Liberty Newspost Mar-22-10

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- 22/03/10

http://www.LibertyNewspost.com

Obama strategist likens Republican fiscal record to Greece

Christopher Lee loses £640,000 royalty battle

Caren Bohan (Front Row Washington)

(Latest news, breaking news, current news, UK news, world news, celebrity news, politics news)

Submitted at 3/21/2010 2:05:50 PM

A faceoff over budgets and healthcare between Democratic campaign strategist David Plouffe and Republican guru Karl Rove quickly turned heated on Sunday with Plouffe likening Rep ublican fiscal policies to those of Greece.

Rove, known as the “architect” of President George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 White House wins, laced into the healthcare plan Obama and his Democrats hope to pass as he and Plouffe appeared on ABC’s “This Week” “This thing is a gigantic disaster,” Rove said, accusing Democrats of using “Bernie Madoff-accounting” to gloss over the bill’s impact on the budget deficit.

“Karl and the Republicans would familiar with that, since under their leadership, they took

us from big budget surpluses at the beginning of the last decade to a $1.3 trillion deficit by not paying for things like the prescription drug plan, two be wars, big tax cuts,” responded Plouffe, who was Obama’s 2008 campaign manager and is now an outside adviser to the White House.

That prompted Rove to retort that Democrats were in no

position to lecture about “profligate spending.” He said the healthcare bill would “bankrupt the country” if it passes.

“Karl,” interjected Plouffe, “the Republicans have zero credibility, about as much credibility as the country of Greece does, to talk about fiscal responsibility.”

illustrated the cover for the DVD, which was released in 2004, after being hired by Aneiros with the consent of Lee and the film's producers.

Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:21:57 AM

By By Tom Worden On Monday it emerged judge Published: 4:21PM GMT 22 Jose Maria Tapia Lopez had Mar 2010 ruled in the illustrator's favour The Lord of the Rings star, 87, and ordered the defendants to and his associates must pay pay the huge sum. £640,000 to artist Gerardo The judge also ordered the Moreno for work he did on a defendants' assets to be frozen DVD cover, a Spanish court to a value of £640,000 until ruled. the money is paid.

Mr Moreno claims he was not None of the defendants properly paid for the art work on appeared in court or had lawyers the DVD of Jinnah, a 1998 representing them. movie staring Lee about the life The British actor has appeared of the founding father of in more than 220 films and P a k i s t a n , M u h a m m e d A l i made his name as Count Jinnah.

Dracula in the Hammer horror Mr Moreno sued Lee, the films of the 1950s and 60s. actor's official website run by In 2002 he said Jinnah was his agent and son-in-law Juan most important film role.

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A refreshing attitude to human rights | Afua Hirsch Afua Hirsch (World news: United States | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:05:04 AM

As Labour and the Tories race to disown human rights, in Washington Michael Posner and others are fighting their corner These are murky times for the relationship between governments and human rights.

In the UK, New Labour's love affair with human rights and the small constitutional revolution that saw the introduction of the 1998 Human Rights Act seems at times to have degenerated into a grubby election battle with the Tories as to who can disown them fastest.

In the US many believed that Obama – as well as saving black people, poor people and liberal people from the long low-point of the Bush administration – would also give human rights a new home at the heart of America's decision-making in security and foreign policy. On all counts, euphoria has given way to a predictable impatience and scepticism.

Human rights campaigners outside government in the US have stepped up the pressure.

Guantánamo Bay remains open.

Information about rendition and torture is still being kept secret.

The British government was told in the Binyam Mohamed case that revealing these secrets, albeit from the Bush era of old, would be to damage the US

intelligence-sharing relationship with Britain.

But how has all this gone down with human rights campaigners inside government? Take Michael Posner, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour, and a former champion of rights for asylum seekers, torture victims and crimes against humanity.

His presence inside the US administration is itself testimony to how much has changed under Obama. It's hard to convey how just extreme the contrast is between the gung-ho attitude of Bush officials I met in this same US embassy in London and this careful, patient advocate of human rights.

People such as Posner joined the government because they believed they could be on the inside and fight for human rights and not have to choose fundamentally between the two.

They believed they could be part of a government that adheres to international law, supports the international criminal court and strives to build strong, humanrights-respecting institutions in Afghanistan.

"I wouldn't have come into this administration if it wasn't for my absolute belief in the change to the policy of what I can only call official cruelty under the previous administration," said Posner when I met him in London recently.

"There has been a sharp and

dramatic change in official policy; from the president's first executive order that ended the practice of law-free zones and enhanced interrogation regimes.

Many of us are in government now because he made that commitment."

There is nothing new about governments bringing in veterans of the human rights movement, of course. Labour's "government of all talents" advisers – affectionately known as Goats – included some of the most eminent human rights advocates; Lord Lester as a specialist human rights adviser, Francesca Klug and others as unpaid independent members of its "bill of rights and responsibilities reference group."

That exercise largely ended in tears. It's fair to say that the momentum that saw these human rights experts leap at the chance of advising the government during a moment of real constitutional change, has never been recovered.

It's hard to imagine Posner describing himself as a "tethered goat", but that's not to say being in government doesn't require some uncomfortable positioning. On Binyam Mohamed, Posner draws the somewhat contrived distinction between the "official cruelty" which his government has denounced, and the principles of intelligence-sharing, on which

they continue to rely: "The policy question about what the government are now doing in regard to torture is a separate issue to the discussion about intelligence-sharing and the control principle.

There is a need for close allies to share information and have a sense of confidence that exchanges are not to be breached. That is a question independent of the subject matter about setting a precedent of exceptions and how that may affect a relationship that is built on confidentiality."

The comparison between the human-rights-advocating US, and the human-rights-weary UK is disorienting. Whatever your views of New Labour, ideologically things never got so bad as they did under Bush. No UK politician gets credit for supporting international institutions such as the international criminal court (ICC) or the Council of Europe – it's a given. And we in the UK never had an official policy of torture in the UK, just an unofficial one, apparently.

Which is bad enough in itself, but Karl Rove's self-publicising boast about how great waterboarding was earlier this month was a useful reminder that things in the US really were much worse.

Bringing people like Posner into an administration doesn't create revolutionary change.

Governments are governments; they don't like their secrets spilled, and they can't drag their legislatures kicking and screaming to institutions such as the ICC. What is so different about nonpoliticians such as him is their style. Posner speaks like a human rights advocate, not a politician, and it is refreshing: "The problem with being in government is that every decision is not made only around human rights concerns.

Human rights are only part of the consideration. The problem is how to incorporate human rights – it doesn't always wind up being the first item on the agenda. But under this government, it is part of the decision-making in a way that encourages me."

What are the chances of a member of the Labour or Conservative frontbenchers admitting that?

• United States • Human rights • Civil liberties • Law • Obama administration Afua Hirsch guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

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Karzai has talks with leading Afghan rebels Jon Boone (World news: United States | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:46:26 AM

President meets militant group officials to discuss warlord's 15point peace plan for troops to withdraw from Afghanistan Hamid Karzai has held face-toface talks with active insurgents representing one of the most violent rebel leaders operating in Afghanistan, the Afghan president's office said today.

Karzai's spokesman said the unprecedented meeting took place "a couple of days back" between the president and toplevel officials from the militant wing of Hezb-e-Islami, the movement run by Islamist warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar from his sanctuary in Pakistan.

According to the organisation's spokesman Haroun Zarghoun, the delegates presented a 15point plan, including a call for foreign troops to withdraw from Afghanistan within six months, starting in July. Six months after that an interim government would be appointed and preparations made for fresh elections.

Matt Waldman, an independent analyst specialising in Taliban peace talks, said: "It sounds like an opening position because they know these are demands

that will not be granted."

Nonetheless, it was remarkable that such senior insurgent leaders were allowed to move freely around Kabul to attend the meeting with Karzai.

Representatives of Mr Hekmatyar, who is blacklisted by the US and the United Nations as an international terrorist, have participated in informal talks before, including a meeting in the Maldives, but it is not thought Karzai has ever taken part in such discussions himself. Usually the president is represented by members of his national security council or by his brother Qayoum, a private citizen who plays a leading part in reconciliation policy.

Leading the delegation was Hekmatyar's deputy Qutbuddin Helal and it also included his son-in-law and former spokesman.

A spokesman for the movement said they had full authority to speak on behalf of Hekmatyar and they also planned to meet other important Afghan leaders, including former mujahideen leaders Abdul Rasul Sayyaf and Burhanuddin Rabbani, as well as foreign ambassadors.

A spokesman for the British embassy said he was not aware of such a meeting but that the UK backed peace talks as long

as they were led by the Afghan government.

The development is likely to please the British government, which wants to see immediate steps towards a political settlement with insurgent leaders.

However, the US is demanding a more gradual approach in the hope that if the extra 30,000 troops sent to Afghanistan this year chalk up major battlefield successes then insurgent leaders will be willing to be more flexible in their demands.

Waldman said the latest entreaties from one of Afghanistan's most notorious warlords would further heighten divisions between the US and its main allies.

Hezb-i-Islami is allied to the Taliban and is dominant in the east of the country. Over the years it has claimed responsibility for some of the most deadly and spectacular attacks on Kabul, including a brazen attempt to assassinate Karzai during a military parade in 2008.

Although Hekmatyar has a reputation as an unbending radical Islamist, in recent months it has been rumoured that he is keen to strike a powersharing peace deal with the government. Some analysts

have suggested that the overture from Hekmatyar could indicate that Hezb-i-Islami's alliance with the Taliban movement led

by Mullah Omar could be fraying.

Two weeks ago the two groups clashed in Baghlan province, leading large numbers of Hezb-i -Islami fighters to defect to the government.

Hekmatyar is one of the most controversial of the former mujahideen leaders who fought against the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s and he served as prime minister of the country after the Moscow-backed government in Kabul finally fell in 1992.

Karzai has already moved to accommodate powerful members of Hezb-i-Islami, which operates legally as a party and is represented by MPs and provincial governors.

• Afghanistan • Hamid Karzai • Taliban • United States • US foreign policy Jon Boone guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

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Top 5 excuses to watch TV (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:25:13 AM

What’s your excuse for laying around and watching TV? Eric Watermolen of Eden Journal compiled a top five list of excuses when he decided to go TV free for a week. Here are three: • I Just Turn it on for Background Noise • The Kids Watch It • I Like to Watch the Educational Programs I’ve used them all at one point or another. The truth is, I love to watch TV. Full story at Dumb Little Man. More lifehack tips.

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Damian Green affair: Michael Martin criticised for letting police raid Commons' office (Latest news, breaking news, current news, UK news, world news, celebrity news, politics news) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:34:21 AM

By Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor Published: 4:34PM GMT 22 Mar 2010 MPs on the Commons’ privilege committee said that it was “inescapably” Lord Martin’s job to ensure “to make sure the right questions were asked” when police tried to raid Mr Green’s office as part of a Home Office leaks inquiry in November 2008.

The MPs found that Lord Martin, who quit as Speaker at the height of the MPs' expenses scandal last year, “failed to exercise the ultimate responsibility which was his alone to take control and not merely to be kept informed”.

“Seriously inadequate communication” between the Speaker, the Clerk of the House of Commons and the Serjeant at Arms, had “resulted in complete misunderstanding about the proper process for allowing a search of a member’s office”, the MPs said.

However, the committee of MPs accepted the evidence of Michael - now Lord - Martin that he had not been explicitly

informed and that the police were proposing to carry out a search.

The arrest of Mr Green, the shadow Immigration minister, and raids at his home and Commons office in November 2008 sparked outrage and accusations that the Metropolitan Police had breached the principle of parliamentary privilege.

They were sparked by a series of damaging stories from leaked Home Office documents which had appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sunday Telegraph.

The committee, headed Sir Menzies Campbell, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, was set up to examine the issues in the wake of the row.

Sir Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet secretary, was also criticised by the MPs for exaggerating the impact of the leaks. He had been wrong to suggest the leaked material damaged national security when he called in the police to investigate.

The MPs said they understood that Sir Gus was concerned about a series of leaks from the Home Office but "giving the impression that national security had been damaged by the Home Office leaks was

hyperbolic and unhelpful.

"In our view the impact of leaks on Government business is not, and never can be, a sufficiently weighty reason in itself to justify a police investigation."

The committee said the Cabinet Office had failed to take a "properly balanced approach" to leaks from the Home Office.

If Sir Gus had been "adequately briefed" about progress with the investigation by October 22, there was no need to have called in the police to investigate.

"There was no basis for the concern that the potential for future damage to national security was significant," the MPs said.

"The Cabinet Office was wrong on October 29 to continue to press for a police investigation of the recent Home Office leaks, and it was a mistake for the Metropolitan Police Service to act upon the Cabinet Office's request."

The MPs also criticised police for "sloppiness", insisting they should have dropped probes into shadow immigration minister Damian Green and junior civil servant Christopher Galley much earlier.

If police had exercised "sufficient rigour" when considering whether there was

a realistic chance of a prosecution in October 2008, the case could have been dropped then. Instead the Crown Prosecution Service took the decision not to proceed six months later, in April last year.

Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick was criticised for his leadership of the probe, which the MPs branded "disproportionate".

"The arrest of Damian Green by the Metropolitan Police was poorly executed and in any case quite unnecessary, since the police could have arranged to interview him by appointment," they said.

"We are deeply concerned by the sloppy wording of the written informations, upon which search warrants were obtained, and their inconsistency with the true character of the leaks uncovered in the actual investigation which must have been known and understood as a result of the scoping operation."

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Ben Folds’ live ode to Chatroulette [video] (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:08:04 AM

Ben Folds loves a little Chatroulette in his spare time away from tickling the ivories at his day job, but he decided to combine his two passions recently at a concert in Charlotte, North Carolina. Folds sang little ditties live in front of an audience as chatting partners popped up on the screen. Don’t worry, all the penises were axed from the final cut of the video, but, fair warning, there is some NSFW language and a guy sitting on a toilet.

Full story at Swiss Miss.

Only the weirdest stuff the internet has to offer.

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Don't laugh, Venuegen's virtual meetings can work Rafe Needleman (Webware.com) Submitted at 3/21/2010 9:01:00 PM

Second Life didn't work as a virtual world for business meetings, but this might.

Originally posted at Rafe's Radar

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Harry Carpenter, BBC's voice of boxing for a generation, dies aged 84 (Top stories from Times Online) Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:31:13 AM

Harry Carpenter, the BBC boxing commentator known for his on-air banter with Frank Bruno, has died at the age of 84.

Carpenter, the subject of Bruno’s catchphrase, “Know what I mean, ‘arry?”, was the voice of the BBC’s boxing coverage for 45 years, having joined the corporation in 1949.

A spokesman for his family said that the presenter died in his sleep at King’s College Hospital, in London, in the early hours of Saturday.

David Wills, his solicitor, said: “He had been unwell since last summer when he had a minor heart attack. The funeral has not been arranged but will be a family funeral, to be followed by a memorial service in London.”

Born in South London, the son of a fish merchant, Carpenter left school at 15, taking his first job on the Greyhound Express.

During the war he joined the Navy, serving as a telegrapher on board destroyers, before moving back into sports journalism, balancing commentary work for the BBC with jobs in the print press.

Frank Maloney, the boxing promoter, called Carpenter the “voice of boxing”. He said: “He was probably one of the greatest commentators of all time. His voice was so distinctive and I remember all those Ali fights and Bruno fights he commentated on. It’s like a piece of boxing history has been taken away.”

Carpenter, who also wrote books on the history of boxing, found himself in the commentator’s chair for arguably the greatest bout of all time, the “Rumble in the Jungle” between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, in 1974.

He said that the fight, in which Ali knocked out Foreman to reclaim the world heavyweight title at the age of 32, was the “most extraordinary few seconds that I have ever seen in a boxing ring”.

Despite being so closely associated with boxing, Carpenter also presented golf and tennis coverage, hosting Grandstand and Sportsnight, as well as Sports Personality of the Year.

Bruno was said to be too upset to speak today, but is expected to release a statement later this afternoon.

Terry Edwards, the former Great Britain boxing coach, described Carpenter as a “true legend”. He said: “The world of boxing is a big loser today. He was Mr Boxing as far as commentary goes.

“Both he and Reg Gutteridge, who died in the last year, were monumental people in boxing.

It is very, very sad. When you think of boxing sometimes their commentary was so great, detailed and passionate that you remember their voices as much as you remember the bout.

“If you were to ask me who would take Carpenter’s place there is nobody who could truly take his place — not with the same passion and professionalism.

“He was loved by everybody within boxing. He was respected in boxing not just in Britain, but all over the world. He was one of those guys who never had any enemies. He was a lovely guy and always willing to give advice to anyone.”

Barbara Slater, the director of BBC Sport, said: "Harry Carpenter was for decades one of the standout voices of sports broadcasting. While many will no doubt best remember him for his boxing commentaries on the BBC, he should also be hailed

for his work on a number of other flagship BBC programmes such as Sportsnight, Grandstand, Wimbledon, the BBC’s golf coverage, the Boat Race and of course the Olympics.

"Harry’s passing is a huge loss to the world of sports broadcasting. His journalistic credentials, professionalism and presence marked him out as an inspirational figure for a generation of aspiring presenters, commentators and producers. He will be sorely missed by all those who had the good fortune to work with and learn from a master."

Tony Jeffries, Britain’s light heavyweight bronze medallist at the Beijing Olympics, said: “He was a brilliant man and his knowledge of boxing was second to none. I have only ever heard people say very good things about him. My condolences go out to his family.”

Carpenter leaves a wife, Phyllis, whom he married in 1950, and a son.

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How to write a better pressrelease headline (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:15:52 AM

Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, has compiled a list of tips to write better press-release headlines. These are three of the tips: • Strive for being clear rather than clever.

• Ditch the hype • Make sure the headline is accurate This advice is also applicable to tweets—in fact, you should think of a tweet as a headline.

Full story at Search Engine Marketing Group.

More PR tips.

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Creating a Problem for Climate Skeptics (AEI.Org: Articles) Submitted at 3/21/2010 4:00:00 PM

Sorry, readability was unable to parse this page for content.

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Israeli settlements undermine peace prospects, warns Clinton Ewen MacAskill (World news: United States | guardian.co.uk)

Clinton said.

The row began when Israel unexpectedly announced new construction in East Jerusalem, Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:50:43 AM Secretary of state reaffirms leading Palestinians to pull out 'rock-solid' commitment to of proposed US-brokered peace Israeli security but says US has talks. responsibility to tell friend the Clinton told the conference: truth "New construction in East Hillary Clinton today warned Jerusalem or the West Bank Israel against any further new undermines mutual trust and Jewish settlements in Palestinian endangers the proximity talks t e r r i t o r y , s a y i n g t h e y that are the first step toward the u n d e r m i n e d p r o s p e c t s f o r full negotiations that both sides Middle East peace negotiations. want and need. It exposes In a speech to 7,500 people at daylight between Israel and the t h e a n n u a l c o n f e r e n c e i n United States that others in the Washington of the biggest pro- region could hope to exploit.

Israeli lobbying group, the And it undermines America's American Israel Public Affairs unique ability to play a role an Committee, the US secretary of essential role, I might add in the state reaffirmed her personal peace process." "rock-solid" commitment and When she was a senator for t h a t o f t h e O b a m a New York, Clinton was a a d m i n i s t r a t i o n t o I s r a e l ' s favourite at Aipac conferences. security.

But her strong words for But she ended her speech by N e t a n y a h u o v e r t h e l a s t directly confronting the issues fortnight left a coolness in the that led to the biggest US-Israeli hall. Instead of the regular rift in decades. "As Israel's enthusiastic standing ovations friend, it is our responsibility to she could have expected a few give credit when it is due and to weeks ago, she was given only tell the truth when it is needed," occasional applause.

One sceptic questioned why the hall was clapping someone who had had such harsh things to say about Israel, and dismissed Clinton's hopes for a comprehensive Middle East peace settlements as unrealistic.

The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has flown to Washington for the Aipac meeting and is scheduled to meet both Clinton and Barack Obama. Last week, under pressure from Clinton, Netanyahu offered various concessions to smooth the way for Palestinian entry into negotiations and promised that these negotiations would be on substantive issues: the future of Jerusalem, borders and the status of Palestinian refugees.

Clinton's phone call with Netanyahu last week was private, but it is believed he also gave an undertaking that there would be a freeze on settlement building in Jerusalem and elsewhere.

Clinton told Aipac that the status quo was not an option and that "dynamics of demography" Palestinian population growth

outpacing that of Jews in Israel would eventually force change, as would more efficient weaponry.

"There is another path. A path that leads toward security and prosperity for all the people in the region. It will require all parties including Israel to make difficult but necessary choices," she said.

On Iran, she said the US was working towards the imposition of sanctions that would bite.

• Israel • Hillary Clinton • Middle East • United States • Palestinian territories • Obama administration • Binyamin Netanyahu • US foreign policy Ewen MacAskill guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

Attorney: Mumbai widow's time in US restricted (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:26:06 AM

Greg buzzed up: Demise of

coral, salamander show impact of Web (AP) 1 minute ago 2010-0322T09:59:02-07:00

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World's greatest rivers as seen from space (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:35:21 AM

Wired has compiled a photo essay of rivers as seen from space. The photos were taken by satellites and astronauts. The pictures include: • Rio Negro, Argentina • Mississippi, U.S. • Ganges, India All the pictures at Wired.

More on geography.

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Ministers insist 'cab-for-hire' Byers had no influence (Top stories from Times Online) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:21:03 AM

The Government today dismissed calls for an inquiry into whether Stephen Byers and other former Cabinet ministers had unduly influenced government policy by lobbying on behalf of business.

Harriet Harman told the House of Commons that urgent internal inquiries at the departments of transport, trade and health had found no trace of "the impropriety alleged" by Mr Byers.

The former transport minister was secretly filmed boasting to undercover reporters that he was a political "cab for hire" who had secured secret deals with serving ministers, obtained confidential information from Number 10 and helped firms to get around price-fixing rules. Mr Byers, a Blairite, said that he charged up to £5,000 a day.

Among Mr Byers’ boasts was that he had come to a secret deal with Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, over the termination of National Express's rail franchise contract, and that Lord

Mandelson, the Business Secretary, had got regulations on food labelling amended after he intervened on behalf of the Tesco supermarket firm.

Two other former Cabinet ministers, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon, were also recorded by the undercover reporters from The Sunday Times and Channel 4 offering to undertake lobbying work, and Ms Hewitt was alleged to have influenced an appointment to an advisory group.

Ms Harman told the House of Commons that the Prime Minister had asked Sir Gus O’Donnell today for assurance that the departments of business, transport and health had looked into the claims. The permanent secretaries who head each department had made inquiries into the claims relating to food labelling, National Express and an appointment to the advisory group on mental health.

Ms Harman said: “In each of the cases raised the departments have looked into these allegations and are satisfied that these decisions have been made without the impropriety alleged.

"They have assured the Cabinet Secretary that they are satisfied

that there has been no improper influence on Government policy or ministerial decisions.”

She added that the departments will publish statements detailing their findings today.

The revelations, in yesterday's Sunday Times, have provoked shocked and disgusted reactions from all sides of the political divide, and have transferred the pressure over Westminster sleaze - previously focused on Lord Ashcroft and the Tories onto the Government.

Lord Adonis issued a strongly worded statement to the House of Lords this afternoon, admitting that Mr Byers had tried to speak to him about the National Express franchise but categorically denying that he had been swayed by him.

Lord Adonis said: “Stephen Byers had a brief conversation in the House of Commons with me last June about the East Coast mainline. We discussed his experience in dealing with rail franchise difficulties when Transport Secretary.

