Liberty Newspost Mar-18-10

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- 18/03/10

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O’bama? President digs deep to find Irish roots Patricia Zengerle (Front Row Washington)

Gerald Ford. NOT the man who would appear the least likely to have Irish forebears, President Submitted at 3/17/2010 12:56:31 PM Barack Obama.

In Washington, everybody Obama has to look way, way seems to claim ties to Ireland back on his mother’s side of the on St. Patrick’s Day, even family to locate his Irish roots, politicians like House Speaker but they are there.

Nancy Pelosi, who is famously “Today is a day we speak with Italian-American. Pelosi, with pride of being Irish-American self-deprecating humor, told the — whether we actually are or annual Friends of Ireland not,” Obama said at the lunch, l u n c h e o n o n C a p i t o l H i l l which he attended with Ireland’s t h a t h e r t i e s a r e t h r o u g h Taoiseach, or prime minister, grandchildren of Irish-American Brian Cowen. “I am pleased to descent. say that I can actually get away But many politicians’ ties are with it, and I’ve got the much less tenuous. After waves Taoiseach here to vouch for me. of Irish immigration to the Prime Minister Cowen was born United States, some 36 million in County Offaly, and I can Americans report some Irish t r a c e m y a n c e s t r y o n m y ancestry. Nine of the past 10 mother’s side there as well. I U.S. presidents have been at believe it was my great-greatleast partly of Irish descent, great-great-great grandfather,” according to the Centre for Irish Obama said, to laughter.

Genealogical and Historical “This is true,” he insisted, to Studies. The only exception? more laughter. “He was a boot

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maker, if I’m not mistaken.”

Obama’s Irish lineage was discovered when he was running for president in 2008. The former Illinois senator noted wryly that he could have used the information earlier in his career.

“My first thought was, why didn’t anyone discover this when I was running for office in Chicago? I would have gotten here sooner,” Obama said and joked about the spelling of his last name: “I used to put the apostrophe after the “O” but that

did not work.”

The first black U.S. president, whose father was from Kenya, noted that Irish immigrants to the United States were not always welcomed.

“There were times when the Irish were caricatured and stereotyped and cursed at and blamed for society’s ills,” Obama said. “So, naturally, it was a good fit for them to go into politics. Made sense,” he said, prompting loud laughter in the room filled with senators and U.S. representatives.

Click here for more Reuters political coverage Picture credit: Reuters/Jason Reed (Obama, Pelosi and Ireland’s Prime Minister Brian Cowen at U.S. Capitol on March 17, 2010, following a St. Patrick’s Day lunch).

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Kennedy is watching over healthcare week, Obama says Patricia Zengerle (Front Row Washington) Submitted at 3/17/2010 2:33:26 PM

The late Senator Ted Kennedy, who was a long-time advocate for U.S. healthcare reform, is watching over Congress this week, President Barack Obama said, as it moves to take the last steps on legislation to revamp the massive health industry.

“Today, of course, we all feel the heavy absence of one of our greatest Irish-Americans; a man who loved this day so much; a man who I believe is still watching this body closely, particularly this week — and that is our beloved Ted Kennedy,” Obama said.

The president remembered

the famed Democratic politician at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Friends of Ireland Luncheon on Capitol Hill that was attended

by Kennedy’s widow, Vicki, and son Patrick, a U.S. representative from Rhode

Island.

Kennedy, who died in August, had called providing affordable healthcare coverage to all Americans “the cause of my life.” He spent decades laying the groundwork to

overhaul the healthcare system, helped draft a preliminary bill, and had urged Obama to make it his top domestic priority.

Obama’s bid to overhaul healthcare was dealt a near-fatal blow in January when Republican Scott Brown scored a huge upset in a special election to fill the Senate seat that Kennedy had held for almost five decades. Brown had campaigned relentlessly against the Democrat’s healthcare proposals.

Click here for more Reuters political coverage.

Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Reed (Obama shares laugh with Kennedy April 21, 2009)

ADVERTISEMENT: (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:10:00 AM

Young children help mother deliver baby in Calif. (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:59:24 AM

Maggie buzzed up: Obama to sign bill to spur job growth (AP) 1 second ago 2010-0318T07:29:23-07:00 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Obama picks Kansas in college basketball bracket Steve Holland (Front Row Washington)

or they like the color of a particular team’s uniform or their nickname. Like the Submitted at 3/17/2010 1:15:10 PM Georgetown Hoyas, whatever a It’s March Madness time again Hoya might be. and everybody with basketball Which brings us to President savvy or a wee bit of Irish luck Obama, a passionate fan of is filling out their NCAA basketball who is still young college basketball brackets. enough, 48, that he can play a Participants in this annual craze pick-up game with his pals and have several ways of deciding not worry overly much about who to pick: They pay close blowing out a knee. Who attention to what teams are up or honestly is going to foul the down, they crib from their president, for instance? unsuspecting friends’ brackets, Obama filled out his NCAA

between Villanova and Duke to get to the Final Four. It looks like Duke was scratched out in favor of Nova.

Here’s his bracket.

Photo credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst (Obama appears on screen as he does TV commentary with CBS presenters at an NCAA basketball game Jan. 30, 2010) bracket and his Final Four are Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky and Villanova. He picks the Kansas Jayhawks to win the national championship game. (Is

Kansas, a typically Republican state, in play in 2012? Just asking.)

Anyway, it looks like Obama wrestled a bit in deciding

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Blagojevich trial to begin in June Andrew Stern (Front Row Washington)

Dead starfish cover beach (Latest news, breaking news, current news, UK news, world news, celebrity news, politics news)

Submitted at 3/17/2010 1:39:27 PM

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s trial will begin in June, which gives fellow Democrats reason to squirm before the mid-term elections.

The judge in Blagojevich’s corruption case turned down the defense’s request to delay the trial to November, which would have been after the November 2 election.

“I think there has been adequate time” to prepare, Judge James Zagel of the U.S. District Court in Chicago said.

Defense lawyers had argued a pending Supreme Court ruling on the “honest services” law, expected in June, would have a bearing on trial strategy. They also complained of having to review a mountain of evidence.

“The evidence is going to be the

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same no matter what the law is,” Zagel said, in turning aside the defense motion that he labelled a “red herring.”

Prosecutors said the case is about bribery, extortion and other malfeasance by Blagojevich, without suggesting who else might be implicated.

Defense lawyers have said they might try to call White House

chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and other administration figures to show Blagojevich was not leveraging his power to fill President Barack Obama’s old U.S. Senate seat.

Photo Credit: Reuters/Jeff Haynes (Blagojevich in December 2008)

reproduction had left the starfish "tired out" and they had been left "susceptible" to tides and the wind.

Similar events happen once or Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:23:52 AM Published: 2:23PM GMT 18 twice a year in the UK, but it is Mar 2010 the first time for Budleigh Thousands of dead starfish Salterton. covered a pebble beach over a Dr David Gibson, managing mile-long stretch. director of the National Marine It is thought they drifted into Aquarium in Plymouth, told shallow waters to feed on BBC News: "They like to spawn mussels and other shellfish but in areas like this, in shallow were brought ashore. water near a pebble beach.

The starfish were strewn along "Unfortunately after the event the beach at Budleigh Salterton, t h e y a r e q u i t e t i r e d a n d East Devon. susceptible to the vagaries of The Environment Agency said tide and wind and they have it appeared to be a natural washed up on the beach." occurrence and not caused by Five Filters featured article: pollution.

Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: A line of the creatures stretched PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, for more than a mile across the Term Extraction. pebbles at Budleigh Salterton.

One expert said the process of

Workplace protection: Californian porn actors may have to wear condoms (World news: United States | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:58:17 AM

State's occupational safety and health standards board to hear evidence from Aids healthcare group before making decision A Californian workplace safety

board will today discuss whether actors in the adult film industry should be required to wear condoms while they work.

In a petition filed to the board in December, an Aids healthcare organisation called for contraceptives to be compulsory to protect all porn actors from

sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. The California occupational safety and health standards board will hear testimony from the Los Angeles -based Aids Healthcare Foundation.

The group wants the kinds of workplace protections in place

for nurses and doctors to be extended to people working in the porn industry.

By law, US adult film actors must prove they have tested negative for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases within 30 days of going to work on a film.

• Aids and HIV • United States guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

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Glasspool will be first lesbian bishop | Savitri Hensman Savitri Hensman (World news: United States | guardian.co.uk)

consecrated. By 10 March Glasspool has been accepted by over half the standing committees. A week later the Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:38:29 AM Mary Glasspool, elected by p r e s i d i n g b i s h o p ' s o f f i c e delegates in 2009, has cleared announced that enough consents the final hurdle on the path to had been received from bishops, ordination as suffragan bishop and the service of consecration of LA will go ahead on 15 May. The Episcopal church has The Episcopal church has come confirmed that Mary Glasspool under heavy pressure from the w i l l b e c o m e a n A n g l i c a n archbishop of Canterbury, bishop. Usually the choice of a Rowan Williams, and other suffragan (assistant) bishop of Anglican leaders to hold back Los Angeles would be of mainly from accepting another openly local interest. But Glasspool is lesbian or gay candidate after lesbian and in a long-term Gene Robinson's consecration in relationship. So her appointment 2 0 0 3 p r o v e d h i g h l y is being met with joy in some controversial. For a quarter of a quarters, protests and threats to century, international Anglican split the Anglican Communion gatherings had repeatedly urged in others. member churches to try to study Canon Mary Glasspool was one the controversial issue of of two candidates elected by lay homosexuality objectively, and clergy delegates in Los entering into dialogue with and Angeles in December 2009. defending the human rights of Within the family of churches their gay and lesbian members, that makes up the Anglican while advising against blessing Communion, there are different s a m e - s e x p a r t n e r s h i p s o r processes for choosing bishops. appointing bishops in such In the Episcopal church, local relationships. members elect their bishop, but However, some leaders who a 120-day process then begins in were unwilling to allow any which the majority of diocesan "listening process" in their own bishops and of standing provinces, and who were committees in other dioceses increasingly claiming authority must consent if he or she is to be over other Anglican churches

which had long been autonomous, were outraged and threatened schism. Others sought to appease them by condemning the Episcopal church, and its leaders backed down over equality for gays and lesbians. This did not however appease its fiercest critics, who continued to try to undermine it and isolate it internationally.

Meanwhile, many members felt that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people were being treated unjustly, contradicting Gospel values.

In 2009, a general convention of delegates made it clear that most in the Episcopal church believed that LGBT as well as heterosexual people should be considered for all forms of ministry, and agreed to look at services for same-sex partnerships. Rowan Williams' much-criticised response warned of a two-track Anglican Communion, in which churches practising full inclusion might not be allowed to be representatives, and that the "chosen lifestyle" of partnered gays and lesbians meant they could not be bishops unless the universal church changed its view. However, critics pointed out that Williams has been

relatively quiet on the actions of leaders such as Peter Akinola in Nigeria, whose manner of life many would find unacceptable.

When Glasspool was elected, Williams pointed out that this could be confirmed or rejected "by diocesan bishops and diocesan standing committees.

That decision will have very important implications." He warned, "The bishops of the communion have collectively acknowledged that a period of gracious restraint in respect of actions which are contrary to the mind of the communion is necessary if our bonds of mutual affection are to hold."

Fears of further division have indeed influenced Episcopalian leaders. Diane Jardine Bruce, elected at the same time as Glasspool, had received the required 56 consents from standing committees by 17 February, and from bishops by 8 March. Many found the decision on Glasspool a hard choice.

Herman Hollerith IV, bishop of the diocese of Southern Virginia, refused consent since, though "she would make a wonderful bishop", her ordination "may very well strain – to the breaking point – those bonds of affection which we

Fast Company on how to procrastinate productively [video] (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:49:36 PM

Fast Company posted this fun video instructing us how to use procrastination to boost our

productivity. There's also great full article to flesh out the ideas further.

More on getting things done.

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have come to value with others".

Bishop Mark Hollingsworth Jr of Ohio, however, gave consent.

While committed to unity, "I believe that authenticity in relationship requires us to be genuine about who we are, living honestly into what we understand God is calling us to be in this day and the context in which we serve. As Christians we do not present ourselves honestly at the communion table when we leave part of who we are in the pew. As a diocese and a church we do not offer ourselves to God for missional and spiritual communion with others when we leave some of us behind in the aisle."

• Religion • Anglicanism • Christianity • United States Savitri Hensman guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

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Hague admits to Ashcroft 'mistake' (Top stories from Times Online)

Mr Hague told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “The one thing I will concede on this Submitted at 3/18/2010 3:09:37 AM and which I think in retrospect William Hague today denied a was a mistake - was to say 'tens "secret Tory plot" to hide Lord of millions' because it may have Ashcroft's tax status during cost him millions, we don’t negotiations to secure his know, it may cost him millions peerage ten years ago. into the future.

As two separate parliamentary “None of us can know - other committees prepared to hold than him, I suppose, and the tax hearings into the Conservative authorities - what it has cost. p a r t y d e p u t y c h a i r m a n ' s But it was certainly an important decision to remain a 'non-dom', change for him to go from Mr Hague admitted that he had being not resident in the UK.” been wrong to declare that Lord Lord Ashcroft revealed earlier Ashcroft would pay “tens of t h i s m o n t h t h a t , d e s p i t e millions of pounds” more in tax becoming a UK resident under if he was allowed to take a seat the deal in 2000, he remained in the Lords. “non-domiciled” for tax As Conservative leader in 2000, purposes, meaning he does not Mr Hague gave that assurance to pay UK tax on his overseas Tony Blair, the then Prime earnings - predominantly from Minister, as he tried to secure a large business holdings in the peerage for the major party Central American state of donor - an honour that had been Belize. r e f u s e d t w i c e b e c a u s e o f Mr Hague, now the Shadow concerns that he was a tax Foreign Secretary and David exile.

Cameron’s de facto deputy, The phrase has been taken to approved the deal at the time but i m p l y t h a t L o r d A s h c r o f t insisted it had never concerned planned to pay UK tax on all tax domicile, only the question his earnings, but Mr Hague of residency. disputed that interpretation. He The Liberal Democrats have also insisisted that he had not estimated that the “non dom” know the full truth about his arrangement has saved Lord friend's tax status until he A s h c r o f t m o r e t h a n £ 1 2 0 questioned him about it a few m i l l i o n . months ago.

Mr Hague spoke as two

parliamentary committees prepared to hold inquiries today into the circumstances surrounding the award of the peerage to Lord Ashcroft. The Tories have decided to boycott the inquiries - meaning that neither Mr Hague nor Lord Ashcroft, the party's deputy chairman, will testify - and Mr Hague today dismissed them as "partisan".

The party has also come under criticism after refusing to allow its officers to be interviewed by the Electoral Commission during its recent investigation into the legality of donations made to the Conservatives by its Mr Hague was asked about leaked Cabinet Office documents which form part of the evidence to be looked at by the Commons' Public Administration Committee. The papers show that James Arbuthnot, the then Tory chief whip, told officials that the party leader was "satisfied that the action adequately met the terms of Mr Ashcroft's undertakings".

Mr Hague said today that the documents show how the agreement was put together. As party leader he was keen to ensure that the honours committee and Cabinet Office

was satisfied with any deal, not to involve himself in the details.

He added: "The idea that this was a 'secret Tory deal' for Lord Ashcroft to be able to avoid whatever tax people thought he ought to be paying is rather blown apart by the knowledge that this was all copied to Downing Street.

"It's the first secret deal we've had which we've copied to Tony Blair."

Mr Hague was speaking ahead of two separate parliamentary hearings.

The Commons Public Administration Select Committee will hold a one-off hearing into the issue of propriety and peerages, sparked

by Lord Ashcroft’s revelation that he remained a non-dom.

Peers on the Sub-Committee on Lords’ Interests will also consider a Liberal Democrat peer's complaint that Lord Ashcroft breached the Lords' code of conduct by failing to fulfil his pledge to become a permanent UK resident.

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Uniqlo Looks to the Rouble as It Opens First Shop in Moscow Addy Dugdale (Fast Company) Submitted at 3/18/2010 8:56:15 AM

Uniqlo, part of Fast Retailing(#41 on our Most Innovative Companies list), is heading for Russia. The Japanese company that boasts Jil Sander alongside great jeans and cheap cashmere is to open up another store to go with the 918 it already has worldwide, in the Atrium shopping center, in Moscow. The brand will have 1,200 square meters at its disposal when the space opens, on April 2.

Earlier this month, the firm switched its recycling campaign, which allows Japanese consumers to recycle their unwanted Uniqlo threads at stores from biannually, in March and September, to all year round. The clothes were sent to refugee and IDP camps in Asia and Africa, and disaster victims worldwide. Let's hope this initiative spreads to the 125 stores dotted around the rest of the world. [ Fast Retailing]

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Barack Obama does not hate Israel, says Binyamin Netanyahu Daniel Nasaw, Ian Black (World news: United States | guardian.co.uk)

"As a politician running for [the] presidency he had to hide it," Ben-Artzi said, "but it comes out every time and I think we Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:57:30 AM • Brother-in-law's remarks cause just have to say it plainly: there embarrassment is an antisemitic president in • King of Jordan criticises home America."

-building proposals Ben-Artzi then reiterated that I s r a e l ' s p r i m e m i n i s t e r , "Jerusalem is the Israeli people's Binyamin Netanyahu, yesterday capital and the capital of the distanced himself from his state of Israel, and it is whole brother-in-law's accusation that and united."

Barack Obama is an antisemite "Once the Americans tried to who hates Israel. intervene in anything related to The family back-and-forth Jerusalem we told them one came as King Abdullah of simple word: 'No'," he said.

Jordan added to pressure on Netanyahu distanced himself Israel over its settlements from the remarks, with a p o l i c y , d e m a n d i n g t h e spokesman saying it was not the international community take first time the two had disagreed. firm action over what he called "I have a deep appreciation for the "red line" of Jerusalem.

President Obama's commitment Hagai Ben-Artzi, the brother of to Israel's security, which he has the Israeli premier's wife, said e x p r e s s e d m a n y t i m e s , " on Israeli Army Radio that the N e t a n y a h u s a i d .

US president dislikes Netanyahu In an interview, Obama said the and the Israeli people because construction plans were not he had spent years in the church helpful for the Middle East of the Reverend Jeremiah peace process but downplayed W r i g h t , w h o h e s a i d i s suggestion of a rift. "antisemitic, anti-Israeli, and "Israel's one of our closest allies, anti-Jewish." Obama once and we and the Israeli people d e c l a r e d t h e f i e r y l i b e r a l have a special bond that's not Chicago preacher was his going to go away," he said on spiritual mentor but disavowed Fox News. "But friends are him during the campaign. going to disagree sometimes."

Meanwhile, Abdullah, a close ally of the US and Britain, demanded "firm, swift, direct and effective action to stop Israel's provocative measures in Jerusalem that seek to change its identity and threaten holy sites".

"Jerusalem is a red line and the world should not be silent about Israel's attempts to get rid of Jerusalem's Arab residents, Muslims or Christians," the king told Lady Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, according to a palace statement.

Ashton is visiting Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip today before flying to Moscow to join a meeting of the Middle East Quartet: Hillary Clinton for the US, the UN's Ban Ki-Moon, Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and Tony Blair, the Quartet's special representative.

Abdullah's comments came a day after the worst clashes in months broke out across East Jerusalem during a "day of rage" announced by Hamas, as the Palestinian movement urged Muslims to reach the al-Aqsa mosque to protect it from an alleged Israeli takeover attempt.

Tensions soared over the rededication of the 17th century Hurva synagogue and Israel's

Cops playing bagpipe in St Patrick's Parade (Scripting News)

Fine specimens they are.

announcement that it was building 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem. The al-Aqsa mosque compound was reopened and a closure of the West Bank lifted yesterday.

Top US administration officials have condemned the new homes plan, with one senior adviser, David Axelrod, calling the announcement an insult to the US. • This article was amended on 18 March 2010. The original text described Hagai Ben-Artzi as the husband of Binyamin Netanyahu's wife. He is her brother. This has been corrected.

• Israel • US foreign policy • Obama administration • United States • Jordan • Palestinian territories Daniel Nasaw Ian Black guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

Gmail enthusiasts rejoice: Google apps offering migration for Microsoft Exchange (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/17/2010 9:16:28 PM

With news that Google apps is now providing migration for Microsoft Exchange, ReadWriteWeb evaluates the service’s robustness and whether it means companies should be moving toward the cloud. The site gives a thorough comparison between Google Apps and the various Microsoft options to determine which services are in the cloud and how available it is. As the article concludes, “Google still needs to prove it is robust enough for the enterprise to migrate to Google Apps. In the meantime, Microsoft needs to act fast and provide a cloud offering that at least gives its own community the option to move Microsoft Exchange to the cloud.”

Read the full story at Read Write Web. More of the latest from Google and Microsoft.

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Charlie Gillett: tributes pour in for DJ (Latest news, breaking news, current news, UK news, world news, celebrity news, politics news)

reasons two months ago.

He is credited with discovering Dire Straits in 1976 after playing Sultans of Swing from the band's demo tape on his Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:42:54 AM Published: 12:59PM GMT 18 influential BBC Radio London Mar 2010 show Honky Tonk.

Gillett, who was 68 and was Gillett also championed world credited with discovering Dire m u s i c s t a r s l i k e Y o u s s o u Straits, had a lengthy radio N'Dour, Salif Keita and the career with a devoted following young singer of Portuguese fado recruited during his stints on music, Mariza.

B B C L o n d o n - a n d i t s During the past decade he predecessors - plus Radio 3, the entertained millions of listeners World Service and Capital. through his World Service T h e p r e s e n t e r , w h o a l s o programme, Charlie Gillett's managed Ian Dury for a spell World of Music. and was respected for an World Service director Peter authoritative book on the history Horrocks said: ''His broadcasts of rock'n'roll, was described brought together music and today as ''an inspiration to r a d i o f a n s f r o m f a r - f l u n g everybody who loved music''. corners of the globe. He was a The broadcaster died in a very special broadcaster and London hospital yesterday. He he will be sorely missed.'' suffered a heart attack last Gillett presented Honky Tonk week after contracting a disease between 1972 and 1978. of the autoimmune system.

He then moved to Capital Gillett, who was born in R a d i o w i t h h i s s h o w Morecambe, Lancs, stepped U n d e r c u r r e n t s w h i c h a l s o down from his regular slot on featured world music. He was Radio 3's World on 3 for health sacked in 1983, but brought

back by public demand and stayed until 1990.

Gillett wrote an acclaimed history of rock'n'roll, The Sound of the City, in the 1970s which had been based on the thesis he wrote for his masters at New York's Columbia University.

Roger Wright, controller of Radio 3, said: ''News of Charlie's death is terribly sad.

To his audiences he was 'Mr World Music' and the community of listeners is left richer for his tireless support of an extraordinary range of artists.

Chris Difford of the band Squeeze also paid tribute today.

He said: ''Charlie Gillett was a good friend, a big fan of Squeeze and a wonderful sweet man - not many of them left in the world. So sad to lose him.''

Friend and colleague Robert Elms, a presenter for BBC London 94.9, said: ''Charlie was an inspiration to everybody who loved music, and a lovely bloke with it. ''His enthusiasm was boundless

and his knowledge profound, but he only ever used that wealth of knowledge to excite and inspire. Nobody I have ever met had more songs in their heart than Charlie.''

Radio 2's Bob Harris said: ''He was a genuine inspiration - a true music lover and a really good guy. Very few have been blessed with his knowledge, talent and feel for what was right. It's really difficult to find words.''

Close pal Mark Lamarr said: ''When I first met him it was like meeting the rock 'n' roll equivalent of Dickens or Shakespeare.''

Gillett is survived by wife Buffy and children Suzy, Jody and Ivan.

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Video: Cool interactive feature spread for the iPad (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:27:40 PM

As we anticipate the release of Apple’s new iPad, some designers are working on cool new digital magazine spreads, like this one by Cory Strassburger, Ming Hsuing, and Alexx Henry. The video above demos the designers’ magazine cover and interactive feature for the all-digital Viv Mag. The clip offers a glimpse of all the revolutionary places the new digital publishing world can take us, especially in the realm of motion graphics.

See the original post at joshspear.com for more backstory.

More on the iPad. Permalink| Leave a comment »

Who Cares If Sallie Mae Employees Lose Their Jobs?

Zac Bissonnette (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 3/18/2010 9:50:00 AM

Filed under: Recession As the battle over student loan reform heats up with news that the proposal will be included with health care legislation, the Sallie

Mae PR/lobbying machine is ratcheting up its criticism of the plan.

According to the bill, the United States government would save taxpayers and borrowers billions of dollars by eliminating middlemen in the federal student loan program -- and

offering the loans exclusively through the United States

government. The savings could be used to increase financial aid for low-income students.

Continue reading Who Cares If Sallie Mae Employees Lose Their Jobs?

Who Cares If Sallie Mae Employees Lose Their Jobs? originally appeared on

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Radical Palestinian group kills worker in Israel during Ashton trip

Is Facebook better than sex?

(Top stories from Times Online)

Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:25:31 AM

Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:23:34 AM

A radical Palestinian group with suspected ties to al-Qaeda killed a worker in southern Israel today when it fired a rocket from the Gaza Strip, just as Baroness Ashton of Upholland, the EU’s deputy foreign policy chief, was visiting the blockaded territory.

The rocket killed a Thai immigrant worker at a farming community just across the heavily guarded Gaza border, Israeli medical officials said.

Lady Ashton was visiting UN facilities in the coastal enclave, which was hard hit in a war 14 months ago when Israel launched a major offensive to try to stamp out constant rocket fire by Hamas, who rule the territory, and other militant groups.

Despite the fragile ceasefire that resulted from the conflict, in which around 1,400

Palestinians and a dozen Israelis were killed, there has been sporadic rocket fire from Gaza, although usually without causing any casualties.

The claim by the Ansar alSunna brigades was significant, as aid workers and analysts have been warning that the dire conditions in Gaza – under tight Israeli and Egyptian blockade for three years, and devastated by the war – were spawning a new generation of even more radical Islamists with ties to alQaeda.

Hamas, which Israel and the West classify as a terrorist group, is considered by the new breed of radicals to be too moderate and not enforce strict enough Islamic codes.

Calling themselves "salafists", the groups, which are mostly based in the southern Gaza Strip, close to the Egyptian border, adhere to a strict philosophy that life should be lived as it was in the time of the Prophet Muhammad in the

early seventh century.

Hamas, whose political goals are confined to fighting Israel rather than reconstructing the lost Islamic caliphate across the Middle East, sees the radicals as a serious threat to their rule and has fought bloody battles with them in the past year.

The rocket attack – the third in 24 hours -- underscored the difficulties faced by Lady Ashton, who arrived in Israel in the middle of a serious diplomatic dispute between the Jewish state and the United States, its main backer.

The row erupted after Israel announced the construction of 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as their own, just as US Vice President Joe Biden arrived for a visit to try and restart indirect peace talks.

Lady Ashton, on a whistlestop tour of the region, appeared to have little more success than the Americans in persuading Israel to halt the controversial

construction.

After meeting with her the evening before her Gaza trip, Avigdor Lieberman, the rightwing Israeli foreign minister, told a joint press conference it was “unreasonable” for the international community to expect a halt to Jewish construction anywhere in Jerusalem, which Israel also claims as its undivided capital.

Lady Ashton was visiting a UN -run girls’ school in the Jabalya refugee camp when the rocket was fired. "I condemn any kind of violence, we need to move forward to get the peace process moving toward a successful resolution," said the EU envoy, who will meet UN officials to discuss the protracted Israeli blockade of Gaza, but will not meet any Hamas officials.

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(CNET News.com)

Google partners with Sony and Intel to develop Google TV, Amazon releases a Kindle app for the Mac, and some of you have really pathetic intimate lives, according to a study that shows that you'd rather be on Facebook than have sex or even eat.

3 minutes 59 seconds March 18, 2010 7:25 AM PDT Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

OurChart social network lacks its network Laura K. Cucullu (Webware.com) Submitted at 3/17/2010 11:26:34 AM

Rushed to launch, the site wants for the features its marketing promotes.

Windows Phone 7 Tablet: Giant Zune Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)

Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:23:40 AM

Whoa there, big boy! Windows Phone 7 isn’t even powering a real smartphone yet, and we already have a tablet concept

based on the platform, created by designer Umang Dokey.

It’s a sexy-looking beast, with an 8” screen, two joysticks on the back and a built-in stand that turns it into a coffee table-style PC. The designer has also

envisioned 3D video calls and a

keyboard built into the stand, Tablet Concept – running but let’s not get too excited Windows Phone 7 Series from about it all yet: it’s just a umang on Vimeo. concept, very far from being an Tags: microsoft, Mobile 2.0, actual product.

Tablet, windows phone 7, zune Check out a video demonstration below.

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Israel targeted by Gaza rockets as Ashton visits (Latest news, breaking news, current news, UK news, world news, celebrity news, politics news)

moon also expressed his condemnation, saying in a statement: "All such acts of terror and violence against civilians are totally Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:08:42 AM Published: 1:08PM GMT 18 unacceptable and contrary to Mar 2010 international law."

The rocket was launched into An unknown Gaza group, Israel from the Gaza Strip, A n s a r a l - S u n n a , c l a i m e d killing a Thai agricultural responsibility for the attack – worker, while Baroness Ashton launched a day before the w a s v i s i t i n g t h e H a m a s - international Quartet of Middle controlled enclave.

East peace mediators was to It was the first strike from the meet in Moscow to discuss ways territory to cause any fatalities to revive Israeli-Palestinian since the end in January 2009 talks. of Israel's Gaza war.

Similar strikes since the Gaza An hour before the attack, the war have been met by Israeli air EU's top diplomat Catherine raids against militants or Ashton crossed into the Gaza suspected weapons-producing Strip to tour UN facilities and facilities, but the death of the see how the international Thai worker, in Netiv Ha'asara, funding was being used. an agricultural community, may At a Gaza news conference harden Israel's response. after the attack, Baroness "This is a crossing of the red Ashton said: "I condemn any line, which Israel cannot accept. kind of violence, we have got to "The Israeli response will be find a peaceful solution to the appropriate. It will be strong," issues and problems."

Vice Prime Minister Silvan UN Secretary General Ban Ki- Shalom said.

The Gazan group responsible for the attack, Ansar al-Sunna said in a statement: "The Jihadist mission came in response to the Zionist assaults against the Ibrahimi and al-Aqsa mosques and the continued Zionist aggression against our people in Jerusalem."

It appeared to be referring to Israel's national heritage plan to renovate holy sites, including the West Bank town of Hebron's Tomb of the Patriarchs that is revered by Muslims and Jews, and the rededication this week of an 18th-century synagogue in Jerusalem, some 400 yards from al-Aqsa.

In a statement on the rocket attack, Hamas steered clear of comments that could be seen

by Palestinians in the Israeliblockaded Gaza Strip as disapproving of a strike against its enemy, even while the strike strained an informal truce.

"The government of the Zionist enemy, which has launched a

war against the Palestinian people and against holy sites and al-Aqsa mosque, bears the responsibility for all the escalation," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.

At Hamas's urging, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem mounted stone -throwing protests this week after Israel reconsecrated the Hurva synagogue in Jerusalem's walled Old City.

Palestinian militants in Gaza have been carrying out sporadic rocket and mortar bomb attacks on Israel since the end of the December 2008-January 2009 Gaza war, usually without causing any casualties.

The number of such strikes has dropped dramatically since the Israeli campaign ended.

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Google upgrades Chrome across the board Seth Rosenblatt (Webware.com) Submitted at 3/17/2010 2:50:00 PM

Google updates Chrome for most of its multiple versions, with some critical security fixes coming to the stable Windows version and bookmark fixes for the Mac. Originally posted at The Download Blog

Wednesday Afternoon Metheny (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 3/17/2010 1:30:02 PM

Here’s a midday music break with the Pat Metheny Group, from a 1992 performance at Japan’s “Live Under the Sky” music festival.[Video]

Guatemala to extradite ex-leader (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 3/17/2010 9:26:50 PM

A criminal court in Guatemala has agreed to extradite former President Alfonso Portillo to the US where he faces moneylaundering charges.

He was arrested in January following US charges that he had laundered money stolen from a children's charity and embezzled state funds.

He has since been held in a high-security prison in Guatemala City.

Mr Portillo, 58, has repeatedly

denied the charges levelled against him, which he says are political.

He fled to Mexico after his term finished in 2004 but was sent back in 2008 to face corruption charges.

The former president "embezzled tens of million of

dollars worth of public funds, a portion of which he then laundered through bank accounts in the US and Europe", a New York grand jury indictment said in February.

He has also been accused by Guatemalan authorities over the disappearance of $15m (£9.2m)

earmarked for the Guatemalan defence department.

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Outgiving the Goal: Mission Hills Walks for Water Susanna Donald (LWI News Center)

to bury a child. But we have the power to save lives…with water.” She urged her blog Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:00:54 AM readers to spread the word and Do you remember what you got to donate items for a raffle that for your 16th birthday? would help raise money for a Kailyn Paris got water. Nearly water well. Within a week, she 1,000 dollars’ worth. had raised enough for two.

All for kids in Africa.

Julie’s husband Jason, the Kailyn is a member of the youth pastor at Mission Hills, youth group at Mission Hills was moved by his wife’s C o m m u n i t y C h u r c h , a passion. “We knew this couldn’t congregation in California that just stop here. We knew we had spent eight weeks raising more to take it to the church.” He than $62,000 for Living Water laughs. “We thought—what if International. Her contribution the church could raise enough came when she asked her money for one well? Wouldn’t friends and family to forgo that be great?” birthday gifts for her and instead Senior Pastor Mike Beals bring sixteen dollars to donate caught the vision, too, and soon toward clean water projects. the whole church got involved.

“For my sixteenth birthday,” her Kids were selling their video invitation read, “I don’t want g a m e s , w o r s h i p p e r s w e r e gifts. I want water for Africa.” donating portions of their F u n d r a i s i n g e f f o r t s l i k e offerings, families were holding Kailyn’s started rather quietly in garage sales—and Kailyn Paris the heart of one woman—Julie w a s c e l e b r a t i n g h e r 1 6 t h Carson. Before Christmas, Julie birthday. The people of Mission began learning about the global Hills were inspired. water crisis and her heart broke “It was just a miracle,” says for the thirsty. On her blog, Jason. “On the first Sunday of joyshope.com, she wrote, “As I our campaign, we almost raised sit and write this, mothers are enough for that one well.” As burying their babies. This is not more and more money came in, okay. I know what it feels like the well count went higher and

higher. “We had to keep changing our goal because people kept outgiving the goal!”

The culmination of Mission Hills’ eight-week water campaign was their “Walk for Water,” a January walk-a-thon that raised over $15,000 for Living Water International.

More than 200 people of all ages were walking, running, pushing strollers, and carrying jerry cans around the lake in Rancho Santa Margarita. Some people raised money through flat donations, others had perlap pledges.

“I’m still blown away that God would use us to change the world,” Jason comments. “It was like we all had a chance to glimpse what God created us for.”

Interested in becoming an advocate and fundraiser for clean water (like Mission Hills Community Church)? Check out the resources on our advocacy page here.

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A Cautionary Tale Of Too Much Technology Renee Oricchio (Inc.com)

changed the passwords.

In the meantime, unsuspecting car owners were late for work, File this under OMG. Or had to pay for tow truck service, perhaps, "just because you can, pull their battery cables to make doesn't mean you should". In the horn stop honking, etc.

Austin, Texas, some 100 cars I wonder: w e r e " h a c k e d i n t o " a n d - how many customers have mechanically disabled with their called the dealership demanding horns honking incessantly. So their black box be removed. what happened?

- how many customers are All of the cars were purchased calling area mechanics to do it f r o m t h e s a m e u s e d c a r for them. d e a l e r s h i p i n t o w n . T h e - how many customers will ever dealership had installed a black consider buying another car b o x u n d e r t h e d a s h b o a r d from that dealership. wirelessly web-connected to - how many potential customers activate in case car payments are going elsewhere. weren't made. Each black box - how many lawyers will be was set up to disable the car and getting rich off this one. set off the horn remotely as an - if the owner of the dealership incentive to the owner to square still thinks the black box was a their payments. good idea.

