against other people. What we notice on phones a lot is people like to do casual games, and also games where you just want to kill 15 minutes right now.

So let's say that we were playing Scrabble or something, I'm not sure if we should use that trademark, but just as an idea. If I wanted to play against you, then you want to get a notification on your (Xbox) Live tile that, hey, someone has invited you to play a game. And then I go into the gaming Xbox Live hub, and I see that you've invited me to a game of Scrabble, or in the middle of a game of Scrabble, and it's my turn. I take my turn, and then you take your turn, and you can MICROSOFT page 29

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including cloud services, Web browsers and servers, datacenter and wireless networks, malware, and more. NSDI ‘10 will also feature a poster session showcasing early research in progress. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to meet with premier researchers in the computer networking, distributed systems, and operating systems communities. Save an additional $100 by using the discount code NSDIMASH10 upon registration.

April 29-30, 2010, Lawrence KS: Social media is much more than a fad – it’s changing the way the world communicates.

The communities in northeast Kansas are at the forefront of this movement and have made the region a hub for innovative technologies and social media use. Because of this, The World Company of Lawrence KS, is hosting a brand new social media event: The Free State Social.

The Free State Social will highlight the best in social media from our area and put local innovations and ideas on a national – even global – stage.

Our purpose is to educate attendees about the current state of social media, present opportunities for its use and talk about where the industry is headed. The Free State Social will be held on April 29-30, 2010 at the new Oread hotel in Lawrence, Kan. Keynote speakers include Jeremiah Owyang, Ellyn Angellotti,

Shawna Coronado, Sarah Evans, Gowalla co-founder Scott Raymond, and Chris Brogan, coauthor of the New York Times best-seller Trust Agents. Enter MASHABLE when checking out for a $20 discount on each ticket.

April 30–May 2, 2010, Mountain View, CA: The Wisdom 2.0 Conference brings together staff from technology companies such as Twitter and Google, with Zen teachers, neuroscientists, and others to explore how we can live with deeper meaning and wisdom in our technology age. Speakers include Greg Pass, VP of Engineering at Twitter; Bradley Horowitz, VP of Products at Google; Dave Morin, Senior Platform Manager at Facebook; Ben Parr of Mashable; Loic Le Meur of Seesmic; and many others. Use the discount code Mashable here for special discount.

May 3, 2010, Boston, MA: Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies is the FIRST social media event that focuses on reallife business impact. Not just for entertainment value, hype or buzz, but real-world examples of driving revenue, cutting costs, and energizing conversations around your brand. What can you expect from this event that you won’t find anywhere else?

Targeted advice for business managers including Market Researchers, Innovators, Brand Managers, Customer Experience Strategists and Marketing

Enthusiasts seeking practical, real-life business examples they can translate into their own organization to monetize this powerful medium. Save 15% when using code SOCIAL10MASH at iirusa.com/socialmedia.

May 4-5, 2010, Boston, MA: Drive sales and make social media work for you at MarketingProfs B2B Forum!

You’ll learn the ins-and-outs of social media as part of your overall B2B marketing mix – from integration and engagement to measurement. Get 1-on-1 access to the best and brightest B2B marketing stars who will share best practices and FREE advice! Plus, our loyal attendees say our events are ridiculously fun, interactive and the kicker is – we have the best Freebies in the biz! (no keychains here…FREE industry research reports & memberships—stuff to help you really drive sales in 2010!) Register today with code MASH to save up to $200!

May 11-12, 2010, Toronto, ON: Join us for Social Media – Risks & Rewards. The social media revolution is happening now, and quickly gathering steam. No business can afford to be left behind – and no business can afford to be unaware of the increased legal risks that a Company is exposed to. Learn about implementing and improving social media strategies, protecting your brand, return on investment, legal

implications and much more.

PLUS…a special address from Kevin Flynn, member of the blogging team for Obama for America. Use promo code 10495MASH to receive 15% off!

May 13, 2010, London, UK: The International Search Summit Innovations will focus on some of the most recent trends, tools and techniques in digital marketing including video, mobile and social networking and offer delegates insight and advice on how to effectively use them in international online campaigns. A range of expert speakers will discuss the latest international opportunities in these areas and offer practical tips for integrating them into an organisation’s overall marketing strategy. The Summit will be held at The Barbican Centre in London, and is a must for any marketer targeting multiple markets and/or languages online.

Book now with coupon code MASH1305 to receive 20% discount.

May 17-19, 2010, Charlotte, NC: Search Exchange is a 3-day action packed internet marketing conference offering insights into social media marketing, search engine optimization, online reputation management, and pay per click advertising. Learn and network with industry professionals and business owners from around the world.

Mashable readers save 10% using code mash10 during registration.

May 17-19, 2010, Munich, Germany: a4uexpo heads to Germany for a two day Conference and expo. Over 30 presentations and panel debates on how to embrace the Affiliate Marketing sector, to include how media owners, agencies and advertisers can utilise Social Media platforms within the channel. Topics also include SEO, SEM, Blogging, Best Practice, Video, Mobile and API feeds. The conference includes access to 3 networking parties and promises to attract the very best entrepreneurs and affiliate marketing specialists from across Europe. Mashable readers can enjoy a 10% discount on registration with the code MASH10.

May 18-19, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: The Social Media Strategies Conference is the premier event for CMOs, Social Media Strategist, Managers, Marketers, Search Marketers, Online Community Managers, Corporate Communications, PR, Marketing, Advertising, and Recruiting Professionals. This year the conference will focus on how organizations are and can leverage Social Media to achieve their business goals. Hear from the experts about this cuttingedge space, how it impacts your business, and how you can leverage it. This conference will feature workshops, interactive sessions, panel discussions, and MASHABLE’S page 30

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E-reader News Edition

HOW TO: Integrate Google Buzz Into Your WordPress Blog

by Christina Warren (Mashable!)

Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:12:39 AM

We’ve discussed how you can integrate Buzz with your other social networks, but what about integrating Buzz with your blog?

If you use a self-hosted WordPress blog (sorry, WordPress.com users), there are already a variety of Google Buzz plugins and add-ons available.

While it’s clear that people are really taking to using Buzz to share content and communicate, the service will undoubtedly reach more users as its sharing tools are integrated into other social sites. From buttons to social stream in your side bar, here’s how you can integrate Buzz with your WordPress blog.

Google Buzz Buttons Mashable started sporting some nifty Buzz buttons a few days ago and lots of our readers have wanted to know how to add a similar feature to their own blogs. As it stands right now, how our Google Buzz buttons work (and how the buttons other sites are using also work) is that they create a share link from that post to Google Reader. As long as Google Reader is connected with your Google Buzz account, your publicly shared items will also be shared on Buzz.

Already, a number of enterprising WordPress plugin developers have answered the call to add Google Buzz buttons

to WordPress posts.

Let’s take a look: Google Buzz Button Internet Techies created the Google Buzz Button plugin that allows you to add a “Buzz This” button to each of your WordPress posts. That icon probably looks pretty familiar — that’s because the button was designed here at Mashable (though it isn’t the same plugin).

The plugin options are relatively limited — you can choose what “rel” attribute you include with the link (the default is “nofollow”) and you can choose to display the button before or after your post content. You can also specify the icon’s height and width. Making some changes to your WordPress theme’s CSS options, you could further customize the appearance of the button, but as it stands, it’s a pretty basic (and easy) way to add a Buzz button. If you want to add Buzz manually to only certain posts, there is a template tag that you can add to those posts. WP Google-buzz Another button plugin option is WP Google-buzz from Arpit Shah. This button is extremely similar to the Google Buzz Button plugin, but it adds a few more options. You can choose to show the button before or after content or to add it to posts manually, but there are also options for what style button you want to use. Depending on how you have your blog setup, you

WordPress posts. This way links to Digg, Reddit, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are all automatically at the bottom of the post. The developer of Light Social updated the plugin to include a Google Buzz icon and share link as well. If you want to add lots of social options to your might want to use a different size posts — Light Social is a good or style of button. approach.

WPBuzzer Buzz In Your Sidebar Hameedulah’s WPBuzzer is the It’s one thing to let other people most robust of the Google Buzz share your content to their buzz button plugins as of right now. accounts, but a big advantage of The style of the button is almost Buzz is that you can aggregate identical to what Mashable and your social activities into one the Google Buzz Button use place as well. If you want to (albeit, not quite as clean), but share your Buzz content on your the options are where this plugin blog, check out the Google Buzz really shines.

ER plugin. Google Buzz ER is You can choose where you want extremely cool. It’s a widget that your buttons to appear (on posts, will display your public Buzz on pages, on the home page, in content. Just enter in your your RSS feed), whether your username and define how many want the button to appear before Buzz entries you want to display or after the post, the target for and drag the widget to your the button (a new window or a designated choice in your blog. pop-up share option) and even That’s it! Now you have Buzz in the CSS style. You can also your sidebar! Plus, as an added choose to use a small or large benefit, other users can click on button. “comment” to immediately The biggest feature is that you respond to what you share. As of can track share counts (just like right now, the Buzz API doesn’t we do at Mashable) if you have a allow other people’s comments Bit.ly API key and login. Light to become viewable, so only Social your public content is going to The Light Social plugin takes a appear on your blog. Buzz Your slightly different approach to the Comments Google Buzz button. Light There are a number of different Social is a plugin that inserts a all-inclusive comment solutions set of social share links at the for WordPress — there’s Echo, b o t t o m o f e a c h o f y o u r Disqus(which we use here at

Mashable) and IntenseDebate.

IntenseDebate is owned by Automattic, the people behind WordPress.com and some of the main contributors to the WordPress.org project. So it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s the first of the solutions to offer Buzz integration into its service.

If you use IntenseDebate on your blog, you can now easily add a Buzz It button to the top of your comment form. This won’t let people Buzz their own comments (we expect something like that will come in the future), but it adds another “Share on Buzz” option for your post to your visitors. If you use IntenseDebate, you can activate the Google Buzz This plugin by enabling it in the Plugins Directory. Keep Your Eyes Peeled As Google Buzz continues to evolve (remember, it isn’t even a week old), more and more integration options are going to sprout up. Let us know what sort of integration options you’d like to see in the future in the comments! If we missed one of your favorite Buzz plugins, let us know! Reviews: Digg, Disqus, Facebook, Google Buzz, Google Reader, LinkedIn, Mashable, Twitter, WordPress Tags: buzz, Google, google buzz, how to, List, Lists, Wordpress, wordpress plugins

E-reader News Edition

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MICROSOFT continued from page 26

take your turn on a PC, or you can take your turn on a phone.

So Xbox Live is coordinating all of that--coordinates your achievements, has your avatar across screens, and enables you to have multi-screen, multi-user play, particularly focused on turn -by-turn...Synchronized game play is one thing, but given that people spend less time, really turn-by-turn is, we think, an important element as well.

Does the operating system multitask, or are you typically doing one thing at a time?

Lees: We have scenarios where you can do multiple things. In terms of the platform itself, we will be talking about that at Mix, about how doing multiple things at once is executed, we'll talk about that at Mix. But it's fair to say I can do at least the basics of, say, listening to music and browsing the Web? Lees: Yes. And you can be on the phone and check your e-mail at the same time, or check your calendar, or be on the phone and then go and search for a restaurant near you, and then tell the person where we're going, or whatever. Yes, those scenarios, of course, work in a multitasking way.

Obviously a big part of designing a mobile device is not just what you put in, but what you decide not to do, because it's small real estate. What are some

of the things where you made conscious decisions this is what we actually want to get away from?

Lees: Well, I think having the UI, you really want the experience to flow so the UI doesn't get in the way. So things like scroll bars aren't there. No one grabs a scroll bar, so we get rid of that. Things like the status bar sort of moves out of the way.

If you tap, it will come in and show you, but we really want to get the screen as clean as possible. And then in hubs, one of the limitations of the screen, obviously, is you've just got a whatever it is, 3.7- or 4-inch screen, something. But you know that you want to have more information than that.

So, for example, the way that the hubs work, as you will see, is that it's kind of like having a panoramic view. The user interface will go through and hint that there are things over to the right and to the left.

You go into the games hub, and you see a list of your achievements, but you can see on the edge of the screen that there is something over to the right.

And so you pan over to the right, and it sort of moves over and bumps into the zone, and then you get to see games you're in the middle of, who has invited you for that. And then you can flick across, and then you see

your collection of games, of things that you currently own and that you might want to just kill some time playing the game.

What should we know about the browser? Does it support Flash?

Lees: We don't support Flash.

Performance on Flash is a problem. So we don't do that. We have Internet Explorer. It's halfway between IE7 and IE8 rendering engine. But we also do some cool things about how it works with maps, and how it works with the phone dialer, and how it works with search.

You mentioned Bing being a part of it. What role does Bing play in Windows 7 Series phones?

Lees: All the phones have three buttons on them. We can make it as simple as possible. The center button is the Windows flag, you touch that and you get to your start screen, which has these Live Tiles on it. The button on the left is the back button. People find it incredibly useful to breadcrumb their way back to where they've been. So that is there. And then the right-hand button is a search button. When you hit search, if you're in a place that doesn't have context, then it instigates an integrated Bing search. The first scope of search is within where you are, and then if you tap it again, it then goes to full Bing search.

So, for example, if you're in

"people," and you hit the search button, you start typing in the name of people, and, of course, it just filters down to the people who match that, and you can then call them, or e-mail them, or whatever it is, you want to text them, whatever. But if you either tap twice, or if you're in say the start screen or somewhere that doesn't have context, then you go into Bing.

You mentioned mapping. What kinds of services are there? Turnby-turn navigation, Virtual Earth --what kinds of stuff do you see?

Lees: We're showing that maps are built-in. There is navigation in there, but I don't think we're talking about the specifics at this stage.

What about in terms of Virtual Earth, and some of those investments you guys have made in that kind of imagery?

Lees: Yes. So you'll see maps is a very cool way of zooming in, and zooming out, and it will bring in those views as appropriate in a cool way.

Just to clarify, are you guys pretty sure that Microsoft isn't going to be in the hardware business, because we've seen Google kind of do a hybrid approach, where Android is open, and there are then Google phones. Would we see a Microsoft specified device similar to Nexus One? Lees: We don't have plans to

compete with our ecosystem in that way. They're seeing some of the problems with chaos, and I don't think the solution is to compete with the ecosystem. I think the solution is to find a way to be in harmony with the ecosystem.

What problems is Apple seeing, because it seems like their approach has worked pretty well?

Lees: It's just like the PC was in the late 1980s. And the closed system, control everything means that you don't really bring to market the innovation of an ecosystem. It's about one company, and what they can provide. And that's hard to do over a sustainable period, and so you end up with good times, and bad times. But if you look at the history of PC versus Mac, it's very telling what happened in the end, because it's hard for one company over a period of time to have a sustained level of bringing the innovations all of the time.

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Gadgets/

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MASHABLE’S continued from page 27

keynotes from thought leaders.

Don’t miss it! To save $100 use the promotion code: mashable May 19-20, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Gilbane Conference San Francisco 2010 is focused on Content, Collaboration and Customers.

Today web and enterprise content management permeate every aspect of an organization.

Internal websites, whether in the form of intranets, blogs, or portals and provide efficient ways to collaborate & share knowledge. Customer & internal -facing applications share requirements that call for a number of enterprise content, publishing and infrastructure technologies including multilingual, social media, search, and integration software. Our conference is focused on what you should expect from these technologies. Mashable readers get to save an additional $200 – just use discount code MARSH when registering!

May 22–23, 2010 Los Angeles, CA: The You Conference presents a unique opportunity, to learn personal branding, social media, the art of the hustle, self promotion and create a flood of customers. Gary Vaynerchuk (Crush It!), Dave Lakhani (How To Sell When Nobody’s Buying), Peter Shankman (Can We Do That?!), and Geri

Druckman will provide an interactive format enabling each attendee to learn the tools & techniques to infiltrate markets, make social media work for you and be successful. Use promocode: Mashable for a $50 discount.

May 25-27, 2010, The Sage Gateshead, UK: Thinking Digital is overtly inspired by the TED and PopTech conferences in America. We attract more than 30 of the world’s most innovative, creative, insightful and/or accomplished people to come to Hall Two of the Sage Gateshead, United Kingdom annually and talk about their work, inspirations, insights and ideas. Our venue and speakers thereby attract a wonderfully eclectic mix of people from around Northern England, Europe and the world. Mashable readers save 25% using code tdc_mashable here.

June 15-16, 2010, Chicago, IL: Building on the success of the 2009 event, The 2nd Annual Health Care New Media Marketing conference will feature presentations from healthcare executives that implemented Web 2.0 strategies and developed quality metrics for evaluating the success of new media campaigns. Over the course of two days, attendees will have the opportunity to learn

from thought leaders from major hospitals, healthcare institutions, and social media outlets.

Through a series of case studies and forums, attendees will walk away with the tools needed to ultimately reach consumers through new media in an accurate and appropriate.

Discount code: MASHABLE get $50 off.

June 29-30, 2010, London, UK: The 2nd annual Cloud Computing and Enterprise 2.0 World Forum is the perfect event to learn and discuss the future development and integration of cloud and enterprise 2.0 services and products. Building on the success of the 2009 show, this two day conference and exhibition will provide a focused platform for the global cloud computing and enterprise social media industry. The 2010 show will include a free-to-attend exhibition with scenario based workshop area and key service providers demonstrating their products.

August 13, 2010, Nashville, TN: At Big South Social Media Summit, come listen to some of the most forward-thinking business giants from companies like Southwest, SAP, Comcast, Domino’s as well as social media loving celebrities who will speak directly on how they drive ROI through social media. Speakers

will share real-world success stories, pit falls, and case studies to demonstrate the true value of social media. This summit will allow business leaders to finally understand how social media can propel their business and how to produce real results. More than the mechanics, this is a relatable summit that will open eyes to the power of social media in business. Get 15% off the ticket price by using the vacomash discount code.

The Mashable Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace.

Eventbrite is an online events marketplace where tens of thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations of all sizes manage, promote and sell tickets to their events. Make your event a success on Eventbrite. Reviews: Facebook, Google, Gowalla, LinkedIn, Linux, Mashable, Mint, Seesmic, Skype, Twitter, WordPress, YouTube, video Tags: conferences, Events, mashable

If Android Was Born Today, This Is What It Would Look Like [Android]

by John Herrman (Gizmodo) Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:18:17 PM

The Astonishing Tribe, the design firm that more or less defined the look and feel of Android the first time around, has built an entirely new homescreen interface for the OS, in 3D. It's alternately beautiful, gratuitous and bizarre.

What you're seeing in the video is a recording of a live demo; TAT Home is a real piece of software, and one that I've seen in action on a handset before the concept was made public. My feeling now is the same as it was then: There's a lot of eye candy here, and some concepts that could definitely stick—I'm thinking about the homescreen switcher, in particular—though a lot of the widgets and concepts go a little overboard. What's exciting whether you like the UI concept or now, though, is how close it shows we are to full 3D cellphone interfaces, and how well current hardware could run them.

TAT Home could end up as a standalone app, though I'd expect most of the adoption to come through carrier or handset maker partnerships; none have been announced yet, but don't be surprised if it hit the market under a different name, with a slightly different look. [ TAT]

Tech/ Gadgets/

E-reader News Edition

Adobe bringing AIR to smartphones--Android first (CNET News.com)

Adobe plans to release Flash Player 10.1 for smartphones in Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:56:00 AM the first half of 2010.

Message from fivefilters.org: If The San Jose, Calif.-based you can, please donate to the full company demonstrated AIR on a -text RSS service so we can Motorola Droid phone, including continue developing it. the Tweetcards Twitter Adobe Systems, hard at work application, a "South Park"-style bringing its Flash technology to avatar creator, and Adobe's mobile phones, announced Connect Pro software for screenMonday that it's also working on sharing and videoconferencing. making the same move for a AIR for mobile will use Flash related programming foundation Player 10.1, a beta version of called AIR. which Adobe said was just AIR, short for Adobe Integrated r e l e a s e d t o p a r t n e r s a n d Runtime, is a foundation for p r o g r a m m e r s . standalone applications that use "AIR leverages mobile-specific F l a s h o r W e b t e c h n o l o g y . features from Flash Player 10.1, Examples of AIR applications i s o p t i m i z e d f o r h i g h include the New York Times performance on mobile screens Reader and the TweetDeck for and designed to take advantage advanced Twitter usage. of native device capabilities for a A d o b e i s p u s h i n g A I R richer and more immersive user applications such as Alchemist experience," Adobe said in a

by InRuntime for smartphones, statement. Specifically, AIR for starting with Android later in mobile devices will support 2010.(Credit: Adobe Systems) multitouch interfaces, gesture Adobe plans to release AIR for i n p u t s , a c c e l e r o m e t e r s f o r Google's Android operating motion and device orientation, system for mobile devices in and geolocation for detecting 2010, the company said at the position.

Mobile World Congress show in Flash is ubiquitous on Barcelona. Also at the show, computers but comparatively Adobe announced that it's joined rare on mobile devices; AIR the LiMo Foundation to bring h a s n ' t a c h i e v e d F l a s h ' s Flash to Linux-based mobile penetration even on desktops. phones.

But if Adobe can persuade

mobile-phone makers to support it, or persuade phone owners to install it on their own, it could open up cross-platform advantages for programmers who want the same or similar versions of a program to run on different types of equipment.

However, Adobe has its share of challenges spreading Flash and AIR to mobile devices. Although Flash Player 10.1 will run on many smartphones, it won't run on arguably the highest-profile

model out there, Apple's iPhone.

The absence of Flash on the iPhone and iPad has put Adobe on the defensive, and the company has begun sharing more details on its plans to improve Flash.

Motorola, whose newer Droid models of Android phones compete with the iPhone, endorsed Adobe's moves.

"We look forward to seeing AIR come to the Android platform and developers creating applications that will delight our end-users," said Christy Wyatt, Motorola's vice president of software applications and ecosystem, in a statement.

Adobe isn't giving up on the iPhone. In a blog post by Adobe's Michael Chou, the company also touted several iPhone games written with its upcoming Flash Professional CS5 Packager for iPhone software, which lets programmers write Flash applications that run on iPhones without Flash installed.

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31

Huawei introduces the SmaKit S7 Android tablet at MWC

by Tablet (BestTabletReview.com) Submitted at 2/15/2010 7:32:09 AM

Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full -text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

Charbax from ARMDevices.net once again grabbed some great video on the Huawei SmaKit S7 Android tablet at Mobile World Congress 2010. The device sure looks speedy enough in the demonstration and the ability to make 3G calls could be huge if tapped into a decent network and plan.

The Huawei SmaKit S7 has a 7inch 800 x 480 resolution touchscreen, runs off a custom Android OS, plays and supports HD video, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, microSD and can be sold with an optional dock that has HDMI and USB outs. The demonstrator states that the S7 has 4 hours of battery and weighs 17.6 oz. The SmaKit S7 is expected to hit the market mid-year.

Source: ARMDevices Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Tech/ Gadgets/

E-reader News Edition

Grateful Dead Always Knew How To Connect With Fans

by Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

part of its legacy. Without intending to--while intending, in fact, to do just the opposite--the For many, many years, the b a n d p i o n e e r e d i d e a s a n d classic example we'd use of a practices that were subsequently band who knew how to really embraced by corporate America. connect with its fans (and give One was to focus intensely on its them a reason to buy) was The most loyal fans. It established a Grateful Dead -- who were, for telephone hotline to alert them to years, the highest grossing band its touring schedule ahead of any around, despite encouraging public announcement, reserved widespread sharing and trading for them some of the best seats in of their taped shows (which they the house, and capped the price made easy for fans to tape). So of tickets, which the band while this article is really nothing distributed through its own mailnew, it's nice to see this article order house. If you lived in New about the band highlight some of York and wanted to see a show how the band handled these in Seattle, you didn't have to things(thanks to Dave W for travel there to get tickets--and sending this in). While the band you could get really good tickets, has always been very aggressive without even camping out. "The (too much so, in my opinion) in Dead were masters of creating trying to enforce its copyrights and delivering superior customer over any kind of commercial use, value," Barry Barnes, a business it basically ignored them for non- professor at the H. Wayne c o m m e r c i a l u s e : O D D L Y Huizenga School of Business E N O U G H , T H E D e a d ' s and Entrepreneurship at Nova influence on the business world Southeastern University, in may turn out to be a significant Florida, told me. Treating Submitted at 2/15/2010 2:36:44 AM

customers well may sound like common sense. But it represented a break from the topdown ethos of many organizations in the 1960s and '70s. Only in the 1980s, faced with competition from Japan, did American CEOs and management theorists widely adopt a customer-first orientation.

