Liberty Newspost June-14-2012 by Liberty Newspost

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- 14/06/12

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Romney and Obama go on the attack in dueling economic speeches - CBS News (Top Stories - Google News)

deficit. The president said Romney wants Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:58:28 PM to take "us back" to economic Updated 4:40 p.m. ET polices of President George W. ( C B S N e w s ) I n t h e k e y Bush's administration. battleground state of Ohio, "We were told that huge tax cuts, President Obama and presumptive especially for the wealthiest R e p u b l i c a n n o m i n e e M i t t Americans, would lead to faster Romney made competing remarks job growth, we were told that just minutes apart on the number fewer regulations, especially for issue of the campaign: The big financial institutions and economy. corporations, would bring about Mr. Obama, speaking in the widespread prosperity. We were D e m o c r a t i c s t r o n g h o l d o f told that it was ok to put two wars Cleveland, and Romney, speaking on the nation's credit card, that tax in heavily Republican Cincinnati, cuts would create enough growth outlined their visions of the to pay for themselves. That's what economy but also attempted to were told." define their opponent as being "So how did this economic theory harmful to the recovery. work out?" the president asked the A t C u y a h o g a C o m m u n i t y crowd. College, the president said, "If "Mr. Romney is qualified to they win the election, the agenda deliver on that plan," the president will be simple and straight said. forward." He said Romney and a "The debate in this election is Republican Congress would about how we grow faster, and reduce the government "to a few how we create more jobs, and basic functions," cut regulations how we pay down our debt," the and cut taxes, which he said president said. would be harmful to the national Romney, meanwhile, noted the

president's "eloquence," but said "talk is cheap." "Action speaks very loud. And if you want to see the results of his economic policies, look around Ohio, look around the country, you'll see a lot of people are hurting," Romney said. "So as you look at the president's record it is long on words and short on action that created jobs," Romney said. Romney once again used the president's statement he made last week that the economy is "doing fine." "If you think the President's right when he said the private sector is doing fine. well then he's the guy to vote for. But when he said that there was such an outpouring of response from the 23 million Americans out of work or underemployed that I think today he's not going to say it again," Romney said. For his plan, Romney said he would increase trade, call out China for manipulating its currency and increase domestic

oil, coal and gas production. "I can guarantee you if I'm president on day one, we're going to get the approval for that pipeline from Canada, and if I have to build it myself to get it here, I'll get that oil into America," Romney said. Romney recounted a discussion he had with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is also mentioned as a possible vicepresidential candidate. "He said you know what I never heard my parents say why won't those people give me some of what they have. I never heard my parents say why won't the government give us some of what they had. Instead isn't it great to live in a country where hard work and education and risk taking you can achieve that yourself," Romney said. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama touted what he called his "different vision for America," saying he would invest in education, research and development and renewable energy.

The president also reiterated his call to raise taxes on the "wealthiest Americans." "If you really want to get the deficit under control, the tax code has to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more," he said, noting that Romney's plan includes cutting $5 trillion worth of taxes. As both campaigns were so close to each other, the campaigns showed up at each other's events.Romney's bus, with the Romney campaign log, circled the site of the president's speech. Both campaigns are likely to visit Ohio numerous times this campaign season, as it is a critical state to both campaign's election plans. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Black worker awarded $25 million in racial lawsuit RT (News RSS : Today)

noose wrapped around its neck on his car in the company parking Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:13:20 PM lot. Other times he said he was ArcelorMittal Steel Plant (Rick referred to as “monkey” or “boy” Gershon/Getty Images/AFP) by his co-workers, who were also What is the cost of being accused of leaving messages subjected to years of racially- advertising the Ku Klux Klan on driven abuse? A federal jury ruled company grounds. on Wednesday to award a black On their part, ArcelorMittal says s t e e l w o r k e r $ 2 5 m i l l i o n i n that they did more than their fair damages because his former s h a r e t o b e s u r e t h a t t h e employers didn’t do enough to complaints were handled correctly stop hate speech in the workplace. a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e a " z e r o Elijah Turley has been granted a tolerance policy for workplace substantially large settlement by a discrimination or harassment".” grand jury in Buffalo, New York James R. Grasso, a lawyer for the after hearing a case that pitted the company, told the jury that the f o r m e r s t e e l w o r k e r a t company tried its best to handle Lackawanna, NY’s ArcelorMittal allegations of discrimination but p l a n t w i t h t h e c o m p a n y ’ s that in the end the blame was management. solely on the specific employees. While testifying before the jury, "The defendants did not actively Turley told the court that he was participate in this conduct," repeatedly mocked and taunted by Grasso told jurors, reports The his colleagues with anti-black B u f f a l o N e w s . " T h e y t o o k sentiments for years. During one reasonable steps to stop what was occasion, claimed Turley, he going on." found a stuffed monkey with a After years of ridicule, however,

a federal jury agreed that management at the rust belt business failed to properly resolve the issue. "This case is about the breakdown of a man," Turley’s attorney, Ryan J. Mills, told the jury. " He wanted to be treated equally, treated equally in a culture that hadn't changed since the '50s." "It's absolutely shocking that a case like this is in court in 2012," Mr. Mills added in his closing arguments."It should be viewed as atrocious and intolerable in a civilized society." Attorneys representing the steel plant might appeal the verdict at a later date. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Fusione fredda: Rossi pensa all'elettricità con l'E-cat. Ma Piantelli... - NextMe (Andrea Rossi - Google News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 10:46:00 AM

NextMe Fusione fredda: Rossi pensa all'elettricità con l'E-cat. Ma Piantelli...

Housing market may cool soon, Bank of Canada says - Reuters (housing - Google News)

Housing market to cool: CMHC Canada.com Atlantic Canada Housing Market CTV.ca Slows MarketWatch (press Housing market may cool soon, r e l e a s e ) Bank of Canada says Housing market to moderate by Reuters year-end: CMHC Montreal Central bank says pullback could G a z e t t e sting financial system* Moody's Marketwire (press release) sees possible slowdown but risks all 92 news articles » limited* CMHC predicts cooling of market near end of year*... Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:08:50 PM

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NextMe Fusione fredda. Andrea Rossi ha detto tante volte di voler produrre energia elettrica con l'E-cat, ma intende vendere l'apparecchiatura ad industrie intermediarie...

and death for hungry children.

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Virginia Court Goes Around Legislature's Decision To Deny Gay Judge's Appointment Alex Mikoulianitch (Business Insider) Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:08:18 PM

The Virginia Circuit Court went behind the state assembly's back and countered its decision to block the judicial appointment of an openly gay candidate. Virginia's top-notch law firms recently lobbied the court, which can appoint judges when the assembly isn't in session, to put Tracy Thorne-Bergland on the bench. He was officially denied the position for allegedly violating Navy regulations when he spoke out against "don't ask, don't tell," according to the Washington Post. But Republican lawmaker Richard Morris – who voted against Thorne-Bergland – recently acknowledged that the

accusation was flawed because the prosecutor wasn't in uniform when he spoke Thorne-Bergland will now serve in the position until the next General Assembly session. Virginia State Senator Donald McEachin praised the court for "putting aside bigotry, prejudice, and false excuses," the

Washington Post reported. DON'T MISS: NY Woman Apparently High On 'Bath Salts' Dies After Cops Taser Her > Please follow Law & Order on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story »

ComScore: Here's How Much Online Ad Spending Will Increase This Year Charlie Minato (Business Insider)

For 2012, domestic ad spending is expected to surpass $35 billion, a 17.6% increase. Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:10:01 PM See More: ComScore: Mobile It's not just mobile ad spending Will Force Desktop Into Its t h a t ' s i n c r e a s i n g , o n l i n e Twilight In 2014 advertising is increasing at a fairly Please follow Advertising on impressive rate. According to Twitter and Facebook. internet research firm ComScore, Join the conversation about this online ad spending increased to story » just over $30 billion in the U.S. last year, a 20.2% increase.

Housing market holding steady in Sacramento - Sacramento Bee (housing - Google News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:22:53 PM

Housing market holding steady in Sacramento Sacramento Bee

Sacramento's housing market today by a market research firm. continued to stabilize in May, and more » according to figures released

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Why Housing Affordability Is a Mirage - Wall Street Journal (blog) (housing - Google News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:43:23 PM

Why Housing Affordability Is a Mirage Wall Street Journal (blog) Home prices and mortgage rates have made monthly mortgage payments lower than at any time in the past decade. But housing isn't any more affordable than it... Mortgage Experts Provide Tips For Borrowers NuWire Investor all 2 news articles »

Republican Latinos Site Uses A Stock Photo Of Asian Children Brett LoGiurato (Business Insider)

were actually Asian. U.S. News & World Report discovered the colossal screw-up. Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:08:00 PM The RNC used a stock photo from In 2011, the Republican National Shutterstock, the description of Committee launched a new which clearly suggests that the H i s p a n i c o u t r e a c h e f f o r t , children in the photo are Asian. complete with a new website, The description in the photo RNC Latinos. Until a few minutes reads, in part: "activity, asia, ago, though, that website featured asian, cheeks, children, cool, cute a stock photo of children that ... interracial, japanese."

The RNC has apparently taken notice and corrected the issue. Here's what the site looked like around 4:30 p.m. today: And here's what the site looks like now: The RNC did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment. A late-May Telemundo poll found that Latinos preferred

President Barack Obama to Republican nominee Mitt Romney by 34 points. Please follow Politics on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story »

Freaky FrankensteinInspired Fashion This Gene Ginno Alducente Series is Dark (TrendHunter.com) (TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends) Submitted at 6/14/2012 11:35:03 AM

( TrendHunter.com) Dubai-based stylist and makeup artist Gene Ginno Alducente's recent series ‘It's Alive' takes a stroll on the dark side of fashion design and popular culture. The series...

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Two more witnesses detail abuse by Sandusky in trial (Reuters: Top News)

lifted him to rinse shampoo out of his hair, after which his memory of the event ends. "It's all black," Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:41pm EDT he told jurors said. (Note: explicit sexual content) Another 25-year-old man also By Ian Simpson told of showering with Sandusky (Reuters) - Two more men as a young boy, sleeping at the testified in Jerry Sandusky's child former Penn State defensive sex abuse trial about being coordinator's home and trying to molested by the former Penn State "get away from him" when he assistant football coach, and a touched his penis. university campus detective on They were the sixth and seventh Thursday recalled Sandusky alleged victims to testify. The saying "I wish I were dead" after eighth and final of the alleged being confronted by an alleged victims due to testify was set to victim's mother about showering appear later in the day. The judge with her son. told the jurors the trial was Prosecutors moved toward running much more quickly than wrapping up their case in the expected. closely watched trial in Also testifying was Ronald Pennsylvania. Judge John Cleland Schreffler, a former Penn State told jurors before breaking for c a m p u s d e t e c t i v e w h o lunch at the Centre County Court investigated one of the incidents in Pennsylvania that prosecutors, and said he told Sandusky he who began presenting evidence on should not shower with boys. No Monday, could conclude their charges were brought against case by Thursday afternoon. Sandusky at the time. Sandusky, the former defensive Sandusky, who retired in 1999, is coordinator for Pennsylvania accused of meeting his alleged State University's successful victims through the Second Mile football program, faces 52 counts charity for needy boys that he of abusing 10 boys over a 15-year founded. period. If convicted on all counts, The first witness of the day said he faces a sentence of more than he met Sandusky in 1998 when he 500 years in prison. was 11 years old at a picnic The day's first witness was a 25- hosted by the Second Mile. year-old man who said Sandusky Sandusky invited him to work out bear-hugged him in a shower at a Penn State campus gym, when he was a young boy and which was deserted when they Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:41:48 PM

went there late in the day, the man testified. The two wrestled and lifted weights for about 15 minutes and Sandusky told him it was time to shower, he said. "My immediate thought was, 'I'm not really sweating yet, it'd only been about 15 minutes," said the witness. In the shower, Sandusky grabbed him from behind and said playfully, "I'm going to squeeze your guts out" and bear-hugged him, the man testified haltingly. Sandusky lifted him to rinse shampoo out of his hair, he said. "That's the last thing I remember about being in the shower. It's all black," said the man, identified in court documents as Victim 6. The boy's mother reported the incident to university police and it was investigated but no charges were filed. The man testified that he had continued to have contact with Sandusky. He sent Sandusky emailed Fathers Day and Thanksgiving Day greetings in 2009. The man said the email was one he had sent to all those on his list of friends. When defense attorney Joe Amendola asked the witness, "Did the change in your attitude have anything to do with hiring an attorney and thinking that there might be some financial gain for you?," the man answered: "Zero."

'I WISH I WERE DEAD' Ronald Schreffler, a former Penn State University detective who investigated the incident, said that in agreement with the boy's mother he and another officer eavesdropped on her when she confronted Sandusky about it. "During the course of the conversation, Mr. Sandusky made the statement, 'I wish I could get forgiveness, I know I won't get it from you. I wish I were dead,'" Schreffler testified. He said he and an investigator for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare met Sandusky, and Schreffler told him he should not shower with boys again. Sandusky agreed and said he had used "bad judgment," Schreffler said. The case, which has focused fresh attention in the United States to the issue of child sexual abuse, prompted the firing of university President Graham Spanier and head football coach Joe Paterno, record-holder for most wins by a major U.S. college football coach. Paterno died of lung cancer in January. The seventh alleged victim to testify said that he had slept overnight at Sandusky's house about 50 times over a three-year period from 1998 to 2001. He said he had met Sandusky at a Second Mile event.

The witness said he slept all but one time in the basement and the coach often would get into bed with him and tickle, blow on his stomach, kiss his shoulders and sometimes touched his penis, giving him an erection. "At that point I would roll over and try to get away from him. I knew I wasn't supposed to have one in front of a man," said the man, known in court documents as Victim 3. He also went to work out at Penn State with Sandusky a few times. They showered together, and the coach bear-hugged him from front and back and soaped him, including on his buttocks, he said. The man said he was living with his mother and younger brother at the time. When he was placed in group homes and then foster care, he said he never heard from Sandusky again. Under cross examination by Amendola, the witness admitted inconsistencies in his testimony, such as not telling a grand jury in 2011 that Sandusky had soaped his buttocks or kissed his shoulders. He also had told the grand jury he had stayed at Sandusky's home a number of times in the upper 20s, not 50 as he testified on Thursday. Reuters' policy is not to identify TWO page 12

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Romney Fires First ShotOn Economy in Ohio Duel (FOXNews.com)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:20:11 PM

â&#x20AC;˘ President Obama and Mitt Romney are shown here at campaign events on June 12, 2012. AP Battling toe-to-toe for the first time, Mitt Romney leap-frogged President Obama in dueling economic speeches Thursday to Ohio voters, and ripped his opponent's record on jobs growth and an American economy stuck in neutral. The president, countering in an economic address of his own moments later, claimed that Romney's economic prescriptions would signal a return to policies that set the stage for the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession. He alleged Romney's policies would mirror those of the George W. Bush administration. The two speeches in one of the most critical of battleground states -- with Romney speaking from Cincinnati, and Obama from Cleveland -- marked the closest thing yet to a general election debate. Each candidate described the other as disastrous for the country's economic future. In Cincinnati, Romney preempted the president after initially being scheduled to begin

his speech a few minutes after Obama. Instead, Romney started early -- getting the jump on the president's speech to offer his own rebuttal in advance. Romney said Obama was delivering the economic address "because he hasn't delivered a recovery for the economy." "He's going to be a person of

eloquence as he describes his plans for making the economy better, but don't forget -- he's been president for three and a half years, and talk is cheap. Action speaks very loud," he said. Romney accused Obama of pushing policies that are bad for business. "Let's go through them one by one," he said. "Failed

stimulus; ObamaCare resulted in fewer hires; Dodd-Frank hurt banks' ability to lend, especially to small businesses; failed energy policy." Romney outlined a three-point plan for what he'd do first if elected -- improve domestic energy production, get rid of the health care overhaul and reduce

the deficit. Obama, in a lengthy address that lasted nearly an hour, spoke to his goals for a second term in broad strokes. He did not offer new jobs proposals, but stressed what he described as fundamental differences between his vision and ROMNEY page 15

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Data points to soft U.S. economy, possible Fed action (Reuters: Top News)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:25:24 PM

Jobseekers stand in line to attend the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. career fair held by the New York State department of Labor in New York April 12, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson By Jason Lange WASHINGTON| Thu Jun 14, 2012 4:25pm EDT (Reuters) - New claims for U.S. state jobless benefits rose for the fifth time in six weeks and consumer prices fell in May, opening the door wider for the U.S. Federal Reserve to help an economy that shows signs of weakening. Though the data released on Thursday showed only a small increase in claims last week, it undermined hopes that a recent slowdown in hiring would prove temporary. "There is very little sign of life," said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer of Hugh Johnson Advisors in Albany, New York. "The economy as measured by employment conditions has

slowed and there doesn't appear to be any change when you look at the claims numbers." New claims rose by 6,000 last week, the Labor Department said. Claims have been trending higher since February, which may have marked a turning point for the U.S. economy. Every month since then, employers have cut back on new hiring. The slackening U.S. recovery and a worsening debt crisis in Europe have increased expectations of a further easing of monetary policy by the Fed, although economists are divided on whether the central bank will act when it holds it meets on Tuesday and Wednesday. FALLING PRICES The 0.3 percent drop in consumer prices in May was the sharpest decline since December 2008, and it offered the Fed more maneuvering room. U.S. gasoline prices fell 6.8 percent, the most in more than three years, the Labor Department said. The reason for the decline appears to be Europe's debt crisis,

which menaces the global economy and has pushed world oil prices lower. That amounts to something of a silver lining for the wider economy because it gives consumers more money to spend on other things. Shaky economic data has weighed on President Barack Obama's hopes of re-election in November. Obama and his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, traded blows on Thursday in dueling speeches on the economy. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said last week the main question for U.S. central bankers right now is whether the economic recovery will move forward swiftly enough to keep the labor market on an improving path. Recent signs have been worrisome. For example, retail sales contracted last month despite the drop in gasoline prices. U.S. foreclosure starts rose year-over-year in May for the first time in more than two years. "Pressure is mounting on the Fed to give the economy a shot in the

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arm," said Chris Williamson, an economist at Markit. One reason some Fed policymakers have opposed more monetary stimulus has been persistent inflation pressure outside the volatile food and energy category. Signs of that pressure were still present in May, when so-called core prices climbed 0.2 percent, matching the prior month's increase. That left core prices up 2.3 percent from a year earlier, even as the gain in overall prices slipped sharply to 1.7 percent. A combination of the worsening debt crisis in Europe and uncertainty over whether the U.S. Congress will stave off big tax increases and government spending cuts at year-end is souring business and consumer confidence. On Thursday, there were signs Europe's woes were getting worse, as Spain's 10-year bond yields hit a euro-era record of 7.0 percent. Yields above that rate have forced other struggling euroarea nations to seek an international bailout.

U.S. stocks rose and prices for U.S. treasuries fell after Reuters reported that central banks are preparing for coordinated action to provide liquidity to the financial system if needed after the Greek election on Sunday. A victory in Sunday's elections by parties in Greece opposed to austerity measures attached to its second E.U. bailout would likely send the euro zone further into crisis by pushing the country towards the currency bloc's exit door. Policymakers around the world are preparing to protect their currencies and economies from any turmoil that might arise. (Additional reporting by Lucia Mutikani in Washington and Angela Moon in New York; Editing by Padraic Cassidy and Neil Stempleman) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Obama says election will determine course of economy (Reuters: Top News)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:29:51 PM

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio June 14, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque By Laura MacInnis CLEVELAND| Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:29pm EDT (Reuters) - President Barack Obama cast his re-election battle with Mitt Romney as a clash between starkly contrasting philosophies and charged that his Republican rival would hollow out the middle class in a highstakes speech on Thursday that could set the tone for months of intense campaigning. Standing at a podium that bore the motto "Forward," Obama accused Romney of wanting to resurrect the Republican economic policies that preceded the 2008 crisis that plunged the United States into a recession from which it has not fully recovered. "We can't afford to jeopardize the future by repeating the mistakes

TWO continued from page 9

victims of sexual crimes. Testifying on Thursday afternoon, Anthony Sassano, the lead investigator for the state attorney general's office, showed photos and other records of of the past. Not now, not when cannot minimize the struggles that has eaten into U.S. economic alleged victims that were we've got so much at stake," many continue to face. Too much g r o w t h , s h o w e d s i g n s o f recovered from Sandusky's home Obama told a crowd of 1,500 at a finger-pointing could lead many w o r s e n i n g . and from papers he had c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e i n t h e to question whether the White Obama did not help his cause last abandoned at Penn State when he battleground state of Ohio. House incumbent is ducking week when he said the private retired in 1999. On a day when both candidates responsibility. sector was "doing fine" compared Amendola has said the accusers for the November 6 presidential His approval ratings have slipped w i t h s t r u g g l i n g l o c a l are out for money. He has said election spoke in Ohio, Romney to their lowest level since January g o v e r n m e n t s . that Sandusky might have acted struck first in a speech that ended - from 50 percent a month ago to Republicans say the remark inappropriately but is not a four minutes before Obama took 47 percent - because of deep shows he has little understanding molester. the stage. economic worries, wiping out of Americans' economic troubles. The trial is taking place amid a "He's been president for three and most of his lead in the presidential The Romney campaign kept up heavy media presence in the small a half years. And talk is cheap, race, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed the pressure on Thursday with a town of Bellefonte, about 10 actions speak very loud. If you on Tuesday. television ad that repeats Obama's miles northeast of State College, want to see the results of his A Gallup poll released on remark four times. site of Penn State's main campus. economic policies, look around Thursday found that two-thirds of Obama acknowledged on (Additional reporting by Matt Ohio, look around the country," A m e r i c a n s b l a m e O b a m a ' s Thursday that the comment was a Morgan; Editing by Will R o m n e y s a i d a t S e i l k o p Republican predecessor, George misstep. Dunham) I n d u s t r i e s , a C i n c i n n a t i W . B u s h , f o r t h e t r o u b l e d (Additional reporting by Sam This entry passed through the manufacturer. economy; only half pointed to Youngman in Cincinnati, Caren Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is O b a m a i s c o m i n g o f f t h e Obama. Bohan and Susan Heavey; your content and you're reading it roughest stretch of his presidency That may not be enough to W r i t i n g b y A n d y S u l l i v a n ; on someone else's site, please read since last summer's debt-ceiling counter a steady drip of bad E d i t i n g b y D o i n a C h i a c u ) the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentshowdown and his Democratic economic news that has eroded This entry passed through the only/faq.php#publishers. Five allies worry that he could lose the Obama's standing. Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is Filters recommends: Donate to e l e c t i o n i f i t i s s i m p l y a In a sign of continued weakness your content and you're reading it Wikileaks. referendum on his efforts to boost in the job market, the Labor on someone else's site, please read the shaky economy. Department said the number of the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentThe president faces a delicate Americans filing new claims for only/faq.php#publishers. Five balancing act. While he must unemployment benefits rose for Filters recommends: Donate to convince voters that the economy the fifth time in six weeks. Wikileaks. is headed in the right direction, he Europe's economic crisis, which

UPDATE 1-Golf-Woods on the prowl, Thompson leads U.S. Open (Sports News Headlines Yahoo! News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:43:41 PM

* Thompson the surprise leader after firing a 66 * Woods trails by three after first round at Olympic (Updates after Woods cards a 69)

SAN FRANCISCO, June 14 (Reuters) - Tiger Woods movedominously into his favourite territory on Thursday,

clawing hisway into contention ... with a one-under-par 69 in tough scoringconditions to lie three shots off the early U.S. Open lead.

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Heads Up: HBO Sorry For Bush-on-a-Stick Stunt (FOXNews.com)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:20:11 PM

• LOS ANGELES – In the same week that HBO is premiering a documentary about President George H.W. Bush, it has been revealed that the network’s popular drama “Game of Thrones” used a modeled head of his son President George W. Bush in a grisly decapitation scene. The tenth episode of season one “Game of Thrones," now out on DVD, features the younger Bush’s head on a stake, and notes that his head appears in a “couple of beheading scenes,” according to commentary on the “Game of Thrones” DVD. The show creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss state that George W. Bush’s was used as physical inspiration to create a head for a scene in which King Joffrey shows Sansa Stark her deceased father’s head on a stick. “It’s not a choice, not a political statement!” one of the writers insisted during the DVD commentary. “We just had to use what heads we had around.”

it “clever.” HBO is owned by Time-Warner, the same network which owns CNN. • Print • Email • Share • Comments • Recommend • Tweet Related Images • Screen grab from Season One of 'Game of Thrones' DVD. (HBO) Related Stories'Checks and the City'? President Obama fundraising at Sarah Jessica Parker's NYC home Share This Article Newsletter Signup HBO did not respond to our statement. not have. We meant no disrespect Sign up for free e-mail news request for comment, but as “We use a lot of prosthetic body to the former President and alerts from FoxNews.com and outrage mounted Wednesday, parts on the show: heads, arms, apologize if anything we said or FoxBusiness.com. Newsletter Signup they released a statement saying etc. We can’t afford to have these did suggested otherwise.” they were "deeply dismayed to all made from scratch, especially Several people on social media This entry passed through the see this and find it unacceptable, in scenes where we need a lot of sites called for a boycott of HBO, Full-Text RSS service — if this is disrespectful and in very bad them, so we rent them in bulk," calling the “Thrones” move your content and you're reading it taste." HBO also said the scene the statement read. "After the “uncool” and an example of on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentwould be removed from future scene was already shot, someone “lamestream media.” DVD pressings. pointed out that one of the heads However, others on Twitter gave only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to READ: HBO's full apology. looked like George W. Bush. In the impaling act the thumbs up. The producers also did an about t h e D V D c o m m e n t a r y , w e “No wonder I love this show,” Wikileaks. face, kind of, releasing their own mentioned this, though we should tweeted one, while another called

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The Google Doodle Honor To America You Won't See (FOXNews.com)

• • • • • •

Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:20:11 PM

• June 14, 2012: Microsoft's Bing search engine adopted a patriotic flag motif backgroun Thursday in celebration of Flag Day. Google's search engine appears to ignore the holiday. June 14 is Flag Day, a national holiday celebrating the Stars and Stripes since 1949. But don’t ask Google about it. The search giant is known for its colorful, interactive logos for everything from the 78th birthday of the inventor of the Moog synthesizer to Earth Day to the anniversary of Pac-Man. But for Flag Day, the company was presenting visitors with nothing but its usual site, declining to play up the red and blue in its logo. Even Google users noticed the omission. "You create elaborate doodle's for random holidays like when the Ferris wheel was created, but Memorial Day and Flag Day are totally disregarded," wrote one user on Google's message boards.

"Memorial Day at least got a little baby Flag with a ribbon at the bottom of the page. But today, there's nothing?" Meanwhile, Microsoft fully embraced the national holiday, with a colorful background that shows Old Glory in all its glory: a colorful display of fluttering flags against the backdrop of Rockefeller Center. Bing’s homepage carries boxes that allow the curious websurfer

to find out more about whatever holiday, event, thing or whatever the page is highlighting. In this case, facts about both the Rockefeller Center setting and the Flag Day event that prompted the picture. “After the United States gained independence, it took nearly one whole year to decide on the first design for our country’s flag,” Bing notes. “It’s changed over the years, but don’t you think we

Related Stories Drone mistaken for ‘UFO,’ creates panic on DC highway Can Western Digital fix your wireless network woes? Another suicide at Apple-linked manufacturing plant in China Distant human ancestor had shark head Share This Article Newsletter Signup Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com. Newsletter Signup ended up with a grand one?” This entry passed through the The last few words are linked to a Full-Text RSS service — if this is search page with information on your content and you're reading it Flag Day. on someone else's site, please read O n T u e s d a y , G o o g l e d i d the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contenthighlight national pride, however: only/faq.php#publishers. Five a doodle presented on some local Filters recommends: Donate to versions of the site honored Wikileaks. Russia Day. June 12 was also highlighted regionally as Independence Day in the Philippines. Flag Day, not so much.

Torre to manage USA at World Baseball Classic (Sports News Headlines Yahoo! News)

Joe Torre is returning to the dugout next year — to manage the United States at the World

Baseball Classic.

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ROMNEY continued from page 10

that of the Republicans. Obama accused Romney and congressional Republicans of pushing plans for less regulation and lower taxes for the wealthy that would repeat what he effectively described as a failed experiment during the Bush administration. "It would push us deeper into recession and make the recovery slower," Obama said. "We've tried this. ... Their policies did not grow the economy. "Why would we think that they would work better this time?" he asked. Obama said he wants to devote a second term to improving education, clean energy and infrastructure and reforming the tax code in a "balanced" way. He tried to shed the image of a biggovernment Democrat, saying he's determined to address the deficit - and does not believe more regulation is the answer to America's problems. The president is trying to recover from a raft of bad economic news and campaign setbacks, and try to lift his campaign above the day-to -day controversies to outline the thematic differences between his

vision and his opponent's. He's been under steady attack in recent days by Republicans for slipping and saying the private sector's "doing fine" during a press conference -- Obama made reference to that comment Thursday. "Over the next five months, this election will take many twists and many turns, polls will go up and polls will go down. There will be no shortage of gaffes and controversies that keep both campaigns busy and give the press something to write about," he said. "You may have heard recently I made my own unique contribution to that process." Romney tweaked Obama again on his gaffe Thursday, releasing a TV ad highlighting it and saying during his address: "If you think the private sector is doing fine, then he's the guy to vote for." Romney also criticized Obama's domestic energy policy, saying he made it harder to drill for coal, wrongly curtailed offshore drilling and failed to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline. "You don't even need to ask people about that one," Romney said before a crowd of roughly 200 at

the rally at Seilkop Industries. "If I have to build it myself, I'll get that oil in from Canada to America." • Print • Email • Share • Comments • Recommend • Tweet Related Opinion Is bad news on ObamaCare good political news for Obama? Share This Article Newsletter Signup Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com. Newsletter Signup This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Epoch Times | National, World, China, Sports, Entertainment News (Epoch Times | National, World, China, Sports, Entertainment News)

Top Stories The Chinese regime on Thursday confirmed it gave a forced abortion to a seven-months pregnant woman, which drew the ire of Chinese netizens. The European Parliament adopted a resolution Wednesday calling on United Nations member states to publicly disclose all arms trade deals, including reporting on small arms and [...] On June 13, the Hong Kongbased Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy (ICHRD) revealed that during his time in jail, the recently deceased Chinese democracy activist and

dissident Li Wangyang was imprisoned for long periods of time in the [...] Mexico in recent years has made great strides forward but are report says the country has a blockades to overcome to become "developed." Japanese reports on Wednesday suggest China shipped four military launcher vehicles to North Korea, going against the U.N. Security Council. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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As Crisis Gathers, Northern Mali Needs More Than Just Military Intervention (World Politics Review: Articles)

the upper hand. The MNLA suffers from a lack of fighters and Submitted at 6/14/2012 5:33:00 AM weapons, while Ansar Dine Since April, when two Tuareg benefits from the support of alrebel groups drove government Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb forces out of northern Mali, the (AQIM), which has formally put situation in the sparsely populated all its fighters and resources at the region has steadily worsened. The command of Ansar Dine leader lightning advance of the National Iyad Ag Ghali. The Islamist group Movement for the Liberation of has now taken control of most of the Azawad (MNLA), which the rebel-occupied towns and seeks independence for the begun to enforce orthodox Sharia Tuareg homeland, and Ansar law, destroying establishments Dine, which has an Islamist serving alcohol and Islamic agenda, triggered a coup of s h r i n e s n o t c o n f o r m i n g t o disgruntled junior officers against o r t h o d o x p r a c t i c e s . . . . President Amadou Toumai Touré, This entry passed through the with the resulting political Full-Text RSS service — if this is instability in Bamako leaving the your content and you're reading it army incapacitated and the rebels on someone else's site, please read the effective rulers of roughly half the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentthe country’s territory. only/faq.php#publishers. Five Though the two groups worked Filters recommends: Donate to together to launch the rebellion, Wikileaks. Ansar Dine has gradually taken

Spiked Donut Pops - The Brit & Co. Blog Shows How to Make an Alcohol-Infused Treat (TrendHunter.com) (TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends) Submitted at 6/14/2012 11:24:02 AM

( TrendHunter.com) These clever bite-sized treats from the Brit &

Co. blog are a combination of a popular north american dessert known as donuts, along with a smooth spike of coffee-flavored alcohol. This super...