The black box cannot disable a This story underscores a point moving vehicle. that I like to make again and These car owners were not in again. arrears, however. A recently laid The pace of developing of new off employee at the dealership technologies has far surpassed allegedly decided to get his our capacity to appropriately use revenge by going back into the them. So, slow down and think system and disable the cars one it through. by one. He was reportedly Technology is supposed to be working his way through the list the tool, not us. alphabetically when someone figured out it was a hack and Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:07:00 AM

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New allegations against Catholic Church of mishandling child abuse (Top stories from Times Online)

duties were being carried out by another bishop due to illness.

There was a handwritten letter Submitted at 3/18/2010 4:25:07 AM asking for "some forgiveness" The Catholic Church in Ireland from the alleged abuser in faced fresh allegations of which he offered the family his mishandling child sex abuse "deepest apology for any pain I today following claims that a c a u s e d y o u t h r o u g h bishop was party to swearing to i n a p p r o p r i a t e g e s t u r e o r secrecy a girl abused by a priest mistaken signs of affection". in an out-of-court settlement.

The Derry diocese said it would Dr Seamus Hegarty, Bishop of not comment immediately Derry, was one of three priests because church records would named in a civil settlement after need to be checked. The girl's an eight-year-old girl was father said that they had not abused over a ten-year period gone to the police because "it from 1979. was not the culture" in Derry at The Belfast Telegraph this the time to do so. morning reported that ÂŁ12,000 The fresh controversy follows was paid to the alleged victim, an apology from the head of the subject to a confidentiality Catholic Church in Ireland, a g r e e m e n t . S h e t o l d t h e Cardinal Sean Brady, for his newspaper that the "settlement role in a cover-up of the meant nothing" to her and that a a c t i v i t i e s o f a c o n v i c t e d note of apology "wasn't paedophile priest. sincere".

In the latest case the woman The civil action was settled out said that her decade of abuse by of court in December 2000 and a priest began when the abuser was signed by lawyers on befriended her family in 1979. behalf of Dr Hegarty, Bishop She told her parents only on the Edward Daly and the alleged day of her 18th birthday after abuser without admission of becoming overwhelmed by liability. events.

Bishop Daly was named in the A spokesman for Bishop court papers, but at the time his Hegarty said today he was

aware of the case, but would not be commenting until a detailed review of the file had been carried out.

An official responsible for overseeing the Church's handling of abuse claims said out-of-court settlements were not acceptable.

Ian Elliott, chief executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, said: "If any situation comes to light involving a child, then the policy of the church, and the absolute commitment that is given, is that that information will be conveyed to the appropriate state authorities, the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) and the social services."

Tomorrow, the Pope will sign a pastoral letter addressing the clerical sexual abuse scandals which have engulfed the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland.

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Technical Analyst Sees Oil Rallying to $88 per Barrel Connie Madon (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:10:00 AM

Filed under: Analyst Reports, Forecasts, Technical Analysis, Oil Gordon Manning, technical analyst at National Australia Bank Ltd, foresees oil rallying to $88 per barrel.

Technical traders use support and resistance chart points to plot their trades. Resistance is an upside barrier that must be penetrated for prices to go higher. Support is a base line that must be breached for prices to go lower. Each day trader uses various formulas to calculate support and resistance for that day. Chartists do the same but for longer periods.

If you watched the price action of oil futures you noticed that prices are fluctuating between

ModCloth crowdsources vintage fashion Sharon Vaknin (Webware.com)

ModCloth, an e-retailer of women's vintage fashion, is

creating a community of fashionistas included in almost

11

every part of the company.

$80 and $83 per barrel. The first line of resistance then is at $83.

If prices moved upward, through $83, then traders will look for the next level of resistance. In this case Manning sees that as the $88 level.

Continue reading Technical Analyst Sees Oil Rallying to $88 per Barrel Technical Analyst Sees Oil Rallying to $88 per Barrel originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Lesbian bishop approval by US church causes outcry Riazat Butt (World news: United States | guardian.co.uk)

The archbishop of Sydney said the US church had "committed itself to a life contrary to scripture" and that the Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:46:29 AM Conservative Anglicans communion had reached condemn election of the Rev "another decisive moment".

Mary Glasspool as Episcopal Her victory underscores a bishop continued Episcopal Conservative Anglicans have commitment to accepting samecondemned a decision to sex relationships, despite approve the election of another enormous pressure from other openly gay bishop in the US Anglicans to change their stand.

Episcopal church.

The Episcopal church, the Last night it was confirmed that Anglican body in the US, the Rev Mary Glasspool, who caused uproar in 2003 by has been with her partner, Becki consecrating the first openly gay Sander, for 22 years, had bishop in the communion, Gene received the required number of Robinson. His consecration took votes from bishops and standing place at an ice-hockey stadium committees. Her consecration in Durham, New Hampshire, will take place on 15 Mayin Los and he wore a bulletproof vest Angeles. under his gold vestments Glasspool, from Baltimore, because he had received death w e l c o m e d t h e n e w s b u t threats. admitted that not everybody In 2004, Anglican leaders asked would share in her happiness. Episcopalians for a temporary "Not everyone rejoices in this ban on electing gay bishops as election and consent, and [I] t h e y t r i e d t o p r e v e n t a will work, pray, and continue to p e r m a n e n t s c h i s m i n t h e extend my own hands and heart f e l l o w s h i p . to bridge those gaps, and Since the request was made, s t r e n g t h e n t h e b o n d s o f some gay Episcopal priests have affection among all people." been nominated for bishop, but

Glasspool is the first to be elected.

Breakaway conservatives last year formed a rival church, the Anglican Church in North America, and appealed to the archbishop of Canterbury to officially recognise the new entity.

Dr Rowan Williams has yet to comment on this latest development but called for "gracious restraint" among warring factions when news of her election was announced in December. He said it raised serious questions for the divided church.

• Anglicanism • Religion • Gay rights • United States Riazat Butt guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

Todd Stottlemyre Looks to Cash in with MultiLevel Marketing Zac Bissonnette (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:30:00 AM

Back in August, former pitcher Todd Stottlemyre, a veteran of 14 Major League seasons who last pitched with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2002, was looking to start his own hedge fund in the wake of fellow retired baseball player Lenny Dykstra's spectacular crash and burn.

These days, his financial aspirations seem to be a little less high finance. Actually, a lot less. The Globe and Mail reports that Stottlemyre "wants Canadians to join his network at ACN, a multi-level marketing company that promises an ongoing stream of commissions for members who manage to convince friends and associates

Hands-on: Xobni's insta-address book for BlackBerry Jessica Dolcourt (Webware.com)

We take a close look at Xobni for BlackBerry, an uberutility that complements--or replaces--

your address book.

Originally posted at The Download Blog

to buy telecom services through them from companies such as Telus Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc." Continue reading Todd Stottlemyre Looks to Cash in with Multi-Level Marketing Todd Stottlemyre Looks to Cash in with Multi-Level Marketing originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Shocked' peer: Ashcroft broke promise on tax status

Haiti 'orphans' return to parents

(Top stories from Times Online)

(BBC News | Americas | World Edition)

the hearing - giving its Labour MPs a clear run at their target.

The MPs were reacting to Lord Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:38:07 AM Ashcroft's recent disclosure that A m e m b e r o f t h e L o r d s he enjoyed "non-domiciled" or committee which vetted Lord "non-dom" tax status, allowing Ashcroft for his peerage ten him to avoid UK taxes on his years ago admitted today that overseas earnings. she had been shocked and After discussions with the surprised to hear two weeks ago Political Honours Scrutiny that he was still not a full UK Committee (PHSC), which had taxpayer. twice refused him a peerage G i v i n g t e s t i m o n y t o a because he lived in Belize, Lord Commons select committee, Ashcroft agreed in 2000 that he Baroness Dean of Thornton-le- w o u l d h a v e t o b e c o m e a Fylde said she had assumed that permanent UK resident if he Lord Ashcroft had fulfilled his wanted to take a seat in the u n d e r t a k i n g t o b e c o m e a Lords. That meant that he would "permanent resident" of the UK. have to become domiciled in B o t h L o r d A s h c r o f t a n d the UK for tax purposes.

William Hague, the former Tory Lord Ashcroft now says, leader who pushed the honour however, that he subsequently through, had been invited to reached an agreement enabling appear before the Commons h i m t o b e a " n o n - d o m " , Public A d m i n i s t r a t i o n enjoying long-term rather than Committee in its special hearing permanent residence. on "propriety and peerages".

Asked whether she had been Both men refused because they surprised and shocked by recent considered it to be partisan. In a revelations, Lady Dean told rare collapse of cross-party co- today's hearing: “Yes. We operation, the Committee's three thought that the undertakings Tory members also boycotted that he had given, clear and

unequivocal, to us... were honoured.”

While insisting she was no tax expert, she said the PHSC had been clear that it wanted Lord Ashccroft to be a permanent resident.

“We were continually of the view that Lord Ashcroft would maintain his undertaking to take up permanent residence,” she said. “It looks like the commitments and undertakings given were not carried through.”

Sir Hayden Phillips, the Whitehall mandarin who oversaw the granting of Lord Ashcroft’s peerage, said the Tory leadership had insisted his tax status was not relevant to the undertaking.

James Arbuthnot, then chief whip to Conservative leader William Hague, had told him Lord Ashcroft’s commitment only concerned residence, Sir Hayden said.

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children, denied any wrongdoing, saying they only wanted to help destitute Submitted at 3/18/2010 3:59:54 AM orphans.

Aid workers in Haiti have sent Their leader, Laura Silsby, home all but one of the 33 remains in custody. children that US missionaries The earthquake in Haiti on 12 tried to take out of the country J a n u a r y k i l l e d m o r e t h a n after the January earthquake.

220,000 people and left more They said all the children had than a million homeless. parents to return to. Each family Florence Avrilier was reunited was given food, blankets and with her eight-year-old son she $260 (£170) as they came to had given away. She kept her 12 collect their children.

-year-old daughter because the Some of the parents said they missionaries told her they only had handed them over because wanted children younger than they thought they would get 10, she is quoted as saying by better care in US hands. the Associated Press news One of the missionaries remains agency. in jail while the other nine were "I'm very happy. I had no hope I freed. would ever get my son back One child is still waiting at the again. This has been a very SOS Orphanage on Port-au- heartbreaking time for me," she Prince's outskirts for further said. verification of her parents' Print Sponsor identities.

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Holder: 'Reading Miranda Rights to a Corpse' (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 3/17/2010 11:00:43 AM

Attorney General Eric Holder is turning into quite a

rambunctious cowboy: If bin Laden is found, he’ll be killed, Holder says.

Osama bin Laden “will never appear in an American

courtroom,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. told House members at a hearing Tuesday.

“Let’s deal with the reality here,” Holder said in response to

13

questions from Rep. John Culberson (R-Tex.). “The reality is, we will be reading Miranda rights to a corpse.”

14

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Sahil Saeed due to fly back to UK (Latest news, breaking news, current news, UK news, world news, celebrity news, politics news)

owed by Mr Saeed.

Sahil was found abandoned in a field in Pakistan earlier this week after the father handed over £110,000 to the kidnappers Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:45:17 AM

By Dean Nelson and Farzana in Paris.

Fiaz in Lahore He was tracked by police who Published: 1:45PM GMT 18 arrested two Pakistani men and Mar 2010 a Romanian woman and Sahil played a game of football recovered £105,000 of the with his father after they were ransom cash. reunited at the British High According to a police Commission in Islamabad. statement, undercover officers The schoolboy was snatched by watched him hand over the gunmen at his grandmother's money and witnessed the cash house in Jhelum, Punjab, on being divided.

March 4 as he and his father, The two Pakistani men were Raja Naqqash Saeed, were about followed by police from Paris to to leave to catch a flight back to Spain where they were arrested Britain. and were due to appear in court.

His father said he was tortured With their ordeal behind them, in another room as the gunmen Sahil played football with his demanded money, and that they father and a cousin and sent a kidnapped Sahil to force him to message home to his mother in a hand over £110,000. television interview.

S o u r c e s c l o s e t o t h e "Mummy, I miss you. Mummy, investigation said they are I love you," he said. i n v e s t i g a t i n g w h e t h e r t h e Britain's High Commissioner ransom demand related to debts Adam Thomson described the

Is Education on the Wrong Track?

Diane Ravitch, Andrew Rotherham (The New Republic - All Feed) Submitted at 3/17/2010 1:34:37 PM

Richard Posner: The Supreme Court's appalling gun-rights ruling.

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reunion as "an emotional moment" while Mr Saeed said he was "completely overjoyed."

"Sahil is doing well, is in good spirits, and can't wait to return to the UK to see his mum, his family, and join his friends back at school," he said.

"I would like to pay tribute to the tireless efforts of the Pakistani and UK authorities that resulted in the safe return of Sahil to us.

"I would also like to thank everyone for their messages of support that my family and I have received over the course of the last two weeks," he added.

"As we return back to the UK, I ask that the media shows restraint and respects our family's privacy as we spend some quality time with Sahil."

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, (Holy Kaw!) Term Extraction.

Submitted at 3/17/2010

Lessons from a belly dancer on personal branding human. Or better yet, you can build your brand on being your favorite version of yourself.” To If we were to think that accomplish this, the author wriggling our tummies is all a provides four tips from her belly belly dancing teacher could dancing teacher: teach us, we would apparently • Claim your niche. be wrong—at least according to • Create your character. a new post from Copyblogger, • Treat people like humans. which delves into the lessons of • Make your brand accessible. personal branding from belly dancing. As the author writes, To read the full explanations of “my belly dancing instructor has these tips, visit the original post taught me, you don’t have to at Copyblogger. build a personal brand on being More on branding. an egomaniac. You can build Photo credit: Fotolia your brand on simply being Permalink| Leave a comment » 9:29:45 PM

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How to Set Up a Home Office Lauren Folino (Inc.com)

refers to as an "office frame of mind," has to be a conscious decision, she says, and your Whether you are the owner of a work environment should be a home-based business, a virtual reflection of you. "If you're a worker, or you simply want to bachelor with no kids, obviously establish a space in your home your setup differs from a mom to handle the demands of your who's got three kids," Jernegan off-site business, carving out a explains. "[Conversely,] if you home office can help you be have your home office set up in more productive at home and your bedroom, and you have maintain your sanity when clients visiting every week, family and household issues that's not very helpful." Leigh threaten to impede on your Buchanan, Inc.'s editor-at-large, work. It's important to choose a who works from her home suitable space and access your office in a suburb of Boston, technology needs beforehand so adds that auxiliary elements, that your new home office is such as additional storage space compatible with your needs. The and lighting, should also be following guide will help you taken into consideration. "You get the most out of your home will have a tendency, when you office setup. How to Set Up a work from home, to pile stuff up Home Office: Design Your on the floor, which is not good Space With You in MindThe because people can trip and optimal office setup for your fall," she says. "I think it's a business will depend upon your good idea to have a basement, personal and occupational closet, or some place that you needs, says Cecelia Jernegan, c a n dedicate to author of Working From a a r c h i v e s . " B u c h a n a n a l s o Home Office Successfully: Best emphasizes the importance of Practice Tips. Those with computer placement by sharing limited space might choose to a bothersome home office s e t u p i n t h e i r b e d r o o m , anecdote of her own: "Be livingroom or kitchen, while careful where you're putting those with a basement or an your monitor," she warns. "I extra bedroom may choose that made a huge mistake of putting space. Jernegan says that for my monitor in front of a b e s t p r o d u c t i v i t y , s h e window so I can see the trees, recommends having a room that which is nice, but from 3 pm to is separate from daily household 3:30 pm, the sun shines directly commotion, and one with a door in my face." Dig Deeper: will help immensely. Being able There's No Office Like Home to seclude yourself, in what she How to Set Up a Home Office: Submitted at 3/17/2010 9:21:00 AM

Getting the Right Tools and ServicesAccording to Jernegan, comfort and functionality are significant characteristics of a productive home office, and the type of equipment you buy, not to mention where you buy it from, is essential to workplace efficiency. For many people who work from a home office, a desk, a chair, a computer with a working Internet connection, a printer, and a phone line with voicemail will suffice. Some entrepreneurs may need a fax machine, some may need more space or several monitors for design work, and some may find multiple phone lines with caller identification to be helpful.

"Your equipment should be ergonomically sound, because you are going to be working on it for hours," Jernegan advises.

Hours of work inevitable leads to breakdowns. Thankfully, most hardware providers, particularly computer hardware, comes with user maintenance or warrantee agreements. "In an office, people will fix your equipment for you when it breaks down. But you need to make sure that you can fix your own equipment at your home office, [or] get vendors that are available 24 hours." Jeff Zbar, home office expert and operator of ChiefHomeOfficer.com, also stresses the importance of buying and hiring locally for all of your IT needs. "Find someone in your local area,

within 40 miles," he says.

"Then, if something breaks down you will have easy access; they can come to you or you can go to them. It helps to support your local community by buying local, and [your local IT help] will always be there."When choosing an Internet provider, Jernegan also advocates exploring local options, and making sure that your area will receive sound access and reliable customer service before you commit to a plan: "You don't want your service going down all the time. If your Internet is out for three hours, that affects your income and your business."Zbar insists that launching a home office does not have to be expensive. "My first home office, which I created in 1989, had a desk made out of an eight-foot kitchen counter top, which I bought at Home Depot," he says. "It was a makeshift office and it cost me practically nothing –the point being, it was a perfectly functional office to get done what I needed to be done.""One thing I would say to invest in is the chair," Zbar adds. "It's important to constantly adjust your chair, because your posture changes all the time. You can get a good chair for about $150 on up." Dig Deeper: Essential Tools For Every Home Office How to Set Up a Home Office: Determining Whether You Qualify For Tax

DeductionsZbar points out that if you operate an office out of your home, you are not required to declare it on your taxes.

However, you may qualify for any number of tax deductions depending on various IRS stipulations. In order to qualify for deductions, you have to use the space in your home regularly and exclusively for your own business purposes.

Unfortunately, if you are a telecommuter or virtual employee with an employer, and your employer helps cover some of the costs of your home office, you will not qualify for deductions. You may also deduct a portion of expenses that are related to your home office, such as the percentage of square footage that accounts for your home office within your entire living space, your dedicated business phone, and internet service. Nonetheless, some important facts to remember are that your business must be profitable in order to qualify for a home office deduction, and your annual tax write-off cannot exceed your annual business income. Dig Deeper: Deducting Your Home Office Expenses How to Set Up a Home Office: Always Have a Backup Plan No matter how proficient you think your software or hardware is, Jernegan says, it is important to HOW page 19

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The Secret to Funny or Die's Success: Celebrities, Product Placement, and Above All Else, Funny Alissa Walker (Fast Company) Submitted at 3/18/2010 8:48:50 AM

Swearing kids and boobie jokes may be the secret to the success of their videos, admitted Funny or Die's CEO Dick Glover and creative director Andrew Steele at SXSW this past weekend, but the smart business model behind them may hold a few secrets to the future of entertainment.

Originally launched as a "hot or not" video site for comedy in 2007, Funny or Die has grown into a multi-media, crossplatform comedy hub with a thriving Web portal and production company--the HBO series, Funny or Die Presents, debuted in February. The next stop is film, starting this summer when the comedy duo Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim of the cult Adult Swim show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! start production on their first feature.

In fact, there is no platform or joke that Funny or Die won't try, said Steele. There's just one rule: It has to be funny.

Thanks to its famous founders Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy, that hasn't been a problem. Funny or Die's built-in orbit of talent spans from Zach Galifianakis to Lindsay Lohan to Buzz Aldrin(being directed

by Snoop Dogg) to Henry Winkler who brings the site ideas. "It works because everyone wants to be there," said Steele, who came from a head writer position on Saturday Night Live. Besides the superstars, Funny or Die has an

informal relationship with improv actors at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater(which was co-founded by McKay) and connections to young directors, editors and cinematographers.

These relationships work both ways, since Funny or Die is able

to offer exposure and industry contacts to young, raw talent, even when the pay for projects is small.

The low production costs that only Web can provide--no union issues, for example; the staff that produces the HBO show is

completely different--may even allow the company to become profitable this year. A staff of 19 people based in Los Angeles and investors like Sequoia Capital are part of a wider web SECRET page 19

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Breads - from Consumer Reports

Mobile Location, Location, Location at SXSW Howard Greenstein (Inc.com) Submitted at 3/17/2010 1:23:09 PM

I’ve just returned from this year’s South By SouthWest ( SXSW) Interactive Festival and I bring news of import to all small businesses looking to attract local, in-person audiences: Get Mobile Now. This year’s festival of all things geeky and early-adopter-esque was filled with a vision of the future – location-based services such as FourSquare, Gowalla, and, to a lesser extent, Loopt, BriteKite, Google Buzz Facebook and Twitter were being used by attendees to find hot spots, action, and most importantly, their friends. And, in the process, funneling customers to businesses that were popular with the crowd.

To explain, for those not familiar with location based services, a person goes to a venue such as a restaurant, club, store, or park, and “checks in” via their mobile phone, letting their friends and optionally their contacts on social networks know that they are in a specific location. They’re also able to give a short message like

“Eating dinner.” Why, many people have asked me, would they do this? Aren’t they worried about privacy? Let’s put the privacy concerns aside for a second (though there are valid concerns.) Assuming a perfect world where no one takes negative advantage of this information, letting your friends know where you are is a great way to attract them to your location. At a festival or conference, this information can help you track down people effectively. For restaurants and businesses, users of these services can add tips such as “Try the mulled wine,” or “Special sale on Tuesdays” to help other users get the most out of the venue. Some services support pictures of the venues, or links directly to Yelp or Google Local Business Listings for review.

On FourSquare, users compete to be the “Mayor” of a venue, and some businesses have taken note, treating people who show their mayoral status to free coffee, extra toppings, or even a night at a hotel. Gowalla’s icons have been used to provide prizes for visitors to venues. Some

attendees at SXSW who checked in at Austin airport were offered rides to town courtesy of Chevrolet as part of a promotion at the festival.

Granted, Chevy is bigger than your business, but all of these location-based services are looking to partner with the little guys as well. It is free to add a venue to any of these services – and in fact someone may have added your business already.

Have you checked? Are there tips or reviews of your business on these sites? Are there some negative comments? Better address those soon.

In June of last year I asked “ Does your Small Biz site show on the Mobile Web?” and this is still relevant – but the location based services are the next thing. Twitter and Facebook are already experimenting with location-based tagging of status messages – so if someone tweets “Having a terrible experience in a store,” the message may tie directly back to your business.

Twitter tools will soon be able to report these locations, and I’ve heard some are already doing so.

Finally, to the privacy

advocates – some percentage of people will not use these services. Some don’t want their location known and will turn it off. There are legitimate concerns, and sites like “ Please Rob Me” were set up attempting to tie location checkins to people who might not be home, to make just this point. On the other hand, a statistic that shows the scale of check-ins at SXSW is that PayPal and Microsoft sponsored a bounty of $.25 per check-in via " Check In for Charity" on the FourSquare service, and raised $15,000 for Save the Children's Haitian relief fund – that’s over 60,000 check-ins in just a few days, at one (admittedly hyperconnected) conference.

(Participants got a note thanking them for their contribution – which helped reinforce the behavior.)

What is the future for locationbased serivces? Pretty soon, the real estate folks won’t be the only ones saying the key is “Location, Location, Location.”

Press Room (Consumer Reports) Submitted at 3/17/2010 9:00:59 PM

Breads - from Consumer Reports To find the greatest thing in sliced bread, Consumer Reports tasted a dozen choices labeled whole-wheat or multigrain for the March '10 issue.

Podcast - Breads 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

Google Working With Intel, Sony on TV Project: Report Reuters (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:36:00 AM

Google is working with Intel and Sony to develop a new class of Internet-enabled televisions and set top boxes, according to the New York Times. Will this finally bring us the converged living room hub that Media Center, Apple TV and Tivo haven't?

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Facebook Co-Founder Chris Hughes is Back in the Startup Business with Jumo.com Ellen McGirt (Fast Company)

next move. “I travelled almost too much,” he says. He visited some of the poorest and most Chris Hughes, the Facebook co- politically divided areas of Latin founder, and the engine behind America, India, and Africa. He t h e M y B a r a c k O b a m a was moved not only by the need community organization site, is he saw but by the good works of back in the start-up business. people, who were often working His new enterprise is called on small projects and niche Jumo, ( jumo.com) which soft i s s u e s . “ T h e r e ’ s a n u r s e l a u n c h e s t o d a y . J u m o - - a somewhere in Indiana who Y o u r u b a w o r d m e a n i n g would love to know about the “together in concert”--is a non- nurse in Africa I met working profit that aims to help people o n o b s t e t r i c f i s t u l a , ” a find ways to help the world. devastating condition caused by “We’ll be matching people unrelieved, obstructed labor, a b a s e d o n t h e i r s k i l l s a n d common occurrence in poor interests with organizations regions, Hughes says. He around the world that need their envisions a scenario where i n p u t , ” H u g h e s t e l l s F a s t people with real skills can share Company. “It’s a discovery t h e i r r e s o u r c e s i n t r u l y process that first matches then meaningful ways. “This is not helps people build relationships just a click on a banner ad and then lets people share their give $10 to a needy child,” he resources.” says. “I believe people really Hughes was inspired after a want to engage.” post-campaign year of thinking, The site goes fully live this fall. a bit of work as an entrepreneur- The team consists of Hughes, in-residence at the venture firm Kirsten Titus, a non-profit General Catalyst Partners, and e x p e r t , a n d t h e O b a m a by his experience at his alma campaign’s former designer mater, Facebook. But it was Scott Thomas--which explains seeing the current state of the its elegant interface (full world that helped him decide his disclosure: Thomas is designing Submitted at 3/18/2010 9:48:16 AM

a site for Fast Company too).

Visitors to Jumo will currently be walked through an intriguing list of questions designed to better match them with interesting opportunities later on. True to form, the site expects to soon offer profiles and ways for Jumo members to interact with each other. And

SXSW: Geeks Defend Their Foursquare Turf Michael Calore (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 3/17/2010 5:00:00 PM

Competition turns cutthroat as more and more people track their travels with the locationbased service. At the South by

Southwest conference, the quest for badges and tussles over mayorships gets frenetic and weird.

fund that specializes in “base of the pyramid” investments; and Linda Rottenberg is CEO and Co-founder of Endeavor, a nonprofit that identifies and supports “high-impact” entrepreneurs in emerging markets.

Jumo has raised about $2.5 million in hefty chunks from a few individual donors, Hughes says, and eventually he'll be asking visitors to donate as well.

(The business model as well as the website sounds like a work in progress.) Although he struggled with the notion of developing the business as a non -profit -- “More than one person told me that there were too many limits to scaling a business with that structure,” he says -- he ultimately decided Jumo is hiring. “We need web that was the right move. “We’re developers,” Hughes says, not in this to make money, we’re in this to make sure that laughing.

Hughes has some high powered no individual can ever say ‘I advisors at his side: Jeffrey want to help but I don’t know David Sachs, the Director of the how.’”

Earth Institute at Columbia University; Jacqueline Novogratz CEO of the Acumen Fund, a non-profit investment

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continued from page 16

of informal relationships, which triangulate with tech folks in Silicon Valley, marketing whizzes in NYC and content producers in L.A. "We bring the same creative discipline to the marketing," said Steele. A recent deal with Boxee gave Funny or Die a featured slot on their new set-top box.

But Funny or Die is also wielding its Internet influence for good, branching into causerelated videos, like " Prop 8: The Musical," produced to help fight the anti-gay marriage ban in California, or the over-the-top hilarious eco-parody " Green Team." Funny or Die's writers used to produce videos like " The New F***ing Citibank" about issues that were important to them, and now they're having advocacy groups approach them to help them get the word out about other causes.

A recent video for the Main Street Brigade, a consumer finance protection group, featured a once-in-a-lifetime reunion of all the presidents

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portrayed on Saturday Night Live (with Jim Carrey doing an excellent Ronald Reagan standin for the late Phil Hartman).

The spot was directed by Ron Howard in one day in Van Nuys, California and produced for around $5,000--essentially just the cost of airfare. It was an unprecedented gathering of so many SNL alums--from Chevy Chase to Dana Carvey--that not even SNL could have orchestrated, something Glover and Steele attributed to both Funny or Die's freeing Webonly environment but also the cause itself, which many of the stars felt strongly about.

Another version stars Heidi Montag saying no to plastic (um, credit cards, that is).

With solid audience numbers-1.4 million followers on Twitter, over 70 million views for their very first video, " The Landlord," and let's not forget the continuous buzz from hundreds of user-generated videos being voted up or down-it's no surprise that companies

are now coming to Funny or Die to pitch their products. The writers create branded entertainment, generating a new revenue stream for the site and an entire new genre for marketers: Viral ads that are actually good.

No product is off-limits, and Funny or Die promises to be transparent in its aims, working for any company as long as Funny or Die's writers can have total creative control. Any company? An audience member at the SXSW conference wondered what Funny or Die would do if, say, notoriously right-wing Ted Nugent came to them with a concept for a video that was diametrically opposed to the other political-themed videos they'd made.

"We would do funny and conservative," said Steele, thoughtfully. "As long as it was funny."

"have a backup plan in case things go to hell in a handbag."

She suggests limiting food and drinks around office equipment as an easy way to help safeguard your office tools, but says that technology snafus in general are nearly unavoidable.There are plenty of questions you will ask yourself when your Internet, or your computer fails you, Jernegan says: "Do you go to the library? Do you go to Starbucks? If you don't have a car that day, where do you go?"

Correspondingly, Zbar says the key is to always have fallbacks, and while he works from a desktop computer in his home office, he says he has taken steps to ensure that he will never be totally vulnerable to IT failure. "I believe in redundancy," he says. "I have my laptop, so I'm never really down. If my Internet goes down [at home], I have an aircard, so I

can still get online whenever; it's about $40 a month, which is costly, but I need it."Being overly prepared is just another characteristic you will develop when you work from home, Zbar says. "You always have to be ready to put on the IT hat, the CEO hat, the CFO hat, or the CHO (Chief Home Officer) hat," he says. Dig Deeper: Checklist: Research Your Backup Solution Options Resources: For more information on running a homebased office, check out Inc.'s Home-Based Business Start-up Guide.To find out if you qualify for home-office deductions, the IRS has a comprehensive list of prerequisites.Inc. offers advice on setting up your Home Office Technology.

was stolen. The company blamed the action on a thirdparty vendor but was forced to pull the plug on Juku.

It's a tumultuous time for online companies in China, following Google's assertion earlier this year that it may close its Google.cn operation rather than

continue its practice of filtering search results. Microsoft has said it intends to stay the course in China.

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

Top MSN China exec to step down (CNET News.com) Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:23:04 AM

Microsoft's MSN China venture is losing a key executive.

Vice President of Sales Xiao Chen is resigning from his position at the end of March to start his own company, a

Microsoft spokesperson told Reuters. Chen has been with Microsoft's Chinese MSN venture since its start in 2005.

MSN China has struggled to gain a foothold against QQ, a Chinese social network service that has grabbed a sizable percentage of China's Internet

users.

And late last year, MSN China got into some hot water after it was revealed that its microblogging site Juku lifted programming code from a Canadian firm called Plurk.

After a quick investigation, Microsoft admitted that the code

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RIP Blockbuster nospam@example.org (Scott Jagow) (Marketplace Scratch Pad)

company. Instead of embracing the digital revolution, Blockbuster has strongly resisted change. In 2008, at a Submitted at 3/17/2010 9:44:50 AM In the real world, where time when in-store kiosks with companies are allowed to fail, a $1 rentals started popping up big one is about to go down. everywhere, Blockbuster touted Not surprisingly, Blockbuster is its brick-and-mortar business pretty much toast. It’s the story and dismissed the significance of a company that wasn’t nimble of new distribution models. or forward-thinking enough to And while Netflix serves alltake advantage of its size and you-can-eat entertainment for a reach. low, fixed rate, Blockbuster In a regulatory filing, recently reinstated late fees and Blockbuster says it will likely shortened the rental period for have to file for bankruptcy if it premium titles — those aren’t can’t deal with its debt: exactly the kinds of changes that Because of its losses and “the will win new customers. increasingly competitive In fact, I’m pretty sure there are i n d u s t r y c o n d i t i o n s , ” t h e The fascination is pretty simple. someone came up with the idea a few old Blockbuster customers company sees “substantial doubt People don’t want to drive to the of putting DVD kiosks in who got screwed by overzealous about our ability to continue as a DVD store when they can get a grocery stores, and Redbox late fee charges that will relish DVD in the mail twice a week d r o v e t h e f i n a l n a i l i n t o going concern.” dancing on the company’s The “increasingly competitive or download just about all the B l o c k b u s t e r ’ s c o f f i n . grave. industry conditions” have entertainment they can watch B l o c k b u s t e r d o e s h a v e a Redbox is 20th century download deal with Tivo, but existed for years. Netflix started for $10 a month. technology too. It will also in the late 90’s, and Blockbuster Keyes pinned his company’s it’s probably too little too late. eventually perish, unless it waited far too long to take the e n t i r e s t r a t e g y o n t h e From Daily Finance: adapts to the creative start-up seriously. In fact, in assumption that customers We’d bet that a big part of destruction which has destroyed 2008, Blockbuster CEO Jim would still flock to Blockbuster Blockbuster’s problem is Keyes. Blockbuster.

Keyes said: “I’ve frankly been for new releases. Bad market The former 7-Eleven CEO joined the retailer in 2005, at a confused by this fascination that research.

And then, lo and behold, critical transition period for the everybody has with Netflix.”

Use a Dish Towel to Make Regular Yogurt "Greek" [Food Hacks] Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:00:00 AM

Greek yogurt, as sold in stores, is thick, delicious, dip-making stuff, and it's far from cheap.

Make your own at home with plain yogurt, a dish towel, a collander, and a bowl. The only preparation technique is to wait.

More »

Mozilla Contacts Imports and Auto-Fills Email Addresses in Firefox [Downloads] Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:30:00 AM

Firefox: Mozilla knows we

often reach out to our contacts through our browsers. So the Firefox maker has crafted an experimental tool to make, for

example, filling out "email this"

forms easier by importing contacts directly into your browser. More »

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21

AT&T's Suspiciously Great Zero Charger Turns Itself Off

HTC fires back at Apple patent complaint

Dan Nosowitz (Fast Company)

(CNET News.com)

Submitted at 3/18/2010 8:21:16 AM

What's the catch, AT&T? We're conditioned to dislike you, for your lackluster network, your high prices, and your continued hiring of Luke Wilson. But this charger looks...awesome.

The AT&T Zero Charger is a USB charger, meaning it's not designed for any one phone (or, for that matter, any USBcharging device, including PMPs, cameras, and GPS units).

You just plug your device's USB cable into it, and the whole thing goes into the wall. It's a common solution, one that comes with most modern smartphones, because that way manufacturers can simply package in one USB cable and one cheap USB converter, rather than a USB cable and a full AC charger. But this is different.

Hardly any of us are diligent about unplugging our devices as soon as they reach full charge.

Often we plug them in at night and unplug them in the morning, even though they need only a few hours to charge--and typical USB chargers will keep

an injunction barring HTC from importing or selling devices in the U.S. and is also looking for Handset maker HTC says it's an undisclosed amount of ready to defend itself against a damages. patent complaint filed by Apple. Five of the phones named in the Earlier this month, Apple complaint filed with the U.S. launched legal action against International Trade Commission H T C , a l l e g i n g t h a t t h e --including the Nexus One, T a i w a n e s e c o m p a n y h a d which is sold directly by Google violated 20 different patents --use the Android software, and related to the Apple iPhone. seven use Microsoft's Windows HTC makes phones based on Mobile software.