As Barnes and other scholars note, the musicians who constituted the Dead were anything but naive about their business. They incorporated early on, and established a board of directors (with a rotating CEO position) consisting of the band, road crew, and other members of the Dead organization. They founded a profitable merchandising division and, peace and love notwithstanding, did not hesitate to sue those who violated their copyrights. But they weren't greedy, and they adapted well. They famously permitted fans to tape their

shows, ceding a major revenue source in potential record sales.

According to Barnes, the decision was not entirely selfless: it reflected a shrewd assessment that tape sharing would widen their audience, a ban would be unenforceable, and anyone inclined to tape a show would probably spend money elsewhere, such as on merchandise or tickets. The Dead became one of the most profitable bands of all time. The article goes on to talk about how lots of people are just now starting to look back at how The Dead ran their business to understand how to run modern customer-focused businesses today -- ones that recognize when it makes sense to let people do things that legally could be stopped (if not in reality) and how to take advantage of those situations. It's a good read.

Permalink| Comments| Email This Story

Hands-on Video: Windows Phone 7 Series in action

by Greg Kumparak (CrunchGear) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:38:23 AM

While we were allowed to play with the just-announced Windows Phone 7 Series operating system behind closed doors a few hours ago, it was a strictly no-photo, no-video deal.

We just left a slightly more public showing of Windows Phone, where representatives had handsets at the ready – and this time, video was okay.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Motorola Quench hands-on with video

by Sean Cooper (Engadget) Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:10:00 PM

We had a quick tour today of Motorola's new Quench-- or CLIQ XT as it'll be called on TMobile USA when it launches next month -- and for an eighth outing in the Android world, it's

pretty slick. Sure it lacks keyboard, but the touchscreen is pretty responsive and now includes Swype input on the virtual keyboard -- and we've found with a bit of practice and patience, Swype can be really fast. The soft touch plastic rear of the set can be removed to slip

on over covers and shows off the 5 megapixel camera with auto

focus and dual LED flash.

Follow on for a quick video tour of the Blur-powered beast and some pics.

Continue reading Motorola Quench hands-on with video Motorola Quench hands-on with video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010

12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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33

Add Social Media Context to Your Web Browsing With Kikin

by Christina Warren (Mashable!)

Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:57:14 AM

This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible

by Microsoft BizSpark.

Name: Kikin Quick Pitch: The pioneer of user -centricity, kikin is changing how people find and consume information and defining the phrase: “My Web Always With Me.” Genius Idea: Kikin is a browser plugin for Safari (Mac), Firefox and Internet Explorer (Chrome support is coming soon) that adds some context and rich media to your searching and surfing experience.

Even as different search engines try to cram in more relevant information into the top of search results, getting data from networks and places you trust isn’t consistent. Kikin adds

consistency. You can choose what sites you want Kikin to scour for your searches – stuff like iTunes, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, Google Reader, Wikipedia, YouTube, Bing and so on, and then when you search for a topic — like let’s say a band, you get this at the top of your results page: What we like is that if you connect your Facebook or Twitter account, you can see not only public comments from those services, but just comments from your friends that are related to the topic in question. Context is key, and we like that you can focus that context.

Furthermore, if you go to view a YouTube video or look at an album or movie on Amazon.com, a Kikin bar will appear at the top of the page (you can easily close it), showing you recent searches for that item, feedback from Twitter and Facebook, and other options.

For media searches in particular — stuff like movies, music and TV shows, Kikin offers a nice bit of context and a very easy to

to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual navigate menu, that actually is revenue, you can sign up today. more convenient that going to Entrepreneurs can take individual sites or even using advantage of the Azure Services some of the search engine platform for their website specific aggregation services. hosting and storage needs.

You can also easily share Microsoft recently announced content you find on Twitter, the“new CloudApp()” contest– Facebook or e-mail, which is a use the Azure Services Platform nice touch. Mac users, be aware for hosting your .NET or PHP that if you want to use Kikin in app, and you could be the lucky S a f a r i a n d y o u r u n S n o w winner of a USD 5000* ( please Leopard, you’ll have to run it in see website for official rules and 3 2 - b i t m o d e — s o o u r guidelines).” Reviews: Bing, recommendation would just be to Chrome, Facebook, Firefox, use the Firefox plugin as it works Google Reader, Hulu, Internet the most reliably.

Explorer, PHP, Safari, Twitter, D o y o u u s e a n y s e a r c h - Wikipedia, YouTube enhancement plugins to learn Tags: browser plugin, Firefox, more about media items? Let us kikin, safari, semantic search know! Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access

Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:08:00 AM

Everyone from Sandra Bullock to Matt Damon to George

Clooney have been nominated for an Oscar this year and today in Hollywood many of the talented nominees are gathering for the star-studded Oscar

luncheon. Check back here at 11:30 a.m. to see everything from the red carpet arrivals to the nominee speeches as ETonline streams live from the glamorous

by Darren Murph (Engadget) Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:39:00 PM

Not quite sure if you've heard, but Microsoft launched a new mobile operating system today.

Crazy, right? Unfortunately, it'll be a few weeks seasons still before you can actually wrap your palms around an actual Windows Phone 7 Series device, but the folks over at MSDN aren't holding back. They've hosted up a 22 minute video walkthrough to explain every nook and crannie of the fresh OS, and if you're one of those "impatient" types, you owe it to yourself to hit the source link and mash play. Grab a beverage first, though.

[Thanks, Nathan] Microsoft offers up lengthy Windows Phone 7 Series video walkthrough originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:39:00 EST. Please see event!

The 82nd Annual Academy our terms for use of feeds.

Awards airs live on Sunday, Permalink| MSDN| Email this| Comments March 7 on ABC.

ET to Live Stream From Oscar Luncheon (ETonline - Breaking News)

Microsoft offers up lengthy Windows Phone 7 Series video walkthrough

34

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What we still don't know about new Windows phones (CNET News.com)

the new software. That means that for every potentially cool feature, there are also many Message from fivefilters.org: If questions yet to be answered. you can, please donate to the full One of the key questions is how -text RSS service so we can much, if any, software written continue developing it. for previous versions of As someone who has watched Windows Mobile will work on Windows Mobile for a long time the new phones. Microsoft has (and been critical for just as said we will have to wait until long), I must say my curiosity next month's Mix conference for has been piqued. the answer to that one. I did find What Microsoft has shown of its out that the new Windows Phone new mobile operating system will still have Windows CE looks nothing like the tired (albeit a new version) at their Windows interface of old; core. So, although developers instead it looks like the much may have some user interface more enjoyable Zune HD. The work to do, it does seem that idea of putting people and photos they shouldn't have to start over. in one place where one can do Another question is what the multiple things is a good one. products will look like once The connection to Xbox Live carriers and phone makers have could help Microsoft appeal to a g o t t e n t h e i r h a n d s o n i t . w h o l e n e w a r e a , w h i l e a Microsoft has promised that it pervasive connection to social has been far more restrictive than networks like Facebook is also a in past years about both what key advance. goes inside the phones as well as But Microsoft isn't showing the how the software looks to devices themselves, or even consumers. going into that much detail about Microsoft also isn't commenting Submitted at 2/15/2010 6:00:00 AM

about a parallel phone effort, code-named Pink, that is being designed by Microsoft and in many ways represents the evolution of the Sidekick business that Microsoft inherited with its acquisition of Danger.

Those devices, though yet to be announced, are due to hit the market before 7 Series phones from other companies.

And of course, there is a question that Microsoft couldn't answer, even if it wanted to: how much innovation will there be on the iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm, and Android operating systems between now and when the first Windows Phone 7 Series devices make their debut in the fourth quarter?

In any case, at least Microsoft has finally made it interesting.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Submitted at 2/15/2010 7:30:00 AM

Madonna is going to be sitting in the throne of the director's chair.

According to Variety, the

by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:19:00 AM

We've seen more than a few lawsuits over the years by the entertainment industry against various sites that merely link to infringing content.

The entertainment industry likes to make the claim that this is inducing infringement, but if you're just pointing to a bunch of YouTube videos, it's difficult to see how that should be considered infringement at all.

In one such case, over in the UK, a site called tv-links.co.uk, after years battling this in court, was found not to have infringed on the copyrights of movie studios.

The case was brought by FACT, the "Federation Against Copyright Theft," but had little evidence of any actual infringement being done by the site, who merely linked to videos found on YouTube, Veoh, DailyMotion and other sites.

FACT originally claimed that the site "facilitated" copyright infringement on the internet, despite that not being a part of material mom will direct 'W.E.' in consideration to portray UK law. Eventually, the official The film chronicles the romance Simpson, according to Variety. charges were "Conspiracy to of King Edward VIII and Wallis The throne is still empty for the Defraud and breaches of the Simpson. The affair instigated role of King Edward VIII. Copyright Designs and Patents the crowned king to abdicate his Act," which is quite similar to office to marry his divorcee love.

'Up in the Air''s Vera Farmiga is

Madonna to Direct Movie (ETonline - Breaking News)

UK Court Finds That Simply Linking To Infringing Videos Is Not Infringing what OiNK's admin was charged with. And just like how OiNK's Alan Ellis was found not guilty, the court has sided with TV links, noting that it didn't actually infringe on anyone's copyrights directly. Of course, this still took years of having to fight it out in court and a ton of resources -- some of which were frozen by a "financial restraining order" during the case itself.

So while it's great that TV Links prevailed in the end, it does show how the decks are usually stacked again those doing perfectly legal things. If the entertainment industry does decide to sue, you're basically facing a huge, costly and painful legal battle, no matter how strong your case is. The system is weighted way too heavily in favor of the entertainment industry, such that they can bully sites they don't like into compliance in many cases, even if they're legal. It's great that TV Links was able to make it through the process, but many other sites don't even have the chance -- and that's why these kinds of lawsuits keep showing up.

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Macworld 2010: Fastmac's USBenabled wall outlet

U.S. cyclist accused of hacking

by Chris Rawson (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

(CNET News.com)

for $19.95 and is expected to start shipping in the first quarter of this year.

You will have to replace your Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:30:00 AM existing power outlets yourself, Filed under: Macworld, but that's honestly not all that Accessories, Peripherals I didn't difficult to do. Personally, if I go to Macworld in San Francisco was a homeowner instead of a -- something about having the renter, I wouldn't hesitate to world's largest ocean between replace every outlet in my house me and there made the trip's cost with one of these. I'm not the prohibitive -- but I've been only one: according to Ars keeping tabs on the product Technica, Fastmac is looking at announcements anyway. There's selling the U-Socket to hotels, been quite a few things that have conference centers, airports... piqued my interest, but there basically anywhere business road hasn't been anything that I've iPods, PS3 controllers, and more. warriors or travelling geeks with seen that made me sit up straight Sure, all of them will charge lots of gear they need to charge in my chair and cry, "I want that. through one of my MacBook on the go, so even if you don't I want that NOW!" Pro's three USB ports, but if I'm get one for your own home, you Until now, that is. Fastmac has using those for something else, might be seeing a lot of Udeveloped t he U-Socket, a it's into the wall with them, and Sockets in the near future. power outlet you can buy to that requires a USB power brick [Via Ars Technica] replace the existing power of some sort to take up room on TUAW Macworld 2010: outlets in your home. That my already very crowded power Fastmac's USB-enabled wall d o e s n ' t s o u n d p a r t i c u l a r l y strips. It would be far easier to outlet originally appeared on The noteworthy until you note its one just plug them straight into the U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g very enticing feature: two USB wall. With Fastmac's U-Socket, (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 ports built right into the sides of you can do exactly that, and for 08:30:00 EST. Please see our the outlet. less than the cost of Apple's$29 terms for use of feeds.

I don't know about you, but I USB charger-- currently the U- Read| Permalink| Email this| have a ton of devices that charge Socket is available for pre-order Comments via USB: an iPhone, several

Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:10:00 AM

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A French judge has issued an international arrest warrant for U.S. cyclist Floyd Landis on hacking charges.

The warrant was issued January 28 after French anti-doping authorities accused Landis of hacking into one of their laboratory computers, Pierre Boudry, the president of France's anti-doping agency told Reuters on Monday.

Landis, 34, won the 2006 Tour de France but was stripped of the victory and banned from competing for two years by the International Cycling Union after testing positive for high levels of testosterone.

French Judge Thomas Cassuto of the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Nanterre seeks to

question Landis in connection with a hacking that occurred in September 2006 at the ChatenayMalabry laboratory, Boudry said.

The hackers sought to discredit test results by stealing data from the lab, which conducted Landis' tests, Boudry said.

"It seems that (Landis) made all he could to enter into our computer system to try to prove the laboratory was wrong. He showed many documents he got by hacking to numerous sporting instances," Bordry told Reuters.

"The judge traced a network of hackers back to the ringleader."

Landis claimed procedural mistakes at the lab were responsible for his positive test result, but in 2008 the international Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed rejected his appeal.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

The Wheel Rider Offers Death Via Shiny Donut [Concepts]

by Mark Wilson (Gizmodo) Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:20:00 PM

This unofficial Yamaha concept hopes to save room on the roads by fitting you inside a wheel. While the tail fin offers a touch

of classic style, we have no clue how one sees the road ahead. [ Tuvie via DVICE]

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Tech/ Gadgets/

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Macworld 2010: Rogue Amoeba shows off RadioShift 1.5

by Michael Rose (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 2/15/2010 7:00:00 AM

Filed under: Macworld, Software Leading indie Mac software shop Rogue Amoeba had a piece of prime real estate on the front wall of the Moscone expo floor, and CEO Paul Kafasis gave us the latest news on RA's product line. Overall, Paul expressed satisfaction with the traffic level at the show, and he was pleased with the investment he made to exhibit on the floor.

The recent RadioShift 1.5.x refresh(first introduced at the very end of 2009; the latest version, 1.5.3, came out February 3) now features thousands of additional streaming sources, including many in the Windows Media and Real Media formats that are inaccessible to iTunes users, and several sources previously only playable via the station websites.

The web radio tuner & recording app received a thorough UI facelift, improved compatibility with RA's Airfoil audio distribution utility, better thirdparty player installs, and more sophisticated fallback logic to handle stream dropouts and hiccups. RadioShift 1.5 requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and

workstation. The app is $25, or you can get a bundle of both Mac and Windows version for $40. The company's Pulsar client for Sirius/XM satellite streaming radio was also recently updated; it runs $15 for browserless playback of the radio services (with a separate Sirius/XM online account).

It's definitely a good sign that independent Mac developers like RA, Boinx and Omnigroup are maintaining their high profile at Macworld Expo. We look forward to seeing the blue unicellular beastie with the eyepatch and the automatic rifle back next year.

TUAW Macworld 2010: Rogue costs US$32.

Amoeba shows off RadioShift Speaking of Airfoil, the most 1.5 originally appeared on The recent update(3.5 on 12/16) U n o f f i c i a l A pple Weblog added support for both EyeTV (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 synchronized playback and 07:00:00 EST. Please see our VMWare Fusion/Parallels terms for use of feeds.

Desktop audio. Airfoil can send y o u r M a c ' s a u d i o t o a n y Read| Permalink| Email this| networked Mac, PC, AppleTV, Comments iPhone/iPod touch, or Linux

Acer is blowing up with neoTouch and beTouch, more Android and Windows on the way

by Marc Flores (CrunchGear) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:45:52 AM

Acer isn’t showing any signs of slowing down at Mobile World Congress this week. Just this morning, the manufacturer announced the Liquid e and now we have the neoTouch and beTouch. A little strange with the name scheme, but let’s see just what these devices are packing, shall we?

Read the rest of this entry at MobileCrunch>>

Supine Reading Glasses to spur recumbent reading movement

by Doug Aamoth (CrunchGear) Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:00:27 AM

Sound the nerd alert: the Supine Reading Glasses from Hammacher Schlemmer let you

read a book while flat on your back. That’s right, no more holding the book above your head. Just hold it upright and let the “two optical-quality glass prisms” bend your vision 90 degrees.

Aside from reading in bed, you can also use these glasses

“outdoors on a hammock, a Glasses[Hammacher Schlemmer c h a i s e , o r o n t h e b e a c h ” via Red Ferret] according to the product description. Not having to crane your neck will cost you, though, as these babies fetch $50.

The Supine Reading

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Dolby Digital Plus to land on mobile handsets “in the very near future”

by Matt Burns (CrunchGear) Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:30:19 AM

Macworld 2010: Video demo of Square's creditcard reader for the rest of us

by Steven Sande (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:00:00 PM

Filed under: Macworld, Video Last week at Macworld 2010, I had an opportunity to chat with Jim McKelvey of Square, the company that wants you to be able to take credit card payments for ... everything! TUAW has covered Square before, mainly discussing the big investors in the company including Jack Dorsey of Twitter and Digg's Kevin Rose.

Beginning in April, Square will be giving away a small card

reader that plugs into the headphone jack of your iPhone, iPod touch, and eventually just about any device that has a headphone jack. You sign up for a service, buy an app to go on your device (it's estimated that it will cost just US$1.99), and then you can start taking credit cards for all of those daily transactions where you normally exchange cash. Square makes their money off of a small percentage fee, and even donates a penny to a charity of your choice with each transaction.

McKelvey was taking donations for the American Red Cross at the Square kiosk in order to

demonstrate how the system works, and it was impressively simple. Square was created for the purpose of making it easy for anyone to take credit cards without the expense and hassle of setting up a merchant account with a bank and/or purchasing an expensive card-reading attachment for their iPhone.

The software captures signatures, pictures, and even the location where the transaction took place. My receipt for the $10 donation to the Red Cross had an embedded Google Map showing that I had made the purchase at Moscone Center.

Check out the video for my

interview with Jim McKelvey by clicking the Read More link.

We apologize for the low quality of the sound on this video.

TUAW Macworld 2010: Video demo of Square's credit-card reader for the rest of us originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

Just think, soon you’ll be able to enjoy the full surround sound experience on a 3-inch screen!

All because Dolby is bring the magic of Dolby Digital Plus to cell phones sometime real soon.

How exciting.

The updated codex not only works with headphones but moreover is designed to allow 5.1 audio on media streamed from the device either by Wi-Fi or HDMI. The technology should work with nearly any multichannel-audio codecs such as MPEG Surround.

The exact timetable this is supposed to roll out hasn’t been released, but Dolby’s marketing director Rolf Schmitz says“in the very near future.” Maybe ol’ Greg will see some supported handsets while cruising the halls of MWC.

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Swede's iMac takes a burnin' and it's Digital Britain Minister Insists No One Is Creative still turnin'

If They Don't Earn Money

by Steven Sande (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

by Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:00:00 PM

Filed under: iMac, Apple In what should be used by Apple as a testament to the solid construction of their computers, a Swedish man, Anders Norman, suffered a tragedy last Wednesday when his house burned down. To Norman's surprise, his iMac survived the conflagration despite being burned and partially melted.

Norman's experience (translated f r o m S w e d i s h ) follows:"Unfortunately, the whole house and all things in there completely destroyed, so even the iMac. What's funny is that it is still in operation. While damaged from smoke and dust and partially melted, but yet, however in operation.

After I plugged in the burned power cord and wiped off the worst dust from the screen I pressed the melted start button.

Imagine my surprise when the startup sound sings from the speakers! The screen turns on

Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:44:00 AM

Andrew Dubber does a nice job taking Digital Britain minister Stephen Timms to task for claiming that "If people can't be paid for their creativity, they're going to stop being creative." On the face of it, that's an incredibly stupid thing to say, and is amazingly offensive to the vast majority of people in the world who are creative amateurs.

Note: I did not say "the vast amount of creative people in the world who are amateurs", though and the machine connects to the website: this would also be true. Most wireless network.

Thanks to TUAW readers Emil people in the world do creative The mouse works flawlessly and and Roger for the tip. things for no money. The vast the scroll wheel as well. Firefox TUAW Swede's iMac takes a majority of music in the world is starts and I take up the article burnin' and it's still turnin' made for cultural reasons that are from the local magazine about originally appeared on The not economic. To suggest that the fire ... Fantastic!

U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g the only reason to be creative is On Friday I bought a new iMac (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 with the expectation of payment at the Apple Store here in Ume책, 13:00:00 EST. Please see our is utterly offensive. which I now rejoice." terms for use of feeds.

Beyond stupidity To see just how bad the damage Read| Permalink| Email this| But it's not just stupid and was, take a look at this second Comments offensive -- it's corrupt. It's so photograph by Anders Norman that was shown on the Feber.se

manifestly and obviously false that it could not possibly be the considered belief of a rational human being.

The alternative (and indeed, the only plausible conclusion) is that it's a deliberate falsehood in order to support something that is utterly indefensible when examined with any intellectual honesty.

It's the direct result of corporate lobbying, it's entirely disingenuous, and it's a baldfaced lie echoed to support the interests of powerful and moneyed multinational organisations. He goes on to suggest that a statement like that, so revealing in how Timms views the world, should get Timms fired, as he's basically admitting that he's only there to protect corporate interests, rather than actual creativity.

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Cameron Diaz & Tom Cruise Run the Beaches of Malibu (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:00:00 AM

Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise

are making moves on the beaches of Malibu, California.

The two were spotted by HTV cameras while filming their new

m o v i e ' K n i g h t a n d D a y . ' is filmed later wearing jeans and Cameron, dressed in short-shorts a long sleeve shirt. and a beach hat, runs through the The highly anticipated 'Knight sand carrying some papers. Tom and Day' hits theaters next July

2, 2010.

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Incumbents Blocking Broadband Stimulus Efforts Because They Don't Like Competition

by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 2/15/2010 4:47:41 AM

Back when the $7.2 billion broadband stimulus plan was announced, we were a bit worried that it was really just a bailout plan for incumbent broadband providers. The focus of the plan was on "shovel ready" projects in an attempt to create jobs, and that generally meant incumbent providers who could hire a lot of people. The last thing the government wanted to do in the middle of a recession was help fund an innovative startup that would disrupt a big employer. But there was one

Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely Explains The Problem With The NY Times Paywall

by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 2/15/2010 6:48:47 AM

David alerts us to behavioral economist Dan Ariely's take on the NY Times' plan for a interesting aspect of the stimulus exactly what appears to be paywall, noting that people are package: it suggested that happening. lavi d points us to the unlikely to pay for what they've anyone taking the government n e w s t h a t l o t s o f s m a l l e r been able to get for free in the money would have to share companies are applying for the past: The main problem of this access to infrastructure -- federal funds, and (surprise, approach is that over the years of something that makes a lot of surprise) the incumbents are not free access, the New York Times sense, if you're encouraging applying for the funds at all, but has trained its readers for years competition. are drafting legislation in various that the right price (or the But, of course, the incumbents local governments to prevent any Anchor) is $0 -- and since this is don't want competition at all. upstart competitors from getting the starting point it is very hard They've based their entire those funds. So, not only is it to change it.... business models on the very lack not stimulating the creation of Because we're not very good at o f c o m p e t i t i o n i n t h e jobs, it's not really providing figuring out what we are willing marketplace. So, it quickly m u c h m o r e b r o a d b a n d o r to pay for different products and services, the initial prices that became clear that they would not c o m p e t i t i o n . only resist taking any of the Permalink| Comments| Email new products are presented with can have a long term effect on money, but they would actively This Story how much we are willing to pay seek to block upstarts from for them. We basically can't taking it as well. And... that's figure out how much pleasure the New York Times gives us in terms of $ -- so we go back and

An Epic 22-Minute Walkthrough of Windows Phone 7 [Windows Phone 7]

by Mark Wilson (Gizmodo) Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:52:44 PM

It's a time commitment, no doubt. But if you REALLY want

to know more about Windows Phone 7, MSDN posted a 22minute tour with Joe Belfiore (VP of Windows Phone Program Management) explaining each of

If this is a bit too much, you can get a good feel of WP7 in motion here, too. [ MSDN] the features.