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With Mamata Banerjee on collision Series of MPs course, a hapless Congress looks to admit to suffering mental illness for divide ... - Economic Times (Nation - Google News) Congress chief and Samajwadi the first time Party leader Mulayam Singh including ... Yadav to... The Hindu Trinamool now bats for Kalam Daily Mail With Mamata Banerjee on Deccan Herald Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:43:35 PM

collision course, a hapless Congress looks to divide... Economic Times NEW DELHI: With Mamata Banerjee on collision course with the Congress, the grand old party's leadership is banking on driving a wedge between the newly-formed alliance of the Trinamool

Why bracket Pranab with Hamid Ansari, asks SP The Hindu Presidential poll: Cong blames Mamata for the mess IBNLive.com Times of India- Hindustan Times - Zee News all 1,424 news articles »

Only through work will we beat the poverty trap - Telegraph.co.uk (Nation - Google News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:47:10 PM

Telegraph.co.uk Only through work will we beat the poverty trap Telegraph.co.uk The fixation on hitting the poverty target meant that more and more was poured into the welfare budget. By Telegraph View The number of children living in poverty in Britain fell by almost a third of a million last

year. A cause for celebration? Iain Duncan Smith's fact-free dogma will make many more children poor The Guardian (blog) Iain Duncan-Smith: Child poverty has decreased due to lower UK incomes Metro Child poverty down as household income drops BBC News The Press Association- The Independent- Daily Mail all 104 news articles »

(Nation - Google News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:50:06 PM

Daily Mail Series of MPs admit to suffering mental illness for the first time including... Daily Mail By Daniel Martin A series of MPs have spoken out for the first time about how they are suffering from debilitating mental illness. They opened the lid on their experiences of conditions including obsessive-compulsive disorder and postnatal depression. Mental health problems no longer a bar to becoming an MP The Guardian MPs reveal mental illness battles The Press Association MPs reveal their battles with depression Telegraph.co.uk The Independent- BBC NewsMorning Star Online all 14 news articles »

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Audit to reveal state Baden-Clay bail bid to be heard next of state's finances week - ABC Online ABC Online (Nation - Google News)

(Nation - Google News)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:11:47 PM

Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:51:08 PM

charged with the murder of Allison... Gerard Baden-Clay spends first Telegraph.co.uk night in jail Ninemsn Baden-Clay bail bid to be heard Estate agent in custody as wife's next week murder denied Warrnambool ABC Online Standard Lawyers for a Brisbane man Baden-Clay spends first night in accused of killing his wife are jail Herald Sun working on a bail case to be heard The Australian- Courier Mailin the Supreme Court next week. The Daily Telegraph Gerard Baden-Clay, 41, appeared all 631 news articles » briefly in the Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday

Brisbane Times Audit to reveal state of state's finances ABC Online The State Government will receive an interim report today into the state of Queensland's finances. The Government commissioned former Federal Treasurer Peter Costello to head the audit in a bid to fast track debt

reduction. Premier Campbell Newman has... Qld debt will hit $92bn in four years Brisbane Times Qld debt will hit $92 b in four years Sky News Australia Newman Government to be urged to rein in budget with Queensland's debt headed... Courier Mail The Australian all 49 news articles »

Smith flags Royal New test at temple of Commission into Defence sex engineering causes uproar abuse claims - ABC Online - Business Standard (Nation - Google News)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:52:10 PM

The Age Smith flags Royal Commission into Defence sex abuse claims ABC Online The Federal Government is considering a Royal Commission into physical and sexual abuse in the Defence Force after the ABC aired shocking revelations about military culture. When the review

was released in March this year it was heavily censored,... Defence Minister denies cover-up NEWS.com.au ADF brutality report: Senior officers suspected of carrying out horrific abuse Perth Now Report highlights abuse in military Hepburn Advocate The Australian- Herald SunBigPond News all 54 news articles »

(Nation - Google News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:47:33 PM

India Today New test at temple of engineering causes uproar Business Standard Should board exam results be factored in for admission to an IIT? Who gets to decide? These are the key issues fanning the flames of this debate A firestorm of controversy has engulfed one

of the pillars of the Indian education system—one that's... Senate meeting on reforms likely to be held on June 27 Hindustan Times IIT delegation hopeful of rollback decision Daily Pioneer IIT faculty seek common entrance test rollback IBNLive.com NDTV- Economic Times all 131 news articles »

Now,monsoon to arrive by Monday: Met Indian Express (Nation - Google News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:32:21 PM

IBNLive.com Now,monsoon to arrive by Monday: Met Indian Express The south-west monsoon, which was expected to reach Mumbai by Friday, has been delayed further. However, conditions are favourable for it to arrive in the city by Monday, the Met department said. On Wednesday, the monsoon finally advanced from its... 50% below normal rains in 2nd week Business Standard Monsoon 50 pct below average in 2nd week Firstpost 50% deficient monsoon in past one week Economic Times Hindustan Times- IBNLive.com all 41 news articles »

£140bn to kickstart stagnant economy Robert Winnett (Finance News Business news from the UK and world) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:00:47 PM

Chancellor's scheme involves BoE offering money to high-street banks to kick-start mortgage and small business lending.

World News/ Technology/ Culture/

Leveson: No smoking guns – but an awkward day for Cameron - The Guardian (Nation - Google News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:23:03 PM

The Guardian Leveson: No smoking guns – but an awkward day for Cameron The Guardian A few trade unionists staged a protest as David Cameron's Jaguar swept into the forecourt of the Royal Courts of Justice, though the day lacked the charged atmosphere of 2003 when Tony

Blair appeared before the Hutton inquiry. Brooks told Cameron: We're in this together Telegraph.co.uk Cameron's 22 memory lapses at Leveson The Independent Cameron on display at Leveson inquiry Financial Times Platform Online- The Press Association- Sky News all 1,855 news articles »

Over-Sized Medication Cups The Prescription Coffee Mug Gives You Your Daily Save That Empty Dose of Caffeine (TrendHunter.com) Peanut Butter Jar (TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends) Submitted at 6/14/2012 11:46:02 AM

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Time turns page on iPad subscriptions Bridget Carey (CNET News)

which Time is one of the five publishers involved. It's a Netflix model for magazines: pay a Skype's got ads, Vizio's got PCs, monthly price, and get unlimited and we got issues (a whole access to dozens of titles. It's now Newsstand full of 'em): on Android, but promises to be Time Inc. has had a change of coming soon to the iPad. heart with Apple and will now In other news, Skype is adding b e g i n s e l l i n g m a g a z i n e display ads during free calls made subscriptions through iPad's on Windows computers. It's just Newsstand app. Previous apps for for audio calls, not video chats. Time Inc. magazines, like Sports Twitter is adding story previews Illustrated, only allowed for one when you click to display more issue to be purchased at a time. It information on a tweet. Some also gave print subscribers free tweets will show the first few access. lines in a story as well as images. Last year, Time Inc. opposed Cellphone maker Nokia is in how Apple handled subscriptions, trouble. It has to cut 10,000 jobs such as taking a 30 percent cut of by the end of next year. sales and not releasing data on Vizio, which is known for its subscribers. But since then, Apple televisions, is unveiling details has lets readers opt-in to share about it's dive into computers with their subscription data with a new line of all-in-one desktops publishers. And Time Inc.'s new and laptops. The desktop can also chief executive pushed to make be used as a television. We got a iOS subscriptions happen. first look at the devices from the It's a sign that being on the iPad Consumer Electronics Show in is vital for today's magazines. But January. despite Apple's dominance, The My Xbox Live app for iOS publishers have been innovative just got a new twist. You can use in delivering subscriptions on the app as an Xbox remote. The their own terms. Take for example controls let you load up recent the app called Next Issue, of games, skip through video and Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:38:00 PM

music files, or just poke around to navigate through content. And like before, you can still use it to check out what your friends are up to. It's like a baby step toward the Microsoft SmartGlass platform. Much like Apple's Airplay, it will let you play content from your mobile device and send it to the television using the XBox 360. Your questions and comments can make it on the show. Use Tout to message Bridget with a 15 second video reply from your webcam or smartphone camera. Or, simply post a reply video to the CNET YouTube channel. You can also send an email. Subscribe: iTunes (HD)| iTunes (320x180)| iTunes (640x360) RSS (HD)| RSS (320x180)| RSS (640x360) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Out Of Africa — A Whole MEST Of Startups Emerges In Ghana Mike Butcher (TechCrunch)

a computer.” After that two year training period around 5 startup ideas are Growing up as an adopted selected to pitch to potential Korean boy in the cold climes of investors, many of them visiting Norway, Jorn Lyseggen would form the US, and the successful have had no idea that one day he ones are incubated as startup w o u l d b e s p e a r h e a d i n g a companies for another year. The technology renaissance in the average funding request is for less sweltering heat of a West African than $90,000 to last a year. state. But having created the But why two years? Why so successful $100m-in-revenue long? Meltwater SAAS company, which “We think it takes time to mature has made a name for itself in in your thinking. Many of our social analytics, he realised that it EiTs [though college graduates] would be for nothing if he didn’t even haven’t touched a computer “give something back”. And so before, so it takes time to become the Meltwater Entreprenerial a proficient programmer. A big School of Technology in Ghana part of it is preparing for the was born. hardship of being an Founded in February 2008 in entrepreneur,” says Lyseggen. Ghana’s capital city of Accra, The Incubation phase of the MEST, as it’s known, started out programme is where the rubber with modest aims: to take the hits the road, with graduates brightest and most willing minds afforded an opportunity to bring they could find, and put them their business ideas to life via through a rigorous two year seed funding which ranges from training programme to become between $30,000 and goes as high tech entrepreneurs. Indeed, MEST as $200,000 in return for a pre-dates Y Combinator’s most minority equity stake. recent overture to invest in people But that equity stake is is held by and ideas even before they have a t h e n o n - p r o f i t M e l t w a t e r startup idea. Foundation, meaning any returns As Lyseggen says told me in an a r e r e c y c l e d b a c k i n t o t h e interview for TCTV: “MEST is f o u n d a t i o n ’ s w o r k . the worlds earliest early stage The foundation now regular startup. We invest in people even attracts outsiders to visit and b e f o r e t h e y k n o w h o w t o lecture. In the process it’s programme or have even touched gathered a network of experienced Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:10:13 PM

tech executives, graduates and MBA students from universities such as Oxford in the UK and Stanford in the US to put their “Entrepreneurs in Training” (EITs) through their paces. The teaching faculty consists of Jim Kaubisch, a former CTO and Sun Microsystem Senior Engineer; Richard Tanksley formerly of Motorola and startups in the US and Africa; Kevin Schuster an Economics and business tutor; Maria Meier, who teaches engineering; Michael Wilson and Sam Ellis who teach business, media comms; and Rajoshi Ghosh, tech fellow at MEST who is soon to move on to launch a startup in Singapore. MEST faculty member typically work there for a year, meaning EiTs get plenty of variety in teachers. They are in turn are augmented by skype calls with experts globally, and visiting lecturers. When I was there two of those visiting lecturers were Adam Jackson, serial Valley entrepreneur and a couple of proven investors from the Valley. “The companies that pitched us from MEST compete in quality, innovation and execution with Silicon Valley, China and any other innovative tech market I’ve been to,” he told me. High praise form someone so experienced. Another who preferred to keep

his Africa trip under the radar told me: “As an investor and entrepreneur for 20 years in Silicon Valley, Asia and the Nordics, MEST’s unique approach to identifying, educating and coaching entrepreneurs produces some of the best companies I’ve ever seen in my career.” And “once MEST always MEST”. Everyone going though the programme that stays in tech remains part of the ‘family’ and able to draw on the MEST Mentor network. Lyseggen is a firm believer in talent knowing no borders, and it’s his hope that successful startups and entrepreneurs emerging form MEST will act as the inspiration for generations that follow. The first class of EITs graduated in Feb 2010, and the startups that emerged have formed the basis for the nearby MEST Incubator. But it wasn’t all plain sailing. With the new companies funded, they needed a place to work, so a building was found nearby to house them. Unfortunately, lying in the way was a huge ditch, as one often finds in Africa. But MEST graduates came up with an elegant solution: a rope bridge to connect the main MEST campus with the Incubator (as you’ll see in the

video below). Now, clearly, follow-on funding in Ghana can prove difficult. But then in an emerging economy like Ghana, the funding runway can last a while. Any graduates of the MEST programme that aren’t successful in securing seed funding to enter the Incubator are usually snapped up by Ghana’s emerging economy which, in contrast to the developed world, is growing as much as 10% a year. Luckily Ghana’s economy itself is strong. Stable government, and a booming economic built on natural resources (gold, cocoa, oil) and agriculture means it has a stable background from which newer economies like tech have the potential to merge. Perhaps unusually, MEST companies are not encouraged to generate regional ‘African’focused companies, but ones that could have global appeal. It’s an admirable approach – the low hanging fruit would simply be to clone other businesses into an African context. But that’s to what MEST is about, says Lyseggen. He admits there are limited exit opportunities for African startups at the moment, but he says that will change. Then again, why not OUT page 20

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OUT continued from page 19

just compete globally? “Software can be created anywhere so we wanted our EiTs to compete in the global marketplace,” he says. That means much bigger potential exits to bigger players outside Africa for now. That’s been borne out by the success of at least one MEST incubated company. Retail Tower is now one of 6 Amazon preferred partners, and still based within MEST in Ghana. But it’s incredibly important to understand the cultural context of what is going on here. While the EiTs and the incubated companies get the usual office space, teaching, mentoring etc, they are doing this with the huge support of their families. Because although EiT’s get three free square meals a day, they don’t get anything like a salary, just a small stipend. That means their families, who would normally expect these high -fliers to be out earning a living for the family, really do massively support their efforts to become entrepreneurs. And if you’d been to the graduation ceremony and heard the speeches by the faculty and the EiTs themselves, you’d realise as I did what a sea-change MEST is bringing to tech entrepreneurship in Africa. Indeed, you could sign up to be a visiting lecturer yourself. Here’s a run-down of this the startups MEST is currently incubating and below them, this year’s graduating companies. MEST Current Incubator Companies

ClaimSync ClaimSync says it has an end-toend system that enables healthcare service providers to compile medical claims electronically which are later submited them to insurance companies for processing. The ClaimSync platform seeks to reduce the high administrative and labor costs, delays in reimbursements and data entry errors associated with manual processing of paper claims. They are in an interesting space: GoHealth recently landed$50 million for its health insurance comparison shopping engine. Leti Games Leti Games set out to develop single player and massive multiplayer online role playing games. If you wanted to find the Stan Lee of Africa, you might be in the right place. Leti’s games are targeted at both casual and serious mobile gamers globally. They are aiming at smartphone – booming in Africa and tablets. Nandi Mobile NandiMobile develops tech to enable businesses to leverage the high mobile penetration in Africa for better customer relationships. Its enterprise solutions includes Gripeline and Infoline. Gripeline is for customer engagement via mobile, and Infoline enables businesses to providerelevant information that can be accessed by SMS. Retail Tower Counts Amazon as a customer, Retail Tower provides software solutions to online retailers,

allowing them to manage their inventory across multiple channels from one platform. It automates data feed submission, monitors competitor pricing and product reviews on these channels, and allows merchants to measure and optimise their ROI for each sales channel. Saya Mobile This could be the WhatsApp for Africa. Saya smartly offers offers a mobile group messaging platform for both feature phones (huge in Africa still) and smart phone users. Saya’s application is cross platform and is roughly a thousand times cheaper than SMS because it uses data. Saya connects users through their phone book and facebook contact list. Streemio Streemio is a mobile music, adsupported streaming service providing on-demand access to music on the mobile. Launching in Ghana first, Streemio aspires to be a successful Africa-wide service Dropifi Dropifi is a messaging platform that seeks to bridge the relationship gap between visitors to a website and the business owners. Most web sites have a contact form which is dumb, just sending an email. Dropifi is a smart contact form which extracts the right data. Very much aimed at small businesses. MEST Graduating companies Oyyah Think of this as a kind of Dropbox for your most recent

files. People want to access their recent files across their devices. This is effectively a browserbased system allowing access to files (Documents, PDFs, MP3 etc) across devices. Oyyah doesn’t use folders so the last file you worked on it alway at the top. But instead of competing with Dropbox, Oyyah is a complimentary service and works with that an others such as Skydrive, SugarSync etc. Although the model is to charge for extra storage. AdsBrook AdsBrook is aiming to be the web and mobile ad network for Africa. Right now African advertisers want to reach their local audience through new and targeted channels while web and app publishers want to monetize. The African Internet Advertising Market is worth, on some estimates, to be $2.9 billion. And although their competition is numerous in the form of TwiPine, Inmobi, Google and BuzzCity, AdsBrook hopes its lean and mean approach (it has only two staff) will be able to get some decent market share. Its already run numerous ad campaigns and signed up clients such as local publisher SpyGhana among 44 other publishers and 22 advertisers. NevaHold NevaHold is a service that allows consumers to request roduct and service support on the go from brands. The idea is that they charge companies to keep track of the problems. IN that respect it’s not unlike similar startups Gripe,

and Gripevine. However the interface is pretty good, the site already has a few thousand users and its has already had enquiries form Delta Airlines and Dell. FreelancePRo.me The problem with trying to source freelancers is that there are now a proliferation of platforms. There’s now Elance, Freelancer.com, PeoplePerHour, Guru.com and more. The market is a mess. But it’s not getting any smaller. According to Evalueserve the online freelance market size will double in size from $1 billion now to $2 billion by 2015. And the recession means that demand for contract workers is up more than 60 since 2010 according to an Elance report. The solution of course of to aggregate the content on these freelance profile site instantly solving a problem for employers who can’t spent a lot of time trawling through freelance profiles on multiple sites, and for the freelancers who wout rather just update one site. That’s what FreelancePRo.me aims to do. It’s Natural markets are of course the UK, US and India. Mpawa.com Mpawa is a natural for Africa. Africa has millions of blue collar workers and a high turnover of jobs, but few systems to match employees with employers. There’s an estimated 422 million strong market in Africa for such a platform. But there’s no central location to find workers. So starting in Ghana, where there is a OUT page 22

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Technology/

Nokia Versus Android: Death by a Thousand Cuts Dan Rowinski (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:13:00 PM

Nokia's announcement today that it will cut nearly 10,000 jobs over the next 18 months comes as little surprise. Nokia has problems. More precisely, the company has an Android problem. Google’s proxy army has encircled the Finnish cell phone giant and is slowing killing it with a thousand - make that a million - cuts. Can Nokia stave off the robot army to reclaim leadership in mobile handsets? Problem: The High End Nokia was late to the high-end smartphone market. It did not immediately recognize that the iPhone Apple released in 2007 would usher in a new era of mobile computing. Nokia started to create its own operating system, Maemo, to battle on the high end. Maemo eventually merged with Intel’s Moblin and became MeeGo, which is now called Tizen and not associated with Nokia at all. (To date, only a handful of devices have ever been built with MeeGo/Tizen.) Nokia had reached a dead end. But the iPhone was just a harbinger of Nokia’s dire situation. The company's real undoing has been the rise of Android. This is where Google’s proxy army, its manufacturing partners, comes into play.

Nokia has had to battle NOKIA page 22 several

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NOKIA continued from page 21

giants in its effort to secure a beachhead in top-of-line smartphones and consumer mindshare. The generals of Google’s army – Samsung, HTC and Motorola – all outsell Nokia’s top devices. Each comes with a unique Android offering, including Samsung’s Galaxy S series, Motorola’s Droid and Atrix, and HTC’s Evo, Bionic and One series. When Android went on the march in 2009, Nokia did not have a single product to battle these stalwarts. In 2011, Nokia partnered with Microsoft to create high-end Windows Phone devices. The company had several choices: build with MeeGo, partner with Microsoft or join Google’s army. If it had chosen an alliance with Google, it would have immediately become Google’s biggest partner, even bigger than Samsung, a company that has taken over Nokia’s longstanding spot as the world’s largest cell phone maker. Instead, it chose Microsoft. That decision was akin to starting over. Nokia had to start fresh while Google’s generals pumped high-end device after high-end device into the market and Apple continued to gain market share. The first Windows Phone device from Nokia was not released until

November 2011 (Lumia 800) and the first device to compete on the top of the market (Lumia 900) did not come to the United States until April 2012. Herein lies the rub for Nokia. While high-end devices may be only a portion of the worldwide smartphone market, they drive growth in all markets. If you are going to be successful, you need to be successful first with great devices in the markets that will promote them, mostly the U.S. and Western Europe. Top devices get the most marketing dollars, get the most people talking and push sales to their manufacturers' other devices. The high-end device is a showcase for a company’s entire product line. Nokia simply did not have a device worthy of competing with the Galaxy S, Evo or iPhone for several years. The devices it has released since the fall of 2011 have been nice but not groundbreaking, and far between. Problem: The Low End In a famous “burning platform” letter to the company’s employees in February 2011, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop observed that Asian manufacturers were able to compete with Nokia solely on price. “At the lower-end price range, Chinese OEMs are cranking out a

OUT continued from page 20

high mobile penetration, Mpawa there’s probably plenty of room plans to charge employers for for a startup liked his. filling vacancies. Althugh there are competitors such as MKazi,

device much faster than, as one Nokia employee said only partially in jest, the time that it takes us to polish a PowerPoint presentation.’ They are fast, they are cheap, and they are challenging us,” Elop wrote. As the world moves from dumbphones to smartphones, Nokia’s global situation has become increasingly precarious. The changing ecosystem means that Nokia’s feature phones are not selling as well as they used to. Meanwhile, its pseudo-smart platform, Symbian, does not hold a candle to iOS or Android. The lieutenants in Google’s army are rapidly eroding Nokia’s base in emerging markets. Manufacturers like ZTE and Huawei can crank out low-end Android smartphones on a monthly basis. The dominant player is Samsung, which battles at both high and low ends. Symbian does not stand a chance against this wave of soldiers. It is outnumbered, outgunned and outthought on a global scale. Solution: Consolidation and Focus And this is the tight corner in which Nokia finds itself. It is being pinched from above and below with a dying platform (Symbian) and an unproven one (Windows Phone). Nokia needs to

become leaner and precisionfocused on carving out niches in these markets before it is swallowed. That, more or less, is what Nokia announced it is doing. Here are the steps the company is undertaking to address its crumbling sales and the competitive position: • Reductions in research and development, resulting in the planned closure of facilities in Ulm, Germany, and Burnaby, Canada. • Consolidation of manufacturing operations, resulting in the planned closure of a manufacturing facility in Salo, Finland. Research and development efforts in Salo to continue. • Refocusing of marketing and sales to prioritize key markets. Elop today said during a conference call that Nokia needs to “compete with Android aggressively.” To do that, it must develop not just one great Windows Phone in the United States, but several. The Lumia 900 is a good device, but it is available only through AT&T. Nokia needs at least one major device on every U.S. carrier and then a mid-range device that spendthrifts will look to if the top phone proves too expensive. And

it means teaming with Microsoft (which has said it will help) to create Windows Phones that are available across the world at entry -level prices. In short, Nokia needs to copy everything that Samsung has done with the Galaxy series and do it quickly. This is a weird position for Nokia. It is not used to copying anybody else’s market strategy nor taking their lead in smartphone design. But Nokia is no longer the incumbent. It is the underdog and needs to disrupt in the same way it has been disrupted. Will any of this work? It all comes down to whether or not smartphone users adopt Windows Phone. Consumers benefit from a strong Nokia because it keeps the Android manufacturers on their toes, fighting an enemy that does not make the iPhone. The entire mobile ecosystem would benefit from a strong third player in the market. Right now, it is just Android and Apple with Nokia/ Windows Phone and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry scratching for a toehold amid the onslaught.

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Technology/

BRAVEN 600 Bluetooth speaker: Stylish, powerful, and it could be yours Steven Sande (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)

a phone call comes in. With this speaker, there was just an abrupt jump to the ringtone. Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:00:00 PM As I only had one BRAVEN 600 Today is the day that BRAVEN's to play with, I wasn't able to test new SIX series of Bluetooth the daisy-chaining capability. speakers hits the market, and in However, I think it would be case you're curious about this new incredible to listen to music from noisemaker, we've got a full a pair (or more) of these speakers. review for you right here. Be sure I liked the fact that I could press to stick around until the end of the and hold the volume buttons on post, because you can enter to win the speaker to have them act as a new BRAVEN 600(US$149.99) previous / next buttons when of your very own. Design shuffling through music or The BRAVEN 600 is a playing a playlist. Conclusion multitasker. Not only is it a BRAVEN's new SIX series of Bluetooth wireless speaker that Bluetooth speakers looks like it can be daisy-chained to other will be a winner. The BRAVEN members of the SIX series, but it capability, and turning the speaker turned off). Next, you press and kicks, yet treble tones don't get 600 is joined by the 625S (shockhas a built-in 1400 mAh battery on and off. hold the speakerphone button for lost in the process. I listened to a resistant, has a built-in LED pack for charging up your iPhone Gallery: BRAVEN 600 Bluetooth five seconds. The BRAVEN 600 variety of tunes from my iPhone, flashlight, made for outdoor use) when it's running low. It's also a Speaker and the 650 ($189.99, more appears on the iPhone's list of and all sounded great. speakerphone, and it packs all of All of this is packaged into a Bluetooth devices, and you tap the On the other hand, I wasn't as capable than the 600). I'm actually this functionality into a nice- clear plexiglas box with amazing device name to pair the two. The impressed with the speakerphone sad that I have to give this away looking anodized aluminum case. shelf appeal. Inside that box is a BRAVEN 600 also appears on the capability. According to my to a TUAW reader, but it's a That case can come in either charging cable, an AC adapter the list of AirPlay devices. As fellow TUAW blogger Erica product that I would happily mountain ash (kind of a nice size of the one that comes with expected, this Bluetooth device Sadun, it sounded like I was spend $150 on. silvery tone) or bright Moab red. the iPhone, and a daisy-chaining works well when paired with a talking with a bagful of cotton Pros On one end of the case is a USB cable. Charging the BRAVEN Mac. It appears as both audio balls in my mouth. That was what • Excellent build quality and port for powering your favorite 600 takes about four hours. output and input devices. she sounded like to me as well -- design electronic device, an audio out Functionality After that, it's time enjoy your the iPhone's built-in speaker • Music / movie sound quality is port, and a battery check button. Pairing the BRAVEN 600 with music, and you will enjoy it phone provides much better sound impressive At the other end is an audio in an iPhone is an easy process; you thoroughly. As opposed to many quality for phone calls. I also • Built-in battery pack can charge port (used in conjunction with the simply slide a toggle up to turn of the Bluetooth speakers I've w a s n ' t t o o h a p p y w i t h t h e mobile devices output port for daisy-chaining), a Bluetooth on, after which the t e s t e d o v e r t h e y e a r , t h e BRAVEN 600's abrupt handling • Speakers can be daisy-chained micro-USB port for charging the speaker emits a rather impressive BRAVEN 600 actually sounds of the call. Many Bluetooth for even more volume BRAVEN 600, and buttons for synthesized tone to get your like an audiophile-quality speaker. systems I've tested, both for cars • Easy Bluetooth pairing process; turning the volume up or down, attention (there's another tone There's a lot of depth to the sound and home, do a nice job of fading BRAVEN page 29 e n a b l i n g t h e s p e a k e r p h o n e indicating that Bluetooth has been from this device; the bass really out of music that is playing when

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Apple's Opportunity: Disrupt the Credit Card Business Kevin Kelleher (ReadWriteWeb)

World Wide Developers Conference (the announcement starts about 93 minutes into the Apple has never been shy about keynote address.) Passbook bringing change to complacent aggregates a variety of consumerindustries. Its products have retail items such as digital reinvented music distribution, coupons, stored-value cards, mobile phones and, with its new loyalty points, movie tickets and mapping app, GPS navigation boarding passes into an easy-todevices in cars. It may be time for navigate app. It doesn't handle a new sector to sound the alarm: credit card transactions. However, Apple appears to be maneuvering it should be a relatively trivial itself into position to challenge matter to link Passbook to the Visa and Mastercard like no iTunes account that every iPhone company has before. or iPad owner must set up before The prospect has intrigued downloading music or apps to analysts for a while. In May, JP their Apple devices. (For more on Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz the current state of Passbook, see floated the idea of “ iPay,” a Don't Call Apple's New Passbook hypothetical mobile-payment Feature an E-Wallet - Yet.) platform that Apple was in In the keynote, Apple revealed a position to develop. Although statistic that hints at its potential Moskowitz saw no evidence of an to shake up the consumer-credit iPay platform in the works, he industry: The company has 400 was optimistic that Apple would million active accounts in iTunes, move in that direction, given that each with a valid credit card the Apple Store app - which lets number. Four-hundred million is a shoppers check themselves out of substantial number, an installed an Apple Store with their iPhones base that any online-payment – was a small step in that system would love to have (hello, direction. Google Wallet!). Using near-field This week, Apple took another communications, in time the step toward mobile payments iPhone could replace the plastic when it introduced its Passbook credit-card as the way iPhone app for iOS devices at the annual users pay for lattes, groceries or Submitted at 6/14/2012 11:10:00 AM

banks to strengthen it. impulse buys. In short, iTunes Would Apple take such a radical may be about to graduate from a step? There are good reasons for way of buying apps and music to Apple to create its own iPay-style a way of buying all kinds of p l a t f o r m . I t w o u l d l e t t h e company keep for itself the things. That could only be good for Visa money it pays to Visa and and MasterCard, right? After all, Mastercard in transaction fees. the credit card processors would And it could expand its core benefit from an increased volume hardware business with a new of transactions. But they may not p r o d u c t l i n e : p o i n t - o f - s a l e be entirely pleased with an terminals for millions of cafes, increased volume of transactions restaurants and retail shops. from Apple, given the way iTunes On the other hand, creating an handles payments for 99-cent iPay platform that bypasses credit apps and $9.99 albums. Apple card companies is fraught with aggregates purchases made over complexities and obstacles. Few s e v e r a l d a y s i n t o b a t c h e s , companies have even bothered reducing the per-transaction fees trying, PayPal being a notable t h a t i t p a y s t o V i s a a n d exception. Most services, such as Mastercard. It gets away with this Google Wallet, are content to offer a front-end interface that lets because, well, it's Apple. If Apple really wanted to disrupt users plug into the incumbent the credit card companies, it could credit giants. bypass them entirely, building its To pull off such an ambitious own o n l i n e - p a y m e n t plan, Apple would need to i n f r a s t r u c t u r e a n d o f f e r i n g persuade many of its 400 million discounts or other incentives to iTunes customers to trust it to those who choose it for iTunes handle payments for everyday and other payments. Apple has the purchases. Passbook may be an cash stockpile -$97.7 billion by experiment to test consumer some estimates- to do this. It also behavior around making nonhas the network infrastructure, iTunes transactions on iPhones. and it could work directly with Apple would also need to win the trust of retailers, even as iPads are

starting to appear in retail storefronts. But most importantly, Apple would need to navigate the complex world of financial regulations, not just in the U.S., but in every country where it offered iPay. The announcement of Passbook got Wall Street analysts wondering again about the likelihood of iPay. JP Morgan's Moskowitz called Passbook a clear precursor to iPay. And Credit Suisse mused on Apple's potential as a " game changer" in online payments, noting that "Apple has the most potential to disrupt the payment system" and "could become even more disruptive..., both directly and indirectly." Apple doesn't seem impatient to turn Passbook or iTunes into something big like iPay. But the company's technology has sprawled into so many other industries that it already has many pieces in place to become an overnight player in online payments. If it ever made such a move, the consumer credit card could go the way of the GPS navigation device.