Google's Android operating At the time, HTC said it was system as well as Microsoft's caught off-guard by the lawsuit Windows Mobile. and that it would review the On Thursday, HTC issued its details before issuing a complete response. statement. In promising to fight "HTC disagrees with Apple's the lawsuit, Chou also touted his actions and will fully defend c o m p a n y ' s " h i s t o r y o f delivering energy to your device s m a l l e s t , a n d o n e o f t h e itself. HTC strongly advocates i n n o v a t i o n . " even after it's fully charged, cheapest, at only $30. Only intellectual property protection "From day one, HTC has which is both wasteful and bad c e r t a i n p h o n e s w i l l b e and will continue to respect focused on creating cutting-edge for your battery. The Zero c o m p a t i b l e w i t h t h e Z e r o other innovators and their innovations that deliver unique Charger is a so-called "smart" Charger: AT&T only specified technologies as we have always value for people looking for a charger, meaning it senses when that it'll work with their "most d o n e , " s a i d H T C C h i e f smartphone," Chou said. "In the device is charged and shuts p o p u l a r d e v i c e s , " w h i c h Executive Officer Peter Chou in 1999 we started designing the itself off. probably means the iPhone and, a statement, "but we will XDA and T-Mobile Pocket PC It's by no means the first to pull judging by the picture provided, continue to embrace competition Phone Edition, our first touchthis trick--inductive chargers BlackBerry. The Zero Charger through our own innovation as a screen smartphones, and they healthy way for consumers to both shipped in 2002 with more like the Case-Mate Hug and will be released this May. get the best mobile experience t h a n 5 0 a d d i t i o n a l H T C quite a few power strips have [ CNET] possible." smartphone models shipping the capability--but it's one of the Apple claims that HTC is since then." most mainstream, certainly the infringing on specific patents Five Filters featured article: related to the iPhone's graphical Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: interface as well as its basic PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, hardware and software design. Term Extraction.

As a remedy, Apple is seeking Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:54:00 AM

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Court Rejects PA DAs Attempt To Charge Teens For Sexting Themselves

Forget green beer nospam@example.org (Scott Jagow) (Marketplace Scratch Pad) Submitted at 3/17/2010 1:32:07 PM

I’ve been on the hunt for a fun St. Patrick’s Day business story, and I believe I’ve found it. I just had to watch the ringing of the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

The man ringing the bell was Colum Egan, the Master Distiller of Bushmills Irish Whiskey. Egan’s been told he has the best job in the world, and now, he’s giving one person the chance to share it for a month.

The winner of the Make it at Bushmills contest will: Live in luxury accommodation, all expenses paid (in Northern Ireland).

Get £5,000 and return flights to Ireland.

Create your own blend of Bushmills Irish Whiskey.

Experience world-class surf beaches, golf courses and the stunning area around Bushmills.

Invite a friend to come and visit

Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

tried again with an appeal.

It looks like that was a dead end too.

The appeals court About a year ago a prosecutor unanimously ruled against the in Pennsylvania wanted to bring DA and criticized them for their child porn charges against some efforts to bring charges against teenage girls who had taken these girls. This case won't some "nude and seminude" necessarily directly apply to photos of themselves with other similar cases -- as much of cameraphones and sent them to the reasoning had to do with the others.

T h e c a s e w a s requirement to take this class complicated in that after school and write an essay about why o f f i c i a l s t u r n e d o v e r t h e what they did was "wrong," they should choose you and evidence to the district attorney, w h i c h w a s j u d g e d t o b e upload it to Bushmills Facebook the DA's office told the girls that compelled speech, violating the they could avoid charges if they First Amendment. Furthermore, page.

Apparently, it might help to agreed to a special afterschool the fact that the lawsuit was know the difference between "education program." Some of seen as retaliating for not Irish Whiskey and Scottish the girls refused, and the obeying the order to take the Whisky, aside from the fact that prosecutor tried to charge them. class was also problematic. So, one is spelled with an “e”. So, This raised an outcry from many it's likely we'll still see other who felt it was ridiculous to cases involving "sexting," where there’s a head start… c h a r g e k i d s w i t h c h i l d teenagers are accused of pornography for taking photos c r e a t i n g c h i l d p o r n o f of themselves. The judges in t h e m s e l v e s . the case blocked the prosecutor Permalink| Comments| Email from filing charges, but rather This Story than take the hint, the prosecutor Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:31:39 AM

for some, or all, of your stay and we’ll pay for their flights.

Egan says: “If someone can prove to us that they have what it takes then we’d be delighted to let them be the first person outside of the distillery to work alongside me to create their own special blend of Bushmills Irish Whiskey - I hope it’s not too good though. I like my job too much!”

Make a short video about why

Make Your Own Mix for Inexpensive Flavored Coffee [Food] Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:30:00 AM

If you like your coffee to taste

more like a premium mocha and less like a black cup of joe, this clever take-it-with-you solution will give you lots of great

cheap. More » tasting coffee drinks on the

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Calif. considers smoking ban at all state parks (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 3/18/2010 4:24:03 AM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California lawmakers on Thursday will consider what is believed to be the nation's most far-reaching smoking ban in state parks as a way to get unsightly cigarette butts off the beach, eliminate second-hand smoke and reduce the threat of wildfires.

Maine banned smoking at its state beaches last year, but groups that track such legislation say no state prohibits lighting up throughout its entire park system, as the California bill proposes.

Under a legislative compromise, campsites and parking areas will be exempted from the ban.

"It is very clear that the garbage that is created as a result of smoking on beaches — butts and wrappers — are polluting our water," Democratic state Sen. Jenny Oropeza of Long Beach, the bill's author, said in an interview. "In terms of the state park system, we have a major fire hazard when cigarettes are smoked in parks."

Her bill would affect some of

the state's most iconic geography, from the otherworldly desert landscape of Anza Borrego to famous Southern California surfing spots to Northern California redwood groves. It previously passed the Senate and will be considered Thursday in the Assembly, where Oropeza is hopeful it will be approved.

The legislation is opposed by the tobacco industry, which disputes that second-hand smoke is harmful.

If the legislation eventually is signed into law, California would be the first state to ban smoking throughout its entire park system, according to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, a Berkeley-based nonprofit that tracks such bans.

Similar smoking bans are being considered in Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York, according to the American Cancer Society.

The move would not be surprising in a state with a long history of cracking down on smoking as a way to eliminate exposure to second-hand smoke.

A California law that took effect in 2008 slaps motorists with a $100 fine if they are smoking in

a car that contains a minor under the age of 18.

California previously banned smoking in enclosed workplaces such as bars and restaurants, and within 25 feet of a playground.

Nationwide, nearly 100 cities prohibit smoking at beaches, and more than 400 local governments ban smoking at municipal parks.

"Many of these laws often start at the local level first," said Cynthia Hallett, executive director of Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights.

Previous bills have stalled in the California Legislature, but Oropeza said she is confident her bill will pass this year and make it to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk. The Long Beach Democrat said she is hopeful the health-conscious governor will sign it.

Oropeza said the legislation could save the financially strapped state millions in fighting wildfires started by someone tossing a lit cigarette in a state park.

Oropeza excluded campsites from the ban to accommodate state park officials, who said prohibiting smoking at campsites would be difficult to

March 18, 1987: Woodstock for Physicists Dylan Tweney (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 3/17/2010 9:00:00 PM

In the heyday of hightemperature superconductor research, thousands of physicists converge in New York for an

impromptu session on superconductivity that lasts into the wee hours of the night.

enforce.

Any state park that does not have the money to buy nosmoking signs alerting visitors to the rules also would be exempt. It's not clear how many of California's 279 of state parks would be unable to erect such signs.

Parking lots at both beaches and parks also would be exempt.

In all other areas of a state park, such as hiking trails or beaches, smoking would be an infraction punishable with a $100 fine.

The California Department of Parks and Recreation opposed the bill last year because of the cost to post signs. It no longer is taking a position, spokeswoman Sheryl Watson said.

The proposal continues to face opposition from the tobacco industry. Commonwealth Brands, the fourth largest tobacco manufacturer in the U.S., said prohibitions like the one being proposed in California infringe on smokers' rights.

When asked for a comment about the bill, the company provided a letter it wrote to Oropeza addressing the bill that ultimately was defeated last year.

"We recognize that some nonsmokers may find tobacco smoke unpleasant or annoying, but we do not believe that the scientific evidence, often cited in isolation by health advocates, when taken as a whole is sufficient to establish that other people's tobacco smoke is a cause of any disease," said Anthony Hemsley, a company spokesman.

The letter did not address the litter or fire hazard concerns raised by the bill's advocates.

Oropeza, who was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2004, said second-hand smoke is a known carcinogen and that Californians have a right to breathe smokefree air. Oropeza, who underwent surgery and chemotherapy, is now cancer free.

"I think that people do have a right to smoke as long as it doesn't affect other people or cost the taxpayers more money to put out fires and do more coastal cleanup," she said.

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Some Fargo residents refuse to move despite floods (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)

banks and flooded the low-lying section near downtown Fargo known as Oak Grove. Butler FARGO, N.D. – Mac Butler worked around the clock for believes he'll beat the bloated days and broke five sump Red River and save his home pumps, as water lapped against again this year. But a canoe and barricades of sandbags outside kayak are tied up outside his the back door of the century-old house just in case he's wrong. home.

Butler and his wife, Jane, are During the nearly 30 years that among the final holdouts in an Butler has lived in his home, he already flood-ravaged Fargo has fought three floods but has neighborhood where some three never let water enter his home. dozen homeowners have opted As he prepared for his fourth to accept government money to flood, Butler said he refuses to relocate over the past decade. leave because he loves the On Sunday, the river is expected location and figures he can save to crest up to 20 feet above the taxpayers money by not taking a f l o o d s t a g e , m e a n i n g i t s buyout. overflowing waters could rush "This house has been here for right up to the Butlers' home — 100 years, and I think it will be again. here for a while," he said.

"I've been invited to ask for a Butler considers flooding just buyout but I'm not interested," part of the cost of living here, said Mac Butler, a 58-year-old much like those who live in North Dakota State University earthquake-prone areas. biology professor. "I know it "People shouldn't be living in makes it look like I'm stubborn San Francisco, but they are; we o r f o o l i s h , b u t t h e l o c a l shouldn't be living here in topography works in my favor Fargo, but we do," Butler said.

— I'm on sort of a little plateau. "Where's safe? There is always I think we'll be fine." something that's going to get He wasn't so sure last year you." when the Red River jumped its Others who have chosen to stay

in the neighborhood also were taking precautions this week.

Volunteers in Fargo filled their 1 millionth sandbag on Wednesday as the river rose above 30 feet — considered major flood stage.

Fargo itself is beginning to show signs of wear and tear from days of preparations.

Dump trucks carrying clay for dikes let some spill out, coating roads and making them a muddy mess. Roads are blocked off to let heavy equipment through.

The city's Mayor Dennis Walaker thanked the volunteers and other workers on Thursday but also warned residents that they still need to be cautious.

"We're not through this thing yet, OK? Even if it crests on Saturday or Sunday, there's a period of time where we're very vulnerable to weather, very vulnerable to failure." Walaker told city and local officials.

Across the street from Butler's home, the Oak Grove Lutheran School suffered about $1.8 million in damage from last year's flood. Already this year, the school's football field is beneath 12 feet of water.

First Look: Kindle for Mac

LeBron, Cavaliers clinch outright Central title

Charlie Sorrel (Wired Top Stories)

Associated Press (ESPN.com)

Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:31:53 AM

Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:03:00 AM

Amazon has at last released Kindle for Mac, which means

you can now read your Kindle books on most any device. It joins the iPhone, PC Blackberry and of course the Kindle itself.

Submitted at 3/17/2010 11:38:08 PM

Top Performers

City crews this week began extending a clay dike from a permanent floodwall to help protect the school and the nearby neighborhood.

School spokeswoman AnnMarie Campbell said the school should be safe this year with the 38-foot predicted crest, about 3 feet lower than the record set in 2009.

"We're very confident we won't have any issues," Campbell said.

"We feel 38 feet is very manageable."

But others aren't so sure, and some of Butler's neighbors are thinking it might be time to leave.

Edward Schmidt, who lives across from the school, stacked "a few thousand" sandbags around his home with the help of students and neighbors.

"Last year, I got water in my basement because I didn't have enough sandbags," Schmidt said. "We did the best we could do this year."

Unlike Butler, Schmidt said he and his wife are considering a buyout.

"We love living here, but we understand we may to have to

move," said Schmidt, who has lived in the home for 23 years.

City spokeswoman Karena Carlson said Fargo has spent $7.4 million buying 25 homes in low-lying neighborhoods since last year's flood. She said an additional seven homes are expected to be purchased by the time the river crests.

The buyouts, which are funded with city sales tax money, have ranged from $69,000 to $1.1 million, the latter of which was for a home owned by James and Margo McCulley.

James McCulley, a retired orthodontist, said his family didn't have a choice. They had to leave because the home was in the path of a planned permanent floodwall. The couple moved this month to another house on higher ground several miles away.

"It was my dream house," Margo McCulley said. "But it was just a house. Wherever we live is our home."

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Indiana: T. Murphy 19 Pts, 15 Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Cleveland: L. James 32 Pts, 9 Term Extraction.

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'Jihad Jane' due in federal court in Philadelphia (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)

converts like LaRose, given her live-in boyfriend and apparent failure to ever pledge her faith at PHILADELPHIA – Whether a mosque. she was seeking love, vengeance "Maybe it's not the Islamic faith or just an escape from her that is making them do this; dreary, small-town existence, maybe it's just their personal Colleen LaRose searched the demons," said Ibrahim Hooper, Internet and, authorities say, n a t i o n a l c o m m u n i c a t i o n s found Muslim extremists eager d i r e c t o r f o r C A I R . t o e n g a g e t h e u n h a p p y LaRose spent most of her life in American.

Texas, where she dropped out of LaRose, 46, spent long days high school, married at 16 and chained to her Pennsburg, Pa., again at 24, and racked up a few apartment caring for an elderly minor arrests, records show. p a r e n t . N o w , t h e w o m a n After a second divorce, she prosecutors say called herself " f o l l o w e d a b o y f r i e n d t o Jihad Jane" online may spend Pennsylvania in about 2004 and her life in prison — unless she began caring for his father while persuades a U.S. judge she is h e w o r k e d l o n g h o u r s , not a security threat. sometimes on the road. In 2005, On Thursday, LaRose makes she swallowed a handful of pills her first court appearance since in a failed suicide attempt, a stunning indictment last week telling police she was upset over accusing her of conspiring with the death of her father — but did jihadist fighters and pledging to not want to die. commit murder in the name of a As she moved through her 40s Muslim holy war. Authorities without a job or any outside say she wanted to kill a Swedish hobbies, her boyfriend said, she a r t i s t w h o h a d o f f e n d e d started spending more time Muslims. online.

She's expected to plead not Though her boyfriend, Kurt guilty at the arraignment, which Gorman, did not consider her could also offer clues to her religious, and she apparently mental state after six months in never joined a mosque, LaRose a Philadelphia prison. had by 2008 declared herself The Council on American- "desperate" to help suffering Islamic Relations has questioned Muslims in a video she posted the religious devotion of alleged on YouTube.

Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:08:41 AM

"In my view, she sort of slipped sideways into Islam. ... There may have been some seduction into it, by one or more people," said Temple University psychologist Frank Farley.

LaRose and Gorman shared an apartment with his father in Pennsburg, a quaint if isolated town an hour northwest of Philadelphia. Just days after the father died last August, she stole Gorman's passport and fled to Europe without telling him, making good on her online pledge to try to kill in the name of Allah, according to the indictment. From June 2008 through her Aug. 23, 2009, departure, the woman who also called herself "Fatima Rose" went online to recruit male fighters for the cause, recruit women with western passports to marry them, and raise money for the holy war, the indictment charged.

She had also agreed to marry one of her overseas contacts, a man from South Asia who said he could deal bombs and explosives, according to e-mails recovered by authorities.

He also told her in a March 2009 e-mail to go to Sweden to find the artist, Lars Vilks.

"I will make this my goal till i achieve it or die trying," she wrote back, adding that her

blonde American looks would help her blend in.

Vilks questioned the sophistication of the plotters, seven of whom were rounded up in Ireland last week, just before LaRose's indictment was unsealed. Still, he said he was glad LaRose never got to him.

Although she had written the Swedish embassy in March 2009 to ask how to obtain residency, and joined his online artists group in September, there is no evidence from court documents that she ever made it to Sweden. Instead, she was arrested returning to Philadelphia on Oct. 15.

Some terrorism experts wonder if LaRose posed any serious threat to Vilks or the United States — or was simply a lost soul.

"People in distress blame the government, and now blaming the government means taking the side of these Muslim terrorists," said Ian Lustick, a University of Pennsylvania political science professor.

"They're about as jihadist as you and me, but they're a lot less happy."

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Google Maps for Android Update Makes Searching Far Easier [Updates] Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:15:00 AM

Google's just pushed out a 4.1 update for Google Maps on Android that includes a Latitude home screen widget listing nearby friends, and allowing you to switch between user accounts to change Buzz and starred locations. Yada, yada—the big change for real Maps users is that after searching for a term and clicking on a result, you can swipe the screen left and right to switch between results. No more zooming and ultra-precise finger tapping to get to just what you're looking for. Simply swipe to the right to head over to the nextnearest result. [ Official Google Mobile Blog] More »

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Obama argues healthcare on Fox (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)

reaches its climax in Congress, and with the outcome still too close to call, President Obama is Submitted at 3/18/2010 1:54:20 AM campaigning hard, the BBC's President Barack Obama has Paul Adams in Washington stepped up his efforts to gain says. support for his embattled Catholic backing healthcare reform plans by He has been on the road, with giving an interview to US Fox his shirtsleeves rolled up, News. making passionate speeches, The broadcaster has been and now he has taken the criticised by the White House offensive to Fox News, regarded for its perceived right-wing bias. b y t h i s W h i t e H o u s e a s Facing tough questioning, Mr fundamentally opposed to "the Obama voiced confidence that president and all his works", our the reform bill would finally be correspondent says. passed by Congress.

The interview, with combative Mr Obama has received a boost presenter Bret Baier, was largely from Congressman Dennis unproductive. The president Kucinich, who says he will now wanted to extol the virtues of support the legislation. the reform bill, while Mr Baier Several Catholic religious wanted to grill him about some orders said they were now o f t h e c o m p l e x - a n d satisfied the legislation would controversial - congressional not allow public money to be procedures being explored by used for abortions and so voiced the Democrats as they try to get their backing. the bill passed.

With just days to go before this President Obama chided the protracted battle over healthcare interviewer, Bret Baier, for

interrupting his answers.

"Bret, you've got to let me finish my answers," he said.

"Sir, I know you don't like to filibuster, but..."Mr Baier said.

"Well, I'm trying to answer your question and you keep on interrupting," the president replied.

Mr Obama did receive some good news on Wednesday, our correspondent says.

One of the bill's fierce Democratic critics, Mr Kucinich, who had previously voted against the legislation, announced that he intended to support it.

"I know I have to make a decision, not on the bill as I would like to see it but as it is," he said.

"You do have to be very careful that the potential of President Obama's presidency not be destroyed by this debate. Even though I have many differences with him on policy, there's something much bigger at stake

here for America."

And a number of Catholic religious orders, representing 59,000 nuns, said they were now satisfied the bill does not allow taxpayer dollars to be used to fund abortions.

This could help to win over a handful of Conservative Democrats, our correspondent adds.

Republicans are opposed to the proposed reforms, arguing that they will give the government too much control over healthcare and be mainly paid for by higher taxes and cuts in Medicare, the government-run health scheme for Americans aged 65 or over.

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BlackBerry Slider Phone's Rumored Launch Is Next Month [BlackBerry] Kat Hannaford (Gizmodo) Submitted at 3/18/2010 9:58:01 AM

BlackBerry's ugly leaked slider phone—supposedly dubbed the Talladega—might be released next month, if Engadget's translation of a Korean interview with the CEO of a RIM supplier is anything to go by. Being a BlackBerry user myself, I can't help but feel a bit dismayed by the pictures that we've seen of it...though maybe I'm finding it difficult to care about anything other than that leaked Magnum we saw a few months back. [ Joins via Engadget] More »

Attention, “Star Wars” Fans: The iPhone Lightsaber Duel is Coming Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)

show your iPhone-wielding friends the true power of the dark side.

I sense a new trend emerging at The upcoming Lightsaber Duel geek gatherings everywhere: game is due to be released early iPhone lightsaber duels. It’ll next month, and it will feature probably scare all the girls (far, officially-licensed lightsaber far) away, but you’ll be able to s o u n d s a n d B l u e t o o t h Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:39:08 AM

connectivity, meaning you’ll

actually be able to duel (instead of just waving the phone around making whizzing sounds).

The game is actually a followup to Lightsaber Unleashed, created by the same company, THQ Wireless. The new game will feature 11 new Star Wars

characters, and if that’s not enough, players will be able to create multiple custom characters, too.

Tags: application, iphone, lightsaber, mobile app, Star Wars

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US upbeat on Russia nuclear deal (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)

in the Russian capital on Thursday between Mrs Clinton and her Russian counterpart Submitted at 3/18/2010 12:09:41 AM Sergei Lavrov, and with The US and Russia "are making President Dmitry Medvedev on very good progress" on a Friday. nuclear arms reduction pact, a As well as arms control, the US senior US official has said. and Russian foreign ministers Under-Secretary of State are expected to discuss the William Burns was speaking as situation in the Middle East and Secretary of State Hillary Iran.

Clinton was due to hold talks on Last week, President Medvedev the issue in Moscow. and his US counterpart Barack "We are getting closer," Mr O b a m a h a d a t e l e p h o n e Burns said, but added that he conversation about the nuclear c o u l d n o t t e l l w h e n a n disarmament issue. agreement might be reached. The two leaders "expressed The two nations are trying to satisfaction with the high level replace the 1991 Strategic Arms of consensus on the basic lines" R e d u c t i o n T r e a t y , w h i c h of the treaty negotiations, the expired last December.

Kremlin said in a statement.

The US says it has more than The pair "stressed that it is 2,000 nuclear weapons, while already possible to set firm dates Russia is believed to have nearly to submit the draft agreement to 3,000. the heads of state for their 'Consensus' signatures," the statement "I can't predict to you exactly added, without setting the when the agreement will be timeframe. completed, but we are getting Disagreements closer," Mr Burns told reporters. The two presidents launched Mr Burns declined to identify talks to replace the Strategic the specific sticking points that Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) emerged during months of talks last April with an original in Geneva. deadline of December.

He was speaking ahead of talks It was part of a Washington-

inspired attempt to "reset" relations with Moscow after years of frayed ties under the administration of former US President George W Bush.

The landmark Start pact was signed in 1991 and led to huge reductions in the two countries' nuclear arsenals.

Both sides have agreed to cut the number of warheads they hold to between 1,500 and 1,675 each.

But there have been disagreements on verification measures, how to count weapons and launch systems.

Another bone of contention is the US plan for a missile defence system in Eastern Europe.

President Obama has said his goal is to have a nuclear-free world. He has promised to cut the number and role of nuclear weapons in US security strategy.

The US is hosting a nuclear non -proliferation summit in Washington in April.

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Viacom Still Can't Figure Out Which Video Clips Actually Infringed On YouTube Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

make snap judgments and automatically know what infringes on all the videos As we get ready to see more uploaded to its site? Viacom, of details about the filings from course, is just claiming that it's both Viacom and Google in the removing these 187 videos to YouTube fight, Eric Goldman " s t r e a m l i n e " t h e i s s u e s . notes that Viacom has dropped However, considering that there another 187 videos from its are 63,000 videos involved in complaint. This isn't the first the lawsuit, it's not like this time either. Late last year, makes any difference at all.

Viacom dropped a bunch of Basically, Viacom knows that it videos from the lawsuit after has highly questionable claims realizing that many had been on those videos it's trying to uploaded by Viacom employees. drop from the case -- which As Goldman notes, the fact that proves the point. Even Viacom it's taken Viacom three years to has no idea what is and is not even realize that some of these infringing, despite having three videos don't belong in the years to figure it out. Yet it lawsuit is incredibly telling. If it thinks that the law should takes Viacom three years to require a third party to know realize that such videos may or immediately? may not infringe, how is it Permalink| Comments| Email r e a s o n a b l e t o e x p e c t This Story Google/YouTube to be able to Submitted at 3/18/2010 4:07:27 AM

NASA Mission Posters Are Hilariously Painful [Nasa] Jesus Diaz (Gizmodo) Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:40:00 AM

Sweet. Baby. Jesus. I'm

speechless. I love NASA. I love astronauts. They're true heroes, risking their lives in the name of did they make these posters? science and progress. But why

27

WHY? They defy any description, they are pure gold: More Âť

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One pair of 3D glasses to rule them all (CNET News.com) Submitted at 3/18/2010 4:00:00 AM

There is currently no standard for 3D glasses shipped with 3D TVs.(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET) The good news about the 3D TVs coming out this spring and summer is that they'll come packed with two pairs of 3D lenses. The bad news? Those plastic glasses work only with the brand of TV with which they're shipped.

That means that if you buy a Panasonic 3D TV, you can't use the accompanying lenses with your neighbor's Sony 3D TV, should you want to get together to watch the World Cup in 3D this summer. That's because each TV brand has a sensor that picks up a signal from the corresponding brand of glasses.

If that seems backwards, it's because it is. But it's also the sign of a new technology that hasn't yet worked out all of its kinks. Thankfully, the burgeoning 3D industry knows that this is a shortcoming and is concocting a fix.

One company that makes 3D eyewear, XpanD, has staked its claim to be the vendor of choice for brand-agnostic 3D glasses.

The company has been manufacturing 3D glasses for movie theaters in Europe and Asia for years, and it is now moving to make the glasses work for people's homes as well.

XpanD has been contracted to

produce the lenses that will ship with Panasonic and Vizio's 3D sets, but the company is also aiming more broadly: to be the provider of one pair of glasses

that people buy once and use everywhere. XpanD's glasses will be available for between $125 and $150, starting June 1 at retailers such as Best Buy and

Sears.

"The goal of the work with every display, from cinema," said

XpanD's chief strategy officer. glasses is to Dror says that would include all (size of) 3D 3D televisions using infrared to laptops to ONE page 30 Ami Dror,

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As Expected, Ridiculous, Wrong, Exaggerating And Misleading Report Claims That 'Piracy' Is Killing Jobs Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:00:00 AM

As was leaked earlier this week, a study paid for by the International Chamber of Commerce has come out with ridiculously misleading and misguided report about how "piracy" is killing jobs all through Europe. The tagline is that it's "costing" 1.2 million jobs and about $330 million.

And, of course, that sort of report is the kind that the press loves, and so we get a series of headlines: • Net piracy puts 1.2m EU jobs in peril, study shows • Internet piracy taking big toll on jobs • Illegal-file sharing could 'cost billions' by 2015 • Piracy threatens Europe's creative industries • EU must take 'urgent' action on piracy, report warns

opportunities and created new jobs while making it easier and more efficient to create, promote, distribute and consume content. Somehow, however, none of that seems to show up in these studies.

Honestly, the claims by this research firm, TERA, read like "automobiles costing buggy makers jobs and money, something must be done!" It's based on a fundamental misunderstanding of basic economics and the nature of dynamic markets (and, frankly, calls into question anything put out by this particular firm). The only thing "costing" companies money are their own actions. If they are failing to adapt to a changing market, that's their fault. Don't try to pin the blame And on and on and on and on. o n n e w t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d Of course, it's not even close to consumers getting better access true. The real story is that for to content. certain companies who refuse to Even worse, when you start to adapt and refuse to embrace dig into the report you find all what consumers want and what sorts of highly questionable or technology allows, modern d o w n r i g h t i n c o r r e c t technology will cause them to assumptions. TorrentFreak put fail. However, at the same time, t o g e t h e r a s t a r t e r l i s t o f it has already opened up new problems (feel free to add more

continued, the 'lost' revenue because of piracy would exceed the actual revenue, meaning that the music and movie industries would end up having to pay in the comments): found that piracy would create p e o p l e f o r p i r a t i n g t h e i r • The report suggests that hundreds of thousands of jobs in p r o d u c t s .

• Lastly, the researchers seem there's a direct correlation the years to come. between Internet traffic growth • T h e r e p o r t u s e s f i x e d to have trouble putting a decent and lost jobs. That is, the more substitution rates. They assume report together as they messed traffic that is generated on the that 10 downloaded albums up the legend of one of the Internet, the more money will be results in one lost sale and this critical figures. In this figure the lost. This correlation is 1 figure is not adjusted for the bars for "file-sharing" and according to the report, which projected increase in piracy. "global Internet traffic" are assumes that all growth in One would think that the switched around. This makes us Internet traffic will increase p u b l i c ' s b u d g e t f o r s k e p t i c a l a b o u t t h e o t h e r piracy at the same rate. entertainment is limited and that statistics that are published in • The report makes another the substitution rate would go the report. bogus assumption by stating that down as piracy goes up. more traffic will mean more • Related to the previous point, In other words, it looks like a piracy and thus more lost if the industry did indeed lose typical study where the folks revenue. It does not account for over €240 billion in revenue by who created the study had the the fact that people might 2015, consumers would have a answer before they did the consume higher quality files lot of extra cash to spend. study, and then just needed to which are greater in file-size. Depending on where this money fill in the blanks carefully to All projections are based on was spent it might create more make sure they got the results bandwidth and not the number jobs than the entertainment they wanted. It's basically a of pirated goods. industry claims it is losing. As a blatant lie. The unwillingness to • T h e r e p o r t c i t e s s o m e report commissioned by the look at studies that suggest job academic literature which Dutch Government showed last increases or that look at the suggests that piracy leads to a year, the overall effect of piracy positive impacts from greater decrease in sales. Studies that on the economy might actually and easier distribution and promotion is clearly a joke. reported the opposite or a null- be positive. effect were carefully left out. • It gets even more ridiculous Permalink| Comments| Email This bias defines the entire when we take a closer look at This Story outcome of the report. If they the claims. In the UK consumers used studies that found a spent €6.3 on audiovisual positive effect they would have products. If the projected trends

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ONE continued from page 28

communicate between the TV and the active-shutter 3D glasses. ("Active" glasses have battery-powered shuttering to allow the eyes to see 3D images, while "passive" glasses are the polarized lenses you get at the movie theater.) All major manufacturers--such as Sony, Samsung Electronics, and Panasonic--and most 3Dcapable computer monitors and laptop screens--which gamers are expected to gravitate toward --use active-shutter glasses.

Dror anticipates the glasses being for sale in theaters or in retail stores alongside 3D displays. The way he sees it, people will want the option to choose their own glasses, especially if 3D-watching parties become popular.

Besides consumers being limited in how and when they can use their 3D glasses, XpanD believes that retailers can't be expected to stock glasses from every possible manufacturer on their shelves.

"At Best Buy, they carry 15, 20 models of TVs," Dror said. "We can't expect them to carry 15 types of 3D glasses. That doesn't make sense."

The competition Gunnar Optiks, which makes

glasses that reduce eyestrain induced by staring at a computer screen all day, has also said it plans to make universal 3D glasses. It's a great idea, but it's unclear that the technology has actually been tested yet. (Until CNET Labs gives them a spin, we'll reserve judgment.) In any case, what XpanD and Gunnar Optiks are trying to do is a necessary step in the evolution, if 3D is going to move from the cinema to the couch.

"It's great that XpanD wants to be the vendor of choice for universal 3D glasses," said David Wertheimer, CEO and executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California. "But it's an easy thing to say and a harder thing to get all the people [to] work together."

That's where the Consumer Electronics Association comes in. The industry trade group is acting as referee between competing brands to agree on a standard for 3D eyewear.

Representatives from TV makers, cable and broadcasting companies, eyewear manufacturers, and others together are reviewing proposals for standards and hashing out

what that standard should be-and which companies will eventually make the standard glasses. Although they've been officially meeting for several months, the idea first came up last year.

"It was just evident to everybody that glasses were going to be a part of this ecosystem, and noninteroperable glasses would hamper the overall growth of the market," said Brian Markwalter, vice president of technology and standards for the CEA. They're currently studying making active-shutter glasses the default technology, which are the most popular right now with TV makers. But there are details still to be worked out, such as the effects of competing with other infrared devices already in the living room, including TV remote controls.

Markwalter said the group meets every two weeks and that it understands the urgency, since these TVs are already seeping out into the market.

"They do feel the pressure of the marketplace," he said. "The schedule they had talked about is trying to at least have it whittled down to a basic approach by May or June.

They're meeting pretty regularly, moving along as aggressively as they can. " Until then, 3D TV watching it isn't going to be a naturally social experience, the way standard 2D TV-watching is now, at least at first, while the likes of Sony and Panasonic race to get the technology to the marketplace. But it will get there eventually, USC's Wertheimer says.

"As with any new technology, you try to get it to market, and get people to use it and start giving you feedback. All of (the manufacturers) have their own glasses and their own TVs that can only interact together. They do that to take the variables out of the equation, so they control the experience consumers have with the television," Wertheimer said. "But the natural evolution of 3D TVs over time is for them to have interoperability with the glasses."

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The Right Hard Drive For You [Memory] Will Smith (Gizmodo) Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:00:00 AM

So, all this storage talk has gotten you excited about upgrading your laptop's crappy old 120GB drive? It's about

time, dammit. More Âť

Panasonic's portable Digital Viera TVs handle more than prime time Tim Stevens (Engadget) Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:05:00 AM

The whole portable TV thing never really caught on in the States, so we're left looking longingly from afar at offerings like the Panasonic DMP-HV100 and DMP-BV200. Both are 10.1 -inch sets that sport 1024 x 600 resolutions and, while either can tune DTV over the airwaves, they can also connect wirelessly (with an optional WiFi dongle) to a Panasonic DVR and stream content. The 200 model can also act as a sort of bulky PMP, playing back a variety of media formats from an SD card, including DivX and H.264. It's good stuff, but there's no price attached and, at this point, no release date either -- not that they're likely to ever hit the US, anyway.

Panasonic's portable Digital Viera TVs handle more than prime time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disgruntled Ex-Auto Dealer Employee Hacks Computer System To Disable Over 100 Cars Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 3/18/2010 1:34:59 AM

Amazon stealthily releases Kindle app for Mac Michael Rose (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

download Kindle books you already own, and read them at leisure on your Mac; Submitted at 3/17/2010 11:50:00 PM synchronization of your Filed under: Software progress through the book is No press release, no big automatic, and will keep track fanfare, but reader Chris sent in with your Kindle or iPhone the news earlier tonight: reading. It displays your Amazon's long-awaited Kindle bookmarks and highlights from application for Mac is ready for your Kindle reading sessions, download. The 22 MB free but doesn't let you create new application works on Intel Macs highlights. You can adjust font running Mac OS X 10.5 and size and line length to suit your above, and reports a version visual acuity; turning pages is number of 1.0.0 beta 1. The app accomplished by using the scroll has been anticipated since last wheel on your mouse, or with October, back when the iPad the arrow keys. was still a rumor. [ Update: The It's definitely no-frills, but it's press release was a couple of good to see that the Mac app for hours behind the software Kindle reading is finally seeing release, but 9to5 spotted it; it the light of day, although it's too notes that full-text search and bad PowerPC and Tiger users annotation features will be are left out of the fun. Thanks, coming soon.]

Amazon... now, about that iPad T h e a p p a l l o w s y o u t o app...

If you want to try out the Kindle app while lacking an actual Kindle (or the iPhone app), and you don't want to invest in costly ebooks, no worries; Glenn Fleishman at TidBITS points out that there are scores of free titles available for download, including some excellent public-domain classics.

Gallery: Kindle for Mac Thanks Chris!

TUAW Amazon stealthily releases Kindle app for Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ah, the fun of the electronic age. A few years back we started hearing about tools to remotely disable a car. These were talked about as a security system to recover stolen vehicles, but also as a device to put on leased cars, in case they need to be repossessed. Of course, once you put that technology on the car, what's to stop someone from abusing it?

Turns out that a disgruntled exemployee of a car dealership that put such a technology on its cars, was able to log into the computer system using a former co-workers account and then started methodically targeting the cars that used that system: Ramos-Lopez’s account had

Mustiness Can Be Poison to Fresh Breath, Though [Recalls] Hamilton Nolan (Gawker)

been closed when he was terminated from Texas Auto Center in a workforce reduction last month, but he allegedly got in through another employee’s account, Garcia says. At first, the intruder targeted vehicles by searching on the names of specific customers. Then he discovered he could pull up a database of all 1,100 Auto Center customers whose cars were equipped with the device.