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pay the same price we have paid before. This means that getting people to pay for something that was free for a long time will be very challenging, but it also means that if the New York Times were to offer some new service at the same time that they start charging, they might be more likely to pull it off. Indeed.

It's a point that we've tried to make in the past as well. It's nearly impossible to successfully charge for something that was once free, but it's absolutely possible to charge for something new, something scarce, that is separate from (or perhaps enhanced by) the free stuff.

That's why we had hoped the NY Times would be smart enough to set up a business model around offering something else of value, rather than just a paywall, but it chose to go in the other direction.

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Megan Fox: I Don't Trust Girls in This Industry

SlingPlayer Mobile Video App Goes 3G on iPhone Today

(ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:40:00 AM

by Samuel Axon (Mashable!)

Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:28:48 AM

Sling Media — a company that makes hardware and software to stream recorded or live video from your cable, satellite or DVR receiver to devices like your laptop or cell phone — today launched a new version of its SlingPlayer Mobile app[iTunes link] for iPhone and iPod touch. The app can now stream video over AT&T’s 3G network; previously streaming was only possible on Wi-Fi connections.

AT&T announced that this was coming a couple of weeks ago, but the 3G version of the app has just today been approved by Apple and has now appeared in in the App Store.

The app costs $29.99, which is admittedly a little steep for an iPhone app. You’ll also have to buy and install Sling Box hardware on your TV so the app will have something to

communicate with. The result is the ability to watch every show you can watch at home either live or DVRed absolutely anywhere, though.

We think it might be worth it depending on your situation. For example, if you take a long daily commute on public transit, it might be worthwhile, but if you drive it’s probably not since it would obviously be dangerous to try to use it while driving.

Is SlingPlayer something you’d consider? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Tags: EchoStar, iphone, iPod Touch, mwc 2010, sling media, SlingPlayer

Macworld 2010: Violet Blue

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

the subject, and she stands at the intersection of sex and technology, once giving an excellent talk on sex and privacy Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:30:00 AM on the Internet for Google which Filed under: Macworld you can watch here.

A couple of years ago Violet I chatted with Violet about Blue attempted to make nice Macworld without Apple, the with Steve Jobs (or just shake his iPad, the lack of Flash on iPhone hand, really) and was rather and iPad, and the squeaky-clean infamously rebuked by the App Store. Part one is below and persnickety CEO. Despite this, part two is on the next page. she's maintained a love affair Part two of our interview: with Apple before and after, TUAW Macworld 2010: Violet citing the style, design and Blue originally appeared on The attention to detail and user U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g experience that Apple products (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 are famous for as logical reasons 10:30:00 EST. Please see our for her affinity. In addition to terms for use of feeds. being an unrepentant Apple Read| Permalink| Email this| fangirl, Violet is a sex educator Comments and author of several books on

Outspoken actress Megan Fox is at it again, talking about her weaknesses with acting, her mistrust of people in the entertainment industry and her experience with stripping down to her underwear for Emporio Armani.

"There are some women you could put in underwear and photograph them, and it looks really classy and it doesn't necessarily provoke a pinup image. But with me it does, immediately, as soon as I'm in underwear. I'm a Vargas girl." the actress, dressed in Giorgio Armani attire and Yurman jewelry on the cover of W magazine, says of her Armani ads. "I feel intimidated by fashion. I hate doing photo shoots."

Fox gained her fame from her work in the blockbuster movie franchise 'Transformers' and says her main weakness when acting is her nerves. "I have no confidence, and because of that I'm always second-guessing myself."

Politics/

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41

Rinse, Wash, Repeat

by John B. Judis (The New Republic - All Feed)

any more persuasive than the version he and Mearsheimer put forward in his book.

Submitted at 2/14/2010 8:50:00 PM Walt says that Blair’s statement Message from fivefilters.org: If to the commission “reveals that you can, please donate to the full concerns about Israel were part -text RSS service so we can of the equation [that is, the continue developing it. decision to go to war] and that I don’t think anyone would Israel officials were involved in mistake me for a big fan of the those discussions.” Here is what American Israel Public Affairs Walt, citing a column in the New Committee (AIPAC), the main Statesman, quotes Blair as saying (as they put it) “pro-Israel” lobby about his early April 2002 i n W a s h i n g t o n . T h e o n l y meeting in Crawford, Texas, organization of that kind that with George W. Bush: I’ve ever given money to is As I recall that discussion, it Americans for Peace Now. And I was less to do with specifics have defended critics of AIPAC, about what we were going to do including Stephen Walt and John on Iraq or, indeed, the Middle Mearsheimer, the authors of The East, because the Israel issue was Israel Lobby, from charges of a big, big issue at the time. I anti-Semitism. But I think Walt think, in fact, I remember, and Mearsheimer have been dead actually, there may have been wrong in trying to blame the conversations that we had even Israel lobby or the Israeli with Israelis, the two of us, g o v e r n m e n t f o r A m e r i c a ’ s whilst we were there. So that was invasion of Iraq. And now Walt a major part of all this. is repeating the same nonsense.

Now there are at least three Walt, who blogs for Foreign problems with the inferences that P o l i c y ’ s w e b s i t e , r e c e n t l y Walt draws from this statement. revived the argument, claiming First, even if we were to grant in a self-congratulatory column that Blair is saying that he and titled “I don’t mean to say I told Bush were talking about Israel’s you so, but…” that Tony Blair’s role in or importance to the Iraq testimony last month before invasion, this certainly does not Britain’s Iraq War Commission show that the Israel lobby had confirmed that “the Israel lobby anything to do with the decision ... played a key role in the to go to war. Nor, secondly, does decision to invade Iraq in 2003.” i t s h o w t h a t t h e I s r a e l i I have read Blair’s testimony. I government pressured the U.S. to don’t find it to be proof of go to war. The “conversations” anything of the kind; and I don’t could have easily consisted of think Walt’s accompanying t h e B u s h a d m i n i s t r a t i o n restatement of the argument is informing Israelis of their plans.

But these are minor objections.

The real problem is that Walt does not seem to have taken the trouble to have read the transcript of Blair’s testimony. If he had, he would have realized that Blair was not talking about how invading Iraq might benefit Israel, but about the conflict then occurring between Israel and the Palestinians. The second intifada had reached a new height with the Passover and Haifa suicide bombings and the beginning of the siege at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and Blair was concerned that the Bush administration was not actively pursuing the peace process. Blair wanted the administration to put the Arab-Israeli issue on a par with the threat of Iraq. The former prime minister makes this clear in other parts of his testimony. Here is an exchange between Blair and Sir Roderic Lyne: Lyne: … Just one more point arising from Crawford, but not just from Crawford. You said-you reminded us that the ArabIsrael problem was in a very hot state at Crawford. You said you may even have had some conversations with Israelis from there, and obviously it was something that was a large part of your conversations with President Bush. I think it is right to say--indeed, Jack Straw said it --that you were relentless in trying to persuade the Americans to make more and faster progress on the Middle East peace

process. Ultimately, Jack Straw said it was a matter of huge--in his evidence the other day--it was a matter of huge frustration that we weren’t able to achieve something which you had been seeking so strongly …

Blair: … I believe that resolving the Middle East--this is what I work on now--is immensely important, and I think it was difficult, and this is something I have said before on several occasions, it was difficult to persuade President Bush, and, indeed, America actually, that this was such a fundamental question …

Lyne: But surely you must have said to him, “Look, this thing is only really going to have a chance of working well if we can make this progress down the Arab-Israel track before we get there”?

Blair: Well, I was certainly saying to him, “I think this is vital,” and I mean, this was--you could describe me as a broken record through that period …

The talks at Crawford and subsequent discussions led eventually to getting Bush to launch the “road map” for peace.

In other words, he and Bush were not saying that they had to invade Iraq to assist or appease the Israelis. Nothing that Blair said in his testimony should have provided the slightest evidence that this was occurring. And it seems clear enough that the discussions Blair and Bush had with the Israelis were not about

Iraq but about the peace process.

I am sorry to say that this kind of sloppy research and reasoning is typical of the way that Walt and Mearsheimer deal with the question of whether the Israel lobby influenced the decision to go to war. In their book, they claim that the U.S. would “almost certainly” not have gone to war without the influence of the Israel lobby. That’s a very strong claim, but they do not back it up either in the book or in Walt’s current blogging. Let me briefly deal with their logic here.

There are three ways in which the Israel lobby could have made itself indispensable to the decision to go to war: first, in White House-Pentagon deliberations; second, in significantly influencing the critical Congressional vote in October 2002; and third, in dramatically shaping public opinion. Their argument falls short on all these counts.

White House: To contend that the “Israel lobby” influenced the White House decision to invade—which had more or less been made by the spring of 2002 when Blair visited Crawford—Walt and Mearsheimer expand the “lobby” to include "neoconservative intellectuals" such as Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defense. They then imply that Wolfowitz and other neoRINSE, page 44

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A Few Good Dems

by Seyward Darby (The New Republic - All Feed) Submitted at 2/14/2010 9:00:00 PM

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The Democrats’ recent electoral woes have been well-chronicled.

Within the last six months, the party has been plagued by highprofile losses (Martha Coakley, Jon Corzine), high-profile retirements (Byron Dorgan, Marion Berry), and, yes, even high-profile deaths (Ted Kennedy, John Murtha). Stack those on top of a faltering economy, a stalled-out Congress, and a pissed-off populace (to name just three bits of bad news), and the first Tuesday in November is looking nasty. It now appears as if the Democrats might lose between four and six seats in the Senate and between 25 and 35 seats in the House, according to the Cook Political Report. But could these numbers have been lower? In several races, the Dems’ best candidates looked at the electoral landscape and, perhaps wisely, opted not to run for a new seat in Congress.

Here are five important Democrats who are sitting this one out.

ILLINOIS: Lisa Madigan The White House wanted Lisa Madigan to run for Obama's Senate seat. It wanted her to so badly that the Illinois attorney general was invited to meet with

Obama, Valerie Jarrett, and Rahm Emanuel in Washington last June. She also had the backing of Illinois's senior senator, Dick Durbin.

Conventional wisdom said she'd win the nomination and possibly the seat. In fact, there were rumors that Republican Representative Mark Kirk wouldn't run if Madigan did because he didn't like his odds.

But last July, Madigan decided not to run, leaving the Democratic field wide open--and populated by less than stellar politicians. "The Democratic candidates are second-tier.

They're not particularly exciting, not particularly experienced," DePaul University political analyst Michael Mezey told Reuters just before the state primaries, in which Kirk clinched the Republican nomination and Alexi Giannoulias, state treasurer, nabbed the Democratic nod. The race is already drawing comparisons to the Martha Coakley-Scott Brown face-off in Massachusetts. Kirk is currently outpolling Giannoulias by 6 points, according to Rasmussen.

"If [Madigan] had run, it probably wouldn't be a race," says Jennifer Duffy of the Cook Political Report.

DELAWARE: Beau Biden Ever since Joe Biden became vice president, it looked as if his son (and Delaware’s attorney general) Beau Biden was going to run for his dad’s old Senate

seat. Ted Kaufman, Joe’s longtime chief of staff, was even installed to keep the seat warm for Beau. Republican Mike Castle, a current member of the U.S. House, held a consistent lead over Biden in most polls, but one survey back in the fall made news when it showed the veep's son leading. Then, just days after Coakley lost to Brown in Massachusetts, Biden told supporters he'd be seeking another term as AG. The Cook Political Report immediately recast the race as “solid Republican."

Indeed, the gap between the likely nominees is now wider than ever: On January 26, Rasmussen showed Castle outpolling New Castle County Executive Chris Coons, Biden's replacement, 56 percent to 27 percent. And, troublingly, 31 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of unaffiliated voters said they favored Castle. It's no wonder that Politico has deemed Coons a "heavy underdog."

NORTH CAROLINA: Roy Cooper In November 2008, when littleknown state senator Kay Hagan kicked Elizabeth Dole out of her U.S. Senate seat after only one term, Democrats started hoping for a repeat in 2010. Why? Because Republican Senator Richard Burr had done little to define himself in the Senate or among North Carolina voters.

And who was the man to beat him? Roy Cooper, the state’s

attorney general, who earned more votes than any other statewide candidate in the 2008 elections. ( The Raleigh News & Observer deemed him “N.C.’s most popular Democrat.”)

Shortly thereafter, some polls showed Cooper with a slight edge in a hypothetical race against the vulnerable Burr.

Last May, however, Cooper said he wouldn't run--and that left former state senator Cal Cunningham and secretary of state Elaine Marshall as the two leading contenders in the Democratic primary. ( Other contenders include Ken Lewis, a local attorney, and Marcus Williams, who ran for the Democratic nomination back in 2008.) Despite her statewide office, Marshall is running as the outsider; the Democratic establishment is backing Cunningham, who hasn’t held elected office since his single term as a state senator, which he won back in 2000. Seventy-five percent of voters recently polled remain undecided about whom to vote for this May. And, even with his relatively low approval ratings, Burr is outpolling Cunningham by 16 points and Marshall by 10 points in hypothetical match-ups, according to Rasmussen. Burr also has $4.3 million in the bank, while his Democratic opponents have yet to hit the million-dollar mark (although Cunningham did raise $320,000 in his first month in the race).

FLORIDA: Alex Sink The Republican Senate primary, where Marco Rubio, a darling of the Tea Party movement, is squaring off with embattled Governor Charlie Crist, has sucked up so much media attention that it’s easy to forget the winner will actually have an opponent in the general. But, before the Democrats chose U.S. Representative Kendrick Meek as their best bet, state CFO Alex Sink was at the top of their hopeful list.

When she decided not to run in J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9 , TalkingPointsMemo said Sink "would have started out as the immediate frontrunner [in the primary] and probably a slight favorite for the general election, too." A moderate with business experience, Sink had already gained recognition--and positive press coverage--for winning a statewide election in her first run for office and, soon after, for clashing with Crist on several high-profile political issues. But, instead of aiming for the Senate, she's running for governor--and trailing her Republican opponent by 11 points. As for Meek, in addition to getting lost amid the national coverage of the Republican fight, he's losing in hypothetical match-ups with both GOP candidates. According to Rasmussen, Rubio is outpolling Meek by 17 points, while Crist FEW page 45

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Bubba Ho-Tep

by E.J. Dionne Jr. (The New Republic - All Feed)

Democratic majority. And he knows how focused Republicans get on regaining power whenever Submitted at 2/14/2010 9:00:00 PM they find themselves on the Message from fivefilters.org: If outside. you can, please donate to the full And so before we got the happy -text RSS service so we can word that Clinton was OK, I continue developing it. realized what a great loss it WASHINGTON -- When word would be if he and Obama were went out that Bill Clinton had deprived of a chance to spend been rushed to the hospital, the s i g n i f i c a n t t i m e t o g e t h e r prospect that he was in danger comparing crises and problems. made me wish that President When you look at Obama's Obama had spent more time political troubles after a year in learning lessons that only office, it's remarkable how much Clinton can teach. they have in common with those Yes, Clinton put his presidency Clinton faced at the same at risk over a sex scandal, and his juncture of his presidency. infuriating moments around the Consider, first, that Clinton, like 2008 South Carolina primary Obama, started out as a unifier disheartened even his most loyal w h o d i s d a i n e d i d e o l o g i c a l supporters. quarrels and saw himself as a But Clinton remains one of the problem-solver. There is not a most talented politicians in our dime's worth of difference history, and it's not simply between Clinton's war on "the because he feels people's pain or brain-dead politics of both speaks so well that you sit in parties" and Obama's insistence your driveway to hear the rest of that "there is not a liberal his speech when he's on the car America and a conservative radio.

America, there is the United Above all, he understands how States of America." hard it is to be a progressive Both sought to occupy the politician at this time in history. middle ground of American He appreciates how difficult it is politics. Both believed that they t o c o n s t r u c t a d u r a b l e could win over Republicans.

Both were sure they could govern differently.

During an interview with Obama back in the fall of 2007, I was struck by just how much he sounded like Clinton when he spoke of the importance of wringing "the excesses of the '60s" out of the Democratic Party. Then, unprompted, Obama added that "Bill Clinton deserves some credit for breaking with some of those dogmas in the Democratic Party." Remember, Obama was running against Hillary Clinton at the time.

But Republicans (and in retrospect, you can say this was shrewd politics) understood in 1994, as they do in 2010, that allowing these talented icon smashers to govern differently and draw in members of their own party would be fatal to a GOP comeback.

So in Clinton's case, Republicans voted to a person against his economic recovery plan that -- combined with the first President Bush's deficitreduction moves -- put the nation on the road to budget surpluses.

Remember those? And then they killed Clinton's health care plan.

Under Obama, Republicans

have used precisely the same tactics without facing any criticism for a lack of originality.

Obama's stimulus bill got three Republican votes in the Senate, none in the House, and GOP lawmakers rail against it even as they claim credit for projects financed by a bill they opposed.

And Republicans are doing all they can to make sure that Health Care 2.0 is ruined by the same political viruses that infected Health Care 1.0 under Clinton.

Confronting the highly disciplined Republicans, Obama and Clinton both had to rely on a Democratic Party whose ranks, especially in the Senate, include a lot of people ready to abandon the battlefield at the first sign of bad poll numbers.

And they share a major weakness: Both believe so devoutly in their capacity to convert adversaries and to get lions and lambs to lie down together that they spend more energy trying to win over their enemies than in rallying their friends. This leaves them helpless when the lions continue to devour the lambs.

I am pleased that after the scary tidings, Bill Clinton is doing

well. And it may turn out to be providential that he burst into the news at precisely this point. It's hard to escape the sense that a young and promising Democratic president is too closely replaying the opening act of another young and promising Democratic president -- and that Republicans need only recite the same lines they came up with 16 years ago.

Obama needs to rewrite the script. And as a script doctor, Bill Clinton has no equal.

E.J. Dionne, Jr. is the author of the recently published Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics After the Religious Right. He is a Washington Post columnist, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a professor at Georgetown University. (c) 2009, Washington Post Writers Group For more TNR, become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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The KHL, Struggling Junior Programs and the Lack of Europeans in the NHL

by Adam Gretz (FanHouse Main)

International Hockey Several European countries have seen their NHL presence drop in Submitted at 2/15/2010 3:41:00 AM recent years, including the Czech To get an idea as to why this is Filed under: Russian Hockey, Republic, Russia and Slovakia.

happening I asked around to get some feedback and opinions.

The two most common themes: the presence of the KHL and struggling junior programs.

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RINSE, continued from page 41

conservatives favored regime change in Iraq primarily because it would benefit Israel. No evidence has surfaced to show that Wolfowitz was acting in this manner. There were other neoconservatives in the administration – such as David Wurmser and Douglas Feith – who had in the past explicitly linked regime change in Iraq to Israel’s welfare, but they were not in a decisionmaking capacity. Indeed, the two people outside of the President who appear most responsible for the decision to invade -Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney -- could not be categorized, even by Walt and Mearsheimer’s absurdly broad standards, as part of an Israel lobby. So while it would be foolish to rule out that Israel’s welfare was not discussed or mentioned in discussions about whether to invade Iraq, there is no basis for saying that the White House decision to invade Iraq was driven by neoconservative preoccupations

with Israel’s security.

Congress: Walt cites my quoting of AIPAC head Howard Kohr’s boast that AIPAC had been “quietly lobbying” Congress to pass the war resolution in October 2002. I don’t doubt that AIPAC officials favored going to war, as did the leaders of some other pro-Israel organizations.

But AIPAC did not aggressively lobby for the war resolution the way it lobbied in 1981 against the AWACs surveillance plane sale to Saudi Arabia or recently for refined petroleum sanctions on Iran. I have interviewed AIPAC people and members of other Jewish lobbying organizations on this question, and they say the same thing. It was not a make-or-break legislative priority. And there is very good circumstantial evidence to back this up. Some of AIPAC’s most dependable supporters on the Hill—such as Senators Daniel Inouye and Carl Levin and Representative Jerrold Nadler—opposed the resolution.

So, yes, AIPAC probably did “quietly” make its preference

known; but it can’t be credited or blamed for the outcome of the vote. And no other pro-Israel or Jewish lobby possesses comparable clout on the Hill.

Public Opinion: Did the Israel lobby have a sine qua non influence on public opinion in favor of the war? If so, one would expect that its influence would at least show up among Jewish Americans, who would be most likely to listen to their arguments. In a 2003 survey, the American Jewish Committee found that 54 percent of Jewish Americans disapproved of going to war with Iraq and only 43 percent approved. At the time, a majority of Americans approved of going to war. So, far from being a leader in pro-war sentiment, American Jews were lagging behind. Walt and Mearsheimer concede this point, but it’s important nonetheless to include it because it is the only other way in which the Israel lobby might have had a decisive effect on the decision to invade, but did not.

There is, in other words, no

basis at all for accepting Walt and Mearsheimer’s contention that, without the Israel lobby, the U.S. would likely not have invaded Iraq. It’s not antiSemitic to make these charges-they have quotes and anecdotes in their book--but they don’t add up to the proof of any overriding influence. Nor does Walt’s use of Blair’s testimony to the Iraq War Commission. I think it’s time for Walt and Mearsheimer to put this part of their argument to rest.

John B. Judis is a senior editor at The New Republic and a visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

For more TNR, become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Robert Pattinson 'Wasn't Exactly Prepared' For Photoshoot with Naked Girls (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 2/15/2010 7:40:00 AM

ET has the latest...

'Twilight' hunk Robert Pattinson poses for the sexy cover of Details magazine's March issue and reveals he wasn't exactly thrilled being surrounded by a plethora of naked women.

"I really hate vaginas," he tells the magazine regarding the hours -long photo shoot. "I'm allergic to vagina. But I can't say I had no idea, because it was a 12-hour shoot, so you kind of get the picture that these women are going to stay naked after, like, five or six hours. But I wasn't exactly prepared. I had no idea what to say to these girls. Thank God I was hungover."

Speaking candidly in the new interview, Pattinson says there is one special relationship in his life.

The Spies Who Loved Irving R. Levine [Shoeleather]

by John Cook (Gawker)

Observer correspondent suspected of spying for the KGB in the 1950s. The Observer has The gripping tale of espionage found their man. contained in NBC Newsman Our Levine post was published Irving R. Levine's FBI file, just as Observer reporter Mark which we found last month, Washburn was heading out the featured an unnamed Charlotte office door for a stiff one—plans Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:25:00 PM

"Apparently we had a spy here in surprise, because it's a noir the 1950s. Find out who it was." masterpiece and you should read Sorry, Mark! Thirty-three days, it. multiple false leads, and one consultation with a Norwegian almanac later, Washburn ID'd that were ruined when his boss the suspect—make that two c a u g h t h i m a n d s a i d , suspects. We won't ruin the

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Zogby Poll: Obama Approval Holds Steady at 51% (Newsmax - Politics)

Presidents.

When asked in the same poll about former President George Message from fivefilters.org: If W. Bush, a plurality of those you can, please donate to the full surveyed (49 percent) rank Bush -text RSS service so we can in the bottom third of all continue developing it.

Presidents. Bush is ranked higher As we celebrate Presidents Day, b y R e p u b l i c a n s a n d a new Zogby Interactive poll of conservatives, and lower by likely voters shows Obama's D e m o c r a t s , I n d e p e n d e n t s , overall approval rating holding l i b e r a l s , a n d m o d e r a t e s . steady at 51 percent. He Finally, in celebration of c o n t i n u e s t o e n j o y h i g h e r Presidents Day, respondents a p p r o v a l r a t i n g s a m o n g were asked to write in their Democrats (86 percent), First selection for the greatest U.S GlobalsTM (54 percent), and President. Partisan patterns were Liberals (91 percent). again evident; though 16th Meanwhile, 90 percent of President Abraham Lincoln Republicans and 95 percent of showed his bipartisan appeal Conservatives disapprove of the appearing at the top of the job he is doing, numbers almost overall list and appearing either unchanged from our February first or second for each party.