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Brookstone iConvert Scanner for iPad Review Chris Burns (SlashGear) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:19:45 PM

When it comes to scanners, there certainly are some much higher quality solutions than Brookstone’s iCovert Scanner– but none of them are as nearly as entertaining. This device works with the iPad, iPad 2, and iPad 3, and is able to scan documents in what’s certainly a small package compared to the bulk of the stayat-home scanners on the market today. You’ll bust this Brookstone device out, plug it in to the wall, dock your iPad, and start scanning with the free iConvert app – all of your images go directly to your iPad Camera roll at 300 dpi. This device is not extremely portable, though Brookstone does suggest that you slide it into your messenger bag for some coffeeshop scanning if you feel so inclined. Your controls include a single physical power button on the iConvert unit, a couple of guides for your paper as it moves into the unit, and some on-screen controls on your iPad. The one control you get inside the

application you need to make the iConvert work is a “Scan” button which, after the machine pulls in just the edge of your document, will commence with the feeding of the document through the scanner with the results being an image on your iPad. The app also allows you to “clean” the iConvert unit as well as calibrate it, both of these a necessity if you’re going to be

using the scanner quite often. The calibration button will be helpful if your iConvert starts pulling paper in at oblong angles, while the cleaning option will help with paper jams. You can try to scan all manner of documents here, from just a bit smaller than a standard business card up to a bit larger than an 8.5 x 11-inch piece of paper. Once you get smaller than the

card we scanned here, the iConvert Scanner’s feed wheels can’t really catch correctly and you’ve got the danger of a crumpled up piece of media. Above you’ll see two examples that we scanned in the hands-on video you see above as well. In the gallery below is an example of a messed-up scan as well, this the result of holding on to the paper instead of allowing it to feed

Today, President Obama said, “It has typically taken countries up to ten years to recover from financial however, the historical norm has crises of this magnitude.” In truth,

been as follows: the deeper the recession, the stronger the recovery.

Obama’s False History Jeffrey H. Anderson (The Weekly Standard) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:00:00 PM

through correctly. This device will cost you$149.99 at Brookstone’s online shop as well as at Brookstone stores across the country. While I wouldn’t recommend you pick this piece of hardware up for scanning your fine art, it’s certainly decent enough to scan in your children’s drawings and everyday oddities while you’re out and about. Story Timeline • CES 2007 Cherry Picks: Brookstone's uSurf • Moshi Reflection clock lands as a Brookstone exclusive • Brookstone iPhone 4 DLP Projector Sleeve hands-on • Brookstone Bluetooth Keyboard Pro for iPad Review • Lilliputian Systems USB fuel cell heading to Brookstone Brookstone iConvert Scanner for iPad Review is written by Chris Burns& originally posted on SlashGear. © 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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Q: Why Does Microsoft Need Yammer? A: To Save SharePoint Brian Proffitt (ReadWriteWeb)

SharePoint Is the Key One key to that transition is the company’s flagship corporate Microsoft is reportedly set to c o l l a b o r a t i o n p l a t f o r m acquire the Yammer business SharePoint. And by Microsoft’s social network for an estimated $1 own admission, social tools are billion. The deal would give a still weak within SharePoint much-needed social network now, and in the upcoming 2013 i n j e c t i o n t o i t s S h a r e P o i n t version as well. business collaboration platform. SharePoint began adding social Yammer- with an estimated media capabilities with the release valuation of$500 million- makes of SharePoint 2010, but in April business-oriented social network Jon Barrett, Microsoft Australia’s tools for internal company sharing solution specialist of business and discussion centered on blog productivity, told Australia’s posts and automatically generated Image and Data Manager that “the content (such as notifications that improved new social media a document is ready to edit or a features in Wave 15 would not sale has been closed). match the richness of solutions The companies aren't talking, but such as Newsgator Social Sites.” this kind of software should be (Wave 15 is the internal Microsoft highly attractive for Microsoft, as code name for the SharePoint it tries to move from being 2013 release.) perceived as an old-school That’s a big problem for desktop software provider to Microsoft, especially if it wants being the source of modern, SharePoint to remain a dominant connected, social-media-aware business collaboration platform. solutions. SharePoint’s comparatively high Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:24:00 PM

a lot more frictionless for mobile workers. If Microsoft wants to make sure SharePoint remains relevant, buying Yammer makes perfect sense - even at a hefty premium. If this deal comes to fruition, the inclusion of Yammer’s social media tools within SharePoint and other Microsoft products (including the flagship Microsoft Office productivity suite) - would deliver social capabilities that price and the rise of more mobile- customers demand and help connected workers is driving Microsoft retain SharePoint’s c u s t o m e r s t o l o o k a t l e s s - market share. It could also help expensive, more social platforms Office compete against more like Igloo and Alfresco. sharing-oriented competitors like Social Must Go Mobile Google Docs. Social features like sharing, The fact that Yammer already has m i c r o b l o g g i n g a n d i n s t a n t SharePoint feature integration a p p r o v a l m a k e i n t e r n a l should make any integration that collaboration easier for computer much easier. users, and they are regarded as Competitors to Yammer include critical to mobile users who don’t Salesforce.com Chatter, Tibco have the bandwidth or tool set to Tibbr and VMware Socialcast. create or collaborate on content. Social tools can make workflows

In focus: Vegetables grown on factory roof for use in worker canteen Nate Lanxon Submitted at 6/14/2012 9:44:58 AM

Today's photography from the Wired Aperture -- beautiful daily images of the Wired world around us, curated every day by Wired.co.uk. Subscribe to the Wired Aperture RSS feed or follow the @WiredAperture Twitter account to make sure you never miss a picture. View at high-resolution and fullscreen in our gallery. By: Nate Lanxon, Continue reading...

Draft of email-snooping 'Communications Data Bill' published online Mark Brown Submitted at 6/14/2012 9:00:00 AM

The government has published a draft version of the controversial

Communications Data Bill which, if accepted into law, will force service providers to keep records of every phone call, email and website visit in Britain.

Under the proposed surveillance

law, authorities would not be able to see the content of calls and emails without a warrant. They will, however, be freely able to see who the conversations are

between, and when and where those communications were made. By: Mark Brown, Edited by: Duncan Geere Continue reading...

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Curated News Edition

So, Apple Has Officially Turned Its Back On the Apple TV, Right? Don Reisinger (SlashGear) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:28:49 PM

Prior to the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote Apple hosted on Monday, there were several reports that surfaced saying the company would launch a software development kit for the Apple TV. The reports reasoned that Apple is trying to extend the usability of its Apple TV, and can use that with help from third-party apps. But alas, as Apple showed off the new iOS 6 and Mountain Lion, and unveiled the MacBook Pro with Retina display, the company made no mention of the Apple TV. And at least for now, thirdparty application development won’t be coming to the set-top box. But I’m not so sure we should stop at “for now.” Apple has made it clear in the past that it has no interest in turning the Apple TV into anything more than a hobby. And the very fact that it didn’t even mention the device during its keynote address seems

to indicate to me that it has turned its back on the set-top box. It’s unfortunate. I’ve been a major fan of the Apple TV since it first launched. And although the latest iteration that lacks storage and forces users to stream content is a bit annoying, it has a lot of promise. With some help from apps, who knows what this set-top box could achieve? For now, I’m not sure what

Apple has planned. On one hand, I wonder if the company will finally announce the longrumored television and put to an end all of the speculation surrounding that device. More importantly, it’ll put to an end any and all concern that the company doesn’t want to make a splash in the living room."What if Apple actually doesn’t announce a television?"

But what if Apple actually doesn’t announce a television? What if the company has secretly decided against a television, and has turned its back on the living room? What will that mean for the floundering Apple TV? And what could it mean for Google, which obviously has its sights set on that room? I suppose that when it’s all said and done, I’m fine with Apple

eliminating the Apple TV. Yes, I’m a fan of the set-top box, but let’s face it: if Apple doesn’t care, why should I? As days continue to go by with Apple even mentioning its set-top box, I can’t help but resign to the fact that it wants us all to forget about the Apple TV. Maybe I, like so many others, should give in to that demand and move on. Third-party apps could have been the game-changer that we’re all looking for in the living room. It could have delivered the kind of overall productivity we just don’t have when relaxing at night. Instead, it focused on all of its other products. So long, Apple TV. It was nice knowing you. So, Apple Has Officially Turned Its Back On the Apple TV, Right? is written by Don Reisinger& originally posted on SlashGear. © 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

MSNBC Analyst: 'I Thought This, Honestly, Was One of the Least Successful Speeches I've Seen Barack Obama Give' Daniel Halper (The Weekly Standard)

Immediately after Barack Obama concluded his nearly hour long

c a m p a i g n s p e e c h i n O h i o , feedback. MSNBC cut to its analysts for

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Dark Sky for iOS predicts the weather -- for the next 60 minutes Rick Broida (CNET News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:54:45 PM

Dark Sky for iOS takes a different (and cool) approach to weather forecasts. The App Store is home to lots of weather apps, most of which are good at forecasting the upcoming days and even hours. But few excel at telling you what the clouds might bring in the next hour. That's where Dark Sky comes in. This new app, the product of a successful Kickstarter campaign, predicts the weather for your exact location for up to 60 minutes. That could prove incredibly handy in a number of situations. For example, should you flee the beach in advance of those ominous-looking clouds? Nope, turns out they're going to blow right past; no rain expected. Should you go for your run now?

Yep, Dark Sky says the shower won't hit for almost an hour. And is it done snowing? Not for another 30 minutes, so don't get out the snow-blower just yet. The app is divided into three main areas. Up top, a graph that shows the intensity of the storm (and likelihood of precipitation) over the next 60 minutes. (Amusingly, if there's no bad weather where you are, Dark Sky says, "Clear skies are boring. Tap here to view a storm in [some location where there's an interesting storm].) The middle section shows in big letters the weather conditions right now ("Rain, 61 degrees," for example) and what to expect in the next hour ("Light rain for 35 min"). You can flip up that panel to see the full day's forecast. Finally, the bottom area is used to choose your current location or manually enter a different one. Dark Sky gets even more

interesting when you tap the Radar button up top. This produces a downright sexy radar map, with smoothly animated images you can scroll forward and backward in time. It's a really cool way to look at what's headed in your direction -- and what's

already been there. I've never seen anything comparable in any other weather app. Indeed, when it comes to forecasting the immediate-future weather conditions, Dark Sky stands alone. Though a bit pricey at $3.99 (compared with other weather apps, anyway), it's a must -have for weather junkies. While you're at it, check out The Weather Channel's recently updated app. And if you don't want to buy Dark Sky until its price comes down, check out the ultimate app for finding free and discounted iPhone apps. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Answer: What's the Name of This Ship? [Search Research] Daniel M. Russell (Lifehacker) Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:30:00 PM

Googler Daniel Russell knows how to find the answers to questions you can't get to with a simple Google query. In his weekly Search Research column, Russell issues a search challenge, then follows up later in the week with his solution—using whatever search technology and methodology fits the bill. This week's challenge: What's the name of this ship? More »

From the Very Beginning: Big Bang Theory (HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)

$('#googleAdRightRail').html(rt); } function getValidChannel() { var getChannel = Playlist | Big Bang Videos See function(subDomain) { return the full list of 24 big bang videos subDomain; } var validChannels below. There are 24 videos tagged = n e w A r r a y ( " a d v e n t u r e " , "Big Bang"' + ' ' ; "auto","computer","electronics"," Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:00:56 PM

entertainment","food","health","h ome","mobiltravelguide","money" ,"people","recipes","science","trav el","www","reference","maps","vi deos","history","geography","ani m a l s " ) ; v a r subDomain=document.domain.spl

it(".")[0]; if (subDomain) { var x; for (var x = 0; x This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-

only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Seagate controlling interest buy in LaCie all but finalized Chris Burns (SlashGear)

Rugged Mini External HDD, Ultimate Protector Of Your Data • LaCie Little Big Disk with Thunderbolt now available • LaCie LaPlug promises simple USB HDD network shares • LaCie Little Big Disk SSD Review • LaCie unveils 2big and eSATA Hub Thunderbolt storage series • LaCie shipping eSATA hub for Thunderbolt glory • Seagate buys LaCie for $186 million

Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:41:17 PM

This week two giants in the digital data storage industry, Seagate and LaCie, have announced that the former has signed a purchase agreement which will give it controlling interest in the latter. This agreement was announced on the 23rd of May and today has been signed by both parties, it tying together a deal which has Seagate purchasing all of the shares controlled by LaCie’s chairman and CEO Philippe Spruch and his affiliate. This amount of stock represents 64.5% of the outstanding shares of LaCie and gives Seagate top seat at the company. Ricol Lasteyrie & Associés have been appointed as independent expert by the Board of Directors

of LaCie on June 23, 2012, the transaction has already been approved by the US Antitrust Authorities, and only France and Germany stand in this deal’s way. Seagate will buy the remaining LaCie shares mentioned at a price of €4.05 per and will have Seagate essentially controlling the fate of LaCie through the future.

So what does this mean for you? It means you might very well be seeing a few more Seagate harddrives at your local electronics store and a few less LaCie drives – or perhaps a bit of a sale on the latter, at least. Stay tuned as we continue to follow this deal through to completion. Hit the timeline below to see how

LaCie got to this point – products, events, and otherwise. Story Timeline • LaCie Little Big Disk with Thunderbolt hands-on [Video] • LaCie And Porsche Design Partner For Next-Gen Hard Drives • LaCie CloudBox Review • LaCie Announces USB 3.0

Giveaway And now it's time to give TUAW readers an opportunity to win a BRAVEN 600. To enter, fill out the form below completely and if you're the winner, we'll notify you via email. Here are the rules for the giveaway: • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada

(excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. • To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. • The entry must be made before June 17, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. • You may enter only once. • One winner will be selected and will receive a BRAVEN 600

Bluetooth speaker valued at US$149.99 • Click Here for complete Official Rules.

14 Jun 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Comments

BRAVEN continued from page 23

no pairing code required Cons • Speakerphone capability is subpar Who is it for? • Anyone who wants excellent music sound quality from a portable Bluetooth speaker.

Loading... BRAVEN 600 Bluetooth speaker: Stylish, powerful, and it could be yours originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu,

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New Memolane Features Help You Share (Online) Memories With Facebook Friends Anthony Ha (TechCrunch)

doing, say, three months or a year ago. Lagier and his team introduced Founder Eric Lagier is hoping to the concept of shared lanes last make his Internet time machine fall, where you and your friends, service Memolane more social family, coworkers, or whoever today by allowing users to create can all contribute photos and s h a r e d “ l a n e s ” w i t h t h e i r other updates. (You can filter the Facebook friends. photos and updates included in a The idea behind Memolane: lane based on things like tags and People are usually sharing content dates.) The goal, Lagier said at the on multiple sites, but it’s not time, was to make Memolane feel always easy to browser olde like less of “a museum” but content, or to look at content from instead “an amusement park.” multiple sites in one place. So for Initially, however, you had to be example, after I sign up and f r i e n d s w i t h s o m e o n e o n connected various social network Memolane in order to create a accounts, I can browse and search lane with them. Now you can also a single timeline with photos from create stories with your Facebook Facebook and Instagram, mixed friends. That should make the in with my tweets and Foursquare process a lot easier, since you can check-ins. I also get emails start creating lanes without trying reminding me of what I was to rebuild your social connections Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:06:40 PM

on Memolane first, and that will hopefully lead to the creation of more lanes that are shared more widely. Plus, whenever users create a shared lane with people who aren’t already on the site, they’re essentially helping to recruit new Memolane users. As an example, of what you can do with a shared lane, the Memolane team created one around a recent team outing to a San Francisco Giants game, which they created by just filtering by date and then connecting all the team members via their Facebook profiles. There’s also one called the Collaborative 366 Day Project, where participants share something “creative” every day.

Watch, Pass, or Rent Video Movie Review: Rock of Ages Shannon Vestal (PopSugar) Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:57:13 PM

Tom Cruise headlines a starstudded cast in this week's Rock of Ages, but is it worth it to head

to the theater to see him, Alec

Baldwin, Russell Brand, and more singing and dancing to '80s tunes? Watch the video review to find out if you should watch, pass, or rent this film adaptation of the hit musical.

Ethiopian Government Bans Skype, Google Talk And All Other VoIP Services Frederic Lardinois (TechCrunch)

information.” It’s worth noting that, as TechCentral points out, the new law also prohibits “audio Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:11:34 PM and video data traffic via social The Ethiopian government, Al media.” It’s not clear how exactly Jazeera reports, has criminalized the government plans to enforce the use of Skype and other VoIP this restriction, but a potential 15services like Google Talk. Using year prison term will likely keep VoIP services is now punishable most people from using Skype in by up to 15 years in prison. This Ethiopia anytime soon. law actually passed last month, Reporters Without Borders also but mostly went unnoticed outside reports that Ethio Telecom o f t h e c o u n t r y . E t h i o p i a n installed a system to block access a u t h o r i t i e s a r g u e t h a t t h e y to the Tor network, which allows imposed these bans because of u s e r s t o s u r f t h e W e b “national security concerns” and anonymously. The organization t o p r o t e c t t h e s t a t e ’ s notes that the ISP must be using telecommunications monopoly. relatively sophisticated Deep The country only has one ISP, the Packet Inspection to filter out this state-owned Ethio Telecom, and traffic. has been filtering its citizen’s According to Internet filtering Internet access for quite some a n d c e n s o r s h i p w a t c h d o g time now to suppress opposition OpenNet Initiative, Ethiopia blogs and other news outlets. Use currently has the second lowest Skype, Go To Prison Internet penetration rate in subAs for Skype and other VoIP Saharan Africa and just around services, the new law doesn’t just 700,000 of the country’s 84 criminalize their usage, but the million citizens had Internet Ministry of Communication and access in 2010 (that’s the most Information Technology now has recent data we could find). The “the power to supervise and issue a v e r a g e I n t e r n e t s p e e d i n licences to all privately owned E t h i o p i a , s a y s A k a m a i , i s companies that import equipment c u r r e n t l y 6 2 2 k b p s . used for the communication of

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Water-powered 'bike' lets you ride above the waves Edward Moyer (CNET News)

form factor all of us can more or less relate to: the cycle. The Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:40:00 PM Jetovator lets you ride the wild You may have seen those crazy hose as if it were a bike or cousins of the Jet Ski and jetpack motorcycle. And for that reason, it that let you zip around your looks a little less squirrelly than favorite water-sports venue while t h e o t h e r d e v i c e s ( t h o u g h essentially attached to a wild fire watching the embedded video hose. does make us wonder about the We've written about the JetLev fine print in our health insurance R200-- a jetpack-like design -- as policies). well as a later spin on the idea: the Like the two-person version of Flyboard, which with its foot- and the Flyboard, the Jetovator is hand-level water jets, might make powered by high-pressure water f o r m o r e o f a s k i i n g - l i k e from a personal watercraft (PWC) experience. such as a Jet Ski (you'll see them Well, now it looks like the zipping alongside in the video). concept has been applied to a According to the manufacturer,

you can go as fast as 25 mph, climb as high as 30 feet above the water, and even plunge 10 feet below the surface and keep going. The gadget costs a bit more than your average Schwinn Stingray though: it's nearly $9,000. Then again, the last time we tried riding our Schwinn on a lake, it didn't work out so well. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Video: Miley Cyrus Responds to Backlash After Being Spotted Poolside With a Guy Lauren Bradshaw (PopSugar) Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:15:00 PM

Miley Cyrus with a mystery man? That's what some were saying after Miley was photographed hanging poolside with a bearded guy on Wednesday. The young star is currently in Miami while new fiancĂŠ Liam Hemsworth is off in Louisiana filming Empire State, and the pictures caused quite the fuss online, as some implied that

Miley was seeing someone on the side. Find out who the guy really is and hear Miley's response to the rumors in PopSugar Rush!

Comparing Google maps and Apple's maps on iOS 6 Kelly Hodgkins (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)

which lacked these convenient features. Gizmodo has access to both Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:00:00 PM Google Maps on the iPhone and In iOS 6, Apple is ditching its Apple's iOS 6 Maps and did a side Google-backed Maps application -by-side comparison that looks at and using its own mapping m a p d e t a i l s , t r a f f i c d a t a , solution instead. With turn-by- directions, and satellite view. turn navigation and 3D flyover, They also compare Street View, Apple's new mapping application but Apple's map solution does not According to their assessment, Google's version of Maps is a big jump from its predecessor have this feature.

provides greater detail in almost all the categories tested. This is not surprising as Google Maps is a product that's been developed and refined for years. iOS 6 Maps is still in beta and it will take time to get the polish of Google Maps. With map data sourced from companies like TomTom and Waze, Apple, however, is off to a good start.

Comparing Google maps and Apple's maps on iOS 6 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Side-by-side browsers on MacBook Pro with Ebola virus cured in monkeys with Retina display

Natural Gas Prices Went Ballistic Today (HAL, SD, CHK, DVN) Rob Wile (Money Game) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:30:00 PM

Natural gas prices had a monster +12% gain today, thanks to a bullish storage report. The energy information Kelly Hodgkins (TUAW - The MacBook Pro. As noted, the administration reported natural Unofficial Apple Weblog) Chrome team is already working gas in storage increased by 67 on a Retina update; you can see Submitted at 6/14/2012 5:00:00 PM Ian Steadman N a t i o n a l M i c r o b i o l o g y billion cubic feet last week, less the effect already if you want to Laboratory in Winnipeg, Canada, than the consensus estimate of 71 Submitted at 6/14/2012 10:17:00 AM The biggest selling feature of the run the Chrome Canary bleedinginfected 12 cynomolgus monkeys to 75 BCF, based on a Platts next generation MacBook Pro is edge nightly builds. Monkeys which were deliberately (Macaca fascicularis), then survey of analysts, according to its Retina display. The notebook You can check out the short infected with the ebola virus were administered their antibody CNBC. has an impressive 15.4-inch LED- review of the display and a full successfully cured in a trial of a c o c k t a i l , Z M a b . T h e f o u r It was the biggest gain since backlit display with 2880-by-1800 review of the Retina MacBook new antibody drug cocktail, monkeys given the antibodies February. NYMEX prices closed resolution at 220 pixels per inch. Pro on The Verge's website. raising the possibility of a human within 24 hours of infection all at $2.46. The specs look great on paper S i d e - b y - s i d e b r o w s e r s o n cure for the deadly virus. made a full recovery, while two of Stocks of major natgas players and according to a display- MacBook Pro with Retina display The Zaire strain of ebola is not the four given the cocktail within including Chesapeake, Devon, focused review by The Verge, the originally appeared on TUAW only the most common strain of 48 hours also recovered. SandRidge and Halliburton were display looks amazing in person, The Unofficial Apple Weblog on ebola but also the deadliest, with a By: Ian Steadman, Edited by: all lifted on the news. too. This improvement is best Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:00:00 EST. fatality rate of around 90 percent. Duncan Geere Continue reading... SEE MORE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The 9 Events seen in a side-by-side shot of Please see our terms for use of Medical microbiologists at the That Trigger Natgas Price Shocks C h r o m e o n t h e n o n - R e t i n a feeds. Please follow Money Game on MacBook Pro and a Retina Source| Permalink| Email this| Twitter and Facebook. MacBook Pro. Text, which has Comments Join the conversation about this blurry edges on the MacBook Pro, story Âť is crisp and defined on the Retina

triple drug cocktail

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Bundesbank: Policymakers Should Refrain From "Wild Goose Chase" of Higher Firewalls; Merkel Warns "Limited German Resources"; Sensationalist Silliness noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock) (Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis) Submitted at 6/14/2012 11:49:00 AM

Sensationalist Silliness Several people asked me to comment on The Telegraph article Germany signals shift on €2.3 trillion redemption fund for Europe by Ambrose EvansPritchard. OK. Here goes. The headline is nothing but sensationalist silliness. There is no shift, and even if there was a shift, it could not possibly come in time. “It is conceivable so long as there is proper supervision of tax revenues,” said a source in the Chancellor’s office. The official warned that there would be no “master plan” or major breakthrough at the EU summit later this month. Mrs Merkel rejected the Redemption Pact last November as “totally impossible”, even though it was drafted by Germany’s Council of Economic Experts or Five Wise Men and is widely-viewed as the only viable route out of the current impasse. Fast-moving events may have forced her hand. Meaningless Political Statements The statement, not even from chancellor Merkel, warned there would be "no master plan", only

that the idea was "conceivable". That alone proves such a shift, even if it was real, could not possibly come on time. This is what happened: "Fastmoving events" forced a meaningless statement out of an unnamed source in the Chancellor's office, hoping to calm the market. Simply put: There is no meaningful shift. Chancellor Merkel Warns of ‘Limited German Resources’ Those seeking a dose of reality should consider Merkel Warns of ‘Limited German Resources’ June 14, 2012 12:21 pm “Germany’s resources are not unlimited,” she told the German parliament in a declaration of her government’s stance before next week’s G20 summit in Mexico. In a forceful restatement of the limits to German action, she reeled off a list of other countries’ demands for “big bang” solutions from Germany to solve the crisis, such as jointly-guaranteed eurozone bonds, a bank deposit insurance scheme, and most recently, a French-inspired financial stability package. “Germany is strong, Germany is the economic engine and Germany is the anchor of stability in Europe. I say that Germany is putting its strength and its power

to use for the well-being of people, not just in Germany, but also to help European unity and the global economy,” she said. “But Germany’s strength is not infinite.” Bundesbank: Policymakers Should Refrain From "Wild Goose Chase" of Higher Firewalls Inquiring minds seeking a dose of reality should also pay attention to an interesting speech on the The present state of the euro-area sovereign debt crisis by Dr Andreas Dombret, Member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank, regarding the cause and solutions to the eurozone monetary union crisis. Dombret does not speak for the entire Bundesbank, but I have no doubt his position is a representative viewpoint. Please consider the following snips on increasing firewalls and entering into monetary unions. Policymakers should refrain from a wild goose chase in pursuit of ever higher firewalls. Making the firewalls higher and higher will not resolve the crisis. Instead, policymakers should care that firewalls do not fall into a credibility trap owing to unavoidable political or financial constraints. Generally speaking, a firewall cannot extinguish a fire. It only

buys time until sustainable measures become effective. Therefore, the fire has to be extinguished by other means. A disintegration of the currency union would be linked to extremely high costs and risks. That’s why such a scenario cannot be anyone’s goal. Yet this does not imply that Germany becomes open to blackmail and promises guarantees without control. This would indeed erode the stability basis of the currency union. European authorities are not equipped with a supranational right to intervene in national budgets when member states do not apply the rules properly. Therefore, the fiscal compact – which has not been ratified by all member states yet – does not justify calls for monetary policymakers to further extend central banks’ balance sheets. Nor does it substantiate any extensive joint liability. Against this background the recent proposals of a so called banking union appear to be premature. Such a banking union, potentially comprising a euro area deposit-guarantee system, a euro area resolution fund and common euro area supervision for the largest and systemically important banking groups could very well represent a sensible step forward.