He started going down the list in alphabetical order, vandalizing the records, disabling the cars and setting off the horns. Good thing he wasn't fired from a hospital that used internetconnected pacemakers, huh?

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Selling Us Short: The Limits of Markets with Jim Chanos Barry Ritholtz (The Big Picture) Submitted at 3/18/2010 4:00:47 AM

More here Hat tip ScotT F 1982: Tylenol recalled for Five Filters featured article: containing deadly poison. 2010: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Tylenol recalled for smelling PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, "musty." That's progress. More Term Extraction. » Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:34:32 AM

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HTC responds to Apple's lawsuit, will fight

It’s Time to Get Video on Wikipedia

Michael Grothaus (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)

Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:00:00 AM

Filed under: Apple Corporate HTC has finally responded about the patent-infringement lawsuit Apple filed against it two weeks ago. In the lawsuit Apple alleged that HTC was infringing on 20 patents concerning the iPhone user interface and the underlying hardware and architecture. "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it.

We've decided to do something about it," Steve Jobs said. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."

Today Jason Mackenzie, vice president of sales and marketing at HTC America replied, "We strongly disagree with Apple's actions and plan to use all the legal tools available to defend ourselves. Choice is important

for customers, and healthy competition is instrumental to that."

Apple's filing cites twelve HTC phones, including five Google Android handsets and seven that use Microsoft's Windows Mobile software. Apple is requesting compensation for the infringement and attorneys' fees,

as well as an injunction against products and services that infringe the asserted patents.

While Google wasn't named in the lawsuit they issued a statement saying they "stand behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it."

Google declined to tell Forbes if they would assist HTC in fighting the lawsuit by lending their teams of lawyers that specialize in antitrust and IP issues. "Given the seriousness of the case and the allegations, we expect it to be a long, drawn-out process," Mackenzie said.

TUAW HTC responds to Apple's lawsuit, will fight originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Submitted at 3/18/2010 2:34:52 AM

Wikipedia is one of the most amazing knowledge resources on the Internet, featuring millions of articles and images, but it sorely lacks a certain (very important) type of content — video.

For this reason the Open Video Alliance is launching a mass campaign to bring video to Wikipedia. The central site for the project is Let’s Get Video on Wikipedia, featuring a tutorial on how to post videos to Wikipedia as well as a gallery of some of the recently posted videos.

There’s also good news for those who were struggling to convert videos to Theora, which is the open video format used by Wikipedia. The makers of Miro are testing a free utility for

converting videos to Theora; it’s not ready for launch yet, but it will be very soon. From its blog post: “Shhhhh. If you look around that site, you’ll notice a reference to a new Miro product that is in a usable beta form but not quite ready for a full launch.

Look for a launch announcement very soon.”

The project’s Facebook page is here, and you can also follow the Open Video Alliance on Twitter.

Tags: community, social media, video, wikipedia

Is Charter Tricking Customers Into Renting Unnecessary Routers? [ISPs] John Herrman (Gizmodo) Submitted at 3/18/2010 9:59:28 AM

One savvy Reddit user seems to

think so! Also: hoards of other disgruntled and/or confused customers, according to Google.

The scam? Charter's convincing customers that their perfectly

g o o d r o u t e r hardware—including the Linksys WRT54G—just doesn't work with the ISP. More »

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iTunesConnect now allows automated release dates, price changes Chris Rawson (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 3/18/2010 8:15:00 AM

Filed under: Developer, App Store, SDK Back in the bad old days of the App Store, it was anybody's guess when a submitted app might get blessed by Apple and show up in iTunes. It might be three days, three weeks, three months, or never. Recent improvements in the approval process have brought that time period down to a matter of hours -- but until now, there's been no way to schedule release dates for apps. Once submitted and approved, apps went straight to the App Store. Now, developers of apps for the iPhone OS have been granted new options in the iTunesConnect interface. Not only can devs set a release date

$2.99 on April 22. And if you want to run another $0.99 promotion a month or even a year later, you can automate that, too: just set the price and the effective date for the price in the iTunesConnect interface. It's a pretty simple change to the interface, but one that opens the door to a lot of promotional opportunities for developers.

TUAW iTunesConnect now allows automated release dates, price changes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, for the app, they can also a n d a t a n i n t r o d u c t o r y , 18 Mar 2010 08:15:00 EST. automate price fluctuations set promotional price, as well. Please see our terms for use of to certain dates. "$0.99 for the first week," you feeds.

For example, say you've created can tell potential buyers, "$2.99 Read| Permalink| Email this| an app that you want to go live a f t e r t h a t . " T h r o u g h Comments o n A p r i l 1 5 r a t h e r t h a n iTunesConnect, not only can i m m e d i a t e l y a f t e r A p p l e you set the launch date for your approves it. This allows you to app, you can also automate the publicize the app on your site, price increase from $0.99 to

DC Reporters, Sources Just Hang Out Naked All the Time [Journalismism] Pareene (Gawker) Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:39:41 AM

How do you make a standard "self-described DC 'power players' and the journalists who cover them are all best buddies" story interesting? Have all the subjects be naked. Hence:"The Diplomatic Finnish Sauna Society of DC" in today's Washington Post. More »

Hawaii is Fed Up With the Birthers (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:42:30 PM

Hawaiian public service officials are normally the most laid-back public service officials in the country; to get on their last nerves you really have to work at it.

But the Birther kooks are nothing if not persistent: Hawaii Birthers Bill: State May Start

Ignoring Requests For Obama Citizenship.

HONOLULU — Birthers beware: Hawaii may start ignoring your repeated requests for proof that President Barack Obama was born here.

As the state continues to receive e-mails seeking Obama’s birth certificate, the state House Judiciary Committee heard a bill Tuesday

permitting government officials to ignore people who won’t give up.

“Sometimes we may be dealing with a cohort of people who believe lack of evidence is evidence of a conspiracy,” said Lorrin Kim, chief of the Hawaii Department of Health’s Office of Planning, Policy and Program Development. …

Hawaii Health Director Dr.

Chiyome Fukino issued statements last year and in October 2008 saying that she’s seen vital records that prove Obama is a natural-born American citizen.

But the state still gets between 10 and 20 e-mails seeking verification of Obama’s birth each week, most of them from outside Hawaii, Kim said Tuesday.

A few of these requesters continue to pepper the Health Department with the same letters seeking the same information, even after they’re told state law bars release of a certified birth certificate to anyone who does not have a tangible interest. Responding wastes time and money, Kim said.

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

"inexplicable." Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women were Submitted at 3/17/2010 2:27:38 PM equally critical.

WASHINGTON -- One of the But the Nelson-Casey language tragedies of the viciously still didn't go far enough for the politicized battle over health bishops. Earlier this week, care reform is the defection of Cardinal Francis George of the nation's Roman Catholic Chicago, president of the U.S. bishops from a cause they have Conference of Catholic Bishops, championed for decades. claimed the flaws and loopholes Indifferent to political fashions, in the bill's abortion section are the bishops were the strongest "so fundamental that they vitiate voices in support of universal the good that the bill intends to health coverage, a position promote." As a result, he said, rooted in Catholic social thought "the Catholic bishops regretfully that calls for a special solicitude hold that it must be opposed." toward the poor.

Fortunately, major Catholic Yet on the make-or-break roll leaders -- most of them women call that will determine the fate in religious orders -- have of health care reform, bishops picked up the flag of social are urging that the bill be voted justice discarded by a bishops suggestion that Valve is coming down. They are doing so on the conference under increasing to the Mac on the way to the basis of a highly tendentious right-wing influence. iPhone -- Cook says the reading of the abortion On Wednesday, a group company is focused on the Mac p r o v i s i o n s i n t h e S e n a t e representing 59,000 Catholic right now. That doesn't rule out measure. If health reform is nuns plus more than 50 heads of a move to the iPhone or the defeated, the bishops will have religious congregations issued a iPad, but for now, Steam on the played a major role in its strong statement urging "a lifeMac is a story that's plenty big. demise. affirming 'yes' vote" in support We can't wait to see the client The provisions they dislike of the Senate bill. "While it is an running in April. were written by two Democratic imperfect measure, it is a crucial TUAW Valve: Coming to the senators strongly opposed to next step in realizing health care Mac is "biggest event in Steam's a b o r t i o n , B e n N e l s o n o f for all," the statement said, history" originally appeared on Nebraska and Bob Casey of adding that the bill's support for The Unofficial Apple Weblog Pennsylvania. Pro-choice groups pregnant women represented (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 condemned the Nelson-Casey "the real pro-life stance."

09:00:00 EST. Please see our language from the start.

Five Filters featured article: terms for use of feeds.

Nancy Keenan, president of Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Read| Permalink| Email this| NARAL Pro-Choice America, PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Comments called their amendment "anti- Term Extraction. choice," "outrageous" and

Valve: Coming to the Mac is "biggest event in Steam's history" Mike Schramm (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 3/18/2010 9:00:00 AM

Filed under: Gaming The good folks at Joystiq got to sit down and talk with John Cook, the director of Steam at Valve, and he says there's probably no comparison to the news about Steam coming to the Mac-- it is "the biggest event in Steam's history." He says that not only is it big news for the company and its services, but that one of the goals of the service will be to "prove" to other game developers that coming to this platform is important. Like PC gaming in general, Mac gaming

isn't dead, "it just needs to be attacked from more directions than retail."

Too true -- while PC gaming is suffering on the retail shelves, Mac games are having those same issues many times over.

And with Apple taking a larger share of the desktop pie than ever, putting Steam games on the Mac platform is a huge benefit both for game companies and their customers.

Cook says he hopes that "many, if not all" of the game companies with games on Steam will eventually bring their titles over to the Mac. Good news for us. He does knock down, however, the

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Q&A: Are sweet potatoes healthier than regular ones? rss@consumerreports.org (Consumer Reports) Submitted at 3/18/2010 2:59:59 AM

Many URL Shorteners Are Slow and Unreliable Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)

When it comes to performance, measured in the same time period, most URL shorteners D u t c h w e b m o n i t o r i n g can only be characterized as company WatchMouse has done slow. Most of them add more a thorough analysis of uptime than half a second to the time it and performance of 14 major takes to open a link; Facebook’s URL shortening services, with fb.me has been by far the quite disheartening results. slowest, while only Google’s As it turns out, only two of goo.gl and youtu.be can really these ( goo.gl and twt.tl) have be called fast, both averaging had a perfect uptime record around 350 miliseconds. b e t w e e n 0 2 / 1 4 / 2 0 1 0 a n d Given the popularity of URL 03/16/2010; the rest of the pack shorteners on social networks mostly had minor uptime issues, such as Twitter, this is a big while snurl.com and tr.im had deal. Simply put, while URL uptime below 99%. shorteners do provide a useful Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:18:30 AM

service, they’re also making the web considerably slower.

WatchMouse has also launched an online URL shortener performance monitor located at the (ironically, not very short) address http://urlshorteners.public-websitestatus.com/. Over there you can see uptime and performance status and history for 15 popular URL shortening services.

Tags: trending, url shorteners, web

Q&A: Are sweet potatoes healthier than regular ones?

You said in a previous article that regular potatoes have a very high glycemic load. Are sweet potatoes a healthier alternative?

— A.M., Seattle Yes––but that doesn’t mean you need to abandon regular potatoes. High-glycemic foods contain lots of easily digested carbohydrates that can rapidly raise blood sugar; some evidence suggests that a highglycemic diet may increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. A regular potato’s glycemic load is very high, while a sweet potato’s is roughly average. Moreover, sweet potatoes are higher in fiber and most nutrients than regular potatoes.

Still, the regular kind can add variety to your diet, as well as more folate than a sweet potato and moderate amounts of several other nutrients. So an

occasional baked potato can still be a good nutritional choice, especially if the rest of your diet contains relatively few highglycemic foods, notably sugar and refined flour.

Read more on the low glycemic -index diet vs. the low-fiber diet for diabetics, test your diabetes smarts, and check out our P a t i e n t P o w e r ToolKit(subscribers only) to learn what diets really work, how to control costs, and more.

Photo: Maggie Hoffman 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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Lawyer Up Jonathan Chait (The New Republic - All Feed) Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:48:23 AM

Earlier this month,the conservative organization Keep America Safe launched a p.r. fusillade against Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys who represented Guantánamo detainees. “The crux of the matter,” says Liz Cheney, chair of the organization, “is the American people have a right to know whether lawyers who used to represent and advocate on behalf of terrorists” are working at DOJ. They just want to know who the terrorist lawyers are.

An innocent question, to be sure.

Bill Kristol, a board member for Keep America Safe, chimes in that another question is “whether former pro bono lawyers for terrorists should be working on detainee policy for the Justice Department.”

Perhaps the terrorist lawyers should have more harmless roles --say, advocating for lowincome tenants over at HUD. The important claim here is not the stated argument that terrorist lawyers should be publicly revealed, or that they shouldn’t be working for the DOJ. It’s the assumption that they are representing terrorists. The assumption permeates conservative rhetoric on issues of torture and detainee rights.

Consider some brief passages

from a recent column by former Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen: Unless they have been charged before military commissions or civilian courts, the al-Qaeda terrorists held at Guantánamo do not have a right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment. They are not accused criminals. They are enemy combatants held in a war authorized by Congress. ... Yet thanks to the habeas campaign, al-Qaeda terrorists who violate the laws of war now enjoy all these privileges. ... [The DOJ lawyers] have reached outside the judicial system and dragged the terrorists in. ... The same is true if they choose to devote their time to freeing America’s terrorist enemies from lawful confinement under the laws of war [emphasis added].

Thiessen makes explicit the position that the rhetoric about “terrorist lawyers” is meant to imply--namely, that terrorists should not have lawyers at all.

The conclusion flows naturally when you begin by defining the defendants as “terrorists.” The truth, though, is that a good number of these “terrorists” are not terrorists at all. One CIA intelligence analyst well-versed in Islamic extremism who interviewed detainees at Guantánamo determined that one-third had no connection to terrorism at all. A subsequent study by Seton Hall University Law School found that over half

of the detainees were not determined to have committed any hostile act against the United States, and only 8 percent were characterized as Al Qaeda fighters.

The vast majority of the detainees were turned in not by U.S. forces but by Pakistani or Afghan locals, many of whom received financial bounties. And some of the detainees were hardly caught red-handed on the battlefield. The process for screening detainees was “horrible,” a former Pentagon official told McClatchy newspapers. “‘Captured with weapon near the Pakistan border?’ Are you kidding me?”

This, of course, is why lawyers were needed in the first place.

The strongest conservative argument against providing legal counsel to military detainees relies upon precedent.

“In the 234 years since [John] Adams and his compatriots fought for our independence,” writes Thiessen, “the United States has held millions of enemy combatants--and not one had ever filed a successful habeas corpus petition until the habeas campaign on behalf of Guantánamo detainees began.”

Maybe the U.S. government has never previously granted such due process to captured enemy combatants. This is because, as Republicans point out ad nauseam in other contexts, this war is unlike previous wars. The

enemy wears no uniform, obeys no international conventions of warfare, and so on. We didn’t need to provide habeas corpus rights during World War II because, when we captured a man in a German army uniform, we could be pretty confident that he was actually a German soldier, not some hapless goatherd sold into our custody by a jealous village rival.

The reality that numerous detainees were not a threat to the United States is one of those inconvenient facts that the conservative movement has sealed out of its information loop. You could spend days reading right-wing commentary without coming across any suggestion that the clients of these lawyers were anything but “terrorists.” In fact, this attitude simply carried over from the Bush administration itself. In her book, The Dark Side, Jane Mayer recounts how Bush administration officials came across disturbing evidence that the Guantánamo prison held perhaps 200 innocent people.

But, when they brought the information to the West Wing, David Addington, Dick Cheney’s legal counsel, said, “No, there will be no review.

The President has determined that they are ALL enemy combatants. We are not going to revisit it!”

From this premise, it’s not such a leap to conclude that the

lawyers representing the detainees must actually sympathize with terrorists. The charge that the Department of Justice employs actual Al Qaeda sympathizers has received a wide hearing in respectable forums. Wall Street Journal editorial writer Dorothy Rabinowitz repeatedly insinuated as much (“Can you really say that this was done without political sympathy?”) during a recent televised discussion. National Review’s Andy McCarthy avers that “many of the attorneys who volunteered their services to al Qaeda were, in fact, pro-Qaeda or, at the very least, proIslamist.”

The proprietors of these charges see themselves as victims of a double standard. “You can say or do anything when it comes to the Bush lawyers who defended America against the terrorists,” complains Thiessen, “but if you publish an Internet ad or ask legitimate questions about Obama administration lawyers who defended America’s terrorist enemies, you are engaged in a McCarthyite witch hunt.”

Imagine! The liberals will call you a McCarthyite merely because you’re accusing an opposing presidential administration of harboring conscious supporters of a LAWYER page 39

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Right Mind David Roth (The New Republic - All Feed) Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:56:08 AM

It’s roughly two weeks shy of the September 12 march on Washington, and Glenn Beck is distraught. Behind him on the cavernous Fox News set is Beck’s familiar dry-erase board, upon which various insults are written in Beck’s looping print.

“This is what people have said about me just this week ... the blogs and everything else,” Beck says, before proceeding to tick off a few: hysterical, cult leader, shameless opportunist.

There’s a quaver in Beck’s voice and a familiar dewiness in his eyes when the host finally sits down next to Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist and Fox News contributor with a gleaming Lex Luthor pate. How, Beck asks Ablow, should he respond to ravings like these?

Ablow’s answer to Beck is immediate and emphatic, delivered with crisp hand gestures and a faint but noticeable New England accent.

Think of your critics as drug addicts, Ablow suggests, before changing gears and exhorting Beck to be strong. “We need leaders to be willing to say, ‘You know what, I’ll take the

pain.’” Ablow’s arms briefly go cruciform. Beck nods. “And you gotta know who your friends are,” Ablow continues before adding, softly, “and I’m one of your friends.” Beck’s murmured, emotional “thank you” arrives moments later.

Beck then pivots toward the camera, bright of eye and apparently rejuvenated. He proclaims that “some things are worth standing up for” before thanking Ablow and charging into the commercial break. For Ablow, the in-house psychiatrist at Fox News, it has been another successful session.

Fox News is awash in experts like Ablow: retired judges, generals, or CIA agents willing to serve as well-credentialed sidekicks for the network’s roster of demagogues. But what makes Ablow so valuable to the network are those two little letters after his name, M.D. He can stamp his medical imprimatur--he’s “America’s psychiatrist,” according to himself--on just about any rightwing political narrative.

Need someone to racialize the president’s insufficient display of emotion after the Fort Hood killings? Here’s Ablow on Beck’s program: “The things that apparently move him and

lead to his core really being tapped are when people he feels are being wronged and there is either a minority group or disadvantaged group that he feels should be elevated. ... This was a big, big window on the man’s soul.” Need a prescription for a strike on Iran? Here’s Ablow on his Fox News health blog comparing Ahmadinejad to people in the locked ward of Massachusetts’s Lemuel Shattuck Hospital: “Psychiatric patients at the brink of violence are not comforted by nor dissuaded from that violence, by quiet speech or bargaining. They are comforted by a show of force.” Or how about a boardcertified bit of advice on the administration’s decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York? “[T]he entire population of Manhattan and the cities immediately surrounding it can be expected to experience symptoms consistent with the reawakening of the terror of September 11. … They may experience low mood, insomnia, flashbacks, or nightmares.”

In hindsight, it was only a matter of time before Ablow and Fox found each other. Though he mostly played it straight early in his career--a degree from the Johns Hopkins School of

Medicine, a grant from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, bylines in The Washington Post and Newsweek--there were always signs that he was a different kind of psychiatrist. In a profession that has valued gray areas since Sigmund Freud defined neurosis as “the inability to tolerate ambiguity,” Ablow--like any good conservative culture warrior-believes in the Truth, capital T. For Ablow, Truth is both his singular objective and the center of his personal brand. His 2007 self-help book is titled Living the Truth, as is the website for the online self-help community he created around it, and he uses the word with a frequency most people reserve for personal pronouns.

“People who think there is no such thing as objective Truth are just running from it,” Ablow says. It’s a line pulled straight out of Bill Bennett’s antirelativist playbook. It’s also a TV producer’s dream. Ablow’s supreme confidence in his ability to ascertain the Truth in matters big and small, and on a timetable owing more to the 24hour news cycle than psychoanalysis, allows him to riff on just about any subject

quickly and confidently. Take his explanation of Octomom to Bill O’Reilly (“I think what she wants is unlimited love”) or his analysis of reality starlet Heidi Montag’s freaky plastic surgery overhaul (“She’s really suffering --that’s also the breeding ground for heroin, for alcohol and every other addiction”).

“If I seem to say things with certainty, it comes from being able to register underlying truths that I feel very clearly about,” he says. “I don’t accept that these ideas have to be relegated to analysts’ couches or therapists’ basement offices.

That’s the stuff of stigma.”

In response, what he’s seemingly chosen to do is instadiagnose everyone, one highprofile media hit at a time. He’s been known to appear on Tyra Banks’s talk show, Howard Stern’s radio show, and the pages of Good Housekeeping.

He’s also a contributing editor to Men’s Fitness, a frequent expert witness at splashy criminal trials, and the author of six thrillers starring forensic psychiatrist Frank Clevenger.

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Illinois GOP Borrows Brown's Strategy (Newsmax - Politics) Submitted at 3/18/2010 1:15:06 AM

It worked in Massachusetts, so Illinois Republicans are looking for a repeat.

"This is not Obama's seat, it's the people's seat," Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, the Republican candidate running for Illinois' Senate seat vacated by the president, declares at campaign stops.

Eager to tap the voter angst and stump lines that propelled Sen. Scott Brown to unexpected victory in another Democratdominated state, Massachusetts, Mr. Kirk has made it clear that even though the president remains popular in his home state, his policies aren't.

And with just 38 percent of all Illinois voters giving Mr. Obama good or excellent ratings for his handling of health care reform, the five-term lawmaker is actually putting the Democratic stronghold in play.

"For the first time in a long time, the Republicans have a good chance of winning this Senate seat," said Paul Green, a professor of policy studies at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Republican Party leaders in the state are making no secret that

they'll target Mr. Obama as the consummate Washington insider, and the latest polls indicate some traction. A Rasmussen poll last week showed the race statistically tied, with Mr. Kirk trailing Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, the treasurer of Illinois and a basketball-playing friend of Mr. Obama's, by just three points, well within the survey's margin of error.

"President Obama's still very popular here, and he will always be popular here, but he hasn't shown any coattails," said Pat Brady, the state's Republican Party chairman.

"Anyone who's running against any of our Republicans in congressional or Senate campaigns, we're going to tie them directly to President Obama's policies, which are not popular here."

But some analysts say the GOP is walking a dangerous path in a blue state and suggest not overplaying the hand.

Mr. Green said Mr. Kirk could take an anti-Washington stance, attack House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, "but I'd stay away from Obama."

"He has to be careful, only because Kirk's success has been

he's been able to straddle, to get a lot of people who vote Democratic to vote for Kirk," he said. "The Democratic Party here is in a whole bunch of trouble. You could spend all day doing that."

The woes of the Democratic Party, said DePaul University political analyst Michael Mezey, should keep the Republican from focusing his campaign on the president.

"That's probably the one mistake Mr. Kirk could make. I think Kirk would be silly to do this when he is running against a candidate who can be attacked on his own and has numerous weaknesses," he said.

Illinois Democrats have been mired in political scandals. In January 2009, the state legislature impeached and ousted Democrat Rod R. Blagojevich as governor. His trial on charges of racketeering, fraud, lying to investigators and trying to sell Mr. Obama's former U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder is set to begin in June and could run right up to the November election.

Mr. Obama's replacement in the Senate, Roland W. Burris, also made headlines when reports emerged that he had contacts with Mr. Blagojevich's brother

before being appointed. The Senate Ethics Committee admonished him in November 2009; Mr. Burris is not seeking election to the seat.

In addition, Scott Cohen, a pawnbroker-turned-politician who won the Democratic nomination to run for lieutenant governor, became embroiled in a scandal over charges that he beat his girlfriend in 2005. Just a week after winning the nomination in February, he dropped out of the race.

Mr. Giannoulias, 33, has plenty of his own problems. He has been under scrutiny as state treasurer for his handling as of a college savings program that lost $150 million. His family's bank, Broadway Bank, where he worked as a lending officer before entering politics, is on the verge of takeover by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The bank made hundreds of millions of dollars in bad loans and shortly before the mortgage crisis, the Giannoulias family withdrew $70 million from the bank in 2007 and 2008, according to news reports.

Mr. Giannoulias also made millions of dollars in loans to Tony Rezko, a political fundraiser for Mr. Blagojevich

who is awaiting sentencing on convictions of fraud and money laundering. He also made loans to Michael "Jaws" Giorango, a convicted prostitution-ring operator.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has gotten in on the act, issuing a Web video last month that mocked Mr. Kirk's opponent, asking at the end: "Is this change we can believe in?"

Mr. Obama carried Illinois over Sen. John McCain by a whopping 25 percentage points, 62 percent to 37 percent, in 2008. Fifty-six percent of voters in the state now approve of the job he is doing as president, the latest poll found.

What's more, Illinois voters, by a 52 percent to 39 percent margin, oppose the massive health care reform bill in its current form, preferring Congress pass smaller bills that address individual problems in a step-by-step approach. Š Copyright 2010 The Washington Times, LLC Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Politics/ Entertainment/ Economy/

Poll: Boxer in Tough Fight to Keep CA Senate Seat

39

LAWYER continued from page 36

totalitarian movement aimed at destroying America, and you conflate support for basic civil (Newsmax - Politics) months, even though it would primary race despite stepped up percent of likely GOP primary rights with opposition to the appear the economy has begun a t t a c k s f r o m F i o r i n a a n d voters and Fiorina was the defense of democracy, and Submitted at 3/18/2010 2:27:23 AM to stabilize.

DeVore. They have questioned c h o i c e o f 2 5 p e r c e n t . among your chief spokesmen is California Sen. Barbara Boxer's "Part of what we're seeing in his past support for tax increases Meanwhile, DeVore went from an unhinged paranoid named “McCarthy.” Have these liberal re-election campaign is shaping these numbers is the very tough and whether he fully supports 6 percent to 9 percent. up as the fight of her political political environment we're in," Israel.

"It's an improvement. Our arrow accusers no decency? At long career, according to a Field Poll said Boxer's campaign manager, "He's been attacked by the other is pointing in a different last, have they no decency? released Thursday.

Rose Kapolczynski. "Voters are candidates for two weeks direction than theirs. And the Jonathan Chait is a senior editor The survey shows a statistical frustrated about the pace of straight, and it hasn't changed n u m b e r o f u n d e c i d e d s of The New Republic. tie in hypothetical matchups economic recovery and are the fundamentals of the race," increasingly tells me the front- Five Filters featured article: b e t w e e n t h e t h r e e - t e r m expressing that through this said James Fisfis, a spokesman runners haven't sealed the deal," Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Democratic incumbent and two poll." for the Campbell campaign. s a i d J o s h u a T r e v i n o , a PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, of her potential Republican She said criticism from the F i o r i n a ' s c a m p a i g n s a i d s p o k e s m a n f o r D e V o r e . Term Extraction. c h a l l e n g e r s , f o r m e r Republican candidates also has C a m p b e l l ' s h i g h n a m e The poll was conducted March congressman Tom Campbell taken its toll. identification with California 9-15 among 748 likely voters in and former Hewlett-Packard "I know when we tell the story voters was largely driving the the general election and 353 chief executive Carly Fiorina. of Barbara Boxer's record and poll results. likely voters in the GOP Boxer has won by progressively her fight to create jobs here, that " C a r l y r e m a i n s r e l a t i v e l y primary. The margin of error for larger margins in each of her s h e ' l l b e r e - e l e c t e d , " unknown to Republican primary the questions relating to the previous re-election campaigns, K a p o l c z y n s k i s a i d . voters at this point," said general election was plus or but this year faces strong Campbell leads Fiorina 28 campaign spokeswoman Julie minus 3.7 percentage points and headwinds from the recession, percent to 22 percent among Soderlund. "But over the next was slightly higher for the GOP which has left California with likely GOP voters in the June three months, we anticipate that primary voters o n e o f t h e h i g h e s t primary, with 9 percent favoring will change as she continues to © C o p y r i g h t 2 0 1 0 T h e (Financial Times - US unemployment rates in the state Assemblyman Chuck proactively communicate with Associated Press. All rights homepage) country.

DeVore of Irvine. About four in them." reserved. This material may not The poll shows 51 percent of 10 GOP primary voters say they While DeVore remains far b e p u b l i s h e d , b r o a d c a s t , Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:12:25 AM l i k e l y v o t e r s h a v e a n are undecided, indicating the down in the polls, his campaign rewritten or redistributed.

By Jamie Chisholm, Global unfavorable opinion of Boxer race is still wide open. noted that both Campbell and Five Filters featured article: Markets Commentator while just 38 percent have a E a c h o f t h e R e p u b l i c a n Fiorina saw their numbers drop Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Published: March 18 2010 favorable one. candidates drew positive news slightly since a Field Poll taken PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, 08:20 | Last updated: March 18 Boxer's standing with voters from the poll. i n J a n u a r y . A t t h a t t i m e , Term Extraction.

2010 14:12 has crumbled in the past two Campbell continues leading the Campbell was the choice of 30 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Brian Moylan (Gawker) piece. And so young! This Everything is a sham! More » actress was smoking meth in Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:11:05 AM rehab and this actor got both his He's secretly bald and using a girlfriend and another lady pregnant at the same time.

Greek worries return to unsettle investors

Which Young Actor Has Fake Hair? [Blind Items]

40

Politics/ Gadgets/ Entertainment/

E-reader News Edition

California Governor's Race Tightens: PlayStation Move Poll controller lag detected, analyzed (Newsmax - Politics)

executive who has never sought public office and rarely even voted.

LOS ANGELES -- Ex-Gov. Whitman also widened her Jerry Brown, the presumed advantage over her rival for the D e m o c r a t i c n o m i n e e i n Republican nomination, state California's gubernatorial race, Insurance Commissioner Steve h a s s e e n h i s l e a d o v e r Poizner, 63 percent to 14 Republican front-runner Meg percent. In January, she led Whitman evaporate, according P o i z n e r 4 5 p e r c e n t t o 1 5 to a Field Poll of likely voters percent. The percentage of released on Wednesday. undecided Republican voters Brown, the state attorney shrank from 38 percent to 23 general who held double-digit percent. leads over Whitman in Field Brown, not surprisingly, still Poll surveys in October and holds a better-than 3-to-1 lead January, now trails the former (69 percent to 20 percent) over eBay Inc. chief executive by 43 Whitman among Democrats. percent to 46 percent in a two- But Whitman's lead among way matchup.

Republicans is even greater, 77 Eleven percent of those polled, p e r c e n t t o 1 3 p e r c e n t . a random sample of 748 likely Independents split in Whitman's general-election voters, said favor, 50 percent to 36 percent they were undecided. And for Brown.

Whitman's lead was within the Whitman also holds huge leads statistical margin of error. over Brown among the roughly But the results mark a sharp one-third of likely California turnaround in a race likely to pit voters who identify with the tea a veteran politician who served party movement. She scored two previous terms for governor better among middle-aged and against a billionaire business older voters, while Brown was Submitted at 3/18/2010 2:06:44 AM

favored by younger voters. Both male and female voters preferred Whitman by small margins.

By comparison, Brown led Whitman in October 50 percent to 29 percent, but saw his lead shrink to 10 percentage points, 46 percent to 36 percent, in January.

Brown, a three-time presidential contender who served eight years as governor starting in 1975, only officially launched his campaign to succeed Republican incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger on March 2. Š 2010 Reuters. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

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

Tim Stevens (Engadget)

to the rendering of the result and not just the Move, but according to a 2008 GamaSutra test we When Sony unveiled its found (linked as "More PlayStation Move(nee Arc) Coverage" below), the controller controller at the GDC last week, lag from the standard PS3 i t c a m e a l o n g w i t h s o m e controller varies widely from impressive promises: it would game to game, with GTA IV only cost developers 2MB of measured at 166ms -- almost 50 system memory (out of 256MB percent higher than seen by the on offer) and it would respond Move. So, while we can't draw to user inputs within a single too many conclusions about this frame of animation. Our own single-game test from GDC, we experiences with the thing felt a can give a little advice: get back bit more laggy, and now t o b e a t i n g u p s o m e Eurogamer is echoing those underworldian goons as Kratos impressions and putting a bit of and don't worry about it. science behind them courtesy of PlayStation Move controller lag a 60fps Kodak Zi6 camcorder. detected, analyzed originally By filming the controllers and appeared on Engadget on Thu, their on-screen representation, 18 Mar 2010 10:28:00 EST. the site's tireless statisticians Please see our terms for use of calculated an actual lag ( feeds. Permalink Slashgear| including that of the display) of G a m a s u t r a | E m a i l t h i s | 113ms -- closer to 10 frames if a C o m m e n t s game is running at 60fps.

Naturally much of this is thanks Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:28:00 AM

Neither Man nor God Can Stop Kids From Sexting All the Time [Law] Hamilton Nolan (Gawker) Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:10:12 AM

The US Federal Appeals Court is doing its part to make sure America doesn't turn into

boring, sexting-averse Dubai or some other nation without sexy nude teen girl pix on everyone's

cell phone, all the time. Thanks, court pervs! More Âť

Consumer Reports/

E-reader News Edition

41

CRMA Survey: Disorganized Financial Paperwork Is Costing Americans Money Press Room (Consumer Reports)

But some of the respondents may not know as much about their partner as they think—5 Submitted at 3/17/2010 2:59:59 PM percent admitted they had CRMA Survey: Disorganized hidden accounts from a spouse Financial Paperwork Is Costing or significant other.

Americans Money “Good record keeping is Couples at odds about who’s essential and makes regular more organized; 5% admit e v e n t s l i k e t a x t i m e o r having secret accounts unexpected emergencies like the YONKERS, NY — Some 89 passing of a loved one go percent of Americans said they smoother. If you’re disorganized w e r e a t l e a s t f a i r l y w e l l about your paperwork, you can organized or better when it lose a significant amount of c o m e s t o t h e i r i m p o r t a n t money on late fees and interest financial documents, but nearly charges,” said Mandy Walker, one-quarter had either lost or sr. project editor, Consumer f o r g o t t e n a b o u t c r i t i c a l Reports Money Advisor. paperwork, according to a Consumer Reports Money nationally representative poll by Adviser’s experts say that to the Consumer Reports National help avoid identity theft, people Research Center. should shred anything they plan Worse, 16 percent had lost to throw away that contains money or incurred a charge personal data. More than 50 because of the poor organization percent of the people surveyed of their paperwork. The survey said they put documents through also revealed that 40 percent of a shredder, 26 percent tear them Americans think they can find a up, 15 percent claim to burn document at a moment’s notice, them, and 5 percent admit to and 49 percent can do so with doing nothing before they trash little looking. them. Consumer Reports Married and domestic couples recommends consumers look for agree as to which sex is more a crosscut shredder rather than a organized: Fifty-eight percent of strip one, which leaves long the women surveyed said they p a p e r b a n d s t h a t c a n b e had a better idea of where their r e a s s e m b l e d . most important documents were Tax season is the perfect time than their spouses did; only 30 to start tackling the paper piles. percent of the married men The act of filing (or gathering thought they had a better idea. your information for a tax

preparer) forces you to become reacquainted with your finances.

You can divide nearly all of your financial records into four categories: papers that you need to keep for the calendar year or less; ones that can be destroyed when you no longer own the items they cover; tax records, which you should save for seven years; and papers to keep indefinitely.

What to keep for 1 year or less: CRMA’s experts advise people to set up a place to keep bills until they’re paid. As soon as a bill comes in, put it in a folder labeled “bills to pay.” Then set an electronic calendar reminder when you’re going to pay them.