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US healthcare: how has the bill affected Obama's poll ratings?

Simon Rogers (World news: United States | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:59:22 AM

Passing the healthcare reform bill has been a huge victory for Obama. How have his ratings been hit by the debate so far?

• Get the data As Barack Obama was standing up to announce that passing the healthcare reform bill is what "change looks like", US pundits were already wondering what the effect will be on Obama's political reputation.

There's no doubt the passage of the bill has been a bruising affair. As Michael Tomasky writes today: A record $3.47 billion was spent lobbying Congress last year. Not all of that was about health care, but a hefty chunk of it was, and the vast majority of it by corporations and associations that wanted to kill the bill outright or shape it to reflect their financial priorities.

We wondered what the hard political impact has been.

Rasmussen have been measuring both the President's approval ratings since his

election and US citizens' attitudes towards the healthcare reform bill. This is how the figures compare.

Download the data • DATA: download the full datasheet World government data • Search the world's government data with our gateway Can you do something with this data?

Flickr Please post your visualisations and mash-ups on our Flickr group or mail us at datastore@guardian.co.uk • Get the A-Z of data • More at the Datastore directory • Follow us on Twitter • US healthcare • United States • Health • Healthcare industry • Barack Obama Simon Rogers guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

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North Korea to put US citizen on trial for illegal entry (World news: United States | guardian.co.uk)

past year. It was not immediately clear why he had crossed into the country.

Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:53:31 AM Two US journalists, Laura Ling 30-year-old Aijalon Mahli and Euna Lee, were arrested a Gomes was detained after year ago near the Chinese crossing into North Korea from border and sentenced to 12 years China on 25 January hard labour for illegal entry and North Korea today said it engaging in "hostile acts". would put a US citizen on trial They were freed in August after f o r e n t e r i n g t h e c o u n t r y the former US president Bill illegally.

Clinton made a high-profile The Korean Central News humanitarian visit to Pyongyang Agency identified the man as 30 to negotiate their release.

-year-old Aijalon Mahli Gomes, On Christmas Day, Robert of Boston, and said "his crime Park, an American missionary, has been confirmed". The brief crossed into North Korea from dispatch did not say when China on a self-proclaimed Gomes would stand trial. mission to draw attention to Two months ago, Pyongyang Pyongyang's human rights announced that an American record and call for the country's h a d b e e n d e t a i n e d f o r leader, Kim Jong-il, to step trespassing on 25 January after down. He was released last crossing into the country from month after more than 40 days China. in custody.

There was no immediate US Today's announcement comes confirmation of the man's as regional powers pushed for identity. PJ Crowley, a state N o r t h K o r e a t o r e j o i n department spokesman, said last i n t e r n a t i o n a l t a l k s o n week that Swedish diplomats in dismantling its nuclear weapons Pyongyang had access to a US programme. citizen in North Korean custody. The country is believed to have Gomes would be the fourth e n o u g h w e a p o n s - g r a d e A m e r i c a n d e t a i n e d b y plutonium to make at least six communist North Korea on nuclear bombs. charges of illegal entry in the Pyongyang abandoned an aid

for disarmament pact and pulled out of the negotiations last year in protest at the criticism it faced for a rocket launch that was widely condemned as a violation of UN sanctions.

North Korea's move to test a nuclear bomb weeks later prompted the UN security council to further tighten sanctions against the regime.

Pyongyang has pressed Washington for bilateral talks to discuss a peace treaty as part of any disarmament negotiations, citing the US military presence on South Korean soil as the main reason for its drive to build nuclear weapons.

North and South Korea are separated by a heavily-fortified border and remain officially at war.

Their three-year conflict ended in a truce in 1953, but a peace treaty has never been signed.

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

Army to sack 500 soldiers because of troop 'cap' (Top stories from Times Online) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:09:54 AM

Up to 500 soldiers will lose their jobs under a plan to reshape the Army to better meet the challenges of operations in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence announced today.

The Ministry of Defence has not exercised its right to terminate a soldier’s employment since 2002 and the troops targeted under the redundancy plans will have completed 12 or 15 years of service. They will be working in areas that are not seen as critical to the mission in Helmand.

With a cap on the total number of troops in the Army almost reached due to a rise in recruiting and a drop in the number of people leaving, the Army says the move will free up space to employ more soldiers in roles that are needed for Afghanistan.

“The Army has grown unevenly and we now need to make some adjustments,” said General Sir

Health Care Reform Passes House (Little Green Footballs)

There it is — the health care reform legislation championed

by President Obama has gotten the necessary 216 votes and

passed the House.

And now the screaming starts…

Peter Wall, Commander in Chief, Land Forces.

Initially, between 300 and 500 soldiers will be given one year’s notice as well as help with finding a job back in the civilian world, including a grant of £10,000.

The process, known as Manning Control Points, will happen over the next financial year, from April 2011.

The Army said that other soldiers also deemed to be in the wrong job will be given the opportunity to retrain into a more useful role. Employment teams will decide over the coming months which areas of the Army are less important for the mission in Afghanistan. It will also highlight where shortages in skill sets lie.

The latest manning figures, from December 2009, show that the total number of soldiers in the Army is 101,190 - just 850 shy of the requirement.

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Election baby for Samantha Cameron Will Cameron follow in (Top stories from Times Online)

first son, died last February. He had suffered from a rare neurological condition from Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:34:36 AM birth.

Samantha Cameron, the wife of Mrs Cameron, the creative the Tory leader, is pregnant, it director of Smythsons, an was announced today. upmarket stationers, announced Mrs Cameron, 38, is due to give earlier this month that she would birth to the couple’s fourth child be joining her husband on the this September, a spokeswoman campaign trail. for the Conservative Party said.

She recently told ITV1 that her David Cameron let slip that the husband was “very strong” and couple were trying for another a “fantastic dad” but also a baby last year. Speaking to "terrible mess" in the kitchen.

Grazia magazine last August, She said that she found the the Tory leader said that he prospect of him becoming prime wanted to expand his family. minister daunting but would be “I’d certainly like to. But we’ll proud if he won the election. have to wait and see if the stork Mrs Cameron said: "We've drops one off.” been together 18 years now and The pregnancy raises the we've been through some, you prospect of another newborn in know, fairly tough times and I No 10, a decade after Leo can honestly say that I don't Blair’s arrival in Downing think in all that time he's ever let Street. me down. And he's always been The Camerons have two other incredibly strong and kind and children Nancy, 6, and Elwyn, supportive." Mrs Cameron said 4. Ivan Cameron, the couple’s that her husband was a "terrible

Ships skirt Calif. coast to avoid pollution rules (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:32:05 AM

Greg buzzed up: Demise of coral, salamander show impact of Web (AP) 1 minute ago 2010-03-

22T09:59:02-07:00 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

channel-flicker" and had a fondness for repeat viewings of films.

She said: "Like most men ... he likes watching Westerns and all three of the Godfather films, sort of again and again and again".

On the prospect of him winning power at the general election, expected to be held on May 6, she said: "If he did become prime minister I would be incredibly proud of him.

"And our life would change, you know, and that is daunting and I'm sure we would have to make sacrifices. But for me, personally, it would be a huge honour to do everything that I possibly could to support him and make sure that he could do the job to the very best of his abilities."

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Blair's footsteps by having a Downing Street baby?

(Latest news, breaking news, current news, UK news, world news, celebrity news, politics news)

prime minister Harold Macmillan regularly invited his grandchildren to stay in Downing Street during the school holidays, and the Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:24:10 AM

By Gordon Rayner, Chief former chancellor Nigel Lawson Reporter and his wife Therese lived in Published: 4:24PM GMT 22 No.11 with their children Tom Mar 2010 and Emily in the 1980s.

Until Tony Blair’s son Leo was But times have changed, and born in 2000, the last serving Mr Cameron, whose wife prime minister to father a Samantha is due to give birth in child was Lord John Russell, September, would become the whose son Francis was born in third successive premier to 1849. move into Downing Street with Before Mr Blair moved into his children, following in the Downing Street with his young footsteps of Mr Blair and of family in 1997, few children Gordon Brown, whose sons had ever lived in its cramped John, six, and Fraser, three, private quarters. were both born while he was The Liberal Prime Minister chancellor.

Herbert Asquith had been the The Camerons have two last incumbent to move into children, Nancy, six, and Downing Street with children Arthur, four, having lost their when his son Anthony and eldest son Ivan, who had daughter Elizabeth made their cerebral palsy and epilepsy, last home there in 1908. year when he was six.

John Major’s son James was Five Filters featured article: still a teenager when his father Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: became prime minister, but he PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, stayed at the family home in Term Extraction.

Huntingdon with Norma Major to finish his schooling.

In the 1950s the Conservative

10

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British Airways in 'gagging' row over Inc. 5000 Applicant of strike the Week: IguanaMed (Latest news, breaking news, current news, UK news, world news, celebrity news, politics news)

does not release information that is misleading or inaccurate.

Information concerning our operation is clearly market sensitive.

Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:14:33 AM

By David Millward, Transport This information includes Editor matters such as numbers of Published: 4:14PM GMT 22 passengers we are able to Mar 2010 carry, numbers of flights In an email sent to hundreds of operated and numbers of crew journalists, BA complained that reporting for work. equal credence was being "Any suggestion in media given to the union's estimate of reports that information we have the number of staff working, issued is untrue implies that flights operating and how many the airline’s management is passengers were on board. acting unlawfully."

The airline's broadside came as BA alleged that information the stoppage by cabin crew from Unite and BASSA – the entered its third day, with little union branch representing sign of a settlement in sight. cabin crew – had "no basis in "Some media reports on our fact". flight operations during the The airline added: "It is period of Unite’s strike have extremely confusing for our appeared to give equal weight to customers when the content of information we have issued as some media reports conflicts to claims made by Unite," the with information we have airline said. provided via ba.com and "As a PLC, British Airways is direct communications in an legally obliged to ensure that it effort to minimise uncertainty

Sex.com does not sell (CNET News.com)

sell after all.

3 minutes 32 seconds Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:44:40 AM March 22, 2010 7:44 AM PDT The fight between Google and Five Filters featured article: China comes to a head, the U.K. Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: gets its own social network for PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, voters, and Sex.com does not Term Extraction.

about travel plans.

"We have no difficulty with media desire to report Unite’s strike impartially. We believe this objective, and the objective of accurate reporting, is assisted by rigorous assessment by media organisations of the information they receive."

BA's complaints were dismissed by Unite. "BA's expensive PR operation appears rattled that it has not established a media monopoly.

It now seems to want to ensure that the union side is not reported at all," said a union spokesman.

"We have confidence that the overwhelming majority of journalists will ignore this bullying."

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

Lauren Folino (Inc.com)

but now, he says, his company is focusing on building the IguanaMed brand, rather than As applications for the 2010 comparing their brand to others.

Inc. 500 | 5000 arrive, we I g u a n a M e d o f f e r s s e v e r a l thought it would be worthwhile collections and styles of their to shine a spotlight on some of medical scrubs, but their Med the companies that are vying to Flex fabrics – namely, their appear on our ranking of the revolutionary Med Flex II, f a s t e s t - g r o w i n g p r i v a t e which is a tri-blend with companies in the U.S. (For more spandex for easy movement – information and to apply, go to are what make their products http://www.inc.com/inc5000app e s p e c i a l l y a p p e a l i n g , h e ly/2010/.) One that caught our says.While the company was e y e w a s C h i c a g o - b a s e d founded in 2005 as a subsidiary IguanaMed.IguanaMed makes of Walrus Brands, another scrubs, shirts and trousers or manufacturer of medical scrubs g o w n s w o r n b y n u r s e s , and other niche products, surgeons, and other hospital I g u a n a M e d n o w o p e r a t e s personnel, but not just any independently from its former scrubs. The company combines parent company. After the split, different sporty, creative designs IguanaMed went on to earn a w i t h h i g h - p e r f o r m a n c e , place on the Inc. 5000 from comfortable fabrics, that make 2 0 0 7 t h r o u g h 2 0 0 9 . T h e flexible movement easier. company was able to grow its "We're not the first company to distribution across all 50 states, infuse style creatively into a s w e l l a s 1 1 c o u n t r i e s scrubs, but I think we're doing it worldwide, including Italy, aggressively," says president Saudi Arabia and Brazil. "We've and CEO Gregory Lilien. "We learned a lot over the past want to continue to expand couple years," Lilien says. "I fabrics, and keep appearing think we're also in a product bold, unique a n d category that's not shaken up a exciting."Lilien and his team of lot. It's fun to be in an older seven employees used to market industry and breathe some life IguanaMed's scrubs as the "Nike into it." or Puma of medical apparel," Submitted at 3/22/2010 4:00:00 AM

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11

Cell Phones: A Security Risk to Your Business?

Minda Zetlin (Inc.com)

gigahertz processor and hundreds of megabytes of RAM. So all the same types of attacks Last July, Charlie Miller, a that could happen to a computer professional hacker, announced can happen to a smart phone." from the stage of an IT security These attacks include intrusions conference that he could hack (such as Charlie Miller's hack); any iPhone in the world by text viruses and other malware; m e s s a g e . " T h a t w a s a phishing for passwords and demonstration, it never really other information; theft of data happened in the wild," notes stored on or sent to or from the Jamie De Guerre, CTO of phone; and spam. And the Cloudmark, which provides phones' new capabilities bring messaging security for mobile their biggest vulnerabilities. and fixed-line companies.

"Social media is expanding to No actual iPhone users were mobile devices," notes Martha harmed in making Charlie Vazquez, senior research analyst Miller's point, and Apple in the Network Security practice patched the vulnerability shortly at consulting firm Frost & after he announced it. But other Sullivan. "While this is a great cell phone users have been less way to market your business, lucky. The Sexy View worm, so many threats are attacking these dubbed because it sends a text sites and it's common to find a inviting users to look at sexy malicious URL link. SMS pictures, targets some Nokia messages are another very phones. If a hapless user tries to c o m m o n w a y t o r e c e i v e look at the pictures, it will take m a l w a r e . " over the phone much the way a What should a small business botnet takes over a computer, do? It's obviously impractical to and then send itself to the entire ask employees to give up their contact list. cell phones, or return to the So far, De Guerre says, Sexy quaint old days of using them View has been more of an issue only for phone calls or the in Asia than in the United occasional photo. But there are States. But it seems only a smart policies and practices that matter of time until security can help you keep cell phones issues begin affecting American out of harm's way. Here are cell phone users as well. "The some steps to consider. thing to understand is that smart 1. Insist on password phones today have all the power protection. "The simple act of of a full computer," De Guerre enabling a password or PIN says. "They can have a 1 number on a phone can save you Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:33:00 AM

a tremendous amount of hassle," notes Randy Gross, CIO at CompTIA, a trade association for the IT industry. "You may be able to set security on the phone so that if someone tries the wrong password a certain number of times, the phone is automatically wiped. That can protect your data."

2. Use encryption. While password protection is a good step encryption is even better, and a good way to secure data stored on cell phones. "A 16gigabyte phone can contain a lot of information," Gross notes.

"With the right security software, you may be able to remotely wipe the phone if it is lost or stolen."

3. Stay up to date on operating system patches. "Whenever the phone maker releases new patches or new versions of its operating system, make sure you have the latest version on your device," Gross advises.

4. Use antivirus software.

"Small businesses must treat mobile devices as they would their PCs by installing security software and keeping it up to date," says Khoi Nguyen, group product manager, Mobile Security Group at Symantec.

"This will protect the device from new variants of viruses and other malware."

5. Warn users about malicious sites and phone numbers. Cell phone users can be their own

worst enemies so make sure they know what not to do. First, if they receive an unsolicited SMS text, even if it appears to come from someone they know, they should avoid clicking on links contained in the message.

These could lead them to malicious websites where the phone might be infected with malware. Second, and less obvious, users should never call a phone number that arrives in an unsolicited text message, even if the message appears to come from the user's bank, employer, or cell phone company. Instead, users should find the bank or employer's number independently to make the call, otherwise, they -- or you -- might wind up paying for a premium call.

6. Educate users about phishing. Some of the most successful phishing attacks in recent times have affected Twitter, often when users accessed the site with their smart phones. Make sure users know not to input their passwords or other personal information to any site or service unless they navigated there themselves, as opposed to following a link in an email or text. The same goes for any phone call where the user did not find the number independently, for instance by visiting a company's website or looking it up using directory

assistance.

7. Shut out unknown Bluetooth devices. Have you ever been in a public place and found that your phone's Bluetooth was trying to connect to an unknown device nearby? Although many people think of Bluetooth as a neater alternative to a physical wire, in fact it creates a personal area network, and like any network, it will recognize appropriate devices within its range. This can let in malware, though, for example, a virus called CommWarrior that infects some phones via Bluetooth, as well as other ways. "A phone's Bluetooth setting is on by default, so it needs to be turned off, or configured for a specific device or headset," Nguyen says. "If not, it will look for other Bluetooth-enabled phones, which could result in malware being loaded on the device."

8. Be wary of open Wi-Fi networks. It's easy to forget, but many smart phones also work on regular WiFi networks. Users should be aware that when they join an open WiFi network, nearby eavesdroppers may be able to see the data they send and receive, such as email.

"Make sure before you join that it's a network you know and trust," De Guerre advises.

12

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What Health Care Reform Means for Your Business Courtney Rubin (Inc.com)

when Republican Scott Brown unexpectedly won the late Ted Kennedy's seat in a January The healthcare reform bill the s p e c i a l e l e c t i o n . T h e H o u s e o f R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s reconciliation bill will be approved last night will bring considered under fast-track drastic changes to the way small Senate rules that require only a businesses buy and supply simple majority. health insurance.

Here's what's coming: Nothing is changing fast, By 2014, states must set up though – most of the provisions Small Business Health Options of the $940 billion legislation P r o g r a m s – a k a " S H O P won't kick in until 2014.

Exchanges" – essentially Obama is expected to sign the purchasing pools where small main piece of the package (the businesses can club together to underlying Senate bill) into law buy insurance. What's defined this week, possibly as early as as a "small business"? Those Tuesday. The other piece – a fix w i t h n o m o r e t h a n 1 0 0 -it bill that of amendments that employees, though states can would make several changes to limit the pools to companies the new law – goes back to the with 50 or fewer employees Senate. Debate could start through 2016. Companies that Tuesday, and conclude before outgrow the size limit will be Congress's two-week recess grandfathered in. b e g i n s F r i d a y n i g h t . The pools will probably only Republicans likely will offer slightly shrink your insurance lots of additional amendments to c o s t s : T h e n o n p a r t i s a n the reconciliation bill, but any Congressional Budget Office changes – even ones Democrats predicts small-group premiums might like – would send the bill will fall by 1 to 4 percent thanks back to the House rather than to t o the exchanges.

O b a m a f o r s i g n i n g , s o (Unfortunately, the premiums Democrats are expected to may rise considerably before oppose them all. (Yet another they fall. Health care insurance way the rules could change: consultant Robert Laszewski Republicans already are vowing told the Wall Street Journal that to repeal the laws if they win plans will want to make as much back majorities in November's money as possible before the midterm elections.) wide-sweeping reforms take The complicated two-step effect in 2014.) process was made necessary Companies with fewer than 50 Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:45:00 AM

workers won't face penalties if they don't offer insurance. If you have 25 or fewer employees and a work force with an average pay of up to $40,000, you can get tax credits to help buy insurance: up to 35 percent of the cost of the premiums this year, rising to 50 percent in 2014. (You'll have to pay at least half of the total premium cost or 50 percent of a benchmark premium to qualify.)

Full credits will be available for the smallest firms with the lowest-paid workers (10 or

coverage to retirees age 55 to 64 who aren't eligible for Medicare, the legislation includes what's being called a "temporary reinsurance program" that begins no later than 90 days from the moment Obama signs the bill and expires Jan. 1, 2014.

The program will reimburse employers or insurers for 80 percent of retiree claims between $15,000 and $90,000.

Companies with more than 50 employees that don't offer coverage would be fined up to $750 per worker if any employees rely on government subsidies to buy coverage. The compromise bill the Senate will consider this week will hike the fine to $2,000 per full-time employee. The first 30 workers are excluded, but two part-time employees will count as one full -time one for purposes of fewer employees and average penalty calculation. yearly wages of less than The new legislation also will $25,000); the subsidies shrink as require more transparency from companies' size and average pay health insurance companies – rise. The tax breaks – estimated they'll have to report the to affect about 12 percent of p r o p o r t i o n o f p r e m i u m employees covered by small- payments they fork over (as group insurance -- will last for opposed to marketing and the first two years a company administration costs). Insurers buys insurance through its state will also be forced to reveal the exchange. The breaks should r a t i o n a l e b e h i n d p r e m i u m lower the cost of insuring increases, and states will be able affected employees by 8 to 11 to bar them from the exchanges p e r c e n t , e s t i m a t e s t h e if they're found to be upping Congressional Budget Office. premiums without good reason.

If you provide health insurance

Business/ Tech/ Politics/

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How to Choose an Investor Jason Del Rey (Inc.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:16:22 AM

What the health care bill means for small businesses. Inc.com's Courtney Rubin has the details on what the passage of Sunday's health care reform means for your small business. Still, there's time to plan; most changes won't take effect until 2014.How to judge potential investors. SpeakerText founder Matt Mireles, who started his business with $4,000 in the midst of the recession, has come up with his own formula for how to judge investors while they're busy judging you.

Expect some strong language, and a lot of great advice. Above everything else, says Mireles, you need to ask yourself whether you want this person on your board. "When the $%^& hits the fan, do I want to be accountable to this guy? Do I want this to be the guy that has my back?" He also tells entrepreneurs to ask themselves: Are the investors smarter than you? (It's great if they are.) Are they secure and self-confident enough to make rational decisions? Are they reverential to entrepreneurs and understand "their place in the ecosystem as enablers"? Are they humble and

self-aware? Do they know what it means to be an operator? Do they teach you things? Are they happy? And last, but not least: do they want you to lie to them?

Says Mireles, "This typically manifests itself in the form of long-term financial projections.

'What will your sales be 5 years from now?' I have no $%*#@ clue, and if you're asking me that question, neither do you."

(Via peHUB.)Yelp: a business owner's guide. We've covered businesses that have found creative ways to respond to criticism on Yelp, but Mashable is filling in some of the gaps for beginners and explaining three other steps you should take to succeed on Yelp. The article recommends filling out your business information thoroughly, making offers and announcements regularly, and displaying a Yelp badge on your website. It also raises the question of the value of advertising on Yelp, a revenue stream that has put the company in some legal hot water. For more tips on how to use review sites to your advantage see our guide on the subject.Intro to the balance sheet. Venture capitalist and prolific blogger Fred Wilson has the lowdown on reading and understanding the

balance sheet.App developers hot for iPad. "Rush is on to be first in iPad Apps," declares a headline in The New York Times. The paper reports that app developers large and small are scrambling to get software ready in time for the April 3rd release date of Apple's new tablet. This is despite the fact that the vast majority of app developers haven't even used one in real life. Although a handful of big media companies have prototypes, they've agreed to "keep the iPad hidden from public view, chained to tables in windowless rooms." Seriously: chained to tables. The little guys get a software program that simulates the iPad and runs on a Mac, which means that they'll be at a disadvantage once the device is released. "Developers know from experience how important timing can be," The Times reports. "Some of the earliest developers to release programs for the iPhone were also the most successful...A developer who is out in front with an application that is tailored for the iPad stands a better chance of getting noticed."Five things to remember about location-based social media. As apps like Foursquare and Gowalla

Sunday Afternoon Music: Don Ross, 'Three Hands' (Little Green Footballs)

Here’s a midday music thread featuring Don Ross on the

Frameworks guitar.[Video]

continue to see significant growth in users, many businesses are still scrambling to figure out exactly how to leverage these tools to augment their products and services.