Yet it has to follow a deeper fiscal union as it would imply significantly increased risk sharing amongst countries. Introducing a banking union without having established a genuine, democratically legitimated fiscal union would risk undermining the no bail-out clause and the disciplining effects of financial markets on fiscal policy. From a formal perspective it necessitates amending the EU Treaty – meaning it is very unlikely to be a short-term fix to the current challenges mainly related to recapitalisation needs in some banking systems, to political risks and to contagion effects within the euro area. Dead Before Arrival The Bundesbank and Chancellor Merkel are both against “big bang” solutions including joint eurobonds, a bank deposit insurance scheme, a Frenchinspired financial stability package, the ECB printing money, and every other nonsensical proposal put forth by nannycrats and mindless economists everywhere. Please mark all such nonsolutions dead-before-arrival as noted in Dead Before Arrival, Eight Lessons the EU Needs to BUNDESBANK: page 37

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S&P: "Spanish Home Prices To Drop Another 25%" Tyler Durden

Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:50:07 PM

For all the news out of Spain: tumbling sovereign bonds, bailed out banking sector, there really is just one driver of everything: the same one many have been warning about for years: the artificially inflated valuation of the Spanish housing sector. Because the only reason why banks are suddenly finding that their assets are worth much less than previously expected, is because it is now impossible for local banks to keep the real-estate "assets" on their books at marksto-model (read par) as the bulk of them have long since become impaired, delinquent or outright defaulted. The common theme of course is that they no longer generate cash inflows. What however is still there are bank liabilities, which most certainly generate cash outflows. And in the absence of retained earnings (but plenty of retained losses), there is just no more cash to mask the capital deficiency. That's the whole issue with not only Spain, but Europe in a nutshell, the same we have been banking the table on for the past year: the accelerating disappearance of money good and cash-flow generating assets. Furthermore, once the spigot has

been turned on, there is no stopping it, and the marks-tomarket start pouring in fast and furious. Which is the worst news for holders of Spanish bonds, now that the entire banking sector is effectively pari passu with the

sovereign debt courtesy of priming ESM debt: recall that every incremental dollar, or in this case, euro, of bank capital deficiency will be one more priming bailout euro behind. Effectively there is now an inverse relationship between the

Spanish housing sector and the country's sovereign bonds. And for those who are still naively are clutching to Spanish bonds, even as they tumble to all time lows (that's the local law, as opposed to the legal arbitrage trade we have been promoting and which today

is making even more money), we have some bad news: that perpetual of optimists, S&P, just said that the Spanish housing sector has, wait for it, another 25% to drop! This means a comparable drop in store for Spanish bonds and all the related securities in Europe, which courtesy of the bailout are all now daisy-chained. From S&P: Spain's Housing Market May Need Four More Years To Rebalance The unwinding has begun: House prices have dropped 22% in nominal terms between firstquarter 2008 and first-quarter 2012, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. That's more than in any other eurozone country except for Ireland. However, the magnitude of the decline has to be juxtaposed against the 150% rise in prices in Spain between 2000 and the peak in 2008. We note that prices climbed 116% in Ireland and 60% in the eurozone on average over the same period. Overview: â&#x20AC;˘ For Spain's housing market to recover, household debt, which is still high, needs to come down further, implying years of weak S&P: page 37

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Mike Krieger Says To Remember The Words Of Joseph Stalin Tyler Durden

argument was that if people read a manual on devious thoughts, and the application of ruthless Submitted by Mike Krieger of behavior to achieve one’s selfish Libertyblitzkrieg ends, that it would permeate Remember The Words Of Joseph society and lead us all into a Stalin darker place. As soon as I heard Everyone imposes his own this, of course, the first thing I did system as far as his army can was head to the book store to buy reach. it. I recall my reaction to the Ideas are more powerful than treatise vividly. guns. We would not let our I remember thinking how enemies have guns, why should absolutely asinine the argument we let them have ideas. for shielding this book from It is enough that the people know s o c i e t y r e a l l y w a s . T h e there was an election. The people conclusion I came to was that who cast the votes decide nothing. a n y o n e w i t h a t r u l y s i c k , The people who count the votes sociopathic mind wouldn’t learn decide everything. anything from this book. Their - All Quotes by Joseph Stalin minds already intuitively thought Know Your Enemy that way. Those that could be I recall wanting to read Mein persuaded to think in that manner Kampf as a young kid, although as a result of reading such a book to this day I have only read were just dangerous sheeple that excerpts. I wanted to know what would sell their souls to work made this guy tick, what his with a sick system. They would thoughts were. How could end up doing so anyway. Those someone justify such horrific people don’t scare me so much as actions. As I have progressed into the naturally devious mind does. adulthood I have only become T h e y c a n b e e a s i l y more and more convinced that outmaneuvered by smarter men books written by psychopath and women. If I am correct, then killer dictators should be required the worst possible thing we can do reading for every single human as a society is to pretend that this being on the planet. In a similar extremely small percentage of the vein, I remember hearing the population doesn’t exist or pose a argument back in high school that threat to us in our everyday lives p e o p l e s h o u l d n o t r e a d (please read my related article Machiavelli’s The Prince. The here). I think that most of the Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:48:43 PM

population of the United States (aka Disneyland) has been duped into thinking that somehow the Hitler or Stalin personalities of the world no longer exist! That somehow they just disappeared from the earth after World War 2, or more importantly, if they exist they are in some remote African country or Middle Eastern nation that just conveniently happens to have oil! If Americans can indeed be convinced that such people roam the streets of the US of A then they are likely the one-off serial killer we hear about every now and again, or some homeless person that ODs on bath salts and eats some other homeless persons face on the side of a highway in Miami. The big secret is that the smart, devious and ambitious minds do not lock middle aged women in basements; they go into politics. More specifically, they pursue power wherever it can be had. This is why I refer to Washington D.C. as a the world’s largest cesspool. I think at this very moment there aren’t many places on this earth with a higher concentration per capita of twisted, immoral, inhumane creatures that somehow still refer to themselves as human beings. So in this context, the awakening that is happening across much of my nation is really just the

citizenry realizing what most of the world already knows all too well. The Siren’s song of Disney has been strong but its effect is wearing off. You can’t defeat your enemy unless you know your enemy. Remember the Words of Joseph Stalin As we head into the Greek election this weekend, I thought it would be appropriate to recall the words of Joseph Stalin. Particularly his observation about elections and vote counting. I find it hilarious that the Greek authorities suspended polling heading into the election. I mean, that tells you everything you need to know. This is exactly what you would do if you were thinking about rigging the results. The worst thing that could happen would be to have Syriza soaring in the polls into the main event. If that was the case, it would be much more difficult to arrange a more “favorable” outcome. This way they can just claim “wow, unexpectedly the bankster parties won!” I’m not predicting that will be the outcome, I’m just saying the suspension of polling was a huge red flag. Here is the chart of the last polling results and some excellent commentary. Greece is extremely important as it is a key testing ground for TPTB. Everything that is happening in

Greece will be attempted elsewhere if they can get away with it there. This gives the country a great deal of significance. That said, even if Greece is lost there is no way TPTB can win this thing. It is taking them more than two years to roll up tiny Greece. Even if they succeed, do you think Spain and Italy will go so easily. Then what about the U.S. with hundreds of millions of guns everywhere? There is no chance. The globalist agenda is already dead in the water; however, as we can see it doesn’t stop them from continuing to try. What TPTB do not appreciate are the lessons we are all learning from Greece. We must learn many more lessons though. We must admit to ourselves that there are truly evil geniuses out there, and in most cases these characters have taken control of the power structure (corporations, politics and factions of the military in most of the nations we reside in). The necessary action is not for good people to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that such people do not exist. We must get inside their minds. We must acknowledge and accept their presence as well as their power and then work tirelessly to relieve MIKE page 38

Economy/

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Coordinated Rumor Ramps Risk Tyler Durden

as cheap IG protection was sold back to sync with HY and stocks... Epic. Stocks clambered back up Financials were the most volatile to the 1315 (S&P 500 e-mini Sept post-rumor as is clear from this 2012 contract) level which has chart (though they ended up been a critical VWAP level for a holding onto gains into the few days now amid what was a close)... mildly slow day (though IG credit Oil outperformed dramatically outperformed from its recent moving back into the green for the deterioration). Then the rumors week - while Gold was started. Risk assets jolted in a considerably more stable than very systemic manner (all highly Silver (as both bounced off their correlated) as ES popped above spike lows from earlier in the last Friday's highs (unable to get day)... close to Monday's open we do Treasuries have been just as wild note), then as the realization that a a ride as stocks this week. pre-emptive warning of 'some' Tuesday 30Y yields retraced 50% action in the case of 'some' event of the Monday open to close rally was simply the status quo anyway and Today retraced around 38.2% and we gave the entire 14 pt ramp of the Wednesday open to close back. Then we bounced once rally. It would appear the risk-on again as BoE made some noise on bounces are losing their strength... further stimulus if things go pearThe drop in VXX and exuberance shaped and we bounced again in HYG was enough to juice SPY (though this time only about 8pts all day long (as per the upper left and on very small average trade chart) but risk-assets broadly were size we note) as we headed into in sync with stocks all day - even the close right around last Friday's as we popped-dropped-andhighs. With OPEX tomorrow, this (but was far less impressed with Risk assets in general moved this week's action has been very popped (upper and middle right). vol could not be more stop- the chatter today than stocks together and stayed in sync today mechanical (with a retest of the Equity correlation with risk assets inducing and painful for many as were) as in the meantime the USD during the final hour's carnival Monday 1337.5 levels not out of rose in the afternoon (lower right) the Dow has now been -150, dropped and ended -0.75% on the with stocks perhaps a little rich by the quyestion on an auction higher and VIX fell back to its 'fair' level though we suspect a push back based on the moves in credit and +150, -80, and +160 pts this week week (and AUD is now 1% the close. and decent volume today although stronger). Treasuries whipsawed Quite a week in ES but today's down to around 1313 is more equity markets by the close... average trade size remains limited around but only retraced around a final ramp - dominated by low likely in the very short-term. All in all feels like some covering (on the lack of conviction we pre- t h i r d o f t h e i r r a l l y f r o m average trade size (the yellow (though judging from the market /squaring and some squeezing/ suppose). Gold and less so Silver yesterday's morning session as 7Y bars - h/t@eminiwatch) - makes r e a c t i o n t o E U R 1 0 0 b n l a s t stopping on the rumors into a bounced off their earlier spike- and 10Y underperformed (+5bps us less certain of any follow weekend, this weekend could be tough OPEX and even tougher even uglier one way or the weekend... down moves and WTI rallied like or so). Pre-OPEX VIX is always a through... mess but we dropped over 2.5 Between VWAP levels, Friday's other)... a champ today (resyncing with Charts: Bloomberg and Capital vols into the close to end under close, and low and high volume but it seems all the covering is Silver just in the green for the COORDINATED page 37 week). Gold is up 2% on the week 22% (but above Friday's close). nodes (at left in the distribution), occurring here into the weekend Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:33:42 PM

Curated News Edition

S&P:

COORDINATED

continued from page 34

credit demand. • Because of the heavy weight of unsold housing stock, we believe that the correction in housing prices is likely to be deeper and more prolonged than in the previous cycle, taking up to four more years for the market to absorb the glut. • A look at fundamentals--price to income and price to rent ratios-leads us to expect a further 25% drop in housing prices. • Investment and employment in the construction sector is now down to 12.7% and 6.8% of GDP, close to half of 2006 and 2007 levels, respectively. • The bursting of the real estate bubble is visible in Spain's dire economic prospects: Standard & Poor's expects GDP to contract in real terms by 1.5% this year and by 0.5% in 2013. There is a lot in the report, but here are the key points: Market Fundamentals Also Point To A Further Decline In Prices Price to income and price to rent ratios in Ireland and the U.S. now

continued from page 36

stand below or nearly below their long-term average--but that is not the case for Spain. The country's price to income ratio has dropped from its peak in fourth-quarter 2006 but is still higher than its long-term average, and the same observation can be made about the price-to-rent ratio (chart 3). Looking at just these measures, Spanish house prices still need to adjust by nearly 25% for them to return to their long-term averages. The Sharp Rise In Unemployment Is Weighing On The Household Sector We expect Spain's economy to contract by 1.5% in 2012 and 0.5% in 2013 because of deteriorating private consumption, fiscal retrenchment, and weak credit conditions--coupled with flimsy external demand for Spanish products. High unemployment has been a drag on private consumption since the reversal of the housing and construction boom. The construction sector's share of GDP climbed from 15% at the end of 1999 to 22% in 2006, compared

with 6% on average in the eurozone over the same period. With the real estate bust, Spain's construction sector has shrunk, representing only 12.7% of GDP in 2012. The contraction of the construction sector triggered a loss of 1.5 million jobs between 2008 and March 2012. Employment in the sector, which was one of the highest in the EU with 14% of total employment in 2007, declined to 6.8% in March 2012. In comparison, this sector in France accounted only for 6.5% of employment in 2007. The surge in unemployment is reflected in higher doubtful loans, as households find it more difficult to service their mortgages (see chart 4). Yet low interest rates have provided some relief to borrowers. Spanish households are very sensitive to changes in interest rates, since variable-rate loans comprise 90% of mortgages in Spain. That compares with 40% in the eurozone. In February 2012, as the unemployment rate reached 24%, doubtful loans

reached 2.8% of total housing loans, a ratio that appears still reasonably low. But as the economy continues to weaken, we will continue to watch that indicator carefully as a potential harbinger of additional financial difficulties in the household sector. And there you have it. Remember: Greek bonds at 100% in September 2011 were a whopping buy. Until of course there were an even more whopping buy at 1000% a few months later. Average: Your rating: None This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Context Bonus Chart: Today was the second best day for Facebook since its IPO (+3.74% vs +5% on 5/31) on the 2nd lowest volume day it has had. If there was any question as to what the new QEmomo stock is - we have found it as FB rallied well over 2% on heavy algo-driven volume as soon as the rumors hit...pathetic!! Average: Your rating: None Average: 5( 2 votes) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

German citizens. So would a banking union. The deadlock ensures more delays, but time is up. Neither a fiscal union nor a banking union is going to happen, nor should they happen and the European monetary union cannot possibly survive in this

deadlocked state. Mike "Mish" Shedlock h t t p : / / globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative

for SitkaPacific Capital management and capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an preservation strategies of Sitka asset management firm whose Pacific. goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http:// www.sitkapacific.com/ account_management.html to learn more about wealth

BUNDESBANK: continued from page 33

Learn. Deadlock Over What Comes First Germany insists that a fiscal union must come firsts while Spain, France, and Greece want a banking union of any kind first. A fiscal union requires massive treaty changes and ratification by

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"It's Not the Situation Room" Says Spain After holding Emergency Cabinet Meeting noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock) (Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:49:00 PM

We now have an official denial of an amusing kind. With clear reference to CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Spain calls for calm following an emergency cabinet meeting while declaring the meeting was " Not the Situation Room". I pieced together the following synopsis with help from Google Translate: Situation Room Synopsis Following a regular cabinet meeting, Spain's prime minister Mariano Rajoy held an emergency meeting with deputy prime minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, Economy minister Luis de Guindos, and Treasury Minister Cristobal Montoro. The Government says the meeting was not the "Situation Room". Economy minister Luis de Guindos admits the situation of "tension" while stating "government is not in a cabinet crisis". De Guindos requested calm. Recall that on June 1, de Guindos insisted Spanish banks were

MIKE continued from page 35

them of it. As Irish statesmen, author and philosopher Edmund Burke so eloquently stated: “All that’s necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.” Let’s just do it already. Average: Your rating: None Average: 5( 6 votes) This entry passed through the • Spain held an emergency Full-Text RSS service — if this is cabinet meeting of four top your content and you're reading it members in the "Situation Room". on someone else's site, please read • The Bottom line is decidedly the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five not quiet. • Government is not on top of the Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks. issues.

Word Cloud I pasted the entire translated text sound, not needing a rescue while After two hours and meeting into the Wordle Word Cloud b e g g i n g t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l room, which was also attended by Generator and came up with this. c o m m u n i t y f o r a r e s c u e . director of the Economic Office Mike "Mish" Shedlock h t t p : / / Please see Edge of a Precipice; of Moncloa, Alvaro Nadal, Doublethink Extraordinaire; Spain appeared Economy Minister Luis globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. i n D i s c u s s i o n s W i t h U S de Guindos, before the media in a com Regarding Bank Aid; Gold Soars; speech where the word most often Click Here To Scroll Thru My Geithner to the Rescue? for an repeated -up on three occasions Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered O r w e l l i a n d i s c u s s i o n o f was the quiet. conflicting statements from Spain. "The bottom line is quiet. We investment advisor representative Here is an unedited snip as have a route that the measures to f o r S i t k a P a c i f i c C a p i t a l translated by Google ... be taken and we know that indeed Management. Sitka Pacific is an T h e f o u r m e m b e r s o f t h e there are circumstances that are asset management firm whose executive who held the unusual affecting international volatility goal is strong performance and m e e t i n g r e f u s e d t o a n s w e r and market situation." The owner low volatility, regardless of questions from journalists in the of the field argued that "the market direction. Visit http:// c o r r i d o r s o f t h e H o u s e . government is on top of issues w w w . s i t k a p a c i f i c . c o m / "President, a message of calm and topics, is taking action and account_management.html to a b o u t t h e s i t u a t i o n i n t h e will continue to take action ... and l e a r n m o r e a b o u t w e a l t h markets?" Was the repeated it will do, not only by the state of m a n a g e m e n t a n d c a p i t a l question. There was no response. t o d a y ' s r i s k p r e m i u m , b u t preservation strategies of Sitka Alarms jumped at the escalation according to the interests of Spain Pacific. of the Spanish bond, placing the and the euro zone. " Quick country in a dramatic situation. Translation

Mansion House speech: George Osborne presented with GCSE maths book Donna Bowater (Finance News - Business news from the UK and world) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:30:02 PM

George Osborne was confronted by a man with a GCSE maths book as he prepared to make his annual speech at Mansion House.

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I Just Saw The Most Feared Man In All Of Europe Joe Weisenthal (Money Game)

people (though many old) eager to hear a message of change from Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:27:00 PM the status quo. It's no exaggeration to say that It was an electric night, and it's Alexis Tsipras, the head of the left easy to see why the 37-year-old -wing SYRIZA party in Greece, is Tsipras has taken SYRIZA—a the most feared man right now in former umbrella coalition of all of Europe. various communist groups—into If he becomes the Prime Minister contention to be Greece's largest after this Sunday's Greek election, parties. As I walked to the square, he promises to tear up the current SYRIZA posters were bailout agreement (known as the everywhere. Memorandum of Understanding) Also, of course, posters for the and hire boatloads more public other communist parties lined the sector wages at generous salaries. streets. While some wonder how he can to push Greece out, creating an with his main rival, Antonio At the square, the information do this, his gambit is that the rest economic catastrophe beyond Samaras fo the conservative New table looked like what you'd see at of Europe will have to blink, an activist rally anywhere. what there is now, risk a bank run, Democracy party. knowing that a Greek exit from See the rest of the story at and create a template by which Tonight Tsipras spoke in front of the Eurozone would be too Business Insider other weak countries (think: a gigantic crowd (at least 10,000 catastrophic. Please follow International on Portugal) could then exit, possibly p e o p l e i n t h i s r e p o r t e r ' s He insists he wants to remain in Twitter and Facebook. unraveling the whole thing. estimation) at Omonia Square. In Europe, this putting the entire Polls have Tsipras neck and neck attendance were lots of young onus on fellow Eurozone leaders

10 Harrowing Survival Stories Allison Klein (HowStuffWorks Daily Feed) Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:00:56 PM

It's late October and you and your neighbor are amazed by the unseasonably good weather. To enjoy the day, you decide to go on a hike. You figure you'll be gone on a short trek, so you pack light - bringing only a few bottles of

water, some trail mix and your cell phone. The scenery and weather are so great that you lose track of time and before you know it, the sun starts to set. Moments later, disaster strikes. You tumble down a steep hill and break your leg. At 240 pounds (10-9 kilograms), there's no way your petite, 115pound (52-kilogram) neighbor can

haul you out. You're almost out of water, you've eaten your food and your cell phone isn't getting a signal. Hundreds of people find themselves in similar predicaments each year. What would you do? In this article, we'll take a look at several amazing stories of survival. This entry passed through the

Paralyzed man tweets with his eyes [video] (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:26:00 PM

A 57-year-old man from Melksham, England made Twitter history this week after posting the first tweet composed using only his eyes. Tony Niclinkson survived a massive stroke in 2005 that paralyzed his entire body, but left his brain completely intact. Niclinkson relies on a computer that tracks his eye movements to communicate. Tweeting under the handle@TonyNicklinson, Tony racked up 4,000 followers since publishing his first tweet on Wednesday. The Channel 4 program Dispatches documented Tony's first tweet for a feature on his life. The segment also reveals more about the tragic backstory that has put Tony in the spotlight, including his request to the British high court for permission to lawfully end his life. Via The Guardian. All the top Twitter-related news. Permalink| Leave a comment »

Economy/ Culture/ Sports/

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Spain Is Not Greece (And Woods on the prowl, Thompson Other Such Anecdotes) noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock) (Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)

Lenihan. “Greece is not Ireland.” George Papaconstantinou, Greek Finance minister, 8th November, Submitted at 6/14/2012 10:48:00 AM Here is a bit of humor from 2010. reader "MF" who writes about “Spain is neither Ireland nor who is not whom. Interestingly, Portugal.” all of the following quotes are Elena Salgado, Spanish Finance from 2010. I bet there are far minister, 16 November 2010. more to add to the list. “Neither Spain nor Portugal is “Spain is not Greece.” Ireland.” Elena Salgado, Spanish Finance Angel Gurria, Secretary-general minister, Feb. 2010 OECD, 18th November, 2010. “Portugal is not Greece.” Mike "Mish" Shedlock The Economist, 22nd April 2010. h t t p : / / “ I r e l a n d i s n o t i n ‘ G r e e k globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. Territory.” com Irish Finance Minister Brian Click Here To Scroll Thru My

Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http:// www.sitkapacific.com/ account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.

leads U.S. Open (Sports News Headlines Yahoo! News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:47:17 PM

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) Tiger Woods moved ominously into his favorite territory on Thursday, clawing his way into contention with a one-under-par 69 in tough scoring conditions to lie three shots off the early U.S. Open lead. As the year's second

major lived up to its reputation as the toughest championship of all, the former world number one mixed three birdies with two bogeys to finish the opening round three behind fellow American Michael Thompson at the Olympic Club. "I played well today," three-times champion Woods told reporters. ...

Cougars make a comeback in the Midwest (Holy Kaw!)

bounties that began being rescinded in the 1960s and 70s when the animals only survived in N o , c a u t i o u s m o t h e r s o f the western states. Midwestern farm boys, it won’t Establishing populations in North be necessary to hide your sons and South Dakota as well as from an onslaught of older Nebraska combined with the women but it might still be males’ need to find new territory advisable to keep an eye out for to prevent interbreeding has now other predators slinking around spread the cougar far from these where you didn’t expect them. s t a r t i n g p o i n t s t o I l l i n o i s , T h a n k s t o t h e i r s t a t u s a s A r k a n s a s , M i s s o u r i a n d 2400-kilometer trek from South “undesirable predators,” cougars Oklahoma. One male was even Dakota. Ideally, cougars require disappeared from the Midwest d i s c o v e r e d a s f a r e a s t a s forestland for cover and areas and East thanks to state-sponsored Connecticut after making the Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:49:00 PM

publicizing the success of recovery efforts, and her team encourage wildlife experts throughout the region to ready campaigns to educate the public about how to safely coexist with the creatures. Yes, that would be much appreciated. Full story at The Journal of Wildlife Management via with more prey than the waving S c i e n t i f i c A m e r i c a n . grasses and crops of the Midwest Saving the animals. provide, so Michelle LaRue, the Photo credit: Fotolia l e a d a u t h o r o f t h e p a p e r Permalink| Leave a comment »

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It's Pretty Nuts That The Economist 5 Weird Auto Insurance Has Endorsed The Muslim Brotherhood Claims: You'll Have to In This Weekend's Egyptian Election Read It to Believe It Adam Taylor (Money Game)

Gerlinda Grimes (HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)

in squirrel nut attacks, and even one report by a driver who claimed his windscreen melted Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:00:56 PM The Economist has a big when a plane crash-landed nearby endorsement in its upcoming print Most of the time, car insurance and burst into flames. edition (also online) for the claims are humdrum affairs Claims with legitimate sources Muslim Brotherhood's involving fender benders or storm are harder to come by, but we've Muhammad Morsi in this damage. Once in a while, police u n e a r t h e d a f e w f o r y o u r weekend's Egyptian presidential reports might contain a funny amusement. Here are 5 genuine, election. s e n t e n c e o r t w o r e g a r d i n g real-deal, truly off-the-wall That said, they don't sound too accident-scene kerfuffles. (The insurance claims that you'll have happy about it, calling him a picture of an angry granny to read to believe. First up, a "dreary" and noting that no matter swatting a young punk over the mattress that caused a three-car how slickly they repackage head with her purse comes to pile-up. themselves, "a strain of This entry passed through the intolerance runs through them, candidate, as they say. His rival, dominated by Islamists like (and mind.) Truly bizarre claims, however, Full-Text RSS service — if this is particularly in religion". A h m e d S h a f i q " w o u l d b e a i n c l u d i n g ) t h e M u s l i m are rare and elusive. Some have your content and you're reading it We've noted before that many throwback to repression", the Brotherhood had been dissolved, become the stuff of legend. If you on someone else's site, please read people have grave doubts about Economist writes. — and it's looking a lot like the Google "weird insurance claim," the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentthe Muslim Brotherhood — not And, what a throwback it is. As military and Mubarak cronies you'll find multiple improbable only/faq.php#publishers. Five least their relationship with the Economist notes, the entire could be holding a coup. Iran.And, as Art Cashin notes, the situation is still in flux. Shortly Please follow International on rumors involving wrecks caused Filters recommends: Donate to b y d r i v e r s o g l i n g n a k e d Wikileaks. Arabic world's largest nation after they went to press with their Twitter and Facebook. potentially becoming a theocracy endorsement, it was announced Join the conversation about this pedestrians, windshields damaged is no joke. that the Egyptian parliament, story » However, Morsi is the least worst Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:54:00 PM

Hitchhiking virus sneaks up on cancer (Holy Kaw!)

"By piggybacking on blood cells, the virus is managing to hide from the body’s natural immune Scientists have shown how a response and reach its target promising viral therapy that intact. This could be hugely delivers a double blow to cancer significant for the uptake of viral can sneak up on tumors by therapies like this in clinical Leeds researcher Professor Alan hitching a ride on blood cells. practice,” says University of Melcher. Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:11:00 PM

Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Photo credit: U. Leeds Permalink| Leave a comment »

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The New MacBook Pro: Unfixable, UnUpgradeable, Untenable Kyle Wiens (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:00:00 PM

iFixit removes the logic board from the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display during their teardown. Photo: iFixit This week, Apple delivered the highly anticipated MacBook Pro with Retina Display—and the tech world is buzzing. I took one apart yesterday because I run iFixit, a team responsible for highresolution teardowns of new products and DIY repair guides. We disassemble and analyze new electronic gizmos so you don’t have to—kind of like an internet version of Consumer Reports. Kyle Wiens The retina MacBook is the least repairable laptop we’ve ever taken apart: unlike the previous model, the display is fused to the glass, which means replacing the LCD requires buying an expensive display assembly. The RAM is now soldered to the logic board — making future memory upgrades impossible. And the battery is glued to the case, requiring customers to mail their laptop to Apple every so often for a$200 replacement. The design may well be comprised of “ highly recyclable aluminum and glass” — but my friends in the electronics recycling industry tell me they have no way of recycling

aluminumNEW that has pageglass 43 glued to

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NEW continued from page 42

it like Apple did with both this machine and the recent iPad. The design pattern has serious consequences not only for consumers and the environment, but also for the tech industry as a whole. The retina MacBook is the least repairable laptop we’ve ever taken apart. Four years ago, Apple performed a market experiment. They released the super thin, but nonupgradeable, MacBook Air in addition to their two existing, easily upgradeable notebooks: the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. Apple’s laptops had evolved over two decades of experience into impressively robust, rugged, and long-lasting computers. Apple learned a lot from the failings of the past: the exploding batteries of the PowerBook 5300, the flaky hinges of the PowerBook G4 Titanium, the difficult-to-access hard drive in the iBook. Apple’s portable lineup was a triumph — for consumers and for Apple itself. IT professionals the world over love working on the MacBook. I’ve disassembled a few of them myself, and I can attest that they are almost as easy to repair as they are to use. The 2008 Air went in a new direction entirely: it sacrificed performance and upgradeability in exchange for a thinner design. Its RAM is soldered to the logic

board (as in the Retina MacBook Pro), so upgrading it means replacing the entire expensive logic board. And like all laptops, the Air has a built-in consumable. The MacBook Air’s battery was rated to last just 300 charges when it was introduced. But unlike laptops before it, replacing the Air’s battery required specialized tools and removing some nineteen screws. When Apple dropped the MacBook Air to $999 in 2010 to match the price point of the MacBook, they gave users a clear choice: the thin, light, and unupgradeable MacBook Air or the heavier, longer lasting, more rugged, and more powerful MacBook. Same price, two very different products. At the time, I wasn’t very happy with the nonupgradeable RAM on the MacBook Air, but I respected that Apple had given their users a choice. It was up to us: did we want a machine that would be stuck with 2 GB of RAM forever? Would we support laptops that required replacement every year or two as applications required more memory and batteries atrophied? Apple has presented the market with a choice. They have two professional laptops: one that is serviceable and upgradeable, and one that is not. Consumers overwhelmingly

voted yes, and the Air grew to take 40% of Apple’s notebook sales by the end of 2010. The success of the nonupgradeable Air empowered Apple to release the even-lessserviceable iPad two years later: the battery was glued into the case. And again, we voted with our wallets and purchased the device despite its built-in death clock. In the next iteration of the iPad, the glass was fused to the frame. Once again, with another product announcement, Apple has presented the market with a choice. They have two professional laptops: one that is serviceable and upgradeable, and one that is not. They’re not exactly equivalent products — one is less expensive and supports expandable storage, and the other has a cutting-edge display, fixed storage capacity, and a premium pricetag—but they don’t have the same name just to cause confusion. Rather, Apple is asking users to define the future of the MacBook Pro. Apple isn’t fundamentally against upgradeability and accessibility. The current Mac Mini has compelling finger slots that practically beg people to open it. When Steve Jobs released the “open-minded” Power Mac G3 with a door that opened from the

side, the audience oohed and aahed. Apple products have historically retained their value quite well, in part due to thirdparty repair manuals, but also due to a number of very modular, very upgradeable designs. Even the MacBook Pro was originally touted as an accessible, repairable machine—at Macworld in 2009, Steve Jobs said, “Our pro customers want accessibility: [...] to add memory, to add cards, to add drives.” That’s part of what I love about my MacBook Pro. I’ve upgraded my RAM, and I even replaced my optical drive with an 80 GB SSD. We have consistently voted for hardware that’s thinner rather than upgradeable. But we have to draw a line in the sand somewhere. On the other hand, Apple has consistently introduced thinner, lighter products. They learn from experience. They react to their customers. They’re very adept at presenting us with what we want. And they give us options from time to time and allow product sales to determine their future designs. We have consistently voted for hardware that’s thinner rather than upgradeable. But we have to draw a line in the sand somewhere. Our purchasing decisions are telling Apple that we’re happy to buy computers and watch them die on

Romney: '[Obama] Looking at a One-Term Proposition' Daniel Halper (The Weekly Standard)

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney released the following statement in response to

campaign speech in Ohio: President Obama's reelection

schedule. When we choose a short -lived laptop over a more robust model that’s a quarter of an inch thicker, what does that say about our values? Every time we buy a locked down product containing a nonreplaceable battery with a finite cycle count, we’re voicing our opinion on how long our things should last. But is it an informed decision? When you buy something, how often do you really step back and ask how long it should last? If we want longlasting products that retain their value, we have to support products that do so. Today, we choose. If we choose the retina display over the existing MacBook Pro, the next generation of Mac laptops will likely be less repairable still. When that happens, we won’t be able to blame Apple. We’ll have to blame ourselves. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Creflo Dollar's Daughter's 911 Call Released: Not the First Time It's Happened (Christianpost.com &gt; Most Popular)