Documents that you have no long-term need to keep include: • Bank records. Keep deposit and ATM receipts until you reconcile them with your monthly statements.• Credit card bills. You don’t need to keep them after you’ve paid them unless they support a deduction you’ll be taking on your taxes, such as for a charitable donation (in which case you should file the bill with your current-year tax records.) If an item you’ve charged is under warranty, keep the bill until the warranty expires.• Investment statements. You can shred your monthly and quarterly statements from brokerage,

401(k), IRA, Keogh, and other investment accounts as new ones arrive. But hold on to annual statements until you sell the investments.

certificates, marriage licenses, and divorce decrees. Social Security cards and military discharge papers should be kept in a safe-deposit box. Other documents to hold on to forever: • Defined-benefit pension documents. Keep pension-plan What to keep for a longer documents from your current period: and former employers. Store D o c u m e n t s r e l a t i n g t o them in your file cabinet.• investment purchases, loans, and Estate planning documents. other items that expire can be Keep copies of wills, trusts, and stored in an out-of the way file powers of attorney in your safecabinet. But try to go through deposit box. You should also them once a year and toss out make sure your attorney and papers below including: your executor have copies.• • H o u s e h o l d f u r n i s h i n g s Life insurance policies. For paperwork. Keep receipts, p e r m a n e n t l i f e warranties, and instruction insurance—policies that have a booklets for major appliances c a s h v a l u e o r i n v e s t m e n t and electronics.• L o a n component—keep documents d o c u m e n t s . K e e p c l o s i n g and a list of the companies that d o c u m e n t s f o r m o r t g a g e , issued them and their phone vehicle, student, and other loans numbers in your safe-deposit in a safe-deposit box. You can box. get rid of them after the loan is paid off.• Savings bonds. Hold these in a secure place until you cash them in. Or you can The Consumer Reports convert them to electronic form N a t i o n a l R e s e a r c h C e n t e r u s i n g t h e T r e a s u r y ’ s conducted a telephone survey of SmartExchange program, at a nationally representative www.treasurydirect.gov. probability sample of telephone households. 1,114 interviews were completed among adults aged 18 +. Interviewing took What to never toss: place over December 3-6, 2009.

Hold on to essential records CRMA page 42 such as birth or death

42

Consumer Reports/ Tech Blog/

Highlights from Consumer Reports test track

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CRMA continued from page 41

The margin of error is + - 3.1 points at a 95 % confidence level.

Consumer Reports Money Consumer Reports Shopping the brakes immediately Blog (Consumer Reports) A dviser is a monthly disengaged the throttle and subscription only newsletter that allowed us to stop the car safely.

Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:32:28 AM You can now get all-wheel answers tough money questions Highlights from Consumer drive without a fuel-economy and provides expert financial Reports test track penalty. Adding a new CVT to advice. Its proven information This past year was one of the the redesigned Subaru Legacy and successful strategies can make any financial decision an most turbulent ever in the Modern diesel cars are frugal and Outback has made those easy one. Each month, CRMA automotive market, with marked and refined. In testing several AWD models as fuel-efficient provides feature articles and highs and lows. Brands such as models, we've gotten about 30 a s s o m e t w o - w h e e l - d r i v e helpful investment, savings, and Pontiac and Saturn were hoisted percent better fuel economy c o m p e t i t o r s . spending advice that will help away by the great tow truck in than in similar gasoline cars and Bad things can happen to good prepare consumers for anything the sky. Others, such as Ford, haven't experienced smoke, cars. The Ford Fusion Hybrid is Hyundai, Subaru, and fuel-efficient, fun to drive, and sluggishness, or smell.

Volkswagen, were purring along Prerelease hype and buzz often reliable. But we uncovered a better than ever, as reflected in don't translate into a first-rate glitch in the braking system of their vehicles' performance and car. The reinvented Dodge our test car after we published reliability (See Who makes the Challenger retro muscle car and the test results. One of our best cars?).

Honda Insight"Prius fighter," testers hit the pedal and didn't (Scripting News) Our Auto Test Center evaluated for example, scored too low in feel the car stopping as it should cars day and night (literally, have. According to Ford, an Submitted at 3/17/2010 3:25:06 PM our tests to be recommended. because of headlight testing), Sometimes redesigned or electronic brake module had After reading of my troubles adding about 80 vehicles to our freshened models aren't as good switched off, requiring the with a new Canon scanner, Ratings (available to as the ones they replace. The driver to depress the pedal Kellie Miller sent a link to a subscribers). Here is some of 2010 Ford Taurus dropped further than normal to stop the review of a Fujitsu scanner. what we learned and slightly in our test scoring car. Ford notified owners of the Except for Apple hype, I can't experienced along the way: because of new styling that Fusion Hybrid and its twin, the remember reading a review so The potential for driver compromises visibility and Mercury Milan Hybrid, to glowing. distraction is growing. Overly contact their dealer for a accommodations.

What's been bothering me complicated control systems and Smart throttle systems are software fix. Subscribe now! about all the awful scanners and the increasing integration of S u b s c r i b e t o effective at preventing a software I've tried over the mobile electronics are giving ConsumerReports.org for expert runaway car. We tested them on years: A scanner is just a drivers more reasons to take Ratings, buying advice and a Mercedes-Benz E350 and camera. It seems you could their eyes and minds off the Volkswagen Jetta Wagon. We reliability on hundreds of make a really elegant Mac-like road. Intuitive, easy-to-use f o u n d t h a t e v e n w i t h t h e products. Update your feed camera that was fun to use. designs and voice-control accelerator wide open, hitting preferences Instead they all suck. But maybe systems can help, if done right.

life may bring them. For more information visit: www.ConsumerReports.org.

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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

Could a scanner really be that good? not the Fujitsu ScanSnap?

Maybe!

The Amazon reviews corroborate the CoolTools review.

It's only $249.

I posted a tweet: "Fujitsu scanner sounds fantastic. I might buy one just to see what a welldesigned scanner can do."

Hmmm.

PS: I'm still waiting for my HTTP-based scanner.

E-reader News Edition

Tech News/ Entertainment/

6 ReadWriteStart Lists: Our Best Startup Advice Deane Rimerman (ReadWriteWeb)

Kevin Rose's 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs • Just Build It Submitted at 3/17/2010 8:00:00 PM • Iterate In a recent conversation here at • Hire Your Boss ReadWriteStart we were talking • Demand Excellence about what readers want most. • Raising Money Beyond stories about where the • Hack the Press latest funding opportunities are • Invest in Advisors found, and beyond wanting to • Connect With the Community know what startups are doing • Leverage Your User Base to that works, we know that Spread the Word sometimes our startup readers • Analyze Your Traffic just want some simple practical advice.

6 Great Approaches to Public Towards that end we've posted Speaking many a list. And now it's time • How Not to Suck at a Group for a review. Here are six of our Presentation LA-based investor best lists in abbreviated form. Mark Suster From how not to kill your • Guy Kawasaki wrote this rule startup, to public speaking, to for PowerPoint f u n d e r s t o f o l l o w , w e a t • How to Present While People ReadWriteStart want to help. If are Twittering: Presentation you have ideas for future lists, trainer Olivia Mitchell please post 'em as comments • Uncovering Steve Jobs' below.

Presentation Secrets: Business Sponsor Week columnist Carmine Gallo 6 A p p r o a c h e s t o Y o u r • The Lessig Method: :Lawyer Company Blog and activist Lawrence Lessig • The Operations Blog • Joseph Campbell's The Hero • The Veteran / Inspirational with a Thousand Faces Blog • The Prediction Blog 10 Principles For Not Killing • The Research Blog Your Startup • The Community / Advocate • This one's obvious - watch Blog your cash flow.

• The Coolhunter Blog • Spot a real problem and concentrate your efforts on

5 Great Blogs For Funding Advice • BOTH SIDES OF THE TABLE @msuster • PAULGRAHAM.COM • A VC, @fredwilson • VENTURE HACKS, @venturehacks • VENTURE BLOG, @ventureblog

43

Kristen Stewart & Dakota Fanning on Getting Racy in 'The Runaways' (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:00:00 AM

Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning play real-life rockers Joan Jett and Cherie Currie in 'The Runaways,' and the teen stars dished to ET about tackling some of the film's racier scenes while premiering their high10 Things to Be Clear About voltage flick in New York on Before You Start a Company Wednesday night.

• Is this your first venture?

At only the age of 16, Dakota is • A r e y o u r e a l l y a n put in questionable situations for solving it. entrepreneur? someone of her youth while • Identify your target market(s) • Does your venture involve portraying Cherie. "I think and collect market feedback something you understand really there’s been numerous, early on. well? numerous films with kids who • D e s i g n a n d d e v e l o p a • Can your mother understand aren’t 18 that play older minimum viable solution as fast the value proposition? [characters]," Kristen asserted. as possible.

• Can you see the right wave?

"And, in this case, she’s playing • Surround yourself with • What does your startup want her age and there’s nothing dedicated, effective people. to be when it grows up? exploitative about the movie.

• Read Crossing the Chasm. • Starting a company is hard It’s all very natural.”

A p p r e c i a t e t h e d i f f e r e n c e and filled with uncertainty.

Dakota herself felt comfortable between early adopters and • Get a partner or fly solo? in all that she was asked to do mainstream.

• Would you refuse a well- w h e n t h e d i r e c t o r c a l l e d , • Consider other sources of paying job to do this?

"Action!," and understands it is competitive power than just • Can you raise appropriate part of her line of work. She technological sophistication. financing? said with maturity, "I’ve grown • Have a plan for cutting up in this business thinking it’s through market noise.

Photo by Wiki Commons. just acting; it’s just pretend and • Invest time in selecting and Discuss that’s kind of what it is for me. testing a business model.

It’s just a story and you get to • Be creative and resourceful in transform yourself and be all meeting your objectives. different kinds of people.”

44

Tech News/ Entertainment/ Sports/

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Popular Real Estate App Zillow Debuts on Android Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb)

or email the associated real estate agent right from within the application. There are also As of today, Zillow's online filtering mechanisms that allow r e a l e s t a t e m a r k e t p l a c e users to search for homes by application is now available on price, number of bedrooms and phones running the Google bathrooms as well as listing type Android mobile operating (for sale, for rent, etc.) Android system. The new Android app is Users Get Extra Features s i m i l a r t o t h e p r e v i o u s l y With the new app, Android launched iPhone version but users benefit from their phone's includes a couple of additional technology in order to access a features like voice search and few additional features. For the incorporation of Google instance, with the new Google Street View images.

Street View option, users are Sponsor able to see curbside photos of all The company hopes to expand the homes in a particular on the success of their iPhone neighborhood, whether or not application - an app downloaded they're for sale or rent. This is a nearly one million times - with great benefit for mobile home the launch of their mobile app shoppers who want to know for the rapidly growing Android more about the neighborhood user base. Like its predecessor, where a particular house is Zillow's mobile app provides located. Is it on a busy street?

"Zestimate" home values, home Are the other houses nearby in details and historical data on 95 good repair? Does it have million homes in the U.S. Users sidewalks? And so on. can browse through listing Another unique feature for information, including photos Android users is voice search. and home details, and then call Users can speak the address, Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:41:57 AM

neighborhood or city into the mobile application and be taken there on the map.

The Zillow app works whether you're searching for new homes from your living room or

whether you're driving around looking at houses. If the latter, Zillow taps into the phone's GPS to place your location on a map and show you the nearby home data.

It's also worth noting that you don't have to be a potential homeowner to take advantage of Zillow. In mid-December, the company added rental listings to their online and mobile services, a savvy business decision in a down economy where many are now choosing to rent until the market stabilizes. Get It Now You can see the Android application in action over here on YouTube or you can download in now for free via www.zillow.com/android. If you have neither an iPhone or Android phone, you can alternately access Zillow.com via its mobile site at Zillow Mobile.

Discuss

FanHouse TV: Midwest Region Breakdown FanHouse TV (FanHouse Main) Submitted at 3/17/2010 4:30:00 PM

Filed under: March Madness, NCAA Tournament, NCAA Tournament - Midwest Region FanHouse TV's Dan Graziano and Hofstra coach Tom Pecora break down the Midwest Region and explain why it's the toughest region in the tournament. Find out what Georgetown and Ohio State have in common and why it may help them both. And just how good is Kansas? Our tourney expert faced the Jayhawks this season and lived to tell about it ... barely.

Click below to watch:

Ellen DeGeneres Comforts Pamela Anderson's Sore Feet (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/18/2010 12:45:00 AM

Ellen DeGeneres is known for boogying through her audience on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." She hangs up her dance

sneakers on Thursday's episode to make way for "Dancing with the Stars" contestant Pamela Anderson.

Pam announced that "the fuse is blown" with her electrician exboyfriend. "The only man in my

life right now is Damian[ Whitewood]. He has my undivided attention." The Australian dancing pro makes his American "Dancing with the Stars" debut this season.

He joins Pam on stage when

Ellen gifts them with fuzzy from inappropriate "wardrobe slippers to comfort their aching malfunctions" as she busts a dancing feet. Just one catch, move.

Pam's slippers come in the form of stilettos. The host also gave the "Baywatch" babe an undergarment to protect her

Tech News/ Gadgets/ Economy/

E-reader News Edition

45

'Breathe Social': The New Rules of Relationship Management Audrey Watters (ReadWriteWeb)

single tool to help organizations track customer data and customer conversations in a Submitted at 3/17/2010 8:00:00 PM world of rapidly changing social an embrace of social Despite the proverbial "the technologies. technologies for relationship customer is always right," the The report has six management, the report lists 18 relationship between the recommendations for use cases that serve as entry customer and the company has organizations: Breathe social. points for social CRM efforts. long been organized for the Complement existing CRM These include social customer benefit of the latter. But the processes. Measure social CRM insights (tracking customers' ability for companies to projects on business goals rather preferences via social media completely control this than solely on engagement. Be sites like Facebook), rapid social relationship has disappeared. prepared for rapid change. Find marketing response (defending Social CRM: The New Rules other social CRM pioneers. the brand in real-time), and of Relationship Management, a The most important, perhaps: crowdsourced R&D (eliciting report from the Altimeter Group Act now. The report cautions real-time feedback to enhance released earlier this month, companies against falling even innovation). serves to help companies and further out of step with The report rates each use case organizations understand the customers by not engaging with by its market demand and tech changing territory. The report social technologies to expand maturity, indiced to help offers a thorough framework their CRM processes. Wellorganizations see which might with which companies can researched and with clear be the most expedient and strategize their adoption of definitions, the report could also appropriate entry points for their social CRM projects. help companies avoid social CRM endeavors. It also Sponsor undertaking social CRM lists vendors to watch, pointing Based on research with projects merely for the buzz. out that there is currently no companies who have pioneered Discuss

rather than to fellow members of the eurozone, the German government has decided.

Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:17:49 AM After weeks of stormy internal Greece will have to turn to the debate, legal advisers to Angela International Monetary Fund if Merkel, the chancellor, have it needs financial assistance to persuaded her that any other back its austerity programme, form of bail-out would be

Devin Coldewey (CrunchGear)

watts, 75-20,000Hz, iPod dock, mini jack, and radio. Alarm too, of course. $250.

Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:00:01 AM The On Time Micro is what it When you’ve been making iPod says, a smaller alarm clock dock and iPhone docks since the like the 200P. Same number of beginning, what is there to do buttons, however, and we all but tweak the design every once know that’s what really matters. i n a w h i l e ? T h a t ’ s J B L ’ s Kind of looks like a really bad situation, and these “new” docks controller attachment for the are pretty much what you had iPhone. Smaller size, smaller before, but no one would choose sound. Also $250. the old ones over the new ones. The On Stage Micro II is, “ G r e a t e r v e r s a t i l i t y a n d predictably, the sequel to the On compatibility” is their way of Stage Micro. You can probably saying “it ain’t broke.” Let’s count on about six total watts take a look. here. $130, which works out to impossible in terms of the The On Time 200P is the new about $20 per watt. I do the European Union’s Maastricht version of this thing, which math so you don’t have to! All treaty and German constitutional looks almost identical. The 200P these (and more!) can be found law. has a nicer screen, though, and on JBL’s “personal audio” page.

Five Filters featured article: seems to have a significantly Also, I love the old school Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: smaller footprint. I doubt the “made for iPod” icon: Is that the PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, sound has changed a whit, one everybody uses? It’s so Term Extraction. though, otherwise they would cute! have mentioned it. 24 total

Germany backs IMF bail-out for Greece (Financial Times - US homepage)

JBL makes slight changes to iPod dock lineup

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Tech News/ Gadgets/ Economy/

E-reader News Edition

Provider Fail: Vodafone Sells HTC Smartphone Loaded With Malware Alex Williams (ReadWriteWeb)

security expert who had bought the phone learned about the virus discovery. He decided to Submitted at 3/17/2010 6:42:00 PM test his phone, using AVG antiPanda Security is reporting a virus protection. Sure enough, second incident of malware on his device also showed it had Vodafone's HTC Magic, a malware on it.

Google Android smart phone. it According to Panda Security: provide a clear example for how This guy had also purchased an smartphones are prime targets to HTC Magic direct from become botnets once connected about the issue from its forums. Vodafone's official website the to a user's personal computer.

A Panda employee discovered same week as my co-worker. He The incidents provide real- the "Mariposa," virus after hadn't connected the phone to w o r l d e x a m p l e s o f h o w connecting it via USB her PC. his PC yet, but as soon as he companies can inadvertently Her Panda Cloud Anti-Virus saw the news hurried back spread malware. It also raises software detected the malicious home, plugged it in via USB and questions about the quality code, revealing that the smart scanned its memory card with assurance testing done by p h o n e w a s i n f e c t e d a n d both MalwareBytes and AVG manufacturers and the carriers. spreading the virus to the PC. Free. Lo and behold, Mariposa Sponsor Mariposa is a program that emerged again, exactly in the After the first discovery earlier turns infected machines into same way as in our original this month, Vodafone said it botnets. it has infected more finding. was an isolated incident. But than 13 million computers, The HTC Magic has two days later the company stealing credit card and bank log historically been sold in Europe. announced the HTC Magic -in information.

Discuss w o u l d b e d i s c o n t i n u e d . In the second incident, an IT Vodafone also deleted questions

fuelled shipment growth.

Net income at FedEx jumped 146 per cent to $239m, or 76 Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:33:18 AM cents a share, from $97m, or 31 FedEx, the US package giant, cents, in the same quarter a year said on Thursday that its third- a g o . T h e r e s u l t s b e a t quarter profits surged as a expectations of Wall Street “modest” economic recovery analysts, but the company’s

Joseph L. Flatley (Engadget)

culminating in a zero airspeed hover 150 feet above the runway. This is the first "mid-air VTOL (vertical take-off and hover" by the aircraft, and if landing) is no great shakes in a development continues at the wargadget these days -- and a pace most of these programs do craft like the F-35B, with its it should see active service short-take off and vertical- sometime around Engadget's landing capabilities might be 25th birthday. Video after the even less shocking -- but jets break. that stop whatever they're doing Continue reading F-35B mid-air to just hover awhile? supersonic jet's first mid-air That's another story entirely. hover (video) T h e $ 8 3 m i l l i o n - p l u s , F-35B supersonic jet's first mid shares fell 3.23 per cent to supersonic stealth jet did just -air hover (video) originally $86.90 in pre-market trading. that yesterday, according to appeared on Engadget on Thu, Five Filters featured article: Lockheed Martin. The flight 18 Mar 2010 09:41:00 EST. Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: began with a conventional Please see our terms for use of PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, takeoff and the aircraft hit about feeds. Permalink| The Register| 200 knots before the pilot Email this| Comments Term Extraction. switched her into STOVL,

FedEx profits surge in third quarter (Financial Times - US homepage)

F-35B supersonic jet's first mid-air hover (video) Submitted at 3/18/2010 9:41:00 AM

Gadgets/ Entertainment/

E-reader News Edition

47

Michael Jackson's 'Gone' but Never Forgotten (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/18/2010 12:40:00 AM

EMIEW2: Hitachi updates its cute humanoid robot Serkan Toto (CrunchGear)

But up until now, EMIEW2 tended to easily fall over on Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:20:48 AM bumpy surfaces, which isn’t W e l a s t b l o g g e d a b o u t really ideal for a humanoid EMIEW2, a two-legged robot that’s supposed to one day serve made by Hitachi, in July 2008. as a receptionist and “walking” The main selling point was (and guide. That’s why Hitachi has s t i l l i s ) a n a r r a y o f 1 4 been working on a sophisticated microphones integrated into his suspension system for his head, enabling him to identify wheels that helps the new three different human voices version maintain its balance in simultaneously. certain situations.

In the case of EMIEW2 running over the edge of a rug, for example, a sensor built into his body detects his body position and automatically adjusts the length of the springs attached to the wheels, preventing the robot from toppling over. If a wheel loses contact with the ground, it automatically stops rotating, lowering the chance of the robot falling over.

Hitachi says the previous EMIEW2 models had problems with bumps that were just a few millimeters high. But the updated version is able to handle bumps that are up to 1.5cm high. EMIEW2 himself stands 80cm tall, weighs 13kg and can run as fast as 6km/h.

Via The Nikkei[registration required, paid subscription]

A Michael Jackson documentary titled 'Gone Too Soon' will mark the one year anniversary of the entertainer’s shocking death. Ian Halperin, the NY Times Best Selling author of "Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson," is behind the film.

According to Variety, 88minutes worth of 300 hours of footage collected have made the final cut into the doc. Cameras were often rolling on the King of Pop, capturing moments fans and filmmakers will treasure forever.

Although the Jackson family was not interviewed for the movie, they are aware of its production. Members of Michael's inner circle did get involved, including his personal manager, chef, spiritual adviser, hairstylist, trainer, protective agent, and the family attorney Brian Oxman.

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Gadgets/ Game/

E-reader News Edition

The NanoNote $99 open hardware computer thingie Scott Merrill (CrunchGear) Submitted at 3/18/2010 7:15:25 AM

Windows Phone 7 tablet concept is just a big iPhone (video) Thomas Ricker (Engadget)

fictitious lover in the Courier who we're not quite ready to betray even if the designer is How's that headline treating named Umang Dokey, okey? you? Surely the same criticism Test your own nobility in the leveled at the iPad holds true for video after the break. this tablet concept running the Continue reading Windows Windows Phone 7 smartphone Phone 7 tablet concept is just a OS right? Maybe. But it's big iPhone (video) certainly advantageous to see all Windows Phone 7 tablet those metro UI panels laid out concept is just a big iPhone as a single image instead of a (video) originally appeared on series of vertical slices suitable Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 to a mobile handset. And a pair 09:18:00 EST. Please see our of backside joysticks and double t e r m s f o r u s e o f f e e d s .

-duty touch QWERTY / viewing Permalink| Recombu| Email this| stand are nice features as well. Comments Nevertheless, we already have a

Here’s a fun diversion for your Thursday: the “Ben” NanoNote laptop palmtop miniature computer netbook smartbook thingie! Described as a “full copyleft hardware” device, this thing isn’t going to win any performance competitions — it runs OpenWRT, which you normally find on hacked Linksys routers — but it does represent an interesting option in the realm of traditionally expensive small computing devices.

There’s tons of info on the Qi Hardware wiki. The CPU is an

Ingenic Jz4740 Multimedia Application Processor running at a whopping 336 MHz. It has 32 megs of RAM, and a 2GB flash chip. It doesn’t have Ethernet or WiFi, but the whole thing weighs just a little over four ounces (with battery!). I’m

sure inspired hackers will find all manner of great uses for this little guy, since the price is right and the device is open.

Available for purchase from sharism or hackable devices.

Submitted at 3/18/2010 9:18:00 AM

Skate 3's 'Skate School' as taught by Coach Frank Ben Gilbert (Joystiq)

"Skate School" mode.

Frank acts as a framework for the fleshed out Skate 3 tutorial, There's nothing quite as teaching players how to nail satisfying as learning how to tricks and polish their execution skateboard from a crazy old coot -- it probably helps that he's full named Coach Frank (as played o f g o o f y , i f o c c a s i o n a l l y by ex-pro skateboarder Jason awkward, humor to lighten up Lee -- you know, the guy from the mood as well. And hey, if Mallrats?). Experts that they are, we learned anything from the the folks at EA developer Black previous two Skate games, we're Box are well aware of the going to be spending a ton of attraction, and they've employed time just figuring out how to the character to teach Skate 3's ollie without faceplanting over Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:15:00 AM

and over (and over), so we could use the levity.

Gallery: Skate 3 Skate 3's 'Skate School' as taught by Coach Frank originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink| Email this| Comments

Gadgets/ Apple/

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49

iWork.com Beta Updated, Still No Editing Charles Jade (TheAppleBlog)

After all, Apple has never suggested iWork.com was meant for anything more than The iWork.com team at Apple sharing, rather a collaborative sent out an e-mail to registered online productivity suite was users today touting new just logically assumed. accessibility from Apple mobile Well, the new logic is even devices and more sharing simpler, that being iWork.com options for all. However, the is cloud storage for the iPad. biggest feature, really the only With the announcement of a feature that matter — editing native version of iWork for the documents — remains missing. of comments or notes. Sharing iPad, iWork.com makes a lot Carefully not introduced as an documents is a little more more sense. Instead of syncing o n l i n e p r o d u c t i v i t y s u i t e efficient with a single page for w i t h i T u n e s t o t r a n s f e r designed for collaboration, the d o i n g s o a n d a c o u n t e r documents to your computer, iWork.com beta site has existed indicating the number of views you upload them to iWork.com, as little more than an online for the document. hopefully with an option to repository for sharing iWork The other change, likely in synchronize in the near future. documents. The only real anticipation of the iPad, is Apple gets $10 for each iWork Matt Burns (CrunchGear) adjusts crossover settings, advantage over simply e-mailing something that iWork.com App for the iPad and gives away frequency repsonse, stereo Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:00:01 AM documents has been the ability should have included from the the online storage. imaging and everything else beginning: a mobile interface.

Those waiting for iWork.com It has been a long time coming, needed to maximize your audio. to comment via sticky note and T h e n e w i n t e r f a c e h a s to leave beta status and be d o w n l o a d i n g i n m u l t i p l e but the notorious JBL MS-8 is The process takes about 10 “ i m p r o v e d s c r o l l i n g ” a n d useful may get the former on almost here. Car audio forums minutes to run through a step-by f o r m a t s . supposedly helps you “find your April 3, but don’t count on More than a year later, the have been talking up this digital -step prcedure, but then it’s shared documents faster.” logging into iWork.com and changes have been minimal, and signal processor system since heaven on wheels – or rather Unfortunately, what it does not 2007 when it debuted in a BMW heaven in something on wheels. that may be exactly the way do is show comments and notes, editing documents anytime Apple wants it. soon. demo car. It reached vaporware JBL claims that the MS-8 As of today, “iWork.com making the value of iWork.com Related GigaOM Pro status in the minds of many, but should work with “virtually any even more dubious, if that’s r e s e a r c h ( s u b r e q ’ d ) : allows you to share a document JBL finally went live with its combination of factory-installed possible. It’s becoming more April release date and price or aftermarket components, but by creating a public link” with and more apparent that an online Who Owns Your Data in the a n i n c r e d i b l y l o n g U R L .

Cloud? today. you might want to check with version of iWork akin to Google However, accessing the public Think of the device as a auto your local dealer before you link does not allow the adding Docs may not be coming at all. calibrator for your vehicle’s order the $799 device. sound system. It automatically Submitted at 3/17/2010 9:12:14 AM

The JBL MS-8 in-car DSP finally gets an official release date and price

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Apple/

E-reader News Edition

New Sitcom Pilot to be Based Not-So-Loosely on Steve Jobs Liam Cassidy (TheAppleBlog)

Life of Steve Jobs—A Parody.

Yes, you read that right. Fake Steve himself is penning the It was bound to happen, sooner script (it’s most likely he or later. Steve Jobs is simply too already has, given how sporadic important, too impressive, too the updates have been in recent easy a target not to base a weeks on the Fake Steve Jobs character on him and turn it into blog.) If you’re a fan of Fake a sitcom.

Steve, this is exhilarating news; And that’s what might very Lyons is not only an insightful well be happening, if the pilot author but is in possession of a currently in development in Sahara-dry wit, to boot. In Hollywood gets optioned for a addition to his Fake Steve series. Yesterday, Media Rights sideshow, Lyons is the author of Capital released a statement on Options: The Secret Life of its website describing how, Steve Jobs – A Parody. You working with cable channel might say he really knows the EPIX, they have green-lit a pilot subject matter. episode for a proposed sitcom And then there’s Larry Charles. series entitled — what else? – Directing Borat and Brüno iCON. might not be an accolade From MRC’s website: everyone everywhere agrees is EPIX and Media Rights Capital worthy of celebration (I guess it have made a team for iCON, a depends on your sense of comedy series pilot that will be humor) but no one can argue developed by Larry Charles, the with his other credentials; he Emmy-winning T V directed the 2008 documentary writer/producer, and the director Religulous starring Bill Maher, of the Sacha Baron Cohen and was for many years a writer features Borat and Bruno. and producer on Seinfeld and C h a r l e s w i l l o v e r s e e Curb Your Enthusiasm. It all development of the script and s o u n d s l i k e p e r f e c t p a s t will direct the half-hour pilot of experience for any producer a series written by Dan Lyons. c h a r g e d w i t h t h e t a s k o f A technology consultant for bringing this project to life.

Newsweek, Lyons created the The partnership of Fake Steve Jobs blog and wrote Lyons/Charles is certain to the novel Options: The Secret culminate in a cutting (if not Submitted at 3/17/2010 1:44:07 PM

Sachs and (wait for it) AT&T. There’s something almost… poetic about that.

MRC will serve as the studio and financier. The company said it had several bidders for the property, but chose EPIX because Charles could be as edgy as he wanted to be.

“We are attempting to do nothing less than a modern Citizen Kane,” Charles said. “A scabrous satire of Silicon Valley and its most famous citizen.”

You know, at film school I heard time and time again that Citizen Kane was nothing less wickedly uncompromising) take than the most perfect movie ever on tech-celebrity culture. made. (I disagreed, favoring The A little more from MRC’s Empire Strikes Back…) So for website on the subject matter of Charles to make a modern day the show: Citizen Kane is, to put it mildly, The show’s lead character, Tom an ambitious goal. But don’t Rhodes, is a composite of Jobs forget, such bold statements are and other Silicon Valley titans, not uncommon for El Jobso and the comedy is described as a when talking about music savage satire, a study of ego, players or tablet devices, so I power and greed… guess we can forgive this kind Jobs and other titans will o f h y p e r b o l e f r o m a certainly inspire iCON at its writer/producer described by the inception, but the show will studio as “TV royalty.” lampoon the larger hi-tech Apple has, naturally, remained world. [Larry] Charles will be silent on the matter. It’s fun to swinging for the fences. try to imagine what Steve Jobs You may not have heard the might make of this. I think he’d name Media Rights Capital probably find it amusing (and before. MRC is a studio owned c’mon, it’s gotta be an ego by, amongst others, Goldman boost?) but Macworld points out

that Jobs has a less-than-stellar track record when it comes to this sort of thing: Jobs is notoriously prickly about how he’s portrayed in the media. At one extreme, Apple infamously pulled all titles by publisher Wiley from its store shelves after the company released a book called iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business(no relation to the TV show).

Well, that was a book, and this is a (potential) TV show. Only Mac-heads and the most dedicated tech historians read books about Jobs. A sitcom from Larry Charles, on the other hand, will reach many millions of people otherwise entirely dis interested in the working of Silicon Valley’s executive elite.

This isn’t a series yet— the pilot has to prove there’s potential for that. But is there any serious doubt that Lyons/Charles can pull it off?

And I wonder… a year from now, will we be laughing with Steve Jobs as he uses a clip from an episode to demo the next iPad… or rolling our eyes as his lawyers issue Cease & Desist orders to the studio?

Apple/

E-reader News Edition

51

Australian Website Hints at New Macs, Higher Prices Liam Cassidy (TheAppleBlog) Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:45:49 AM

An Australian tech website has started running ads featuring Mac Pros and MacBook Pros whose entry-level prices are noticeably higher than those in the current Mac lineup.

So what, right? The ads are probably incorrectly labeled, or something. But the word on the street (well, the word on Engadget, anyway) is that these might predict the muchanticipated Mac refreshes that we’ve been waiting for.

From Engadget: Apple’s Australian online store lists the most affordable versions of the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac Pro at A$1599, A$1999 and A$3599, respectively, but the ads show significantly higher “starting at” prices of A$1899, A$2399, and A$4499.

Following the ads to Apple’s Australian online store reveals the same Mac models at the same old prices, so either these ads are terribly wrong or they’re been released a little early…

It has been over a year since Apple released a major update to its high-end Mac Pro computer. I know very well because I bought one last April at an astronomically high price,

and as such, guard it with my life. (No one else is allowed near it. No one!) If history has taught me anything, it is that I am not allowed to have the best and brightest kit for long.

Therefore, an update is imminent. As for the MacBook Pro, we can probably expect to see Apple upgrade it with Intel’s powerful i7 Chipset.

But why so much more expensive? Engadget’s Vladislav Savov suggests: The rise in MacBook Pro pricing could be attributed to the cost of the i7 chipset, but it seems unlikely that in a recovering economy Apple would increase their prices

significantly without having a cheaper baseline model available.

I am hoping to see something more than just a chipset upgrade this time around; support for Blu -Ray is one of those things I want (even though it’s something most people don’t need) and who wouldn’t like to see high-capacity SSD’s asstandard?

I know only this; I’m a weakwilled slave to Apple’s hardware. I was the same way with PC’s, but let’s face it, a tech-obsessed geek with a weakness for shiny new toys will usually spend far less on generic PC equipment than on

the latest newness from Cupertino.

At a time when the entry-level iPad would more than easily meet my needs, I know for a fact that, instead, I’ll be ordering the most expensive model available when we Brits can (finally!) get our hands on them.

The same thing happened a year ago when I bought my painfully -expensive Mac Pro — truth is, I could have gotten by with an iMac. And even now, despite having twin 30” HD Cinema displays, I feel like I’m missing out not owning a 27” iMac as well. Thankfully, I’m in a tiny minority of crazy people.

Are these ads correct? If they

are, will we have new Macs before the end of the month?

Apple’s New Zealand online store also displays odd pricing inconsistencies along similar lines to those on the Australian store. Perhaps we’re reading too much into it (as Apple crazies want to do) but let’s face it, one of two things will happen from here; either the ads will be replaced with ‘corrected’ prices, or, one day very soon, that little yellow sticky note will appear on Apple’s online store and insane gadget freaks like me will reach for our credit cards…

Am I as crazy as I think? Share your thoughts with me in the comments below.

52

Tech Blog/ TV/

East Village Newbies (Scripting News)

openly, so that any blogger can take advantage of it, not just the NYT/NYU bloggers.

I read a long article yesterday So here's the first bit -- I want on The Villager about LEV, to learn about the history of the which is an acronym for Local East Village. I want to know East Village, which is the name where the ghosts are and what the NYT-NYU project to blog they did. Jeremiah's Vanishing the East Village goes by. I know of a sudden taken an interest in New York is already doing a all the people the article was their turf, and they're not sure wonderful job of that. Let's do about, Jay Rosen, Brooke what that interest is. To which I more.

Kroeger, Rich Jones, the NYU would say, don't worry, they're BTW, I'm following all the EV students (who have personalities not really sure either. But they blogs I can on the aggregator I and lives but weren't mentioned t h i n k t h e E a s t V i l l a g e i s put together. by name in the piece). One thing interesting, and the Times I wrote a piece about the I'm kind of grateful for, given covers NY and the EV is in NY Fillmore East. the reaction of East Village and like it or not (and a lot of A second bit of advice. Even bloggers to LEV, is that my people seem to not like it) NYU though my experience in the name didn't come up in the is largely in the East Village. Village goes way back, I left piece. True, I'm just an adviser, Having NYU itself watch the New York and didn't come back but I have some experience EV, esp under the guidance of for almost 40 years. A lot has blogging, and I hung out in the people of high integrity like changed in the meantime. I need E a s t V i l l a g e w h e n I w a s Rosen, Kroeger and Jones, is a blog that contains a stream of growing up in NY in the 70s. probably a very good thing. interesting, useful even vital There's a lot of planning going My own perspective is as information for people who are into LEV, as you would expect ephemeral as the students' new to the Village. For example from two organizations the size p e r s p e c t i v e . M y c u r r e n t -- now that the weather is good of the NYT and the NYU. I appointment lasts one year. I (knock wood) where's a good think the people involved are m a y h a v e a n o n g o i n g place to hang outside, read a well-intentioned. I think the East relationship with NYU but what book, watch people, have my Village bloggers have every that is, if anything, is completely coffee cup refilled, arrange to right to feel their turf is being unknown. I'm just focusing on meet people. I'm sure people invaded. I said in a tweet last what's happening now, and what who've lived here a while know night, after writing about the I can do to help. And rather than where to go. I'm a newbie. Help! competition between Kindle and bury my ideas in internal emails, iPad that it must seem to them I think I should offer my advice as if Amazon and Apple have all Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:37:14 AM

E-reader News Edition

Oprah Being Sued for Defamation Brad Trechak (TV Squad) Submitted at 3/18/2010 10:30:00 AM

Larato Mzamane, the former headmistress for Oprah Winfrey's South Africa-based Leadership Academy of Girls, is suing the billionaire talk show host for defamation and casting her in a false light. Now she must face the wrath of Oprah.