Mashable has posted a few things to consider along the way, the most important of which is scalability for companies with a primarily local customer base. For example, while Foursquare has reached 500,000 active users, "If you apply any city's share of the total U.S. population, the results show some pretty low estimates of users in individual localities," the post says. "This shows why it is important to achieve scale if you hope to see return on investment in the location marketing space." Also, remember that getting potential customers to find your place of business shouldn't be the only goal. "It's easy to lose sight of the fact that location's real appeal to advertisers is the fact that with this functionality, you can reach the on-the-go user, who is ready to buy and consume," the article says. Once you've figured out your Foursquare strategy, click here for tips on how to bring in some actual cash.

13

Found Footage: David Barnard of AppCubby talks about KaleidoVid Steven Sande (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:00:00 AM

Filed under: Found Footage, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch While roaming the floor at Macworld Expo 2010 in February, I had the opportunity to talk with David Barnard of AppCubby about several of their iPhone apps, including GasCubby and TripCubby.

David also told me about a project that they had in the works at the time, which has recently been released -- a US$0.99 iPhone kaleidoscope called KaleidoVid. TUAW's Dave Caolo provided you with details about the app in an earlier post, but we thought you might enjoy this short interview with David where he talks about the app, his reason for developing it, and gives us a short demo of KaleidoVid in action.

TUAW Found Footage: David Barnard of AppCubby talks about KaleidoVid originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

14

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Morning Reading nospam@example.org (Scott Jagow) (Marketplace Scratch Pad)

Department. When prices rise and quality and choice suffer, the fault will lie with ObamaCare.

Submitted at 3/22/2010 5:48:24 AM Good morning. Hope you had What the final health care vote a good weekend. The main really means(Robert Reich) focus this morning, of course, is So don’t believe anyone who on health care, so I’ve pulled a says Obama’s health care few items on that. Plus, what if legislation marks a swing of the women ran Wall Street? pendulum back toward the Great Health care reform, at last(New Society and the New Deal.

York Times) Obama’s health bill is a very The bill, which was approved c o n s e r v a t i v e p i e c e o f by the Senate in December and legislation, building on a b y t h e H o u s e o n S u n d a y , Republican rather than a New r e p r e s e n t s a n a t i o n a l Deal foundation. The New Deal commitment to reform the worst foundation would have offered elements of the current system. Medicare to all Americans or, at It will provide coverage to tens the very least, featured a public o f m i l l i o n s o f u n i n s u r e d insurance option.

Americans, prevent the worst The significance of Obama’s insurance company abuses, and health legislation is more b e g i n t o w r e s t l e w i t h political than substantive. For relentlessly rising costs — while the first time since Ronald slightly reducing future deficits. R e a g a n t o l d A m e r i c a The House passes a very government is the problem, expensive bill(Wall Street Obama’s health bill reasserts Journal) that government can provide a Liberals will try to blame major solution. In political insurers once again, but the terms, that’s a very big deal. public shouldn’t be fooled. Health care passage hinged on WellPoint, Aetna and the rest abortion language(NPR) are from now on going to be What anti-abortion Democrats public utilities, essentially couldn’t get into the final bill, creatures of Congress and the they managed to achieve with Health and Human Services that executive order: a blanket

prohibition on the use of federal funds for elective abortions, the explicit separation of federal subsidies from private money when consumers buy health plans that cover abortions, and a clarification that the new health care laws legally protect hospitals, doctors and other providers that object to providing abortions as a matter of conscience.

It was enough to change the whole narrative about the health care legislation.

“The health bill that will move forward today is actually a bill about life,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), a staunch abortion opponent who became a big supporter of the bill.

What if women ran Wall Street?(New York Magazine) According to a new breed of researchers from the field of behavioral finance, Wall Street’s volatility is really driven by our body chemistry.

It’s the chemicals pulsing through traders’ veins that propel them to place insane bets and enable bank executives to make risky decisions—and those same chemicals tend to have the same effect on everyone, turning them into a

herd of overheated animals. And because the vast majority of these traders and finance executives are men, the most important chemical in question is testosterone.

Toyota, Walmart incidents show how gullible the media can be(Christian Science Monitor) I couldn’t agree more…

“Journalism schools are supposed to teach that skepticism is paramount,” writes Michael Fumento, director of the nonprofit Independent Journalism Project, about a questionable claim of a stuck Toyota gas pedal in California.

“Yet comments on Web sites across the country reveal that practically everyone thought the Prius incident was a hoax though they couldn’t prove it except for the media…”

Many media outlets quickly assumed the worst in the WalMart incident. Gothamist ran the headline, “More racism at Walmart, this time over PA system.”

With 540 iPhone apps, an iPhone font is born Don Reisinger (Webware.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:03:48 AM

If you have time on your hands, font created entirely out of App you can come up with some Store apps. rather interesting ideas. One Originally posted at The Digital person has designed an iPhone Home

Google Skipfish scans Web apps for security (CNET News.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:16:20 AM

Report offensive content: If you believe this comment is offensive or violates the CNET's Site Terms of Use, you can report it below (this will not automatically remove the comment). Once reported, our staff will be notified and the comment will be reviewed.

Select type of offense: Offensive: Sexually explicit or offensive language Spam: Advertisements or commercial links Disruptive posting: Flaming or offending other users Illegal activities: Promote cracked software, or other illegal content Comments(optional): Report Cancel Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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MoMA Acquires "@" Symbol. "WTF" Next?

Cliff Kuang (Fast Company)

applications.

And that's what drew the attention of Ray Tomlinson, a N e w Y o r k ' s M u s e u m o f computer engineer who helped Modern Art is adding the create the world's very first eubiquitous typographic icon to mail system. Faced with the its permanent collection. Here's problem that emails could only the story behind the acquisition. be sent to users on the same Today, MoMA's announced server, he adopted the "@" to what might be its boldest a l l o w c r o s s - s e r v e r e m a i l acquisition ever. And it didn't routing, via an email address. As even cost anything: The "@" Antonelli writes: In January symbol is now a part of the 1971, @ was an underused museum's permanent design jargon symbol lingering on the collection.

Which sounds keyboard and marred by a very more than a little mystifying. limited register. By October, But MoMA's chief design Tomlinson had rediscovered curator, Paola Antonelli, offers a and appropriated it, imbuing it fairly detailed and fascinating w i t h n e w m e a n i n g a n d rationale. elevating it to defining symbol "@" is more ancient than you of the computer age. He chose might think--Some scholars the @ for his first email think it was invented over 1,300 because of its strong locative years ago, as way to reduce the s e n s e — a n i n d i v i d u a l , Latin word "ad"--which means identified by a username, is @ "at, "to," or "toward"--into a this institution/computer/server, single penstroke. and also because…it was But by the 20th century, it was already there, on the keyboard, a weird oddity of typography-- and nobody ever used it. found on most keyboards, but And here's her rationale for essentially useless for everyday a d d i n g i t t o t h e M o M A Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:25:14 AM

always celebrated elegance, economy, intellectual transparency, and a sense of the possible future directions that are embedded in the arts of our time, the essence of modern.

Weirdly, if the internet hadn't been invented in America, we might never have begun using "@" the way we do: In Russia, it symbolizes "dog," and in collection: Tomlinson then sent Norway, it's known as the "sign an email about the @ sign and of the meow." And in Spain, it's how it should be used in the used to express gender equality, future. He therefore consciously, since it contains both an "o" and a n d f r o m t h e v e r y s t a r t , "a"--for example: "Hola l@s established new rules and a new viej@s amig@s y l@s nuev@s meaning for this symbol...[He] amig@s!" performed a powerful act of Presumably, the "@" will now design that not only forever be periodically displayed with a c h a n g e d t h e @ s i g n ’ s placard in the design galleries, significance and function, but detailing this history. which also has become an Since it's in the public domain, important part of our identity in it was of course free--making it relationship a n d the only free acquisition that communication with others. His MoMA's ever done. (unintended) role as a designer must be acknowledged and celebrated by the one collection—MoMA’s—that has

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Just As It Tries To Kick People Offline, The British Gov't Wants To Move All Public Service Online Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 3/22/2010 1:54:23 AM

Just as it considers kicking people offline via the Digital Economy Bill, it looks like the UK is getting set to move all sorts of government services online-- giving every UK citizen a unique webpage, where they can access all sorts of personalized gov't services.

Now, some folks are (perhaps reasonably) concerned about privacy and the threat of data breaches, but it seems like an even bigger issue is the conflicting messages the UK gov't seems to be sending in threatening to remove people's internet connections at the same time it's trying to get them to do more and more online.

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Palm's Last Stand: Its Products Come to AT&T Brian White (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:10:00 PM

Filed under: Competitive Strategy, AT and T (T), Palm Inc (PALM) After reading this breakdown of Palm's ( PALM) lethal combination of mistakes in the

last year, one would wonder where the company is headed (except into the ground).

Without following some sound advice from non-CEOs, the company -- which at one point was the premier smartphone company -- may be headed to the company is even worth shutterville faster than 2012. If anything by then, nobody will

want to acquire it and investors in it will lose everything. That is, unless a product launch on AT&T ( T) can save the company.

Continue reading Palm's Last Stand: Its Products Come to AT&T Palm's Last Stand: Its Products

Come to AT&T originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

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The swinging tax door nospam@example.org (Scott Jagow) (Marketplace Scratch Pad)

• A deduction for state and local taxes on new vehicle purchases.

• An increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:05:58 AM Part of the government’s Child Tax Credit. r e c o v e r y s t r a t e g y w a s t o • A tax break for unemployment incentivize consumers to buy benefits. Ordinarily, jobless things — a new car, a new benefits are taxable, but under house, some more education. the Recovery Act, the first The incentives came in the form $ 2 , 5 0 0 i n u n e m p l o y m e n t of tax breaks, and now the bill benefits received in 2009 is taxhas come due. free.

The commissioner of the IRS While these tax benefits are says says so far, the average clearly welcome for those who income tax refund is up 10% can take advantage of them, from a year ago to a record they come at a time when the $3,036. He says last year’s federal government and the stimulus package is a major states have huge budget deficits. reason. The tax breaks provided S o , b e p r e p a r e d f o r t h e by the Recovery Act include: revolving door to swing the • A $ 2 , 5 0 0 A m e r i c a n other way. Georgia, for one, Opportunity Credit for qualified just beefed up its tax collection college expenses. manpower: • A tax credit of up to $8,000 for The (state) House this past f i r s t - t i m e h o m e b u y e r s . week approved one bill that Congress expanded this credit in would give a handful of tax November to provide a $6,500 agents law enforcement power credit for repeat buyers. and another that would make it

easier for state officials to garnish the wages of employed residents who owe taxes.

And many states are stepping up their efforts to collect taxes owed by people who live in one state but drive or fly to another state to do work. From the New York Times: “The states are all hungry for revenue,” said Alan Clavette, an accountant in Newtown, Conn.

“We are certainly seeing states like New York and Connecticut looking more and more for executives and everyday taxpayers who may be spending time across the border.”

Once upon a time, state tax officials relied on the sports pages and celebrity magazines to see when well-known higherearners came to town for work.

(Yes, even the taxman reads Us Weekly.) For everyone else, it was largely a “don’t ask, don’t tell” world, says James W. Wetzler, the former tax

commissioner for New York State, because it was not costeffective for states to monitor every bricklayer and lawyer crossing a border…

But now states have greater access to data warehouses that help them better track taxes owed.

These are taxes people technically owe, so that’s one thing.

But we haven’t mentioned new taxes that are part of the health care reform or potential taxes, both state and federal, that might be required to close budget deficits. Some of those are a ways down the road. But while the money’s going into many taxpayers’ pockets now, it might not be a bad idea to plan for it coming out in the future.

Switzerland So Neutral It Won't Even Let In Violent Video Games Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 3/22/2010 5:59:15 AM

An anonymous reader sends in word that Switzerland appears to be following in the footsteps of Venezuela by getting close to banning all violent video games in the country (yes, even for adults). It's not quite there yet -as the Swiss National Council has basically just given itself the right to put in place such a ban, but is still debating the actual extent of the ban. However, it appears that many expect all video games rated at a mature or adult level will likely be banned.

I'm curious why none of the countries that ban such video games are also willing to ban Rrated movies as well.

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Consol Energy Scoops Up CNX Gas for $965 Million Tom Taulli (BloggingStocks)

properties of Dominion Resources ( D). It was a major move to diversify its energy Filed under: Deals, Competitive platform, picking up 1.46 Strategy million oil and gas acres and Last week, the fourth largest 9,000 producing wells. In all, U.S. coal producer, CONSOL CONSOL is expected to boost Energy ( CNX), agreed to pay its natural reserves to about 3 $ 3 . 4 8 b i l l i o n f o r t h e trillion cubic feet and the about 41 trillion cubic feet.

A p p a l a c h i a n n a t u r a l g a s potential reserve base will be However, the deal is not cheap Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:50:00 AM

and will require some financial maneuverings. For example, Monday CONSOL agreed to purchase its remaining 17% stake in CNX Gas ( CXG) for $965 million.

Continue reading Consol Energy Scoops Up CNX Gas for $965 Million Consol Energy Scoops Up

CNX Gas for $965 Million originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Browser Wars: Microsoft's EU Browser Ballot Saps IE's Marketshare Kit Eaton (Fast Company) Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:28:36 AM

First, the European Union decided that Microsoft was unfairly monopolizing the browser market by bundling Internet Explorer in software packages. As a result EU users are now offered a ballot that allow them to select alternatives.

And it's working: IE is losing chunks of marketshare.

About 200 million Windows users of all flavors, old and new, are being served up with Microsoft's ballot window (shown above), which is a roadblock-style pop-up forcing them to choose which browser they'd like to use on their PC. For many Windows users, this is an irrelevance: PC-savvy people are well aware of IE's serious shortcomings in terms of security and compliance with open Web code standards and will have opted for one of the big competitors: Firefox, Apple Safari for PC and the new pretender Google Chrome. But there are significant numbers of Windows users who'll have never stopped to think about the

matter--because IE has always just been there, and it's a familiar and "safe" bit of software. They may never have realized that there's another way to browse the Net. Hence the EU case. MS bundles IE as an integrated part of the Windows experience and presents it as the de facto browser--warts and all. With so many millions of Windows users, this resulted in what the

EU decided was monopolistic behavior. MS's solution was a neat work-around before the matter came to a head (perhaps with punitive fines): Present all EU netizens with a choice of browser, in a pop-up window that randomly shuffles the browsers so that no one is particularly favored.

According to analytics firm Statcounter, it seems the ballot has now resulted in a slip in IE's

all of the others have had to engage in PR to get their names known.

IE's marketshare slip is small for now--just 1% in the UK, 1.3% in Italy, and 2.5% in France. But that slip is likely to get bigger as more users face the ballot pop-up and as word of mouth and press attention is brought to bear on the issue.

Many a Net programmer will be rejoicing at this news too, thanks to IE's terrible record in security matters and its noncompliance with Web standards-even the upcoming IE9's compliance with the new (potentially Flash-killing) HTML5 standard is slightly questionable. And this may even browser marketshare, implying allow us to ask the big question: that the average Windows user Is this news the beginning of the is more Net-savvy than one may end of IE's automatic dominance have expected. Many are opting in the browser wars? out of the MS product. On the [via Reuters] other hand, Mozilla's Firefox, To keep up with this news, Google's Chrome, and even using whatever browser you Apple's Safari are all much fancy, follow me, Kit Eaton, on more "branded" products than Twitter. That QR code on the IE. Microsoft has never had to left will take you to my Twitter promote IE to the public--it just feed too. served it up to them whether they wanted it or not, whereas

Tea Partiers Threatening Violence? Where?

(Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 3/21/2010 10:16:00 AM

Right here. These signs were at yesterday’s sparsely attended demonstration in Washington

DC. And yes, that’s Barack Obama with a Hitler mustache emerging

from a donkey’s ass.

(Hat tip: Gus 802.)

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Google Versus China: China to Win, Chinese Netizens to Lose Kit Eaton (Fast Company) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:42:45 AM

The face-off between Google and China is entering its final phase: Rumors are building that Google may announce its pull out of the country as soon as today. Meanwhile, China's netizens are desperately trying to make their voice heard.

Google seems to be playing is cards extremely close to its chest on this matter--and today, like much of the recent news, we're only learning about things via persons "familiar with the situation" who've spoken to the Financial Times. These insiders are saying that Google's on the point of revealing the closure of Google.cn, and its strategy for what happens next.

This is as close to the end game as we've got so far, and it was almost inevitable after China's moves over the last few weeks to strengthen its immovable position on self-censorship.

With China apparently stubbornly defending its censorship above all other issues, and Google's management apparently resolute about their decision to not comply with censorship, the

only way out is to close Google.cn. We'll all just have to watch the headlines today to see exactly how it plays out.

Meanwhile, China's netizens are complaining about all the smoke and mirrors surrounding the affair. As we've highlighted before China's Net users not only stand the most to lose from a Google pull out, but it could have far-reaching side-effects on human rights and freedom of speech within the country.

Hence this open letter from a group of Chinese Internet users

to both Google and China's authorities. The letter essentially lists the user's woes, starting with questions about understanding exactly what the disagreement between Google and the government is about (a matter which will have been reported differently inside China than in the rest of the World,) and moving on to questions about exactly what the government wanted censored.

The netizens' position is very carefully arranged in fact. They are resolute that China cannot

censor important matters like the "Shanxi vaccine scandal" but argue that companies (both national and international) operating inside China should comply with censorship laws, wherever these are reasonable and not overly-restrictive.

Hence within the scope of a single letter, the individuals have gently complained about China's authoritarian stance, and Google's obfuscations--which is probably about as challenging this letter can be without causing potential legal

repercussions. It also makes it clear that Google's Chinese presence is seen as important to normal Chinese citizens, and this above all else highlights the true tragedy at the heart of this affair. [via rConversations, Financial Times] To keep up with this news in a more real-time setting, follow me, Kit Eaton, on Twitter. That QR code on the left will take you to my Twitter feed too.

over a couple of Lone Star beers — all the ways people traditionally networked socially before the internet enabled what

we now call 'social networking.'

SXSW is a Bands' Social Network Like No Other Eliot Van Buskirk (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:01:00 AM

AUSTIN, Texas - Don’t expect the bands and labels gathered at the SXSW to forsake MySpace, Twitter and Facebook anytime

soon. Most industry players find that none of those tools replace the need to shake hands, look one another in the eye or bond

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19

Not over by a long shot nospam@example.org (Scott Jagow) (Marketplace Scratch Pad)

we will file a lawsuit to protect the rights and interests of American citizens,” he said.

The primary argument the Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:30:13 AM After many long months of states will use is that the bill debate, a health care reform bill violates the Constitution by has finally passed. President requiring every American to buy Obama is expected to sign it insurance. Virginia also plans into law this week. But as soon to challenge it on the grounds as that happens, another long that it would violate the state’s battle is likely to begin — in new law that says no Virginian courtrooms around the country. may be compelled to purchase The Christian Science Monitor insurance. says the attorneys general of a But has Congress overstepped dozen states have expressed i t s a u t h o r i t y u n d e r t h e support for taking legal action c o m m e r c e c l a u s e o f t h e against the health care measure: Constitution? It’s hard to “The health care legislation determine based on precedent.

Congress passed tonight is an Georgetown Constitutional law a s s a u l t a g a i n s t t h e professor Randy Barnett writes C o n s t i t u t i o n , ” s a i d S o u t h in the Washington Post: Carolina Attorney General Historically, insurance Henry McMaster. “A legal contracts were not considered challenge by the states appears commerce, which referred to to be the only hope of protecting t r a d e a n d c a r r i a g e o f the American people from this m e r c h a n d i s e . T h a t ’ s w h y unprecedented attack on our insurance has traditionally been system of government,” he said regulated by states. But the in a statement.

Supreme Court has long allowed Florida Attorney General Bill C o n g r e s s t o r e g u l a t e a n d McCollum issued a similar prohibit all sorts of “economic” statement late Sunday. “If the activities that are not, strictly president signs this bill into law, speaking, commerce. The key is

that those activities substantially affect interstate commerce, and that’s how the court would probably view the regulation of health insurance.

However, we may be in new territory now: While Congress has used its taxing power to fund Social Security and Medicare, never before has it used its commerce power to mandate that an individual person engage in an economic transaction with a private company. Regulating the auto industry or paying “cash for clunkers” is one thing; making everyone buy a Chevy is quite another. Even during World War II, the federal government did not mandate that individual citizens purchase war bonds.

As much as the public might want this matter to be settled one way or another, many aspects of the health care reform measure don’t take effect for 3 to 4 years. So, as they usually do, the courts may take their sweet time sorting this out.

Bo Burlingham in the Big Apple Lewis Schiff (Inc.com)

clients.Fifth, great companies-and their owners--have a passion for what they do.Bo The legendary Bo Burlingham, introduced a sixth aspect of Inc. magazine's editor-at-large great companies--one he said he landed in the New York-New "would put in the book if I were Jersey-Connecticut region last w r i t i n g i t n o w . " G r e a t w e e k w i t h h i s r e c i p e f o r companies must have sound entrepreneurial greatness. In business models and good gross each of our whistle-stop events margins. In other words, before in the region, Bo paved the way you can be a great business, you to a higher entrepreneurial must run a smart business. You plateau with his five "Small may not know it but Bo's Giant" principles, drawn from entrepreneurial profiles have his book of the same name.First, made up many of the iconic great companies are run by stories inside Inc. magazine for people who are clear about who 27 years. From Norm Brodsky t h e y a r e . S e c o n d , g r e a t to Ari Rosenzweig, each of companies have a connection to them exemplifies Bo's six-point the community in which they do model of greatness. On any business.Third, great companies given Monday, it's easy to get have intimate relationships with caught up in the day-to-day of their customers. They talk to our businesses. Bo reminds us them, care about them and that entrepreneurship is not just empathize with them.Fourth, a job, it's a calling. Thank you, great companies treat their Bo, for sharing your best ideas employees very, very well. They with the great entrepreneurial understand that a well-trained community of greater New workforce leads to happy York.

Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:05:40 AM

Amazon Shows Off Kindle for iPad Charlie Sorrel (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:39:00 AM

Amazon announces Kindle

Apps for Tablet Computers (including Kindle for iPad), a rather polished e-reader application that both makes the Kindle itself look rather old-

fashioned and explains why last week’s Mac version was so unfinished: The Amazon developers have clearly been spending all their time on this

instead.

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Nestle Learns an Important Lesson in Social Media Management Addy Dugdale (Fast Company) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:52:35 AM

Last week, Nestle got itself into a bit of a situation on its Facebook page. Following accusations by Greenpeace that the confectionery company was using palm oil sourced from deforested areas in Indonesia, the company's Facebook page was overrun by disgruntled campaigners urging a boycott of its products, and the firm was forced to put out a statement on its corporate website.

Nestle had, at first, been trying to firefight the situation on its Facebook page, without much success. Caustic responses to the angry brigade, and attempts to delete unwanted comments merely fanned the flamewar,

and the company ended up by posting the comment, "Social media: as you can see, we're learning as we go. Thanks for the comments."