"I just got an altercation with my father. He punched me and ...(inaudible) choked me. It's not June 12, 2012| 1:03 pm the first time it's happened. I feel Related threatened by being in this • Creflo Dollar, Megachurch house," the 15-year-old girl is Pastor, Arrested for Battery heard telling the 911 operator. Charges Creflo Dollar Jr., founder "I don't know what can be done and senior pastor of the World but I'm scared. I'm shaking. I Changers Church ... don't...I don't know what to do." • Hundreds Defend Creflo Dollar Creflo Dollar, who was arrested A f t e r A l l e g e d A s s a u l t o n Friday then released on $5,000 Daughter Creflo Dollar, pastor of bail, has admitted to "spanking" a 30,000-strong congregation in his daughter, according to a police Georgia, is drawing an ... report by the Fayette County • Creflo Dollar's Wife, Taffi Sheriff's Office. He told a deputy Dollar, Home at Time of Alleged t h a t a f t e r s h e b e c a m e Assault On the heels of Atlanta- disrespectful, he tried to restrain area megachurch minister Creflo her. When she began to hit him, Dollar releasing a ... that's when he reportedly wrestled • Creflo Dollar Arrested Latest: her to the floor and spanked her Pastor Responds on Facebook bottom and back of her legs. After being arrested and released On Sunday, the prominent black on ,000 bail, the well-known preacher appeared before his megachurch ... World Changers Church • Creflo Dollar Denies Abuse International congregation in C h a r g e s , M a r k W a s ' S k i n Atlanta and emphatically denied Abrasion from Eczema' (VIDEO) punching or choking his youngest A weekend after his arrest, Creflo daughter. Dollar Jr. has insisted that he is "The truth is that a conversation innocent ... with our daughter got emotional • Creflo Dollar: I Should Have and things escalated from there," Never Been Arrested; Devil Dollar, a father of five, told the Trying to Discredit Me Creflo 30,000-member congregation. Dollar Jr., who was arrested Follow us F r i d a y o n b a t t e r y c h a r g e s "The truth was that she was not involving his ... choked, she was not punched," he stated. "There were not any

scratches on her neck but the only thing on her neck was a prior skin abrasion from eczema." Dollar received a standing ovation throughout his entire statement before the church. The statement was made prior to his Sunday sermon. "I should have never been arrested. Never!" he said. "And when the facts of this come out, you will be appalled." The 911 call lasted about 5 minutes. During the call, the 911 operator asked if there were any weapons, drugs or alcohol involved; the girl answered, "No, ma'am." The 911 operator also asked if she had any "injuries," "visible injuries," to which the girl also answered, "No, ma'am." The operator then proceeded to ask what the argument between the girl and her father was about. Dollar's daughter told the 911 operator that they were arguing about her going to a party on Saturday. She said after her father brought up her grades, she started crying and then walked out of the room to the kitchen. The girl said her father followed behind her and asked why she was crying. When she told Dollar, "I do not want to talk to you," he allegedly started to get physical. "And he went off. He came, put

his arm around my neck, choked me, and bent me over the table," said the teenager in the audio recording of the 911 call. "I threw him off of me. He threw me on the ground and punched me in my face. And this is going on for a good two, three minutes. And my mom came in the room and he stopped. And then my mom asked him what happened and he said that I hit him first, which is a lie." The dispatcher then asked for the girl's age, her father's name and birth date, and whether her parents were aware of the 911 call. The girl said her parents did not know she was calling 911, only her sister did. Dollar's 19-year-old daughter, who witnessed the altercation, corroborated her sister's story to the police. At first, she gave a different account "due to her parents being outside with her while she was writing it," according to the deputy's report. In her second statement, made after being separated from her parents, the 19-year-old daughter said her father slapped and choked her younger sister. Pastor Creflo Dollar said the incident was part of the devil's plan to "discredit" him and his ministry. "The devil knows in order to

discredit the message, you have to first of all discredit the messenger," he said Sunday. Reading from Psalm 35, Dollar said, "Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about." "Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord. Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice," he continued. "May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced." On Facebook, hundreds have come to Dollar's defense, including parents who empathize with having a teenage daughter. Many have also poured out prayers for the Dollar family, calling on others to withhold judgment before all the facts emerge in the case. Listen to Audio of 911 Call from Creflo Dollar's Home This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Foxconn, Here We Come! Dragon Innovation Teaches Startups How to Get Stuff Made Joseph Flaherty (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:36:00 PM

Clocky was one of Dragon Innovation’s first projects So, your Kickstarter project went viral raised a cool six figures. There’s a mob of eager funders already checking their watches, demanding to know when you’ll ship. Pull it off and you’ll be a design star. Fail and you’re in for a highly public facepalm. You were only planning on making a couple dozen units, you say? The closest you’ve gotten to manufacturing in Asia is ordering take out? Whoops … Startups who’ve found themselves in this now-common jam are turning to Scott Miller and his Dragon Innovation. The consulting firm has helped the MakerBot, Pebble watch, and other indie products meet rapidfire demand with manufacturing support. “Kickstarter is insanely powerful,” says Miller, “but can be incredibly dangerous.” Miller, an MIT grad, started his career by imagineering a six ton robot dinosaur for Disney. He’s delivered a baby doll with AI for Hasbro, and helped spark the domestic robotics revolution by

bringing iRobot’s Roomba to life. Dragon Innovation's Scott Miller spent four years getting his manufacturing chops while developing iRobot with Chinese companies. Photo: iRobot At iRobot, Miller was responsible for setting up manufacturing

operations in China that ultimately built over 3 million robo-dustbins. In 2009, Miller decided to spin off on his own. He’s since helped projects like Zeo and Nanda; alarm clocks that can read your mind or roll away from repeat snoozers,

repsectively. Both were smart ideas, but it was Dragon Innovation that molded them into shelf worthy products. More than just doling out advice on how to navigate outsourcing, Dragon also lends credibility to companies courting investors.

“Dragon changes the conversation from ‘can you build it?’ to ‘can you sell it?’ with VCs.” says Miller. Also, the best factories have limited production capacity and act like VCs, Miller says, FOXCONN, page 49

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Recession Has Already Begun, Analyst Says (Christianpost.com &gt; Most Popular)

interventions." "In effect," Hussman writes, "we're going into another June 12, 2012| 4:41 pm recession because we never "By our analysis, the U.S. e f f e c t i v e l y a d d r e s s e d t h e economy is presently entering a problems that produced the first recession. Not next year; not later o n e , l e a v i n g u s u n u s u a l l y this year; but now," Hussman vulnerable to aftershocks. Our wrote Monday in a commentary economic malaise is the result of a on the Hussman Funds website. whole chain of bad decisions that Hussman believes that more have distorted the financial evidence that the economy has markets in ways that make entered a recession will be recurring crisis inevitable." forthcoming in the next few Hussman compares the current months, "but through a constant financial system to "a selfprocess of denial in which every serving, grotesque casino that deterioration is dismissed as misallocates scarce savings, begs transitory, and every positive for and encourages speculative o u t l i e r i s c e l e b r a t e d a s a bubbles, refuses to restructure bad resumption of growth." debt, and demands that the most The primary reason that the reckless stewards of capital economy is entering another should be rewarded through recession, Hussman believes, is bailouts that transfer bad debt that the causes of the previous from private balance sheets to the recession, which began in 2008, public balance sheet." were never adequately addressed. Follow us Instead, the financial system has Hussman's article places much "lost its function of directing e m p h a s i s o n t h e r o l e t h a t scarce capital toward projects that government policy has played in enhance the world's standard of encouraging the causes of the living." Furthermore, government recession. policies have encouraged this The problem will not be fixed by change through "misguided policy either Republican Party proposed and short-sighted monetary s o l u t i o n s ( l o w e r t a x e s a n d

deregulation) or Democratic Party solutions (more stimulus spending), Hussman argues. Instead, he proposes encouraging debt restructuring, strengthening capital requirements, removing fiscal and monetary backstops, and discontinuing "reckless monetary interventions." He was particularly critical toward governments around the world that protected those who made risky investments while passing on the losses from those investments to everyone else. "Unless we want a world where public services are cut to the bone in order to make bank bondholders whole, and where recession (or in some countries depression) is forced onto citizens in order to make government bondholders whole, the world's leaders will eventually have to wake up and recognize that bad debt requires bondholders who willingly took the risk to also take the loss." Others have similarly stated that the economy will get worse before it gets better. "We're in decline," former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said Monday at a Bloomberg View breakfast in

Osborne unveils ÂŁ140bn scheme to kickstart stagnant economy Robert Winnett (Finance News Business news from the UK and world)

Chancellor's scheme involves BoE offering money to high-street banks to kick-start mortgage and small business lending.

New York. "We're in very difficult times right now, very different times than we've been." A Congressional Budget Office report last month said that the pending "fiscal cliff" or "taxmageddon" that may come as tax cuts expire and automatic spending cuts go into effect, will likely cause a recession, but not allowing those changes will cause more problems long term. The electorate also believes the nation's economy will get worse before it gets better, according to a Monday report by Democracy Corps, a Democratic consulting firm headed by James Carville and Stanley Greenburg. Voters understand that the economy is in bad shape, states the report, which is based upon focus groups with independent and weak partisan voters. Democrats, it argued, need a forward looking message showing that they understand the struggles of ordinary Americans and have plans for making things better. "These voters are not convinced that we are headed in the right direction," Democracy Corps wrote. "They are living in a new economy -- and there is no

conceivable recovery in the year ahead that will change the view of the new state of the country. They actually have a very realistic view of the long road back and the struggles of the middle class -and the current narrative about progress just misses the opportunity to connect and point forward." A Federal Reserve study released Monday showed that the financial crisis reduced U.S. household net worth by 38.8 percent from 2007 to 2010. In an interview with Bloomberg about the study, Lance Roberts, CEO of Streettalk Advisors LLC, said, "What you see is an economy that's really very, very stressed for the bottom 60 to 70 percent of the population that's struggling just to make ends m e e t . " C o n t a c t : napp.nazworth@christianpost.co m,@NappNazworth(Twitter) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Chinese Officials Beat 7-Month Pregnant Woman; Abort Baby (Christianpost.com &gt; Most Popular)

June 12, 2012| 7:03 pm "The baby was lifeless, and she was all purple and blue," said Feng Jianmei. It was her second child. "Feng Jianmei's story demonstrates how the One-Child Policy continues to sanction violence against women every day," said Chai Ling, founder of All Girls Allowed. "We learned that family planning officials in Jianmei's region are launching a campaign of forced abortions this month. They received a lower grade from the government because of 'over-quota' births, and Jianmei's story shows us how they plan to respond. Unfortunately her family was the first to receive the 'opening of the knife.'" Watchdog Chinese Skynet Center for Human Rights first broke the story and it was picked up this week by Women's Rights Without Frontiers. According to reports, Jianmei was beaten and dragged into vehicle on June 2 by family planning officials while her husband, Deng Jiyuan, was at work. Jiyuan told Ling of All

Girls Allowed that five men had abducted his wife and taken her to a hospital where they held her down. "They covered her head with a pillowcase. She couldn't do anything because they were restraining her," the husband stated. Follow us The officials asked her to pay fines worth more than $6,000 but when the money wasn't given, they forced Jianmei to sign an abortion "consent" form. They inked her thumb and pressed it forcibly against the form. Toxins were then injected into the brain of her unborn daughter. "I could feel the baby jumping around inside me all the time, but then she went still," the mother recounted to Ling. The forced abortion took place on June 3. After enduring painful contractions, she gave birth on June 4 to her deceased child. Jiyuan said his wife pulled a knife against herself while thinking about her child. Feeling helpless, he said, "What can I do? I'm just an average worker. I have no power." Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women's Rights Without

Frontiers called on the U.S. government and other leaders of the free world to "strongly condemn" forced abortion in China. "This is an outrage. No legitimate government would commit or tolerate such an act," Littlejohn stated. China's one-child policy applies to couples living in urban areas. A maximum of two children are allowed for couples living in rural areas if the first child is a girl. The United States expressed strong opposition against forced abortion and sterilization this week. Victoria Nuland, spokeswoman for the State Department, said Monday that they "always raise these issues with the Chinese government." But Nuland's comment was in reference to another mother in China who is five months pregnant with her second child. Cao Ruyi had recently been threatened with a forced abortion but global outcry prompted Chinese officials from the family planning office to release her this past weekend. Ruyi still remains under pressure, however, to pay $25,000 to continue her pregnancy. If she is

unable to pay the heavy fine, some are concerned family planning officials will force an abortion. Littlejohn noted that the recent incidents expose China's enforcement of its One Child Policy through late-term forced abortions. The fines, she further noted, are also impossible to pay for many couples as they can reach ten times a person's annual salary. Women's Rights Without Frontiers has launched a petition to stop forced abortion in China. Chinese health officials reported in 2009 that more than 13 million abortions are performed each year in China, or about 24 abortions for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44. READ: RESPECT FOR WOMEN'S BODIES This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Miley Cyrus Wraps Up Her Bikini Time and Heads Out of Her Hotel Meghan Rooney (PopSugar) Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:59:07 PM

Miley Cyrus checked out of her Miami hotel today with her friend Cheyne Thomas, who carried her luggage to the car. Yesterday, Miley wore a white bikini while relaxing at a pool with Cheyne. It wasn't all fun, though, since justengaged Miley had to defend herself on Twitter in response to the buzz about her spending time with another guy. Just before her Miami getaway, 19-year-old Miley saw her fiancé Liam Hemsworth in New Orleans, where he is filming Empire State. If you're a Miley or Liam fan, make sure to show them some love in the PopSugar 100 before the contest ends this weekend. View Slideshow ›

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U.S. Needs Another 600 Humans to Fly Its Robot Planes Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:34:00 PM

Royal Air Force Maj. Kevin Gambold monitors and pilots an MQ-1 Predator at Ali Air Base, Iraq, Jan. 10, 2008. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jonathan Snyder) The Pentagon doesn’t have nearly enough people to operate its growing fleet of flying robots. Right now, the U.S. Air Force is short nearly 600 drone pilots and sensor operators. And that’s before the military carries out its plans to more than double its armada of remotelyoperated Reaper aircraft by 2015. Air Force leaders have been complaining for months that their “ number one manning problem… is manning our unmanned platforms.” But the generals’ gripe was seen mostly as a worry about finding intelligence analysts to watch the countless hours of surveillance video that the spy drones produce. Turns out, the Air Force also doesn’t have enough people to operate the aircrafts — or to turn and focus their cameras. That’s according to an April 2012 report on the future of drones(.pdf) by Pentagon chief weapons-buyer Frank Kendall, which lays out the challenges facing the military as it increases

unmanned systems operations on American soil. The report, obtained Inside Defense, was requested by Congress because the growing fleet of unmanned aerial systems “raises a number of questions concerning the military services’ ability to support these inventories in the near-and longterm.” As of December 16, 2011, the Air Force had 1,358 pilots and 949 sensor operators, a shortfall

of 338 and 245 respectively. And with more Reapers coming — their number will go from the current 96 to 199 in 2015 — they will need around 1,400 more pilots and sensor operators combined. To meet this demand, the Air Force will hire new outside instructors as well as jump-start two new educational initiatives. The first will create new military

undergraduate courses, which will complement existing training programs for pilots and sensor operators. The second is to increase the capacity of its training crews. Apart from personnel problems, the military has space issues, as well. Sure, the military uses at least 64 different bases to house its drone fleet. It’s still not enough airspace. According to the report,

the airspace required already exceeds what’s available and the problem will only get worse as more bases are built around the country. In fact, many of the new bases won’t have access to the airspace necessary, both civilian and military, unless the Federal Aviation Administration changes its rules about flying drones U.S. page 49

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FOXCONN,

U.S.

continued from page 45

choosing to work with only the most impressive entrepreneurs. Without an upfront understanding of manufacturing costs, a big windfall on Kickstarter can be worse than a missed goal. Miller points out that if you’ve done the math wrong, “You’ve got funding, But you’ve instantly failed.” To help mitigate that risk, Dragon has developed tools like design-for-manufacturing calculators to help uncover hidden costs early in the process. Sifteo cubes are an example of the complex electromechanical products Dragon Innovation can produce. Photo: Sifteo Hit List: How Dragon Innovation helps Startups Step 1: Finding a Factory “The Most important decision designers have to make is to choose the right factory.” says Miller. Dragon starts the process by preparing a RFQ (Request For Quote) and a BOM (Bill Of Materials) based on the inventor’s prototype. With those documents in hand, they introduce entrepreneurs to a select group of factory owners — but not too many — to reduce the likelihood of products getting knocked off. Miller is keen to point out that Dragon, unlike many manufacturing agents isn’t a

continued from page 48

middleman. “We don’t hold entrepreneurs hostage by withholding information,” he says and quickly points out they receive no compensation from factory owners, aligning their incentives squarely with the entrepreneurs. When asked about finding a factory through a web-based marketplace, like Alibaba, Miller cautions, “It’s like roulette, sometimes you hit a good one, but more often than not you get a bad one.” Step 2: Keeping a Schedule “It’s easy to ship something. It’s hard to ship something on cost, quality, and schedule,” says Miller. The company prides itself on spotting time sucks that rookies would miss. For instance, a factory in need of work might submit a low bid for a project, but not have the skills required to deliver, adding months of delay to a schedule. Step 3: Shipping Products – That Work “If I went to your house and looked for the door knob it would be roughly where I expect it to be, but if someone magically moved my doorknob a miniscule amount, I’d know.” is Miller’s explanation of Dragon’s quality control philosophy. Products may look

good to the untrained eye, but hidden defects could lead to legions of unhappy customers back home. Dragon has project managers in Asia with deep experience in statistical analysis to make sure products coming off the production line will work in customer’s hands. What about those entrepreneurs who dream of getting it made in the U.S.A? Miller believes increased automation is what will make domestic manufacturing economically viable again, and to that end, hopes to bring his two loves of manufacturing and robotics together. “It’s easier to deal with someone a drive away than someone half way around the world,” he says, “and it will have a huge impact on design.” This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

domestically. As of today, drones in the U.S. can only fly within certain areas designed for military use. To fly a drone outside of those spaces, the Pentagon needs the permission of the FAA, a special permit awarded through a process that “requires a significant amount of time and resources,” something that “does not provide the level of airspace access necessary to accomplish the wide range of DoD UAS missions at current and projected tempos,” according to Kendal’s report. The only solution, Kendall insists, is to give drones the same freedom regular planes enjoy. Drones will not achieve their full potential “unless they go where manned aircraft go with the same freedom of navigation, responsiveness, and flexibility,” the report states. If the Pentagon can’t find more room in the sky for its drones, the Air Force capabilities “will stagnate or

degrade.” The third challenge is infrastructure. The military will need new buildings to house and operate its drones. According to Kendall’s report, the Department of Defense has already spent or plans on spending a grand total of almost $1.4 billion to build new hangars, operating bases and other facilities to support its increasing drone operations. Presumably, that includes bunks for the extra pilots and sensor operators they’ll need to control the supposedly “unmanned” aircraft. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

TED: Sarah Parcak: Archeology from space - Sarah Parcak (2012) TEDTalks (TEDTalks (video))

In this short talk, TED Fellow Sarah Parcak introduces the field

of "space archeology" -- using satellite images to search for clues

to the lost sites of past civilizations.

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British PM appears before media inquiry (AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE))

it's never been perfect. There have always been problems. You can point to examples of [former British Prime Minister David P r i m e M i n i s t e r W i n s t o n ] Cameron, under fire for courting Churchill putting [press tycoon] an exclusive media clique led by Beaverbrook as a minister, so this Rupert Murdoch, has appeared is, there have been issues for before a judicial inquiry to try and years. neuter claims that his ministers "But I think [in] the last 20 years t a i l o r e d p o l i c y t o f u r t h e r the relationship has not been right, Murdoch's interests. I think it has been too close, as I Cameron's once-cosy ties with explained in my evidence. And I Murdoch's inner circle have think we need to try and get it on sharpened the perception that a better footing. Britain has been run for years by "I don't think the regulatory an elite that fawned on the News system we have at the moment Melanie Pinola (Lifehacker) Corp chairman. works, and so we need to improve Submitted at 6/14/2012 12:30:00 PM This put Cameron under pressure it." Web/iOS/Android: Great news, to pull off a virtuoso performance A text message from Brooks to readers: The latest Kindle updates during Thursday's hearing at the Cameron, who was then in the for the mobile and Cloud Reader Leveson Inquiry into media ethics opposition, was read out to the prime minister on live television apps now support kid's books, in London. graphic novels, and comics. There But the hearing embarrassingly during a grilling about his ties to a r e o v e r 1 , 0 0 0 n e w t i t l e s revealed that Rebekah Brooks, News Corp. available, with support for pop-up then head of Murdoch's British " I a m s o r o o t i n g f o r y o u text and highlighting the artwork newspapers, told Cameron the tomorrow not just as a personal night before a crucial political friend but because professionally in individual panels. More Âť speech in 2009 that they were we're definitely in this together. "professionally in this together". Speech of your life? Yes he Key remarks Cam!" Brooks told Cameron in Comments made by David that message the night before his Cameron at the inquiry led by speech to the Conservative Party's Judge Brian Leveson. annual conference. "Part of my evidence ... is to say Testifying under oath, Cameron that I think this relationship has said Brooks had merely meant been going wrong for, you know, that they had a common interest

Children's Books, Graphic Novels, and Comics Now Available on Kindle iOS, Android, and Cloud Reader Apps [Kindle]

Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:48:13 PM

because her Sun newspaper had come out in support of the Conservative Party ahead of the 2010 election. But the message makes excruciating reading for Cameron as "We're all in this together" was the Conservatives' campaign slogan for that election. It was meant to present the party as inclusive and caring, but the Brooks message instead reinforces the perception of a party in thrall to a powerful media clique. "Yes he Cam" was the Sun's headline the day after he made the 2009 speech, suggesting Brooks had decided how the newspaper would react to the speech before it was made. Brooks quit her News Corp job last year over phone-hacking by reporters on her watch and has since been charged with perverting the course of justice for allegedly hiding evidence. Britain's coalition government has divided along party lines over Cameron's backing for a minister accused of doing Murdoch's bidding when responsible for impartial oversight, as he struggles with an economy in recession and growing unease about his leadership within his

own party. Cameron ordered the Leveson Inquiry last year at a time when he was under pressure to crack down on Murdoch's papers because of the revelation that reporters at the News of the World tabloid had hacked into the phone of a murdered schoolgirl. But if Cameron had hoped the inquiry might neuter the hacking scandal, it has done the opposite by producing evidence that has raised doubts about his own judgment and caused a rift with his Liberal Democrat coalition partners. The inquiry has shown generations of politicians from both of Britain's main parties, Labour and the Conservatives, have fawned over Murdoch and people close to him. 664 This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Court throws Egypt transition into disarray (AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE))

no institution the authority to dissolve parliament. At issue on Thursday was the CAIRO, Egypt - Two days before w a y i n w h i c h t h e P e o p l e ' s the country is set to elect a new Assembly was elected, which president, Egypt's Supreme involved a hybrid ballot, twoConstitutional Court has ruled that thirds of which was meant for the Islamist-dominated parliament political parties and one-third for must be dissolved and that former independents. regime figures must be allowed to The Brotherhood pushed the hold political office, effectively military to change the rules at the approving the candidacy of l a s t m o m e n t , o p e n i n g t h e presidential hopeful and former independent seats for parties, thus prime minister Ahmed Shafiq. hemming in the power of former Thursday's rulings, accompanied regime elites to run for election. by an announcement that Egypt's But that push now seems to have ruling Supreme Council of the backfired, with the court ruling Armed Forces (SCAF) would now that the change to the hybrid oversee the writing of a new system unfairly discriminated constitution, immediately raised against independents. fears of a thinly veiled military It relied on that principle to takeover. declare those seats invalid, and an Mohammed el-Beltagy, the vice election rerun necessary. p r e s i d e n t o f t h e M u s l i m 'Counter-revolution' Brotherhood's Freedom and At the heavily guarded court Justice Party (FJP), called the before the ruling was delivered, a sequence of events a "fully few hundred protesters had fledged coup" in a post on his gathered in the hot midday sun to Facebook page. call for Shafiq's disqualification. T h e B r o t h e r h o o d ' s s e n i o r "[Shafiq] is part of the counterleadership reportedly gathered to r e v o l u t i o n , " s a i d H a n a decide on an official response, M o h a m m e d , a 5 1 - y e a r - o l d i n c l u d i n g w h e t h e r t o k e e p housewife and protester. "If their candidate Mohammed Morsi Shafiq becomes president, that in the race against Shafiq. means there was no revolution." Egyptians elect first new president Many protesters handed out in post-Mubarak era stickers encouraging bystanders to The Brotherhood may also decide boycott the vote or spoil their to reject the court's decision ballots, while others waved the entirely. Saad el-Katatni, an FJP flag of Egypt's revolutionary m e m b e r a n d s p e a k e r o f socialist movement. parliament, said recently that At least twice as many military Egypt's interim constitution gave and riot police armed with shields Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:58:23 PM

Rabie said. "I think Shafiq is a good man." The Muslim Brotherhood, he said, had already won most of parliament's two houses and now was grasping at the presidency in a bid to take full control of Egypt and follow "the model of Iran". Arguing Shafiq would restore security, he said: "If Shafiq is no good, it's only for four years and he will not be like Mubarak." The Brotherhood now finds itself in perhaps its most perilous state since the revolution. Though the upper house of parliament, the mostly powerless Shoura Council, remains, the a n d b a t o n s a n d b a c k e d b y Thursday as deeply political. machine gun-mounted armoured Exacerbating the perception were lower People's Assembly is on the personnel carriers faced the remarks made last week by brink of dissolving. protesters from behind a barbed- Ahmed el-Zend, the head of the 'Second revolution' wire fence. Judges Club, who declared that The Brotherhood's success in "It's not a good sign that the judges would not have overseen pushing through what was known Supreme Constitutional Court is elections if they had known the as the Political Isolation Law has supposed to be independent and is parliament they were going to get. also been reversed. guarded by state security and the "SCAF has been trying to restore The law, approved by SCAF in army like this," said Wissam elements of the old regime," April, banned Shafiq and others M o h a m m e d , a 2 6 - y e a r - o l d Mohammed said, drawing no who had held high-level positions translator and political researcher. distinction between the court and in Mubarak's government from holding office for the next decade. 'Bad sign' Egypt's ruling generals. Though Egypt's judiciary was "As much as I disagree with what Shafiq continued to run after the long respected as a bulwark of the [Muslim Brotherhood] has presidential election commission, independence, and one of the only done, this is an elected parliament filled with some of the same checks on ousted president Hosni and it's a bad sign that SCAF can judges who sit on the Supreme Mubarak's government, analysts dissolve them in the blink of an Constitutional Court, decided to allow him in. Now the court has say the court was stacked with eye." Mubarak sympathisers in recent But Mohammed Rabie, a neatly officially blessed that decision. years, perhaps to ease the way for dressed high school English The ruling, analysts agree, is what many believed was a plan to teacher, looked at the crowd with legal, since the law was poorly hand the reins of power to his son. disdain as he set his briefcase tailored to target only a select group of individuals. In depth down. Many viewed the Supreme "I think we are in the chaos. Let COURT page 52 Constitutional Court's decision on the judge say what he wants,"

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Bahrain convicts medics for role in uprising

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COURT continued from page 51

But the way in which it was reached, with conflicts of interest and last-second timing, make the court appear to be on the side of the military and the state. (AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)) most serious charges against the public prosecutor said in March Mohammed, the housewife, said she had boycotted every election doctors, including allegations that that he wanted to drop charges Submitted at 6/14/2012 5:58:02 AM since the revolution, since she they "occupied" the hospital and against all but five of the medics, viewed the entire process as a An appeals court in Bahrain has possessed weapons. but - somewhat bizarrely - the military-organised charade. convicted nine medics for their "This is an unjust ruling," Twefik trial continued. "There will be a second r o l e i n t h e c o u n t r y ' s p r o - Dhaif, the uncle of two of the The Bahrain Independent democracy uprising, despite convicted medics, told Reuters. Commission of Inquiry, the revolution, there will be hundreds widespread criticism of the trial "These are the elite doctors in this government panel established to of deaths again," she said. from international human rights country. We have 15 doctors in study last year's unrest, found that 'Historic verdict' When state television announced groups. my family, and most of the people the medics were tortured while in that the court had decided to allow The longest sentence, five years, t h e y h a v e t r e a t e d w e r e A l custody. Rights groups have Shafiq to stay in the race while went to Ali al-Ekry, formerly the Khalifas," referring to the ruling argued that all of the convictions also dissolving parliament, word s e n i o r m e d i c a t S a l m a n i y a family. should be dismissed. spread through the crowd, who Medical Complex, the largest 'Convictions based on torture' â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a travesty of justice that the hospital in Bahrain. Eight other The medics case began in March, trials continued and that the w e r e r e a d i n g T w i t t e r a n d d o c t o r s w e r e s e n t e n c e d t o when security forces arrested 48 medics are now sentenced to jail r e c e i v i n g t e x t m e s s a g e s . between one month and three s t a f f e r s a t S a l m a n i y a . T h e time," said Donna McKay, the Some protesters surged toward the barbed wire, and a military years. military court convicted twenty executive director of Physicians The doctors, twenty of them in and sentenced them to jail terms for Human Rights, a US-based armoured personnel carrier and all, were originally convicted by a of between five and 15 years, a group that has done extensive two Central Security Force armoured vans moved into military court. Two of them did verdict criticised by the United work on Bahrain. position on the other side. n o t a p p e a l t h e i r 1 5 - y e a r Nations as "harsh." The rest were 393 But the crowd thinned, leaving a sentences, and are believed to charged with misdemeanors. This entry passed through the few dozen shouting at the police h a v e f l e d B a h r a i n o r g o n e The group of 20 was convicted of Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is on the other side and leading antiunderground. attempting to overthrow the your content and you're reading it Nine others had their verdicts government; rights groups say on someone else's site, please read military chants. Hours later, Shafiq held a dismissed on Thursday by the they were prosecuted simply for the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contenttriumphant press conference appeals court, including Rula al- treating wounded protesters and only/faq.php#publishers. Five complete with a national anthem Saffar, the head of Bahrain's taking part in demonstrations Filters recommends: Donate to beforehand and declared that the n u r s i n g s o c i e t y . S h e h a d themselves. Wikileaks. era of "tailoring laws" had ended. originally been sentenced to 15 After intense international years in prison. pressure, their cases were The court dismissed some of the transferred to a civilian court. The

He promised a civil state and a return of stability. "The message of this historic verdict is that the era of political score settling has ended," Shafiq told cheering supporters. "I'm not surprised," said 18-yearold Mohammed Maher, a bespectacled engineering student at Helwan University who had carried a revolutionary socialists flag to the court protest. "But I think all the judges they don't rule from their heads, they rule from the head of the army." Maher said everyone expected the judiciary to rule in favour of the establishment. "The son of a rich man becomes rich and the son of a poor man stays poor," he said, smiling wearily. 1288 This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Testing smart controls for Samsung's smart TVs in the CR labs Consumer Reports News (Consumer Reports) Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:59:59 PM

Testing smart controls for Samsung's smart TVs in the CR labs For the past few years, manufacturers have been adding Internet content and network connectivity to flat-panel TVs. This includes access to streamingvideo services such as Netflix and YouTube, and social-networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Many now include full Web browsers, enabling you to go almost anywhere on the Web. But navigating the Internet using a normal TV remote control can be a chore. This has led several TV manufacturers to develop new ways of interacting with and controlling your TV. For example, for several years now, LG has offered the Magic Remote remote control, which uses Nintendo Wii–like pointing gestures to navigate menus and access content. And this year Samsung introduced voice- and gesture-based control (similar to the Kinect for Xbox 360) on its flagship 8000-series TV models, and is also including a secondary remote with a built-in touchpad. LG is also offering voice control and gesture-based control on several models.