What is most interesting about the article is that even the judge acknowledges that Oprah's incredible popularity contributed to the veracity of the prosecutor's claims. If Oprah potentially falsely criticized Mzamane's job performance but wasn't a household name, it wouldn't be that big a deal.

It's a bit like Oprah's Book Club. If Oprah didn't like your book, then you better not quit your day job. Similarly, if Oprah criticized you at your job, you'd better find another job. In that regard, the logic behind the

judge's decision is understandable. And while Oprah likely has an army of lawyers at her beck and call, Mzamane can no doubt find a couple of legal sharks that want a piece of Oprah's net worth.

Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

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'America's Next Top Model' - 'Drekitude' Recap Michael Pascua (TV Squad) Submitted at 3/18/2010 12:10:00 AM

( S 1 4 E 0 2 ) W e continue'America's Next Top Model' from last week's photoshoot cliffhanger. The nude photoshoot goes off without much of a hitch about religious morals or modesty.

Either way, the shoot was borrowed from a challenge on'Make Me a Supermodel' which had the same exact concept. The second photoshoot

continues to stretch the definition of what a beauty shot is. Beauty shots should be zoomed in even closer than what we saw.

We saw the new and improved opening sequence; it's going to take me a while to get adjusted to it. It's still Tyra-centric and now with a 70s/funk vibe. This

episode was also 90 minutes long, which threw off the tempo of the show. I was waiting for the show to end, but it just kept going. Speaking of editing choices, why isn't last season's winner Nicole in the CoverGirl lounge?

Continue reading'America's Next Top Model' - 'Drekitude' Recap Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews Permalink| Email this| | Comments

Submitted at 3/18/2010 9:27:00 AM

Generally speaking, what happens in the workplace usually is not meant for media consumption. Unless it's a Karen Silkwood situation, employees know that you don't blab about your fellow workers.

Except in show business!

Apparently, the very idea of working on a set or in the production offices where

glamorous stars are toiling is a reason to yap about what you see.

This is especially true when those glittery vessels of acting

have questionable personal lives that have already been selling ad space in newspapers, magazines and web sites. This is all a preface to the report filed by

Street Chic: New York ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 3/18/2010 4:00:00 AM

A fur-trimmed topper puts a luxe spin on sailor stripes (on

Chase Cohl).

Photo: Anne Ziegler Click here for our complete fall 2010 Fashion Week coverage Think you are Street Chic? E-

mail us your photo and you

Get into a silly pose for this Power Gig: Rise of the Sixstring trailer Ben Gilbert (Joystiq) Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:00:00 AM

Sure, you saw our impressions from GDC of Power Gig: Rise of the Sixstring-- the first music/rhythm game to feature an actual, working electric guitar -- but have you seen the unbelievably silly first trailer for the game, apparently filmed during last week's developmer convention? Now you can, as we've dropped it just a few inches up for your enjoyment.

If you were hoping for a better look at the game itself, you're just gonna have to wait for the next trailer, because this one TMZ.com that the 'Two and a exclusively features people Half Men' team have been told playing the game's peripheral to keep quiet about Charlie while either jumping or rocking or ... well, you get the idea-- no Sheen.

Continue reading'Two and a gameplay. That said, the guitar Half Men' Crew Warned to solo that takes place about halfway through reminds us that Keep Quiet Filed under: Other Comedy this is absolutely a real guitar, so Shows, OpEd, Celebrities, that's something, right? Right?

Where are you going?! We Reality-Free P e r m a l i n k | E m a i l t h i s | | brought punch!

Get into a silly pose for this Comments Power Gig: Rise of the Sixstring trailer originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink| Email this| could appear in ELLE.com's C o m m e n t s Street Chic Daily.

Follow ELLE on Twitter.

Become our Facebook fan!

'Two and a Half Men' Crew Warned to Keep Quiet Allison Waldman (TV Squad)

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Happy St. Molly Ringwald on Her Patrick’s Day Brat Pack Reunion and Zack Sheppard (Flickr Blog) Balancing Work and Family Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:27:26 AM

(ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/18/2010 12:03:00 AM

Former teen queen Molly Ringwald is now a busy mom and starring in her third season of "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" on ABC Family, and she tells ET just how she manages to balance work and her own family – and the thrill of reuniting with her fellow Brat Packers at the Oscars!

"It's always a little bit like a family reunion," she says of seeing fellow Brat packers such Mike Moody (TV Squad) episode had a lot more to offer, a s A l l y S h e e d y , A n t h o n y including some juicy intel about Michael Hall and Judd Nelson at Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:32:00 AM Chance's past, and the welcome this year's special Oscar tribute (S01E08) I take back what I r e t u r n o f E m m a B a r n e s to John Hughes. "We don't get wrote last week. Kim Coates' (Emmanuelle Vaugler) and to see each other very often Bertram is no longer the best computer geek Layla (Autumn and most memorable villain Reeser). on'Human Target'. That title Spoilers after the jump. now belongs to Baptiste, played Continue reading'Human by the awesome Lennie James. Target' - 'Baptiste' Recap The guy was brilliant as Filed under: Other Drama Chance's sadistic and stealthy S h o w s , E p i s o d e R e v i e w s , (Financial Times - US nemesis. I would've been happy Reality-Free, Episode Recaps homepage) to watch Baptiste sit and trade P e r m a l i n k | E m a i l t h i s | | Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:15:33 PM barbs with Chance on that bench C o m m e n t s SYDNEY, March 18 – for the entire hour. But this JPMorgan has lost a court dispute over advisory fees relating to a client’s A$1.3bn ($1.2bn) Australian takeover defence, in an unusual case that

'Human Target' 'Baptiste' Recap

because we all lead different lives and live in different places … so it's always nice to get to catch up."

On the touching tribute to her late 'Sixteen Candles,' 'The Breakfast Club' and 'Pretty in Pink' mentor, she says, "I was just so excited and honored to be there, and really touched that the Academy chose to recognize his contribution to filmmaking and incredible impact that he's had on the world through his films. … And to also have the Hughes family there, it's been a really difficult year for them, and to get that recognition I think was really important for them as well."

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JPMorgan loses dispute over advisory fees exposed what are normally secret investment banking fees.

An Australian court dismissed on Thursday JPMorgan’s claim for A$50.8m in fees from Consolidated Minerals which was taken over by Palmary Enterprises, owned by Ukrainian billionaire Gennadiy Bogolyubov, following a three-

way battle against Pallinghurst and Territory Resources that drove up its market value by A$840m.

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Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine in 2009 Richard Durrett (ESPN.com) Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:22:21 AM

• Email • Print • Comments '); document.write(''); } else if ( show_gigya ) { document.write('• '); document.write(' '); function showShareUI(){ var H = {APIKey:"2_B48MVBl19K9C Qj72UVrAqLh7VSAyZDfMkcl kt8foSSRaAbdWu36H_N3Ky_ ERWhDG", enabledProviders: "facebook,twitter", cid:"ESPN.Story"}; var I = n e w gigya.services.socialize.UserAct ion(); var A = {}; I.setUserMessage(""); if (jQuery(":header:first").length > 0 ) { I.setTitle(jQuery(".article").find( ":header:first").text()); } else { I.setTitle(decodeURIComponent ("Rangers%20manager%20Was hington%20used%20coke%20in %20\'09")); } I.setLinkBack("http://sports.esp n.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story ?id=5003261"); if (jQuery("#videoInfo").length > 0 ) { I.setDescription(jQuery(".article p:not(div.beta-opt

p):first").text()); } else { I.setDescription(jQuery("p:first" ).text()); } if (jQuery(".article .image, .headshot").length > 0) { var theimage = (jQuery(".article . i m a g e , .headshot").find("img").attr("src ")); I.addMediaItem( { type: 'image', src: theimage, href: 'http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas /mlb/news/story?id=5003261' }); } A.userAction = I ; gigya.services.socialize.showSh areUI(H,A); return false; } } By Richard Durrett ESPNDallas.com Archive SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington apologized Wednesday for using cocaine during the 2009 season and will voluntarily submit to additional testing by Major League Baseball in the future.

Washington told the club he used cocaine and offered to resign as soon as he was randomly selected for a drug test

by MLB. Club president Nolan Ryan, general manager Jon Daniels and other officials decided not to accept the offer after they were convinced that Washington had used cocaine just once.

"I apologize for a huge mistake I made," Washington said in a

prepared statement at a news conference Wednesday. "I'm not here to make excuses. I'm not here for sympathy. That would be asking too much. I'm truly sorry for my careless, dangerous and, frankly, stupid behavior last year."

Washington immediately entered into MLB's drug program, which included testing three times a week. He completed that program a few weeks ago, but said he will ask the league to continue to test him in the future.

"I was in total shock. Then I was mad," Ryan said of his initial reaction to Washington's positive test during a chat W e d n e s d a y w i t h ESPNDallas.com. "Then I was very disappointed. I went through an array of emotions."

Galloway & Co.: 3/17 Rangers president Nolan Ryan talks about how the club dealt with Ron Washington's admitted drug use.

More Podcasts » Ryan said the club discussed accepting Washington's resignation but after "a lot of soul-searching" decided to allow him to remain as manager. The team had picked up Washington's option for 2010 before he used cocaine and tested positive.

"We think of him as part of our

family," Ryan said. "Just because somebody in your family makes a mistake doesn't mean you quit loving them.

We'll move forward."

Added Ryan during his ESPNDallas.com chat: "He's going to be judged on the season and how a team plays for him and our evaluation of the job he does."

Washington, entering his fourth season as manager of the Rangers, informed his team in a meeting Wednesday morning.

Most of the players were in attendance at the news conference. So was his wife, Gerry.

"I didn't have much to say, other than the fact that I was sorry for what happened," Washington said. "I hope they will allow me to continue to lead them. They embraced it. And if you look around the room, you'll see the support they have for me because they know the support I have for them."

Washington said he used cocaine only once during the season. When asked if that was the only time he used illegal drugs, Washington said, "The drug we're talking about, yes."

Daniels and Ryan said the club is satisfied Washington has been honest with them.

"We felt like he was sincere and forthright," Ryan said. "With the

way he has responded, we truly believe this was a one-time incident that he just used bad judgment on."

More on the Rangers Richard Durrett and the rest of the ESPNDallas.com team have the inside scoop on the Rangers, the American League and Major League Baseball. Blog The club did not suspend or fine Washington, saying that he completed the requirements under MLB's drug policy.

Daniels said he was treated like any other employee of the Rangers in terms of disciplinary action.

Washington had tears in his eyes before he entered the news conference flanked by his wife, Ryan, Daniels, assistant GM Thad Levine and a large number of players.

Washington did not explain why he used cocaine last season.

"That's a question I have had to face in numerous sessions with counselors," Washington said.

"I've learned a lot about myself personally, and I recognize that this episode was an attempt to dodge personal anxieties and personal issues I needed to confront."

Washington stressed he used the drug that "one and only time" and has had clean tests TEXAS page 56

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TEXAS

Critiquing the Presidential Bracket (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)

Elite Eight, which figures. The president attended Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:45:08 AM Georgetown’s win over Duke in President Obama has made his January he joined CBS’s Verne N C A A m e n ’ s b a s k e t b a l l Lundquist and Clark Kellogg at tournament selections, and for the broadcast table and seemed the second straight year, he’s highly impressed by the Hoyas, picking the favorite to win it all: who won easily. Apparently the Kansas, in this case, over District’s team isn’t lacking in Kentucky. Given his pragmatic flinty toughness. nature, such a safe choice was to He also has fifth-seeded be expected. Getty Images Did Michigan State reaching the President Obama put too much Sweet 16 at the expense of No. stock in a Georgetown team he 4 seed Maryland his reasoning saw top Duke in person in being that a great coach (Tom January?

Izzo) trumps a great player But what about the rest of his (Greivis Vasquez). But again, bracket? What has Mr. Obama not much of a surprise there. now in his second year in office Georgetown over Ohio State in and his second year of making the regional semifinal is an presidential picks learned from inspired pick, though, whether last year? While he was correct the president is aware of it or in tabbing North Carolina to win not. The smaller Buckeyes may it all, he went just 1-for-4 with not be able to handle the Hoyas’ his Final Four selections. He 6-foot-11 Greg Monroe. Tophad Villanova, a Final Four seeded Kansas, of course, is his team, going out in the Sweet 16. Final Four representative.

And as he admitted to ESPN’s West: The president apparently Andy Katz yesterday, “I got missed Monday’s Wall Street killed in the first round.”

Journal. In it, our computer Guiding legislation through model tabbed Brigham Young, a Congress is one thing. Trying to No. 7 seed, to reach the Final divine if this is finally the year Four. Mr. Obama has the that West Virginia coach Bob Cougars going out in the second Huggins doesn’t choke in the round, to No. 2 seed Kansas t o u r n a m e n t i s e n t i r e l y State. something else. A region-by- He should know by now not to region look at the presidential contradict the Fourth Estate, as picks: we always get the last word.

M i d w e s t : N o . 3 s e e d But he did pick 13th-seeded Georgetown is in Mr. Obama’s Murray State over Vanderbilt,

which we fully endorsed. Butler in the Sweet 16 is a choice he may regret, although we understand the need to pander to Hoosier staters, what with Sen. Evan Bayh’s recent decision not to seek re-election. Mr. Obama’s Sweet 16 teams here are, again, largely chalk Syracuse, Butler, Pittsburgh, and Kansas State but at least he takes a bit of a risk and picks Kansas State over the topseeded Orange in the regional final.

East: It’s only one game, but it’s disappointing to see that the president, like so much of America, has bought into the Cornell hype. He’s picking the 12th-seeded Big Red to knock off No. 5 seed Temple. Yes, we all admire the pure, uncorrupted Ivy League, but has anyone been paying attention to their teams for the past decade? The last time the Ivy won a game in the men’s tournament was 1998.

Mr. Obama has third-seeded New Mexico going down to No. 6 Marquette in the second round, possibly as payback for Bill Richardson’s bungled

continued from page 55

nomination as commerce secretary. As for the choice of Kentucky over West Virginia to reach the Final Four, the president owed the Wildcats one. Kentucky was undefeated before Mr. Obama spoke to the team over the phone in January to thank the ‘Cats for their “Hoops for Haiti” charity program. Kentucky promptly lost to so-so South Carolina.

South: At last, some upsets!

Of course, we’re speaking relatively here. Mr. Obama still has Duke, Villanova and Baylor, the region’s top three seeds, reaching the Sweet 16. But Villanova, his Final Four choice, is a fading team that many expect to lose in the first weekend. And the president is out on a limb a little bit in the first round. Louisville over California, Siena over Purdue and St. Mary’s over Richmond are all upsets, at least in terms of seeding.

For the second straight year, Mr. Obama has Duke reaching the Elite Eight. One of these days he’s going to learn not to trust the Blue Devils in the tournament. Perhaps when he learns to tune out the hoops advice Reggie Love, his body man and a Duke alum.

since that point.

Richard Durrett covers the Rangers for ESPN Dallas. You can follow him on Twitter or leave a question for his weekly mailbag.

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In Suburbia Fiona Miller (Flickr Blog) Submitted at 3/18/2010 12:00:27 AM

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Sources: Tim Tebow workout earns him trip to NFL draft

The Emerald Isle

Chris Mortensen (ESPN.com)

Submitted at 3/17/2010 4:35:33 PM

Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:26:00 AM

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?id=5003533"); if (jQuery("#videoInfo").length > 0 ) { I.setDescription(jQuery(".article p:not(div.beta-opt p):first").text()); } else { I.setDescription(jQuery("p:first" ).text()); } if (jQuery(".article .image, .headshot").length > 0) { var theimage = (jQuery(".article . i m a g e , .headshot").find("img").attr("src ")); I.addMediaItem( { type: 'image', src: theimage, href: 'http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/dr aft10/news/story?id=5003533' }); } A.userAction = I ; gigya.services.socialize.showSh areUI(H,A); return false; } } By Chris Mortensen ESPN Archive On the heels of an impressive workout at Florida's pro day, league sources say that Tim Tebow is among those players who have been invited to New York for the April 22-24 NFL draft.

Tebow, who unveiled his new throwing motion for scouts, coaches and general managers in his workout, has accepted the

invitation from the league, according to an official. Two NFL personnel men told ESPN that Tebow's workout on Wednesday boded well for the Gators quarterback, especially with those teams that were considering him as a high draft prospect.

The league did not release the entire list of players invited, though it is expected to include at least four quarterbacks -Tebow, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen and Texas' Colt McCoy. The league traditionally invites players who are projected to go in the first round. A league official said that even though Tebow could be a first-round selection, the new three-day draft format also motivated the NFL to double its invitation list from nine players in 2009 to 18 at next month's draft.

The new draft format will conduct only the first round on April 22, a Thursday night, and the second round on the next night. The final four rounds will be conducted on Saturday.

Tebow threw dozens of passes to former teammates Riley

Cooper, Aaron Hernandez and David Nelson during a 30minute workout.

Carolina Panthers coach John Fox, Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris were in attendance. So were Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Gene Smith and Browns president Mike Holmgren.

About 3,000 fans showed up despite light rain. They cheered loudly as Tebow walked onto Florida Field for the first time since his home finale in November and applauded every completion.

Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL analyst for ESPN. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Zack Sheppard (Flickr Blog)

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The Count: Obama’s East Coast Bias (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)

his bracket, though, since some states are bluer than others and some of his predicted Barack Obama’s brackets are underachievers are from blue getting bluer. Getty Images states, too. So for each of the 15 Obama has backed Oklahoma games, I subtracted the vote State players (such as James margin for Obama for the Anderson, pictured in orange) in predicted winner from that of his brackets about as much as t h e l o s e r . T h e b i g g e s t Oklahoma voters backed him in D e m o c r a t i c - l e a n i n g u p s e t 2008. expected was Georgetown’s The president unveiled his predicted Sweet 16 defeat of picks for the NCAA tournament Ohio State (a 3 seed from a for the third straight year on district Obama won by 86 Wednesday, and he tended to percentage points, over a 2 seed like the chances of underdogs from a state Obama won by a from states that sent their mere four and a half percentage electoral votes his way in the points). At the opposite extreme 2008 presidential election. was Obama’s pick of Kansas Obama sees 15 separate games State — where he lost by nearly in which a team with a higher 15 points — over Syracuse, a seed number beats one with a school in New York, which he lower seed number, or in which won by nearly 27 points, in the two teams with the same seed Elite Eight. number meet in the Final Four Add up all these margins, and or title game (basically a pick Obama’s upset winners were a ‘em situation) — notably less net 77 points in the Democratic chalk-intensive than the 11 such column. That compares to 48 games each in his 2008 and points last year, and just 27 2009 brackets. And of the 15 points in 2008, when he hadn’t winners in those games, nine are even sewn up the Democratic from states that went blue in nomination yet. (And therefore 2008. he didn’t yet know the vote That’s a rather imprecise way margins; perhaps his picks to measure the political slant of helped influence some states to Submitted at 3/17/2010 3:08:17 PM

Obama state.

Of course, this is not a terribly meaningful exercise. Obama is by all accounts a basketball fan and may worry more about offending the hoops intelligentsia than his political supporters with an NCAA swing Democratic.) bracket. It’s questionable to The trend is even more extreme assume a school represents its if his upsets are weighted by the whole state, particularly in the difference in seed numbers in cases where multiple teams those games. That Georgetown from one state were involved in win, then, counts less than his his picks. And Obama may well prediction of Siena’s upset of be exhibiting biases more P u r d u e , w h e n t a k i n g i n t o familiar to sports fans than redaccount that Siena is a No. 13 blue splits, such as East Coast seed and Purdue is a No. 4. By b i a s o r b i g - s c h o o l b i a s . this method, Obama’s picks this Specifically, he’s not a big year are worth 475 Democratic believer in teams that hail from points, to 48 last year and -165 t h e s e v e n w e s t e r n m o s t in 2008 (meaning he leaned continental states: Washington, Republican).

Oregon, California, Idaho, However, the trends are less Nevada, Utah and Arizona. He clear, and the data more sparse, picks them as losers 12 times, if we only count games in which and as winners just three times. the teams’ home states went And he’s no Sooner State different ways in the 2008 race. booster: Twice Obama predicted There are only two such games an upset of Oklahoma State, and out of the 15 this year, and John once Oklahoma.

McCain won both winners’ Election data from Dave Leip’s home states. Each of the two Atlas of U.S. Presidential prior years there were five such Elections. games, and in seven of those games the winner hails from an

Around the Net In Media: 'W' Moves Out of Fairchild Group (MediaPost | Media News) Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:25:10 PM

Consumer fashion title W no longer will be managed by Condé Nast's Fairchild Fashion Group. The restructuring "formally establishes a structure for W consistent with our other consumer magazine titles, and allows FFG the autonomy to focus on their core business-tobusiness publications and related businesses.

The senior editorial staff that was shared by W and trade title WWD will now work exclusively for WWD. Edward Nardoza, editor-in-chief of WWD, will report to FFG president and CEO Gina Sanders. Condé Nast will now search for a top editor for W. Last year, ad pages at 450,000circ. W evaporated -- declining 45.8%, according to Publishers Information Bureau figures.

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Andrew Bailey of Oakland Athletics Ginobili Regaining shut down with tennis elbow Form in Time for Free Agency Summer ESPN.com news services (ESPN.com) Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:57:47 AM

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story?id=5005222"); if (jQuery("#videoInfo").length > 0 ) { I.setDescription(jQuery(".article p:not(div.beta-opt p):first").text()); } else { I.setDescription(jQuery("p:first" ).text()); } if (jQuery(".article .image, .headshot").length > 0) { var theimage = (jQuery(".article . i m a g e , .headshot").find("img").attr("src ")); I.addMediaItem( { type: 'image', src: theimage, href: 'http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/s pring2010/news/story?id=50052 22' }); } A.userAction = I; gigya.services.socialize.showSh areUI(H,A); return false; } } ESPN.com news services Oakland Athletics closer and reigning AL rookie of the year Andrew Bailey has been shut down for five to seven days with tennis elbow, but remains optimistic he will be ready for Opening Day. Bailey Bailey said he felt discomfort in the elbow after his past two spring training appearances.

"It's just a little discomfort," he said, according to MLB.com. "I felt something after my last

outing [Sunday], so I figured I should have it checked out. I'll just be doing some therapy and give it some rest.

"Last year was probably the heaviest workload on my arm, so this is probably just from kicking it back up and my arm trying to get used to it again."

Bailey made 68 apperances in his rookie season, going 6-3 with a 1.84 ERA and 26 saves in 30 opportunities -- meaning he won or saved 32 of Oakland's games.

But Bailey says there's time to get his arm right before Opening Day. "Better now than when the season starts. We have time to take care of it," Bailey said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "Last year was my first year of relieving. Getting up, getting down [in the bullpen], I wasn't used to that.

"This is probably a little side effect from that. But I'm very optimistic I'll be there for the start of the season."

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Tim Povtak (FanHouse Main) Submitted at 3/17/2010 5:40:00 PM

Filed under: Magic, Spurs ORLANDO -- Regardless of what happens to the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs this spring, Manu Ginobili can't lose if he continues to play like he has the last four weeks.

Free agency should be very, very good to him.

The Spurs were dealt their worst loss in two years, 110-84 to the Magic Wednesday night, but Ginobili continued his climb back to the status he once held, which will make him an attractive target for all those teams with salary cap space that strike out on the biggest stars.

After LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer and Amar'e Stoudemire are gone -- and most likely will re-sign with their current teams -- Ginobili will be the next one standing in line.

"I'm feeling great. I'm confident, attacking the rim. I'm getting around people again. I'm better

than ever at finding my teammates,'' he said after Wednesday night's loss.

"Something has clicked.''

Ginobili, 32, struggled through much of the first half this season, raising red flags after he ended last season early with a stress fracture of his right ankle.

The summer before, he sustained a bad ankle sprain at the Olympics.

Until the All-Star break, he was looking like damaged goods, which wasn't a good sign in his contract year. He is making $10.7 million this season.

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NHL's Latest Cheapshot: Lee Stempniak Talks About Getting Traded, James Wisniewski Headhunts Brent Seabrook Fitting In With the Coyotes Adam Gretz (FanHouse Main)

Christopher Botta (FanHouse Main)

Submitted at 3/18/2010 3:05:00 AM

Submitted at 3/17/2010 5:20:00 PM

Filed under: Blackhawks, Ducks On the eve of a potential grudge match between Pittsburgh and Boston, the National Hockey League was provided another senseless illustration of headhunting that momentarily left a standout player senseless.

Anaheim's James Wisniewski crushed Chicago's Brent Seabrook into the end glass at 2:22 of the teams' game on Wednesday night in Anaheim.

As Wisniewski left his feet and drove Seabrook's head into the glass with his arms, the Blackhawks and Team Canada defenseman looked concussed as his legs gave out and he crumbled to the ice. Seabrook later skated on his own to the Chicago bench but did not

return to the game. A team spokesman called it an "upper body injury."

Wisniewski's hit appeared to be retribution for a check Seabrook leveled Anaheim forward Corey Perry with just a few seconds earlier. Seabrook, however, did not have the puck and was in a vulnerable position. The NHL will review the play and a suspension for Wisniewski is very possible.

Filed under: Coyotes, FanHouse Exclusive As hockey fans and media, we're always coming up with hypothetical trades and tossing around countless rumors -- some more accurate and legitimate than others -- involving nearly every player in the league. It's what we do. And it's easy to forget that the players we're moving around North America at the drop of a hat are people with everyday lives. It's part of the job, of course, and it comes with the territory for these guys. But if you've ever moved, even a short distance, you know how much of a time-consuming, and even stressful event it can be.

Just as an example, about three months ago I moved across town -- maybe two miles -- and I still have boxes I haven't

Majesco reports drop in Q1 profits JC Fletcher (Joystiq) Submitted at 3/18/2010 3:00:00 AM

This week, Majesco reported its earnings for its fiscal first quarter (which ended January unpacked. Now, imagine that 31). As you may have surmised you're somebody like Lee from the recent news of its Stempniak, and on March 3 -- potential Nasdaq delisting, trade deadline day -- you are things aren't precisely where informed that you've been Majesco would want them to be, traded from Toronto to Phoenix. financially. Its net profit for the You have 24 hours to pick up q u a r t e r w a s $ 3 . 8 m i l l i o n , and move the 2,200 miles and s h o w i n g a y e a r - o v e r - y e a r be ready to play a game the next decline compared to Q1 2009's $4.2 million profit. night.

Sounds like chaos, doesn't it?

MAJESCO page 61

Around the Net In Media: CNN Taps Conservative Blogger For 'King' (MediaPost | Media News) Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:25:30 PM

Conservative commentator Erick Erickson, editor of RedState.com, will join CNN as a political contributor, appearing

weeknights on "John King, USA," which launches on Monday, and other programs across the network.

Sam Feist, CNN political director and vice president of Washington-based

programming, calls Erickson "a perfect fit for 'John King, USA' because not only is he an agenda -setter whose words are closely watched in Washington, but as a person who still lives in smalltown America, Erick is in touch

with the very people John hopes PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, to reach," said Feist. "He will Term Extraction. add an important voice to CNN's ideologically diverse group of political contributors."

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MAJESCO continued from page 60

Square Enix brings overpriced photos of Final Fantasy XIII to the iPhone Andrew Yoon (Joystiq) Submitted at 3/18/2010 1:30:00 AM

Imagine all the epic battles of Final Fantasy XIII in the palm of your hand! In fact, using your imagination is pretty much the only thing you can do with this new App. Square Enix is proud to present an exclusive version of Final Fantasy XIII for your iPhone and iPod Touch that lets you zoom in on Lightning, Snow and the rest of the gang. See your favorite characters in dramatic poses, as they prepare for battles in the most stylish way possible. Yes, for only$8.99 you'll be able to download a small collection of

still images to peruse.

But wait -- there's more! Not only can you look at pictures; you'll be able to bring up a calendar and a clock. In fact, you can look at images at the same time as the clock. That functionality makes this truly a "Larger-than-Life" experience.

Download it today!

FINAL FANTASY XIII Larger -than-Life Gallery ($8.99): Square Enix brings overpriced photos of Final Fantasy XIII to the iPhone originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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However, the slightly smaller Q1 still seems big enough to make Majesco happy. "Majesco had a very solid first quarter driven by strong holiday sales of our Cooking Mama franchise," CEO Jesse Sutton said, "which once again delivered impressive results, and Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel."

Yes, that's right, some of you bought something with the word "Squeakquel" on it.

"Our results were in-line with our internal expectations and we remain on track to deliver improved profitability for 2010," he added. "We have

made significant progress in fine tuning our strategy to meet the challenges of the current operating environment." The latest announcement from Majesco, of course, is another extension of the Cooking Mama franchise, Crafting Mama.

Majesco reports drop in Q1 profits originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Melanie Fiona Gives a Private Show Before Touring With Alicia Keys ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 3/17/2010 2:17:46 PM

Grammy-nominated MELANIE page 62 R&B

Around the Net In Media: World Cup Nearly A Sellout For Univision (MediaPost | Media News)

include broadcast networks Univision and Telefutura and cable channel Galavision. The Univision Communications is games are also being streamed nearing the final stretch of its live online, and Univision also 2010 FIFA World Cup sales has radio outlets to package into efforts. "We are past 90% in deals. sales," said David Lawenda, Univision has deals with Cocapresident advertising sales, Cola Co., Verizon, T-Mobile, commenting on the month long Budweiser and McDonalds. global soccer competition, Other sponsors are expected to which begins June 11 in host reveal their participation soon. nation South Africa. The event Univision's sales team began is sold in strips across the selling the event soon after NBC company's three outlets, which closed its Beijing Olympic Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:25:20 PM

coverage back in mid-2008. By last June, sales stood at 65%.

While Univision is not discussing ad revenue at this stage, the 2006 FIFA World Cup netted Univision in the region of $180 million, according to reports.

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MELANIE continued from page 61

songstress Melanie Fiona kicks off her tour with Alicia Keys at Madison Square Garden tonight.

But last night, she performed at a more intimate affair: a private acoustic concert to benefit nonprofit Music Unites (Fiona serves as ambassador for the organization’s newly launched Empowering Women Through Music initiative). Guests packed into the penthouse of the Cooper Square Hotel to watch Fiona—sporting an eye-catching bracelet she designed with Jules Smith’s Gina Nigrelli for the occasion—play stripped-down versions of “Give It To Me Right,” “It Kills Me,” and forthcoming single “Ay Yo.” So, what was her reaction when

she found out she was Keys’ tourmate? “I was a little overwhelmed. I really wanted to be on a major tour—one that I thought would spotlight my music in the best way possible with an artist that I really love.

When her management told me that they chose me, I was kind of in shock. I wanted to tweet about it and tell everybody, but I was just like, okay, I’m going to wait for them to announce it so I can make sure it’s real.” And what is the “Empire State of Mind” singer like to work with?

“Humble, down to earth, talented, gracious, a positive spirit,” Fiona said. “She welcomed me into her family of musicians like I’d been there for

years. It’s a really great feeling as a new artist.” Who else tops Fiona’s list of collaborators?

“I’d love to work with Sade,” she told me. “Her new album is a testament to how strongly I feel about the beauty and strength and talent of women, and she’s come back after all these years better than ever.

She’s a legend.”

— Erin Clements Photo: Getty Images Follow ELLE on Twitter.

Become our Facebook fan!

avoid the IMF in the process but today a German gov’t official said only the IMF has “the instruments to push for Greece to restore its capital markets access” if they end up needing it. The fear of the IMF is the tough austerity program they would expect and the stigma attached to the bailout. In response, Greek stocks are down for the 5th day in the last 6, lower by 3%, 5 yr CDS are wider by 10 bps, 10 yr bond yields are up by 13 bps and the 2 yr yield is up by 30 bps. The euro is lower too.

Feb CPI was flat m/o/m, .1%

less than expected but the core rate was right in line up, .1%.

Keeping a lid on the headline CPI was a 1.4% drop in gasoline prices which have since reversed higher. AAA last night said the avg gallon of gasoline rose to $2.88, the highest since Oct ‘08. Owners Equivalent Rent, 24 % of CPI, was flat and this component has helped to subdue CPI as landlords lose pricing power in this environment. Apparel prices fell .7% but vehicle prices rose .4%.

The y/o/y gain in CPI is 2.1% and 1.3% at the core. The headline reading is now in line

American-Israeli relations: Where did all the love go?

(The Economist: News analysis) Submitted at 3/17/2010 10:25:44 AM

American-Israeli relations Barack Obama has lost patience with Israel. But neither side dares risk a break-up Mar 17th 2010 | JERUSALEM AND WASHINGTON, DC | From The Economist print edition IT HAS been like a lovers’ tiff without the love—quickly tamped down but with none of

the kissing and making up, and no soothing of the underlying rage. As Palestinian violence flared in Jerusalem, Barack Obama’s secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said through gritted teeth on March 16th that Israel and America enjoyed “a close, unshakable bond”. On the same day Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, claimed he had been “flagrantly misquoted” in a widely reported AMERICAN-ISRAELI page 63

All the news Peter Boockvar (The Big Picture) Submitted at 3/18/2010 5:57:05 AM

Just when we thought the Greece financing fire was temporarily out, some embers still exist and it’s causing more uncertainty. The next issue Greece must tackle outside of implementing its own deficit plan is to set up a financing backstop in case they have difficulty in rolling over upcoming maturities which are rather large in the next two months. The hope was an EU agreement to provide it and to

with what the TIPS market has priced in over the next 5-10 years, about 2.2%. The Fed will take comfort in this data (however flawed) but what they are missing right now is the asset inflation their cheap money policy is causing all over again with the question only when, not if, it shows up in consumer price inflation statistics.

Initial Jobless Claims totaled 457k, 2k higher than expected but down from 462k last week.

The 4 week average moved down to 471k from 476k.

Continuing Claims rose by 12k

and were 57k above forecasts.

After moderating last week, Extended Benefits (data delayed by 2 weeks) rose a net 353k to a new high in this cycle. Thus, while initial claims have stabilized, the pace of new hiring’s is just not enough to absorb those new filings and today’s data on those who are still receiving extended benefits is discouraging.

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AMERICANcontinued from page 62

leak that he had called the quarrel the worst crisis between the allies for 35 years.

It is nonetheless plain that relations between Israel and the Obama administration are indeed in crisis. The spark was last week’s approval by Israel’s interior ministry of 1,600 new homes in Ramat Shlomo, a Jewish suburb in East (Palestinian) Jerusalem. This coincided not only with a visit

by Vice-President Joe Biden but also with the eve of the “proximity talks” America had at last persuaded Mahmoud Abbas to enter with Binyamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister. Mr Biden is known for his affection towards Israel but took the announcement as a gratuitous insult. So did Mrs Clinton, who on March 12th berated Mr Netanyahu for three-quarters of an hour on the phone. She reportedly told Mr Biden to “condemn” the announcement rather than merely “express concern”.

Friends have spats, but this seems to be more than that.

America has not simply accepted Mr Netanyahu’s prompt apology. Opinion in the administration is said to be divided. Mr Biden himself and many State Department officials, together with George Mitchell, who was to have

supervised the now-stalled proximity talks, advised cooling things down. But, whether out of rage or calculation, Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton preferred to escalate.