2nd poll .

The interactive survey of A separate poll of likely voters greatest Presidents and overall conducted January 15 through rankings of George W. Bush and January 18 shows that most Barack Obama was conducted by voters (41 percent) feel it is still Z o g b y I n t e r n a t i o n a l f r o m too early to rank Obama's overall January 15 through January 18, standing compared to other U.S. 2010 with a sample size of 1,963 Presidents. However, a majority likely voters nationwide. of Republicans (70 percent) and A sampling of Zogby conservatives (77 percent) rank International's online panel, Obama in the bottom third of all which is representative of the Submitted at 2/15/2010 4:46:44 AM

adult population of the US, was invited to participate. Slight weights were added to region, party, age, race, religion, gender, education to more accurately reflect the population. The margin of error is +/- 2.2 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.

The interactive survey of Obama job approval was conducted by Zogby International from February 9 to February 11, 2010, with a sample size of 2,641 likely voters nationwide. A sampling of Zogby International's online panel, which is representative of the adult population of the US, was invited to participate. Slight weights were added to region, party, age, race, religion, gender, education to more accurately reflect the population. The margin of error is +/- 1.9 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups. © Newsmax. All rights reserved.

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FEW continued from page 42

has a 15 point lead.

SOUTH DAKOTA: Stephanie Herseth Sandlin Could any Democrat give incumbent Republican Senator John Thune, who's been mentioned as a possible 2012 presidential nominee, a run for his money? Perhaps not--but a tough reelection bid this year could clip his wings a bit. Last summer, the Democrats were pushing U.S. Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin to challenge the chiseled, cameraready conservative. But, in July, she declined to run. (Herseth Sandlin also decided not to run for governor, seemingly content with her House seat.) Her decision prompted The Hill to say that Thune had "dodged a bullet.”

That might be putting it lightly.

As of last week, the Democrats had yet to mount any challenger

against Thune. "We're out there and we're talking to people.

We're not closing any doors at all," Erin McCarrick, executive director of the state's Democratic party, told The Sioux City Journal in January. And Thune isn't closing any doors either: He's already raised $6 million for his reelection bid.

Seyward Darby is assistant managing editor of The New Republic.

For more TNR, become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Olympic Snapshot: Loch Wins Gold in Men’s Luge (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix) Submitted at 2/14/2010 5:18:36 PM

Getty Images

Felix Loch celebrates winning the gold medal after finishing the final run of the men’s luge singles final on day 3 of the 2010

Winter Olympics at Whistler

45

Sliding Centre. Germany’s Loch of a racer in practice crash. easily won the Olympic gold, bringing needed comfort to a sport still reeling from the death

46

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New Info from CRU Hacking Investigation (Little Green Footballs)

portion of the emails stolen was actually released. The hacker took the trouble of sifting out all D e S m o g B l o g ’ s M i t c h e l l the routine messages about Anderson has new information holidays and fire alarms and on the investigation into the possibly much more. cyber-burglary of Britain’s What was removed remains Climate Research Unit (CRU), unknown but clearly the hacker thoroughly refuting the claims was trying to discredit legitimate that the leak came from a s c i e n t i s t s a n d p r e s u m a b l y “whistle-blower:” Who Hacked discarded whatever would not the CRU? help the contrived scandal of An interesting post on IT- “climategate”.

NETWORKS picks apart what is The hacker also focused currently known about the hack specifically on four scientists job and what it can tell us about who had long been the targets of the identity of the hacker and U S b a s e d c l i m a t e d e n i e r s their motivations. because their peer-reviewed Forensic data analysis reveals scientific papers had been used that the hacker was in a time to back the IPCC’s reports on zone somewhere in the eastern global warming.

US or Canada. Rather than a Out of dozens of researchers at single breach of security, the the CRU, 95% of the 1,073 hacker was also able to access emails released were sent or c o n f i d e n t i a l C R U o n f o u r received by Phil Jones, the head different occasions over a six- of the CRU; Professor Keith week period.

Briffa, who studied tree rings; The IT-NETWORKS analysis Tim Osborn, who worked on also points out that only a small climate modeling for modern and Submitted at 2/14/2010 4:32:15 PM

archaeological data; and Mike Hulme, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

After the final batch of emails was stolen on the eve of the COP 15 conference, the hacker then broke into the Real Climate site, disabled access from the real administrators, and tried to post a fake story that climate change was all a myth.

All of this indicates that the hacker was no 14 year old in their parents basement but a professional with an agenda. Sir David King, the UK’s former chief scientist, concluded the complex theft was the work of US-based climate deniers backed by carbon money or a foreign government.

Here is the very interesting post cited by DeSmogBlog at ITNetworks, with more details: Hacking into the mind of the CRU climate change hacker.

Fashion Week Fall 2010 All Access: Alexander Wang

by ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 2/14/2010 6:54:28 PM

Sizzling designs filled Pier 94

yesterday as Alexander Wang showed off his Fall 2010 Readyto-Wear collection.

All Photos: Kelly Stuart Click here for our complete fall 2010 Fashion Week coverage

Review: TurboTax ItsDeductible and H&R Block DeductionPro

by Consumer Reports Shopping Blog (Consumer Reports) Submitted at 2/15/2010 3:59:59 AM

Review: TurboTax ItsDeductible and H&R Block DeductionPro TurboTax ItsDeductible and H&R Block DeductionPro are two free online tools to help you value your charitable donations.

While they're available yearround, they're particularly useful now. You can take advantage of them whether you use software to prepare the rest of your taxes or not. You'll only need to complete a short registration.

Both tools use data from independent sources to value donated goods, and let you tally contributions and charitable mileage.

In a recent test, we found DeductionPro more convenient.

Unlike ItsDeductible, it allowed us to print out estimated values of deducted items. And in a random comparison of values for donated household goods, books and clothing, DeductionPro estimated higher values more often.

ItsDeductible's advantage is that it can help you value donated stock. But it won't let you print

out the estimated value of donated items. We found a way around that, however: Highlight the pages with the estimates and use a "print screen" function on your computer to print the resulting image.

If you want, you can import your results into the online versions of TurboTax or H&R Block At Home (formerly TaxCut). Those tools are entirely free to try until you're ready to file. And if you use H&R Block At Home Free Edition or TurboTax Free Edition—both for more basic returns—you can prepare and file your federal tax return entirely free.—Tobie Stanger Subscribe now!

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Imagine whirled peas—frozen vegetables for winter

Unsafe by definition: Voluntary recall

by rss@consumerreports.org (Consumer Reports)

by Consumer Reports on Safety (Consumer Reports)

near the end when making soups or stews to keep them from overcooking. Some, which Submitted at 2/15/2010 7:59:59 AM really only require being heated Imagine whirled peas—frozen like peas, I add right before vegetables for winter I remember serving, which also helps to cool summer, don’t you? Each year, the soup a little before giving it just about now, I long for a to my kids. tomato that actually tastes like a And since most of the grunt tomato and not a mealy mouthful too—see our recent report on work of preparing vegetables has of plastic nothingness, or an ear frozen diet meals. Just make been done when they’re frozen, of sweet, crisp corn. How very sure you watch the add-ins. I’ve found that it’s easy to assign cruel that as the days are white Sauces and seasonings may on of my kids the task of and gray outside, the dinner table sound nice, but they cut down on c h o o s i n g a n d p r e p a r i n g a starts to mimic this dull color the versatility of plain vegetables v e g e t a b l e f o r d i n n e r . scheme. But paltry produce that can be added to multiple So, while I wait for winter to pickings in the fresh aisles don’t recipes, not to mention adding wilt and my garden to spring mean there aren’t other options. fat and sodium. forth, I’ll take healthier In the wintery months I find Keeping my freezer stocked conveniences where I can get myself gravitating to the frozen with bagged frozen vegetables them. Skulking the freezer aisle aisles for some longed-for color. helps me in a variety of ways. may not be as enjoyable to me as Have a look at the frozen First, they’re relatively cheap, or savoring the bounty of summer, p r o d u c e o f f e r i n g s a t y o u r at least cheaper than most of the but it’s adding some color to our grocery store—you might be in fresh stuff. If I fill the freezer otherwise washed out winter for a surprise. You’ll find when they go on sale, I can diet. options ranging from familiar usually snag them for 1-2 dollars —Erin Gudeux, sensory senior green beans, to the slightly more a bag—a bonus for my bottom project leader Subscribe now! unexpected like asparagus spears line.

S u b s c r i b e t o and artichoke hearts. When you They’re also really easy to use. ConsumerReports.org for expert think of frozen vegetables, do N o p e e l i n g , c h o p p i n g , o r Ratings, buying advice and you think they’re waterlogged, blanching – it’s all been done for r e l i a b i l i t y o n h u n d r e d s o f tough and freezer-burned? Well, you. And for some dishes, you products. Update your feed m a n u f a c t u r e r s h a v e m a d e don’t even need to thaw them. I preferences improvements in this area like adding frozen vegetables

Submitted at 2/15/2010 4:59:59 AM

Unsafe by definition: Voluntary recall What it is: Most recalls of defective products are characterized as "voluntary," a confusing term that can lead consumers to believe that the recall is optional. But voluntary recall is just government-speak for a deal that a manufacturer or retailer of a hazardous product has negotiated with the federal agency in charge of overseeing the safety of that product category. Voluntary recall would also seem to indicate that there are “mandatory recalls” that can be issued by the government should manufacturers or retailers refuse to cooperate, but nearly all the recalls announced last year were voluntary.

Why it's news: While voluntary recalls have been—for all practical purposes—the only means by which the government can get dangerous and defective

products off the market, that's about to change. Last month the Consumer Product Safety Commission unanimously approved a new rule setting guidelines and requirements for mandatory recalls and those rules are set to go into effect on February 22. A mandatory recall can be ordered by the CPSC or a U.S. District Court. The requirement for the new rules was part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act and was originally proposed by President Barack Obama when he was a Senator. At this point it remains unclear how often and under what circumstances the CPSC might turn to a mandatory recall instead of a voluntary one when the new rules take effect.

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Olympic Snapshot: Canada’s First Gold on Home Soil (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix) Submitted at 2/14/2010 6:53:14 PM

Associated Press Alexandre Bilodeau of Canada celebrated becoming an Olympic

champion in moguls, finally

ending Canada’s long wait for a first Olympic gold medal on home soil.

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Q&A: Do any nutritional supplements lower blood pressure? by rss@consumerreports.org (Consumer Reports)

controlled studies, often with conflicting results. And since purity and potency can’t be Submitted at 2/15/2010 6:23:59 AM guaranteed, supplements may Q&A: Do any nutritional not contain what the label states. supplements lower blood Find out what you can do to pressure? avoid dangerous supplements Do any nutritional supplements and interactions and find out lower blood pressure? — K.B., which natural remedies, medications, diabetes drugs, oral including the DASH diet, can via e-mail None has been proved, and few c o n t r a c e p t i v e s , o r o t h e r help lower high blood pressure show promise. A handful of medications. Garlic and fish oil (subscribers only). Subscribe trials have shown that daily increase the risk of bleeding, now! doses of coenzyme-Q10 (Co- while Co-Q10 may increase the S u b s c r i b e t o Q10), fiber, fish oil, or garlic blood’s tendency to clot. And ConsumerReports.org for expert may minimally reduce high they can all cause stomach Ratings, buying advice and blood pressure. But in the cases discomfort or diarrhea. reliability on hundreds of of fiber and garlic, other studies Other supplements marketed to products. Update your feed have failed to show any benefit. reduce blood pressure, such as preferences And all four supplements have the amino acid l-arginine, have risks. Co-Q10 and garlic may been either not studied at all or interact with blood-pressure scrutinized only in small, poorly

MVP Wade helps Eastern All-Stars escape West

by Associated Press (ESPN.com) Submitted at 2/14/2010 11:45:56 PM

Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full -text RSS service so we can continue developing it. More From ESPN.com Dwyane Wade and LeBron James offered a glimpse of their possible future together at the All -Star Game, writes John

Honda claims 107 mpg for new Elite scooter

by Consumer Reports Shopping Blog (Consumer Reports) Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:59:59 AM

Honda claims 107 mpg for new Elite scooter Motorcycle and scooter sales sank right along with gas prices last year, as many motorists decided squeaking as many miles out of a gallon of fuel as possible was no longer a priority.

As a result, Honda's decision to introduce the Elite scooter to the U.S. market for the 2010 model

year may not have been as timely as they might have hoped.

With a liquid-cooled and fuelinjected 108-cc engine, Honda claims the Elite is capable of an impressive 107 mpg. While realworld results will probably be somewhat less, the Elite’s fuel economy will likely still be impressive. And fuel injection means buyers who store their bikes in the winter months won’t have to deal with gummed up carburetors after the off season.

The Elite also features Honda’s Combined Braking System

(CBS), which helps distribute braking force between front and rear wheels even if the rider doesn’t apply both.

Already a sales success in

Europe, the Elite is priced at $2,995 and is available at Honda dealers now. And presumably will still be available when gas prices go up again.

See our motorcycle and scooter buying advice and ratings.— Jim Travers Subscribe now!

S u b s c r i b e t o ConsumerReports.org for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products. Update your feed preferences

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What's the Easiest Way to Share Large Files and Media with Friends?

[How To]

by The How-To Geek (Lifehacker) Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:00:00 AM

When you want to to share music, movies, photos, or other files online, you've got countless options. We've examined most, and for our money, one tool WHAT'S page 49

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WHAT'S continued from page 48

emerges on top of the heap for its ease of use, wide support, and all-around excellence.

Sharing files publicly has always been a subject of hot debate, but put aside any legal concerns for the moment and consider: What if you want to just share some home videos or music privately with a few friends rather than the internet at large? What's the easiest way to share large files? The Answer: Opera Unite For this writer and tech enthusiast's money, the easiest and best way to share large files of any kind with your friends and family is to simply install Opera Unite, walk through a couple of quick configuration screens, and then send them the URL and password to access your content from any browser.

Plenty of web sites let you send large files around, usually by uploading a file and then sending a link to the content, and BitTorrent is also great for sharing large files, but the problem with both of those is that you're unnecessarily putting your content out there online for others, and wasting bandwidth by sending it to third parties.

(You could setup private torrents, but those still require an open tracking server, which aren't always reliable.) Opera Unite sets up a fast, direct connection to share your files, it's extremely easy to use, and best of all, it's free!

Update: Many commenters have

pointed out that Dropbox is an excellent way to share files, and we wholeheartedly agree.

However, Dropbox has a 2GB limit for free accounts, which is hardly enough space to share a collection of large files with your friends—plus, you have to wait for an upload to finish before you can share it. With Opera Unite, you can share large directories of any size instantly, for free. Setting Up Unite is Easy Since Unite is just a component of the Opera browser, all you have to do is download and install the latest version of Opera. Unite comes along for the ride automatically, but you'll need to activate it by opening up the sidebar, clicking the Unite icon, and going through the wizard to setup a free Unite account (see screenshot).

Note: You don't have to switch to the Opera browser to use Unite, so if you're a Firefox or Chrome loyalist, you can still choose to use Opera just for your file sharing needs.

Once you've done set it up, you can right-click on Opera Unite Home and access the Properties, or you can select the Fire Sharing module and click the Start button to open up a short configuration wizard to help you share your files. The Technical Bits Internally, Opera Unite is nothing more than a web server that runs inside of your web browser, and uses the standard HTTP protocol so your friends

and family can access your shared content from any browser. Your free Unite account gives you access to Opera's dynamic DNS service, which means you can share your content with an easy-toremember, unique URL that you can send to anybody. Unite automatically hooks into your router using uPnP to dynamically open port 8840, but it can also use a Unite proxy server when you're behind a more restrictive firewall—though it will obviously be slower.

Everything is password protected, so even if you've setup file sharing and the URL is public, it doesn't mean that people will be able to see what you are sharing—only those that you've given both the public URL and the password to can access your files. You'll probably want to change the default passwords, though. Share Files With Your Friends Now that you've set up Unite, it's time to start sharing. Click on the Unite icon in the left-hand pane of Opera (it's the swirlylooking one), then double-click the File Sharing module.

You'll be asked to choose the folder you wish to share. You can click the Advanced button and setup a few additional properties, but that's pretty much all you'll need to do to start sharing your files—a URL and password will be automatically generated for you so you can share those files quickly and

easily.

After setting up your file share, the next time you double-click on the File Sharing module in left-hand Opera panel you'll open up the administration page. Look over to the right-hand side, where you can see the URL and the automatically generated password. You can copy and paste those to your friends, and they'll be able to access the files immediately—but you should probably change the password to something slightly more difficult first.

Your unique Opera Unite URL will always be set to the [devicename].[username].operau nite.com address format, so you can actually have multiple devices setup on your network and easily share files with each one. If you would prefer to get a little more geeky, you can actually setup your own domain name for Opera Unite, but that's probably overkill for just sharing some files with friends.

Accessing the Shared Content Once you've sent somebody the URL, they'll be prompted for a password to access the shared content, at which point they can browse through all the files you've shared and download them. Since Opera Unite usually enables port-forwarding on your router automatically with uPnP, the connection is surprisingly fast if you have a decent internet connection—it's going to be slower if it has to go through the Opera proxy server.

What makes this really great for sharing with your less tech-savvy friends is that they don't have to install any applications, or even install Opera—all of the content should work from any browser.

Taking Unite Beyond Simple File-Sharing Since Opera Unite is nothing more than a web server, it also enables many downloadable modules to do any number of things that you could do with a full web server setup—like create your own streaming music server so you can access your content from anywhere. Just double-click on the media server module in the Unite panel, choose the location of your music folder, and then make sure to set a more difficult password.

Just like that, you've enabled your entire music collection to be streamed from any browser anywhere, directly off your home PC. There's a player embedded directly in the page so you don't even need a media player installed on the other machine.

The fun doesn't stop with media serving—there are modules for a simple HTML web server, photo sharing, whiteboards, chatrooms, file sync, and more. What about you? What's your best method of sharing large files with your friends and family? Have you used Opera Unite? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The How-To Geek loves the WHAT'S page 51

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Adobe Prepares for a World without Apple's Blessing

by Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 2/15/2010 7:10:41 AM

Today at the Mobile World Congress 2010, Adobe announced several initiatives designed to cement their company's relevance in a world where Apple, one of the top smartphone players, has banned Adobe software from inclusion on all mobile devices including the iPhone, iPod Touch and the soon-to-launch iPad. Without Adobe's Flash runtime, thousands of websites don't work, streaming videos won't play and a number of online casual games are broken. Apple, of course, is fine with this, having worked around the issue thanks to the 150,000+ iPhone applications that deliver the same functionality...although sometimes for a fee.

Adobe, meanwhile, is focusing on the other up-and-coming smartphone platform, Google's Android OS, with the launch of their "AIR for Android" offering.

With this and the newly announced Flash Player 10.1, wannabe mobile developers don't need to learn specialized code, but can instead leverage their existing development skills to build Flash and AIR-based applications. They can then have those apps run anywhere: PCs, Macs, Linux and mobile...including, surprisingly, the iPhone.

Sponsor

AIR for Android The AIR for Android development platform allows designers and developers to use their existing skills in coding for AIR on the desktop to build standalone applications that run on the mobile Android operating system, found on devices like the Droid, the myTouch 3G, and the G1. With AIR, developers can include mobile-specific functionality in their devices including multi-touch, accelerometer input, GPS, screen

orientation and gestures.

Already, Adobe has several developers on board. A company blog post today shows a selection of some of the first AIR -built Android apps, all games, including iTunes App Store classics like Alchemist, FickleBlox, Gridshock, Chroma Circuit, Red Hood, South Park Avatar Creator and Su(iTunes links).

Flash 10.1 In addition to the AIR for Android announcement, Adobe

also debuted the Flash Platform 10.1 beta, now available to developers and content providers worldwide. With Flash, developers can not only build mobile applications for Android, but can build apps that run anywhere: desktops, laptops, netbooks and smartphones. All the major smartphone players (save one) will support Flash, including Android, RIM BlackBerry, Symbian, Palm's webOS and Windows Mobile. It will now also be available on

LiMo devices, an independent and open smartphone platform with a Linux-based operating system at its core.

Flash isn't just about the apps, either. It's also used for website content display and HD videos, like those found on the popular U.S. TV portal, Hulu. Sling Media, makers of the Slingbox hardware, devices that let you watch live TV playing in one location on a remote receiver, also use Flash as part of their three-screen solution which delivers video to TVs, laptops, and mobile devices. Flash for iPhone: the Workaround Despite all the announcements, which lay solid ground for Adobe's continued relevance and importance in the ever-changing mobile world, the company has not forgotten about Apple.

Although sour grapes could have easily had the company turn their back to the popular iPhone OS platform, Adobe did just the opposite: they made it easy for their developers to build for iPhone too. Using the Packager for iPhone software, announced previously at Adobe MAX 2009, developers can export Flash code as iPhone apps.

With these tools, developers can essentially write once and deploy anywhere - as AIR or Flash creations for the desktop or mobile web or as apps for any mobile device including Android ADOBE page 53

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MeeGo: A New Linux OS to Fight iPhone, iPad and More

Google Confirms Trending Topics Test

by Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb)

by Mike Melanson (ReadWriteWeb)

Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:57:21 AM

fragmented mobile world. The Nokia and Intel have just same strategy has also been announced the creation of recently embraced by Adobe, MeeGo, a new Linux-based who now lets their developers operating system designed for write once and then deploy their portable devices including Flash apps to any operating netbooks and smartphones as system, both desktop and laptopwell as other non-desktop based or mobile. platforms like connected TVs Applications that previously and vehicles. The new OS is a worked on Maemo or Moblin combination of Nokia's Maemo will work on the new MeeGo and Intel's Moblin, both LinuxOS, too, say the companies. based computing environments.

Also, the new platform is not This partnership is notable not intended to replace Nokia's own just for combining two different Symbian OS, Nokia assures.

Linux platforms under one roof, Instead, using the Qt application but for its cross-platform support and UI framework, developers of both Intel and ARM chips, the can deploy apps to both MeeGo latter currently popular in mobile and other platforms, including devices like Apple's iPhone Symbian. The resulting thanks to its low power applications will then be consumption needs. marketed through Nokia's Ovi Sponsor Store, for all MeeGo and The MeeGo operating system is Symbian-based Nokia devices designed to let developers write while Intel's AppUp Center will once and then deploy to a handle the marketing of apps for number of hardware platforms Intel-based MeeGo devices. including everything from Open Source vs. iPhone OS...and smartphones to netbooks and More more, a popular strategy these Both companies are positioning days in an increasingly

WHAT'S continued from page 49

simplicity of Opera Unite for sharing files. His geeky articles can be found daily here on

Lifehacker, How-To Geek, and Twitter.

the new OS an open source alternative to the iPhone App Store model. Although they don't come out and directly call out the popular Apple iPhone OS by name, they hint at it by stating that with MeeGo, people "are not locked into one kind of device or those from any individual manufacturer."

Both companies are also preparing for a new range of tablet devices that will compete against the trail-blazing iPad. In an interview with CNet, Renee J. James, a senior vice president at Intel, affirms that "this kind of operating environment is targeted very well for a tabletstyle device."

However, the platform isn't meant to just compete with Apple products. It will also go up against the upcoming netbook OS from Google, Chrome OS, as well as mobile, tablet, and in-car OS's from other vendors, including Microsoft.

MeeGo will arrive in the second quarter of 2010 with products becoming available starting in the third quarter. Discuss

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Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:41:00 AM

While none of us here at ReadWriteWeb have yet to see it in our Google News, a tip this morning from blogger Joe Hobot tells us that trending topics may be coming to the search engine's news aggregator.

We got in touch with Google this morning and a spokesman confirmed that the feature is indeed part of a series of experiments the company has been running since early this month.