We recently tested two of Samsung's 8000-series sets, one LCD TV and one plasma, and found that smart controls, while limited, have some useful features. Voice control. After activating the voice control by saying, "Hi, TV," you can turn the TV on and off without having the remote control nearby, by saying "Power on" and "Power off." And when using the TVs search function (or attempting to enter text) you can simply speak whole words into the second remote control's integrated microphone instead of typing letter-by-letter on a virtual keyboard. While the voice control does require a mostly quiet room to work properly, it doesn't need complete silence. So as long as other people in the room aren't talking too loudly, voice control should work well. If the TV's volume is too high, you may not be able to use the TV's embedded microphone—but when you hit the button on the secondary remote, the TV's volume will automatically drop to a level suitable for voice controls. Unfortunately, there are only a limited number of voice commands the TV can recognize and a certain number of apps it can open. And once these apps are opened, you'll need the remote or

control can be difficult, requiring you to wave your hand for several minutes before it's detected by the TV. But once you get the hang of it, the process becomes easier. Once again, this advanced feature does not make any normal TV viewing tasks any easier, but controlling the volume via gestures is much better than gesture control to use them c o n t r o l l i n g i t w i t h v o i c e command. Navigating Web pages further. Also, for most normal TV and entering text is a bit easier functions, the voice control is than when using the standard more hassle than help. Changing remote, but after a couple of the channel using voice requires a minutes, your arm can start to get lot more effort then using the tired, so it's not recommended for normal remote, and you can raise long navigation sessions. or lower the volume setting only In addition to the normal TV by a single increment at a time. remote, Samsung provides a So, for example, if you wanted to secondary Bluetooth universal raise the volume during a quiet remote. It provides basic TV part of a TV show, you might functionality (channel, volume, have to say "volume up" 10 times power, and menu navigation), and or more to get a reasonable it can control other devices, such as a Blu-ray player. The second volume level. Gesture-based control. For the remote also includes a touchpad gesture-based control, a built-in interface and built-in microphone. camera (which can also be used The touchpad, an alternative to for Skype and other apps) detects gesture control, allows you to hand movements and uses them to move the onscreen cursor by move an onscreen cursor, similar swiping the pad with your thumb. to a mouse cursor on a computer. While we found that navigating You can then select items by Internet apps and entering text is clenching your fist. This feature easier with the touchpad than with will not work in very-low-light the normal remote, the touchpad conditions, but it should work can be more sluggish than the well with typical home lighting. gesture control, requiring too At times, activating the gesture many thumb swipes to navigate a

Web page or even to enter text. This remote also has a dedicated button to activate voice control without having to say "Hi, TV," and the built-in mic is less sensitive to external noise then the TV's integrated mic, since it's closer to you. This makes the commands easier to understand. Also, the built-in mic is the only way to enter text using speech. Bottom line: Based on our initial evaluation of these sets, we found these new types of interfaces do work—albeit with a few hiccups—and represent an interesting step forward in TV control. But due to some drawbacks, as noted, they often don't really add too much to the current experience, and in some cases may be more of a hindrance than a help compared to using a standard remote. Because these TVs are connected, though, you can expect firmware updates from the companies that may remedy some of these issues or even add new features that make them more useful. So while these new interfaces may currently seem like a novelty, it's not hard to imagine a day when they become a typical way for consumers to interact with their TVs. Find out more about the newest TESTING page 56

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The Human Body Owner's Manual: 0 - 6 Months (Woot)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:00:00 PM

Congratulations on the instance of random chance that led to your particular consciousness inhabiting this particular physical vessel! As the proud new owner of a Human Body™ (v1.2.1) your questions about the operation, maintenance, and features of your new body will be answered in this instruction manual. This portion of the manual will cover the first six months of operation (or "life"). DELIVERY OF YOUR NEW BODY Your new Human Body will be delivered to you at no cost and with very little effort (though significant emotional trauma) on your part. Upon delivery of your new body, you must immediately prime and start your Human Body Respiratory System®. Failure to do so may result in damage or permanent loss of your Human Body. (For detailed instructions on the starting and operation of your Human Body Respiratory System®, please see the FEATURES section.) Once running, your Human Body Respiratory System® should continue unimpeded with no further input from you for the duration of your ownership. If your Human Body Respiratory

System® does not start or does not continue running, please seek immediate assistance from the nearest Human Body Delivery Technician or Human Body

Caretaker®. NOTE: Though not technically required, Human Genome highly recommends using the services of a certified Human Body Delivery Technician

for delivery of your new body. INSPECTION Much care is taken and painstaking genetic craftsmanship is used in the handcrafting of your unique,

personalized, one of a kind (disregard if you have manifested in the Human Body TWIN model) Human Body. We at Human Genome pride ourselves on attention to detail, although any operation running on such a scale can sometimes experience defective or erroneous construction. Please take a moment to review and inspect your Human Body™ for inconsistencies. Any concerns should be brought to the immediate attention of your Human Body Caretaker®. NOTE: Your Human Body™ will require at least one Human Body Caretaker® (of either gender) for the first several years of ownership. For best results, Human Genome recommends a minimum of two Human Body Caretaker® units. Your Human Body™ is shipped placenta-sealed and compacted. Please allow for expansion in a well-ventilated area to remove any smell and impressions left by compression. Please refer to the diagram above: HEAD The HEAD of your body serves as primary processor and input sensor casing. The head should generally be round, although due to the compression and delivery HUMAN page 55

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New Legislation Asks FCC To Create Anti-Cramming Rules For Wireless Bills Chris Morran (The Consumerist)

telephone services Additionally, the bill direct the FCC to create rules to curb Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:30:00 PM cramming on wireless bills. The While recent action by the FCC r u l e s s h o u l d e n s u r e t h a t created rules intended to curb the consumers are reimbursed for any p r a c t i c e o f " c r a m m i n g " unauthorized third-party charges unauthorized third-party charges that appear on their wireless bills. on consumers' landline phone " I t h a s b e c o m e c l e a r t h a t bills, it did nothing to stop the c r a m m i n g n o w e x t e n d s t o same from happening for wireless wireless bills," said Rockefeller. customers. Today, Senator Jay "And while we shouldn't prohibit R o c k e f e l l e r I V i n t r o d u c e d third-party billing on wireless legislation that would end the bills in the way we're doing it on practice and direct the FCC to wireline bills, now is the time for create rules covering wireless the FCC to create rules that ensure customers. cramming on wireless bills is Rockefeller, chair of the Senate prevented.... Let's learn from the Commerce Committee introduced lessons of wireline cramming and the Fair Telephone Billing Act of address the vulnerabilities of 2012, which will require all wireless billing right now, before landline and VoIP companies to any more consumers are harmed put an end to the placement of by the shameful practice of almost all third-party charges on cramming." customers' bills. AT&T, Verizon Starting in the '90s, more and and CenturyLink have already more third-party charges began to begun to implement this change. appear on consumers' phone bills, The bill would ban third-party many of them for services the charges on landline and VoIP consumer never ordered or was bills, except for legitimate not given a chance to opt out of. legitimate third-party charges like The recent FCC rule changes collect calls or "bundled" services, require landline companies to let like satellite television, that might customers know if they can opt be jointly marketed with the out of third-party billing and to

list all third-party charges clearly and separately. "These cramming scams take advantage of millions of customers each year. This legislation is a much needed to step to stop these predatory practices and ensure that consumers are only being charged for services they approved," said Parul P. Desai, policy counsel for Consumers Union. "Wireless phone users deserve the same protections as wireline and VoIP customers, especially as more consumers are moving away from landlines and towards wireless technology. The same cramming abuses that happen on landlines can easily happen to wireless users. It is imperative that any directive for the FCC to develop these wireless cramming rules be carried out quickly and efficiently." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

HUMAN continued from page 54

process, may initially have a conical shape. This is normal and should dissipate within a few weeks. EYE Your Human Body EYE comes in a set of two on the forwardfacing side of your head. The eyes are your optical sensors and will serve as your main sensory input devices, and should be what you're using to visually inspect your new body. Initially your vision may be blurry, and consist only of vague shapes. This is perfectly normal; your eyes will adjust to their use and vision should sharpen. NOTE: Eyes will require frequent cleaning and lubrication. Clean and lubricate your eyes by blinking. Avoid using any sort of cleaning instrument or products other than Human Body™-approved blinking, or damage may occur. EAR Ears should be symmetrically located on either side of your HEAD. These will serve as your primary auditory sensors. Ears may produce wax; this is normal. Avoid putting anything inside your ears or your warranty may be voided. NOSE Your body should come with one NOSE. The nose can be used to detect smells. Smells, at first, may seem confusing. Eventually you will discover more pleasant smells. Your Human Body will produce a variety of smells throughout your ownership, ranging from pleasant to

offensive. MOUTH The mouth is your primary intake for fuel. Initially your body will require a rich, liquid mixture. Human Genome recommends you fuel your body with Human Milk® to develop properly. Your mouth also serves as your most effective means of communication. Although your mouth and its internal components will take some time to develop the dexterity for your chosen language, you will find generic wailing and screaming to be extremely effective at summoning any nearby Human Body Caretaker® units to assist you. For these first six months, all components of your body below the head will not be of much use while neural connections develop. You may notice your Human Body Caretaker® units wrap your body tightly. This is perfectly normal and is done so to prevent inadvertent damage to your body. Use your MOUTH to indicate to your Human Body Caretaker® units any need of fueling, cleaning, or other maintenance you may require. For this initial phase, your responsibilities are minor and consist only of eating and growing. For instructions regarding the next stage of your body ownership, please read Section 2.

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Sean University: The Ball's In Your Court, Dads (Woot)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 11:15:00 AM

Since it’s Dad Week on the Woot blog, today’s Sean Adams University of Business Management Development Leadership summer elective course will focus on new and exciting alternatives to the age-old father-son activity, tossing the ball around! Check it out! Think back to when you were just a little kid and your dad said, “Hey son! What do you say you grab your glove and we head out to the backyard and play catch?” You’d feel excited, right? Because maybe you got a weird thrill from dressing your non-dominant hand in leather. Or, more likely, it was because you and your dad were partaking in the game of baseball, America’s pastime! But wait, consider that word: pastime. If you know me at all, you know that I don’t believe in the past. And I’m not just talking about how I’m a Hands Across America denier (that's a topic reserved for my personal blog).

No, I’m saying that, instead of embracing the past, you should look towards the future. That’s why dads today should consider mixing things up a little bit. Instead of going outside to toss the ball, you should: Unbraid the ponytail: It’s fine if either you or your son grows and braids a ponytail for the other to unbraid. It’s even better if you can get a third party to volunteer a ponytail, so the unbraiding can be more of a team effort. But the best is if you unbraid the ponytail of a person who doesn’t even know you’re there. That teaches your son all sorts of important life skills, especially if you’re raising him to be a secret hairdresser. Discuss the swing: Sure, swinging your kid on the swing might be more “active” or “handson.” But the truth is the average

swing set too dangerous to actually be used; either it’s at someone’s house and therefore wasn’t assembled by professionals, or it’s at a public playground where it’s lorded over by juvenile drug dealers who hide their stashes in the hollow piping of the set’s frame (another theory I talk more about on my personal blog). That’s why you’re better off using swings just as a discussion AND NOTHING MORE. For example, ask, “hypothetically, if you were someone who was allowed to swing on a swing, which part do you think you would most enjoy – the up part or the down part – and why?” Lift the motorcycle: Some sensitive motorcycle owners might say different, but as far as I see it, a parked motorcycle is fair

game to lift with your son as a team-building exercise, whether it belongs to you or not. Burn the symbol [into the lawn]: When you say to your child, “Hey, why don’t we sit down with some markers and design a symbol together that we will then use a makeshift flame thrower to burn into the grass of the front yard at such a scale so that it’s viewable from an airplane flying overhead?” you know what else you’re saying? “Dream big, kid!” Now, your turn. Suggest what you would do with your son instead of tossing the ball around. Be sure to use the“[BLANK] the[BLANK]” template and explain why!

TESTING continued from page 53

TV technology and check our free b u y i n g g u i d e a t ConsumerReports.org. Related: In our TV test labs, lower-cost 3D sets and expanded Internet access —Christopher Andrade 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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Five products that don't measure up to their model names Consumer Reports News (Consumer Reports) Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:29:59 PM

Five products that don't measure up to their model names Based on their monikers, a "chill" air conditioner or "pet" vacuum may seem like just the thing to cool your home or tackle that pesky dog hair. And you'd think that a string trimmer called "grasshog" would be a champ at chomping through the weeds. But when Consumer Reports put these products through their paces they didn't live up to their names. Vacuums. Removing pet hair is one of a vacuum cleaner's toughest chores. As its name implies, the 22-pound bagless upright Bissell Lift-Off MultiCyclonic Pet 89Q9 is intended to excel at removing animal hair and fur. But it was only fair at that job, had mediocre airflow and was middling at carpet cleaning. It did get an excellent score for cleaning bare floors. The Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Pet UH30310, on the other hand, did master the pet hair test earning a score of excellent. It was also tops at cleaning bare floors and very good at carpets. Both vacuums were a bit noisy.

Air conditioners. We tested two Friedrich Chill air conditioners, the CP06G10 and the CP05G10, but only the latter one made our list of recommended models. The difference was the ability to power through brownout conditions when voltage is low. The CP05G10 aced that test while its brandmate struggled. Both were excellent at cooling and the CP06G10 is quieter. String trimmers. Black & Decker's GrassHog GH610, a light duty electric string trimmer, apparently lost its appetite, barely munching through the tall grass and weeds in our tests. And it wasn't too sharp at edging either. Typically, the gas-powered trimmers do a better job at cutting tall grass but if you want an electric trimmer opt for Black & Decker's GH1000, which made hay of our tests for tall grass, edging and trimming, was easy to

start and comfortable to handle. Washing machines. The Aquasmart WL42T26DW1 from Fisher & Paykel is a highefficiency top loader that proved to be only partially effective at getting clothes clean and did mediocre on our gentleness test. But it does use water smartly, scoring an excellent on the water efficiency test. Consider instead one of the nine CR Best Buys on our recommended list of toploaders from such brands as Kenmore, LG, Samsung, Whirlpool and Maytag. Knives. You would expect the 15 -piece Tools of the Trade Fine Edge Stainless Steel knife set from Macy's to ace our cutting performance test. But knives in the set were mediocre performers on our food slicing and cutting tasks. The Ginsu Chikara, a CR Best Buy, aced those tests and also features handles that are more comfortable to use. 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

Health Care Scammers Must Hand Over Keys To Aston Martin, Maserati, Yacht Chris Morran (The Consumerist) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:15:00 PM

The phrase "crime doesn't pay" would probably more accurately be stated as "crime can pay quite well, at least until you get caught." Just ask the operators of an Arizona-based health care telemarketing scam, who now have to surrender all their expensive toys to the federal government. The Federal Trade Commission says it has put an end to the scam allegedly run by Health Care One LLC and its affiliates Americans4Healthcare Inc., Elite Business Solutions, Inc., and Mile High Enterprise Inc. According to the FTC, these companies deceptively marketed medical discount plans as government-endorsed health insurance and falsely claimed they would deliver substantial savings on customers' healthcare costs. Customers were misled into believing the programs were widely accepted by healthcare providers and promised "100% satisfaction" and a money-back guarantee in their TV and radio ads. From the FTC statement:

[T]he companies did not inform consumers that their program was not health insurance until after consumers signed up for the program and paid hundreds of dollars in fees. Consumers who subsequently tried to cancel their enrollment found that the Health Care One companies made it difficult or impossible to obtain refunds. Now that they've been caught and settled with the FTC, the defendants need to surrender their assets, which an Aston Martin, a Maserati, a yacht, and two motorcycles. While the FTC is really just looking for the proceeds from the sale of these items, are having a chuckle imagining FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz enjoying a brief James Bond joyride in the Aston Martin, or going all Evel Knievel in the FTC parking lot. From ConsumerReports.org: This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Financial elder abuse is virulent and preventable Consumer Reports News (Consumer Reports) Submitted at 6/14/2012 1:29:59 PM

Financial elder abuse is virulent and preventable One in five Americans over age 65 have been financially swindled, says a new report by the Financial Protection Trust, a nonprofit organization focused on investor education. That estimate lends added urgency to the agenda of a White House symposium being held today in observance of Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The symposium brings together experts from the public and private sector to focus on preventing and prosecuting elder financial abuse and other crimes against the elderly. By one estimate, seniors lose $2.9 billion annually to financial abuse. That illegal activity can include everything from phone

unexplained withdrawals from bank accounts, or transfers between accounts. •Changes in banks or attorneys. •Bank statements and canceled checks no longer coming to the elder's home. •Unfamiliar signatures on checks and other documents. and e-mail scams from strangers •Changes in spending patterns, to the unwitting transfer of such as buying items the senior property and financial assets to doesn't need. known caregivers. Often, the •Lack of personal amenities, such abusers are family members, as clean clothes and grooming which makes the crime very hard items. You can find more information to identify and prosecute. As we've reported in Consumer on this topic at the Ageless R e p o r t s M o n e y A d v i s e r , Alliance, and at the National prevention requires vigilance. Center on Elder Abuse. Subscribe Look out for these signs among now! S u b s c r i b e t o the seniors you know, particularly ConsumerReports.org for expert those under the care of others: •Unpaid bills when someone else Ratings, buying advice and has been designated to pay them. r e l i a b i l i t y o n h u n d r e d s o f •Missing property, large or products. Update your feed preferences

Middle-Income Parents Will Pay $8,000 More To Raise Kids Born In 2011 Than In 2010 Mary Beth Quirk (The Consumerist)

your kid, health care and clothing costs increased at a more gradual pace than other categories. Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:00:00 PM The government defines middleAre you a middle-income parent income families as those with who had a baby in 2011? You're $59,000 to $103,000 in annual probably going to be jealous of income before taxes. your pals who birthed offspring in Lower income families get a bit 2010, as it's about $8,000 more of a reprieve, as they're expected expensive to raise a child born in to spend about $169,000 over the 2011 over 17 years than the year same time period, whereas higher before. Time to start pinching income families will shell out extra pennies and clipping diaper about $390,000. coupons to afford that $235,000 The first year the USDA issued a kid. report on the cost of raising a A report by the United States child was in 1960, when a kid was Department of Agriculture sets estimated to cost a family $25,000 out the bad news, factoring in (around $192,000 now) to care for food, shelter and other necessities a youngin' until 17. to raise a child, and does not Raising a child just got $8,000 account for inflation, reports more expensive[CNNMoney] CNNMoney. The 3.5% surge in This entry passed through the expenses is likely due to increases Full-Text RSS service — if this is in the costs of transportation, your content and you're reading it child care, education and food for on someone else's site, please read middle-income families. the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentWhile the bulk of expense will be only/faq.php#publishers. Five due to the cost of housing, at Filters recommends: Donate to $70,500, the cost of sheltering Wikileaks.

The Engadget Podcast, live at 5:00PM ET! Tim Stevens (Engadget)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:30:00 PM

Brian's off in Beantown, so Heater fans are bound to be disappointed in this week's

episode. But, fear not: Tim's home from WWDC and feeling a bit jetlagged, and so is Darren Murph, but both will soldier with support from Richard Lawler for this week's podcast. Join them all

in limited edition audio-only

format right after the break. Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live at 5:00PM ET! The Engadget Podcast, live at 5:00PM ET! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jun 2012

16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments

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Syndicate reboot 'didn't pay off' for EA; SSX reboot 'very successful' David Hinkle (Joystiq)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:45:00 PM

Clearly a positive review on Joystiq isn't the sales driver we thought it was. Despite having a good time with it ourselves, it would seem EA's Syndicate reboot was not the commercial success the company had hoped for. So says EA Labels president Frank Gibeau. " Syndicate was something that we took a risk on. It didn't pay off - it didn't work," Gibeau told

CVG. "But in general it doesn't change my appetite for wanting to go look in the library and see what we have and maybe bring back some IPs for the next-

The Last of Us not hitting (or shooting, or sneaking) until 2013 Ben Gilbert (Joystiq) Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:45:00 PM

The last we heard about The Last of Us arriving at retail, it was pinned to "late 2012/early 2013." That date seemingly shifted to a Gibeau called this year's revival less definitive "2013" recently, as "a very successful launch for us," Naughty Dog creative director and lauded the game's "online N e i l D r u c k m a n n a n d g a m e innovation" as a catalyst for director Bruce Straley told Jimmy bringing the series back. "It's done Fallon as much on last night's well and you'll probably see more Late Night. in the future," Gibeau concluded. The Naughty Dog duo also gave Syndicate reboot 'didn't pay off' Fallon a personal walkthrough of f o r E A ; S S X r e b o o t ' v e r y the gameplay we saw back at E3, successful' originally appeared on generation. That's the nature of Joystiq on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 with 100 percent fewer swears the business; some stuff works, 15:45:00 EST. Please see our and 100 percent more Jimmy Fallon commentary. If you're into some stuff doesn't." terms for use of feeds. EA's other big reboot this year, Permalink| Email this| Comments that kinda thing, we've got it above. SSX, apparently fared a bit better. The Last of Us not hitting (or shooting, or sneaking) until 2013 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Bucks County native biking up Atlantic Coast to honor sister with ALS - msnbc.com By Sam Cooper Staff Writer PhillyBurbs.com (- Bing News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 5:46:48 AM

For the average 70-year old man, a stroll around the neighborhood could suffice for daily exercise. Mike Smith is not an average 70year old man. On June 6, Smith passed through Bucks County on a bike-riding journey of more than 2,200 miles that began in Key West, Fla., and will conclude in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. Smith, a Bucks County native who lives in Naugatuck, Conn., is pedaling his way up the Atlantic Coast with a heavy heart full of purpose — and for a good cause. He's riding to raise money for the ALS Association in honor of his sister, Deirdre Dabney, 68, who has been battling the disease for three years. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movement. There's no cure for the

fatal disease, which generally kills within two to five years of diagnosis. Dabney, who lives in Aiken. S.C., worked with horses for many years and liked to travel, her brother said. The disease has curtailed her travel since she must use a voice machine to speak and a feeding tube for nourishment. "My trip is for her and how she used to travel," Smith said. "This gives her a vicarious experience." The Smiths grew up in Bucks County, living in Doylestown, Jamison and Warminster. They both graduated from Central Bucks High School; Mike in 1961, Deirdre in 1962. They were both inducted into the CB West Sports Hall of Fame. Steve played football for the 1960 championship team, while Deirdre was a member of the school’s 1960 championship rifle team. Smith was into bike riding — racing, in particular — when he was younger, but nothing like the cross-country cycling he participates in now. "There was a dirt bike racing track right here in Doylestown at the

airport when I was still in school. We went quite a bit," he said. He wasn’t turned on to longdistance cycling until he moved to Colorado and his children had left for college. These days, he uses maps and routes provided by the Adventure Cycling Association, which promotes bicycle touring and aims to inspire people to travel the country by bicycle. In 2010, Smith completed their TransAmerica bike route, which took him from Oregon to Virginia over 72 days. "I did the length of the country, so I thought I might as well do the height of the country," Smith said of his current trip. On April 25, he began his current ride on the ACA’s Atlantic Coast route, a 2,636-mile trip which typically begins in Bar Harbor, Maine, and ends in Key West. Smith decided to start in Key West and venture up the coast past Bar Harbor into Canada, an additional 585 miles. His goal is riding "60 to 80 miles per day." Sometimes, he’ll make his way to a motel or campsite; other nights, he’ll camp in the

woods. Smith has been stopping at libraries and other places with public Internet access to blog about his trip. Read his blog at www.deirdresride.blogspot.com. Donations in his sister's honor have been made by people who see his bright orange shirt with "Deirdre’s Ride for ALS" inscribed on the back. He set a goal of $5,000, and as of June 13, he had raised $4,245. "Once in a while, someone will stop and give you a donation," Smith said. "There have been some very heartfelt roadside moments." To make a donation or to learn more about ALS, visit http:// web.alsa.org/goto/deirdresride. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

NintendoWare Weekly: Mega Man X2, Mad Dog McCree JC Fletcher (Joystiq) Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:15:00 PM

It's a surprisingly packed week for downloads on DSi, 3DS, and Wii. There's a Wii Virtual Console game (and a good one, Mega Man X2!), an NES game for 3DS, a port of the classic FMV shooter Mad Dog McCree, and even a demo for an upcoming release. Continue reading NintendoWare Weekly: Mega Man X2, Mad Dog McCree NintendoWare Weekly: Mega Man X2, Mad Dog McCree originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

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U.S. Open: Tiger Woods making major statement at Olympic Club San Jose Mercury News By Mark Conley and Kevin Merfeld (- Bing News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:26:38 PM

Click photo to enlarge Tiger Woods of the U.S. reacts after his birdie on the fourth hole during the first round of the 2012 U.S. Open golf tournament on the Lake Course at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California June 14, 2012. REUTERS/Matt Sullivan Tiger Woods appeared to announce his official return to the major championship conversation Thursday morning at Olympic Club. Woods, who hasn't won a major since 2008, got to 2-under par through 15 holes in his opening U.S. Open round -- three shots back of leader Michael Thompson. Woods bogeyed No. 6 to fall back to 1-under, then made par at No. 7 with one hole to play. Thompson, a 27-year-old who finished second in the U.S. Amateur at Olympic in 2007, carded seven birdies, including on

18, to get into the clubhouse with a 66. Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson lodged his opening tee shot into a cypress tree, leading to a disastrous Open start. Woods -whose group started on No. 9 -played his first nine holes in even par, and then birdied two of the treacherous holes among the first five to push to 2-under. Jason Bohn and David Toms also stood at 2-under late in their rounds. Mickelson's tee shot on his first hole never fell out of a tree, forcing him to walk back to the tee-box and rehit. He scrambled for a bogey, but opened with five bogeys and a birdie in his first eight holes. After 15 holes, he stood at 6-over. Woods opened with five straight pars before bogeying No. 14, but he returned to even par with a two -putt birdie on the 17th. Masters champion Bubba Watson, the third player in the mega-group,

miss the cut. The early shot of the day came from San Mateo native -- and Olympic Club member -- Michael Allen, who holed out on No. 14 for an eagle-2. At 53, Allen is the oldest player in the field and the current money leader on the Senior Tour. Later in the day at 12:45 p.m., was 7-over through 15 holes. Casey Martin returns to his first Fourteen-year-old Andy Zhang U.S. Open action since he held his opened with a triple-bogey, and own at Olympic back in 1998. didn't made his first par until the At 1:29 p.m., another starsixth hole. He was 8-over through studded grouping hits Olympic: 12 holes. Meanwhile, the second- Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and youngest player in the field was Lee Westwood. holding his own. Check back throughout the day at Seventeen-year-old Bea Hossler mercurynews.com for updates. birdied the 17th hole to shoot an Copyright 2012 San Jose Mercury even-par 70 and leap into a tie for News. All rights reserved. fifth. Hossler, who just completed This entry passed through the his junior year at Santa Margarita Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is High in Mission Viejo, finished your content and you're reading it s e c o n d a t t h e C I F S t a t e on someone else's site, please read Championships earlier this month. the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentHossler also qualified for last only/faq.php#publishers. Five y e a r ' s U . S . O p e n a t Filters recommends: Donate to Congressional, but shot 76-77 to Wikileaks.

Can Mobile App Discovery Be Fixed? Arie Abecassis (Mashable!) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:38:43 PM

In the last few years the growth of smart devices has exploded. As a result, there are now more than one million active apps. Other drivers that are contributing to app growth include the standardization of development tools, decreasing technology costs, and increased investment in mobile platforms. As recent entrants like Amazon and Facebook try to stake their claim in the mobile market, the ability to discover an app that doesn't somehow make its way onto a top-ten list continues to be an issue. So how's the marketplace attempting to address that problem? In short, primarily through a variety of supply-side and demand-side solutions. Here's what those look like. Search Engiâ&#x20AC;Ś Continue reading... More About: apps, contributor, features, mobile apps, trending

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10 years no smoking Dave (Dave Winer)

pain in terrifying places. I rolled down the window on my Lexus SUV, lit one up and drove Ten years ago today, June 14, south on 280. Probably lit and 2002, I stopped at a gas station on smoked another one before Woodside Road and picked up turning off at Edgewood Road two packs of Marlboro Lights. I and heading down the hill to was on my way to the hospital. I Sequoia Hospital. I came out a knew there was something wrong, week later, weak as a kitten, but but when I was buying cigarettes, with a heart that worked much some other version of myself was better. Having been told the hard doing the deal. Not the conscious truth from the surgeon who one, the worried one, the angry operated on me. If you keep one, the self-hating one. The one smoking it'll kill you in three who couldn't make it through the years. night without waking up in a Those were the last cigarettes I panic. Who couldn't take a walk smoked. without feeling heavy physical Ten years later, I'm still a nonSubmitted at 6/14/2012 7:42:04 AM

smoker. Occasionally I'd like to have a cigarette. To forget whatever pain has surfaced. To accomodate a feeling of selfloathing that popped up. To kill whatever it is about myself that's upsetting me. But the urge passes quickly now. And my conscious self gets in the loop and soothes the pain with a little love and support. Or so I hope. Whatever I'm doing, I'm not smoking. And ten years later, I'm still here. It's worth marking these milestones, I suppose.