We've already seen how the big guys are using blogs to fight back against their critics, but Nestle's attempt to manage its social media sites is an epic

example of misunderstanding the medium. The company uses Twitter extensively--its CSV ( Creating Shared Value) account, unsurprisingly, has more followers than any of its corporate accounts--and has over 200,000 fans on its Facebook page, an increase of 125,000 over the weekend. Bet

on most of the newbies not actually being "fans."

Jeremiah Owyang has been following the crisis and has come up with some useful guidelines for large companies who are getting into social media. Use an experienced community manager rather than an intern to manage your social

Citigroup Upgraded to Buy Elizabeth Harrow (BloggingStocks)

hiked his rating on the shares from neutral to buy, citing the banking issue's healthy liquidity Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:30:00 PM position.

Filed under: Analyst Reports, "This gives management the A n a l y s t U p g r a d e s a n d flexibility to off-load the Downgrades, Citigroup Inc. (C), problem operations and to Technical Analysis support longer term growth," Citigroup, Inc. ( C) attracted a wrote Bove in a note to clients. bullish note this morning from "It will be a money-making a n a l y s t R i c h a r d B o v e o f machine again and the stock is R o c h d a l e S e c u r i t i e s . T h e long-term cheap." outspoken financial analyst Bove also raised his price target

on Citi shares from $3.75 to $5, implying expected upside of 28.2% to the stock's closing price on Friday.

Continue reading Citigroup Upgraded to Buy Citigroup Upgraded to Buy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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media. Create a community strategy. Have an established plan for those times when your site is overrun by brand-jackers, and practice it regularly.

I might add one more to the list.

There is no point in deleting every negative comment received on your social media pages, as your brand will just end up looking like you handed over management of it to this guy. Just remember, control and management are not the same thing.

[Image via]

Comic Artist James Kochalka Heads to Mars and Beyond Michael Calore (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:07:00 AM

AUSTIN, Texas - James Kochalka is a bit of a nerd wizard. Now, the Vermont native can add another gold star to his resume: science fiction film actor.

Business/ Politics/ Entertainment/

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21

Boehner to GOP: 'Behave Like Grown-Ups' (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:11:52 AM

Sprint Ad Uses the iPhone to Show Off Its 4G Network (Yes, That iPhone) Dan Nosowitz (Fast Company)

network, which is several times faster and in daily use often approaches the speed of a home Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:37:34 AM broadband network.

Sprint's Overdrive portable Wi- So the Overdrive is compatible Fi hotspot is similar to Verizon's with any Wi-Fi device: laptops, MiFI: it's equipped with a most smartphones, PMPs like wireless antenna like a phone, the iPod Touch and Zune HD, but instead of merely using it, it and a whole host of other exports it as a Wi-Fi network connected gadgets. But to that any device with a Wi-Fi suggest the iPhone plays on all antenna can use. The MiFi is the dreams of annoyed iPhone great, but it's still just a 3G owners: keep the device, but network--Sprint's Overdrive take advantage of a wireless uses Sprint's fledgling 4G c a r r i e r l e s s c o n s i s t e n t l y

frustrating than AT&T. [youtube TwV4XJJAAas] Unfortunately, it's not particularly practical. For one thing, you'd need two separate data plans, in addition to a voice plan; the iPhone requires an AT&T voice and data plan, and the Overdrive another. You'd be paying out the ear to let one data plan sit fallow. But the other problem is, speed isn't the issue with AT&T. Sprint's 4G network is far faster, of course, but in a recent independent test,

At a closed meeting yesterday, House Minority Leader John Boehner told GOP legislators to “ behave like grown-ups.”

Now, why would he think it was necessary to tell them that?

House Minority Leader John Boehner told his conference to “behave like grown-ups” if the healthcare bill is passed by the House on Sunday.

The Ohio Republican made the warning at a quick closed-door meeting with fellow House GOP lawmakers at noon in the Capitol.

According to several lawmakers who attended the 15 minute meeting, Boehner said “we will behave like grownups,” and not engage in taunting the vulnerable Democrats who support the controversial measure.

AT&T proved the fastest of the 3G networks. It's reliability that's the problem--and Sprint's 4G is not particularly widespread due to its youth.

Anyway, all that arguing mostly misses the point of the ad, which is to say "Ha ha, Hamilton Nolan (Gawker) iPhone owners, don't you just Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:00:55 PM hate AT&T?" and to remind us all that it's Sprint that's pushing For those obsessively tracking forward with the earliest 4G the distribution of beats at the network. Good for them.

New York Times, this memo went out this morning: More »

Correspondent Shuffle at the NYT [Internal Memos]

22

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Analyst Calls: BA, BZH, FTO, HANS, IACI, LMT, MT, SMSC, STI, TRNO, WDR ...

Maurice Greenberg Sells AIG Shares to UBS

Eric Buscemi (BloggingStocks)

Mark Fightmaster (BloggingStocks)

• FBR Capital upgraded Waddell & Reed ( WDR) to outperform from market Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:00:00 AM perform on expectations the Filed under: Analyst Reports, company will outperform peers.

A n a l y s t U p g r a d e s a n d The firm raised its target for Downgrades, Boeing Co (BA), shares to $40 from $36.

Analyst Initiations • Morgan Keegan upgraded Analyst Upgrades Standard Microsystems ( • Oppenheimer upgraded SMSC) to outperform from Boeing ( BA) two notches to market perform. The firm has outperform from underperform increased optimism that the to reflect, among other things, company will benefit from t h e c o m p a n y ' s p l a n s t o continued strength in the PC end a c c e l e r a t e 7 7 7 a n d 7 4 7 - 8 market. production. The firm raised its • Genuine Parts ( GPC) was price target for shares to $80 upgraded to conviction buy from $56. Boeing was also from neutral at Goldman. upgraded to outperform from • Halozyme Therapeutics ( neutral at Cowen.

HALO) was upgraded to buy

from hold at Brean Murray.

• Medtronic ( MDT) was upgraded to buy from hold at Lazard Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BA, BZH, FTO, HANS, IACI, LMT, MT, SMSC, STI, TRNO, WDR ...

Analyst Calls: BA, BZH, FTO, HANS, IACI, LMT, MT, SMSC, STI, TRNO, WDR ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:30:00 AM

Filed under: Amer Intl Group (AIG) Reportedly, former American International Group ( AIG) lead man Maurice Greenberg (called "Hank" by most and the "Gangster of Love" by yours truly) has agreed to a staged sale of his AIG shares to UBS( UBS).

On Friday, Starr International (Greenberg's investment vehicle) issued a filing with the SEC stating that it will sell as many as 10 million shares of Greenberg's former firm in four blocks of 2.5 million shares. The price tag for the deal comes in at

$278 million. The way the deal is structured is known as a variable prepaid forward sale.

Continue reading Maurice Greenberg Sells AIG Shares to UBS Maurice Greenberg Sells AIG Shares to UBS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

Top 5 beer-making tips (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:31:00 AM

There's no denying people's love of beer. It's undoubtedly the most popular choice among alcoholic beverages at barbeques, ballparks and all kinds of parties.

Beer-making at home is one of

the hottest recent hobbies.

Check out our beer-making tips to keep your brew fresh and delicious.

• Sanitize and Sterilize The last thing you want is unsanitary equipment. At best, it can spoil your ingredients and ruin your beer, and at worst it can make Neither really seems like a good whoever drinks your beer ill. option.

• Controlling the Fermentation Temperature Depending on where and when you're making your beer, you'll need either to bring the temperature up or keep it down. If you're brewing an ale, you'll want the fermentation temperature to be within 60 to 70 degrees F, while lagers call for around 45 degrees F.

F u l l l i s t a t HowStuffWorks.com.

Total aggregation of HowStuffWorks.com.

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Democrats hail US healthcare bill (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)

the size and complexity of the bill and have been angered by the long, bitter process of its Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:28:48 AM passage.

Democrats have hailed the The New York Times, which approval of legislation has supported the reforms, extending healthcare to an called the vote an additional 32 million Americans accomplishment of historic as a historic advance in social proportions, but the Wall Street justice.

Journal said the bill would mean The speaker of the House of much higher taxes, slower Representatives, Nancy Pelosi economic growth and worse said it was comparable to the medical care. establishment of Medicare and Democrats hope that once the Social Security. voters see the new law taking The bill was passed in the effect they will learn to like it House on Sunday evening by before they go to the polls in just seven votes. mid-term elections in Republicans have vowed to November, our correspondent continue to challenge it, saying adds. it is too expensive and promotes 'Fixes' big government.

The bill's final approval Congress. would "improve the quality of healthcare system, but it moves Senator John McCain, the The House approved the bill life for millions of American us decisively in the right r e p r e s e n t e d a s t u n n i n g defeated presidential candidate, p a s s e d b y t h e S e n a t e o n families." turnaround from January, when direction," he added. warned that outside the capital Christmas Eve by 219 votes to Please turn on JavaScript.

U n d e r t h e p l a n s , h e a l t h it was considered dead after "the American people are very 212, with 34 Democrats joining Media requires JavaScript to insurance will be extended to Democrats lost their 60-seat angry".

Republicans in voting against it. play. nearly all Americans, new taxes majority in the Senate, which is "They don't like it, and we're Victory was assured only hours President Barack Obama: 'It's a will be imposed on the wealthy, required to defeat a filibuster, a going to repeal this," he told before voting started, when the victory for the American people' a n d r e s t r i c t i v e i n s u r a n c e method used to delay or block ABC News. president agreed to a deal with The president said that after practices such as refusing to the passage of legislation.

President Barack Obama is conservative Democrats to nearly 100 years of debate and cover people with pre-existing To avoid a second Senate vote, expected to sign the bill as early reiterate in an executive order frustration, Americans finally medical conditions will be the House also approved on as Tuesday, after which it will that money provided by the bill had the assurance of universal outlawed.

Sunday evening a package of g o t o t h e S e n a t e w h e r e could not be used for abortions. health cover.

The House Republican leader, reconciliation "fixes" - agreed Democrats hope it will be Democrats were jubilant after "We pushed back on the undue R e p J o h n B o e h n e r , s a i d beforehand between House and passed by a simple majority the vote, with House Majority influence of special interests," lawmakers had defied the Senate Democrats and the White under budget reconciliation. Whip Representative James he said in a statement. "We wishes of their constituents. House - amending the bill that 'New day in America' Clyburn describing it as "Civil didn't give in to mistrust or to "We have failed to listen to senators adopted in December.

The BBC's Adam Brookes in Rights Act of the 21st Century". cynicism or to fear. Instead, we America," he added. "This body The president could sign the Washington says Mr Obama's Rep Marcy Kaptur of Ohio said proved that we are still a people moves forward against their House-approved Senate bill as long, stubborn effort to reform the bill heralded "a new day in capable of doing big things." early as Tuesday, after which it will. Shame on us." healthcare came to fruition after America", while Rep Doris "This legislation will not fix Our correspondent says many DEMOCRATS page 26 a d r a m a t i c l a t e n i g h t i n Matsui of California said it e v e r y t h i n g t h a t a i l s o u r Americans do seem bemused by

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Clinton warns Israel of choices (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:15:12 AM

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Mrs Clinton warned that Israel was facing tough challenges US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Israel to make "difficult but necessary choices" if it wants a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Mrs Clinton warned that the status quo was "unsustainable" in a speech to a pro-Israel lobby group.

Her comments come amid a dispute between the US and Israel over plans for 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out halting settlement construction in the city.

They liked her tough words about Iran. But they were largely silent as she explained why the US had condemned Israel's latest plans to build for Jews on occupied territory in Jerusalem. She presented the Obama administration as an unshakeable friend of Israel, unafraid to give it straight advice about its best interests.

The status quo, she said, was not sustainable, even if some in Israel thought that it was.

Without going into too much detail, she sketched out the settlement the US wanted - a

officials say these include an agreement to discuss all outstanding issues in the indirect "proximity talks" being mediated by US special envoy George Mitchell.

However Israel will not discuss a freeze on settlement construction in Jerusalem.

"As far as we are concerned, building in Jerusalem is like building in Tel Aviv," Mr Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday.

But Mrs Clinton warned in her speech to Aipac that the "status quo is unsustainable for all sides" and "promises only violence and unrealised aspirations".

"There is another path - a path Palestinian state alongside more than 100 settlements built New construction in East that leads toward security and Israel, living in peace, with since Israel's 1967 occupation of Jerusalem or the West Bank prosperity for all the people of borders based on the ceasefire t h e W e s t B a n k a n d E a s t "undermines mutual trust" and the region. It will require all line that held until Israel Jerusalem. They are held to be "exposes daylight between parties including Israel to make captured the West Bank and illegal under international law, Israel and the United States that difficult but necessary choices," East Jerusalem in 1967. though Israel disputes this. others in the region hope to she said.

Mrs Clinton also spoke of the Jerusalem, at the centre of the In her speech to a convention in exploit" she said. recent row between the US and Washington of the influential Mrs Clinton has demanded Mr need for sanctions against Iran Israel, needed a solution that Aipac (American Israel Public Netanyahu move to restore over its nuclear programme. would realise the aspirations of A f f a i r s C o m m i t t e e ) , M r s confidence in the peace process, She called for "sanctions that both sides, she said. That's code Clinton underscored the Obama i n c l u d i n g e x t e n d i n g t h e will bite". for a Palestinian capital as well administration's "rock solid" suspension of new building in Iran says its nuclear programme as an Israeli one. Easy to talk commitment to Israel. the West Bank to include East is for peaceful, civilian use, but the US disagrees. about, very hard to achieve.

"Guaranteeing Israel's security Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Authority is is more than a policy position In a telephone call on Friday, "Let me be very clear: The furious at Israel's insistence on f o r m e . I t i s a p e r s o n a l the Israeli prime minister United States is determined to building on occupied territory. It commitment that will never proposed a series of "trust- prevent Iran from acquiring sees it as a serious stumbling waver," she said. b u i l d i n g m e a s u r e s " t h a t nuclear weapons," the secretary block to the resumption of talks, B u t , s h e a d d e d , i t i s represented "a real effort" to aid of state said.

If Iran developed a nuclear which have been stalled for Washington's "responsibility to US peace efforts. more than a year. give credit when it is due and to Although details have not yet CLINTON page 27 Nearly 500,000 Jews live in tell the truth when it is needed". been made public, Israeli

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Md. woman gets life for killing, freezing 2 girls (AP)

Bush and Clinton to visit Haiti

(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)

(BBC News | Americas | World Edition)

Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:51:04 AM

ROCKVILLE, Md. – A Maryland woman convicted of killing her two adopted daughters and storing their bodies in a home freezer was sentenced Monday to life without parole.

Renee Bowman, 44, was convicted last month of two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree child abuse. A third adopted daughter survived the abuse.

"You sentenced these two young innocent children in the dawn of their lives to a death chamber, and for you that option is not available," Montgomery County Circuit Judge Michael J. Algeo told Bowman before handing down the maximum sentence — two consecutive life terms, plus 75 years in prison for the abuse.

The crimes are not eligible for the death penalty in Maryland.

Bowman showed no emotion during the hearing.

"I am very sorry for the abuse of the girls," Bowman told the judge in an even voice. "It haunts me. It haunts me every day."

Bowman's lawyers maintain that she did not kill the girls, though they acknowledge she is guilty of abusing them. Public defender Alan Drew said the defense would appeal the murder convictions, but he declined to comment further.

Bowman kept the two young girls' bodies on ice for months while she continued to collect subsidies paid to parents who adopt special-needs children in the District of Columbia. She received a total of about $150,000 after the adoptions.

In January, Bowman was sentenced in Calvert County to 25 years in prison for abusing her surviving daughter. That girl escaped from Bowman's home in September 2008 and was found wandering the neighborhood. Authorities searched Bowman's home and

found the bodies in the freezer.

The survivor, now 9 and living with new foster parents, testified at the trial about the abuse she and her sisters endured — being beaten with a baseball bat and shoes and choked until they lost consciousness.

The sisters who died, Minnet and Jasmine Bowman, were both younger than 10, though authorities were never able to determine exactly when they were killed. Nobody knew they were missing, and there are no records the children were ever enrolled in school.

Prosecutors said Bowman killed them while the family was living in Rockville and took the freezer with her when the family moved first to Charles County and later to Lusby, in Calvert County.

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rebuild their cities, their neighbourhoods, and their families".

Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:21:39 AM The 7.0 magnitude earthquake Former US Presidents George struck near the capital, Port-auW Bush and Bill Clinton are due Prince, causing massive damage to visit Haiti as part of their fund t o h o m e s , b u s i n e s s e s , -raising efforts to aid the government buildings, schools, earthquake-stricken nation. roads and bridges.

T h e t w o w e r e a s k e d b y Officials have said $11.5bn President Barack Obama to lead (£7.6bn) will be needed to US fund-raising after the 12 rebuild the country and are January earthquake that killed at expected to appeal for that much least 220,000 people. at a donors' conference in New In their first joint visit to Haiti, York on 31 March. the two will meet President The two former presidents have Rene Preval and visit camps for both played a part in Haiti's the homeless. recent history. Mr Clinton About 1.3 million earthquake helped the democraticallysurvivors are homeless and elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide living in tent cities. return to power in 1994 after he The camps, some of them built was ousted in a military coup. on steep hillsides, are now at And the Bush administration risk of flooding and landslides was criticised for not doing in the coming rainy season. enough to help Mr Aristide The two former presidents have when a rebellion forced him out appealed for funds to provide of power again in 2004. food, water, shelter and medical Print Sponsor supplies.

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Shop European-Style for Fresher, Cheaper Food [Shopping] Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:30:00 AM

Infrequent bulk shopping is a

common way for people to get groceries. Stock up on Saturday, restock on the next Saturday, through the week. Europeanand hope everything keeps well

25

style shopping increases your access to fresh and inexpensive food. More »

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General Dynamics wins UK tank bid (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)

off-the-shelf vehicle with British design by British engineers to the British Army," said Sandy Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:09:30 AM Wilson, president and managing US defence firm General director of General Dynamics.

Dynamics has won a contract to Welsh secretary Peter Hain said build a new light tank for the the deal would see 200 new jobs British army. created at the company's plant in The firm, which plans to Newbridge, south Wales. manufacture most of the new A further 250 existing jobs will tank in the UK, beat rival bidder also be safeguarded at the plant, BAE Systems - where 500 jobs he said. will now be lost.

The new light tank is designed The news is a blow for BAE's to replace the Scimitar scout factory in Newcastle, which was vehicle, providing troops with e a r m a r k e d t o b u i l d t h e more protection and firepower. company's tank.

Jobs blow General Dynamics claims that BAE had planned to build its the contract will safeguard or contender at its Newcastle plant, create 10,500 jobs in the UK. protecting or creating 800 jobs The contract is reported to be in the region. worth £4bn ($6bn).

However following the tank General Dynamics said its decision 500 job losses, first product was not only the best announced last year, will now option, but was a patriotic go ahead across England. choice too.

The firm had hoped to prevent "The programme is British to its the job losses if the new contract bootstraps, delivering a military was secured.

The jobs will be lost at BAE sites in Newcastle, Leicester and Telford.

BAE has already announced the closure of its Telford and Leeds sites.

Announcing the tender decision, the Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said replacing the older vehicles was "one of the highest equipment priorities for the Army".

He said that General Dynamic's bid had been favoured because it represented "value for money".

He also said that the majority of manufacturing would take place in the UK, ensuring UK skills and capabilities in the armoured vehicle sector were retained.

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DEMOCRATS continued from page 23

will be officially enacted into law. However, the bill will contain some very unpopular measures that Democratic senators have agreed to amend.

The Senate will be able to make the required changes in a separate bill using a procedure known as reconciliation, which allows budget provisions to be approved with 51 votes - rather than the 60 needed to overcome blocking tactics.

The Republicans say they will seek to repeal the measure, challenge its constitutionality and co-ordinate efforts in state legislatures to block its implementation.

The White House plans to launch a campaign this week to persuade sceptical Americans that the reforms offer immediate benefits to them and represent the most significant effort to reduce the federal deficit since the 1990s.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the healthcare bill will cost about $940bn (£626bn over 10 years, and will cut the federal deficit by $138bn (£92bn) over the same period.

Are you in the US? What is your reaction to the vote? How will the healthcare reforms affect you? Send us your comments. Please remember to include your phone number.

Send your video comments and pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.

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

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ThickButtons Predicts and Enlarges Letters for Better Android Typing [Downloads] Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:10:00 AM

Android: One of Android's

biggest weaknesses, at least compared to the iPhone, is its on -screen keyboard. ThickButtons tries to improve Android's

typing experience by guessing

what words you might be typing and enlarging the next letter you'll type, and it (mostly) succeeds. More »

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CLINTON continued from page 24

weapon, it would embolden terrorists and spark an arms race that would destabilise the Middle East, Mrs Clinton said.

"This is unacceptable to the United States, unacceptable to Israel and unacceptable to the region and the international community," she added.

The US and its allies have been pressing for sanctions on Iran, but China and Russia have so far resisted them.

Talks sought Mr Mitchell, Mr Obama's Middle East envoy, is back in the region.

Speaking in the Jordanian capital, Amman, he said the US

was seeking an early resumption of the stalled indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

After meeting the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Mr Mitchell urged the two sides to exercise restraint.

His latest visit comes amid increased tension between Israel and the Palestinians.

On Sunday, Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinians in the West Bank. The circumstances were unclear, but one report said the soldiers opened fire when the Palestinians tried to stab them.

Two Palestinian youths were

killed by Israeli troops on Saturday following violent clashes with Jewish settlers.

Mr Netanyahu is due to meet Mrs Clinton, President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden in Washington on Tuesday during a visit which will also see him address Aipac members.

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How the Health Care Reform Bill Will Affect You [News] Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:00:00 AM

Before it was passed last night, you made sure to read all the details on the health care reform bill, right? Shocked as we are, mean for your own situation. we'll point out a quick explainer More » on what the health care changes

Marketing becoming more immediate, social (CNET News.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:02:00 AM

This year will be a transitional year for marketing as we move toward an era that is "more immediate, more personal, more social, and more engaging," according to recently released survey data from marketing software developer Unica.

Really what this means is that marketers have to be much more vigilant about managing their various presences, online and off, in order to stay on top of their brand.

While there are more tools and channels for marketers than ever before, marketing budgets haven't risen dramatically. This

means that marketers will need to use technology to leverage fast, cheap marketing channels.

However, the survey data shows that marketers believe that IT support of their efforts is the No. 1 bottleneck and hindrance to success.

Personally, I think it's a weak argument to suggest that IT can hold your marketing back considering all of the SaaS and cloud-based marketing services available, but we'll take this data (as we do all other statistics) with a grain of salt.

Key points from the survey report: • 73 percent of companies surveyed are leveraging customer initiated interactions to

serve marketing messages and offers • Organizational and financial concerns, rather than technical barriers, are slowing the adoption of centralized decisioning • Many marketers use both aggregate Web data and offline data when making decisions about marketing offers. E-mail is the channel where both online and offline data are most likely to be used in decisionin • Contact optimization and social-media monitoring will be the fastest growing marketing technologies, while marketing resource management will continue to lag • Mobile, rich media, and social

-media marketing are all being adopted with enthusiasm by marketers • A third of marketers surveyed already conduct some type of mobile marketing.

• Social-media marketing is widely embraced, but marketers need to think more about integrating social media with other marketing tactics Survey data like this is great for a glimpse of the aggregated marketing approaches but doesn't always match up to your own experience. An important aspect of any marketing effort is the need for experimentation within channels, pricing, and messaging, as well as with tools

and specific methods.

Today's marketer has a huge amount of data available to them about many aspects of their business. Choosing the right path is about more than just a blog or Twitter account; it's about learning how your customers and partners want to interact with your brand and then designing programs that best take advantage of your learnings.