Image thanks to Joe Hobot.

Sponsor According to Chris Gaither, a spokesperson for Google, Search Engine Rountable first reported the potential feature's appearence last Friday. Gaither said that trending topics are one of many experiments Google is conducting in their redesign of the news homepage. At Google, we run anywhere from 50 to 200 experiments at any given time on our websites all over the world.

Right now, we are running a

small test of a new Google News homepage design. More information about how Google runs experiments can be found [ here].

Google last redesigned its news page last May, adding more visual content to the layout. This time around, we expect to see more in the way of real-time content, including features such as the trending topics seen here.

If you keep a close watch, it is possible you will see other new features that Google is testing, but as the company's blog post points out, often these features will show up and go completely unnoticed. In Hobot's case, the trending topics showed up for a brief period before disappearing again.

We asked about the specifics of the new feature, but Gaither said that statement included above is all the company is saying about it at this time. Discuss

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Former CNET and Fox Co-Founder Wants To Fund Your iPad App

by Chris Cameron (ReadWriteWeb)

and Internet executives, AppFund is not the first of it's kind. Just two short days after Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:10:00 AM Steve Jobs' iPad announcement, It's coming up on three weeks we told you about the Northern since Apple announced its highly Film & Media which would be anticipated iPad device, and the looking to provide up to $64,000 news frenzy surrounding the to U.K application developers for announcement has begun to die iPad apps. The New York-based down. As is the trend with many AppFund says they are willing to new devices, the response to the o f e x e c s p l a n s t o p r o v i d e consider ideas both domestically iPad has covered both extremes, a n y w h e r e f r o m $ 5 , 0 0 0 t o a n d f r o m a b r o a d a n d i s from fans who claim the device $ 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 t o w a r d s t h e encouraging those with app ideas will change the world, to haters development and marketing of to submit them soon; they plan to wondering why anyone would i P a d a n d t a b l e t d e v i c e help release several apps for this spend a dime on it. One thing applications - a market they summer. that is certain is that iPhone believe will "revolutionize Ever since Apple set the application developers are entertainment, games, content, standard in the smart-phone excited by the possibilities and communications." market, the company has high provided by the new tablet "This year alone Apple is expectations placed on them for device, and now a new fund r e p o r t i n g t h a t i P h o n e their devices - expectations some raising collaboration, AppFund, applications will grow to over say Apple has failed to surpass is looking to capitalize on this 200,000," the duo said in a press with the announced iPad. Still, release. "In that there is an the success or failure of the iPad excitement. expectation that developers will is still yet to be determined. Will Sponsor AppFund is a joint venture of port their ideas to the iPad, we we see the long lines forming Daniel Klaus, the co-founder of look forward to providing outside of Apple stores before M u s i c N a t i o n , a n d K e v i n funding and thought capital to the device's release? Or will the Wendle, co-founder of CNET, E! the entrepreneurs willing and price be too high to penetrate the Online and one of the six able to harness this new and market the same way the iPhone founders of the Fox Broadcasting exciting marketplace." has? AppFund is banking on the Company. Depending on the While this is an interesting former. Discuss complexity of each deal, the pair collaboration of these two media

Good Sites for Winter Olympics Results When You're at Work [Search]

by Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:05:00 AM

We've previously shared the best places to watch the Winter Olympic games online, but for those at work or anywhere that streaming audio and video won't fly, Bing, Google, and Yahoo have good all-in-one pages for skimming and digging into results.

The Search Engine Land blog awards Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals to each search firm's 2010 Winter Olympic Games efforts. Bing takes the Gold with its Visual Search page, which provides lots of eye candy while also serving up indexing by sport, location, gender, day, and other critera, along with direct links to the day's events and

popular searches.

Google's own Maps landing page is a neat and suitably datageek-y compilation page, and probably a great resource for those actually in and around Vancouver. Yahoo has its own aggregate page, but we agree that searching for Winter Olympics on Yahoo Mobile is the best thing the purple portal offers, with a concise medal listing and links out to news stories, images, and official web sites.

What sites or apps are you using to track the games when you can't sit down and actually watch? Share the sites in the comments. Bing, Google & Yahoo Gear Up For The 2010 Winter Olympic Games[Search Engine Land]

Tech News/ Sports/

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Carriers Connect to Rival Apple's App Store

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or iPhone. Will Apple Cave?

Apple's standoff against Flash has gained more public exposure

by Mike Melanson available in one location, much with the recent announcement of (ReadWriteWeb) in the same way that all Apple the Apple iPad. Even consumers who don't pay careful attention users rely on the app store.

Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:46:00 AM The main question we have is, to technology news will soon The Apple App Store, the will this store also create the discover the iPad's shortcomings company's one-stop-shop for closed atmosphere that many when iPad-launched websites over 100,000 different mobile complain about with the app don't include streaming video, applications, is getting a new store? Will there be a verification content doesn't display as rival - the Wholesale process for apps, giving the expected and video portals like A p p l i c a t i o n s C o m m u n i t y . China Unicom, Sprint and alliance the same sort of control Hulu are inaccessible.

Twenty four individual mobile Verizon Wireless are among the Apple has, or will it be more of While purists may feel the same as Apple CEO Steve Jobs when companies are joining together to companies joining the initiative. an open environment? form the group, which will Three device manufacturers - LG According to the release, the it comes to Flash's expulsion represent over three billion Electronics, Samsung and Sony g r o u p a i m s t o c r e a t e " a n from the iPhone/iPad platform, customers world-wide. ecosystem for the development (notably that it's "buggy" and Ericsson - are also on board.

While the applications will not The alliance "aims to unite a and distribution of mobile and w i l l s o o n b e r e p l a c e d b y be for the iPhone, and therefor fragmented marketplace and internet applications irrespective HTML5, an upcoming standard not direct competition to the App create an open industry platform of device or technology," so on that can provide streaming video, too), the reality is that the new Store, a centralized location for that benefits everybody". The that end, things look good. mobile applications may lure group will be conversing with We would have to agree with HTML5-enabled web won't be potential customers away from W 3 C , t h e w e b s t a n d a r d s Google, however, in noting that Apple and its iPhone. c o n s o r t i u m , t o d e v e l o p a the number of different device Sponsor standard for mobile application technologies and platforms could According to the press release, development. The group intends make the dream of a unified the group is meant to be "an t o m a k e c r o s s - p l a t f o r m m o b i l e f r o n t a g a i n s t t h e a l l i a n c e t o b u i l d a n o p e n development for a number a dominant iPhone could just be a p l a t f o r m t h a t d e l i v e r s d i f f e r e n t m o b i l e d e v i c e s pipe dream. Discuss applications to all mobile phone possible, with those applications users." AT&T, China Mobile,

built overnight. In the meantime, developers and consumers alike want solutions for the content they expect to access when mobile - that being the web, the whole web, the fully functioning web. It's here that Adobe intends to deliver. Their goal is to have every platform but Apple supporting native Flash and AIR, while still supporting iPhone through a workaround. Will Apple eventually concede to this power play where everyone supports Flash but them? It's impossible to tell, but Adobe certainly isn't afraid to lay the pressure on thick. Discuss

Deron Williams Shows Flash, Inexperience in All-Star Debut

by Tim Povtak (FanHouse Main) Submitted at 2/14/2010 6:30:00 PM

Filed under: Jazz, NBA All-Star Game ARLINGTON, Texas -Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams came home to make his

first All-Star appearance, and it showed in more ways than one.

He was thrilled to be in the game, not far from where he spent his high school days, sparking the Western Conference in the first half with an energetic, crowd-pleasing style of play.

He was hitting shots, making

steals, passing behind the back with precise, no-look gems that got both the crowd and teammate Kevin Durant more involved.

Then he got burned by his inexperience at the end.

"I was have a lot of fun out there, really going after it,'' Williams

said. "Some of these guys had been in this game five or six times, so they may approach it differently. I was in my first, playing hard, being home in front of my family and friends.''

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Add a DIY MagSafe Connector to Protect Your Laptop [Hacks]

by Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker) Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:00:00 AM

If you're envious of the MagSafe connectors on MacBooks—the magnetic break-away safety connection that keeps tripping on your laptop cord from sending your laptop to its death—this polished DIY hack will put a MagSafe connector on any laptop.

We want to emphasis the "polished" part of this hack.

Unlike some other DIY MagSafe hacks—including one we've shared with you—this hack

doesn't look like you cobbled it together with electronics and glue as part of your training for guerilla warfare. In fact if you took the hack as it is now and just added a small length of

but it does take a bit of patience as you search for just the right size magnets and nail for your particular laptop. Once you've found the right pieces however, the build itself is quick and makes your laptop safe from the computer-slaying feet of clumsy coffee shop patrons. Check out the link below for the detailed build guide along with plenty of tips. black shrink tubing to cover the Have a hardware hack of your actual magnets—although we own to share? Let's hear about it think they look cool!—nobody in the comments. MagSafe for would ever even notice that the Rest of Us: A DIY Magnetic you'd hacked your power cord. Power Adaptor[via Hack A Day] The mod isn't very complicated

YouTube Disco Brings Music Discovery to YouTube [YouTube]

by Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker) Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:30:00 AM

YouTube has launched a music discovery service, fueled by YouTube's inventory of music videos, called YouTube Disco.

Click on the image above for a closer look.

Presently it isn't the most advanced music discovery service around but it could be the easiest to use. You have two options when searching YouTube Disco. You can search

for an artist or song and hear more songs by that artist—you might discover something new but it will be within the artist's own discography—or you can

search for music related to the song or artist you initially searched for.

In the screenshot above songs related to Queen appear in the

left-hand column where as songs directly in the Queen discography appear in the righthand column. From the righthand column you can browse through artist videos—the default view—or select mixes of related music or related artists.

For other ways to discovery new music check out previously reviewed Radio Tuna, Project Playlist, and Source Tone.

Have a favorite music discovery tool? Let's hear about it in the comments. YouTube Disco[via gHacks]

Street Fighter IV coming to iPhone ... why are you laughing?

by Justin McElroy (Joystiq) Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:11:00 PM

No, no, seriously. Street Fighter IV, the game, is actually going to come to Apple's portable, with somewhat scaled-down models lifted directly from its console big brother. Each character in the game also has their complete moveset, which you'll pull off with customizable on-screen virtual stick and buttons. In addition to warming up in Dojo Mode, you'll also be able to play against a friend via Bluetooth.

Though Capcom's touting a large roster, all we know at this point is that it will include Ken and Ryu, as seen above. While we're curious about how Capcom will fill the ranks, what we really want to know is how they'll make it more enjoyable than it appears at first blush, which is not at all enjoyable.

Street Fighter IV coming to iPhone ... why are you laughing? originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Printable "Triple Hat Trick" Checklist Helps You Knock Out a Great Week [Printables]

by Adam Pash (Lifehacker) Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:30:00 AM

Have a huge list of to-dos but don't feel like you accomplish enough in any given week?

Productivity blog Manage This suggests simplifying your weekly goals by setting out and completing a hat trick of agendas, tasks, and delegations.

The inspiration for the Triple Hat Trick: Sometimes it is tough to get focus with my big fancy fiddly collection of GTD lists. There are just too many items on the

lists, and even when I filter on just the "next actions" the list is still pretty long. To gain focus, I plan to identify no more than

three critical tasks that I want to accomplish in a given week. Sort of a hat trick if you will.

The author was kind enough to put together a printer-friendly version of his Triple Hat Trick template (pictured above), which you can grab here. Think the Triple Hat Trick might work well for you, or have some other method of laying out your goals for the week that works for you?

Let's hear it in the comments.

The Triple Hat Trick[Manage This!]

55

Japan GDP grows faster than expected (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 2/14/2010 7:18:53 PM

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Japan's economy expanded a faster-than-expected 1.1 per cent in the last quarter of 2009 compared with the previous three months, supported by a marked recovery in exports and improving domestic demand, according to preliminary state

data released on Monday.

The rise in fourth-quarter gross domestic product – which was equivalent to 4.6 per cent growth on an annualised basis – will fuel hopes the world's second largest economy can sustain a fragile recovery from its sharpest recession since the second world war.

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The new Best Tablet Review

by Tablet (BestTabletReview.com) Submitted at 2/15/2010 6:56:19 AM

Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full -text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

Our new design is now live You may have noticed a drastic c h a n g e t o BestTabletReview.com over the weekend. We’ve officially upgraded the site to a new theme and look. As the site continues to grow in dedicated readers and traffic we thought it was time to make it easier to read, quicker to

find what you’re looking for and, above all, an experience that you enjoy. We hope that this overhaul accomplishes all of those goals.

We are still working on a few details. You may see a little format error here or there as we recode our previous library of posts. Still, if you see any errors and formatting issues, please let us know by using the Contact Us form. Also, if you know of features you’d like to see incorporated into the design, or things currently used that you don’t like, tell us. We may not be able to please everyone, but

opinions with us. Critiques on our reporting, commentary and writing are always welcomed as well. If you have a question, please ask it. We make it a point to respond to all questions if we can help with an answer.

Any and all thoughts about the site overhaul are welcomed.

Please post them in the comments below.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: we’ll break our backs to do the who are interested in tablet tech, best we can. have strong intelligent opinions PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Finally, thank you for reading. and are looking forward to the Term Extraction.

W e ’ v e i n t e r a c t e d w i t h a future of tablets. Please continue tremendous amount of readers to share those comments and

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Windows Phone 7 Series hands-on and impressions (updated with video)

by Joshua Topolsky (Engadget) Submitted at 2/15/2010 11:56:00 AM

Forget everything you know about Windows Mobile.

Seriously, throw the whole OS concept in a garbage bin or incinerator or something.

Microsoft has done what would have been unthinkable for the company just a few years ago: started from scratch. At least, that's how things look (and feel) with Windows Phone 7 Series.

This really is a completely new OS -- and not just Microsoft's new OS, it's a new smartphone OS, like webOS new, like iPhone OS new. You haven't used an interface like this before (well, okay, if you've used a Zune HD then you've kind of used an interface like this). Still, 7 Series goes wider and deeper than the Zune by a longshot, and it's got some pretty intense ideas about how you're supposed to be interacting with a mobile device.

We had a chance to go hands-on

with the dev phone before today's announcement, and hear from some of the people behind the devices, and here's our takeaway. (And don't worry, we've got loads of pictures and video coming, so keep checking this post for the freshest updates).

First the look and feel. The phones are really secondary here,

and we want to focus on the interface. The design and layout of 7 Series' UI (internally called Metro) is really quite original, utilizing what one of the designers (Albert Shum, formerly of Nike) calls an "authentically digital" and "chromeless" experience. What does that mean? Well we can tell you what it doesn't mean -- no

shaded icons, no faux 3D or drop shadows, no busy backgrounds (no backgrounds at all), and very little visual flair besides clean typography and transition animations. The whole look is strangely reminiscent of a terminal display (maybe Microsoft is recalling its DOS roots here) -- almost Tron-like in its primary color simplicity. To

us, it's rather exciting. This OS looks nothing like anything else on the market, and we think that's to its advantage.

Admittedly, we could stand for a little more information available within single views, and we have yet to see how the phone will handle things like notifications, but the design of the interface is definitely in a class of its own.

Here's a few takeaways on what it's like to use (and some video)...

Gallery: Windows Phone 7 Series first look Gallery: Windows Phone 7 Series UI walkthrough Continue reading Windows Phone 7 Series hands-on and impressions (updated with video) Windows Phone 7 Series handson and impressions (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink| | Email this| Comments

Skate 3 hands-on: co-op career mode

by Randy Nelson (Joystiq)

we finally got to try it for ourselves. While it was admittedly only a small part of We'd heard how EA was hoping what looked to be a fairly meaty t o e v o l v e i t s s u c c e s s f u l experience, the co-op play was skateboarding franchise by surprisingly fun. introducing team play in Skate 3, After an introduction by which is due in May. Last week, members of the Black Box Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:00:00 PM

development team, we got to team up with a couple other journos and hit the abundant pavement of Port Carverton. We played as the host for a threeplayer game, and, as such, had the ability to access a sub-menu that showed the various locations

within the game world and the team challenge types available at each. We could then either move the team there, or put it up for a vote.

Gallery: Skate 3 (02-15-10) Continue reading Skate 3 handson: co-op career mode

Skate 3 hands-on: co-op career mode originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink| Email this| Comments

Gadgets/ Economy/

E-reader News Edition

Cambridge University finds credit card security flaw, uses the money for beer pong supplies (video)

by Joseph L. Flatley (Engadget) Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:20:00 PM

Oh, those crazy kids at Cambridge University-- when not doing keg stands or playing Hacky Sack in the quad they're hard at work proving the vulnerability of the EMV verification used in credit and debit cards (or as it's called across the pond, Chip and PIN).

We won't go into too much detail (because we don't have much detail) but a flaw has been discovered that allows one to convince the terminal that a card's PIN has been entered -and you know what that means: free money! All you really need to pull it off is a fake smart card connected to a card reader

containing the stolen card and some fancy software. (Place the contraption inside a hat box or bowling ball bag if you want to be slick.) What could be simpler than that? "We think this is one of the biggest flaws that we've uncovered - that has ever been

uncovered - against payment systems, and I've been in this business for 25 years," said Professor Ross Anderson from the school's Computer Laboratory. Sure, this is a proofof-concept thing, and not yet a clear and present danger, but we

have faith that the hackers will see this one through. Maybe we weren't crazy to bury all that gold in the backyard after all!

British TV news (with the appropriate dramatic music) after the break.

Continue reading Cambridge University finds credit card security flaw, uses the money for beer pong supplies (video) Cambridge University finds credit card security flaw, uses the money for beer pong supplies (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink BBC| University of Cambridge| Email this| Comments

57

EU demands details on Greek swaps (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 2/15/2010 7:09:01 AM

Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full -text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

European Union authorities have requested information from the Greek government about currency swaps it entered into on advice from Wall Street banks.

The transactions were undertaken as recently as 2008, and have come under scrutiny as a possible means for the highly indebted government in Athens to mask further borrowings from the public.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Wash Your Hands With Plasma Gas [Plasma]

by Brian Barrett (Gizmodo)

technology, which bathes your hand in room-temperature plasma gas to kill even industrial Soap is dead. Never stood a grade bacteria like MRSA. Or chance, really. It had a good run, your foot, to knock down but the age of disinfecting our athlete's foot. hands in plasma-gas filled boxes It's got a clear and present has finally dawned. destiny in hospital use, where As the NY TImes has it, several doctors and nurses could kill off laboratories are working on the lingering bacteria, viruses, and Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:40:00 PM

fungi in as little as four seconds—as opposed to the time

-intensive scrubbing process they endure today.

Prototypes exist today that are both portable and wall-mounted, and they can cost as little as $100 to build. And it won't stop at just hand sanitizers: eventually you may see plasma gas incorporated into air-conditioning systems and burn treatments.

It's been real, soap. I'll remember you fondly in those four seconds while I'm washing up before dinner. [ NY Times via DVice]

58

Gadgets/ Fashion/

E-reader News Edition

Ultra-Stylish T1, S1 and E1 Phones From Lumigon Promise European Class and Android 2.1 [Android]

by Kat Hannaford (Gizmodo) Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:19:58 PM

OmniVision brings RAW shooting to mobiles with new 5 megapixel sensor

by Darren Murph (Engadget)

Have you ever heard of Lumigon? Me neither.

Apparently they're a Danish company who've spent two years working on these three ultrastylish Android phones. You can tell they're European, right?

Though saying that, Nokia is European too...

The three T1, S1 and E1 models all run Android 2.1, and have TFT capacitive touchscreens, AGPS, 720p over HDMI output, and Freescale i.MX51

however, is its ability to shoot in RAW, which would give Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:59:00 PM cameraphone shooters a much It seems that the megapixel race greater range of editing options in the mobile arena has slowed ( when it came time to tweak temporarily, at least), but it's not before hitting Flickr. We're told like innovation has completely that the chip is sampling now ground to a halt. OmniVision, and should hit mass production which made waves around a this July, and we'd be lying if we m o n t h a g o w i t h i t s 1 4 . 6 said we weren't falling over megapixel CMOS sensor, has ourselves to get ahold of a RAW

by ELLE.com (ELLE News just announced what may be the -capable smartphone. most significant introduction in O m n i V i s i o n b r i n g s R A W Blog) the cameraphone space... ever. shooting to mobiles with new 5 Submitted at 2/15/2010 8:08:29 AM The 1/4-inch, 5 megapixel RAW megapixel sensor originally sensor is said to offer up best-in- appeared on Engadget on Mon, Spotted at: Carolina Herrera class low light sensitivity (680- 15 Feb 2010 12:59:00 EST. Hometown: St. Louis mV/lux-sec), and it can also Please see our terms for use of Age: 17 capture 720p video at 60 frames feeds. Permalink| PR Newswire| Average Amount of Sleep Per Night:“Today’s actually the first per second or 1080p at 30 frames Email this| Comments day where I’ve really been per second. The real kicker, deprived of sleep. I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve been getting about seven hours of sleep each night, which is pretty good, so I can’t complain! But my call time

processors. It sounds like they'll also have a Lumigon-developed skin over the top of Android, "to give the user even more user-

friendliness," they claim. Mmhmm.

While full specs haven't been offered by Lumigon yet, the phones will be able to be used as universal remotes and pair up with Lumigon's Bluetooth keyboard. The touchscreen candybar T1 will go on sale in the next couple of months, with the T9 slider S1 a month or two later, and the E1 later this year, featuring a "unique navigation system and a shape never experience in mobile phones." [ Lumigon via Engadget]

Fall 2010 Model Hot Seat: Karlie Kloss this morning was 7 A.M. I was a little late, but shhhh—don’t tell anyone. I snuck in the back door.”

Early-Morning Must-Have:“I always have my packets of hot chocolate. I carry hot chocolate around with me in my purse. I don’t like coffee, and I don’t like tea, so hot chocolate is my go-to for getting a morning kick.”

Fresh-Faced Secret:“I have rose water that I love to spritz. It

wakes me up, and it’s really refreshing.”

Post-Fashion-Week Plans:“The minute I’m done I’m going home to St. Louis. And then I think I’ll probably sleep for 24 hours straight.”

—Emily Hebert, ELLE.com Associate Beauty Editor Click here for our complete fall 2010 Fashion Week coverage Follow ELLE on Twitter Become our Facebook fan

Apple/

E-reader News Edition

59

iPad: The Microwave Oven That Can’t Pop Corn

by Liam Cassidy (TheAppleBlog)

majority of non-techy folk who simply don’t care about cameras, physical keyboards or “closed” Submitted at 2/15/2010 7:06:09 AM operating systems.

There’s a backlash in the tech Imagine this scenario; community against Apple’s iPad. Meet Carol, a busy wife and Perhaps because the geeks and mother. She just saw her eldest tech-heads are disappointed the two kids off to bed and the baby iPad didn’t meet their every is (finally!) asleep in her arms. expectation. I wonder though if it This is a rare moment of blissful isn’t just the result of a lack of peace and quiet. Carol settles on imagination. the couch, baby in arms, and Techies moan endlessly about watches those episodes of the iPad’s lack of a physical Modern Family that have been keyboard and how “no one can sitting on the Tivo for three do real work on that.” I have to weeks. She giggles as Manny wonder what they mean when and Gloria bully Jay, and then they say “real work?” Are they suddenly remembers she must esuggesting, for example, all mail Mom about the kids’ soccer computer users regularly commit game this weekend. themselves to Jessica Fletcher- A geek would put the baby esque writing marathons? Do the aside, deploy the dedicated vast majority of us really write laptop table and boot-up their 10,000 word screeds every 17” unibody MacBook Pro. week? Of course not. Most Carol is no geek. She has everyday computing consists of a precisely zero passion for, or few minutes of light email and interest in, computers. And she web surfing. If a 10,000 word definitely doesn’t have the free essay is the goal, the iPad might arm for laptop-deployment not be the ideal platform (though strategies.