Photos: Moments that primed Tom Cruise for his 'Rock of Ages' role - NorthJersey.com (news photos - Google News)

rockstar-ready for "Rock of Ages." PHOTOS: Tom Cruise, Rock Of NorthJersey.com Different Ages - From Risky... Photos: Moments that primed Huffington Post UK Tom Cruise for his 'Rock of Ages' Suri Cruise Makes A Mad Dash role To The Car In NYC [ PHOTOS] NorthJersey.com Socialite Life Find out which of Tom Cruise's all 1,494 news articles Âť movie moments made him Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:20:27 PM

Ebola Virus Cured in Monkeys a Full Day After Infection Colin Lecher (Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)

treatment has shown success in curing the disease when administered 24 hours or more after infection-at least when tested Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:30:06 PM E b o l a V i r u s W i k i m e d i a in monkeys. Commons Researchers at the National The Ebola virus-one of the Microbiology Laboratory in world's deadliest diseases-has a Winnipeg, Canada gave a group kill rate of 90 percent. That's of monkeys the deadliest strain of largely because the best current Ebola, the Zaire virus, and treated treatment must be applied within four of them with an antibody one hour of infection. Which is an cocktail 24 hours later. All four almost impossibly brief window, survived. Out of another group of considering symptoms may take four monkeys treated 48 hours anywhere from two to 21 days to after infection, two did. A appear in humans. But a new monkey infected with the virus

but untreated lived for five days after being infected. The cocktail improves on other treatments by using antibodies

that target different parts of a protein on the virus; shutting down that protein makes it more difficult for Ebola to infect cells

in the body. That sounds promising, even if it's not a fullon miracle cure. If symptoms have already shown up, it might still be too late for treatment, but it could at least extend the window considerably. A phase I clinical trial is set to begin on humans in late 2014. Not that they'll be infecting anyone; the treatment will be used on uninfected people to test the antibodies' safety in the human body. [ Nature]

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FYI: How Do Firefighters Tackle a Voracious, Out-of-Control Fire? Rebecca Boyle (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:00:05 PM

High Park Fire From Space This view from NASA's Aqua satellite shows smoke and heat signatures from the High Park Fire west of Fort Collins, Colo. One death has been attributed to the fire, which started from a lightning strike on June 9, 2012 at 5:54 a.m. MDT, according to the U.S. Forest Service. At least 118 structures, including 31 homes, have burned. As of Thursday the fire covers 49,763 acres, and is 10 percent contained. NASA/MODIS Using Black Hawks and hand-dug trenches to battle the flames In the West during the summer, wildfires are a part of life; ignited by lightning or accident, flames will rampage through lodgepole forest and across dry mountainsides, filling the air with a dirty orange haze and residents' hearts with trepidation. But the hot shots will be there, digging trenches by hand, and the Black Hawks and infrared satellites will watch from above, combining a century of ground strategy with modern technology to battle even the most uncooperative fires. Right now the city of Fort Collins, Colo., is watching as an oppressive and obdurate fire, just

say they have one foot in black and one in green, for burned versus fresh fuel. "You put a barrier between black fuel and green fuel, and you cut a trail between the two, so the fire will stop by the time it hits that trail," he says. Firefighters use axes and pulaskis - ax-pick hybrids invented for wildland firefighting in 1911 - to chop and dig. Once the lines are established, firefighters enter the hot zone and "mop up," extinguishing hundreds or thousands of blazes in the burned area to prevent any embers from reigniting the blaze farther afield. "Once those are mopped up, I start to feel as an incident commander that that line is solid and secured. That's when I start to add that line to my containment percentage," Harvey says. A bird's-eye view of the fire helps managers break it down into sections, known as divisions, which usually get alphabetical names - Bravo, Yankee, and so on. Crews are assigned to certain six days old, consumes thousands That's half the size of Denver. treacherous forest fires in the sections with specific tasks for the of acres of forest a few minutes' Firefighters reported 10 percent country every dry season. day. In the High Park Fire, drive west. The High Park Fire containment Thursday, meaning C o n t a i n m e n t s t a r t s w i t h Thursday's primary focus areas started with a lightning strike in the fire lines are starting to hold, establishing an anchor point. were in the south-central and the foothills northwest of the city explains Rich Harvey, deputy Every fire starts out small, and southwestern sections, which are June 9, and over the weekend it state forester for Nevada and the usually by the time it's big, fire near homes, as well as preventing mushroomed into the third-largest Type 1 incident commander for crews have a base point to work the fire from spreading north and fire in state history. As of the Great Basin National Incident from. Then crews start cutting fire Thursday morning, it covers Management Team. Sixteen elite lines - like breaking trail in the FYI: page 64 49,763 acres, or 77 square miles. Type 1 teams fight the most woods, Harvey says. Firefighters

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FYI: continued from page 63

jumping the Cache la Poudre River. The ultimate goal is to cut off the fire's fuel supply. Fires need heat, oxygen and fuel, and on the scale of thousands of acres, fuel is the only leg of that triangle firefighters can control. In a Type 1 incident like the High Park Fire - the worst, most complicated kind - crews bring in aerial tankers, helicopters, engines and trucks, and heavy ground-moving equipment. Black Hawks and tankers will drop water and slurry to cool the fire and knock the flames down, literally shortening their height, so ground crews can safely approach. That's a directline strategy, explains Greg Poncin, Type 1 incident commander in the Northern Rockies region, based in Kalispell, Mont. But sometimes, as was the case for a while Thursday, helicopters and planes can't even take off because of the smoke. In that case, there's another key strategy: An indirect attack. Crews set deliberate fires in the path of the monster, destroying its

fuel supply before it arrives and taking advantage of its enormous convection columns, in which warm air is pushed up and cool air is drawn in. This in-draft can widen a fire line - firefighters may set a fire near a road, for instance, and use the road as a fire break. "We can fight fire with fire, or we can start to armor it, and make it wide enough that when the fire comes up, we have a good chance of holding that line," Harvey says. But this, too, can be difficult when the wind drives the fire, as it is in Colorado; the main blaze is constantly shifting and has multiple fronts. All the while, satellites, airplanes and helicopters are watching from above to help predict the fire's potential path. The imaging spectroradiometer on NASA's Aqua satellite captures the scene, and NASA can even use unmanned aircraft to collect imagery and data that can be viewed in Google Earth. Infraredequipped satellites and aircraft provide a heat signature, so firefighters can determine the weakest and strongest parts of the

beast. Harvey says infrared mapping technology is still relatively new to wildland firefighting, and its ability to monitor the most voracious sections has been invaluable for strategists. And today's advanced helicopters can lift more water, fly in more dangerous conditions and arrive on scene more quickly, he says. "Clearly technology has had an impact on not only what we do, but how we do it. But I go back to the old fire triangle," he says. "Certain things haven't changed." The hot shots on the ground are the ones who will contain it, Harvey and Poncin say. "It's dirty, hard, back-breaking work," Poncin says. "But sometimes that's the only thing that will work."

How Science Measures Food: Cheese Stretchiness, Radiation in Bananas, and More Colin Lecher (Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)

Taste is a highly subjective thing. But when science gets involved, things have to be measured, and the measurements must be exact. Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:00:00 PM Loin Color For consumers Here are 11 ways that food is judging a piece of meat behind precisely measured. Bitterness can plastic wrap, there's not much to be determined based on a specific go on besides color. That's why scale, and the amount of sucrose researchers developed a six-point in a solution can be easily gradient scale for pork, using calculated. Some others are a little Japanese resin molds. (A three, more esoteric: stretching cheese to four, or five is best for the measure its texture; determining Japanese market.) An instrument the color of a beer based on how called a color meter is also used to much light passes through it; measure the light reflected off testing the strength of coffee. d i f f e r e n t l y c o l o r e d c u t s , Click to launch the photo gallery. producing a more objective Check out the gallery for the full measurement. Prairie Swine collection. Centre The precise tuggability of a piece of mozzarella must not be left indeterminate

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Can A Colon Cancer Test Level The Playing Field For Native Alaskans? (Shots - Health Blog)

The colon cancer screening rate for Alaska Natives in some rural Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:53:00 PM areas of the state is as low as 23 Alaska Natives are twice as likely percent. In urban areas, it's closer to get colon cancer and die from it to 60 percent. than the white population in the So Ahlquist began working on a United States. When Mayo Clinic test that can identify several doctor David Ahlquist took a trip altered genes that are present in to Bethel, Alaska in the mid- colon cancer. 1990s, that startling statistic "It measures DNA changes that caught his attention. are shed from the surface of "Here they had one of the world's cancer or pre-cancer into the highest rates of colon cancer and stool, and we can detect those one of the world's poorest changes that act as a signature of outcomes in terms of survival the presence of cancer or polyps," from cancer, because of late he explains. diagnosis," Ahlquist says. Ahlquist compares his research to The best way to prevent colon the advent of the pap smear. cancer is through screening, but When that test was invented in the Ahlquist realized that approach 1950s, cervical cancer killed more h a s f l a w s i n r u r a l A l a s k a . women in the U.S. than any other Colonoscopy equipment isn't cancer. "Now it's essentially been a v a i l a b l e i n r e m o t e N a t i v e eradicated in women who are villages. A widely-used test that screened," Ahlquist says. detects blood in stool isn't According to two studies effective because many Alaska published this year, the DNA Natives have a stomach bacteria colon cancer test finds 85 percent called H-pylori that also causes of colon cancers and more than 50 bleeding. percent of pre-cancerous polyps.

Ahlquist and the Mayo Clinic are working with a company called Exact Sciences to commercially develop the test, and both will benefit financially if it comes on the market. Dr. Randall Burt at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah has high hopes, too. "In the end, it could be a huge game-changer," he says But Burt thinks the test has to get better at detecting pre-cancerous polyps. "Is it enough to replace colonoscopies so we only do colonoscopies on people with a positive stool test? Probably not yet. But it's getting there," he says. Dr. William Grady of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle agrees that with more rigorous study, these tests could change cancer diagnosis and treatment. He is working on another version of a DNA-based stool test for colon cancer detection. DNA tests are also in the works for a long list of

cancers including, lung, pancreatic and brain cancer. "It's very exciting," Grady says. "I think we're going to really see a revolution in the way we take care of patients who have cancer." In Alaska, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium began a three-year trial of Ahlquist's colon cancer DNA test. A hundred patients have enrolled. If the FDA grants approval, the test is expected to cost about $300, far less than the average colonoscopy in Alaska. It could be available as soon as the middle of next year. This story is part of a project with the Alaska Public Radio Network, NPR and Kaiser Health News. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Photos of the Day: June 14 Wall Street Journal (blog) (news photos - Google News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:04:42 PM

Wall Street Journal (blog) Photos of the Day: June 14 Wall Street Journal (blog) In today's pictures, Merck employees protest in Geneva, the U.S. Army celebrates 237 years, disgraced financier R. Allen Stanford is sentenced in Houston, and... and more Âť

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Scientists Tackle The Geography Of Nature Vs. Nurture In Maps Of U.K. (Shots - Health Blog)

Submitted at 6/14/2012 9:05:00 AM

TEDS Data from the Twins Early Development Study shows areas in the U.K. where the effect of environmental factors, shown in pink, trumps the influence of genes, shown in blue, and vice versa.

Scientists don't debate the old nature vs. nurture question much these days. The consensus is that there is no winner: Both your genes and your environment shape your development and your health. What's still up in the air is how they combine to put you at risk for diseases or social problems. And that matters for people trying to solve them.

Now it appears that, even for a single disease or condition, the balance between nature and nurture isn't fixed place to place. That's what researchers at Kings College London, writing this week in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, are showing with maps that identify hotspots in the U.K. where either genetic or environmental factors dominate.

"Virtually everything you can measure is a mix of genes and the environment," Oliver Davis, a lecturer in psychiatry and lead author of the study, tells Shots. "What we're interested in here is how that balance shifts in different places." TEDS The researchers discovered that London was a hotspot for environmental influences on

classroom behavior (left map, in red). A similar pattern is seen for income inequality (right map). The data comes from the Twins Early Development Study, which has followed more than 5,000 pairs of twins from birth over the last 16 years. Researchers tracked a number of factors for each child, SCIENTISTS page 68

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U.S. Olympic Team Sprints Ahead With Electronic Health Records (Shots - Health Blog)

Team USA is used to racing with digital clocks. Now, it's time for digital health records. A n d r e w V i l l e g a s / K H N / The U.S. Olympic Committee is iStockphoto.com converting to electronic medical Transporting reams of athletes' records this month for the 700 or medical information has become a so athletes who will be competing m a j o r b u r d e n f o r t h e U . S . in London, as well as about 3,000 Olympic Committee, and is one other athletes who have been seen reason it's switching to electronic by USOC doctors in recent years. medical records. Some say this step is a sign that Submitted at 6/14/2012 11:13:00 AM

electronic medical records have finally made it to the big time. Electronic records are gaining momentum across the country, largely because the federal government has encouraged health care providers with financial incentives. But at most, only about a third of hospitals and private-practice doctors have fully functional electronic systems,

according to recent estimates. According to Bill Moreau, the USOC's managing director of sports medicine, the committee decided to transition from paper to electronic once it saw that electronic records could handle the unique needs of Olympians. "Our patient population is probably — next to the military — the most mobile population of

any group in the world," Moreau said. "Our athletes are on different continents in the same week." And even when they are at home, tracking athletes' health is no easy task, with athletes training all over the country – from upstate New York to southern California. Transporting the reams of U.S. page 68

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SCIENTISTS continued from page 66

including school performance, behavior problems, mood and attention disorders, and weight. By comparing the variation between children with genetic differences, they were able to figure out how genes and environment relate to each factor. When they plotted the data on a map, they saw clear geographic patterns. "You can see areas where the variation is explained by genes, and areas where it's explained by the environment," says Davis. In some areas, Davis says, "the environment is such that it draws out the genetic differences between people." In other places, it appears that environmental factors overpower the influence of

genes. For instance, the researchers found that variation in classroom behavior between kids was better explained by environmental factors in London. It also seemed to match the higher variation in incomes in London; they saw this when they compared their map to a map of income inequality. It's not enough to prove that high income inequality directly influences classroom behavior, but it suggests directions for future research. Davis says the maps will help experts to figure out who might be at risk, and then mitigate those risks. "The really cool thing about doing it visually like this is it makes it easy to bring in experts

from a variety of fields," he says. The maps may not be very useful to the general public – but they are pretty. If you're so inclined, you can download an interactive version as a software package from the Twins Early Development Study website. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

GE Healthcare IT— which created the committee's electronic medial record system – members of Team USA will have their paper records digitally scanned or added manually to the collection. GE's program, called Centricity Practice Solution, is already used by more than 40,000 doctors and hospitals in the U.S., but athletes will get a special version. The new system is supposed to give USOC medical providers a better overall sense of athletes' readiness for competition, Moreau added. Records will include more thorough monitoring of blood hemoglobin, which is important for performance. The HER system

will also track immunizations, for athletes' frequent travel. The USOC will also have specialized forms for injury reports at the Games, and the system will ask for more details than it would ask the average patient. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

U.S. continued from page 67

medical information has become a major burden for the USOC. Previously, the committee had to gather and ship its records to each Olympic host city and didn't have access to athletes' health information for days at a time. Paper records also created challenges for coordinating care. The average Olympian has eight different clinicians involved in care, according to Moreau, some of whom are affiliated with the USOC. But about half of the athletes aren't in constant contact with the USOC and its health care providers at all. According to Jim Corrigan, vice president and general manager of

Kickstarter Project Forms a Band Through YouTube Christine Erickson (Mashable!)

whole band together through YouTube. Other musicians can Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:06:49 PM audition by downloading an YouTube has become a vital extension pack and submitting platform for emerging musicians, their demos through YouTube. s u p p o r t i n g a n d a m p l i f y i n g The campaign started with an talented individuals more than initial goal of $35,000, which they might have been along would fly the band members to traditional routes of the music Los Angeles for a few weeks to industry. write and record an album. The Musician Cobus Potgieter has rest of the mone… received more than 100 million Continue reading... views on YouTube by playing the More About: Google Hangouts, drums along to other popular kickstarter, Music, Social Media, songs. Video, viral, YouTube Potgieter launched a Kickstarter campaign in order to bring a

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David Frum (David Frum)

Andrew Sullivan complained yesterday that I had engaged in a “McCarthyite” attack on Ron Paul by writing the following: A politician isn’t answerable for the antics of every one of his supporters. But there’s surely a reason, isn’t there, that racists, anti-Semites, 9/11 Truthers, and Holocaust deniers are so strongly attracted to the Paul campaign. They hear something. They continue to hear it too, no matter how firmly Ron Paul’s more mainstream supporters clamp their hands over their own ears. Andrew’s riposte: Notice how pure the smear is, enabled and not diminished by the first sentence. Notice the key concept of Beltway ideological policemen: there is a mainstream and a non-mainstream. Dabble with the latter at your peril. Since David has perished by the cult of the “mainstream”, it’s odd he should deploy it against others. But to throw in “Holocaust denial” and 9/11 Truthers for good measure! Really. And notice how particularly cheap and easy it is to use such tactics against a libertarian. The traditional left is often based on collective associations, building a movement out of oppressed groups and their grievances, whether it be class or race or even

sexual orientation. Libertarianism is the opposite. It’s about dis associating. When you listen to Paul saying he will not turn anyone away from supporting his platform regardless of their motives or beliefs, you are hearing a reflection of his libertarianism, not his bigotry. He will accept support from any quarter and compared with the corporate money flowing into the other candidates’ coffers, he is about as independent as a presidential candidate can be. Because he is a radical individualist, he doesn’t even understand why he should somehow explain the belief of others, or justify their support. You should ask them, not him. This kind of gotcha-association game is particularly easy because libertarians favor liberty above all, and that will necessarily mean liberty for bigots as well as others. A principled belief in states’ rights will doubtless lead to more racist and homophobic policies in many states – but also, of course, more enlightened and successful inclusive states like Oregon or New York or Massachusetts or California. A rejection of statism might lead to more discrimination in the private sector. But it doesn’t mandate it. And it need not encourage it. A noninterventionist foreign policy will allow evil to triumph elsewhere in

the world, because it believes it’s none of our business or too riddled with unintended consequences to try extirpating. That may be right or wrong, but it is not an approval of the evil of Assad or Ahmedinejad or the North Korean junta. And again, it is actually much deeper an American tradition than permanent warfare. But if you can trot out David Duke or Ayatollah Khamenei as potential Paul supporters, you have a very easy, cheap and essentially McCarthyite target. It saddens me that this kind of tactic works. I still believe that the newsletters, because they were in Paul’s name, require a clearer explanation from Paul than the muddled ones he has given. He should not be left off the hook. And his proposals deserve a thorough vetting and discussion. But there is something awry when a candidate is assessed not on his arguments and proposals but on the shadiness and ugliness of some of his fringe supporters. Ron Paul’s supporters ask that their candidate not be judged by his associates. Or by the people he chose to employ. Or by the newsletters he published. Or by the book he wrote. Or by the way he earned the largest part of his living when out of office in the 1990s. Or by his purchase of the mailing list of the Holocaust-

denying Liberty Lobby. Or by the radio shows he chooses to appear on. Or by his strategic decision to reach out to racist voters. Or by the conspiracy theories to which he lends credence, from government creation of AIDS to Israeli culpability for the 1993 bombing to a putative 9/11 “coverup.” And here I thought that libertarianism was a doctrine of personal responsibility? May Ron Paul at least be judged by the words he has spoken with his own mouth within the current campaign? The supporters say “no” again. When Ron Paul tells an interviewer that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made race relations “worse,” we’re not supposed to consider what he might mean by “better.” When Ron Paul warns that a border fence would be used to prevent fleeing American citizens from exiting the country, we’re not supposed to conclude that he’s a paranoid crank. Andrew deploys what might be called the ontological defense of Ron Paul, as follows: 1) Ron Paul is a libertarian. 2) Libertarians espouse individualism. 3) Racism is a form of antiindividualism. 4) Therefore Ron Paul cannot be a racist. That is a demonstration of what

might be called the deductive method of reasoning. But there’s another way to study reality: induction. Like this: 1) Ron Paul has again and again exploited bigotry, paranoia, and hate as fundraising devices. 2) Ron Paul is a libertarian. 3) So yes, I guess it is possible for a libertarian to do that. Here’s my question for Ron Paul supporters: why the denial of the undeniable? Perhaps you like Paul’s message of legalized marijuana? Why not just say so? You don’t think it’s important to stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons? Argue it forthrightly. If you regard Social Security and Medicare as literally the moral equivalents of slavery, go ahead, make your case. But all this excuse-making, special pleading and jiggering of the rules of evidence so as to exculpate Ron Paul from the record of his whole political life? For what? This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Protecting the Grid: DOD Fortifies Itself Against Threat of Cyber Attacks Suzanne El Sanadi (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:00:25 PM

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta recently made the disturbing announcement that the U.S. military is currently unprepared for a well-executed cyber attack. His call to rapidly implement a transitional cyberwarfare intelligence framework—known as Joint Staff Transitional Cyberspace Operations Command and Control Concept of Operations—should be strongly considered. The Department of Defense’s (DOD) current plan to achieve an effective system of standardized cyber operations should lead to increased military capabilities in both the offensive and defensive cybersecurity realms. Almost all conventional military systems are now run by electronics and computer systems. This new cyber battleground calls for a very specific type of warrior to navigate technological advances. The modern warrior must not only be adept at performing his or her duties but

also have an understanding of the cyber realm. While cyber warfare has primarily remained under the radar, America’s recently revealed covert cyber operation in Iran shows its capabilities and consequences for traditional warfare. Other countries are also rapidly honing their skills to keep pace with the developing warfare realm. U.S. federal agencies have been

system where trained cyber experts, both from CYBERCOM and those already stationed at the outposts, are working together at the respective combatant commands to assist with the cyber aspects of military operations and the protection of each command’s network. The outcome of implementing JCC is an increase in the security of the DOD’s network and a strengthening of each individual command’s offensive and defensive military operations. Suzanne El Sanadi is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at the Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, please click here. http:// www.heritage.org/about/ the targets of many cyber attacks successful military operations.” internships-young-leaders/thesince 1998. Thus, while the U.S. The creation of Joint Cyber heritage-foundation-internshipmaintains military supremacy in Centers (JCC) is part of the first program traditional capabilities such as phase of strengthening DOD’s This entry passed through the weapons and manpower, it needs Global Information Grid. In an Full-Text RSS service — if this is to rapidly step up to the challenge effort to integrate cyber systems your content and you're reading it of countering cyber attacks. within the traditional military on someone else's site, please read According to Panetta, “The speed framework, the JCCs grant the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contenta n d i n t e n s i t y w i t h w h i c h g e o g r a p h i c c o m b a t a n t only/faq.php#publishers. Five a d v e r s a r i e s c o u l d e x p l o i t commanders more autonomy Filters recommends: Donate to vulnerabilities in the DOD Global while connecting them to U.S. Wikileaks. Information Grid jeopardizes the Cyber Command (CYBERCOM). Department’s ability to execute This provides a strong support

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Family Fact of the Week: Why Fathers Matter Sarah Torre (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation)

been diagnosed with or still have asthma as peers living in motheronly or parentless households. Likewise, teens who report having Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:30:55 PM This weekend, many Americans a positive relationship with their will be scouring stores for the fathers exhibit fewer behavioral latest tech toys or tools to express problems and lower levels of their gratitude to Dad this Father’s psychological stress. Day. While many will thank their The economic benefits of having fathers for the memories of a dad in the house can be fishing trips and driving lessons, p r o f o u n d . M a r r i e d f a m i l y the benefits of a father’s care and households tend to have higher concern extend far beyond sports median incomes and greater knowledge and handy-man skills. assets, and they are more likely to As research on Heritage’s be homeowners than other singleFamilyFacts.org demonstrates, a parent families. Moreover, parents father’s presence and involvement choosing to tie the knot can can have a significant impact on decrease a child’s risk of living in his child’s social, economic, and poverty by about 80 percent. relational well-being. Adolescents However, fewer American who spend leisure time with their children experience the comforts fathers, eat meals together, and of being raised with the consistent a s k f o r D a d ’ s h e l p w i t h presence of both parents. In 1960, homework tend to earn better just a few years before the first g r a d e s i n s c h o o l . C l o s e official Father’s Day, a little over father–teen bonds also help 5 percent of children were born to counteract the negative influence s i n g l e w o m e n . T o d a y , t h a t of peer pressure to use drugs, and number is over 40 percent. they decrease the likelihood of With the unmarried birth rate early sexual activity among high among young, undereducated adolescents. women, single-mother households A father’s presence in the home now comprise more than half of can even affect a child’s physical all families living in poverty. health. Children living in married, Without the relative financial mother-father households are stability marriage can provide, almost half as likely to have ever single parents and their children

are at greater risk of government dependence. Of the roughly$400 billion spent in 2010 on welfare funding to low-income families with children, almost threequarters went to singleparent—and often fatherless—households. Thankfully, there are ways that individuals, community leaders, and policymakers can help alleviate childhood poverty and promote the many benefits of married, mother-father households. By encouraging marriage in low-income communities, teaching adolescents and young adults the economic and social benefits of marriage, and reducing policy disincentives to marriage, more children can avoid the pain of absent fathers and the risks of poverty. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Can Mobile Panic Buttons Replace Public Emergency Phone Systems? Joann Pan (Mashable!) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:28:22 PM

MyForce is an advanced security app changing the face of personal safety. MyForce is a subscriptionbased app that launches a mobile panic button for emergencies. Members are urged to arm themselves with this safeguard during solitary walks, at night or in desolate areas. "There are so many incidents where you are out late at night or out in a lone parking lot and you're walking around and just feel unsafe," Co-founder Brad Zotti tells Mashable. "It's the blue light emergency phone that you can take around with you on smart

phone." There are tons of emergency alert apps on iOS, Android and BlackBerry platforms, but MyForce is uniquely effective. Here's why -- other GPS security app… Continue reading... More About: android, application, blackberry, iphone, Mobile, security, Tech

Obama as dad: Photos of a White House father - Washington Post (news photos - Google News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:13:22 PM

Obama as dad: Photos of a White House father Washington Post “I want my girls to know that no

matter what else is going on, they're my first priority,” the president recently told Essence magazine. Here are a few photos that... and more »

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Who Is John Powers? James Carafano (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation) Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:00:56 PM

He graduated from Annapolis. He flew the Douglas SBD “Dauntless” dive bomber, a plane that had a reputation for being slow and outmoded even before World War II began. The SBD served as the mainstay of the Navy’s carrier strike force into 1943. On May 7, 1942, Powers led his section of bombers in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Navy’s first real chance to strike back after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. He would make history leading the first U.S. pilots ever to take down an enemy carrier. That morning they spotted the Shokaku 8,000 feet below and began their run. They screamed past enemy fighters and through black clouds of anti-aircraft bursts, and their windshields fogged so badly that the pilots had to fly nearly blind. Powers held 1,000 pounds until he dropped to 1,000 feet, because that was the only way to ensure that he wouldn’t miss his target. He also knew at that height he couldn’t miss. He also knew his plane would not survive the back blast. Powers and his backseat crewman traded their lives to protect us. Powers received the Medal of Honor posthumously. I told the story of John Powers at

Nokia ships Lumia 900 and Reaction Bluetooth Headset in China Darren Murph (Engadget) Submitted at 6/14/2012 4:47:00 PM

CPAC in Chicago as part of panel that compared the foreign and national security policy of two sons of Illinois—Reagan and Obama. It is a reminder that you wind up fighting the wars with the military you have. When you invest in unpreparedness—it’s the men and women we send out to protect us who pay the price. Reagan rebuilt America’s military after decades of war and neglect. We have been living off that legacy for over 20 years. President Obama is planning the largest reduction in national defense since the end of the Cold War. “ America at Risk,” a recent series of videos produced by The Heritage Foundation, highlighted the troubles ahead. The problem is this: Is anyone in

the White House watching them? Watch the videos from our America at Risk series: America at Risk: Kerry Kachejian on the Importance of Military Readiness America at Risk: Dave Deptula on the Military’s Aging Aviation Force America at Risk: Tom Shanahan on the Navy’s Readiness Crisis This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Based on the amount of effort poured into iOS 6 in order to tailor it for users in China, one thing's obvious: it's a nation grasping for smartphones. Apple's seeing huge, huge upticks in spending from Chinese customers, and Nokia's sure hoping it sees similar. In the midst of untold turmoil, Nokia is sprinkling in a bit of positive news this morning - news that the Lumia 900 is now shipping in China. The 900 marks the fifth Lumia smartphone to ship in the nation of 900 million mobile phone users, with white, black and cyan versions to choose from. Outside of the basic specifications, the Chinese 900 will also come preloaded with nation-specific apps such as Sina Weibo, QQ IM, Baidu Search and Alipay. Oh, and if a phone wasn't enough, the Nokia Reaction Bluetooth Headset is also launching there today, enabling

you to finally make use of that NFC module. The Lumia 900 hardware will sell for RMB 4599 ($721) in Nokia's flagship store, Nokia brand stores and the nation's "top electronics chain stores." Nokia ships Lumia 900 and Reaction Bluetooth Headset in China originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments

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Curated News Edition

Leak Du Jour: We Have Secret Spy Bases in Africa (The Feed)

according to documents and people involved in the project. At Submitted at 6/14/2012 8:55:07 AM the heart of the surveillance Via Washington Post: operations are small, unarmed OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina turboprop aircraft disguised as Faso — The U.S. military is private planes. Equipped with expanding its secret intelligence hidden sensors that can record full o p e r a t i o n s a c r o s s A f r i c a , -motion video, track infrared heat establishing a network of small air patterns, and vacuum up radio and bases to spy on terrorist hideouts cellphone signals, the planes from the fringes of the Sahara to refuel on isolated airstrips favored jungle terrain along the equator, by African bush pilots, extending

shut?— Greg Pollowitz This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks. their effective flight range by thousands of miles. Can’t anyone keep their mouths

China Investigating Forced Abortion (The Feed)

have since promised a “transparent probe” under a special committee, while national Via New York Post: family planning officials said any China said Thursday it was perpetrators would be punished. . . investigating the case of a woman Horrific.— Greg Pollowitz who was allegedly forced to abort This entry passed through the seven months into her pregnancy, Full-Text RSS service — if this is after images posted online of the your content and you're reading it baby’s corpse caused an uproar. on someone else's site, please read Activists criticized authorities in the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentnorth China’s Shaanxi province exceeding China’s “one-child” only/faq.php#publishers. Five for allegedly forcing Feng Jianmei population control policy. The Filters recommends: Donate to to abort her pregnancy because government of Zhenping county, Wikileaks. she failed to pay a hefty fine for where the abortion took place, Submitted at 6/14/2012 6:33:35 AM

Emergency bank funds plan unveiled (Evening Standard - News) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:50:08 PM

The Bank of England and Treasury have revealed plans for an emergency bank funding scheme to kick-start lending to households and businesses. In speeches at the annual Mansion House event, Bank EMERGENCY page 74

PM and Brooks 'in this together' (Evening Standard - News)

as he took his turn on the stand at the probe he ordered into press standards in the wake of the T h e c l o s e n e s s o f D a v i d phone-hacking scandal. Cameron's links to the Murdoch In an all-day interrogation, he media empire have been further said he was haunted by the exposed when it was revealed appointment of ex-News of the Rebekah Brooks told him they World editor Andy Coulson as his were "definitely in this together". spin chief, accused Gordon Her text message to the then B r o w n o f i n v e n t i n g a n t i opposition leader, in which she C o n s e r v a t i v e " c o n s p i r a c y said she was "rooting for" him theories" and defended his personally and professionally, was handling of Jeremy Hunt. among missives demanded from He also said he hoped the review News International (NI) by the would result in a press regulation Leveson Inquiry. system with "real teeth" to punish It provided the backdrop to an offenders, setting the acid test of uncomfortable period of AND page 74 questioning for the Prime Minister Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:50:09 PM