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5 Stellar Ways to Explore Space Using Social Media Amy-Mae Elliott (Mashable!)

even the nearest agency), offering the best online experience. You could easily Space — the final frontier, and lose yourself in the official all that jazz. As the folk over at NASA site, which is highly the Hubble Telescope website recommended if you have a say, “Your body may be spare 36 hours or so to kill. trapped at your desk, but your Other official online imagination can roam the far destinations for the major space reaches of the universe, thanks programs around the globe to the wonders of the web.” include the European Space Here’s a spaced-out selection of Agency, with which Canada sites and social media resources enjoys the special status of a that will have you reading the “Cooperating State.” Staying in thoughts of astronauts, taking a Europe, both France’s Centre virtual tour of the International National D’Etudes Spatiales and Space Station, and viewing the German Aerospace Center galaxies far, far away. offer English language versions Get your space geek fix below, of their sites, as does the and, as always, please do share Russian Federal Space Agency. any resources we’ve overlooked The official online destination in the comments box. 1. Mission for the Japanese Aerospace Control: Space Agencies on the Exploration Agency, or JAXA, Web is painfully dry, but chock full There’s a ton of space agencies of fascinating content if you can around the globe, together stand to stick around, while in boasting an estimated $44 contrast, the China National billion annual budget to find out Space Administration site takes m o r e a b o u t s p a c e . W h i l e a more poetic approach to space capabilities vary dramatically exploration. At one point, they from country to country (not all explain why the moon is liked have basic launch capability, let by the people of Earth: “because alone manned spaceflight, and of its thin brilliance that brings the only two with lunar landing lovers with quiet warmth in the capability are NASA and the night, it is likened to a jade plate Russia’s CCCP), most are doing o r a l o v e l y a n d g r a c e f u l interesting work that can be w o m a n . ” perused online.

2. Online Observatories NASA dominates online as it It goes without saying that the does in space (which might have Hubble Telescope’s official site something to do with the fact is the go-to place for some that its funding is currently amazing real-life space imagery. around $12 billion ahead of Thankfully, the official site Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:33:36 AM

offers a wealth of photography via galleries, most of which you can download for personal use as desktop wallpaper, etc.

Better still, there’s plenty of info explaining what’s in the photos and why it matters. There’s also the option to see where the Hubble is at any time during its 97-minute sweeps around the Earth.

Elsewhere on the web, both Google and Microsoft offer a glimpse of our galaxy. Sky in Google Earth is a feature of the virtual world software that, at the click of a button, will show you the sky above your location with the option to navigate to certain points, or pan and scroll around to see stars, planets, constellations and more — as well as photos from the Hubble.

In addition to mapping the Earth and providing space data, Google offers 3D models of both the Moon and Mars. The features give you a glimpse at lunar landscapes and Apollo landing sites, as well as Martian points of interest like the socalled Face on Mars or Olympus Mons. If you’re feeling

particularly adventurous, you can even have a brief chat with a local.

Microsoft’s real-time simulation of the company’s World Wide Telescope project is now integrated into Bing search as a Bing Maps application. In addition to viewing celestial bodies in realtime as if you were to look up at the night sky, there are preloaded “collections” of constellations that can be viewed against Streetside(i.e.

3D photo) maps.

If you’d like to know what the innards of the International Space Station look like, you can take a 360-degree tour over at Boeing’s website. NASA offers something similar, but we found Boeing’s option easier to use.

3. Cosmic Connections on Facebook and Twitter NASA is big on Facebook with over 30 different accounts and Fan Pages. We’re not going to list them all here, rather just point you to NASA’s main account. But you might want to browse the full list and cherry pick the areas you’re interested in following.

You can also connect with U.S. Army Astronauts, and the 1,000 -plus people that support them on Facebook. Across the pond, the European Space Agency’s fans number nearly 4,000 space lovers.

The ISS’s Facebook pages, meanwhile, will keep you

updated with the goings-on at the cosmic outpost, while becoming a fan of the X PRIZE Foundation will connect you to all the gossip about the multimillion dollar race to the moon, and other endeavors.

Those with an eye to the future can beat the crowds by signing up to fan the James Webb Space Telescope on Facebook. As the successor to the Hubble, the super-duper, high-tech infrared telescope is due to launch in 2014, and the related Facebook Fan Page offers info on the project, as well as the option to comment on it and connect with others who share your interest.

If you want to stay in touch with space organizations and people on a more real-time basis, Twitter has a wealth of accounts that are worth following, including one for the aforementioned Webb Telescope.

As well as following the big agencies like NASA(which offers a useful list of who is in space right now), individual astronauts can followed for a more personal view.

As you can imagine, there are quite a few astronauts who tweet, especially with NASA’s pro-social media approach. But a few to get you started include Mike Massimino, the first man to tweet from space, U.S. Army Astronaut Col. Tim Kopra, STELLAR page 33

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Ask TUAW: DVD Sharing on an iMac, menubar calendar, network scanning, and more Mat Lu (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:00:00 PM

Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we have questions about using DVD Sharing on an iMac (instead of a MacBook Air), ignoring Software Updates, getting a drop-down calendar in the menubar, seeing Wi-Fi network channels, using iChat with other services, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome.

Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume that you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhonerelated question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Sammyg1010 asks Is there any way to take software updates that I don't need off the download list?

Most recently, I was bugged by the Auto Software update telling me to update for RAW digital cameras. I don't have any of the

models listed, and don't plan on it. Not much of a photographer.

Same with the printer driver updates. I know I don't have do download them (click of a box), but they bother me sitting on the list. Any ideas?

All you have to do is select the update you don't want and hit the delete key (or alternatively go to Update Ignore Update in the menubar). If you should change your mind at some point in the future, you can reset the ignored update in the Software Update menu.

William asks Is there an easy way to get a small calendar to display when I click on the time/date in the menubar for OS X? Windows 7 handles this really well, with the ability to go back and forth between different months, years, and even decades, just by single -clicking on the date/time in the taskbar. It's kind of annoying to have to open iCal just to see what day a particular date fell on a couple weeks ago, or to see what day a future date falls on, etc...

I've got two suggestions for you: MenuCalendarClock for iCal($19.95) is the classic utility for doing this and I used it for years. However, lately I've switched over to iStat Menus(donations requested), which not only adds a calendar

In the long run, I suspect you'll have better luck sticking with Adium. However, it should be possible to use iChat with ICQ just by adding a new (AIM) account and entering your ICQ credentials. To use iChat with to your menubar, but also and WAP (WAP4400N) on non- Windows Live, you'd need to use a Jabber transport. I really includes a variety of other handy interfering channels? u t i l i t i e s l i k e n e t w o r k You need a network scanner think this is more trouble than throughput, free memory, etc. like KisMAC. Run this on your it's worth (and it's text only), but chitebbeiv asks Mac and it should show you all you might be interested in this Today I was watching a of the networks within range, old tutorial. youtube video and I felt the along with the channels they're Is there a way to remotely control my mac (snow leopard) need to fastforward it for some broadcasting on. with remote desktop out from a weird reason, but I realized it aleonell.10 asks isn't possible if not under I run the new iMac (snow windows machine? I know windows with a commercial leopard). Recently, I accidently about teamviewer but I'm software called myspeed. I am put my SD card in the CD slot looking for a tool that doesn't stil searching for some firefox or instead of the SD slot, and I was display my actions on the chrome plugin, o r just wondering if I could use my remote computer. greasemonkey script that does MacBook Pro as the cd drive (I There are a variety of ways of this kind of task but still no have heard you can do this with controlling a Mac remotely with a PC from VNC to LogMeIn or results... if they can do this a MacBook Air). under windows why isn't it You're right that this is limited GoToMyPC. However, as far as possible under mac? by default to the MacBook Air. I know, none of them will hide It turns out that MySpeed has a However, there is apparently a your actions on the remote M a c A l p h a a v a i l a b l e f o r terminal hack that should allow computer. download and testing. If you fill you to do this from the iMac to Chroma asks out their form, they'll email you the MacBook Pro. Be sure to In Tiger I was always able to the link. turn on DVD or CD Sharing in hit the space bar when a prompt MNJayW asks the Sharing Preference Pane in had a button outlined in blue.

I just moved into a new the System Preferences of the However, I have found nothing townhouse, and I am seeing M a c B o o k , t h e n e n t e r t h e like this in Snow Leopard. Can multiple Wi-Fi networks in the terminal command on the iMac. this be enabled, or was it removed entirely from 10.6? area. Is there an application that Fabian asks serially I can get that will allow me to Is there a way to add icq and All you need to do is turn Full see what channels the neighbors' windows live accounts to iChat? K e y b o a r d A c c e s s t o A l l networks are on so I can set my I am using adium at the moment ASK page 32 wireless router (WRVS4400n) but I don't like it very much.

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TUAW Bookshelf: Final Cut Pro 7 Quick-Reference Guide Steven Sande (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:30:00 PM

Filed under: Reviews, Books, TUAW Bookshelf When it comes to software reference books, there are three major varieties -- the detailed soup-tonuts books that try to tell you everything and weigh about ten pounds, the "dummies" type that are usually so full of obvious information that they're relatively useless, and the small quick reference manuals that assume that you have some familiarity with your software and just focus on the things that you really need to know.

Brendan Boykin's Final Cut Pro 7 Quick Reference Guide(US$29.99 for the printed text, $16.79 for the ebook version), part of the Peachpit Press Apple Pro Training Series, is one of the latter types. It's a small book when it comes to physical size; you can easily tuck it into a laptop bag with your MacBook Pro when you're heading out for location shooting and editing. The 212page text is divided into sections roughly following the three-part Final Cut Pro workflow of ingest, edit, and output.

Boykin, owner of Creek Mountain Media and an Apple Certified Master Trainer, definitely knows Final Cut Pro. Brendan not only teaches Pro Certification classes, but also

works with Final Cut Pro and other Final Cut Studio applications to build digital video solutions for clients.

The Quick-Reference Guide starts with an overview of Final Cut Pro's user interface. While this may seem like overkill for a text that is directed towards working professionals, this reviewer found the section useful as a memory jogger for such things as what the various colors in the render status bar mean, or what some of the many icons in the Tool Palette are used for.

The book layout includes blue tabs in the outside lower corner of the pages to highlight new features in Final Cut Pro 7. This can be very useful for FCP users who are moving up from earlier versions, are familiar with the application and its UI, and who want to learn what's new in Final Cut Pro 7.

The text moves on to the details of setting up a new project before moving to the section on "ingesting," or capturing, video data. Peachpit's books include highlights and arrows denoting tips and important information notes, and they're very helpful for learning your way around a specific feature of Final Cut Pro 7.

Once video has been captured, it needs to be edited. Boykin goes through two quick sections on editing and trimming video next. Rather than describing the

templates, and compositing. The book then gets into output methods for the final product of your labors. Boykin rounds out the Guide with detailed descriptions of specialized workflows.

The text is well-written with absolutely no fluff. As with most of the Peachpit Apple Pro Training Series, the concepts are explained more fully with a good mix of annotated color diagrams and screenshots. For users who want to take their knowledge to the next level, Boykin provides a 5-page appendix of keyboard shortcuts, and the book is well indexed, as a reference guide should be.

If there's one complaint this reviewer has about the Final Cut Pro 7 Quick-Reference Guide, it's that it's not spiral-bound. For books of this type, it's handy to have the text laying flat next to a keyboard while you're trying something. With a standard paperback binding, you have to hold the page down with a hand or conveniently-placed peripherals. The binding choice, of course, is made by the three-point nonlinear editing textbook. publisher, not the author. methodology in detail, the Of course, video without audio For both new and established author focuses on the Final Cut is rare today, so the book covers users of Apple's pro video Pro tools that are used for the tools used for setting an application, the Final Cut Pro 7 editing and trimming video. a u d i o m i x , a u t o m a t i n g Quick-Reference Guide is a well That's exactly what a book like r e c o r d i n g , a n d r e c o r d i n g -written, focused, and compact this should focus on, and voiceovers. The tools for video compendium of tool Boykin does an excellent job of transitions and filters are next, descriptions, tips, and notes. ensuring that this is a quick- f o l l o w e d b y c h a p t e r s o n TUAW page 32 reference guide, not a detailed keyframing, generators and

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iTunes 201: Using smart playlists to fill your portable's music library Chris Rawson (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

represents music that I want to listen to more often, and it ensures that songs I don't like Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:00:00 AM don't end up playing when I Filed under: iPod Family, How- shuffle songs in iTunes. It also tos, iTunes Unless you don't guarantees that only music I listen to a whole lot of music, actually want to listen to makes chances are pretty good that it onto my iPhone. your iTunes music library is The only problem is that my larger than what will fit on your "Top Rated" playlist is still too iPhone. As an example, my big -- almost 23 GB. It takes a music library is over 39 GB, but little more paring down to get my iPhone 3G only has a 16 GB music to fit on my iPhone. capacity -- and I have to fit Therefore, I created another apps, pictures, videos, and data playlist called "Favorites" into that small space, too. which, as you might guess from One way of solving this the name, represents the best of dilemma is by using iTunes's the best in my music library. I powerful smart playlists to filter set the following conditions for your library into a size that's a the smart playlist: "Rating is little more iPhone-friendly. The five stars," "Play Count is following smart playlists are greater than 4," and I filtered out examples from my own setup, a bunch of genres that I don't but the smart playlist system is necessarily want to listen to flexible enough that you can do when I'm on the go, by setting almost anything with it to filter "Genre is not" to those genres. your songs. Naturally, these tips This gets my iTunes library will work just as well for any of down to a far more manageable A p p l e ' s s m a l l e r c a p a c i t y 6 GB. Now we're talking. Read players, like iPod nanos or on to learn about some more lower-capacity iPod touches and techniques you can use to get iPads; I've focused on the the most out of your iPhone's iPhone only because that's what music library.

I own.

The "Favorites" smart playlist I've rated almost every song in forms the foundation of my my library, and those with 4 or 5 iPhone's music library, with a stars end up in a playlist called few standard playlists thrown in "Top Rated," or in the language to round it out to about 1400 of smart playlists, "Rating is songs. However, I ran into greater than three stars." This another problem with the smart

another smart playlist called "iPhone NRP" with the condition "Playlist is Not Recently Played." Nested within that playlist condition by using the (...) button on the far right, I went through and set "Playlist is" to all of the various playlists I synced to my iPhone.

This accomplishes two things: it creates a "Not Recently Played" list for my iPhone with music that I haven't listened to in a month or more, and it pares it down to only songs that are already synced to my iPhone.

This playlist doesn't add any music to my iPhone that wasn't already there, but it adds a new condition (not played in the last month) that draws more functionality out of my iPhone's music library.

These are just a few examples of how you can use smart playlists to your advantage when you have a large music library that you need to fit into a smaller device. With all of the playlist that I use most on my here is that since this playlist is metadata iTunes puts onto songs Mac, one called "Not Recently built off of my "Top Rated" in your library, there are nearly Played." In order to keep from playlist, it's far too large to fit on limitless possibilities for setting shuffling through the same my iPhone. So, in order to get up smart playlists. songs all the time, I built a "Not t h a t s a m e " N o t R e c e n t l y TUAW iTunes 201: Using Recently Played" playlist based Played" functionality in my smart playlists to fill your on my "Top Rated" playlist. iPhone's music library, I had to p o r t a b l e ' s m u s i c l i b r a r y "Not Recently Played" has a create yet another smart playlist. originally appeared on The simple setup: "Playlist is Top Here's how I filtered my "Not U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g Rated" and "Last Played is not Recently Played" playlist into a ITUNES page 33 in the last 1 month." The issue more manageable size: I created

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Viacom's Real Intent? To Pretend The DMCA Requires Filtering

E-reader News Edition

TUAW continued from page 30

Peachpit also makes an online edition of the book available to purchasers for 45 days at no cost Mike Masnick (Techdirt) arguments were about how clear: Viacom is claiming that messaging system? The only as part of their Safari Books Viacom set up a complex set of the DMCA requires filters. Yet, reason these (and many other) Online digital library.

Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:20:00 AM TUAW TUAW Bookshelf: e v e r c h a n g i n g r u l e s t h a t the DMCA is explicit that this is online services exist is because We're seeing more and more confused even Viacom's partner not true, and always has been. the DMCA safe harbors give F i n a l C u t P r o 7 Q u i c k a n a l y s i s o f t h e s u m m a r y in issuing takedowns, and yet In fact, if I remember correctly, them rules to follow that are Reference Guide originally judgment motions filed by both expected Google to be able to Paramount Pictures top lawyer much clearer than the murky appeared on The Unofficial sides in the YouTube lawsuit magically know what Viacom ( P a r a m o u n t i s a V i a c o m s t a n d a r d s f o r " s e c o n d a r y Apple Weblog (TUAW) on between Google and Viacom. wished taken offline, and what subsidiary) said in a discussion liability." If Viacom is right, Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:30:00 Unfortunately, many sites are should be left online. Oddly, we wrote about last year, that he then there are no clear rules to EST. Please see our terms for basing their analysis on the out Ou seems to have missed all of felt the current DMCA was follow, except "beg permission use of feeds. of context quotes Viacom pulled that, despite it being the central deficient, in that it had a notice- from every copyright owner Read| Permalink| Email this| out of some emails -- despite the point to Google's motion. He and-takedown provision, rather first." And that's a rule that Comments fact that the evidence doesn't also falsely claims that Google t h a n r e q u i r i n g p r o a c t i v e would hobble innovation and actually support what it claims. i s s u g g e s t i n g i f V i a c o m m o n i t o r i n g . competition online. So please One particularly laughable uploaded some content, that And yet, by Viacom's own pay careful attention to the analysis was done by a group means everyone should be able (indirect) admission in this actual arguments being made funded by the entertainment to do so. Google said no such lawsuit, it seems to believe that here. No one is saying that ASK industry, which not only takes thing. It's merely pointing out the DMCA requires proactive copyright infringement should continued from page 29 those quotes out of context and that Google is in no position to monitoring: So what Viacom is be allowed on YouTube. The considers them proof, but then k n o w w h a t V i a c o m i s asking for here is a radical re- only question is whether or not Controls in the Keyboard c o m p l e t e l y m i s i n t e r p r e t s authorizing and what it is not -- write of the DMCA that, if i t s h o u l d b e Y o u T u b e ' s Shortcuts tab of the Keyboard Google's filing as well. The and according to the law, that accepted, would put all kinds of responsibility to proactively Preference Pane (or just hit writer, George Ou, seems to means Google need not try to online service providers at risk monitor that content and stop it control+F7).

TUAW Ask TUAW: DVD think that the point of Google's guess. of huge statutory damages for from being uploaded. The law Sharing on an iMac, menubar filing is to show that since A much better analysis, that copyright infringement. Is eBay is pretty clear that this is not calendar, network scanning, and Viacom used YouTube, it really cuts through the clutter used to commit copyright required -- and, as Google's more originally appeared on The shouldn't file a lawsuit. But and highlights the key point of infringement every day by some filing makes clear, even if it that's not at all what Google's the case, is the one by the EFF's users? Sure. Do people use were required, given Viacom's U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g motion said. The point wasn't Fred von Lohmann, where he M i c r o s o f t ' s B i n g t o f i n d own actions, this would be (TUAW) on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our that Viacom used YouTube, but notes (as Eric Goldman did) that infringing materials? Check. Do impossible. that it uploaded all sorts of in a footnote, Viacom admits online lockering services get Permalink| Comments| Email terms for use of feeds.

Read| Permalink| Email this| content in secretive ways -- t h a t i t ' s f i n e w i t h a l l o f u s e d t o s t o r e i n f r i n g i n g This Story Comments w a y s t h a t w o u l d m a k e i t YouTube's actions after May of m a t e r i a l s ? D o u s e r s s e n d impossible for Google to know 2008, when it implemented its infringing email attachments? w h a t w a s a n d w a s n o t own filtering technology. Once How about the "send file" infringing. Furthermore, the you realize that, it becomes f e a t u r e s o f e v e r y i n s t a n t

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STELLAR continued from page 28

Soichi Noguchi, Clayton C. Anderson, Nicole Stott and Naoko Yamazaki.

Tip: If you want to cheat, you can just follow the NASA Astronauts account for more of an overview.

Twisst is great account that offers personalized alerts for when the International Space Station is passing over your geographical area — as it’s visible to the naked eye, it’s certainly worth keeping a look out for it.

Our favorite by far however, is the Twitter home for JPL’s Near Earth Object Office that coordinates NASA’s efforts to detect and track potentially hazardous asteroids and comets headed to, or near, Earth.

Follow this account if you’re looking for a heads-up on the planet’s imminent doom.

4. Void-Filling Video As in other areas, NASA really shines when it comes to online video resources. As well as offering exciting live-streamed launches, there’s a NASA TV

area within the site’s main multimedia offerings, an official USTREAM channel, and over ten official YouTube channels including the main one.

You can get your space fix elsewhere on YouTube with the official Hubble account and the European Space Agency.

Another spot to watch for relevant content is the Science Channel. 5. An Astronomically Cool App We run the risk of sounding like NASA cheerleaders here, but the free iPhone app the organization offers is a musthave for iPhone- and iPod touch -owning space geeks. It is, quite simply, mega. You can easily burn ten space-faring minutes at a time on categories like “Missions,” which includes detailed info about ongoing and recent operations, “Images,” with an Image of the Day that you can share via Twitter, Facebook Connect and e-mail, or “Videos” and “Updates,” the latter of which aggregates official feeds from Twitter into a

ITUNES continued from page 31

(TUAW) on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comments

timeline of interesting info. The only catch is that due to the wealth of info the app can access and its dynamic updates, you do need to be connected to use it. But when you are, it’s like having NASA in your pocket. More social media resources from Mashable: - How Twitter in the Classroom is Boosting Student Engagement - 6 Ways Law Enforcement Uses Social Media to Fight Crime - The Science of Building Trust With Social Media - How Companies Are Using Your Social Media Data - How Musicians Are Using Social Media to Connect with Fans Image courtesy of iStockphoto, inhauscreative Tags: facebook, List, Lists, NASA, ONLINE VIDEO, Science, social media, space, tech, twitter, video, web video

Hollywood Continues To Make Up Facts; AP Continues To Parrot Them Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

DVDs -- with police to tighten enforcement, with Internet service providers to fight So, the MPAA's latest target for I n t e r n e t p i r a c y a n d w i t h crackdowns on camcording politicians to create more appears to be India. You may effective laws. With these big remember that it went through a professional reporters, you series of questionable claims might think they would try to about camcording in Canada fact check a claim like "90% of and the US, where if you looked all "pirated" DVDs come from at the math, none of it added up. camcorded movies." They Apparently, the same thing is might have trouble doing that, happening in India and the because the actual research reporters at the Associated Press s u g g e s t s s o m e t h i n g q u i t e don't feel the need to investigate different. A study that we wrote bogus Hollywood numbers. In about a few years ago found t h i s A P r e p o r t a b o u t t h e otherwise. Specifically, it found MPAA's new "crackdown" on that "77% appear to have been c a m c o r d i n g i n I n d i a , t h e leaked originally by industry reporter says that camcording is insiders." to blame for 90% of "pirated" But, of course, we need to save movies: A year in the making, the AP, because they do real fact the coalition to fight film piracy checking, right? in India will work with movie Permalink| Comments| Email theaters to crack down on This Story camcorder piracy -- the source of 90 percent of all pirated Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:40:00 AM

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ACS:Law Now Using Dubious Legal With 540 iPhone apps, Theories To Threaten Slyck.com an iPhone font is born Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

committee by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The Solicitors Regulation Just last week, we were talking Authority claim that it's also about how UK firm ACS:Law, investigating ACS:Law, and who has been condemned by they may now have one more UK politicians and ISPs, was thing to investigate. It appears still pushing forward with its that ACS:Law's latest move is to efforts to send out tens of threaten the US-based blog thousands of threatening "pre- Slyck.com with a defamation settlement" letters. These letters lawsuit, based on some of the attempt to scare recipients into comments in Slyck's forums. paying up to avoid a potential For a variety of reasons, this (though rarely filed) lawsuit threat was entirely groundless. claiming c o p y r i g h t First, it seems that the infringement, based on quite comments in question were weak evidence (an IP address joking statements of opinion, collected by DigiProtect after rather than actual libel -- such as DigiProtect purposely puts a file calling ACS:Law's plan a "wank online). The whole thing has plan." How is that libelous? been called a"scam" by Lord Second, of course, Slyck is Lucas in the UK, and lawyers at based in New York, and is the firm that initiated this protected from defamation suits practice, Davenport Lyons (and based on comments by its users w h o a p p a r e n t l y p r o v i d e d thanks to Section 230 of the ACS:Law with its original CDA. Furthermore, Slyck has d o c u m e n t s ) w e r e r e c e n t l y even greater protections thanks r e f e r r e d t o a d i s c i p l i n a r y to New York's own anti-libel Submitted at 3/22/2010 4:03:50 AM

tourism statute, the Libel Terrorism Protection Act, which makes libel lawsuits in foreign countries against US journalists unenforceable. The good folks at the EFF have stepped up to support Slyck in responding to ACS:Law, and it appears that, for the time being, ACS:Law has gone quiet.