On television last Sunday David Axelrod, the president’s chief policy adviser, called Israel’s announcement an “affront” and an “insult”—extraordinary language in exchanges with an ally. And notwithstanding that “unshakable bond”, Mrs Clinton is insisting that Mr Netanyahu must comply with a string of fresh demands. These reportedly include shelving the building plans, avoiding new provocations, agreeing to talk about “core issues” such as Jerusalem in the proximity talks, and offering a new concession, the details of which are not yet clear, to the Palestinian side.

In a confrontation with its superpower patron, must Israel blink first? Perhaps not. “No government of Israel for the last 40 years has agreed to place restrictions on building in Jerusalem,” Mr Netanyahu told the Knesset on March 15th, eliding the distinction between building in all-Jewish suburbs (albeit in territory internationally recognised as Palestinian) and forcibly inserting Jewish settlers into Palestinian suburbs, which he

encourages or at least condones.

Tensions in the city spilled over on March 16th in a splurge of rioting. There are plans for more building projects in many of the Jewish suburbs. Mr Netanyahu would be hard put to stop them and survive politically.

As for Mr Obama, a president in a titanic struggle over health reform may find it dangerous to inflame the Israel lobby. By the time Israel’s ambassador at last denied having called this the worse crisis for 35 years, Israel’s friends had rallied to its side. The America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) called on the administration to address differences with Israel privately, “in a manner befitting strategic allies”.

Many in Congress echoed the sentiment. Senator Joe Lieberman, who caucuses with the Democrats, said he found the public scolding “very troubling”. Mrs Clinton and Mr Netanyahu are due to attend AIPAC’s conference next week, as are nearly half the members of Congress. AIPAC, it is true, no longer has the field to itself.

A newish and doveish pro-Israel lobby group with rising resonance, J Street, urged Mr Obama to push at once for redrawing Israel’s borders on the 1967 lines, with mutually agreed land swaps. But the new organisation is still a tiddler, and

the White House knows that more than six out of ten Americans sympathise more with Israel than with the Palestinians, a proportion that has risen sharply since the terror attacks on America of September 11th 2001.

How to handle Bibi?

Since becoming prime minister for a second time in 2009, Mr Netanyahu has struggled to befriend Mr Obama and enlist his help against Iran while presiding over a coalition dominated by ultranationalist and religious parties. One school of thought holds that Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton escalated their reaction to the Biden insult in order to make Mr Netanyahu abandon his rightist allies and tread the American path to peace; some say the president was waiting for a chance to destabilise him to force his replacement by someone more emollient. A rival theory is that there is no plan: Ramat Shlomo simply ignited the rage that has smouldered in Mr Obama’s breast since Mr Netanyahu refused his call last year for a total freeze on settlements, forcing Mr Mitchell to waste nearly a year niggling for a temporary compromise.

Aaron David Miller, a veteran State Department negotiator now at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for

Scholars, is one of those who suspect the administration has been driven more by anger than calculation and that its war of words could misfire. “If the president backs down, round two also goes to Netanyahu,” he says. “The administration has created a problem for itself and I’m not sure how they climb down unless Bibi himself helps them.” But patching over the underlying tensions will be hard.

In testimony to a Senate committee this week, General David Petraeus, hero of Iraq and America’s commander in the wider Middle East, said the unsolved conflict in Palestine was fomenting antiAmericanism in the wider region. An obvious point, perhaps; but yet another reason why the love is draining out of a special relationship.

Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views.

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Europe.view: Incompetent visionaries (The Economist: Daily columns)

shock of a Soviet republic voting to secede showed that the Soviet Union was finished. It Submitted at 3/18/2010 1:41:25 AM made talk of a sovereign and Europe.view Twenty years after independent Russia seem real, d e c l a r i n g i n d e p e n d e n c e , not fanciful.

Lithuania is discovering the Lithuanian leaders’ practical value of pragmatism abilities have not always Mar 18th 2010 | From The matched their vision. Policy Economist online changes like flat taxes, currency LITHUANIA thinks big. In the reform and privatisation came days of the late lamented Grand slower than in the other two Duchy, it stretched from the Baltic states. Foreign policy has Baltic to the Black Sea. That been brave but clumsy. In 2006was in the 12th century. But its 07 Lithuania repeatedly brought ability to grasp the big picture the business of the European remains. This is why, on March Union to a halt to try to bring 11th 1990, the newly elected attention to escalating conflict in Supreme Soviet of the G e o r g i a . T h a t w a s Lithuanian Soviet Socialist prescient—but communicated Republic voted unilaterally to with amateurishness. restore the country’s pre-war All post-independence Vilnius independence, with immediate governments have had trouble effect. with Poland. Despite centuries That horrified most outsiders, of common history, ties between who were more concerned about the countries are oddly twitchy. keeping Mikhail Gorbachev in Poles, more mindful of their power in the Soviet Union and own suffering than that of his hardline rivals out of it. It others, forget that from a also displeased Estonia and Lithuanian point of view they Latvia. Their big population of can seem like a bullying cultural Soviet-era migrants made them hegemon. Lithuanians, also want to take things more slowly: prone to introversion, have Lithuania was 80% Lithuanian never delivered on repeated i n 1 9 8 9 , w h e r e a s e t h n i c promises to sort out arcane Latvians were almost a minority disputes about spelling and in their own country. property rights affecting the But in retrospect Lithuania’s country’s ethnic Poles, who move was right. The seismic number nearly a tenth of the

population. (For example, may they write their names with Polish letters such as “” “” and “”, or are they restricted to the Lithuanian alphabet?) That is all the odder given the avowed pragmatism of Lithuania’s foreign policy under Dalia Grybauskaite (pictured, above), the country’s steely and popular president, who was elected last year.

More typical of Ms Grybauskaite’s approach was the conspicuous absence of Georgia’s president, Mikheil Saakashvili, from the celebrations to mark the anniversary of the March 11th vote. Mr Saakashvili’s cause has long been championed by Lithuania. The official line from the president’s palace is that only heads of state from neighbouring countries and fellow EU members were invited. That meant invitations (not accepted) for Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev and Alyaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus, but not for the leader of Georgia. (At an open-air concert, David Bakradze, the speaker of Georgia’s parliament, gained an enthusiastic reception, suggesting that public and official approaches differ.)

Lithuania has paid a high price for its past approach of

principled incompetence; the desire for a quiet life now is understandable. Ms Grybauskaite reckons that good relations with EU partners like France and Germany are vital.

She wants to visit Russia soon, too (though not until after the May 9th Stalin-tinged celebrations of the Soviet victory in 1945). She thinks that boycotting the Belarusian autocrat is futile. The government hopes to rein in some of her more headstrong tendencies, but agrees broadly that pragmatism is the way ahead.

Is it too much to hope that this approach could clear up the row with Poland? That could bring the Baltic states into the emerging, Polish-led, Central European alliance around the old Visegrad grouping. A strong Polish-Lithuanian alliance has served Europe well in the past.

It could do so again.

Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views.

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Hey Bezos! Fix Your eejit Pro-kindle AntiAuthor Book Reviews!

Barry Ritholtz (The Big Picture) Submitted at 3/17/2010 2:15:04 PM

As mentioned Monday, I found The Big Short discussion on 60 Minutes quite interesting. I went over to Amazon to check out the book — and was stunned at the very low review ratings for a book that had yet to be released.

At the time, there were but 7 reviews. I clicked through a few a One Star ratings, and saw some jackass had written the following: “Watched the interview on 60 minutes last night could not wait to order the book this morning on my kindle. Your loss.”

My response to the dolt reviewer: “The book isn’t even out yet — and because the publisher has yet to release the kindle edition, you give the book a 1 star rating? An author spends 2 years researching and writing — important enough of a subject that 60 Minutes does a piece on it. What sort of creep dismisses 2 years of someone’s work because their infantile demands could not be satisfied THIS SECOND? There are now 77 reviews, and 41 are one star reviews for kindle related issues. Most of these brain damaged eejits who HEY page 65

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SEC: Regulatory Capture Hard at Work Barry Ritholtz (The Big Picture) Submitted at 3/18/2010 4:13:34 AM

The WSJ is reporting that back in 2003, the SEC tried to remove the restrictions on compromised security analysts that tried to prevent them from whoring out recommendations for banking business.

Similar to the prostitution of the ratings agencies, the SEC somehow thought it was okay for iBanks to fuck their stock buying investors, just so long as they got paid enough in banking fees to justify the screwing.

WSJ: The Securities and Exchange Commission joined 12 Wall Street firms in seeking to scrap a

key portion of a landmark 2003 deal that put strict curbs on stock analysts, a move that could heighten the ongoing debate about a broad overhaul of the financial-regulatory system.

In a ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III in New York rejected a proposed change to the legal settlement put in place to end abuses on Wall Street. The proposal would have allowed employees in investmentbanking and research departments at Wall Street firms to “communicate with each other…outside of the presence” of lawyers or compliancedepartment officials responsible for policing employee conduct—an activity strictly

prohibited by the settlement.

Thank goodness for the judge.

This is utterly contemptible.

Like the last scene in Spartacus, I want to see a row of heads on pikes, and crucifixions stretching from Washington DC to Wall Street. I am beyond disgusted. > Source: SEC Tried to Ease Curbs WSJ, MARCH 17, 2010

Research Brief: Generational Mix Reveals Shopping Similarities and Differences (MediaPost | Media News)

group definitions. The report assists by noting that a "Generation" is a group of While The Research Brief has contemporaries; all of the been looking at Boomers and people who were born during Millenials in the last two weeks, the same period, considered as a T o d d H a l e , S e n i o r V i c e group, having shared interests P r e s i d e n t , N i e l s e n h a s and attitudes: assembled an overview of the • Greatest Generation: born shopping and media habits of prior to 1946 (64 + years of the last four generations, helping age in 2009) marketers fill in the gaps. This • Boomers: 1946 - 1964 (ages recent Nielsen analysis of the 45 to 63) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB four key generations revealed • Gen X: 1965 - 1976 (33 to 44) 10001424052748704743404575 g e n e r a t i o n a l l y c o n s i s t e n t • Millennials: 1977 - 1994 (15 128122174622274.html shopping habits that reflect to 32) Five Filters featured article: diverse lifestyle preferences and Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: economic habits.

The Greatest Generation PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Always helpful in considering Term Extraction.

RESEARCH page 65 groups is a refresher on the Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:15:27 AM

HEY

RESEARCH

continued from page 64

continued from page 65

won’t understand this, but Amazon sure as hell should: Authors do not control when the Kindle version comes out any more than they do when the paperback is released.

Publishers typically release a kindle version sometime AFTER the hardcover. My book, Bailout Nation, was released May 26, 2009, and the kindle edition came out sometime in the Fall . . . the paperback is due June 28, 2010.

As an author, you have

precisely ZERO control over these dates.

Considering the 1 star ratings/complaints about the Kindle edition were posted BEFORE THE BOOK was even released, they are utterly absurd.

Amazon needs to step up and delete these non-reviews of books. At the very least, they should not count in the book’s star ratings. (And as commentors have suggested, they should require a purchase prior to any reviews).

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That’s the equivalent of giving a movie a bad review because the popcorn concession in the lobby was out of butter.

These pro-kindle, anti-author reviews are completely unfair to the writer. A review is supposed to be about the book, not the publishers format release schedule.

If Amazon wants to be a fair vendor of books, they need to delete these idiotic, pro-kindle, fan boy reviews. Is Amazon a fair arbiter of this, or has their

mad kindle lust blinded them to what is right?

Hey Jeff Bezos ! Please show me my trust in Amazon is not misplaced! Fix these damned reviews Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

members, shaped by the Great Depression and World War II frugality, are the most frequent shoppers and more deal prone than other age segments. Highearning Boomers have the largest annual dollar spend per household of any group, followed by GenX. Millennials don't like to waste time in-store, shopping less often than other age cohorts but buying more per trip as a result: • Millennial and Gen X RESEARCH page 66

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RESEARCH continued from page 65

shoppers favor mass supercenters and mass merchandisers over more traditional formats like grocery or drug stores, which remain a draw for the Greatest Generation and Boomers. • Millennials topped the basket value list at grocery stores and mass supercenters • Gen X takes top spending honors at m as s merchandisers and drug stores. • Millennials represent the largest population segment at 76 million, slightly larger in number than the Boomer segment.

The two groups together represent half of the U.S. population.

generations showed significant gaps between the gaps. For these selected categories, Boomers spent the most on pet food, followed by carbonated beverages and wine. Pet food also topped the list for Gen X, with carbonated beverages a close second, and baby food in third position. Millennials and their young families placed baby food in the top spot, followed by carbonated beverages and pet food.

Selected "Big Gap" Annual Spending Categories(Annual Dollars Per Household) Category Greatest Generation Boomers Gen X Certain store banners hold a Millenials unique appeal, and Target is at Baby food the head of that retailing class $34 for the younger generations, $58 with a hip, trendy image, a $127 s t r o n g v a l u e m e s s a g e , $170 whimsical advertising; strong, Carbonated beverages pop art in-store merchandising 97 and a roster of high profile 140 designers, says the report.

134 Gen X and Millennials both 116 patronize Target more often Cereal than other age cohorts, but also 65 outspend them at Target, as well 76 a s a t c o m p e t i t i v e m a s s 92 merchandisers like Kmart and 87 Walmart.

Detergents An analysis of a selected 46 sample of categories where 56 there were big differences in 59 a n n u a l s p e n d a c r o s s t h e 49

Hair care 28 40 45 36 Ice cream 41 39 34 28 Pet food 198 211 148 112 Vitamins 107 85 58 52 Wine 124 125 78 61 Source: The Nielsen Company The Greatest Generation is less likely to enjoy shopping than any other age cohort, with the most respondents rating shopping as a chore, and yet also the most likely to walk up and down each aisle on a shopping trip, extending their time in-store.

Conversely, the Millennial generation, who makes the fewest trips to virtually any format, really likes shopping.

On a typical mission, they know how to find what they need and are less likely to shop the entire

store. Engaging this "in and out" shopper could extend their time in stores and get them to shop more aisles.

The study determined that shoppers in these economic times are proving to be rational consumers with more than half relying on shopping lists and consistently comparing the unit price for a product. Other ways consumers attempt to eke value out of a shopping trip include using the store circular to identify sale items and redeeming coupons.

While Gen X and Millennials claimed the highest coupon redemption rates and were among the most likely to use shopping lists for most trips, they also admitted to making the most unplanned purchases on their shopping excursions.

Younger shoppers tended to bring children with them more often than others, were less likely to ask for advice from meat or produce department personnel and, in the case of Millennials, very likely to bring another adult along on most outings.

When asked how the economic downturn had impacted meal time, more than 40% of respondents mentioned consuming fewer carry-out or home-delivered meals, or increasing the use of private label foods. One-third or more of those surveyed now

incorporate more basic ingredients in meals and buy the produce that is in season, fresher and less expensive.

Consistently across the generations, people turned to cookbooks, the Internet and television for recipe ideas and less expensive in-home entertainment as budgetconserving options. Millennials were the most wired into the Internet, while Gen X favored cooking programs and the Greatest Generation paged through cookbooks.

On average, the typical American consumes more than 35 hours of media per week across TV, Internet and mobile.

As smartphones redefine customer media interaction, they present enormous potential for generating buzz around products, delivering timely product info and coupon codes, and building community through brand advocacy, concludes the report.

For more from the study, including charts and graphs, please visit the NielsenWire here.

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Americans Firm in Prioritizing Economy Over Environment

Ed Markey Launches Bill to Give Consumers Access to Power Consumption

(All Gallup Headlines)

info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines)

Submitted at 3/17/2010 8:00:00 PM

Copyright © 2010 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gallup®, A 8™, Business Impact Analysis™, CE 11®, Clifton StrengthsFinder®, the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder theme names, Customer Engagement Index™, Drop Club®, Emotional Economy™, Employee Engagement Index™, Employee Outlook Index™, Follow This Path™, Gallup Brain®, Gallup Consulting®, Gallup Management Journal®, GMJ®, Gallup Press®, Gallup Publishing™, Gallup Tuesday Briefing®, Gallup University®, HumanSigma®, I 10™, L 3™,

PrincipalInsight™, Q 12®, SE 25™, SF 34®, SRI®, Strengths Spotlight™, Strengths-Based Selling™, StrengthsCoach™, StrengthsFinder®, StrengthsQuest™, TeacherInsight™, The Gallup Path®, and The Gallup Poll® are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. These materials are provided for noncommercial, personal use only. Reproduction prohibited without the express permission of Gallup, Inc. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

greatly improve the business opportunities for the companies above. Right now, those Submitted at 3/17/2010 3:32:06 PM companies don't actually have Congressional Representative real time access to consumer Ed Markey, one of the sponsors data. Microsoft's Hohm builds a of the omnibus energy bill that's computerized simulation of your remains in legislative limbo, has house and then tells you what introduced the e-Know bill that you should be consuming. proposed to secure the privacy Demand response companies, of individuals as well as give the and some companies working access to their daily power on smart meter trials, do get to consumption. use real time data, but all of The bill follows a broadband t h o s e s e r v i c e s a r e r u n i n strategy unfurled by the Federal conjunction with the utilities.

Communications Commission This bill would free this data that goes into detail on how from the tight control of the energy will become a larger part utilities and only 35 percent had of the Internet. plans to open up that data to A lot of what Markey talks c o n s u m e r s , a c c o r d i n g t o about could be music to the M a r k e y . likes of Microsoft, Google, The California Public Utilities Intel, Cisco and the many start- Commission has hearings on ups that hope to get into energy this same subject slated for management. The bill proposes Friday. a p l a n t h a t w o u l d a l l o w Whether or not you think this is customers access to information good or bad depends on your about their power consumption perspective. Could it save in real time. energy? Sure. Will third parties A r e c o n s u m e r s g o i n g t o move faster than utilities? Yes. constantly ping the web to see if B u t a r e u t i l i t i e s a l r e a d y their power bills are climbing? organizing efforts to reduce Probably not after a few days of p o w e r c o n s u m p t i o n ? Y e s . trying it, but the data will PG&E is contemplating plans to

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give homeowners data on a day delay. Should we really change energy policies so Microsoft, Apple and Google can hawk more products to the American public?

“With my e-KNOW bill and a new, American-built Smart Grid, the same people who work on killer apps for an iPhone will now help you know how much energy you use from your iFridge, iStove, or IToaster," Markey's office asks. What? No iNeon Hamm's Beer Clock in the Den? Is there a provision that will force third party companies to compensate utilities for gathering and retaining this data so they can sell iFridges? Don't forget: many big utilities are shareholder owned. It's not publicly-subsidized data like the numbers from the Census Bureau. Who is liable for security breaches?

It's not so cut and dried. The debate should be interesting.

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Shortage of Rare Earth Minerals May Cripple U.S. High-Tech, Scientists Warn Congress Jeremy Hsu (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)

Laboratory in Iowa, called for the creation of a National Research Center on Rare Earths and Energy as well as a National Submitted at 3/17/2010 12:47:12 PM On the sunnier side, rare earths Research Center for Magnetic could power a future generation Cooling. of clean tech Magnetic refrigeration is a hot All those hybrid and electric new area for energy-efficient, cars, wind turbines and similar green technology that can clean tech innovations may handle cooling and climate count for nothing if the U.S. control. Cooling below room cannot secure a supply of rare temperature currently takes up earth minerals. Ditto for other 15 percent of all the energy advanced telecommunications consumed in the U.S., but the or defense technologies, rise of magnetic refrigeration scientists told a U.S. House could slash that by 5 percent. subcommittee.

Given all the energy problems China has supplied 91 percent with keeping massive data of U.S. consumption of rare "The United States, not so long rare earth market, and that s o l a r c e l l s a n d o t h e r centers cool in the Information earths between 2005 and 2008, ago, was the world leader in Chinese manufacturers had also technologies that don't require Age, we also imagine that and continues to represent the producing and exporting rare forced most U.S. rare earth and rare earths, partly because of the Google and other companies w o r l d ' s l a r g e s t r a r e e a r t h earths," said Brad Miller, the p e r m a n e n t m a g n e t dangers of relying too much m i g h t w e l c o m e m a g n e t i c exporter. But the Chinese have Democratic Representative from manufacturers out of business. upon foreign suppliers. refrigeration with open arms. warned that their own domestic North Carolina and chairman of Rare earth magnets represent a But there's also opportunity That is, as long as the U.S. can industry appetite for rare earths the subcommittee. "Today, major component in Toyota's from investing in rare earths, secure its own domestic rare may eventually force them to China is the world's leader." Prius hybrid and other clean besides avoiding a supply chain e a r t h s u p p l y o r f i n d n e w stop exporting -- an action that Experts testified that China's tech. problem. Karl Gschneidner Jr., a o v e r s e a s s u p p l i e r s . would leave the U.S. high-tech state-owned mines had set Companies such as IBM have senior metallurgist at the U.S. industries crippled without other artificially low prices for the also begun investing in new Department of Energy's Ames readily available supplies.

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Video: Fastest Book Scanner Ever Captures Flipping Pages with High-Speed Camera Jeremy Hsu (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) Submitted at 3/18/2010 6:53:59 AM

The technology blows away the competition by scanning 200 pages a minute A new super-fast bookscanning technology could make publishers cringe even more than when they heard about Google Book Search. A University of Tokyo researcher has developed a "book flipping scanning" method that does exactly what it sounds like, digitizing 200 pages per minute, according to IEEE Spectrum.

The Japanese researchers hope to enable a digital library for Japanese manga comics.

The scanner's camera runs at 500 frames per second, and captures rapidly flipping book pages in two modes. First, a regular line shines on the page to capture text and images. The second mode then manages neat the trick of reconstructing the

curved, distorted pages in their original form. A laser device projects lines onto each page that the system can use to recreate the 3-D page model and correct the deformed lines.

Google's own proprietary bookscanning technology seems to use some sort of infrared camera to capture the 3-D shape of book pages, but the book lies flat and the page-turning mechanism is unclear. Other book scanners

boast of capturing about 50 pages per minute, which is four times slower than the new method.

Masatoshi Ishikawa -- the University of Tokyo researcher behind the book-scanning marvel -- previously developed the fastest robot hands in the East, so he's probably not too worried about tiring out human hands by flipping book pages.

Miniaturized versions of this

technology could eventually find their way into our smartphones for completely legal digitizing delights. Or it might combine with the robot hands to bring Short Circuit's Johnny 5 to life. [via IEEE Spectrum]

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DARPA Wants Roving 'Smart Cameras' That Understand What They See Clay Dillow (Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)

and reasoning about the verbs in those scenes, enabling a more complete narrative of action in the visual experience."

Submitted at 3/17/2010 2:16:33 PM The problem with surveillance Applications for such cameras is that they can see but technology abound, but they can't think, which means specifically DARPA mentions there always has to be a human the need for a smart camera that on the other end making can "report on activity in an area cognitive sense of what's right of observation." The agency in front of the camera. But if we sees such visual devices meshed machine vision with deployed on fixed surveillance visual intelligence, DARPA platforms, "camera_equipped argues in a solicitation for its perch-and-stare micro air new "Mind's Eye" program, we vehicles" and unmanned ground c o u l d r e m o v e t h e h u m a n learned concepts to them is duplicate in machines. vehicles. But if the technology element from myriad tasks. i n n a t e . W e c a n u s e o u r Machines, DARPA argues, is such that it can do all the In essense, DARPA wants a imagination to apply learned can't piece the entire mosaic of things DARPA wants it to, we smart camera that not only sees concepts to potential scenarios space together, perceiving only think they can do even better. what's in front of it, but thinks that haven't even taken place. the "nouns" in a given setting. [ DARPA via Danger Room] about what's going on and even These things are so easy to do "The focus of Mind's Eye is to what might happen next. we don't even think about them, add the perceptual and cognitive For humans, taking in our but they're very difficult to underpinnings for recognizing surroundings and applying

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to why the dust takes on the shapes that it does. Galaxy rotations create spiral patterns, gravity tugs every which way on dust and gas, and radiation from stars also pushes the dust around. Magnetic fields may also have a more subtle influence.

If that image has you excited, we'd recommend checking out an IMAX-sized cosmic flythrough of the universe, courtesy of Hubble 3D's Hubblegasm.

PLANCK page 71

Planck Satellite Illuminates Filaments of Cold Interstellar Dust Jeremy Hsu (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)

mission to study leftover radiation from the time of the theoretical Big Bang, or the beginning of the universe. The Submitted at 3/17/2010 1:34:15 PM Gosh, look at all those dark satellite launched alongside the materials ... I mean dust Herschel Space Observatory in Huge filaments or threads of 2009, and has since helped interstellar dust link to our astronomers understand both the Milky Way galaxy, seen as a origins of the universe and the bright pink horizontal in a new formation of galaxies. image taken by the European This latest image comes from Space Agency's Planck satellite. Planck's first all-sky survey at Planck is the first European microwave wavelengths, and

of degrees above absolute zero, while deeper colors represent dust at a chillier -261 degrees C -- just 12 degrees above absolute zero.

Warmer dust appears in the plane of the Milky Way, and brighter spots in the image represent denser clumps where star nurseries may be forming.

Astronomers remain unsure as also uses data taken from the IRAS satellite. White-pink

colors represent dust with temperatures of just a few tens

PLANCK page 70

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PLANCK

Q-Cells Declares 2009 Loss of $1.8 Billion; CEO Resigns Amidst “Huge Loss of Confidence”

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Energy Efficiency: Can It Be a Common Ground? info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines)

the cut? What is the time frame?

How do we deal with this or that niche product? These questions Submitted at 3/17/2010 3:40:39 PM are just the beginning.

My fellow efficiency advocates In many cases, the sides are just and I have spent countless hours too far apart -- but sometimes, over the last year negotiating we can actually make a deal. with manufacturers of every And against the backdrop of a a p p l i a n c e a n d p i e c e o f revitalized DOE, we have equipment imaginable, trying to crossed the finish line on a host reach agreements on what the of products that are included in next energy standards will look S. 3059, the National Energy like. These standards set the Efficiency Enhancement Act of minimum level of efficiency 2010, which was the topic of a that every product covered must hearing in the Senate Energy m e e t t o b e s o l d a n d a r e committee recently. generally set by the Department This bill sets new consensus o f E n e r g y . S o m e t i m e s , efficiency standards for many a d v o c a t e s a n d i n d u s t r y products, many of which I have representatives can reach an blogged on before: agreement before DOE gets • Residential air conditioners i n v o l v e d , u s i n g c r e a t i v e • Residential furnaces solutions that may fall outside • Residential heat pumps the scope of a DOE rulemaking, • Heat pump pool heaters and on products that DOE does • Class A external power not yet cover. supplies Negotiations on these products • Street lights and parking lot go back and forth and get into lights the most obscure technical details. Where do we set the Huge, huge savings -- 70 bar? What products won't make million metric tons of CO2 per

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year and over 1.2 quads annually in 2030.

This isn't the only great bill being considered that we have worked hard on. S. 1696, The Green Gaming Act of 2009, directs DOE to conduct a study on video game console energy use and consider standards for these products.

Roughly 40% of homes in the U.S. have at least one video game console. These consoles vary widely in energy use -- the Nintendo Wii only uses around 20 watts when on, whereas the PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 consume up to 7 times as much energy, depending on the model you have purchased.

The energy-intensive consoles consume as much or more power to operate as many highend computers, except video game consoles do not automatically go to sleep and enter a low-power mode when left on. If you leave the XBOX 360 or PS3 on all the time, which a fair amount of users do, then you are looking at the

annual energy use equal to roughly two new refrigerators!

Lastly, S.3054, includes new standards for hot food-holding cabinets, hot tubs, and water dispensers. Hot food, hot tubs, and cold water, as Sen. Menendez said during the hearing, all obtained much more efficiently.

These bills are examples of what can be done in nearly every industry for energy efficiency. These manufacturers decided it was in their best interest to work with us to figure out how to make their products more efficient, with certainty on dates and levels, rather than starting a lobbying war against energy efficiency and all its benefits. Now that the ink is dry, we will all benefit.

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info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines) Submitted at 3/18/2010 4:59:55 AM

Leading German cell producer Q-Cells has gone from weakness after weakness over the last 12 months, and someone had to pay. As things turned out, it happened to be the man at the top. CEO Anton Milner quit his job last Thursday, citing a "huge loss of confidence" on account of the company's terrible 2009 results. The company declared a loss of 1.36 billion Euros ($1.84 billion) for 2009, compared to a net profit of 190 Euros (about $257 million) in 2008. It would be difficult to feign surprise at the outcome: the company had cut working hours for about 80 percent of its staff in April, later laid off 500 employees in August, and slashed its 2009 sales outlook no less than three times in six months. The question, however, remains: how did the number-one cell producer in the world in 2008 (see chart) virtually bleed itself dry? What follows is an attempt to provide some answers.

Cost Structure: Just Not Up to Scratch I was on a panel with Anton Milner at Intersolar Munich last Q-CELLS page 72

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May where we were asked to speak on the topic of " Targeting Grid Parity". Milner's talk, however, had little to do with the subject: he dismissed any discussion about cost reductions as a waste of time, claiming that these could safely be taken for granted. Instead, he placed responsibility solely on the shoulders of policymakers, talking about the need for drastic regulatory reform that would enable the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) goal of 12 percent penetration by 2020.

Listening to his grand proclamations, one had to wonder whether this was hubris born of self-delusion or just good old-fashioned spin. QCells had already suffered a significant loss in the first quarter of 2009 (391 million Euros, or $529 million), as demand for its cells had slumped even further than that of the global market. The reason? The very issue that Milner had so casually waved aside in his presentation -- cost reductions. More specifically, Q -Cells' inability to drive costs down to the levels of Asian pure -play cell producers such as JA Solar, E-Ton and DelSolar, as well as in-house cell producers like Suntech, Yingli, Trina, and Canadian Solar. The result is that the company is simply unable to price its cells at a competitive level with its Asian

competitors: its cell ASP in the third quarter of 2009 trended at around $1.50 per watt, compared to only $1.32 for competitor JA Solar. The company insisted that the "Made in Germany" cachet of their products would result in both a price premium and preference over what it perceived to be potentially unreliable Chinese cells. It turned out to be wrong: making crystalline silicon cells out of wafers isn't exactly rocket science. As a result, Q-Cells ended up losing considerable market share through 2009, and barely earned any gross margin on the cells it did manage to sell.

Complacency: Behind the Eight Ball The fact is that cost structures for European cell and module producers are by and large simply not competitive with those typically achieved by producers in low-cost locations.

Lower labor and utility costs that Asian manufacturers enjoy are only one factor; significant benefits also come from tax breaks and lower SG&A (selling, general, and administrative) costs in the developing world. It turns out that Q-Cells actually does have a manufacturing facility in a low -cost location, namely, a wafer/cell plant with an estimated capacity of 520 MW in Malaysia, where First Solar's CdTe plant is also located. As

the chart below indicates, cell conversion costs at the Malaysia fab, once fully ramped, are expected to be 30% lower than those at Q-Cell's German plant in Thalheim.

Unfortunately, the plant did not come online until mid-2009, and spent the better part of the rest of the year ramping up, meaning that its cost structure was not especially competitive at this time. This was much too late to fight off Chinese competition, even if -- as the industry originally anticipated -structural oversupply would manifest in 2009/2010 rather than late 2008.

On top of this, the company signed long-term wafer sourcing contracts in 2008 that eventually proved to be an albatross around its neck: when oversupply did come around and cheap wafers were available via the spot market, Q-Cells found itself paying about 20 cents a watt more for wafers than its competitors due to these "legacy effects" (see chart below).

Again, the Malaysia plant, which was designed to be an integrated wafer-cell facility, could have offered a measure of relief if it had ramped up in time. As a pure-play cell manufacturer in a market that was witnessing a continually growing Asian presence, it seems obvious that Q-Cells' business model would be extremely vulnerable in an

oversupply situation, begging the question as to why it lacked the foresight to bring the plant up to speed sooner than a year and a half after the market turn.

Its behavior can only be attributed to complacent thinking, i.e., that its established position in the market would see it through the early stages of such a market environment.

Half-Baked Investments Common sense dictates that a degree of technology diversification is a sound longterm strategy in PV manufacturing: the industry is still far from mature, and it remains uncertain which technology will eventually emerge as dominant. Investment in alternative technologies by a crystalline silicon-based firm therefore acts as a hedge against its core competence.

However, Q-Cells' actual strategy in this area has bordered on the ridiculous: over the past three years, it has spent huge sums of money investing in practically every PV technology under the sun. The list goes on and on: string ribbon (33% stake in Sovello/EverQ), CdTe (Calyxo), CIGS (Solibro), amorphous silicon (Sontor, now Sunfilm AG), flexible cells (VHF), the decision to source 30% of its 2009 feedstock needs from upgraded metallurgical silicon (UMG), and a planned $3.5 billion thin film manufacturing

complex in Mexico. Essentially, this amounts to placing a bet on every single horse in the race, regardless of each of their prospects. Considering that a return to abundant polysilicon supplies and "normal" polysilicon prices by 2009-2010 was widely predicted by analysts back in 2008, the company's bet on UMG at the time was particularly suspect.

Similar myopia was exhibited in the case of the string ribbon investment, whose value proposition hinges almost entirely on the cost of polysilicon. Both of these investments have backfired badly: Sovello, its string-ribbon JV with REC and Evergreen Solar, is on the verge of bankruptcy, and UMG has become practically worthless in a $50/kg polysilicon environment. Sunfilm, meanwhile, has been accorded a book value of zero, and the company has maintained pindrop silence as to the status of the Mexican thin film plant.

This cavalcade of half-baked investments has left deep scars on the company's balance sheet (to the tune of EUR 158 M for asset write-offs for Sovello and Sunfilm alone) -- and betrays a troubling lack of fiscal and strategic discipline.

Not Out of the Woods Yet Looking forward, the company Q-CELLS page 73

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Maine Joins EnerNoc’s Network

Q-CELLS continued from page 72

has taken a number of measures to rectify the situation. It is likely that most of the German production lines will be shut down permanently in favor of a Malaysian ramp (thus nullifying any "made in Germany" advantage the company had previously claimed).

Administrative and overhead cost reductions are also underway. Expensive legacy wafer contracts will roll off as the company sources its feedstock needs from the spot market (composed mostly of Chinese producers). And finally, it is also in negotiations to sell its stakes in Sovello and Sunfilm.

Still, it is difficult to shake the sense that the restructuring changes at Q-Cells have come too late in the game. Chinese producers have continued to expand capacity and lower costs aggressively in recent months; by the end of 2010, JA Solar should be able to convert a wafer into a cell for about 20 cents per watt, which may be out of Q-Cells' reach in the near future, and further price drops (Kiplinger Personal Finance) Investments Financial Services are on the way in the second The Best vs. The Bargains: The Best vs. The Bargains: half of 2010. Moreover, internal Buy the gold standard -- the Cars Travel confusion still abounds as to Qvery best that money can buy. The Best vs. The Bargains: The Best vs. The Bargains: Cells' future place in the solar Or, satisfy your "champagne Food and Wine Technology value chain. While Milner was taste" with these value-priced The Best vs. The Bargains: Investments GROWTH alternatives. Compare your R e a l E s t a t e a n d H o m e S T O C K S options in our slide shows I m p r o v e m e n t The contenders may have more organized by category (or read The Best vs. The Bargains: the text version below): Fashion GET page 74 The Best vs. The Bargains: The Best vs. The Bargains: info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines)

direct benefits will lower the cost of electricity to State facilities and the cost of Submitted at 3/17/2010 2:46:53 PM operating the State Demand response is on the g o v e r n m e n t . " move in New England.