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EMERGENCY

AND

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governor Sir Mervyn King and Chancellor George Osborne announced they were working together on a "funding for lending" proposal to ward off a worrying new phase of the credit crunch. Under the proposals, British banks - facing higher funding costs and under pressure to put more capital aside - will be offered vital funding at low interest rates. But the funding will be linked to bank lending performance in what marks a direct attempt to free up the logjam in credit hitting the economy. The scheme is expected to be in place within a few weeks and will last for four years. Sir Mervyn also said the Bank would be activating liquidity facilities worth at least £5 billion a month that were first announced last December to help pump cash into the system. The Chancellor said: "We are not powerless in the face of the eurozone debt storm. The Government - with the help of the Bank of England - will not stand on the sidelines and do nothing as

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the storm gathers. We are rolling up our sleeves and doing everything possible to protect British families and firms." Before the speech a man dressed in black tie tried to present the Chancellor with an exercise book with GCSE Maths written on the front. The man was pulled away from Mr Osborne and is not thought to have been arrested. The latest moves follow increasing calls for action from the Bank and Treasury to do more to help banks and steer the UK economy through the eurozone crisis. Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, wrote in an article in The Times that the banking sector was still "dysfunctional" and was stifling growth for small businesses and traders. He said the Bank of England "needs to do more to demonstrate that it is providing liquidity". After the speech he said: "This looks very encouraging. The measures look as if they will encourage lending to businesses by ensuring liquidity is more easily available to banks. These

are exceptional circumstances. They require exceptional measures." Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said: "The Governor is now recognising what the Chancellor still refuses to - that urgent action to stimulate the British economy is needed now that we are in a double-dip recession. "The Bank of England's new funding for lending scheme is a significant admission that the Government's existing policies have failed. Businesses will be desperately hoping it is more successful than George Osborne's Project Merlin and credit easing schemes which have actually seen net lending to businesses fall." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

success as whether families like that of murder victim Milly Dowler felt they were now protected. Mr Cameron's close personal friendship with Mrs Brooks has proved extremely uncomfortable for the premier - the ex-News International chief executive revealing in her evidence that he sometimes signed them off "LOL" to signify "lots of love". The previously-assured Tory leader failed several times to give a clear answer as to how frequently the pair met when, as leader of the opposition, he was attempting to win over the support of the Sun newspaper, which she edited. It took a lunch-break consultation of his wife Samantha's diary for him to produce a firmer answer. The new text message, part of a batch retrieved by NI from Mrs Brooks' BlackBerry records, was sent on the eve of Mr Cameron's 2009 party conference speech and just days after the Sun announced it was switching its support from Labour. Mrs Brooks wrote: "I am so rooting for you tomorrow not just as a proud friend but because professionally we are definitely in this together." While admitting his decision to

take on Mr Coulson after his resignation as editor of the News of the World had come back to haunt him, the PM insisted he had been given the assurances he needed over phone hacking. Those pledges had also been accepted by the police, courts, a Parliamentary committee and the Press Complaints Commission, he insisted. Officials had also backed his decision to assign power of the News Corporation bid for full control of BSkyB to the Culture Secretary in the wake of Business Secretary Vince Cable's secretlyrecorded declaration of war on the Murdoch empire, Mr Cameron argued, adding: "I accept there was controversy but I think the backing of two permanent secretaries and a lawyer is quite a strong state of affairs." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Jobs threat in Unilever proposals (Evening Standard - News)

days. This is a devastating blow to the workforces involved and the local economies." Hundreds of jobs are set to be Unilever said it planned to invest lost at consumer goods giant £40 million in its "historic home" Unilever under plans to close a of Port Sunlight, Wirral on number of sites, although its Merseyside, with the creation of biggest factory will receive a £40 150 new jobs. Work would million investment boost. transfer from Ewloe to Port Proposals would see the closure Sunlight, where the workforce of factories in Swansea and would increase from the current Slough and a distribution site in 1,500 to 2,000. Bridgend, while an office Ewloe, Amanda Sourry, chairman of North Wales would also close and Unilever UK and Ireland, said work be transferred. economic conditions in Europe The changes could lead to 500 were "very tough". She added: direct job losses and around 300 "While Unilever is growing well contractor and third party posts, in the UK and globally, it will while some jobs will also be always be necessary to make outsourced to Unilever's IT centre changes which raise our game and in Bangalore, India. Reviews of ensure our continued success. the proposals are expected to be "We believe these proposals concluded in the autumn, with a would substantially strengthen our final decision taken in September. platform for long-term growth and Jennie Formby, national officer competitiveness. The proposals o f U n i t e , s a i d : " U n i l e v e r ' s announced today will be reviewed announcement is a long and thoroughly and the outcome complex one and we will be shared with our employees as assessing the long-term impact for early as possible." our members over the next few The company said its plans Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:50:07 PM

would "transform" Port Sunlight into a "significant centre of excellence" for the manufacture of shampoo and shower gel products, with growth potential for the next decade. Around 225 jobs will be lost through the closure of the Swansea factory, which makes personal care products, around 250 at Slough, Berks which makes products including Radox, and 25 at the distribution site in Bridgend. Unilever has a workforce of around 7,200 and makes products ranging from Ben and Jerry's ice cream, Marmite, PG Tips and Pot Noodles to Dove soap, Vaseline, Persil and Domestos. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

The Cult of Smartness: How Meritocracy Is Failing America Conor Friedersdorf (Politics : The Atlantic)

should be passed over for alternative candidates who they regarded as observably smarter. Submitted at 6/14/2012 7:10:32 AM "Keep in mind the person under A provocative new book by Chris discussion is someone who, from Hayes blames the failure of elites humble beginnings in the Bronx, for our woes. But solving the had gained entry to Princeton, problem is harder than diagnosing graduated summa cum laude, and it. gone on to Yale Law, where she In an engrossing passage from edited the Yale Law Journal," Twilight of the Elites, a new book H a y e s o b s e r v e d . " S h e h a d about the American meritocracy checked off every box on the toand its failures, author Chris d o l i s t o f m e r i t o c r a t i c Hayes directs our attention to an achievement. Apparently it wasn't all but forgotten moment in 2009, enough." when debate raged about who In his telling, that's one example President Obama should appoint of the "Cult of Smartness" that to a Supreme Court vacancy. has taken hold in American life, a Sonia Sotomayor was widely pathology characterized by the thought to be on his short list. But m i s t a k e n a s s u m p t i o n t h a t various liberal commentators, intelligence is an ordinal quality -including The New Republic's that it is possible for observers to Jeffrey Rosen and Harvard's CULT page 76 Laurence Tribe, argued that she

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accurately rank intelligent people in order from most to least smart, and that the right person for a job is always the one deemed smartest. "While smartness is necessary for competent elites," Hayes retorts, "it is far from sufficient: wisdom, judgment, empathy, and ethical rigor are all as important, even if those traits are far less valued." Throughout Twilight of the Elites, the reader is presented with similarly specific, thoughtful critiques of what's gone wrong with America's ruling class. The elites who run things, having advanced to the top of various hierarchies, are performing miserably, Hayes argues, citing failures as varied as Enron, the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, the Catholic Church molestation scandal, the financial crisis, and the steroid scandal in Major League Baseball. A striking quote from a man named Thomas Day is marshaled to dramatize the parade of failures that helped to inspire the book. "I'm 31, an Iraq War veteran, a Penn State graduate, a native of State College, acquaintance of Sandusky's, and a product of his Second Mile Foundation," Day wrote after Joe Paterno's firing. "And I have fully lost faith in the leadership of my parents' generation." Aside from "The Cult of Smartness," why are present arrangements -- lets call ourselves an "aspirational meritocracy" -failing us? Hayes' theories are many:

• Institutions designed to reward merit are being gamed by the privileged, who create a selfperpetuating elite. The most familiar example concerns admission to prestigious schools. Admissions tests like the SAT began as a high-minded reform. Applicants would be chosen for intellectual prowess and compete for their spot on a level playing field. Thanks to test prep, the rich get lots of time to practice on it, while even smart poor kids don't.

people. They're bailed out of trouble, or spared criminal prosecution for their lawlessness. This is actually the subject of Glenn Greenwald's latest book.

• There is too much social distance separating the people in charge with the folks subject to their decisions. Thus Catholic bishops who sympathized more with molesting priests than their victims, Senators who send men from a class they rarely encounter to fight the wars they approve, • More broadly, inequality begets and the disaster planners who more inequality. "Those who couldn't conceive of how the climb up the ladder will always timing of Hurricane Katrina at the find a way to pull it up after them, end of the month would affect the or to selectively lower it down to ability of poor residents to allow their friends, allies and kin evacuate. There is a long history t o s c r a m b l e u p . " T h u s t h e of Americans complaining about astonishingly outsized gains seen the gulf separating them from at the very top of American their leaders, from the 'distant, society. unresponsive' King George to the 'out-of-touch, inside-the-Beltway' politicians of today. • The intense competition inherent in meritocracy creates Twilight of the Elites perhaps powerful incentives to cheat, and blames too many pathologies on encourages the attitude that America's relationship with whatever you do in pursuit of meritocracy. Don't elites in most dominance is fine as long as you cultural systems grow distant, self profit or win. For example, at -perpetuating, and unaccountable? Enron traders who broke the law Still, most of what Hayes laments weren't punished if they were are problematic aspects of the making money. And in Major current ruling order. L e a g u e B a s e b a l l , e v e r y o n e So how to reform it? pretended that steroids weren't This is the part of Twilight of the around. Elites that I found least satisfying. Early in the book, discussing the elite public high school he • When elites break the rules they attended, Hayes lamented its aren't punished like regular practice of granting seats based

solely on an admissions test. Neutral as that may at first seem, he accurately called attention to the way that it advantaged kids from exceptional elementary schools and those with access to expensive test prep courses. (Yes, some kids now take those to get into high school!) As a result, he writes, very few black or Hispanic students gain entry to the school. Hence calls for affirmative action in admissions, which was the main solution Hayes advocated. Later in the book, having written about the ways in which inequality can make elites both self-perpetuating and less equipped to make significant decisions sure to affect the whole of society, Hayes suggests a broader remedy. "My proposed solution for correcting the excesses of our extreme version of meritocracy is quite simple: make America more equal," he writes. "If you don't concern yourself at all with equality of outcomes, you will, over time, produce a system with horrendous inequality of opportunity. This is the paradox of meritocracy: It can only truly come to flower in a society that starts out with a relatively high degree of equality. So if you want meritocracy, work for equality." It's worth dwelling on his argument: As inequality has grown, as its negative consequences have become harder and harder to ignore, our response has been to put more and more weight on the educational system, to look to

school reform as the means of closing the "achievement gap" and of guaranteeing the increasingly illusory promise of equal opportunity. We ask the education system to expiate the sins of the rest of society and then condemn it as hopelessly broken when it doesn't prove up to the task. Because education lies on the opportunity side of the opportunity/outcome divide, it is the only place where we see sustained and genuinely bipartisan consensus on domestic policy... there is an elite consensus that education, and specifically a certain vision of education reform, can provide the equality of opportunity that is so scandalously absent at present. To urge that we consider equality of outcomes, however, is heresy, and for no small reason. There are ample historical examples of societies ideologically committed to equality of outcomes that resulted in a small, corrupt, and morally bankrupt ruling class and widespread penury and immiseration. Taken to its absolute extreme, a commitment to equality of outcomes is summed up by the Maoist adage, "The tall stalk gets cut down." Clearly I'm not saying we should do whatever it takes to ensure perfect equality of outcomes. But as a democratic society we should care much, much more than we currently do about them. We can't continue to tell ourselves that all is well as long as we're working CULT page 77

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for "equality of opportunity." What Hayes finally counsels is raising taxes on the rich, redistributing more to the poor, increasing the estate tax, and reversing the tax trends of the last several decades wherein the rich game the system. "The tax system, the most straightforward means of restraining inequality, has been subverted, so as to become a tool for maintaining and expanding it," he writes. Intriguingly, he suggests the tax code might be made more progressive if outsized gains at the very top inspire the upper middle class to revolt against the elites who are pulling away from them: The challenge, and it is not a small one, is directing the frustration, anger, and alienation we all feel into building a transideological coalition that can actually dislodge the power of the post-meritocratic elite. One that marshals insurrectionist sentiment without succumbing to nihilism and manic, paranoid distrust. One that avoids the dark seduction of everything-is-broken-ism. One that leverages the deep skepticism of elites into a proactive, constructive vision of a moral, equitable and connected social order. The most obvious obstacle to building a potent coalition of the radicalized upper middle class is the deep partisan and ideological division that runs between conservatives and liberals. His idea is to create a virtuous cycle. Affirmative action and

progressive taxation increase equality. The elite is thus less able to self-perpetuate, and better able to govern due to decreased social distance. Rather than delve into the merits of affirmative action and taxation, I'll only say this: Even if Hayes gets his way on both, those reforms are woefully inadequate and weirdly obtuse solutions to the pathologies described elsewhere in his book, and seem to me like strange focuses for reform. If our admissions tests are designed to be meritocratic but are being gamed through test prep, if schools in poor neighborhoods leave the majority of their students behind, if there is a persistent achievement gap with blacks and Hispanics stuck in the losing position, better to address those problems themselves than to mitigate their effects for a handful with affirmative action at elite institutions. Focusing on the symptoms sometimes makes the disease that much easier to ignore. Similarly, if rich Americans are gaming the system to illegitimately increase their wealth, if they are pulling up the ladder so that they can never be replaced as elites, if they are too socially distant from the people over whose lives they wield great influence, and if they aren't even punished like regular people when they break the rules, surely there are urgent policy changes needed that are a lot more targeted to reforming the elite than 'raise their taxes and spread the wealth.' Better to eliminate ill-gotten

gains than to redistribute them. Hayes may be right that a revolt of the upper-middle-class is the most realistic path to reining in elite excesses. He isn't the first to be intrigued by the idea of cooperation between the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street. So why not embrace and emphasize reforms that either address elite excesses more directly or have a better chance of having some cross-ideological appeal? Some of the ideas that follow fit those criteria. Others are longtime hobbyhorses that would go some way toward mitigating some of the elite pathologies that Hayes' adeptly identifies. With that end in mind, I present them for debate, the doable right beside the implausible thought experiments: • Write simpler regulations. Complexity advantages the people at the top, who are always best positioned to exploit its vagaries. As Kevin Drum once put it, "Dumb, blunt rules are the only kind that can work in the playpen of modern finance. We simply don't understand the world well enough to pretend that we can regulate things in minute detail, and we sure as hell don't have regulators who are either smart enough or can move fast enough to stay ahead of the rocket scientists trying to outwit them. That's not just impossible in practice, it's pretty much impossible even in theory. It's just plain impossible. But dumb-asrocks rules about capital requirements and trading limits

and collateral requirements and term structures? Yeah, that can work." • End the War on Drugs, the most extreme example of rich and poor being punished differently for the same behavior.

who can use it for more education, trade school, or more professional development as they see fit. • Stop subsidizing mortgages.

• Privately funded media does a great job covering rich people • One way elites "pull up the culture. Why should NPR do the ladder" is through credentialism. s a m e ? P u b l i c l y r a d i o a n d So how about doing away with television ought to be given a t h e m a n y u n n e c e s s a r y mandate to cover, serve and seek professional licensing laws that programming feedback from the d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y h u r t t h e lower reaches of American economic prospects of the poor? e a r n e r s a n d t h e l o n g t e r m unemployed. • Tax test prep courses, and use the proceeds to subsidize test prep for anyone eligible for free school lunch.

That is by no means an exhaustive list, but it's enough for now. The American meritocracy and its ruling elites are always controversial and inspire great • Move the Supreme Court to c o n v e r s a t i o n , f o r w e a l l Omaha, Nebraska, or Salt Lake experience them differently. I'd City, Utah, or Portland, Oregon. love to publish a collection of And transition to an e-Congress, thoughtful reader letters on the so that House members spend subject, so if you're inclined, more time in their districts, being shoot me your own considered required to cast votes from among thoughts and experiences. If there the people they represent. One are enough goods stories and way to decrease the social insights I'll assemble a post that distance between elites and collects the best. citizens is to better disperse the My email address is at the top of elites among the people. the page. This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ • Stop subsidizing college tuition. politics/archive/2012/06/the-cultInstead, take the total sum spent of-smartness-how-meritocracy-ison that enterprise and divide it failing-america/258492/ equally each year among all CULT page 80 graduating high school seniors,

Politics/

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In Ohio, Obama and Romney Both Offer Few New Economic Proposals Jim Tankersley (Politics : The Atlantic) Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:38:28 PM

In twin speeches in the swing state, both candidate bash each others' plans, but new solutions aren't forthcoming. President Obama delivered a lengthy speech at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. (Reuters) Neither President Obama nor former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said anything on Thursday that Ohioans hadn't heard a million times before. Every four years stretching back decades, presidential candidates swing through Cleveland and Cincinnati and towns in between to proclaim middle-class workers are getting screwed and that if we just cut taxes, or make better government investments, or crack down on China, everything will be all right again for the hardworking people of the state. Ohio, by virtue of its swingy electorate and its sluggish economy, has made sort of a cottage industry out of BS-testing the rhetoric Romney and Obama are now raining on the rest of the country. That's true even now, when the state unemployment rate is below the national average but still way too high for comfort. You see this when you visit the state or, better yet, spend an entire

election cycle there. Ohioans aren't easily impressed, and they don't buy the easy fixes. MORE FROM NATIONAL JOURNAL • Obama and Romney Are Both Wrong on the Economy • Romney's Potential 'Gang of Eight' Democratic Senators • The Senate Returns to the Old Normal To their credit -- if you can call it that -- neither Obama nor Romney

bothered to pack any new fixes into their "major" economic speeches in Ohio. They mostly just ripped on each other's fixes, and repeated a few old ideas of their own. Romney bashed Obama's stimulus bill and his unwillingness to call out China for manipulating its currency to the detriment of American exports. He promised that under his watch the Keystone XL oil pipeline would come in from Canada "if I have to build it

myself." (Which, technically speaking, would be a net job creation of 1.) "The policies the president put in place did not make America create more jobs," Romney said. "As a matter of fact, he made it harder for America to create more jobs." Obama bashed Romney's call for lower tax rates at the top and looser regulation of industry, by calling them a redux of former President George W. Bush -which they basically are, although

Romney would add cuts in entitlement programs and other federal spending to the Bush taxcut elixir. He lamented the plight of the middle class, but confined his proposed salves for those workers to spending more on education and allowing Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy to expire. "If you want to give the policies of the last decade another try," he said, "then you should vote for OHIO, page 81

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Where Did the Bipartisan, Moderate Jeb Bush Come From? Beth Reinhard (Politics : The Atlantic) Submitted at 6/14/2012 11:47:19 AM

Florida Democrats have watched with puzzlement as the former governor becomes a spokesman for comity and reconciliation. Reuters Former Governor Jeb Bush has been sounding downright squishy lately, decrying partisan backbiting and waxing poetic about compromise. He sighed that his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Ronald Reagan would have a "hard time'' fitting into today's Republican Party because they were willing to seek consensus with Democrats. He scoffed at a congressional hearing that he never signed anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist's pledge because you don't "outsource your principles and convictions to other people.'' He lamented "hyperpartisan'' politicians in Washington and called the GOP "shortsighted.'' To the Florida Democrats who clashed with him repeatedly when he served from 1998 to 2006, this is not the Jeb Bush they knew and frequently did not love. One lawmaker dubbed the headstrong governor"King Jeb'' for his my-way-or-the-highway approach to governing while

brandishing strong Republican majorities in both legislative chambers. He tied public-school funding to standardized tests, launched a private-school voucher program. banned affirmative action in state contracts and university admissions, and championed prolonging the life of a severely brain-damaged woman -- all the while igniting partisan firestorms. Dan Gelber, who served as the Democratic leader in the Florida House under Bush and disagreed

with him fiercely on all of the aforementioned issues, has been, well, "surprised'' by Bush's conciliatory tone of late. "When Jeb Bush is saying it's gotten hyperpartisan, that's really something. It shows you how far the needle has moved,'' Gelber quipped. "He was quite a partisan guy .... Payback was also part of his agenda, no question. He took care of his friends and went after his enemies.'' MORE FROM NATIONAL JOURNAL

• Obama and Romney Are Both Wrong on the Economy • Romney's Potential 'Gang of Eight' Democratic Senators • The Senate Returns to the Old Normal But Gelber said Bush's hardline positions were always firmly grounded in policy, not in political scorekeeping. That makes him different -- and smarter -- than some of the conservative leaders in Washington and in state capitals

across the country, Gelber said, including Governors Rick Scott in Florida and Scott Walker in Wisconsin. "We were prepared to do battle with Jeb every day but it was over ideas,'' Gelber said, almost wistfully. "The difference with these guys today is that it's about electoral politics, so anything the other guy says is bad.'' Gelber added, "Jeb's tone has surprised me lately, but it doesn't WHERE page 80

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Gamechanger: Obama rocks America with speech everyone’s heard 50 times before; Update: Panned by … MSNBC? Allahpundit (Hot Air » Top Picks)

OBAMA: In the last century, this consensus, this shared vision led to the strongest economic growth Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:41:52 PM and the largest middle class that posted at 4:41 pm on June 14, the world has ever known. It led 2012 by Allahpundit to a shared prosperity. It took 54 agonizing minutes, the It is this vision that has guided all only silver lining of which is that my economic policies during my the RNC will have plenty of first term as president, whether in material for the inevitable “you’ve the design of a health care law h e a r d t h i s a l l b e f o r e ” a d that relies on private insurance or tomorrow. an approach to Wall Street reform You’ve heard this all before: that encourages financial Yes, there have been fierce innovation, but guards against arguments throughout our history reckless risk-taking. between both parties about the It’s this vision that Democrats exact size and role of government, and Republicans used to share, some honest disagreements. But that Mr. Romney and the current in the decades after World War II R e p u b l i c a n C o n g r e s s h a v e there was a general consensus that rejected in favor of a no-holdsthe market couldn’t solve all of barred government-is-the-enemy our problems on its own; that we market-is-everything approach. needed certain investments to give Follow the last link for more on hard-working Americans skills how Republicans have chosen to they needed to get a good job and abandon our American family by entrepreneurs the platforms they embracing a draconian smallneeded to create good jobs; and government ethos that led them to we needed consumer protections nominate, uh, George W. Bush that made American products safe and Mitt Romney. If you watched and American markets sound. his dreary budget speech in April

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or any of his thousand speeches on the Buffett Rule that’s predictably gone nowhere legislatively (and wasn’t designed to do otherwise), then your bases are mostly covered. This is worth flagging, though: Now, these challenges are not new. We’ve been wrestling with these issues for a long time. The problems we’re facing right now have been more than a decade in the making. And what is holding us back is not a lack of big ideas. It isn’t a matter of finding the right technical solution. Both parties have laid out their policies on the table for all to see. What’s holding us back is a stalemate in Washington between two fundamentally different views of which direction America should take. And this election is your chance to break that stalemate. As BuzzFeed reminds us, the only way the stalemate’s going to be broken is if Democrats take back the House, and pretty much

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surprise me that he would be frustrated by this reflexive ideology that has become the dominant feature of his party.'' Perhaps it takes leaving office to reveal a politician's softer side. Bush has repeatedly resisted pleas to run for president and insisted no one thinks Democrats are he won't be vice president, either. going to take back the House. So But he clearly relishes his role as this is his new pitch, per the a GOP elder and wants to be a “clash of competing visions” part of the national conversation, theme: It’s not enough to re-elect and for that his admirers are The One, we need to give him a grateful. mandate — and a blue Congress, This article available online at: presumably — on top of it. http://www.theatlantic.com/ Interesting idea. If only he’d had a politics/archive/2012/06/wherelandslide win and a Democratic did-the-bipartisan-moderate-jebCongress before, imagine all the bush-come-from/258514/ wonderful things he could have This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is done for America. Via Greg Hengler, it’s mandate your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read time. Update: Via Mediaite, I don’t get the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentit. What’s wrong with a dull, only/faq.php#publishers. Five repetitive 54-minute speech Filters recommends: Donate to d e l i v e r e d b y a g u y w h o s e Wikileaks. numbers seem to dip every time he’s on TV for too long? This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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DNC spokesman: “The Bush tax cuts did some good things for the middle class” Erika Johnsen (Hot Air » Top Picks) Submitted at 6/14/2012 2:21:39 PM

posted at 3:21 pm on June 14, 2012 by Erika Johnsen The Bush-era tax cuts are set to expire on the first day of 2013, ushering in an immediate half-atrillion dollar tax imposition on Americans that many in Congress have dubbed “Taxmageddon.” While President Obama and the Democrats try to spin Republicans’ reluctance to raise taxes as protecting their wealthy buddies from paying their fair share, Republicans know better: The last things this economy needs right now are higher taxes on anyone. You can’t isolate the effects of a tax merely to the party to which the tax is being applied. The economic repercussions go all the way down the line — and the neighborhood effects can range from higher prices for consumers to employers laying off workers. So the RNC had to take note when even a DNC spokesman, communications director Brad

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Mr. Romney." Obama also told his crowd in Cleveland that "both parties have laid out their policies on the table for all to see." If that were true, Ohioans could be understandably gloomy. Like, that's it? Really? Fortunately, there are a lot of important, detailed parts of each Woodhouse, admitted as much tax rate — you raise that marginal candidate's economic agenda left during a radio interview (h/t tax rate from 35 to 40, and you to be fleshed out. Next time they NRO). kill jobs,” he said. hit the Buckeye State, it would be “Well, there certainly is support President Obama and Senate nice if the candidates answered: among Republicans to keep the Democrats want to raise the top • What would Romney -- who Bush tax cuts, particularly for the tax bracket to 39 percent. “The supported the concept of fiscal upper-incomers, and then they various proposals to raise income stimulus in the face of plunging want to go even further. Look, I taxes on high-income earners, think that, broadly speaking, either by increasing the top employment in early 2009, though Republicans and Democrats don’t marginal rate, closing ‘loopholes,’ n o t t h e s t i m u l u s O b a m a want to see, especially at a time l i m i t i n g d e d u c t i o n s , o r eventually signed -- have done when the economy needs all the implementing a minimum tax, differently to pull the country out fuel it can get, don’t want to see would fall very heavily on of recession? us raising taxes on the middle A m e r i c a ’ s n o n - c o r p o r a t e • If Romney were to scrap the class. So, for example, some of businesses,” The Tax Foundation Dodd-Frank law, as he promises, the Bush tax cuts, did some good concluded in an analysis of what "common sense" reforms things for the middle class, and corporate and small business tax would he replace it with, in order to insulate Ohioans from another certainly don’t want to see, rates. especially at this time, tax Right. So, we can all agree that financial crisis? increases on the middle class.” raising taxes is a terrible idea and • What tax deductions is Romney That’s more or less the gist of move on, then? Wait, no? Dang it. willing to vaporize in order to pay what Mitt Romney was saying at This entry passed through the for his 20 percent reduction in tax an event just yesterday: Full-Text RSS service — if this is rates, and where is his math “ I d o n ’ t w a n t t o r a i s e t h e your content and you're reading it showing how his policies would individual marginal tax rate from on someone else's site, please read balance the federal budget? 35 to 40 percent; I know there are the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content- • How would Obama deliver some who think that thats a great only/faq.php#publishers. Five substantially better results for way to go after rich people,” Filters recommends: Donate to middle-class families in his second term than he did in his Romney said at the Business Wikileaks. first term, when median incomes Roundtable yesterday. “54 percent of America’s workers work in businesses taxed at the individual

stagnated even after the recession ended? • Will Obama allow his Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate rules that would slow one of the big drivers of job creation in Ohio, the boom in natural-gas hydraulic fracturing? • Which safety-net programs is Obama willing to cut, and how, as part of a long-term debt-reduction deal? The most important question is a very basic one. It's also one Ohioans have been asking, to little success, for a long time now: If you win, how will you make things different -- better -- for me? This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2012/06/in-ohioobama-and-romney-both-offerfew-new-economic-proposals/ 258519/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Gallup: More people still blame Bush for poor economy than Obama Allahpundit (Hot Air » Top Picks) Submitted at 6/14/2012 3:01:20 PM

posted at 4:01 pm on June 14, 2012 by Allahpundit I keep waiting for these numbers to start moving. Annnnnny day now. Quinnipiac’s polled this question repeatedly and their numbers are strikingly static too: I’ve always assumed that the flatness of this data is due to people reserving judgment on O’s economic record for as long as they can. They like him personally and want to give him the benefit of the doubt so they’re waiting to see if he might yet still have a few bonanza jobs reports up his sleeve. But now I don’t know. The May jobs report was so awful and the prognosis for the rest of the year so grim that I figured we’d see some movement in this metric this time. Nope. Either voters are willing to give him until the bitter end to show progress — the suspense is already mounting for the October

jobs report — or the “who’s more blameworthy?” question doesn’t mean as much as I thought. Bruce McQuain at Q&O thinks it’s a big barrel of nothing, in fact, that voters don’t care whether Bush or Obama made more of this mess but whether Romney or Obama is best able to clean it up. Could be, but that’s not the sort of election that the GOP wants. They want a pure referendum on the economy’s performance during O’s term, not a choice between whether Mitt or The One is a better repairman. Remember,

while independents are deeply skeptical of Obama’s economic plans, they’re not crazy about Romney’s either. And implicit in the judgment that the state of the economy is still the prior president’s fault fully three and a half years after he left office is the idea that he and the financial crisis left America in a hole so deep that it’s not fair to fault Obama for failing to dig us out of it. If a head coach leaves the team after it finishes 0-16 and his replacement manages to finish 412, does the replacement get hired

for the next season? Yeah, possibly, because some fans will conclude that while his record was under .500, he inherited a disaster and showed just enough progress that it’s worth seeing if he can build on it. That, in a nutshell, is O’s argument for a second term. Team America still reeks economically but we’re playing slightly better, so why not let coach have another season to see what he can do? It’s not like Romney is Bill Parcells, a superstar free-agent coach with multiple rings. He’s more like … Dick Vermeil or something. (Analogies involving terrible football teams come naturally to a Jets fan.) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Spotify users in Germany no longer need Facebook account to register Sarah Silbert (Engadget) Submitted at 6/14/2012 5:11:00 PM

Spotify users in Germany no longer need a Facebook account to register for the music service, Digital Music News reports. Since Spotify buddied up with the social network last year, users across the globe have had to hand over their Facebook info to create an account and start streaming. Now Germans will have the option to create a Spotify account by providing their email address and creating a username, though the Facebook requirement holds true for all other countries. As TNW points out, that change in policy may have something to do with SPOTIFY page 83

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the fact that less than 30 percent of Germans are on Facebook, compared to more than 50 percent for Americans and Brits -- but we suspect Germany's notoriously heavy emphasis on privacy had something to do with it as well. Spotify users in Germany no longer need Facebook account to register originally appeared on

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