Of course, in theory, ACS:Law could push forward against Slyck anyway, and could potentially win in the UK. But given the mass scorn being heaped upon ACS:Law right now in the UK, combined with a recent push in the UK to rewrite defamation laws to prevent these sorts of questionable lawsuits, if ACS:Law does decide to push forward, it may find that the backlash is a lot more damaging than some anonymous person in a forum calling its plan a wank plan.

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(CNET News.com)

indicated, as you might expect, that the work was the result of "too much free time."

If you're having a rough start to The font is definitely your Monday, sit back, relax, noteworthy, and the designer and take a look at the iPhone should be commended for the Font found at Urikane.com. hard work that must have gone It's a perfect way to start your into creating it. But I have a week. problem: there is no "W" and Rather than simply use apps on there are no numbers. the iPhone, the designer--whose Complaints aside, it's a neat name may actually be Uri Kane- idea that once again shows off -decided to create a font out of the ingenuity of the human race. the multitude of applications in If you're interested in seeing a Apple's App Store. Even better, video of the different letters, each letter is color-coded, which here it is: must have made it even more (Via Engadget) difficult to develop.

Five Filters featured article: In a video showing off the Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: letters that were created, the PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, designer wrote that the font was Term Extraction. developed from 540 iPhone apps. The designer also Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:03:48 AM

Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus Coming to AT&T Amy-Mae Elliott (Mashable!)

Despite launching fairly wellreceived next gen phones (starting with the original Pre In a bid to increase its market back in 2009), the struggling share, Palm plans to offer its smartphone company is facing latest webOS smartphones — questions about its solvency as the Palm Pre Plus and the Palm of late. Sales of the devices are Pixi Plus — to AT&T’s 80 said to be disappointing, as is which was down below $5 last million customers very soon. the company’s share price, week.

Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:06:20 AM

AT&T has yet to reveal when the Palm phones will be available on its network, only that they are due “in the coming months.”

AT&T is matching Verizon Wireless‘ pricing for the Pre Plus ($149.99), but offering the Pixi Plus for less ($49.99) with

both options requiring a twoyear agreement and $100 mailin rebate.

Tags: att, palm, palm pixi plus, palm pre plus

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Amazon previews Kindle iPad app Michael Grothaus (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:00:00 AM

Filed under: iPad Amazon has launched a preview page for its iPad Kindle app. The app itself takes a lot from the iBookstore, including visual page swipes and book cover navigation view (of course, to be fair Apple did"borrow" a number of things from Wil Shipley). One cool eye -candy feature of the Kindle app is that the app's developers have played around a little with Kindle's silhouetted figure

reading under a tree iconography. In covernavigation view, the sky behind the silhouetted figure will change according to what time of day it is.

The ebook war is heating up and, though early on, it looks like Apple and Amazon are going to be the two major players. Given that Amazon last week threatened smaller publishers that it will stop selling their books if they make them available in the iBookstore, it might at first seem odd that Amazon is so readily embracing the iPad. But

in an age where content is king, hardware sales take a back seat to continued content sales.

Amazon supporting the iPad is like giving away the razors so

Simultaneous Web and TV Use Is Surging [STATS] Jennifer Van Grove (Mashable!)

Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:12:19 AM

New data from The Nielsen Company lends more credence to the idea that watching television while surfing the web is becoming more common in U.S. households.

In fact, nearly 60% — or 134 million people — do it at least once a month, with the average time spent consuming media on both platforms now three and half hours per month. That’s almost 35% more time spent doing both than last year at the

same time.

These numbers should come as no surprise given the upward trend in simultaneous media consumption. Still it’s important to recognize just how prevalent computers in the living room have become. In fact, panelists reported using the Internet 34%

of the time they were also watching television — 14% more frequently than a year ago.

Nielsen points to increased DVR usage as a factor influencing simultaneous usage rates. We also know that television viewers are using sites like Twitter and Facebook to share the experience with their friends and followers during live events like the Super Bowl, Grammys and Oscars.

Image courtesy of iStockPhoto, joshblake Tags: Nielsen, social media, stats, tv

people have to by the blades -and indeed Amazon has begun giving away its own Kindle hardware to its Amazon Prime subscribers to secure Kindle

book sales. Who knows, in a future where multi-function tablets/ereaders will be the norm, perhaps giving away onefeature dedicated ereaders will become standard practice?

Last week Amazon unveiled its Kindle reader for Mac. TUAW Amazon previews Kindle iPad app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Complete Guide to Ripping and Converting Flash Videos [Flash] The How-To Geek (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:00:00 AM

Whether you want to save and watch a Flash video offline, convert a Flash music video for videos is a useful skill. Here's y o u r M P 3 p l a y e r , o r d o how it works. More » something else entirely, learning how to rip and convert Flash

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Make Online Purchases Here’s What the Kindle With Your Verizon App for iPad Looks Wireless Account Like Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)

Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)

Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:56:39 AM

Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:47:11 AM

Looking to cash in on the increasingly lucrative social gaming and virtual goods market, Verizon Wireless is introducing a new mobile payment service.

Called Billtomobile, the service allows approved merchants to integrate a payment option into their checkout systems where purchases – both one-time and subscription – are added to a user’s phone bill. For security, a passcode is sent to a user’s phone that needs to be entered online to complete a transaction.

There’s also a $25 maximum spending limit per user, per month.

Clearly this is a convenient way for those without credit cards or PayPal accounts to make purchases, and should be a boon

It’s official: Amazon is building a Kindle app for the iPad and the other tablets that are about to swarm the market in the second part of 2010.

For some reason, Amazon to social gaming companies that repeatedly uses the formulation integrate it. Some networks – “ K i n d l e a p p s f o r t a b l e t like hi5 and myYearbook– have computers (including the iPad)” seen significant revenue growth several times on the official from implementing pay-by- p a g e ; p e r h a p s A m a z o n i s mobile options. implying that iPad is not just Verizon’s service – being another tablet, or maybe it’s offered in partnership with preparing for possible rejection mobiling billing company Danal of the app — which is definitely — will launch later this spring. a possibility, since it competes Image courtesy of iStockphoto, with Apple’s iBookstore.

JerryPDX As for the features, Amazon Disclosure: Verizon Wireless is promises that apps will be a Mashable sponsor. “tailored to the size, look and Tags: mobile payments, social feel of your tablet computer,” gaming, verizon wireless with customizable background, brightness and font. That nifty

Inventors Design Less-Lethal 'Taser Me Elmo' Rifle Nathan Hodge (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:21:00 AM

As part of the Pentagon's push for more varieties of less-lethal

weaponry, an invention firm has designed the prototype of an allin-one weapon: lethal when used at high velocity, or lesslethal at low-velocity.

Print a Lens Hood for On-The-Cheap Sun Blocking [Camera Hacks] Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:30:00 AM

page turn animation that iPad has? Yep, the Kindle app will have it too (unless you choose to shut it down and use the “Basic Reading Mode”).

Furthermore, Kindle for tablets will include Whispersync, with the ability to start reading on one device and continue on another, as well as full access to the Kindle store. Check out some screenshots below.

Tags: amazon, ebooks, ipad, Kindle

Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:40:00 AM

A new sensor technology

Hands on with the Playstation Move John Biggs (CrunchGear)

Quantum Technology Promises Wedding Photos From Phone Cameras Priya Ganapati (Wired Top Stories)

If you rarely need a lens hood, it hardly seems worth it to shell out the money for the few times a year when you need it. Print off a lens hood template and shield your lens on the cheap.

More »

promises to make cellphone cameras good enough to use for wedding photos.

Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:15:53 AM

crunchgear on livestream.com.

Broadcast Live Free Watch as we rock out with the new Sony Playstation Move.

Politics/

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Democrats Discover Their Base John B. Judis (The New Republic - All Feed)

Roosevelt or Lyndon Johnson.

This approach worked somewhat with the initial Submitted at 3/21/2010 8:32:08 PM stimulus bill, but it sputtered Health care reform would not with health care reform--and have happened without the ground to a halt after Scott political skill and tenacity of B r o w n ’ s v i c t o r y i n House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, or Massachusetts removed the without the last minute round of Democrats 60-vote edge in the arm twisting by President Senate.

Barack Obama. But equally After Brown’s victory, important was the energetic powerful Democrats, including public campaign that Obama Rep. Barney Frank, declared the a n d l i b e r a l a n d l e f t - w i n g struggle lost, and White House organizations waged on behalf aide Rahm Emanuel renewed of it. This campaign altered the h i s p i t c h f o r s m a l l - b o r e , chemistry of the debate within incremental reforms. As we now C o n g r e s s a n d a m o n g know, Obama and Pelosi D e m o c r a t s . D e m o c r a t s i n decided instead to make a final W a s h i n g t o n h a d c o m e t o push for a comprehensive bill. understand that it was us versus Part of their strategy included t h e m , w i t h “ t h e m ” b e i n g caucusing and arm twisting, but Republicans, Tea Partyists, and what Obama also brought to the various business lobbies, but table was a public campaign. It they can now recognize that began with the health care there is a real “us” out there. summit, and continued with During the 2008 presidential speeches to voters in places like campaign, Obama billed himself Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, a s a v e t e r a n c o m m u n i t y Strongsville, Ohio, and St. organizer, but he governed Louis, Missouri. These speeches during his first year as the most took aim at the insurance conventional politician. He companies (chiefly WellPoint) largely stayed above the fray, a n d t h e R e p u b l i c a n s w h o leaving the battle to pass his wanted to “let them run wild.” legislation to White House aides They were tough, agitational, us and to Congressional leaders -versus-them speeches. whom, he hoped, would reach a Obama’s public offensive fruitful accommodation with shifted opinion on health care. potential opponents from the In early February, before the Republican Party and K Street. summit, a Kaiser poll found It was more reminiscent of support and opposition to the Grover Cleveland or Dwight “health care proposals being E i s e n h o w e r t h a n F r a n k l i n discussed in Congress” equally

divided at 43 percent. This month, on the eve of the vote, Kaiser found that supporters outnumbered opponents by 46 percent to 42 percent. Other polls showed higher disapproval of the plan, but a similar trend toward approval and support of health care reform. But the most interesting finding in the Kaiser poll was the increase in “strong support” for the plan among Democrats--from 30 percent in January to 52 percent in March.

That was evident not just in poll numbers, but in an energized Democratic base that had lain fallow since the inauguration.

In the last month, the political movement that stirred during the campaign suddenly revived.

Liberal, left-wing, and labor groups ran ads--Moveon.org spent $300,000 on an ad plugging health care reform, and Health Care for America Now, which is largely labor-backed, spent $1.4 million--primarily in the districts of wavering Democratic House members.

They threatened to withhold contributions and run primary candidates against Democrats who opposed the bill. In New York, the Working Families Party, which has attracted labor voters for Democrats, threatened to withhold endorsement from Representative Mike Arcuri.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) told Rep. Mike McMahon that if he voted no, they would fund a

challenger. The Steelworkers staged a sit-in at the Western Pennsylvania office of Representative Jason Altmire.

The American Association of Retired Peoples (AARP), not your stereotypical protest organization, held a demonstration at the offices of New York Representative Scott Murphy.

The administration’s somnolent Organizing for America suddenly woke up during the health care battle. Members demonstrated in Salt Lake City and Royal Oak, Michigan. They annoyed Texas Representative Chet Edwards with repeated demands that he back the bill.

Most interesting, groups that had opposed or been wary of the existing legislation from the left fell into line once the real choices became apparent. When Moveon.org, which had campaigned for the public option, held a referendum on whether to back the current bill, 83 percent of their members favored doing so. AFL-CIO unions unhappy with the excise tax pressured Massachusetts Representative Stephen Lynch to back the bill.

In the end, wavering House Democrats like Murphy and Ohio Representative Charlie Wilson fell into line. But the importance of an energized base went well beyond their votes.

The upsurge of activity over health care reform should

remind Democrats who have had to put up with intransigent Republicans that they also had a movement they could mobilize.

It had been present during the campaign, but the Obama White House had allowed it to disappear. Now it was back, and it could be used not just to build support for other bills, but to protect endangered Democrats in the fall.

Obama and the Democrats in Congress need to take heed of this. During the president’s first year, as Obama’s and the Democrats’ poll numbers fell, and as the Democrats lost key elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, a kind of fatalism took hold in Washington. It was inevitable, the feeling went, that an administration facing an economic downturn would get drubbed in the next elections, and perhaps even lose the House and the Senate. But this argument assumed the kind of static insider model that the Obama administration followed during its first year. This model needs to be discarded, and replaced by the kind of political model that would be familiar to Franklin Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan: one where the politics of maneuver within Washington was supplemented--or better, transformed--by a politics of vigorous protest and advocacy.

DEMOCRATS page 40

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Senate Rivals in Missouri Vie for 'Outsider' Role (Newsmax - Politics) Submitted at 3/22/2010 1:51:51 AM

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Rep. Roy Blunt has been in Congress for 13 years, most of them in the Republican leadership.

Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan comes from a family with three generations of Washington politicians.

Yet both Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Carnahan are campaigning against the powers that be as they attempt to win Missouri's U.S. Senate seat left open by the retirement of longtime Republican Sen. Christopher S. Bond.

It's a sign of just how unpopular Washington is these days.

Senate aspirants across the country are parroting the "outsider" theme that President Obama himself campaigned on just two years ago. That's particularly true in the 11 states with open Senate seats.

Just 22 percent of Americans less than at any previous point in Mr. Obama's presidency approve of Congress, according to an AP-GfK poll this month.

Half say they want to fire their own congressmen. And the frustration is directed at both Republicans and Democrats.

"This is a year when people are very unhappy about the direction of the country. They're very unhappy in particular about the performance of government and of Congress," said Dave

Robertson, a political scientist at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. "All candidates are going to try to emphasize that they are not part of the problem, but can contribute to the solutions."

Few candidates face a more interesting challenge in this climate than Missouri's Senate contenders.

The Carnahans and Blunts are the state's versions of the Kennedy political dynasty.

During the past half-century, members of the two families have served at almost every level of government - from the local school board to the state legislature to the governor's mansion and the U.S. House and Senate.

In the swing state of Missouri, which narrowly went for Republican John McCain over Mr. Obama in 2008, Mr. Blunt has been running against Mr. Obama and the Democratic leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Mrs. Carnahan, meanwhile, has been running against a Washington establishment, personified by Mr. Blunt, that she decries as mired in partisan gridlock and beholden to special -interest lobbyists and Wall Street executives.

Mrs. Carnahan didn't even share the stage when Mr. Obama visited Missouri recently - she had traveled to the nation's capital, saying she needed to

push for tougher oversight of Wall Street bankers.

Is she the challenger?

"Absolutely," Mrs. Carnahan said in a recent interview with the Associated Press.

Is he the challenger? "I am absolutely in the challenger mode," Mr. Blunt said in an AP interview.

Those assertions ring hollow to some prospective voters.

"We look at the Carnahans and Blunts just as big families that have been in politics - that's part of the problem," said Mike Lee, 48, a plumbing salesman who attended a recent "tea party" rally in St. Louis. "We just want a change."

In Illinois, Republican Rep. Mark Steven Kirk and Democratic Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias both have presented themselves as outsiders in a race for the Senate seat Mr. Obama once held. Mr. Kirk, a nine-year veteran of Congress, casts himself as a new face removed from Illinois' Democratic corruption scandals. Mr. Giannoulias has played up the fact that he's never served in Washington and tried to tag Mr. Kirk as tainted by his years of service there - even though Mr. Giannoulias himself has ties to the White House as a former basketball buddy of the president.

A similar dynamic is forming in Indiana, where former Sen. Dan Coats is the front-runner for the

GOP nomination and Rep. Brad Ellsworth is favored for the Democratic nod. Neither can boast purity from the stigma of Washington - Mr. Coats spent more than a decade in Congress, then served as an ambassador to Germany under President George W. Bush and worked as a lobbyist, while Mr. Ellsworth is in his second term in the House.

But that hasn't stopped either from casting himself as the outsider. Announcing his candidacy, Mr. Ellsworth played up not his three years in the House, but his time as a sheriff in southern Indiana. Mr. Coats has vowed to stop Democrats' push for major policy changes.

Likewise, Mr. Blunt doesn't dwell on his past tenure as the House Republican whip - nor his interim role as majority leader, nor his wife's job as a Washington lobbyist - when traveling the state in an RV emblazoned with the slogan "Jobs for Missouri's future."

Instead, Mr. Blunt focuses on the Democrats who now control Washington. In stump speeches, he mentions Mr. Obama, Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Reid as much or more often than Mrs. Carnahan, whom he casts as their rubber stamp.

"The agenda they established from Day One in their majority was an extremist agenda, and President Obama, unfortunately, seems pretty comfortable with

that extremist agenda," said Mr. Blunt, mentioning the Democratic health care and climate-change proposals.

Mrs. Carnahan worked from 1993 to 1996 for the ExportImport Bank of the United States. Her grandfather was a congressman, and her mother was appointed a U.S. senator after her father, then-Gov. Mel Carnahan, died in a plane crash while campaigning for Senate in 2000. Her brother, Russ, currently is a Democratic U.S. House member.

Yet Mrs. Carnahan declared: "Washington feels broken." And she added: "What Congressman Blunt represents is the worst of Washington."

"If you're too big to fail, Washington works for you. If you have a high-powered lobbyist, Washington can work for you. But for the rest of us, we're just having to put up with this recession and try to get through it," she said. Š Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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March Madness Lydia DePillis (The New Republic - All Feed)

behind them. Jack Kingston, a conservative Georgia congressman, urged an Submitted at 3/21/2010 10:36:43 PM assembled group to get involved Walking across the Capitol in congressional races in swing lawns yesterday morning, a little districts, because the left can Hispanic girl noticed something b r i n g i n “ b u s l o a d s o f exciting: protesters massing on p r o f e s s i o n a l the steps, waving flags and p r o t e s t e r s ” — s e e m i n g l y chanting. illustrated by the buses “ Look at all the signs here!” she unloading a few blocks away. exclaimed to her father (in a “They can hire riots, because m i x t u r e o f S p a n i s h a n d they have unions and federal English), pointing toward the e m p l o y e e s , ” h e white marble dome. explained—plainly in evidence H e r f a t h e r m i g h t h a v e with purple SEIU t-shirts explained to her, however, that dotting the crowd. “I think that it wasn’t their protest. The bringing people in here just for family was there for an votes is ridiculous,” said immigration reform rally, which Kaylynn Parks of Pennsylvania, d r e w a t l e a s t 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 who argued that the debt could participants. Meanwhile, on the be reduced substantially by steps of the Capitol were tea stopping Spanish instruction in partiers taking a last stand public schools. against health care reform. On And as cheers from the rally on the fringes, the two groups the Mall reached all the way to regarded each other warily, with the Capitol, undergirded by the occasional flare-ups. “Pay your faint drumbeats from a Mexican taxes and be a citizen!” a dance ritual taking place on the platinum blonde tea partier lawns, Representative Steve yelled in the general direction of King warned the few remaining the pro-immigrant protesters. tea partiers of the danger they Some even tried to get the represented.

Capitol police to arrest people “ W h a t t h e y ’ r e a b o u t i s w i t h t - s h i r t s t h a t r e a d , undermining the rule of law,” “Undocumented and Unafraid.” King explained. “Many of them For the lily-white tea partiers, are here illegally. Those with there was no more solid proof of them are sympathizers and the mortal peril they imagine apologists.”

America faces than the (mostly) “They want our health care!” brown people flooding the Mall someone yelled.

So much for GOP Latino outreach—which, considering how many interests the two groups share, is a very strange opportunity to miss.

The rally on the Mall was hot and dusty, with almost no space between bodies, and signs swinging everywhere. Not unlike another day last September, when the tea party had its first huge shindig in D.C.—another awakening of a usually-silent mass that wants government to show it’s listening. Indeed, despite the obvious differences, the immigrants marching in white tshirts have more in common with the tea partiers than either side realizes.

Religion, for one: The immigration rally began with an interfaith prayer service, not unlike one held at the National Tea Party Convention last month. There were more crosses at this rally than most tea party functions, and I would guess that most of those carrying them would back Bart Stupak in his stubborn opposition to abortion.

Patriotism, for another: American flags were by far the most popular accessory at the immigrant-rights rally (a flag vendor who had been selling to tea partiers changed his pitch for a new clientele: “Dos dolares, dos dolares!”). Hispanics are culturally conservative, fiercely

family-oriented—the protest overflowed with nuclear units accompanied by strollers—and not necessarily wedded to the Democrats.

“I’m a conservative, and I support comprehensive immigration reform,” read one sign. And another, with a warning for the president: “No more O-bla bla bla. Take action now—you can lose our support.”

Immigrant leaders have been broadening their base of support: NAACP president Ben Jealous spoke at the rally, a step toward mending the gap with African Americans concerned about competition for jobs. And alliances with evangelical and Catholic groups pulled numerous churches into the effort.

But Republicans, who could sure use the Latino vote in urban areas, had no speakers in the lineup. Lindsey Graham, who is sponsoring immigration reform legislation with Chuck Schumer, is already a GOP apostate. And if the bumbling tea party attempts at outreach are any example, the party has a long way to go if it wants any shot at this demographic.

“If you bankrupt our cities, no benefits for you!” one woman shouted at the protesters streaming by. “These people are pawns to bring down the

capitalist system,” she explained to me. “And they lose.”

Even more friendly overtures fell flat. On the lawns, as Republican congressmen egged on tea partiers from the Capitol balcony, one lady attempted to extend an olive branch to a family of El Salvadorans living in Maryland. “You guys citizens yet?” she asked the group, walking toward them.

“No, not yet,” they shook their heads.

“You don’t want this bill to pass, you really don’t,” the woman assured them. She explained she wasn’t antiimmigrant; her husband is from Greece. But still: “This bill will kill America. You have to ask them to vote no.”

Afterwards, I spoke with the family. “They don’t want us to be here,” said the daughter.

“Just the posters that they have, you can tell they don’t like us.”