I suspect we’ll see plenty of Here, the iPad shines. Carol people doing very lengthy prose checks the baby is comfortable with the optional keyboard). (yep, still sleeping!) and then However – not being ideal out-of with a single button-press the -the-box for essay writing i P a d i s r e a d y t o g o . S h e doesn’t invalidate the utility of composes a new e-mail to Mom, the iPad. There are a great many pausing for a moment to chuckle other complaints about the iPad, at the TV (Cameron is flaming). and they all end this same way. While it’s on her mind, she adds To those techies fond of finding a note to the family’s shared fault with the iPad, I say this; the calendar. iPad is not for you. Instead, the The commercials are on, and iPad is designed for everyone while she’d normally skip else in the world, the colossal t h r o u g h t h e m , s h e t a k e s

advantage of those three minutes to follow the link cousin Linda sent a few days ago. It’s a photo gallery of her summer vacation.

The iPad’s form factor makes it the ideal tool for this, it’s like she’s holding each photo in her hand. There’s even a short video, too, which reminds Carol she really should use her own camera more often…

The commercials are finished.

Carol is done with her ‘computer’. At this point a geek would continue surfing (probably checking RSS feeds or leaving withering comments at the end of another infuriating diatribe from Liam “Doesn’t know what he’s talking about” Cassidy) …but not Carol. She switches it off, tosses it onto the nearest chair and forgets about it.

Carol, by the way, is exactly like all the other non-techy people in the world who could benefit enormously from the ease and simplicity baked into the iPad. The “computer as an appliance”

pointless; “But, we already have a real oven. Can a microwave oven brown? Can it roast? Can it grill? Can it warm plates and roast a turkey and heat my coffee at the same time? It can’t do even half the things my real oven does. It’s overpriced and unnecessary and I don’t need one. And no one else will, either.”

If you ask me, that’s a pretty careless – even lazy – conclusion. Yet, it’s precisely the same argument I’ve seen solution is, for non-geeks repeated in comments and everywhere, a welcome respite articles all over the web. from the inherent complexities of Of course, the microwave oven more conventional computers. isn’t criticized today because its Careless and Lazy utility has been proven. Indoor Tech-heads argue, “We do all plumbing, gas central heating, those things with our laptops and a u t o m o b i l e s a n d e v e n t h e smartphones already, so the iPad personal computer all were has no utility and is stupid, dumb criticized for being unnecessary and pointless and bah! to Apple and, as the tired old phrase goes, and their overpriced toys!” Well, ‘a solution in search of a maybe so, but a smartphone is p r o b l e m ’ . N o r h a s t h e often too small and fiddly m i c r o w a v e o v e n r e p l a c e d (particularly for those of us who conventional ovens. In fact, most are getting a bit long in the of us have both appliances in the tooth), while a laptop is almost same room of the house. Having always overkill for common light one does not automatically tasks. (I haven’t forgotten the r e l e g a t e t h e o t h e r i n t o netbook; it remains, in my obsolescence. They each have o p i n i o n , a n e x e r c i s e i n their place, and they each offer compromise and frustration for their own utility and value in a anyone but the most patient geek modern home. or undemanding road-warrior.)

And so it will be with the iPad. T h i s b a c k l a s h o f t e n Only, you won’t be able to pop accompanies new appliances. corn in it.

Consider the humble Microwave Related GigaOM Pro Research: Oven; when it first appeared it was expensive and, for a great IPAD: page 60 many people, seemingly-

60

TV/

IPAD: continued from page 59

• Web Tablet Survey: Apple’s iPad Hits Right Notes • 5 Tips for Developers Targeting the iPad • How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic

E-reader News Edition

What's On Tonight: '24,' 'One Tree Hill,' 'Unwrapped,' 'Glenn Martin, DDS'

by Bob Sassone (TV Squad)

new'Diner, Drive-Ins, and Dives' at 10.

• A&E has a new'Hoarders' at 10.

Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:01:00 PM

Here's tonight's TV lineup (all times Eastern).

• At 8, ABC has a new, twohour episode of'The Bachelor.'

• NBC has The Olympics at 8.

• The CW has new episodes of'One Tree Hill' and'Life Unexpected.'

• PBS has a new'Antiques Roadshow' at 8.

• ABC Family has a new'Secret Life of the American Teenager' at 8, then new episodes of'Make It or Break It' and'Greek.'

• Nickelodeon has a new'Penguins of Madagascar' at 8, followed by a new'Glenn

Martin, DDS.' • At 8:30, Food Network has a new'Unwrapped.'

• At 9, FOX has a new'24.'

• USA has a new'Monday Night RAW' at 9.

• Also at 9: History Channel has

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Continue reading What's On Tonight: '24,' 'One Tree Hill,' 'Unwrapped,' 'Glenn Martin, DDS' Filed under: Late Night, a n e w ' A m e r i c a n P i c k e r s , ' Programming, Celebrities, Talk followed by two new episodes Show, What To Watch Tonight, of'Pawn Stars.'

Reality-Free • At 10, FX has a new'Damages.'

Permalink| Email this| | • There's a new'Men of a Certain C o m m e n t s Age' on TNT at 10.

• Food Network has a

Syfy Teams With Roger Corman for 'Sharktopus'

by Brad Trechak (TV Squad)

Roger Corman has made his reputation on cheap, low-budget science fiction movies (including It's a match made in heaven. 'Little Shop of Horrors' and Roger Corman has teamed with ' D e a t h R a c e 2 0 0 0 ' ) . S y F y SyFy to bring us the schlock (formerly the SciFi Channel) has s c i e n c e - f i c t i o n T V m o v i e set up its Saturday nights with 'Sharktopus'. The movie is being the same concept. It would be billed as the SyFy version of the surprising if that night didn't movie'Mega Shark vs Giant simply becoming another 'Roger Octopus', a title that abandons all Corman Presents'. At least pretense of subtlety, like'Snakes people would then know what to on a Plane'. expect.

Submitted at 2/15/2010 11:31:00 AM

just show a Roger Corman movie every Saturday night.

Who doesn't get the occasional hankering to watch the 'Black Scorpion' movies? Perhaps SyFy should also contact Troma and make the circle of sci-fi Bmovies complete.

Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Or, to make it even cheaper and Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | show the same quality of movies, Comments

TV/ Game/

E-reader News Edition

61

'The Late Shift 2': Who NBC News President Should Play Whom?

Finally Bans Video of Luger's Death

by Danny Gallagher (TV Squad)

Submitted at 2/15/2010 11:06:00 AM

by Bob Sassone (TV Squad)

News that New York Times reporter Bill Carter is working on a pseudo-sequel to his groundbreaking book The Late Shift' made a smile creep across my face. I haven't yet read the book, but the buzz it caused and the weird stories that came out of it just by word of mouth gave it an aura of mysterious wonder that made the television industry infinitely more fascinating than it already was.

It also spawned a pretty decent made-for-TV HBO movie. Now I don't know what kind of craziness "Round Two" has to offer, but the players involved are definitely going to have all sorts of wild secrets revealed from Carter's work and when it does, HBO is going to want the movie rights. So here's who should play who in this new tragic merry-go-round of

Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:30:00 PM

News is a tricky thing. If you have footage of something, particularly something that is shocking or important or "breaking news," you're almost obligated to show it. If you don't show it, people would start to wonder why you're not showing it, especially if it has something to do with a major event that you as a network are covering. For example, the death of Olympic luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. television programming hilarity But when does "news" turn into that shall be called 'The Late exploitation and "too much?"

That's what NBC was facing Shift 2'.

Continue reading'The Late Shift w i t h t h e f o o t a g e o f Kumaritashvili's death before the 2': Who Should Play Whom?

F i l e d u n d e r : L a t e N i g h t , Olympics even started. Some Celebrities, TV Squad Lists, (including me) thought that they showed it way too much. Over Casting, Reality-Free P e r m a l i n k | E m a i l t h i s | | and over again, often in slow motion and with commentary.

Comments

'The Hurt Locker' Director Kathryn Bigelow to Direct HBO Pilot

by Allison Waldman (TV Squad) They even showed it at the start of the opening night ceremonies and viewers weren't happy about that at all.

Continue reading NBC News President Finally Bans Video of Luger's Death Filed under: Sports, News, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:02:00 PM

A few weeks from now, March 7th to be exact, Kathryn Bigelow may be the first woman to ever win the Academy Award for Best Director. The odds are in her favor, especially after winning the DGA competition.

Therefore, the announcement that Bigelow will direct the HBO 'THE page 62

BioShock 2 debuts atop UK charts, drowns out Just Dance

by David Hinkle (Joystiq) Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:00:00 PM

Mass Effect 2's reign in the UK has come to an end, with a return trip to Rapture replacing BioWare's journey across the stars in first place. The latest Chart-Track data shows that

Bioshock 2 is now the Big Daddy on the block, besting the hypnotic gyrations of Just Dance, Ubisoft's successful busta-mover. With that in second place, FIFA 10 slid into third.

Bioshock 2, which bested Mass the top spot since 2008, when Effect 2's UK debut numbers, is GTA IV managed to jack its way the first Take-Two title to be in

into first place.

Source- Guess Who's The Daddy? [GFK Chart-Track] Source- Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track] BioShock 2 debuts atop UK charts, drowns out Just Dance originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:00:00

EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink| Email this| Comments

62

Entertainment/ Economy/

'THE continued from page 61

pilot, 'The Miraculous Year,' is a coup for the cable net.

'The Miraculous Year' is the story of a Broadway composer who's popular and successful, but self-destructive, and how he views his eccentric family.

Screenwriter John Logan is doing the script, and he's also executive producing with Lydia Pilcher. Logan has worked with HBO before on another show business oriented project, 'RKO 281' which told the story of

E-reader News Edition

Yara agrees $4.1bn deal for rival Terra

Orson Welles' battle to create 'Citizen Kane.'

Continue reading'The Hurt L o c k e r ' D i r e c t o r K a t h r y n (Financial Times - US Bigelow to Direct HBO Pilot homepage) Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Submitted at 2/15/2010 7:01:05 AM Awards, Reality-Free P e r m a l i n k | E m a i l t h i s | | Message from fivefilters.org: If Comments you can, please donate to the full -text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

Yara International, the Norwaybased fertiliser group, said on

Monday it had agreed to buy USbased Terra Industries for $4.1bn in a further sign of consolidation in the crop nutrients industry.

The agreement caps a flurry of merger and acquisition activity totalling almost $10bn, including the latest by Yara, in the fertiliser business since the beginning of

the year, involving some of the world’s biggest mining groups, like Vale of Brazil and BHP Billiton.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

New York Post Supports Mort Zuckerman(!)

[What Is Going On]

by Pareene (Gawker)

from Post editor Col Allan to boot).

So what the hell do we make of Is The New York Post having a this? laugh? Has Rupert Murdoch Zuckerman, on the other hand, gone soft? What is up with this i s a h e a v y w e i g h t — a n insane editorial today apparently internationalist with a firm grasp seriously endorsing a Mort on the challenges facing the Zuckerman Senate run? nation in that realm, a fierce Here is the most bloodthirsty supporter of Israel at a time of and angry editorial board in New grave peril for that embattled York glowingly complimenting nation and an experienced the publisher of the city's rival b u s i n e s s m a n w i t h a c l e a r tabloid. Supposedly Murdoch appreciation of how much and Mort made a pact to not d a m a g e a n t i - g r o w t h f i s c a l attack each other's families a policies can do to America. couple years back, but that never New York has a proud tradition extended to praising each other. of sending superior people to the Just last month, talks to save Senate. cash by consolidating printing " S u p e r i o r p e o p l e " ? M o r t and distribution of the papers Zuckerman? This is either the broke down completely(with most sarcastic endorsement ever, typical anti- Daily News sniping or New York's ruling elite have Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:04:22 PM

decided to actually openly wage class war on everyone else. Our billionaires are finally putting aside their differences and banding together to destroy the

rest of us once and for all.

The only other coherent explanation for this bizarre series of worshipful descriptions of Zuckerman utterly at odds with observable reality as we know it is that Col Allen is just trying to lure Zuckerman into the race for the material it would provide. ( Over at The Awl, Choire has the decade in hilarious and insane Post attacks on Mort the publisher, businessman, and human being. Did you know that this "heavyweight" and "experienced businessman" is "a horrible, nickel-and-diming boss" and a "loser"? It's true! Or at least it was until this morning.)

Valentine's Day Horror Stories: We Have a Winner! (Or Loser) [Valentine's Day Of Horrors]

by Brian Moylan (Gawker) Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:32:40 PM

VALENTINE'S page 63

E-reader News Edition

63

VALENTINE'S continued from page 62

Wow, you people had some serious fucked up Hallmark Holidays in years past. But only one of you can be the winner for the worst story, and boy, is it a doozy!

First of all, thanks to all you sad sacks for leaving your horror stories from this most romantic of all holidays. The entries were all wonderfully diverse. When we did this for Thanksgiving and Christmas, all the stories fit into one of several themes, but all of these were different and special in their own way. Like snowflakes, but snowflakes made of acid and if you tried to catch one on your tongue it would burn a giant hole right through it.

Here are some of favorites, in no particular order. I wrote the titles, but the stories are all yours: • If He Cheated with You, He'll Cheat on You by Marclax3 • Michael the Merciless by CPJones • Get Bi with a Little Help from M y F r i e n d s b y RollsRoyceRevenge • Slipped a Mickey by CuriousGeorgina • Three Strikes and You're Out

by TheUptightMidwesterner • From China with Hate by EricRWilliams • STUFFER! by Encantada • A Corny Gift by Octothorp • Crash Landing by DevilsAvocado • Drunk Narcissus in the Bathhouse by EricVarner31

• Sex Tape Surprise by AngelaColorito • Dr. Joyce Bothers by H_In_Brooklyn • My Bloody Valentine by GhiaGirl • There's Always Room for Jello

by Printer's Anonymous • Finally, a special commendation to Betty Crocker for his continued contribution to the holiday horror story art form with Kiss My Gay Ass

moments in her life.

Congratulations to Candied Violet, the winner of $50 in credit at her favorite dating website. Email us to collect your prize. Hopefully we can find her love, because we can give her no solace for her twisted tale.

Thanks to everyone who shared their stories of heartbreak, but they all suck compared to this one. The winning story is below.

On February 12 of 2001, the mother of my then- boyfriend Our second runner up has a passed away at the young age of story that is so twisted and sad, it 4 2 d u e t o d r u g u s e , a l m o s t m a d e m e c r y . malnourishment and a complete AttractiveNuissance doesn't win inability to take care of herself a prize, but she does get the despite all the help offered and bragging rights that her story all the hospital stays/surgeries was better than nearly all the paid for by the state. In general rest. Behold, The Dastardly she had led a nasty, repulsive life D i v o r c e a n d t h e L e s b i a n from which many, MANY Librarian. people including myself Our first runner up also doesn't tirelessly attempted to rescue her receive a prize, but in the event through the years. There's no that the winner can not perform way to sugarcoat this- even her duties or has naked pictures without the drug issues, all of her leaked on the internet, she will other behaviors made her the be crowned the winner. It is e p i t o m e o f w h i t e t r a s h .

Auparalas for her flood or (Curiously, one such white trash horrors detailed in Hotel Room episode- I kid you not- involved for Love. water with HAM a la J-WOWW Now, on to our winner. This is a years before J-WOWW was a tale that is so unique, exquisitely household name.) I should detailed, and utterly barouque mention here that not long after that the rights for it should be this woman's death her son, my optioned for it to be made into a first love with whom I had been screenplay. It has everything: with for SEVEN years and death, destruction, snow storms, helped put through college, Applebees, creepy family, a turned out to be a cheating, lying demonic stuffed animal, heroic thief who was selling drugs out gays, and our sad heroine of our attic. (I know....shocking! reflecting on one of the absurd But I was young, naive and had

the type of Messiah complex that only comes with first love.)

Also, I should mention that a week before his mom passing, a female "friend" of his died at 26 from an undetected cancer and we had made the 4 1/2 hour drive to his hometown of Bumblefuck, Pennsylvania (a town renowned for its lone gay bar repeatedly being burned down and then reopened under new ownership. Over and over and over again. Burn, reopen, burn, reopen which should give you the idea of the area's general mentality). The viewing for that friend of his caused many people to throw up in the alley behind the funeral home because whoever did the deceased's make up hadn't covered her autopsy scars. And yes, in retrospect I figured out that this "friend" I helped him mourn was another girl with whom he had been cheating on me at some point.

But I digress.

So his mom kicks the bucket. I have the awful job of driving to his work to tell him.and then pack all our stuff up and leave to make the 4 1/2 hour drive to Bumblefuck. Again. We don't leave until midnight. I wind up driving the whole way because even though this was expected and he truly wasn't close to her, he is sort of lost in thought and not able to concentrate plus I'm not a bitch- who is going to make someone drive that just lost their mom even if they weren't close to her at all? Not I. The

snow comes down. I almost hit a deer. Trying to stay awake on the frozen, winding mountain roads is nearly impossible. We get to his maternal grandparents' house which is where we always stayed because his mom was such a mess. I should mention here that his father was a career petty criminal who was out of the picture since my boyfriend was a baby. Oh, and his stepgrandfather? He was both a cop and a perv who through the years would constantly sexually harass me. (Each time I confronted him/scolded/yelled ...etc. etc. etc. but he seemed to have some sort of dirty old man asshole amnesia and kept on doing it.)

With hardly any sleep, I wake up on February 13th to learn that the funeral arrangements had been made without even consulting my boyfriend, her only son and oldest child. Much to my horror I learn that his mom will be getting the cheapest package possible which is literally being placed in a cardboard box. Which would be one thing if she was going to be cremated immediately, but no, a viewing for immediate family was scheduled for the next day which of course was Valentine's Day. As if that wasn't horrid enough, I learned that his mother didn't so much as own one decent dress or suit in which to be buried. This troubled me greatly and I quietly offered to VALENTINE'S page 64

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go purchase something nice for her. I was told NO, they would "make do" with what she had.

It was at that point that Pervy Cop Grandpa told us that he had made sure he ran an obituary in the town paper so that maybe if her ex-husband, my boyfriend's father, the career petty criminal who apparently had several warrants out saw it, he might show up at the funeral home out of guilt or just curiosity. Only instead of allowing him to pay his respects, there would be a sting operation to arrest him on his outstanding theft warrants.

Which of course was not the time or place but despite my urgings, was still the outcome for which Pervy Cop Grandpa hoped, even going so far as to wring his pervy cop hands in gleeful anticipation.

Which brings us to Valentine's Day- the day of the actual viewing. After an hour trying to convince my boyfriend's 16 yearold single mom sister that perhaps wearing denim overalls and a matching T-shirt emblazoned with Winnie the Pooh was not the best choice of attire for her mother's viewing, I gave up and we all piled in the car- myself, my boyfriend, Disney Overalls, her baby, Pervy Cop Grandpa and my boyfriend's grandmother who had spent the better part of her life trying to keep her daughter safe from the demons that plagued her and was genuinely mourning her loss but in a very, non-showy way but

also seemed relieved that she was gone.

It should be noted here that my boyfriend was wearing a suit which caused each of his relatives-even the Grandma in mourning- to exclaim, "Why are you so dressed up?" while Pervy Cop Grandpa took a keen interest in "how different my body looked in dress pants and a nice blouse." Fucking ewwwww.

We get to the funeral home and I am BRACING myself for the spectacle I know awaits me- i.e. the sight of the deceased in the aforementioned cardboard box presumably clad in her standard outfit of acid washed jeans and any one of the Camel cigarette T -shirts she got for free with all the Camel points she accumulated. But alas, as it turns out that would have been a welcome sight. Yes, she was in the cardboard coffin but in lieu of jeans and a t-shirt (and with the COMPLETE ABSENCE OF MAKE-UP OR EMBALMING FLUID ...."Why spend the money?" I was told) she was clad in a nightgown purchased from the Salvation Army that can only be described as a cast-off from the wardrobe department on the set of the original "Night of the Living Dead." (They're coming to get yoooou, Bah-bar-ah.)

Flannel, high frilly neckline, floral pattern- it was as if we stumbled upon the original character inspiration for the cryptkeeper from HBO's "Tales from the Crypt." The sickly,

gaunt, white-as-a-sheet, stiff-as-a -board drug-ridden corpse who was to be perpetually ready for a long night's slumber lying in a giant cardboard box was a ghoul incarnate. (To this day, I have nightmares about this shit.)

Of course despite my shock at the scene before me, I doted on my boyfriend, trying to portray the perfect balance of warmth and support without being clingy or patronizing- this was not an easy feat but somehow I managed to pull it off.

And so they bid their farewells while I concentrated on not throwing up. No one cried or showed any emotion which given the sort of person the deceased was, was no surprise though it was still... unsettling.

They all just stared at the bodynot even with reverence- more like no one could take their eyes off the macabre, physical results of the "cheapest package" purchased at the funeral home. I imagine the way I felt was the same way hostages must feel when they are being held at gunpoint against their willtrying desperately not to believe that what is happening before them is really happening but knowing it is and being helpless to stop it. Meanwhile, much to Pervy Cop Grandpa's pervy cop dismay, his sting operation did not go down and thus his dreams of landing in Bumblefuck's Policemen Hall of Fame were shot in the non-blink of a zombie's eye.

Following this nightmarish display of non-mourning at which no one, not even some ashen-faced, lurchy funeral director officiated in any way or offered so much as a Unitarian prayer or the tossing of a dead carnation on the cardboard box while yelling "Hey! Good luck in the Afterlife, lady!" we were ushered back to the grandparents' house for a repass of day-old lunch meats, raisin bread, beets and Cheetos.

But alas, it was *still* Valentine's Day! And in the spirit of that, the grieving Grandma gifted me a stuffed animal, which when pressed issued robotic, comical sayings about love and romance. Given that death, horror and and the complete distortion of respect and etiquette still loomed in the air like a fart in an airplane bathroom, when the little plush frog or penguin clutching a heart -or whatever the fuck animal he was- said ANYTHING, it sounded eerie, ominous. menacing and serial killer-like.

He was a souvenir of my despair and quite frankly scared the crap out of me. So off he went to live in a dumpster behind a deli.

Which I suppose was par for the course and at that point, the least of my worries.

As if my mental state and any semblance of being ok wasn't obliterated enough it was decided that we would all immediately go "clean" out the apartment of the deceased, i.e.

pillage all her shit in the hopes of finding some treasure she forgot she owned and thus hadn't been able to pawn for smack before going to meet her maker. Off we went!

Now this was in the day before text messaging, blackberries and iPhones were de rigueur. Lucky for me, before making the drive, I had alerted 2 friends of minemy "top gays" at the time about what had happened. (I believe we were supposed to visit that weekend and not knowing when we would return, I wanted to let them know about the change in plans.)

I don't know if it was the tone of my voice on the voicemail I left them (and just think- this was before I became aware that I was unwittingly co-starring in the real life equivalent of a David Lynch film) or just the kindness of their hearts but without even telling us, they made the 4 1/2 hour trip out there which took longer because of snow.

They used an old-school pay phone to call Information and get the number of the police station.

Since they knew about Pervy Cop Grandpa they called the police station and no doubt weaving some supernatural gay magic, they were able to get the home phone number for Pervy Cop Grandpa's house where we were staying and then contact Pervy Cop Grandpa who gave them the address of the dead VALENTINE'S page 65

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mom's apartment.

Sans GPS as this was long before such technology was available, they tracked us down for the sole purpose of....taking us out for Valentine's Day dinner to help alleviate us from our weariness and overall distress.

That's right- the gays descended through snow (on the day they should have been giving each other back-rubs in front of their roaring fire while arguing who loved who more as their 6 Boston Terriers fought for the best cuddle spot on the couch and witnessed them exchanging cashmere sweaters from Barney's) into the same town where the lone gay bar was routinely torched and re-opened, tracked us down and fed us a proper hot meal.

God/Buddha/Allah/Liza Minnelli love them. If that isn't friendship, I don't know what is.

Of course, the only restaurants in Bumblefuck are all of the chain variety but I can assure you, never was I was so thrilled to eat boneless buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks on Valentine's Day in my life, which was the form in which they offered us their condolences and I happily accepted.