In the state capitol of Augusta, The executive branch of the for example, four administrative state of Maine is the latest buildings expect to save more customer to get on board with than 200 kilowatts of electricity EnerNoc’s demand response by having the temperature network. The Boston-based adjusted on the chilled water company already has six Maine systems. Maine is expected to facilities enrolled, including expand the program over time. administrative buildings and EnerNoc’s customers are paid a correctional institutions. fee for reducing demand when Maine’s half-dozen facilities the grid is at peak capacity and joins more than 6,500 sites, get a drop in their power bill, from government buildings to while the company is paid by commercial spaces, that use utilities to curb power in those EnerNoc’s DemandSMART peak power situations. Maine network to manage power c u r r e n t l y e x p e c t s t o s e e consumption. approximately $74,000 in “ T h e S t a t e o f M a i n e ' s payments annually. p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n d e m a n d EnerNoc's customers include response is good for all Maine the city of Boston, the Salt River residents," Maine’s governor, Project in Arizona, Allegheny J o h n B a l d a c c i , s a i d i n a Power, Baltimore Gas and statement. "We are helping Electric, Delmarva Power and ensure a reliable grid and the Light Company, Idaho Power

Get the Best, Spend Less

and Potomac Electric Power Company.

Besides growing its power providers, EnerNoc is also busy expanding its offerings by scooping up other companies.

Most recently it bought Cogent Energy in December to accelerate the push into building management and it purchased eQuilibrium Solutions, a carbon accounting company, in 2008.

Historically, EnerNoc has garnered its revenue from demand response services but it is obviously looking to provide a greater suite of services.

EnerNoc reported$190.7 million in revenue for 2009, compared to $106.1 million for 2008. The company currently manages more than 3.5 gigawatts of power.

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hell-bent on growing the utilityscale project business of subsidiary Q-Cells International (QCI), interim CEO Nedim Cen has spoken of a "de-risking" strategy that favors residential system sales and module production, although how tabbing and stringing cells will contribute to a fundamental turnaround for the company is anybody's guess.

On the surface, Q-Cells may appear merely to be the highestprofile casualty of the market shift that affected most companies in 2009. However, it would be disingenuous for the company to blame its turn of fortunes purely on external factors: in large part, Q-Cells has been a victim of its own myopia, complacency, and lack of strategic focus. For a firm that once epitomized crystalline silicon PV, the road back to the top will be slow and arduous -and much soul-searching lies ahead.

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room to grow GOLD: Amazon.com (symbol AMZN). At $120, the king of online merchants trades for a rich 41 times estimated 2010 earnings.

VALUE: eBay ( EBAY). At $22, the electronic flea-market proprietor sells for just 13 times 2010 earnings.

TRADE-OFF: eBay hasn't matched Amazon's explosive growth.

GOLD: Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK-B). True, you can now buy the recently split Class B shares for $77. And at 1.3 times book value, Berkshire is well priced, though not a super bargain.

VALUE: Alleghany ( Y).

Considered a mini Berkshire, this holding company has heavy exposure to the insurance industry and, at $263, trades for 0.9 times book value.

TRADE-OFF: No Warren Buffett.

GOLD: Google ( GOOG). At $533, one share of the search giant costs as much as a new computer.

VALUE: Yahoo ( YHOO). At $15, one share of the Internetsearch industry's runner-up costs less than a decent bottle of wine.

TRADE-OFF: Yahoo has struggled to stem the bleeding of its market share to Google.

GOLD: Apple ( AAPL). You'll pay $200 per share, or 17 times estimated fiscal 2010 earnings, to invest in the purveyor of iPhones, iPods and iPads.

VALUE: Research In Motion ( RIMM). Shares of the BlackBerry maker go for $71, or 14 times estimated fiscal 2011 earnings.

TRADE-OFF: Research In Motion has no history of groundbreaking innovation.

MUTUAL FUNDS Better performance often comes down to fees GOLD: Vanguard 500 Index ( VFINX). The first index fund for the mass market, 500 has an admirable history of matching the record of Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. No more, no less.

VALUE: iShares S&P 500 Index ( IVV). Sorry, Vanguard, but the iShares exchange-traded fund is even cheaper than your flagship, charging just 0.09% in annual expenses compared with the Vanguard fund's 0.16% expense ratio.

TRADE-OFF: Without an online account with Fidelity, you pay commissions when you trade the ETF. GOLD: Pimco Total Return A ( PTTAX). To invest in the Class A shares of Total Return, run by star bond picker Bill Gross, you pay a 3.75% sales charge and 0.90% in annual fees.

VALUE: Harbor Bond Institutional ( HABDX). Same Bill Gross, lower fees. You'll pay no load and just 0.57% a year.

TRADE-OFF: Hard to see any.

GOLD: Royce Value (

RYVFX). Royce is a shop that specializes in the stocks of small, undervalued companies, and lead manager Whitney George has produced an outstanding record.

VALUE: Royce Focus Trust ( FUND). It isn't a perfect clone, but you get George's investment expertise at this closed-end fund. At a mid-February price of about $6, it traded at a 13% discount to the value of its underlying assets.

TRADE-OFF: Closed-end funds are complex, and discounts to asset value can get larger.

INFLATION HEDGE Commodities are a must-have for your portfolio GOLD: Gold(naturally). The yellow metal serves as an insurance policy against a drop in the dollar, as well as against political and economic uncertainty. To invest, buy an exchange-traded fund such as SPDR Gold Shares ( GLD).

VALUE: Palladium. Like platinum, this metal is used in catalytic converters. To invest, buy ETFS Physical Palladium Shares ( PALL).

TRADE-OFF: Palladium is cheaper than gold on a perounce basis but more volatile.

For broader exposure to commodities, we like PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking ( DBC), an ETF. DISCOUNT BROKERS Lesser-known firms offer cut-

rate commissions GOLD: Fidelity and Charles Schwab strike a good balance between price and service. Both give customers scads of investment options and research tools. And both recently cut commissions.

VALUE: Just2Trade charges $2.50 per online trade, SogoTrade charges $3 and TradeKing, $4.95. Zecco, which charges $4.50, allows ten free online transactions if you trade at least 25 times per month or have an account balance of $25,000 or more.

TRADE-OFF: You sacrifice the depth of research and range of investment options at Fidelity and Schwab.

Cars BUYING NEW You pay a premium for the name and for buying new GOLD: Mercedes-Benz E550($57,175). It has Benz's classic looks plus sharper handling and decent gas mileage.

VALUE: Hyundai Genesis 4.6($40,300). A smaller engine gives slightly better fuel economy than the E-class, and it has standard navigation and a better warranty.

TRADE-OFF: With the Hyundai, you give up the cachet of Euro luxe and such innovative extras as Attention Assist, which monitors drivers for drowsiness.

GOLD: Lexus RX 350($38,500). The redesigned

RX boasts a new suspension that improves handling and expands cargo space.

VALUE: Ford Edge SEL($31,195). It has more headroom and rear legroom than the Lexus and five years of roadside assistance (versus four years for the RX).

TRADE-OFF: The Ford has a shorter warranty and resale value is 43% after three years, versus 58% for the Lexus.

GOLD: Audi A6 3.0 Quattro($51,025). Smooth lines and classy interiors are Audi's signature, but the A6 goes further with high-tech safety features such as blind-spot monitoring.

VALUE: Volkswagen CC VR6 4Motion($41,220). The A6's corporate cousin also offers German driving dynamics, with more rear legroom and a fiveyear drivetrain warranty (one year longer than for Audis).

TRADE-OFF: The VW seats only four, has less cargo space than the Audi, and is more fuelthirsty.

NEW VERSUS USED CARS GOLD: 2010 BMW 328i($34,025).

VALUE: 2007 BMW 328i(certified used, $24,442).

TRADE-OFF: Last-generation styling and just one year left of BMW's four years of free maintenance -- but buying certified extends the four-year GET page 75

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warranty by two years.

GOLD: 2010 Acura MDX($43,040).

VALUE: 2007 Acura MDX(certified used, $31,207).

TRADE-OFF: The '07 model has a tad worse mileage and lacks such high-tech options as blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control. Buying certified extends the four-year warranty by one year.

Food and Wine GROCERIES Springing for gourmet? You don't have to pay an arm and a leg GOLD: Whole Foods market.

We priced a tasty market basket of shrimp, pizza margherita, Gruyere cheese, boneless strip steaks, balsamic vinegar, stuffed chicken thighs, free-range eggs, dark-chocolate hearts, ground turkey and a tray of California rolls. Tab: $72.10.

VALUE: Trader Joe's. Same basket of goodies, with two exceptions: stuffed chicken breasts instead of thighs and chocolate-covered cherries instead of chocolate hearts. Tab (calculated by the ounce, in sizes comparable to Whole Foods' sizes): $55.50.

TRADE-OFF: Trader Joe's lacks the glorious displays of produce and Whole Foods' lavish range of choices. Still, TJ's provides a cheery atmosphere and plenty of fun food.

EATING OUT The secret to savings is booking

lunch instead of dinner GOLD: Almond-crusted salmon dinner entree at Legal Seafoods: $23.95.

VALUE: Grilled salmon lunch entree: $15.95.

TRADE-OFF: With dinner, you get a fancy lemon-caper butter sauce, plus mushroom ravioli and spinach. With lunch, you get the more casual cucumber yogurt sauce with orzo and pita chips.

GOLD: Dry-aged sirloin steak dinner entree at the Capital Grille, a steakhouse chain: $39.

VALUE: Dry-aged sirloin steak lunch entree: $24.

TRADE-OFF: At lunch you get a 10-ounce steak for the lower price, instead of a 14-ounce steak at dinner.

WINE Other regions' wines come close to France's GOLD: Henriot Blanc Souverain Brut($37). Steve Tanzer, editor and publisher of Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, says this complex champagne delivers a toasty aroma, wonderful texture and long finish.

VALUE: Mont Marcal Brut Reserva Cava 2006($14). This Spanish sparkling wine, made in the champagne method, is a blend of chardonnay and two local grapes. The bubbly wine is fruity but dry with citrus flavors.

GOLD: Chateau Leoville Barton St. Julien 2006($55).

Tanzer calls this red "a

quintessential Left Bank Bordeaux" -- chewy, rich and of superb concentration.

VALUE: Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Cabernet Sauvignon 2007($19). Made in Chile by the same French family that distills France's venerable Grand Marnier liqueur. It has a flavor of ripe red currant, a hint of vanilla and a long, sweet finish. Try it with beef.

GOLD: Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series Margaret River 2005($75). This Australian winery produces some of the finest chardonnay wines in the world.

VALUE: Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2008($17).

South Africa is producing wines of finesse that often taste more Old World than New. This delicate, lightly oaked chardonnay with flavors of apricot and orange peel is produced just outside Cape Town, but it tastes Burgundian.

TRADE-OFF: You give up status and some elegance.

Real Estate and Home Improvement HOME IMPROVEMENTS Three ways to give your housing budget a break GOLD: The Miele La Perla II dishwasher (G2832) sets the standard at $2,508.

VALUE: The Whirlpool Gold (GU3600) is $899 in white or black or $999 in stainless steel.

Like the Miele, it has a steel interior, it handles almost as

many place settings (14 versus Miele's 16), and it has Whirlpool's best sounddampening package.

TRADE-OFF: A bit less energy -efficient than the Miele but uses less water per load.

GOLD: Slab granite for countertops will run you about $50 to $80 per square foot, but rare colors and "exotics" can cost much more.

VALUE: Formica 180fx replicates the look and scale of exotic granites in nine colors for $15 to $22 per square foot installed, excluding the edge finish.

TRADE-OFF: You can't put hot pots on Formica, and it will scratch.

GOLD: A stone driveway(cobblestone, flagstone or granite Belgian block set in concrete) provides natural beauty for a minimum of $15 per square foot installed.

VALUE: Stick with a concrete or asphalt driveway, but border or accent it with stone(or brick or concrete pavers). Bordering two sides of a 12-by-50-foot driveway would cost about $1,500 -- one-sixth of a total redo.

TRADE-OFF: Strictly aesthetic.

Fashion RED-CARPET ATTIRE Need a classy outfit for a special event? Try renting one GOLD: Designer duds. A fashion-forward look with an

open back and layered ruffle skirt, the asymmetric dress in silk heavy georgette from Brian Reyes is as perfect for a blacktie affair as it is for date night.

Retail price: $2,100. Perhaps Herve Leger's Bold Bandage dress ($1,250) is more your style, or Christian Cota's Fanciful Floral ($1,450).

V A L U E : RentTheRunway.com. Rent the asymmetric dress from RTR for $200 plus $12.95 for shipping.

Or choose another look from over 40 designers for as little as $50. A standard rental period is four days. Reserve in advance, or request next-day shipping for last-minute occasions. Your rental will come in two sizes to ensure a perfect fit.

TRADE-OFF: Like Cinderella, when your time's up, the fancy dress is gone.

WATCHES Either way, you'll always know what time it is GOLD: Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust. Rolex calls it "The Classic Watch," with a twotone, steel-and-yellow-gold case and bracelet. The case, 31mm in diameter, displays the date, and the watch is waterproof up to 330 feet. Cost: $7,875.

VALUE: Bulova Bracelet Watch (model 98c60). It doesn't say R-O-L-E-X, but this Bulova is handsome -- with a similar two-tone design (all steel) and GET page 76

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date display. Bulova is a U.S. company, and its timepieces carry a three-year warranty -one year longer than the Rolex.

Cost: $199 ($100 on Amazon).

TRADE-OFF: A Rolex defines status, and it keeps its value.

JEWELRY Only your appraiser knows for sure GOLD: Diamonds by the Yard bracelet at Tiffany's, designed

by Elsa Peretti, with six diamonds on a platinum chain, $1,550.

VALUE: The $625 version-same store, same designer, same design, but this version has five diamonds and a sterling-silver chain.

TRADE-OFF: Not only are there fewer diamonds, but they're also smaller, at a weight of 0.15 carat rather than 0.31.

The chain material makes a difference, too -- sterling silver tarnishes, whereas platinum does not. As for the reaction to the little blue box: identical.

Financial Services FINANCIAL PLANNING Consider an a la carte approach GOLD: A fee-only financial adviser can create a comprehensive plan and manage your investments for long-term goals (to find one, go to www.napfa.org). Many set investment minimums of $250,000 or more and charge 1% per year of assets under management.

VALUE: Garrett Planning

N e t w o r k members(www.garrettplanningn etwork.com) typically charge $180 to $210 per hour on an asneeded basis, without annual fees or asset minimums.

TRADE-OFF: A piecemeal approach to your finances may be less efficient, but at least you'll be on track to accomplish specific goals.

BUDGETING Use a free site and give your budget a boost GOLD: For a generation, Quicken(www.quicken.intuit.co m) has been the software of choice to record income and expenses, generate budgets and pay bills. The software costs $60 for the basic version and $90 for the premier, which has more bells and whistles.

VALUE: The free budgeting site Mint.com-- now owned by Quicken parent Intuit -- uses your passwords to grab financial information from your banks, credit cards and other financial providers. It produces clean pie charts detailing your spending and alerts you to attractive rates on savings accounts and credit cards. Plus, it offers tools such as "projected savings," which forecasts how reining in spending now will help you reach your savings goals later.

TRADE-OFF: With Mint there's no bill-pay feature, so you have to pay via your bank, for example, and then download the transactions to Mint.

Quicken will pay bills and record the expenses simultaneously for $9.95 a month. The service isn't cheap, but it's convenient.

CREDIT CARDS Get even more rewards points for a lower annual fee GOLD: With the new American Express Premier Rewards Gold charge card(with a charge card, you pay the balance every month), earn three points for every dollar spent on airline tickets, two points for gas and groceries, and one point for everything else. The $175 annual fee is waived for the first year. You can transfer points to 18 frequent-flier accounts.

There's no earnings cap on points and they never expire.

VALUE: With the PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express credit card(www.penfed.org), you earn five points for each dollar spent on airline tickets, triple points for hotel and dining purchases in 2010, and one point on all other spending. The $50 annual fee is waived the first year.

TRADE-OFF: To get the PenFed card, you must be a member of the Pentagon Federal credit union, which you can join for $20. You cannot transfer points to a frequent-flier program, and points expire in five years.

CREDIT SCORE You may not need the cadillac of credit monitoring

G O L D : F a i r Isaac(www.myfico.com), the creator of the FICO score, offers the TransUnion and Equifax scores, which lenders are likely to use, for $15.95 per report.

You also get access to the FICO Score Simulator to estimate the effect of what-ifs on your score.

VALUE: Credit Karma(www.creditkarma.com) offers one credit score, a credit report card explaining factors that make up your score and access to its credit simulator -all for free.

TRADE-OFF: Credit Karma gives you TransUnion's TransRisk score, which isn't quite the same as the one lenders use but has a 97% to 98% correlation.

HOME SALES You can get full service for less GOLD: Full-service sales agents generally charge 6% of your home's sale price for marketing, negotiating with buyers and closing the deal.

VALUE: You can negotiate with agents to accept a lower commission, or consider agents with ZipRealty.com, who charge one percentage point less than the going rate in your area from the get-go or a minimum of $2,000. ZipRealty agents serve 36 metro areas, primarily in California, Florida, Texas and the Northeast.

TRADE-OFF: None, as long as you don't cut the share of the commission -- usually 3% --

promised to the buyer's agent to ensure that agents will bring their buyers.

TAX PREPARATION Software does the trick for most returns GOLD: A certified public accountant or enrolled agent will charge $400 to $500 or more to prepare your return, depending on complexity.

VALUE: Use tax-preparation software such as TurboTax, TaxACT or H&R Block at home. Answer the interviewstyle questions about your job, family and finances, and the program will automatically fill in the correct tax forms. The programs can also import income and investment data directly from most employers and financial institutions, reducing errors. Prices range from free to about $50 for the most popular federal tax programs, plus extra charges for state returns. Go to www.taxcompare.com to see which program will work best for you.

TRADE-OFF: A few hours of your time and the guts to try something new. But in most cases you're on your own if you're audited by the IRS. If your tax situation is really complicated -- you invested in real estate or exercised stock options, for example -- then stick with a pro.

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Battle Royal: Credit vs. Debit (Kiplinger Personal Finance)

In this era of tighter credit, many Americans have adopted a new frugality -- and the debate over credit versus debit cards is getting louder. When Kiplinger's published an article last November pointing out that debit cards come with fewer protections against fraud than credit cards, we were inundated with comments from readers.

Most took exception to our "poor advice" and "scare tactics." Some readers advocated cutting out plastic altogether and learning to pay with cash again.

Tom Petro, chief executive of Fox Chase Bank, a community bank outside Philadelphia, tends to sympathize with the cash crowd, but he also sees reason to use both credit and debit cards.

He calls the poor plastic habits of many Americans "death by a thousand swipes." The trouble is, says Petro, when you use a card, you don't feel as though you're spending real money.

"Families get themselves into trouble one latte at a time," he says. "Then, when people feel bad, they go out and spend more."

Petro speaks from firsthand experience. He and his wife, Kris Messner, a business consultant, climbed out of debt in the late 1980s with a series of small savings, such as brewing their own coffee instead of

buying it in the morning and making do with one car. As a result of his experience, Petro thinks both credit and debit cards belong in your wallet -but each has its place. Debit cards, he believes, should be reserved for groceries, gas and other daily essentials. But he doesn't disdain credit-card use -as long as you can pay the balance in full each month.

Of course, the approach you take depends on your spending habits and personality. Do you spend and spend and then hope for the best when you open your monthly statement? You may be a good candidate for a debit card, which limits you to money you have in the bank. Out-ofcontrol credit users tend to carry a balance and are more vulnerable to late fees -- often at $39 a pop. The average household with at least one credit card has nearly $10,000 in debt, according to the Nilson Report, an industry newsletter.

On the other hand, "if you are a person who doesn't overspend, or you have so much money coming in that it doesn't matter, then the credit card's the winner," says Karen Lee, a financial planner in Atlanta.

Plus, a credit card offers more protections against fraud and problems with merchants, so it's a good way to pay for big expenditures and online purchases.

Proponents on both sides are

passionate about their positions, with good reasons for embracing one method and rejecting the other (for two differing views from Kiplinger's staffers, see Credit vs Debit).

But it's fair to say that the best strategy is probably a smart combination of both. When credit cards win One of the biggest benefits of using a credit card is the grace period. If you pay your bill in full every month, you can purchase now and pay later with no interest charge. That lets your money sit in your bank account and earn interest (as measly as rates are these days) and gives you more flexibility with your cash flow.

You can goose the earnings on your cash by putting it into a high-yielding checking account at an online bank, community bank or credit union, where you're likely to earn a higher interest rate than you would at a large, brick-and-mortar-based institution (see How to Earn More on Your Savings). Then there are the rewards programs.

Debit-card issuers are starting to offer their own perks, but creditcard companies generally have the best deals. For savvy card users, the benefits can really add up. Frank Remund, a fee-only financial planner in Beaverton, Ore., recently used his Visa Signature card to buy a Samsung high-efficiency frontload washer. After calculating

what he'd earned in cash-back rewards -- not to mention what he saved using a Lowe's discount coupon and a state tax credit -- Remund says he paid a total of $380 for the washer, which retails for nearly $800.

Plus, by using his Visa card, he doubled the warranty period.

Which rewards card suits you best depends on your spending priorities. To find the most appropriate card for your situation, go to a credit-card comparison site, such as LowCards.com or Credit.com, which just introduced "expert picks" that highlight the most consumer-friendly cards.

BillShrink.com has a quiz that will help you customize your search based on the way you use credit, your redemption preference and the category in which you spend the most.

Scott Bilker, founder of DebtSmart.com, uses his rewards credit card from Wawa, the convenience-store chain, when he shops. That earns him gift cards to buy gas at Wawa.

Bilker also puts his business expenses on the card to maximize his rewards. He prefers credit to debit because of the purchase protections in the case of a dispute. But he warns that users who depend on credit cards should track their spending so they don't overswipe and rack up more debt than they can handle.

"Discipline is part of any plan,"

he says. Secure your swipes Another big advantage of using a credit card is security. If someone steals your credit card and goes on a spending spree, your liability is capped at $50 (Visa and MasterCard assume all liability for unauthorized purchases). With debit-card theft, the automatic legal protection isn't there. If your debit card is stolen, you have to report it within two days to get the same $50 limited liability.

Report it after that but within 60 days and your liability goes up to $500. Beyond that period, you face unlimited liability.

That said, if you've been a good customer, most banks will credit your account after a couple of days. But to be safe, sign for purchases rather than using your PIN. When you do so using a Visa or MasterCard debit card, the transaction goes through their networks (signing produces more revenue for the banks than using a PIN), and you have zero liability in case of fraud.

Likewise, if you have a dispute with a merchant -- for example, you're not satisfied with the quality of an item you've purchased or there's a billing error -- you may have an easier time working out a solution if you paid with a credit card. Say you bought a laptop that was damaged in shipping. Call your credit-card company to BATTLE page 80

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New Funds That Focus on Good, Cheap Stocks (Kiplinger Personal Finance)

than their competitors in down markets.

When David Marcus was a Evermore boasts several college student, he served as an Mutual Series graduates. One, intern answering shareholder Jae Chung, co-manages both phone calls at the Mutual Series funds. Two other Mutual Series funds. After finishing school, he alumni help run the fund firm landed a job at the renowned but don’t pick stocks. Price, a value shop and worked there the friend of Marcus’s, is on the next 13 years. By the time management company’s “board Marcus left in 2000, he was of advisers,” which assists the manager of Mutual European firm in setting business strategy fund and co-manager of Mutual but not in choosing stocks.

Discovery and Mutual Shares.

Marcus shows every sign of Now Marcus, 44, has launched having absorbed Price’s valuetwo funds of his own, and they investing tenets. He possesses both look like winners. The other strengths, too. He’s smart, funds, Evermore European patient, and knows stocks inside Value A(symbol EVEAX) and out. They’ve been his passion, Evermore Global Value A( he says, since age 11.

EVGBX), practice the brand of Price tutored a number of other value investing made famous by top-notch stock pickers. Since Michael Price, one of the most his departure, the Mutual Series successful investors of the funds have continued to employ 1980s and 1990s. Price retired the same value philosophy and from Mutual Series in 1998 at keep risk low. They’ve also the age of 45, two years after delivered solid results. Mutual selling the Mutual Series funds Global Discovery A( TEDIX) is to Franklin Templeton for $630 my favorite in the group. million two years earlier. During Wintergreen Fund( WGRNX), Price’s 22 years at the helm, run by Mutual Series alumnus Mutual Shares, the firm’s D a v i d W i n t e r s , h a s a l s o flagship, returned an annualized performed well. And bond giant 18% -- an average of two Pimco, eager to broaden into the percentage points per year ahead stock-fund business, recently of Standard & Poor’s 500-stock snapped up two other Mutual index. Equally, if not more, Series veterans. important, Price’s funds lost less Evermore might even do better

than the other Price progenies.

Price trusted Marcus with more assets than anyone else at Mutual Series. Marcus shows an aptitude for building a business as well as managing money.

And he’s picked up a lot since Price retired.

Most of Marcus’s expertise lies in Europe. (Chung is the Asia hand.) Marcus ran European money for many years for Mutual Series, private investors and hedge funds. He left money management for several years to work with a Swedish businessman. In that position, Marcus operated businesses and restructured them. “Most people who manage money have never run a business,” Marcus says.

Both Evermore funds will focus on buying good, cheap stocks rather than forecasting economic change. But they won’t ignore the big picture. “In 23 years, I’ve never owned a Greek stock,” Marcus says. But in light of the Greek debt crisis, “we’re now interested,” he adds. “We want to buy where others are selling. History has proven repeatedly that you have to look for opportunities where people are panicking.”

Marcus looks for stocks selling at a steep discount to the underlying company’s fair value

and catalysts that can unlock that value. Catalysts can be restructurings, changes in the executive suite, share buybacks, spinoffs, mergers and acquisitions.

Marcus is currently foraging among sleepy European conglomerates that realize they must adapt to a rapidly changing global economic order or die.

German-based Siemens AG( SI) is one favorite. The unwieldy conglomerate is involved in everything from energy to health care. Now, under its first non-German chief executive, the firm is selling assets, moving production offshore and shucking product lines in which it can’t be number one or two.

“It’s going through a massive restructuring,” Marcus says.

“But most people are so jaded by the image of a lumbering giant they don’t see the change.”

Siemens, which trades in the U.S. as an American depositary receipt, sells for 12 times Evermore’s estimated earnings for Siemans of $7.23 per ADR for the year that ends this September.

Evermore Global is more appealing than the Europe fund because of its broader mandate.

Global can own as much in Asia, Europe or the U.S. as it

deems prudent. At last report, it had 31% of its assets in Europe, 30% in the U.S., 9% in Asia and 30% in cash. It invests in companies of all sizes, can own bonds and can sell stocks short - that is, bet that they’ll fall in price. Global will generally hedge away all its currency exposure, meaning its shareholders shouldn’t suffer because of a strengthening dollar.

The fund’s Class A shares levy 5% sales charges, but you can buy them without the loads through Schwab and some other online brokers. The funds have $5,000 minimums and charge hefty expenses: 1.60% of assets annually.

Putting a proven manager who has been schooled by a greater teacher in charge of his own fund is often a recipe for success. That’s why I’m so high on the Evermore funds.

Steve Goldberg is an investment adviser in the Washington, D.C., area.

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We found destinations that rival your dream vacation but without the nightmare price tag GOLD: Fiji. Flying to the South Pacific island from Washington, D.C., costs $3,724 for two round-trip tickets. Luxurious over-water bungalows at the five-star Likuliku Lagoon Resort run $1,286 a night for two, including all meals.

VALUE: Panama. Head to the Caribbean at the four-star Punta Caracol, in Bocas del Toro.

"Eco-friendly bungalows" start at $344 a night, including some meals and activities. The flight from D.C. to Panama City is less than $600 round-trip for two. Panama City to Bocas del Toro: $240 round-trip for two.

TRADE-OFF: Panama is lower on the scale of exotica.

GOLD: Savor Vienna's coffeehouses, music and architecture with a $2,325 package from Orbitz, including round-trip flights from New York City and a six-night stay for two in May at the four-star Hotel Bellevue.

VALUE: Budapest. Aim further east for Old World European charm -- for $1,908. The Orbitz trip includes round-trip flights from NYC and six nights for

two at the four-star Danubius Hotel Flamenco.

TRADE-OFF: You will miss the palaces of the Hofburg and Schonbrunn in Vienna. But Budapest has castles.

GOLD: Napa Valley is the U.S. hot spot for oenophiles.

Yountville, a Napa hub, offers luxury lodging at rates ranging from $285 to $884 a night.

Expect $10 to $50 tasting fees at wineries.

VALUE: Sierra Foothills. The eastern side of California offers more-affordable wine country.

Lodging in Sutter Creek starts at $99 a night at Hanford House Inn. Plus, most area wineries don't charge a tasting fee.

TRADE-OFF: Lacks Napa's upscale appeal and proximity to San Francisco.

FOREIGN LODGING Two options for a Paris sojourn GOLD: Hotel Residence Foch.

Among TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice top picks for family hotels in Europe, the three-star hotel in the Champs-Elysees area offers a family of three a weeklong stay in early May for $2,381.

VALUE: Rental flat. One Montmartre studio listed on HaveninParis.com has a

spectacular view of SacreCoeur. It's ideal for two but can sleep three and includes free international calls and a full kitchen for $963 a week in May. TRADE-OFF: Montmartre is a little off the beaten path for tourists.

College Some in-state schools rival the curriculums of specialized private programs GOLD:(music) The Juilliard School. Annual cost: $46,410.

VALUE: Indiana University at Bloomington. Annual in-state cost, $16,951; out-of-state cost, $34,498.

GOLD:(engineering) MIT. Annual cost: $50,292.

VALUE: Georgia Institute of Technology. Annual in-state cost, $16,810; out-of-state cost, $35,220.

GOLD:(drama) New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. Annual cost: $56,726.

VALUE: University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Annual in-state cost, $13,533; out-of-state cost, $25,479.

TRADE-OFF: You lose bragging rights to a degree from a world-renowned institution, as well as the creative energy of New York City or the studentcentric sizzle of Boston. But at

half the price or less, you can afford a bus ticket to the Big Apple or Beantown.

Technology SMART PHONES One-touch phone comes close to matching Apple's archetype GOLD: Apple iPhone($200 with two-year AT&T contract).

A throng of competitors have imitated but never quite matched the iPhone's elegance and ease of use.

VALUE: HTC Droid Eris($80 online price after $100 discount and with two-year Verizon Wireless contract). The featurepacked touch-screen talker has a crisp, colorful display, a 5megapixel camera, a GPS receiver, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0.

TRADE-OFF: Running Google's Android software, the Eris doesn't quite match the iPhone's features, fit and finish.

But it comes pretty close.

LAPTOPS Yup, it's cool Mac versus nerdy PC GOLD: The MacBook is stylish, lightweight and powerful. At $1,000, however, it's awfully pricey.

VALUE: The $600 HewlettPackard Pavilion (dm3-1130us) has a 13.3-inch color display --

same as the MacBook -- but it's a half-pound lighter and has more memory and storage.

TRADE-OFF: The MacBook boasts a more vibrant screen and slightly longer battery life. You may not be as cool with the HP Pavilion, but saving $400 could help you feel smarter.

TV SERVICE Do you really need 265 channels?

GOLD: DirecTV satellite service offers 265 channels at an average of $84 a month.

VALUE: For $8.99 a month, NetFlix will stream all the movies you can watch to your TV (you'll need an Internetready set, TiVo or a game console). Plus, you get all the DVD rentals you desire (limit: one at a time).

TRADE-OFF: Being limited to broadcast TV (which looks good in digital) means you give up ESPN and the Food Channel.

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complain (if you can't solve the problem over the phone, you may have to resort to filing a formal dispute with your card issuer, in writing, within 60 days). You won't owe anything while the issuer resolves the complaint. If, however, you used your debit card to pay for the laptop and you want to return it, the law doesn't protect you -- although some banks may go to bat for you to help you get your account reimbursed. The upside of debit If you prefer to pay as you go, or if you're trying to get out of debt and control your spending, a debit card is the way to go.

You don't have to worry about overspending because the money gets sucked out of your account right away. But that can be a pitfall if you are in an overdraft-protection plan. Then the bank covers your debit but slaps you with a hefty fee. The largest banks impose a $35 charge, on average, each time you overdraw. (New federal regulations that take effect July 1 for new accounts will require

banks to get your permission before enrolling you in an overdraft-protection plan.)

For added discipline, use a debit card for small items. Stay on top of your spending by keeping a written tally of your purchases -- just as you would with an old-fashioned check register -- or by signing up with your bank to get notices of your account balance. Big banks, such as JPMorgan Chase, will send you free notices via e-mail or text message, and online banks usually offer the same service. If someone steals your card and starts spending your money, such alerts will serve as a red flag. And tracking your account balance will also help you with budgeting. Give yourself credit Above all, you need to be practical, particularly when it comes to managing your credit score. Credit-card payments are reported to the credit bureaus, but debit-card use is not. Your payment history makes up a full 35% of your FICO score (the most widely used credit score),

and that number determines the interest rate you will be offered when you apply for a mortgage, an auto loan and other credit, such as a small-business loan.

Think strategically before you close an account. A chunk of your score depends on how much of your available credit you have actually used -- known as your credit-utilization ratio.

So shutting down credit lines could hurt your score by raising the percentage of remaining credit that's in use (see Ask Kim).

If you feel the need to cancel some cards to take control of your finances, don't do it just before you apply for a major loan. And keep your oldest card open because another part of your credit score is determined by how long you've had your accounts.

Now that the new credit-card rules have taken effect, it's more important than ever to read the fine print of your credit-card agreement. Issuers say the rules could cost them billions of dollars, so they're looking for

new ways to raise revenues, and most have revised their terms over the past few months. As you look over your revamped agreements, keep an eye out for notices of new annual fees and higher late fees. Citibank just added a $60 annual fee to many accounts, which will be credited back to the account if cardholders charge $2,400 during the year.

The same goes if you're considering signing up for a new card. In the fourth quarter of last year, the volume of offers sent out by credit-card companies via direct mail jumped 47% from the previous quarter, reports Mintel Comperemedia, a research firm. That marked the first increase in three years, but the offers included more annual fees and higher rates.

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States Step Ahead of Washington (Kiplinger Personal Finance)

While partisanship paralyzes Washington, state legislatures are busier than ever. With most in session only a few months of the year, there is little time to waste on partisan political games. Much state activity has to do with the unprecedented fiscal crisis that is hitting most states thanks to low state tax revenues and rising costs for social services.

Shortfalls across states total about $170 billion this year, and possibly even more next year.

Balanced budget requirements compel states to come up with innovative ways to find savings or raise revenue. But beyond fiscal matters, states also feel they need to do what Congress can’t or won’t do in policy areas. And states often emulate each other. What one does successfully, another may try.

Health care is one big area.

California is setting limits on trans fats in foods served in restaurants and soon will apply similar standards to baked foods. It’s also restricting the use of lead in plumbing fixtures.

Montana is making health insurers cover treatments for

autism. Texas is insisting that teenagers visiting a tanning salon be accompanied by an adult. New Hampshire wants all new buildings and houses to be equipped not only with smoke detectors but with carbon monoxide detectors too. New Mexico is granting tuition waivers for primary-care resident medical students who agree to practice in underserved areas.

More consumer protections too.

Kentucky is reining in payday lending shops. Texas will allow tenants in multifamily dwellings to break their rental leases without liability in instances of domestic abuse or sexual crimes. Also, Colorado, Oregon and other states recently passed a spate of animal welfare legislation aimed at farmers.

Several states have passed or are close to passing legislation intended to limit driver distractions, such as banning texting and handheld cell phone use while driving. Many states also are taking legislative steps to curb child obesity.

Twenty-five states are cracking down on a wave of scrap metal theft by tightening reporting requirements for scrap dealers

and hiking fines on metal thieves.

California has stepped ahead of Washington in passing its own landmark greenhouse gas emissions law aimed at cutting pollution statewide. It may be years before Washington passes a national emissions curbing law.

To save money, Washington state is eliminating dozens of state programs and policy boards. Michigan is consolidating several large agencies, saving tens of millions of dollars in overhead costs.

Utah has started a one-year pilot program requiring most state employees to work four-day weeks, saving on the state’s energy costs.

Elsewhere, Georgia is setting strict water conservation rules for state agencies and several cities as part of its own effort to cut costs. Florida is considering doing some of the same things Georgia is doing on watersaving issues.

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