Lydia DePillis is a reporterresearcher at The New Republic.

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Last Hurrah Michelle Cottle (The New Republic - All Feed)

afternoon presser announcing his oh-so-agonized decision to support the bill even without his Submitted at 3/21/2010 11:17:15 PM desired anti-abortion provision, From the opening seconds of the GOP knew it had been the final vote on HR 3590, all beaten. All day you could sense you had to do was watch the a kind of daffy resignation in House leaders of both parties to some of the rank-and-file as know what the outcome would they milled about the Capitol, be. On the Democratic side, waiting for the inevitable drama Speaker Pelosi, radiant in lilac to play itself out. suit and matching pumps, was For anyone trolling for pre-vote handing out hugs and kisses and activity, the hottest action was posing for pics with groups of on the grand balcony that runs her House sisters. Across the along the Speakers Lobby on the aisle, meanwhile, Republican south end of the Capitol. A whip Eric Cantor looked even members-only retreat, the edgier and more vibratory than balcony looked out over the usual as a handful of his gaggle of Tea Partiers and other members huddled close, all eyes anti-reform die-hards come to on the giant illuminated list of express their extreme distress member votes projected on the over America’s impending wall above the press gallery. plunge into communism (or (Red light for nay, green for “socialism” depending on which yea.) Some Dems watched the banners, shirts, and signs you display, especially as the “yeas” favored). These were not people inched toward 216. But not looking to debate the finer Pelosi. Long before the vote was p o i n t s o f c o s t c o n t r o l o r o f f i c i a l , s h e h a d b e g u n accessibility. These were folks celebrating, leaving the losing itching to strap Pelosi to the team to agonize over the final back bumper of the nearest tally. pickup. Angry and profane does Not that defeat came as a not even begin to describe the surprise to the minority. Even scene. before Democratic fence-sitter In search of a little pick-me-up, B a r t S t u p a k g a v e a m i d - Republican members took to

wandering out on the balcony and revving up the crowd. Two or three scrawled ‘No’ on sheets of paper and began waving them over the railing, tittering like school boys. Tennessee’s Zach Wamp snatched up a discarded poster board, propped it against a column, and, black marker in hand, began gleefully writing “LET’S MEET ‘EM AT THE STATE LINE” in big block letters. (Homemade signs were all the rage among members.

Inside high windows along the east side of the capitol, someone had put up more letters spelling out “VOTE NO” and “SCRAP THE BILL.”) Caught up in the naughtiness of it all, Pennsylvania’s Jim Gerlach rushed over to steady the posterboard while Wamp scribbled.

But it wasn’t until a couple of the old guys goaded Tea Party prom queen Michele Bachmann onto the balcony that the fun really got started. After only a second or two of faux resistance, Bachmann sidled up to the edge, clasped her hands together and shook them above each shoulder like some kind of pink-clad prize fighter. The crowd below went hog wild, and

more than one member made a snorting reference to Bachman’s “Evita” moment. Soon, other Republicans began sliding out to stand beside her and bask in the reflected love.

Hours later, as the whole prevote back-and-forth really got rolling, Republicans were in no mood to sit still. They trotted out every parliamentary trick in the book to try and slow the process even further. They were quick to snicker, groan, and boo at Democats’ comments, and they’d shout down any member of the majority who went even a second over their allotted speaking time. And whenever one of their own team spoke, the remarks would be met with enthusiastic applause and cheers. Bachman took to shouting “Good job! Good job!” at colleagues, like she was a proud T-ball parent cheering from the sideline.

On some level, it was sweet of Bachmann to try and keep everyone’s spirits up in the face of what the party must realize is a grave injury. The GOP went all out to deliver President Obama a legislative Waterloo, and ultimately came up short.

For a party that prides itself on

DEMOCRATS continued from page 37

That’s the real lesson of the health care battle.

John B. Judis is a senior editor of The New Republic and a

visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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being ruthless and efficient and competent, this is a particularly devastating blow, and we should probably cut members a little slack in dealing with it the best they could. In fact, earlier in the day, as I stood watching Wamp and Gerlach make their cute little sign for the protesters, Illinois’s John Shimkus stretched an arm up over my head to snap a picture of the two men with his cell phone. “I should really get them off the balcony,” he mused, more to himself than to me. We introduced ourselves, and I asked the congressman if he was having a good day. “Not really,” he said with a heavy sigh, eyes still glued to his colleague’s balcony antics. “But what are you gonna do?”

What indeed.

Michelle Cottle is a senior editor of The New Republic.

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Senators to Square off over Financial Reforms (Newsmax - Politics) Submitted at 3/22/2010 1:29:30 AM

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will begin hammering out new rules for the financial system on Monday, two years after Bear Stearns' collapse ushered in the worst financial crisis in decades.

Republicans plan to introduce about 300 amendments to attempt to weaken or kill key provisions of a regulatory reform bill developed over months of negotiation by the committee's Democratic chairman, Senator Christopher Dodd.

Whether a bill emerges as Dodd hopes by Friday, when Congress is set to adjourn for two weeks, is uncertain.

Failure to produce a bill in the Senate could doom hopes for a broad rewrite of financial rules meant to ward off future crises like the one that punished the U.S. economy with its deepest recession since the Great Depression, dragging much of the global economy down with it.

Dodd has the votes to ram a Democratic bill through the committee. He may do that if he senses Republicans are not interested in legislating and want only to keep President Barack Obama and Democrats from achieving a top objective.

But some key Republicans on the committee maintain they

want to reform financial regulation, and recognize Congress needs to act quickly since lawmakers will soon refocus on political campaigns ahead of the November elections.

The committee is slated to begin its bill-drafting session at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) on Monday. It could last all week.

If a bill emerges with no Republican support, Democrats would be hard-pressed to muster the 60 votes that will almost certainly be needed to move the legislation through the full Senate, where Republicans now routinely throw up procedural roadblocks. The Democrats control only 59 votes.

REFORM COULD BE DOOMED Since the crisis peaked a year and a half ago, financial reform proposals have been fiercely debated, with Republicans allying themselves with the deeply unpopular financial industry as it fights to block reforms that threaten bank profits.

The House of Representatives approved a bill in December that embraced most of the reform proposals made by Obama in mid-2009. The House bill passed with no Republican votes.

In the Senate committee, documents obtained by Reuters show Republicans plan a wide assault on Dodd's bill.

The documents summarize amendments that target a proposed inter-agency council to monitor financial system risk, a fund for liquidating distressed firms, and a plan to shift oversight of hundreds of small banks out of the Federal Reserve.

Republicans plan to offer amendments to strip Dodd's proposed Financial Stability Oversight Council of the power to assign risky nonbank financial firms to Fed supervision, according to the documents.

In another example, one Republican amendment would delete a provision in Dodd's bill establishing a fund to help pay for orderly liquidations of distressed financial firms, which is meant to preventing more AIG-style bailouts.

STATE BANKS IN PLAY Republicans also want to amend Dodd's bill to block his plan to transfer supervision of hundreds of state-chartered banks with assets of less than $50 billion to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp from the Fed, the documents show.

The summary says Republicans want to delete major portions of the Dodd bill dealing with overthe-counter derivatives regulation and new rules for credit-rating agencies, while referring to unspecified Republican substitute plans.

The summary says that Senator

Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the committee, alone plans 110 amendments, more than any lawmaker, followed by Senator Bob Corker with 98.

It says 12 Democrats plan to offer 94 amendments.

Other contentious issues up for debate include a new watchdog for financial products.

Democrats and Republicans generally agree that regulations should be reformed in order to strengthen the financial system and plug regulatory gaps, but they have clashed over the breadth of the rules and the role of government.

Senators are considering changes to the so-called Volcker rule that clamps down on banks' risky activities. Senators including Dodd have expressed doubts over the proposal.

Already Dodd has watered down one of the White House's key reforms -- an independent watchdog for consumer financial products such as mortgages and credit cards. © 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.

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Soundwave makes a comeback, as a theatre on wheels Jimin Brelsford (CrunchGear) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:30:49 AM

If you can’t go and listen to a high fidelity sound system, why don’t you have it come to you?

The Harmon Mobile Showcase is designed to do just that, bringing two professionally calibrated listening rooms to an expo near you.

The trailer contains a 2-channel “audiophile” room, and a multichannel home theater environment. The equipment used inside is exclusively from Mark Levinson, JBL, Lexicon, and Revel, so this isn’t by any means the only super cool sound system you’ll run across. But it’s definitely way outside my price range.

The truck just left the Architectural Digest Home Design Show here in New York, and will next be spotted at the Hi Fi Buys Event in Nashville.

So if you’re in the neighborhood, go check it out.

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California Governor's Race to Set Spending Record (Newsmax - Politics) Submitted at 3/22/2010 1:33:36 AM

SAN FRANCISCO - The California governor's race is on track to be the most expensive nonpresidential election in U.S. history, sparking a debate over money and influence that could become the campaign's defining issue.

Republican front-runner Meg Whitman, the billionaire former CEO of online auction house eBay Inc, will likely face off in November against Democrat Jerry Brown, a former governor and career politician backed by labor unions with many millions of dollars in potential contributions at their disposal.

The race so far pales in comparison to the $1 billion 2008 presidential contest. But Whitman has said she is prepared to spend $150 million, enough to top the $148 million spent eight years ago in the New York gubernatorial election won by incumbent Republican George Pataki.

The National Institute on Money in State Politics ranks the 2002 New York race as the

most expensive state-level U.S. contest yet, and no congressional campaign comes close.

Whitman's benchmark would also eclipse billionaire New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2009 $108 million self-funded campaign.

"This is going to be a record.

There is no question about that," said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, who sees voters' antiincumbent sentiment in California playing out against a historical state bias against wealthy candidates. The current governor, Republican Arnold Schwarzenneger, is barred by term limits from re-election.

Whitman has already poured $39 million of her own funds into her campaign, while state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, her rival for the Republican nomination, has sunk $19 million of his personal wealth into the race.

Voters are still making up their minds. A television advertising blitz by Whitman has helped propel her to a 49-percentage point lead over Poizner and

turned her double-digit deficit against Brown into a 3percentage point lead in the latest Field Polls.

Brown, who was California governor from 1975 to 1983 and is now state attorney general, has about $14 million cash on hand. That would seem to put him a distinct disadvantage, lacking the deep pockets of his Republican foes and limited by state caps on the amount he can raise from individual donors.

But California campaign finance laws allow unlimited contributions to independent committees, giving Democratic Party stalwarts, such as unions concerned about possible pension fund overhauls under a Republican governor, plenty of room to spend.

Two unions top a list of 15 organizations, including energy companies, casino-operating Indian tribes and business groups that together spent $1 billion on ballot initiative campaigns, candidate support and lobbying in the past 10 years, according to the state's Fair Political Practices Commission.

"At the end of the day, even with contributions and the amount of money Meg will be able to raise, the resources will be about even," said Whitman spokesman Tucker Bounds, a contention the Brown campaign rejects.

MONEY MESSAGES The money has already become part of the message. Whitman emphasizes her success in business and said she would not take a salary as governor.

Brown says he needs the salary after devoting himself to a lifetime of public service.

Those narratives feed into what some analysts see as the thematic choice being presented to voters -- an outsider with fresh ideas versus a maverick insider with the experience to carry out much-needed government reforms.

Questions surrounding the use, abuse and raising of funds are shaping negative campaign ads.

Whitman's campaign accuses Brown of ceding control to organized labor and circumventing campaign finance law by relying on union dollars and activism to bolster his

campaign. At a recent union gathering, he was videotaped declaring: "We're going to attack whenever we can, but I'd rather have you attack. I'd rather be the nice guy in this race."

That, says Whitman's camp, is illegal coordination. "You have the candidate telling third-party groups to fund other third-party groups on his behalf," Bounds said.

Brown's spokesman, Sterling Clifford, called such accusations of campaign finance transgressions ridiculous -- and turned the focus to Whitman's money.

"She'll say anything in her attempt to crown herself nominee and then buy the general election," he said. © 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.

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This flash drive probably isn’t TSA or workplaced approved Matt Burns (CrunchGear) Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:45:44 AM

Here’s a short list of places

where you probably shouldn’t take your fancy new flash driv e.

• School • Police station • A court building

• The airport • Chuck E Cheese’s • England

Any others?

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Obamacare Is Going to the What Racism at the Tea President's Desk--What Comes Next? Parties?

(AEI.Org: Articles)

looking at an insurance market that has become worse, not better, with premiums higher The question arises: What next? and more Americans joining the H o w w i l l t h e h e a l t h - c a r e rolls of the uninsured. landscape evolve on the heels of Longer term, insurers will O b a m a c a r e ' s p a s s a g e ? begin to consolidate into a Economic forces provide some handful of very large national clues. carriers backed up by small, The insurance market will state-based plans that try to begin to shake up almost attract consumers using regional immediately, as health-care appeal. Health insurance will plans jockey for advantage in become a commodity product, advance of the legislation's full one that offers little consumer implementation. Insurers will choice and with benefits that are b e g i n p u l l i n g o u t o f t h e mostly defined by regulations individual market, and they will issued in Washington. Doctors aggressively hike premiums in will begin to consolidate their the small-group market. These practices into larger groups, or consequences are the market's sell their offices to hospitals or response to the bill's new large medical chains. That is regulations, which effectively h o w p h y s i c i a n s w i l l g a i n p r e v e n t i n s u r e r s f r o m leverage on health-insurance underwriting risk. Insurers are plans and take advantage of new forced to take all comers and, in reimbursement rules created many cases, they will decide under the legislation's Medicare that certain business lines are no reform. longer profitable.

In the end, there will be only The net result is that two years two places for consumers to get from now we will likely be health coverage--through a large Submitted at 3/21/2010 4:00:00 PM

employer (most likely a union plan) or through the new statebased exchanges. Many large employers with a preponderance of middle-wage employees will move their workers into the exchanges, since the subsidies are richer than the tax exclusion they get through workerprovided coverage. Only employers with sticky union contracts, or those that employ a lot of high-wage workers (e.g., Goldman Sachs) will continue to offer workplace coverage.

Eventually, the federally regulated exchanges will be the only game in town. That was the idea behind Obamacare from the start.

Scott Gottlieb, M.D., is a resident fellow at AEI. P h o t o C r e d i t : iStockphoto/DNY59 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Submitted at 3/21/2010 2:41:07 PM

Wow. The racism that underlies much of the tea party movement is coming to the surface more and more, and yesterday in Washington DC the mask came completely off: Protesters hurl slurs and spit at Democrats.

Washington (CNN) - Civil rights icon and veteran Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, said anti-health care bill protesters Saturday repeatedly yelled the “N” word at him as he left a heath care meeting and walked to the Capitol.

“I haven’t seen heard anything like this in more than 40 years, maybe 45.” Lewis said. “Since the march from Selma to Montgomery really.”

“Yeah, but it’s okay,” Lewis added. “I’ve faced this before.

So, it reminded me of the 60’s.

There’s a lot of downright hate and anger and people are just being downright mean.”

The incident was confirmed by

Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indiana, who was walking with Lewis at the time. Protesters were yelling, “‘kill the bill, kill the bill’ and the ‘N’ word several times,” Carson said.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, DMissouri, released a statement late Saturday saying he too was called the “N” word as he walked to the Capitol for a vote and that he was spat on by one protestor who was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police. Cleaver declined to press charges against the man, the statement said.

Protesters also hurled anti-gay comments at Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, who is openly gay, as he left the same health care meeting that Lewis attended in a House office building.

A CNN producer overheard the word “faggot” yelled at Frank several times in the lobby of the Longworth building. Frank said he heard someone yell “homo” at him.

U.S. Support for Nuclear Power Climbs to New High of 62%

HA! [News] Mark Wilson (Gizmodo) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:40:00 PM

Mensa— possibly definitely the world's smartest organization—has placed

(Little Green Footballs)

Gizmodo on their top 50

websites. We're honored to be in the excellent company of Lifehacker, BoingBoing, PopSci, The Onion and I Can Has Cheezburger. [ Mensa and LIFE(image)] More »

(All Gallup Headlines) Submitted at 3/21/2010 8:00:00 PM

[ fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] A new high of 62% of Americans favor

the use of nuclear energy as a way to provide electricity for the United States, the first time support has exceeded 60%.

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E-reader News Edition

Public Pension Deficits Are Worse Than You Think (AEI.Org: Articles)

The problem is fundamental: According to accounting rules adopted by the states, a public P e n s i o n p l a n s f o r s t a t e sector pension plan may call government employees today itself "fully funded" even if report they are underfunded by there is a better-than-even $450 billion, according to a chance it will be unable to meet recent report from the Pew its obligations. When that Charitable Trusts. But this happens, the taxpayer is on the vastly underestimates the true hook. Yet public pension plans shortfall, because public pension ignore market risk even as they accounting wrongly assumes s h i f t i n t o r i s k y f o r e i g n t h a t p l a n s c a n e a r n h i g h investments, hedge funds and investment returns without risk. private equity.

My research indicates that A simple example illustrates the overall underfunding tops $3 flaw. Imagine that you borrowed trillion. $100, which you absolutely, Submitted at 3/21/2010 4:00:00 PM

positively must repay in 20 years. How much money would you need today to consider that debt "fully funded?"

This article is available by subscription from the Wall Street Journal.

Andrew G. Biggs is a resident scholar at AEI. P h o t o C r e d i t : iStockphoto/YinYang Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Poll Finds Schwarzenegger's Rating at New Low (Newsmax - Politics) Submitted at 3/21/2010 11:06:51 AM

A new survey by the Field Poll shows California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's public opinion rating has slumped to a new low.

Results from a survey released Sunday show that only 23 percent of people asked approved of the job the governor is doing, while 71 percent disapproved.

Poll officials say Sunday's

assessment is the lowest approval rating the governor has received since he took office.

It also is statistically equivalent to the all-time record low job appraisal that voters gave to Democrat Gray Davis shortly before he was recalled from office in 2003.

The Field Poll found only 13 percent of the voters asked approved of the job the state Legislature is doing, while 78 percent disapproved.

The latest Field Poll was

conducted during a telephone survey of 503 registered voters across the state. Š Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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

Spring Design Alex review Joanna Stern (Engadget)

baked into the $399 Alex. Still, games and gimmicks only get you so far, and you're probably We realize that the e-reader wondering if it has what it takes market is about as crowded (not to pull up next to the the majors to mention overwhelming) as a like the Kindle or Nook and Walmart on Black Friday, but knock them from the top. We've ever since the dual-screen got that answer and lots more Spring Design Alex surfaced details on what it's like to use and we mistook it as the Barnes two screens rather than one just & Noble Nook, we've been after the break in our full incredibly intrigued by it. review. Join us, won't you?

Though its 6-inch E-Ink display Gallery: Spring Design Alex and 3.5-inch Android LCD form review factor may seem like a riff on Continue reading Spring the Nook, the Alex has quite a D e s i g n A l e x r e v i e w few more tricks up its sleeve, Spring Design Alex review i n c l u d i n g a f u l l A n d r o i d originally appeared on Engadget browser and the ability to extend on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:37:00 what appears on the LCD to the EST. Please see our terms for E-Ink screen. And that's just the use of feeds. Permalink| | tip of the iceberg when it comes Email this| Comments to all the unorthodox extras Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:37:00 AM

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First Looks: Magazines on the iPad Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:54:08 AM

Last week, a video of online magazine VIVmag's iPad app made the rounds on the web.

Featured in The New York Times as a taste of digital reading's future, this extraordinary, interactive videoinfused 'zine was beautiful to watch, but left many others questioning if the expense of creating tablet-ready content like this was actually feasible.

For some, that answer surprisingly - may be yes.

According to Jeanniey Mullen, CMO of the magazine's distributor, Zinio, the cost was not as expensive as you may think - it was "not even $100,000," she said. But $100 grand to create one copy of an online magazine? That's far beyond the reach of many micro -publishers. And yet, for them too, the iPad introduces the possibility of reaching a wider audience than ever before.

Sponsor According to the Times article, the VIVmag iPad version will continue to feature interactive content and video in every issue.

For them, it's less of a problem to do so than it would be for other publishers. Although the costs of hiring models, filming against a greenscreen and editing video may seem exorbitant, VIVmag was already an "all digital" magazine from

the start. Creating their digital content costs approximately the same as creating a normal print magazine - they just employ different people to do the digital version of the analog jobs.

Much of the magazine is templated, too, allowing the company to reuse the same basic structures to display new content in later issues.

VIVmag received the most press - unless you count Wired's so-called "iPad app," that is. But Wired's app isn't iPad-ready just yet. Built with Adobe AIR technology, the app won't run on the iPad in its current state due to Apple's policies. Still, both of these high-end creations demonstrate the potential for alldigital magazines on the new form factor of the tablet PC. However, incredible tabletbased magazines like these won't be limited to publishers with big budgets alone.

Magazine with Music Downloads and More Take, for example, Digital America, an interactive literary and culture magazine made especially for the tablet experience. Like VIVmag, Digital America will also mix in video with their other content.

In fact, they'll offer articles, graphics, videos and music plus extra, downloadable content included in the per issue price.

Part of the magazine's content lineup for their first issue will include exclusive author

interviews, a featured musician with playable music tracks, a filmmaker interview and their award-winning short, a featured animator with exclusive commentary, a playable cartoon, five pieces of chosen fictionreading from American writers and "bonus extras."

From the interactive table of contents, accessible from anywhere in the magazine, you can navigate through the available sections. A quick layout view lets you hop from page to page and you can choose to scan the magazine in landscape mode, too, if desired.

Not Just a Magazine, a Tool Too The online designer community, Mobile Love, is also turning their niche resource into an iPad "magazine" app.

Not only will their iPad app include video alongside the magazine's text, it will offer an included iPhone wireframing tool, too, which can be used to

create iPhone applications. After designing an app, there's a button at the top which will allow the designers to request a quote from a developer if they want to have their application built. (You can see this in action in the video demo here.)

Blogs Become Mags Video-enabled, highly interactive magazines aren't the only types of new magazines experiences coming to the iPad, either. Another developer has the idea of turning your favorite web blogs into your own, custom digital creations. Called "Blogazine," this new iPad app will let you virtually flip through blog articles in chronological order.

The concept is easy to grasp blogs become magazines. From a centrally located button, you can tap to change from one blog to another. Another feature lets you quickly share an article on Facebook or Twitter. The app will soon arrive for the iPhone too, but it's on the iPad where it will really shine.

Can't Build Your Own iPad App? Zinio Does It for You For publishers big and small who, for whatever reason, can't or don't want to build their own iPad or tablet application inhouse, digital magazine distributor Zinio will be introducing an iPad application which provides readers with easy access to digital subscriptions and an online

"newsstand." The company, which has been around for a decade now, got started by offering magazine reader software for desktop computers.

Now that the mobile revolution has taken hold, Zinio has expanded their offerings to include subscription and reading experiences for magazine customers which are accessible no matter what device you use: Mac, PC, iPhone, web or mobile web and soon, iPad, plus - who knows? - maybe one day Kindle, too. Zinio's goal is to make it simple for publishers to get their content out there on any form factor, screen size or platform.

To get an idea of what these iPad mags could look like, check out National Geographic's latest issue: " Water: Our Thirsty World." According to the NatGeo website, this edition features the "complete content from the print edition, plus extra photo galleries, rollover graphics that animate features like maps and time lines, video profiles of photographers who contributed to the issue, and other interactive features."

When the iPad launches, it too, will have the same interactive content as is available now in this digital edition, explains Mullen.