The contrast of the shiny, red foil decorations everywhere in the restaurant was striking and

almost startling compared to the grim setting in which we had spent the day. We raised our over -sized, over-priced sugary cocktails and my beloved gays in shining armor toasted to Love.

That was it. A toast to Love, the single word with no elaboration, context or explanation. My heart sang with the sort of joy a girl can only get from being rescued from a nightmare-inducing fate by two dashing gays in a snowstorm offering comfort and salty, fried carbs.

And for all we had been through in the last 48 hours, considering all the nurturing and love I had given my boyfriend despite the grotesque, petrifying circumstances in which I had found myself, he didn't so much as utter a thank-you much less whisper an "I love you" - not even when one of the hero gays went to pay the bill while the other went to clear the snow off the car. He had never really been in in shock or truly mourning since he was not close to his mom and by this time his mood could even be described as jovial - he merrily had taken over the pillaging of his mom's home and then had become the life of the party during our Applebees double date. Granted, I still didn't expect anything remotely Valentine's-like from him in

terms of a gift or really any attention paid to it, but a quick kiss or thank-you would have been nice as I was tirelessly hauling out Hefty Bag#26 filled with cigarette butts, liquor and prescription bottles, mysteriously stained bits of unidentified material and every copy of The National Enquirer since 1982.

A few weeks later, my boyfriend made the trip back to Bumblefuck to retrieve his mother's ashes (I was none too happy that her urn would soon reside in my living room.)

Creepily enough, the ashes had been divided into two urns- one for him and one for Disney Overalls.

A couple months after that but before the cheating, thievery and drug factory was discovered (again- I was verrry young, naive and in love) I came home one night to find my boyfriend had opened the urn. And for reasons I still don't know in a scene that still makes me shudder when I think about it, he was quietly running his fingers through his mother's ashes. We never spoke of it, but from that twisted moment on, having opened Pandora's box of evil dust, the feng shui of our home became totally fucked up and our relationship crumbled at a record -setting pace. I soon discovered

his indiscretions and criminal behavior and kicked him out.

At the end of the painful, raw moving out process, I came home one day and as I opened the door I could sense that the apartment was...changed. The sunlight from the windows was filtering through the curtains differently and there was a feeling of general calm, relief and happiness that had been missing for months. I immediately knew why. The urn that held half a ghoul minus the particles that I'm sure had gotten lodged underneath my ex's fingernails was gone. Happy days were here again!

Needless to say, I vacuumed like a woman possessed and then made a pitcher of margaritas and invited my top gays to come celebrate. They happily obliged and we all cried laughing while recalling The St. Valentine's Massacre of Good Taste and Decorum while toasting my future. That was a most excellent evening though Valentine's Day has never quite been the same for me. And Christ on a cracker, how could it possibly ever be? [ Image via Mark Sebastian's Flickr]

Section 8 still preparing to drop on PS3

by Justin McElroy (Joystiq) Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:39:00 PM

The possibility of jetpack-rich, Tribes-esque action on PS3 just got a little less nebulous.

Speaking with IGN, a TimeGate spokesperson said that the developer's Section 8 would be coming to PS3 at some point, though no formal release window has been settled on.

The news shouldn't come as a surprise to the Joystiq faithful, as we reported last December that TimeGate had alleged that publisher SouthPeak entered into an unauthorized PS3 licensing deal for the game with Russian company 1C. Whether or not the suit will keep the game in legal limbo (and for how long if so) remains to be seen.

Section 8 still preparing to drop on PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AP Business Desk's Pact with the Devil [Cubicle Culture]

by Ryan Tate (Gawker)

insider who first alerted us to the quota. Supposedly, the major online client in question was The Associated Press has said renewing its AP contract and no it's "mad as hell" at internet longer cared about story counts. portals. Yet the wire service's But then, a few weeks ago, pandering to one major online staffers were told the quota client is said to be severely hadn't gone down at all. taxing reporters and undermining Cue the anger: editorial quality.

What's most frustrating of all is AP's contract with at least one management continues to major internet client obliges the demand this volume while also business desk to hit a specific pressuring us to improve the quota of daily stories, in the quality. One day we will be told range of "several hundred," to dash off short, quick filler according to one insider. Staffers stories to increase our volume, find this target all the more the next we will be told to take "ridiculous" and "a constant the time to improve the quality source of misery," the source by adding context and detail. By said, because the quota has not now I don't think there's a single changed since AP laid off 10 staffer that hasn't become percent of its staff last year. completely disgusted with Apparently AP journalists can't management's mixed messages be given individual quotas under on this. their union contract. But that these times, we scrape the systems, a phenomenon we It's a little ironic: AP's top doesn't keep editors from making bottom of the barrel by writing explored last week. leaders seem to have spent so e v e r y o n e a w a r e o f t h e i r up two-line filler stories based on And it's yet another example of much time worrying that enemy collective obligation, especially information nobody cares about. why AP Business staffers have websites would wreck their when they fall behind, which Sometimes the info is days old, signed a petition rebelling business from the outside, by we're told "is often." even a week old. We produce a against their boss Hal Ritter, as leaching free content, that they The upshot is a torrent of crappy large number of worthless stories we reported in that same post. failed to see the damage internet articles: just to fill our quota.

Ritter and other managers players inflicted from the inside, Often there just isn't enough This is yet another example of initially promised that the by paying. news in the day to fill the quota. frenzied finance-wire reporters collective business desk quota ( P i c : A P ' s " m a d a s h e l l " This is especially true during the g a m i n g t h e i r b o s s e s ' would either disappear or get chairman Dean Singleton. Getty s u m m e r w h e n c o r p o r a t e p e r f o r m a n c e m o n i t o r i n g reduced in 2010, according to the Images.) announcements drop off. At Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:00:01 PM

NintendoWare Weekly: Phoenix Wright, Sonic & Knuckles, Spotto!

by David Hinkle (Joystiq) Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:30:00 PM

As expected, today marks the release of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All on WiIWare. Capcom's lawyer-'emup is joined by a plethora of new titles, so if you have some extra pocket change or a packed piggy bank, you'll want to head past the break and see what's available for download this week.

Continue reading NintendoWare Weekly: Phoenix Wright, Sonic & Knuckles, Spotto!

NintendoWare Weekly: Phoenix Wright, Sonic & Knuckles, Spotto! originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barbara Walters Continues Slow Trudge to Retirement by Ending Oscar Special [Gold Watches]

by Brian Moylan (Gawker)

Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Hugh Submitted at 2/15/2010 1:34:18 PM Jackman cry in that way that The oldest living newsperson only Barbara Walters can. This who is not on 60 Minutes, year she takes on Sandra Bullock announced today that the and Mo'Nique among others. upcoming annual Oscar Now that Walters is leaving, Special—her 30th—will also be some other very serious her last. Thanks for finally journalist may get to take up the giving someone else a chance to tradition. Somewhere Billy Bush do something on TV, Babs. is waiting for a phone call that The news segment, which Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach. will never come. i n t e r v i e w s h e a v i e s i n t h e Over the years she's made guests entertainment industry, has aired like Ronald Reagan, Sophia immediately before the Oscars Loren, Prince Charles, Tom since 1981 when she interviewed Cruise, Stephen Speilberg, Bette

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Jamie McMurray weathers two delays, numerous wrecks to win Daytona 500

by Associated Press (ESPN.com)

Problems Marty Smith: Pothole Problems • Wild Finish Saves Daytona Submitted at 2/15/2010 9:31:16 AM 500 Wild Finish Saves Daytona Message from fivefilters.org: If 500 you can, please donate to the full • J a i m e M c M u r r a y W i n s -text RSS service so we can Marathon Daytona 500 Jaime c o n t i n u e d e v e l o p i n g i t . McMurray Wins Marathon McMurray Recounts Daytona Daytona 500 500 Win McMurray Recounts D a y t o n a 5 0 0 W i n V I D E O DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -PLAYLIST Jamie McMurray's heart sank • McMurray Recounts Daytona when he saw Dale Earnhardt Jr. 500 Win McMurray Recounts lurking in his rearview mirror.

Daytona 500 Win • Marty Smith: Pothole JAMIE page 68

France's anti-doping chief: Arrest warrant issued for Floyd Landis

Olympic luger Nodar Kumaritashvili expressed fear day before death

by Associated Press (ESPN.com)

by ESPN.com news services (ESPN.com)

Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:16:05 AM

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PARIS -- A French judge has issued an international arrest warrant for U.S. cyclist Floyd Landis in connection with a case of data hacking at a doping laboratory, France's anti-doping chief said Monday.

Pierre Bordry told The Associated Press that French judge Thomas Cassuto is seeking to question Landis about computer hacking dating back to September 2006 at the ChatenayMalabry lab. Months earlier, the laboratory near Paris had uncovered abnormally elevated testosterone levels in Landis' samples collected in the run-up to his 2006 Tour de France victory.

Landis was stripped of his title and banned for two years.

The American cyclist unsuccessfully challenged the drug test results before an arbitration hearing in California - claiming that computer files were mishandled and erased.

"Landis used the hacked files for his defense, that's how we discovered the whole scheme," Bordry said. "He wanted to show that the lab made mistakes in the handling of the tests."

The French judge, who is based in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, issued the warrant Jan. 28

because Landis did not respond to a summons in November, Bordry said.

Bordry added that Cassuto also issued an international warrant for Arnie Baker, a retired doctor and longtime Landis coach and adviser.

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Submitted at 2/15/2010 6:07:26 AM

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The athlete killed on the luge track Friday told his father a day before he died in a training run that he was "scared of one of the turns," David Kumaritashvili told The Wall OLYMPIC page 69

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Of all the guys bearing down on me, he thought, it has be one who seems destined to win the Daytona 500.

Then McMurray looked up at the finish line. I don't think he can beat me to it, he thought.

Turns out McMurray was right.

Just barely.

The truth -- the hole truth -- is that McMurray won the Super Bowl of NASCAR on Sunday in a spectacular finish. Race officials just hope it makes fans forget about a pothole on the track that required two stoppages and delayed stock car racing's greatest spectacle by more than two hours.

Those who turned away missed an amazing show.

"I can't really put it into words the way it feels," said McMurray, who broke down in tears several times after the race.

"I'm trying to be genuine and as sincere as I can and not sound cliche: as a kid growing up, this is what you dream of, of being able to win the Daytona 500."

McMurray did it with a huge push from former teammate Greg Biffle to move past leader Kevin Harvick on NASCAR's second attempt at a "green-white -checkered" finish -- a two-lap overtime policy that was tweaked this week to create exciting finishes. It worked.

Once out front, McMurray still had to contend with Earnhardt, a 12-time Daytona winner who was bearing down on his rear bumper. When he beat him to the

finish line by .119 seconds, McMurray climbed from his car, sprinted to the race logo in the infield grass, and dropped to his knees in a tear-soaked celebration.

"Fans deserve probably more of a show, so that's what they got," said Earnhardt, who settled for second.

More from ESPN.com Jamie McMurray traveled much further than 500 miles to capture Sunday's Daytona crown, writes Ed Hinton. Story As Daytona's track came apart, so did all the good will NASCAR had built up over the weekend, writes Terry Blount.

Story With a last-minute surge and some luck, Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to the front of the NASCAR pack on Sunday, writes David Newton. Story Because the drivers weren't positive the patch of pavement between turns 1 and 2 could hold, they couldn't risk holding back after the second repair. It was possible that the track would split again over those final 80 miles, and the race would be called before its conclusion.

So the drivers beat and banged their way through the field in a white-knuckle final 32 laps.

Then a flurry of late-race accidents created three two-lap sprints. It was that final segment that was so breathtaking, in part because of Earnhardt's unbelievable moves.

In 10th on the final restart, he

weaved in and out of traffic, shoved his Chevrolet into threewide lines, and eventually moved himself into position to win. It was vintage Earnhardt, and McMurray was terrified to see him gaining ground.

"I looked in my mirror and saw the 88 -- I'll be honest, I was like, 'Crap, this guy has won a lot of races here. His family has an incredible history here,'" McMurray said. "I believe everything happens for a reason.

I just was like, 'I hope this isn't his turn to win the Daytona 500, I hope this is mine.'"

But with just two laps to make up so much ground, Earnhardt ran out of time and had to settle for second as McMurray sailed to his first career Daytona 500 victory.

"I didn't know where I was, you know, 'til I really kind of got done almost wrecking down the back straightaway," Earnhardt said of his charge. "Then I looked up -- there's just one car in front of me, 'Jamie's gonna win this damn race!'

"I was happy for him. He deserves it. They've been through a lot. It's a great team."

The end left McMurray sobbing with joy in Victory Lane during the celebration with his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team.

Between photographs, he rested his head on the trophy he cradled in his arms.

It was McMurray's first race back with Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates, who gave him his

Sprint Cup Series shot in 2002.

But McMurray bolted for a highprofile job with Roush Fenway Racing, where he spent four frustrating seasons before losing that ride at the end of last season when NASCAR forced Roush to drop a team to meet its four-car limit.

"I'm not quitting again," he told Ganassi hours after the 500 victory. "Just so you guys know, I'm staying."

Daytona 500 Results Jamie McMurray won the Daytona 500, holding off a hardcharing Dale Earnhardt Jr. over a wild final two-lap sprint.

Complete results McMurray had to fight to get a seat back with Ganassi, and it included convincing sponsor Bass Pro Shops' owner Johnny Morris to take a chance on him.

He helped his cause with an October win at Talladega while driving for Roush, and the rehiring was announced a few weeks later.

The risk was well rewarded Sunday with the biggest victory of McMurray's career.

"It's unreal," McMurray said.

"You know, to be where I was last year and for Johnny Morris and Chip and Felix. What a way to pay them back. It's just very emotional."

Biffle, a close friend of McMurray's, was disappointed in finishing third because he was the leader when the caution came out after the first green-whitecheckered attempt. But he was

able to give McMurray the push that got his buddy into Victory Lane.

"I just made my move too soon, a mistake on my part probably," Biffle said. "This is a big, big win for anybody's career. You got to be happy for anybody that ever wins this race. I was especially happy, the guys I was up there beating and banging with, you know, I would rather see Jamie win than those guys."

Clint Bowyer finished fourth and was followed by David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr.- teammates for Michael Waltrip, who finished 18th.

Harvick was seventh and was followed by Matt Kenseth, last year's race winner, Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya, McMurray's teammate.

After the race, DIS president Robin Braig apologized for the hole and the delays that caused some fans to head to the exits long before the finish.

"We're the World Center of Racing. This is the Daytona 500.

This is not supposed to happen, and I take full responsibility," Braig said. "We can come back from this. We know how to fix it. This is hallowed ground. We understand that. We accept the responsibility."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, JAMIE page 70

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Street Journal.

In an interview at his home in Bakuriani, Georgia, Kumaritashvili said he offered the 21-year-old Nodar encouragement in a telephone conversation.

"I said, 'Put your legs down on the ice to slow down,' but he said if he started the course he would finish it," Kumaritashvili said, according to The Journal.

Kumaritashvili, a Soviet-era luger himself, told the newspaper his son would have been able to compete in two more Winter Games and that Nodar's Olympic dreams stemmed from childhood.

"He was brave," Kumaritashvili said.

Grief-stricken Olympic organizers made final plans Sunday for Kumaritashvili's body to return home.

Flowers and memorial messages piled up at the athletes' village in Whistler, not far from where Kumaritashvili died on the first day of an Olympics that now seems destined to bear the scar of the accident.

The sport awarded its first medals of the Vancouver Games -- a welcome, if somewhat awkward, moment of joy. At the same time, lugers made clear they were unhappy with changes made to the track in the aftermath of the ghastly crash.

Kumaritashvili was traveling at nearly 90 mph when he flew off the icy Whistler track,

considered the fastest in the world, and into a steel pole during a training run. To make sure the sleds ran slower during competition, the run was shortened for both men and women.

"The second they did that, they basically gave the Germans two medals, which was frustrating," said American Tony Benshoof, who finished eighth and said he respected the decision to alter the course but was not happy with it.

Germany's Felix Loch took the gold medal after speeding safely through the final curve that took the young Georgian's life.

Teammate David Moeller claimed silver, Italy's Armin Zoeggler bronze.

The International Olympic Committee and luge officials took sharp criticism for blaming the accident on Kumaritashvili's failure to make tactical corrections during his run, and for saying they were changing the course not to make it safer but to soothe the emotions of the athletes.

Kumaritashvili's body will leave Monday afternoon on a flight to Germany and will then be flown to Georgia for arrival early Wednesday, a senior Olympic official told The Associated Press. The official spoke anonymously because the plans were being kept private.

Kumaritashvili is to be buried in his hometown of Bakuriani, a small ski resort about 110 miles

from Tbilisi, the capital of the former Soviet republic.

Kumaritashvili's death was felt across the Games for a third straight day. Prayers were said in his memory at a mountain church service in Whistler, and the Olympic rings at the athletes' village in the resort town became an impromptu memorial of flowers and photos.

"The community naturally is sad, because we want people to be safe here," said Jerry Desmond, pastor of Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church. "We hate to leave like this -- so young and so suddenly."

The athlete's teammates elected to stay and compete in the Games, although the only other luger in the delegation, Levan Gureshidze, did not race after the crash and was absent from Sunday's finals.

Competition continues later this week at the Whistler Sliding Center's 16-turn superspeedway, where a wooden wall was erected atop the curve where Kumaritashvili flew off his sled.

The women's gold medal will be awarded Tuesday, the doubles' Wednesday.

The women, too, made no secret of their frustration at having to slide a shorter, modified course.

Germany's Natalie Geisenberger said it was now essentially a track for children.

"I don't know what went on behind closed doors, but there weren't very many options," said

world champion Erin Hamlin of Remsen, N.Y. "You can't change how the track was built in 24 hours."

Debate continued Sunday about how much the luger's own handling of the course contributed to the accident. Luge officials said in the hours after the crash that his failure to compensate for a late exit from a prior turn was to blame.

Clive Woodward, performance director for the British Olympic Committee, told a BBC Radio program the track was safe.

"Now they've all seen it and the shock has gone away, I think it's fair to say ... this was an error by a young luge athlete," he said.

"That was it. It was put down to driver error," he said.

However, Anita DeFrantz, an American member of the IOC who competed as an Olympic athlete in rowing, said it was unfair to assess blame.

"I don't think it's a question of fault," she said. "We need to understand he was here doing the best he could do. It's unfortunate he let go of the luge at 100 mph.

Things happen. I'm not sure there's anything that could have been done differently."

The British Columbia Coroner's Service is investigating the crash.

A spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said investigators were done gathering evidence and witness accounts.

Collision reconstruction experts also

examined the scene.

IOC executive board member Gerhard Heiberg, a Norwegian who organized the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, said it was too early to draw any longterm lessons from the crash.

"We have not discussed the consequences for later Games at this stage," he said. "We will try to find out what happened, what can we do to prevent this. I will not speculate at this stage."

Meantime, Olympic officials tried to return the focus to competition.

"Under the somber circumstances, it can be difficult to celebrate," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. "But it's a good Olympics."

Friday's opening ceremony was dedicated to Kumaritashvili, and in addition to making plans for the return of his body, Olympic organizers said they would consider how to pay tribute in the future.

"We're still working closely with the family," Adams said. "When the time is right, we will think about a more lasting legacy."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Making Sense of Figure Skating (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)

individual judge scores anonymous, but also got rid of a Submitted at 2/14/2010 10:42:38 PM system where the competitors

By Phred Dvorak and Geoffrey were judged in relation to each A. Fowler others performance, and 6.0 was Olympic figure-skating started considered perfect. off with a bang, with Chinese Now, skaters win set points for pairs skaters Shen Xeu and Zhao executing certain elements.

Hongbo scoring a world record Competitors get additional points — 76.66 — and winning top for the way that they execute place in the short program. In the t h o s e m o v e s , s u c h a s arcane world of figure-skating interpretation, choreography and scoring, that puts them 1.2 points transitions. above the No. 2 pair, Germans Blog readers: This is not A l i o n a S a v c h e n k o R o b i n something you should try on Szolkowy, and 2.5 points above y o u r o w n a t h o m e . T h e No. 3, Yuko Kavaguti and complexity leads to some strange Alexander Smirnov. AFP/Getty moments during competition, Images China’s Xue Shen and like when the audience booed the Hongbo Zhao judge’s scoring of Swiss combo The finicky scores are a Anais Morand and Antoine reminder of what a points game Dorsaz. figure-skating is, and how you The couple, who skated to have to be an expert’s expert, “ B o h e m i a n R h a p s o d y ” b y with a detailed rule book and Queen, pulled out some unusual instant-reply video (like the moves, including one that put judges have) to know what’s M s . M o r a n d u p s i d e d o w n going on. between Ms. Dorsaz’s legs — to That’s especially the case since the delight of the stadium. But 2004, when the International technically, it wasn’t that tough.

Skating Union implemented a “On the one hand, it’s always a new judging system in the wake good sign if the audience is won. of an Olympic scandal two years But on the other hand, we have before, when a French judge was our rules and judges,” said accused of fixing the outcome. Germany’s Mr. Szolkowy, after The new system not only makes the competition. “There’s no

question for us. The reaction of the audience — sometimes it’s nice, or not so nice. But that’s it.” AFP/Getty Images Anais Morand and Antoine Dorsaz perform in the Figure Skating Pairs short program Luckily for those watching the performance live - and without the aide of TV commentators Vancouver has introduced an Olympic first: a broadcast called Axel Radio, which features four skating experts dissecting the action in real time. All of the commentators have worked at other Games as judges or technical specialists. They handicap the competition and give early calls on the sorts of scores that competitors are racking up.

On Sunday, they were also pretty funny, making jokes about sitting near the secret service guards for Vice President Joe Biden. Not only do the commentators explain whats

continued from page 68

going on, but they take questions via text message.

Heres one we asked: Why is one move called the “death spiral” — and is it dangerous? Their answer: The moves get named by whomever comes up with them first. And no, there are way more dangerous moves in pairs skating, when a sharp blade can get close to your partner’s face.

We loved the small talk on figure -skating “wardrobe malfunctions” (one of the commentators, a former pairs skater, recalled a time when a key strap broke, bringing his pants down around his ankles).

And the invaluable explanation of the “music deduction” (the program went on too long) that brought the scores of fourthranked Pang Qing and Tong Jian down a whole point. For those in Vancouver, the Axel Radio system costs C$20, and comes with a small radio and battery that tunes into the needed channel. It also works in curling and ice sledge hockey competitions.

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Hockey: It’s All in Your Head (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix) Submitted at 2/14/2010 10:42:17 PM

Pressure, what pressure? That’s the message, at least, being peddled by the Canadian and U.S. men’s hockey teams as one of the highest-profile parts of the winter Olympics gets set to start.

AP Photo/The Canadian Press Steve Yzerman, left, and head HOCKEY: page 71

Street Chic: New York Fashion Week

by ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 2/15/2010 4:00:00 AM

Blue and beige complement each other cheerfully.

Photo: Kelly Stuart Click here for our complete fall

2010 Fashion Week coverage

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coach Mike Babcock, right, pose for a photograph after announcing Canada’s 2010 Men’s Olympic hockey team in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in December of last year.

Speaking to reporters Saturday in Vancouver, Canadian team executive manager Steve Yzerman said his team was not necessarily the favorite to win gold. He noted that the Russian team is rated first in international rankings and that Canada would “need a little bit of luck” to capture gold. And anyway, he said, everyone wants gold: “You think they’ll have a parade in Moscow if the Russians get a silver? They won’t. The expectation in Russia is gold.

The expectation in Sweden is gold. And whether they’ll admit it or not, the expectation is for the U.S. to win gold.”

Well actually not, at least according to the head of the U.S. team, Brian Burke, at a press conference on Sunday: “I don’t know who’s taking bets on this but there’s got to be a book somewhere and the bets are on Canada. Steve Yzerman is a real smart man. He’s trying to

take some of the pressure off Team Canada, which I might mention in passing is glacial and unremitting. I can’t imagine how they’re going to function in that environment.”

But isn’t Mr. Burke himself playing a headgame–trying to win the underdog label for a team that boasts one of the hottest goalies in Ryan Miller and a wealth of young, up-andcoming talent?

“We are the underdogs here,” he said. “No one is playing a card.”

Friendly sniping aside, both sides say the biggest challenge might be less the pressure than in getting their teams ready. By Sunday afternoon, only about half the U.S. team had arrived in Vancouver, with many players having competed in National Hockey League games the night before. By Monday, however, they’d be in their first practice and on Tuesday would be playing their first game, facing off against Switzerland while the Canadian team would be playing Norway.

Mr. Yzerman said the key is to look at the tournament like a Stanley Cup best-of-seven series:

the teams play three games before they face elimination; then each game is elimination.

After six or seven games, a team has won or lost it all.

“It’s nothing unusual,” he said.

“It is a crapshoot but that’s just the way it is.”

Mr. Burke said part of his strategy to get his team to perform well quickly was to go with younger players who had participated in some of USA Hockey’s recent string of successes in junior tournaments.

That meant leaving more established players at home.

“It’s a small wedding folks–just 23 chairs at the table, that’s it,” Mr. Burke said. “Why isn’t this guy on it? Because we think we have better players.”

His coach, Ron Wilson hinted at another tactic: creating a bunker mentality for the U.S. team.

“We know we’re the villain up here,” he said. “No one’s going to be cheering for us except for American fans.”

71

Jimmie Heuga's Legacy Far Greater Than Olympic Alpine Medal

by Nancy Gay (FanHouse Main) Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:31:00 AM

Filed under: USA, Alpine Skiing While the world focuses on Whistler Mountain's Olympic skiing events, a group will take a wistful Monday morning run down Beaver Creek Mountain in Colorado, to honor a trailblazing Olympian who was one of the first American men to win an Alpine ski medal.

James "Jimmie" Heuga (pictured, left) would have wanted to join them, even in the sit ski that became his physical link to the mountains and slopes he loved after Multiple Sclerosis robbed him of his mobility.

Instead, the friends he left behind will carve turns to honor an athlete who never let MS attack his spirit, his sense of humor or his deep sense of duty to help others afflicted by the disease.

Heuga lost his four-decade battle against MS on Feb. 8 at age 66, and the founder of The Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis -- now known as Can Do Multiple Sclerosis -- leaves a

powerful legacy beyond his bronze-medal winning slalom performance in the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

But oh, what a race that was.

"It was really surprising that he died on the day that we won our medals, 46 years ago in Innsbruck, Austria," said Billy Kidd (pictured, right), who joined Heuga on the podium as the silver medalist in the slalom.

The lifelong friends, both 20 at the time, were the first U.S. men to win Olympic alpine medals.

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U.S. Women’s Hockey Beats China 12-1 — Again (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix) Submitted at 2/14/2010 4:47:22 PM

Brian Burke: A Father's Love Story

by Lisa Olson (FanHouse Main)

bet on Burke's plucky squad or give the man a hug.

It was comforting to watch Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:28:00 AM Burke on the dais alongside head Filed under: USA, Ice Hockey coach Ron Wilson and four V A N C O U V E R , B r i t i s h Team USA players as they held Columbia -- This was a relaxed their first press conference of the Brian Burke, a cheerful Brian Games. For close to an hour Burke, a feisty and defiant Brian Sunday in a room off the Burke. The general manager of glorious waterfront, Burke talked the U.S. men's Olympic hockey shop with fellow hockey lovers, team -- aka the little team that and it made him smile, especially believes it can knock off the when he got to tweak the Canadian and Russian machines Canadians, and maybe for a nano -- was working off the cuff, -second it made him forget. charming and lecturing a room Five days ago, Burke buried his full of journalists who weren't 21-year-old son Brendan, who quite sure if they should place a was killed in an automobile

accident on a snowy Indiana road Feb. 5. If Burke had any qualms about fulfilling his Olympic duties, they were shushed when he looked around at his son's funeral and saw thousands of mourners, many of them from the tight-knit hockey brotherhood, guys he had played with in college and scouts and broadcasters and general managers from nearly every NHL team -- they had come from all corners of the world to say goodbye to an extraordinary young man.

The women kicked off U.S. hockey’s Olympic Games with a 12-one defeat over China, led by a hat trick from Jenny Potter and two goals from Meghan Duggan.

AFP/Getty Images Not a bad way to start the Games, especially for a team filled with potentially jittery rookies. But given the U.S.’s record with the Chinese — at their last Olympic meeting in Salt Lake City, the score was also 12-one – it didn’t come as much of a surprise. China had only 7 shots on goal in the entire game, while the U.S. had a whopping 61.

The lopsided scoreboard didn’t stop fans from getting into the action at the UBC Thunderbird Arena: There was the requisite

cow-bell jangling, and a boisterous crowd of Canadians cheering for both teams. Vice President Joe Biden stopped by.

When Fengling Jin scored China’s one and only goal in the last minutes of the game, the crowd roared to life. Her glory was short-lived: the U.S.’s Julie Chu scored one final goal with less than a minute left of play.

Next up for the U.S.: Russia on Tuesday and Finland on Thursday.

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73

Fall 2010 Model Hot Seat: Yulia Kharlaponova

by ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 2/14/2010 7:57:20 PM

Close Finish, Record Crowd Highlight the 2010 NBA All-Star Game

by Brett Pollakoff (FanHouse Main) Submitted at 2/14/2010 5:31:00 PM

Filed under: NBA All-Star Game, NBA Videos ARLINGTON, Texas -Dwyane Wade was the MVP of the 2010 NBA All-Star game, as the East defeated the West by a final score of 141-139. Leading up to the big event, the stadium was the story, and continued to loom larger than life over the festivities with a world recordsetting 108,713 people packed to the rooftop to watch the league's

midseason showcase take place.

"Growing up, you don't even know what a hundred thousand is," LeBron James said afterward, of playing in front of such a large crowd. "You grow up, you say you're playing in front of a building at capacity, probably six or seven hundred people if you go to high school basketball games.

"Growing up, you can't even count to 100,000."

The magnitude of the game is something that could truly only be appreciated in person.

Spotted at: Diane von Furstenberg Birthplace: Russia Age: 20 Fashion-Week Experience:“It’s going good so far. I think this is already my tenth or eleventh show of the week. I’m really tired right now because I didn’t sleep enough last night, but I’m hoping to go home early today and rest. Today, my call time was 6:30—for Philosophy. I went to sleep late yesterday, so I was just waking up and thinking,

Shows, I love shows. And that got me going.”

Hair Saver:“I use a nice shampoo—it’s called Damage Remedy and it's by Aveda. I take care of my hair because I think it’s important to have your hair look good for castings. I love Aveda. I don’t use any conditioner. Every day after the shows when I go home, I just use their shampoo, no conditioner. It really helps take out all the chemicals from the products that are used on my hair throughout the day.”

Fresh-Faced Secret:“I use

Caudalíe cleanser and moisturizer.”

Post-Fashion-Week Plans:“I’m going to stay in Paris after Paris Fashion Week, because my father is going to come meet me there. I haven’t seen him for a long time, so we’re going to spend some time together.”

—Emily Hebert, ELLE.com Associate Beauty Editor Photo: Imaxtree Click here for our complete fall 2010 Fashion Week coverage Follow ELLE on Twitter Become our Facebook fan

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Victoria Beckham’s Revealing Fall 2010 Presentation

by ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog)

explained that last season she “dipped her toes into looser territory”, but, “fall is an exercise Submitted at 2/14/2010 8:43:27 PM in control.”

In a Sex and the City-esque Throughout the 45-minute brownstone on the Upper East presentation, it was quite clear Side of Manhattan, Victoria that much attention and thought Beckham (wearing six inch was given to how each piece will Brian Atwood heels, made look on a variety of body types especially for the show, and a (Jennifer Hudson recently wore m i n i d r e s s f r o m h e r l i n e ) one of Beckham’s designs and presented her Dick Tracy- looked just as sexy in it as Elle inspired fall 2010 collection. M a c p h e r s o n m i g h t ) . S h e Martha Graham, a personal hero admitted to feeling like she's of Beckham’s, was also a source finally come into her own, styleof inspiration. First, Beckham wise, and declared that she’ll began by greeting each and every never go back to the “fake tan editor in attendance, and went on and big hair” that used to be her to describe all of the 26 looks signature. (even revealing, at one point, that As she said goodbye to her three she plans on wearing look 7 to sons in L.A. before heading to t h i s y e a r ’ s O s c a r s ) . S h e the East Coast for her show,

(unnecessary—Beckham spoke fluidly and naturally about her chic collection of dresses). When asked if she has any reservations about being considered a sexy mom, the mother of three said no, her only fear is the “boys’ girlfriends wanting to borrow my handbags.”

—Violet Moon Gayn or Victoria Beckham describes look 7 from her fall 2010 collection: a liquid silk jersey floor-length dress she plans to wear to the Oscars Click here for our complete fall 2010 Fashion Week coverage Follow ELLE on Twitter.

Become our Facebook fan!

Submitted at 2/14/2010 3:15:13 PM

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Celebrate the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger on Valentine’s Day in The

by Cris Stoddard (Flickr Blog) Submitted at 2/15/2010 10:21:17 AM

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In warm temperatures, the Beckham explained to them that Carnaval do Brasil began she had a “big test” to do in New yesterday evening, and the first York. Her oldest, Brooklyn, photos of the celebration are suggested she write the answers already available on Flickr. o n h e r a r m Enjoy!

Photos by a roving eye, Antonio Schubert, Jim Skea, Erica Modesto,_ Claudio no Carnaval Rio de Janeiro Carnival, epicture Library of Congress.

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More Year of the Tiger on Valentine’s Day

by Cris Stoddard (Flickr Blog)

Carnaval do Brasil!

Commons, the world’s public photography archives to which you can contribute information and knowledge. All images in The Commons use a‘No Known Copyright Restrictions’ rights statement.

Photos from Galt Museum & Library of New South Wales, Archives, Nationaal Archief, New York Public Library, Field George Eastman House, State Museum & Library and the

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75

US foreign policy: Speaking too softly (The Economist: News analysis)

with the Dalai Lama has assumed extra significance. Mr Obama will be studied closely.

Submitted at 2/15/2010 12:05:21 AM Human-rights activists will listen Message from fivefilters.org: If with care to the language that the you can, please donate to the full A m e r i c a n p r e s i d e n t u s e s , -text RSS service so we can straining to hear whether he goes continue developing it. further than merely suggesting US foreign policy Relations more dialogue between Tibetans between America and China may and the Chinese leadership. chill over a meeting with the Might the president dare to Dalai Lama deliver real criticism of Feb 15th 2010 | NEW YORK | repression and human-rights From The Economist online abuses in Tibet?

IT IS bound to be a Kenneth Roth, the head of controversial meeting. The Dalai Human Rights Watch, an activist Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, group in New York, offers a goes to Washington, DC, this m i x e d a s s e s s m e n t o f M r week and will sit down with Obama’s foreign policy so far in President Barack Obama for the its treatment of human rights. He first time on Thursday February suggests that no other recent 18th. American presidents have American leader has taken such long been happy to meet the care with his rhetoric, judging Tibetan leader and to tolerate how it is received by the rest of subsequent angry huffing from the world. But substantial steps China, not least as a means of too rarely follow Mr Obama's responding to public concern fine words. The president’s over human rights without doing speeches—as in Cairo last anything serious to jeopardise year—have helped to set a trade or other ties with Beijing. conciliatory tone for American But in Mr Obama’s case, with foreign policy, and to reassure China increasingly assertive Muslims and others that America internationally and the American i s n o t d e t e r m i n e d t o s e e k president perceived in many confrontation for the sake of it. quarters as cautious, even timid, Thoughtful comments to African in foreign policy, the encounter leaders, urging the continent to

develop strong and democratic institutions, have also been well received. But Mr Roth sees little evidence of a leader who is prepared then to press reluctant regimes, as for example did Ronald Reagan (and before him, Jimmy Carter) in pushing the Soviet Union to sign up to an international commitment, the Helsinki Final Act, which promoted individual rights.

Mr Obama’s foreign-policy approach of seeking engagement with opponents such as Iran, in an effort to establish dialogue and more effective diplomatic channels, has made it harder for him to beat the human-rights drum loudly. But by failing to speak up about repression, the American leader risks being perceived as weak. His muted reaction to the rigged presidential elections in Iran and the violent repression that followed (and continues) has seemed deferential. His eagerness to “reset” relations with Russia, for example by scrapping a planned anti-missile defence shield in eastern Europe, has coincided with near total silence over the murders of journalists and the clamping down on democracy in that

country. It is unclear, in either case, that biting his tongue has brought any gains from the respective regimes.

Particularly troubling has been America's attitude to China and human rights. After Hillary Clinton’s first visit to China as secretary of state, in February 2009, she announced that concern over human rights should not “interfere” with getting co-operation on other issues such as climate change and the global economy. Humanrights defenders were deflated.

Mr Obama then avoided meeting the Dalai Lama when he visited America in September and postponed a scheduled meeting in October, to avoid upsetting the government in China ahead of a presidential visit. During Mr Obama’s subsequent visit to China, he made few and limited comments on human rights. The Chinese government responded by becoming more assertive. It helped to scupper a deal at the Copenhagen summit on climate change in December and snubbed the American president by sending a deputy minister to a crucial meeting. China has generally proven to be increasingly unwilling to co-

operate with America, for example over United Nations sanctions against Iran.

The administration, however, may now be toughening up.

American rhetoric over Iran has become firmer. On Monday Mrs Clinton warned that a military dictatorship was emerging in Tehran. Relations with China, too, have become frostier, for example over a long-planned (and routine) decision by the American government to sell weapons to Taiwan. Mrs Clinton has also spoken up more forcefully about the need for internet freedom in China, in the wake of sophisticated cyberattacks on Google that many believe had Chinese government fingerprints on them. This week’s meeting with the Dalai Lama is thus a moment to demonstrate that Mr Obama is ready both to signal his concern for human rights and that his foreign-policy is becoming more assertive. Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views.

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Bharti Airtel and Zain: Roaming abroad (The Economist: News analysis) Submitted at 2/15/2010 3:40:12 AM

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Bharti Airtel and Zain India's biggest mobile-phone operator makes a move on Africa Feb 15th 2010 | From The Economist online AS THE orchestra of chirrups and pings in any public place in the rich world attests, the market for mobile phones in developed countries is saturated—and even in some developing ones opportunities for growth are running short. So big mobile operators, including those from emerging economies, are looking for growth wherever it can be found. Bharti Airtel, the biggest Indian operator when measured by subscribers, said on Monday February 15th that it is hoping to expand beyond one of the world’s fastest growing markets and into another. It is in talks with Zain, a Kuwaiti telecoms company, to buy its sub-Saharan assets for $10.7 billion and bring together African and Indian mobile-phone expertise.

Bharti has tried to move into Africa before. Two previous efforts to merge with South Africa’s MTN fell through, the latest in September last year. The deal was blocked by South

Africa’s government, which was unwilling to let go of a national champion. If the new deal proceeds Bharti should find a warmer welcome in the 15 countries, including Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania, where Zain provides mobile phones to some 42m customers.

Although the mobile-phone business is still booming in India, growth there is slowing.

Competition, not least from operators based in the rich world, has brought the number of mobile operators in the country to 12 and a brutal price war is under way. Recent new arrivals include Norway’s Telenor and Japan’s NTTDoCoMo. Penetration rates in India are at around 50% compared with 40% in much of Africa. Bharti sees a chance to stake a claim in the fastest growing region in the world and to do so profitably.

Zain has fared badly in Africa along with other Middle Eastern operators perhaps because their home turf has been heavily regulated. Most acted as comfortable monopolists until only recently. Bharti on the other hand has a good deal of experience in wringing out profits in a poor country where competition is growing. Africa merely adds more diversity and the potential for political instability to the challenge. It helps, too, that Bharti brings expertise of running low-cost

operations in markets where consumers have very low incomes. It does this by sharing infrastructure and outsourcing most operations such as IT and running networks, leaving the risk of expanding to meet the needs of subscribers to others while it concentrates on marketing and strategy. And Bharti’s size and clout should allow it to pay much less than Zain for network towers and the like in Africa.

Bharti’s ability to concentrate on its customers should yield rewards in Africa, where innovations to bring down costs to customers have already helped to boost profits of other firms.

MTN, for example, pioneered dynamic tariffs that charge users to make calls according to how many other callers are using a network at a given time. And Zain’s own scheme of “borderless roaming” lets customers move between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and make calls without incurring disproportionate charges.

Africans are also in the vanguard of providing mobile money. M-PESA, a successful service available in Kenya through Safaricom, lets mobile users transfer cash using their phones. Zain has a mobilemoney service, Zap, that operates in several African markets that should give Bharti useful experience and a head

start if it is taken up as enthusiastically elsewhere.

Creating a transcontinental wireless operator seems to make sense. But critics of the proposed deal worry that Bharti may have over-bid for Zain’s African businesses. Bharti’s investors seem to agree: the firm’s shares fell sharply on Monday when news of discussions with Zain emerged. The growing confidence of India’s corporate bosses in the past decade has resulted in a shopping spree for foreign assets that has not always been governed by sound business logic, such as Tata’s purchase of Jaguar Land Rover in 2008. And Vivendi, the French media and telecoms giant, broke off talks in July with Zain about acquiring these assets for around the same price, citing fears about “profitability and financial discipline”. But if Bharti applies the same techniques to Africa that made it so successful in India it seems destined to bring mobile phones to ever more of the world’s poorest people.

Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views.

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WVU-P to offer electronic textbooks (Parkersburg News and Sentinel) (Yahoo! News Search Results for e-readers) Submitted at 2/14/2010 9:09:27 PM

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WVU-P to offer electronic textbooks Michael Erb PARKERSBURG - West Virginia University at Parkersburg is looking at an innovative way to reduce textbook costs for students.

The college will be rolling out its first electronic open-source textbook this fall, written and developed by college instructors and available for the Kindle and other e-readers.

"We are tired of our students paying more for textbooks than they do for tuition," said Rhonda Richards, senior vice president for academic affairs at WVU-P. "We are looking at cheaper alternatives to textbooks, including creating our own electronic textbooks."

According to the college's program plan, the project aims to provide "low-cost, open-source textbooks developed by faculty for students in WVU Parkersburg's first-year experience courses as well as developmental courses in m a t h e m a t i c s a n d WVU-P page 77

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WVU-P continued from page 76

English/writing."

Richards said the textbooks will be written by teams of faculty and reviewed by a third party to make sure they meet certain academic standards. The plan also includes the purchase of multiple e-readers for some classrooms and a student fee of about $5 for the electronic book.

In most cases the students will still have to buy their own ereaders, though, but the cost of a single e-reader, around or below $200, is often less expensive than a regular textbook.

The first book will be developed for adult students transitioning to college, followed by developmental mathematics and developmental English course texts.

The project is expected to cost around $30,000, which includes the price of multiple classroom e -readers and stipends for faculty working to develop the electronic materials.

The move comes even as colleges, universities and students across the nation look for ways to reduce the evergrowing cost of textbooks.

Students can easily spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on books each semester, retrieving only a fraction of that

money by later selling those books back to stores or to other students.

Barnes & Noble recently announced a textbook rental program which is being piloted in colleges around the nation.

Colleges also are looking at adopting different kinds of ereader technology.

Marietta College so far has not looked at implementing any kind of electronic or discount textbook system on campus, said spokesman Tom Perry, but many students have expressed interest in switching to an electronic format.

"I know a number of students have talked about e-textbooks," he said. "A number are hoping they can transition to that at some point.

"But as for an organized program on campus for e-books or ways to reduce textbook costs, we don't have anything like that at this point." To Perine - As seleah points out, it would take countless hours to scan and copy existing texts into a digital format. But the time is not the real constraint here. The existing textbooks are copyrighted material, and it would be quite illegal to copy any part of them and then resell the content to

anyone. The fines for copyright infringement are extremely high.

And further, no reputable educator would steal another person's intellectual property for any reason. There's one more problem here too. Few students these days know how to take notes from class lectures and discussions. The electronic world has made it possible to copy and distribute so many documents (handouts), that the art of note-taking is lost in most secondary schools.

Perine - Professors get paid for re-written the text books each year, hard back or electronic.

What's wrong with passing the books from this years class to next year?

My family has a Kindle and we use it to read downloaded books.

It seems to me like a very good idea. I take 1 class @ WVU-P. I have seen those big heavy books the young people carry around.

Anyone that stood in line to buy books for the Spring Session would be glad to download books on to a Kindle. Good luck and hurry up) A hard back text book just doesn't automatically "turn into" electronic format. It would take hours and hours to either scan the pages or re-type the material

into a format that could then be downloaded onto an electronic reader. My daughter has a Kindle and it is wonderful to read from.

Lightweight, and can hold up to 1000 books. I envision one day our students will be given laptops the first day of school with their entire years' worth of books already downloaded on to it. No more "oh I left my book in my locker", or heavy backpacks to deal with!

What I don't understand is...if these college professors are qualified to teach the material, shouldn't they already have this material available? Why then are they being paid stipends to "develop the electronic materials"? Would someone please enlighten me on this. Is this just another cost that ultimately affects tuition cost?

Would someone please enlighten me on this?

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Americans See Slight Improvement in U.S. Global Image (All Gallup Headlines) Submitted at 2/15/2010 4:00:00 AM

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PRINCETON, NJ -- After five years when fewer than half of Americans believed the United States was seen favorably in the eyes of the world, Gallup's decade-long trend lines on this measure have again crossed.

Fifty-one percent now say the U.S. is viewed favorably, up from 45% a year ago.

Also positive with respect to U.S. attitudes about the country's global image: 56% of Americans believe leaders of other countries around the world respect President Barack Obama. While this is lower than the soaring 67% who perceived this a year ago, shortly after Obama took office, it continues to far outpace the levels received by Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton during most of their terms."Not since April 2003 have a majority of Americans been satisfied with AMERICANS page 78

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the United States' global position."

Only Bush achieved a similarly high percentage on this measure (in the first few months after 9/11), but that quickly eroded as international criticism of him over the Iraq war mounted after 2002. However, even prior to 9/11, fewer than half of Americans thought Bush was well-regarded internationally.

The same was true for Clinton in the two measurements taken toward the beginning and toward the end of his presidency, in 1994 and 2000.

Both sets of findings are consistent with Gallup's worldwide polling that shows a significant improvement since Obama took office in how residents of more than 100 countries view the United States.

The global median job approval rating for U.S. leadership rose from 34% in 2008 to 51% in 2009.

Although more Americans now than in the past believe the U.S.

and its president are held in high regard by the world community, there has been little improvement in Americans' satisfaction with the United States' position in the world. Currently, 35% are satisfied, similar to the 32% found last year at the start of the Obama administration and only slightly better than the 30% in the last year of the Bush administration. Not since April 2003 have a majority of Americans been satisfied with the United States' global position.

The views of Republicans and Democrats on this question have essentially flipped in the past year. Although Obama was already president at the time of Gallup's 2009 World Affairs survey, it was apparently too soon into his presidency for partisans to tailor their views on this question accordingly. At that time, a higher percentage of Republicans than of Democrats were satisfied with the U.S. position in the world. Today, the

reverse is true.

Public perceptions of Obama's reputation have grown more partisan over the past year.

While the percentage saying Obama is viewed favorably has declined among all groups, it is down only slightly among Democrats, but more steeply among independents and Republicans.

Bottom Line Americans' perceptions of how the U.S. is viewed internationally and, in particular, how the president himself is viewed, have grown more positive since the end of the Bush administration, even with this year's drop in the percentage believing that world leaders view Obama favorably.

However, neither those improved attitudes nor Obama's handling of foreign policy has elevated Americans' reported satisfaction with the United States' position in the world.

Survey Methods Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,025 national

adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Feb. 1-3, 2010. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of error is Âą4 percentage points.

Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only).

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

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