Another Zinio partner preparing for the iPad is Sporting News, a FIRST page 47

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Inventor of the Web Gets Backing to Build Web of Data Marshall Kirkpatrick (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:31:11 AM

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, and prominent researcher Nigel Shadbolt will lead a new British Institute for Web Science with $45 million in government backing. The announcement was not without its critics, but the Institute could have a worldwide impact.

The two men collaborated in helping build the excellent data.gov.uk and will now expand upon that work. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said of the move: "We are determined to go further in breaking down the walled garden of Government...This Institute will help place the UK at the cutting edge of research on the Semantic Web and other emerging web and internet technologies."

Sponsor Understanding the Web of Data Berners-Lee said two years ago last month that all the pieces were in place to build the semantic web, a paradigm based on giving structured meaning to

and clear links between otherwise unstructured content floating around the web. Many people believe that a web with semantic structure will be the same type of boon to innovation that common standards like HTML have been.

Berners-Lee famously described his vision of the semantic web like this: I have a dream for the Web [in which computers] become capable of analyzing all the data on the Web - the content, links, and transactions between people and computers. A 'Semantic Web', which should make this possible, has yet to emerge, but when it does, the day-to-day mechanisms of trade, bureaucracy and our daily lives will be handled by machines talking to machines. The 'intelligent agents' people have touted for ages will finally materialize.

Today's announcement came along government calls to build super-fast broadband to every home in the UK. Prime Minister Brown claimed that such a development could foster economic development and as many as 250,000 new jobs.

As writer Tom Foremski pointed out this morning about the Web Science Institute, however "internet technologies have resulted in fewer jobs created than have been lost -which is the way of all disruptive technologies."

Making the Vision Real is Hard, Too Super-fast broadband to every home is a much easier thing to sell to the public than a futureweb of structured, machinereadable data. After years of expectations, the semantic web remains in search of its clearly comprehensible killer-app.

Earlier this month, semantic social bookmarking service Twine quietly slid into obscurity and was bought up by news recommendation service Evri.

Twine was said to be possibly "the first mainstream semantic web app" two years ago.

Founder Nova Spivak raised half as much money for Twine's parent company Radar Networks ($24m) as BernersLee's entire new institute is receiving. Twine faltered under poor usability and the leadership of Spivak, considered to be both

one of the smartest people in the internet industry and a caustic egotist.

Thus is the dilemma for this supposed next stage of the web.

Andrew Orlowski tears into today's announcement in The Register, calling it "a confluence of two groups of people with a shared interest in bureaucracy."

Orlowski says the Web of Data is a fraud as well: "Of course, most web data is personal communication that happens to have been recorded. Most of the rest is spam, generated by robots, or cut-and-paste material 'curated' by the unemployed or poor graduates - another form of spam, really."

That's a funny critique but the truth is probably somewhere in between the superlatives and the condemnation. Critics like Orlowski have already grown jaded about the world-changing impact of the last iteration of the web (easy social publishing) and underestimate the platform potential of this next iteration.

"I've always been sceptical of the need for a 'new discipline.'

[Web Science]," says leading semantic web consultant Paul Miller."A significant tranche of

Blood, Sweat and Photographic Tears [Safari] Greg du Toit (Gizmodo) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:00:00 PM

Greg du Toit contracted several

diseases and parasites while spending months halfsubmerged in a Kenyan watering hole. But he also

captured a rare and stunning

look of the wildlife he encountered nose-to-lens. More Âť

funding such as that announced by the Prime Minister this morning will be helpful in tackling some of the issues (both hard and soft) that still remain as we push more and more data out into the public sphere. I hope and expect that Nigel, Tim and others will devote at least as much attention to issues of trust, provenance, licensing etc as to the details of angle brackets, triples and ontologies."

Miller did a podcast interview with Shadbolt for the UK's largest semantic web company Talis, here.

For an in-depth explanation of Berners-Lee's perspective, see the two-part interview ReadWriteWeb founding Editor Richard MacManus did with him last year. MacManus has said that Berners-Lee's vision of a read/write, two-way web, was a key inspiration behind the founding of the publication you're reading now.

We wish the Institute for Web Science the best of luck in delivering on its rich promise.

Discuss

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47

Opera's Widgets Become Mobile Apps Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb)

distribute a single browser UI across a wide range of devices."

That change to browser Opera Software, developers of distribution technology now web browser technology for PC, applies to the Opera Widgets Mac, Linux and mobile, have too. Already, there are hundreds just announced that their Opera of widgets available in Opera's "widgets" will now work on o n l i n e g a l l e r y , i n c l u d i n g nearly any mobile phone. The everything from games to media widgets in question are small p l a y e r s p l u s w i d g e t s f o r mini-applications that can run in accessing Facebook, Twitter and Opera's web browser itself, on more. the desktop as standalone apps However, it appears that these and now, as standalone apps on widgets for mobile aren't being mobile phones, too. offered directly to consumers in Built with standards like the way that the company's web HTML, CSS and JavaScript, the browser widgets are. Instead, widgets are easy for web Opera intends to provide their developers to create since they widget lineup to operators and don't require knowing a vendor- handset manufacturers who can specific technology in order to then choose which widgets they do so. want to include with their Sponsor phones. Interested businesses According to the company's are asked to request more info announcement, the new widgets h e r e : take advantage of Opera's http://www.opera.com/business. r e c e n t l y l a u n c h e d c r o s s - In other words, just because platform UI framework, a these widgets are built with framework that's intended to "open web standards," it doesn't " h e l p o p e r a t o r s a n d mean you can just start m a n u f a c t u r e r s e f f i c i e n t l y installing them on your iPhone Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:15:56 AM

right now. Widgets: Apps for Feature Phones?

That's OK, though - the company probably doesn't intend for that to happen anyway. The Opera mobile browsers have become popular alternatives to the basic browsers included on many of today's "feature phones" because they speed up browsing by proxying access to the web through Opera's servers while

also offering some advanced options like pinch-and-zoom and tabbed browsing. For feature phones, the Opera browser can offer a better web surfing experience, but on today's smartphones, the built-in browser is usually just as good (if not better) and doesn't have to rely on proxies for fast web access.

Similarly, the new mobile widgets are likely intended to be the speedy apps missing from most feature phones - phones which, unlike the iPhone and Android devices, don't have their own built-in "App Stores."

By providing carriers and manufacturers access to the Opera widget lineup, now even the most basic phones can tout some of the same features that modern smartphones do("access Facebook with an app!," "update Twitter on the go!"). Whether or not any businesses go for these new widgets still remains to be seen. Discuss

The Android Game That Every Android Fan Must Get [Android] Jesus Diaz (Gizmodo) Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:20:00 AM

Platform game. Retro look. 40 levels. The Android mascot as the main character. Free. If you're an Android fanboy or fangirl, you have to play Replica Island. Don't expect to buttsmash any iPhones, though. [ Replica Island via Replica Island] More Âť

FIRST continued from page 45

multimedia company catering to sports fans. Their newly announced iPad app will have interactive full scoreboards, stats, rotating image galleries, sports video highlights from CineSport and guest columns from athletes, coaches and industry executives. Other

benefits of the iPad platform include search, bookmarking, clipping and social sharing to sites like Facebook and Twitter. iPad: Magazines Transformed?

While these iPad magazine demos are exciting to look at, there's one big question hanging over everyone's head: can the

iPad save the flailing magazine industry? For companies like Zinio, the hope is to encourage advertisers to buy across multiple magazines based on categories, instead of just sticking with the most popular print titles. Kia recently did just this and placed their TV ad in 45

copies of Zinio's digital mags. discover a whole new way of This cross-platform digital buy reading. Discuss was the equivalent of one print buy in a physical magazine. But this makes us wonder: will this be enough income for digital publishers to thrive? It's too soon to tell, but in the meantime, we're about to

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Can You Hear Me Now? Check This Crowd-Sourced Mobile Coverage Map Mike Melanson (ReadWriteWeb)

be in development.

We have to wonder if differences between handsets Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:23:00 AM areas for AT&T, Sprint, T- and reception have been taken Have you ever found yourself Mobile and Verizon. into account or have we moved wondering why your friend From the company on the beyond that? The map lets us hasn't called - even though they specifics on the network testing: choose between what type of promised - only to realize Root Mobile conducts tests that reported info we would like to you've been sitting in the measure signal strength, data see, whether "Signal", "Data" or cellular equivalent of the Dead transmission speeds, network "Network", but there is no Sea for the past hour and a half? connection failures and other device category. We can also Sometimes, it just happens that performance indicators. It is s e e t h e n u m b e r o f z o n e s the spot you decided to wait out noteworthy that these tests differ reporting "No Bars", "Access a n i m p o r t a n t c a l l h a d n o from data transmission speed Failure" and "Hot Zones" (such coverage and now, you could tests conducted by others using as dropped calls), but no know that beforehand. Even PCs, precisely because Root information on how many better, you can look at your M o b i l e i s e n g i n e e r e d t o people have reported these city's coverage before you even determine real-world network issues. With a crowd sourced choose a wireless service in the performance as experienced by app and mash-up like this, we'd first place. people using smartphones - love to know if the problem is Root Wireless today released its findings that for the first time widespread or if, in reality, Root Mobile crowd-sourcing objectively measure and map there's been one person who's app for Blackberry and Android true, real-world performance been there and not gotten any phones, which pulls data from from the perspective of the r e c e p t i o n . M a y b e t h e y ' v e phones and aggregates it into a smartphone consumer. Users dropped their phone one too street-level coverage map. can choose to run a network test many times? We don't know.

Sponsor when they want. The application Either way, it looks like a neat According to the company, the otherwise runs unnoticed in the idea that we think we would like app is "a free beta application background. to compare with those carrierutilizing smartphones as Apps for Blackberry and provided coverage maps. Let's network monitoring devices" to Android phones are already see if your map gets in the way help people choose which cell available with one for Windows of the game now, Verizon. provider to go with. Currently, Mobile phones on the way Discuss the mash-up map, which is before the end of the second offered on CNET, provides quarter. An iPhone app is said to information on 17 different

Wii football controller brought to life by CTA Digital Vladislav Savov (Engadget)

pigskin substitute. It's ambidextrous, it comes with a wrist strap, and it has absolutely It wasn't too long ago that we no right to exist in a society of were berating Nintendo for its right-thinking Homo sapiens. s e e m i n g l y s i l l y p a t e n t But it does. At least price and application relating to a football availability aren't yet public, so -shaped soft appendage for the hopefully you'll have forgotten Wii Remote controllers. As it about this abomination by the t u r n s o u t , w e m a y h a v e time of release. underestimated the consumer Wii football controller brought interest in just such a product. to life by CTA Digital originally While Ninty's application is still appeared on Engadget on Mon, under review, CTA Digital has 22 Mar 2010 11:11:00 EST. t a k e n t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o Please see our terms for use of introduce its own "soft, realistic feeds. Permalink Gadget Venue| accessory" for the ballers that C T A D i g i t a l | E m a i l t h i s | just can't get their Madden on C o m m e n t s without the feel of a rubbery Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:11:00 AM

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My6Sense Releases API: 'Digital Intuition' for the Real-Time Web Mike Melanson (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:02:00 AM

We trust services like Last.fm or Pandora to learn our musical tastes and serve up custom radio stations, so why not the same for the numerous streams that bombard us daily?

My6Sense, a recommendation engine for your social streams and news feeds, is releasing its functionality today in its " Attention API" at the DEMO conference.

Sponsor The company released an iPhone app last summer, which uses the company's "digital intuition" to determine the particular stories and status updates that are most relevant to you according to what you've clicked on and spent time with in the past. The system learns from you, becoming more familiar with what you are interested in as time goes on.

According to the company, "the service is content/stream agnostic and can automatically rank information from all types of sources -- including social

streams like Twitter, news streams, RSS, vertical content providers, open whiteboards and more. The solution is optimized for mobile platforms, where digital clutter is the most prominent, and can be successfully used on non-mobile sites and applications as well."

With services like Pandora, you need to let the program know when you like or dislike something. The "Attention API", on the other hand, simply requires that the site making use of it report back user activity in order to learn the user's habits and preferences.

While this sounds great, and we can see it filtering out some of the noise, we have the same concerns about it as we do about Google customizing our searchthat we will end up in an echo chamber of like-minded thought. As our own Frederic Lardinois pointed out when reviewing the My6Sense iPhone app, you may want to step outside the recommendations

once in a while for a breath of fresh air. If you are a real news junkie, you will probably still sometimes want to switch to the regular timeline mode that organizes items chronologically.

After all, the items you don't usually think you would be interested in can sometimes really grab your attention (which is, to be honest, a problem that all recommendation systems have to grapple with).

On the company's API page, it mentions that the API will provide "No fear of bombardment" as "Developers and publishers can broadcast any amount of information and content to a widespread audience, which reaching individual consumers with messages that are uniquely relevant to them."

We would hope that, in reality, any service using the API would notify its users that it was doing so and even offer the ability to step outside of the service's recommendations. Discuss

What Does a Frozen Han Solo Pop Taste Like? [Star Wars] matt buchanan (Gizmodo)

Bottle-Opening Remote Makes Sitting on the Couch Drinking Beer Even Less Labor Intensive [Beer]

Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:46:03 AM

Adam Frucci (Gizmodo)

I think it would taste like a Flinstones pop, but that's just me. Like all Tee Fury shirts, it's available one day only, for $9. [ TeeFury via Geekologie] More Âť

Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:40:00 AM

Screw combining a phone with an MP3 player, this is the sort of gadget convergence that makes a real difference in my life. [ Clicker via The Awesomer] More Âť

Celebs Make Their 'Dancing with the Stars' Debut Tonight (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:30:00 AM

From "The Bachelor" Jake Pavelka to reality show mom Kate Gosselin to "The Insider"'s Niecy Nash, the men and

women of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" are gearing up to compete for the coveted mirror ball trophy. Click the pics to see who will be hitting the dance floor tonight!

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: high speed rail, augmented reality, and body broadband Inhabitat (Engadget) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:32:00 PM

The Week in Green is a new item from our friends at Inhabitat, recapping the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us.

It was a monumental week for efficient transportation as China unveiled plans to connect its high speed rail network all the way to Europe. We were also excited to see Solar Roadways unveil the first prototype of an energy-generating road that stands to transform our freeways into power conduits.

Meanwhile, one 74 year old man is going solo and blazing his own trail across the states aboard a solar powered stroller.

Inhabitat also showcased several amazing feats of architecture this week. One of the world's first skyscrapers with built-in wind turbines is rising above London, while designer Enrico Dini has created a gigantic 3D printer that is able

to create entire buildings out of stone.

Finally, we explored all sorts of ways that people are getting wired - literally. Students at the University of Washington are working on a set of solarpowered augmented reality

contact lenses that may just bring terminator vision to the masses, while Spanish scientists are working on nanochips that can be that can be implanted into human body cells to detect diseases earlier. And in case you haven't heard, "me-fi" is the new WiFi as researches have discovered a way to transmit 10mbps broadband data through a human arm.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: high speed rail, augmented reality, and body broadband originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments

Actress Lake Bell Sports Same Style as Model Natalia Vodianova (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:00:00 AM

It's a fashion face-off for stylesavvy celebs! From 'Precious' actress Paula Patton and Kelly Osbourne's crimson styles, to actress Sara Paxton and Victoria Beckham's daring dresses, see which stars are stepping out in a similar fashion.

Click the pics and vote on which styled star you prefer.

Zygor’s guides are half-off this week, World of Warcraft peeps Nicholas Deleon (CrunchGear)

by-step, but that’s the same with any strategy guide—but painless nonetheless. Anyhow, the guide Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:00:57 AM is on sale this week, and if you Just a friendly heads-up, gents. were ever thinking about getting A few months ago, I mentioned it, but were put off by its price, the release of Zygor 2.0 for well…

World of Warcraft. Zygor, of The guide sits in-game, like any course, is an in-game leveling other add-on, and uses the guide that makes going from waypoint system to tell you level 1 to level 80 pretty where to go. “Talk to Man A, Quest, go back to Man A and painless. Crushingly boring and collect Quest, kill 10 boars. Talk Man B to turn in Quests.” repetitive—much of the sense of to Man B, collect Quest, find 5 It’s all nice and legal per the adventure is lost following step- items. Talk to Woman A, collect letter of the law, also knows as

the Blizzard EULA. It’s no different than playing Final Fantasy with a strategy guide by your side, or, to bring this into

the year 2010, with a netbook by your side on GameFaqs.

I should probably mention the price at some point. For the duration of this sale, which ends on the 24th, you can get both guides for $50 (down from $100) or $25 each for the Alliance or Horde guide. (The guides are sold separately.)

I don’t know, I thought it was worth mentioning. Carry on.

Gadgets/ Apple/ Entertainment/

E-reader News Edition

The Enso zenPad MID banks on being the cheap Android tablet

TAB Welcomes: Josh Sunshine

Tablet (BestTabletReview.com)

Josh Sunshine (TheAppleBlog)

Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:20:40 AM

Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:30:43 AM

The Endo zenPad MID formerly Smit MID-560 Here’s another firm contender in the small tablet market. The Enso zenPad comes in with a 5inch 800 x 480 resolution touchscreen powered by a Samsung 6410 667MHz processor. It also starts at an affordable $155 and is currently shipping.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of the Enso zenPad, but it has had a name change since then.

We first saw the OEM of the zenPad on video under the name Smit MID-560 back at the IFA 2009 show thanks to Charbax from ARMDevices. It seems to have been rebranded as the Enso zenPad and brought to the States where it is currently available

I’d like to begin by telling you that there isn’t a single thing I haven’t heard said about my name. So, that said, here’s what you’d find written if I had a Wikipedia page: • Yes, I do look small in that photo. That’s because I’m only 16 (and the photo has been resized).

• In regard to #1, I know more than you might expect about computing*.

• I write from my house which is tucked away in the South-East corner of England, so expect posts which seem to have been written in the middle of the night.

• This is my first proper move into the world of tech writing, so I dare say you’ve never heard of me before.

• I first switched in 2007 with the receipt of my 20 iMac, which I still have today.

• If you visited me, you’d find the iMac, a late-2008 MacBook, two iPhone 3GSs and two iPod touches (2nd generation).

for sale.

The rest of the spec sheet features a six hour batery life, Android 1.6, 8GB of storage with expandable microSD, WiFi and optional GPS ($25 more) and 3G ($35 more). This MID has video, image and music playback along with an eBook reader. It certainly a more

affordable version of a small tablet than an Archos 5 or Dell Streak. Still, it looks to be noticeably slower than both from the video below.

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

This Woman Knows 'The Answer' to Lost [Clues] Richard Lawson (Gawker)

every page of the final script, and that Zoe "has the answer."

More »

Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:00:49 PM

Sheila Kelley, the actress who plays the brand new character Zoe on Lost, just did an

interview with Us Weekly and it is interesting! She says she's on

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I’m joining TheAppleBlog as the newest How-To and tutorial writer. Look out for my series of ‘Quick Tips’ which will hopefully teach you something useful in a short amount of time.

I’m open to feedback, argument, insult etc. in the comments area of my posts, so chatter away.

If you have trouble sleeping at night, try reading my stream of dullness that is@jobbogamer on Twitter. * Contrary to popular belief, not all teenagers sit on MSN and Facebook all day long.

52

Gadgets/ Entertainment/

E-reader News Edition

Gerard Butler and America Ferrera Roar Breaths of Fire at 'Dragon' Premiere (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/22/2010 3:49:00 AM

Bolts of lightning, balls of fire, and piercingly sharp fangs are just some of the in-your-face 3D graphics that comprise 'How to Train Your Dragon.' Gerard Butler gave his signature Scottish flair as the voice of Stoick and shared his rave review with ET. "I was blown away by this whole experience visually, emotionally. The originality, it was just really an enthralling movie," Gerry said compassionately of the animated feature.

Based on a children's book, 'Dragon' is a heartwarming story of Hiccup ( Jay Baruchel) struggling to earn the respect of his strong, powerful father.

Determined to prove himself worthy to his doubtful dad and villagers, the young Viking boy tries to slay an elusive breed of Gallery: Sony VAIO E 14- and dragon that no Viking has laid 17-inch laptops eyes on before. In a touching Sony's new 14- and 17-inch turn of events, the boy befriends VAIO E laptops invite you to the creature he sought to harm taste the rainbow originally and proves to the other Vikings appeared on Engadget on Mon, that the reptiles are maybe not 22 Mar 2010 10:48:00 EST. so dangerous after all.

Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Sony Europe| Email this| Comments

Sony's new 14- and 17-inch VAIO E laptops invite you to taste the rainbow Tim Stevens (Engadget) Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:48:00 AM

Was Sony's last VAIO E laptop, the blue one with a pink keyboard, not garish enough for you? Maybe these new models will saturate your questionable color palette. The E series has gotten a bit smaller and also a bit bigger, adding 14- and 17-

inch models to the lineup. The 14-inch, 1600 x 900 VPCEA1S1E models include Intel Core i3-330M processors at 2.13GHz, 4GB of DDR3 memory, 500GB disk drives, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145 graphics. The 17-inch, 1920 x 1080 VPCEC1S1E moves up to Core i5-430M processors at 2.26GHz, 1TB of

storage, Radeon HD 5650 graphics, and replaces the smaller unit's DVD player with a Blu-ray drive. All offer 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, and HDMI output for your media entertainment. No word on price or availability, but we have confirmed you can get them in black if you're not feeling quite so colorful on a Monday.

Gadgets/ TV/

E-reader News Edition

53

What's On Tonight: 'Dancing,' 'Chuck,' '24,' 'United States of Tara' Bob Sassone (TV Squad) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:00:00 PM

Here's tonight's TV lineup (all times Eastern).

• At 8, ABC has the season premiere of'Dancing with the Stars,' then a new'Castle.'

• CBS has a new'How I Met Your Mother,' followed by new episodes of'Rules of Engagement,' 'Two and a Half Men,' 'Big Bang Theory,' and'CSI: Miami.'

• NBC has new episodes of'Chuck,' 'Trauma,' and'Law and Order.'

• The CW has a new'Life Unexpected' at 8, then a new'Gossip Girl.'

• ABC Family has the season finale of'Secret Life of the 2009, three Nanos caught fire, thought that a $2,500 vehicle American Teenager' at 8. and now we have pictures of the w o u l d b e p l a g u e d w i t h • TCM has'The Big Sleep' at 8, latest to go into flames, courtesy problems? Let's just hope they f o l l o w e d b y ' T h e M a l t e s e of an insurance agent Satish get 'em sorted before the Nano F a l c o n . ' • Also at 8: Food Network has a Sawant. Apparently, the auto EV hits the streets. dealership was delivering the Tata Motors' Nano lights up the new'Good Eats.' vehicle to its new owner when a streets of Mumbai originally • At 9, FOX has a new'24.' motorcyclist overtook the driver appeared on Engadget on Mon, • USA has a new'Monday Night to get his attention -- just like 22 Mar 2010 12:09:00 EST. RAW' at 9.

Food Network has a that old episode of CHiPs. Since Please see our terms for use of • n e w 'Unwrapped' at 9. the engine is behind the driver, feeds. Permalink| Indian Autos • TLC has a new'Ultimate Cake he had no idea that it had caught Blog| Email this| Comments -Off' at 9. fire at some point on his journey. Who would have

Tata Motors' Nano lights up the streets of Mumbai Joseph L. Flatley (Engadget) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:09:00 PM

Indeed, there is a time in every product's life-cycle when it has its birth announcement, when it steps out into the world for the first time, and when it bursts into flames-- and Tata's Nano is no exception. According to Indian Autos Blog, the manufacturer is particularly well known for its combustible motorcars these days -- back in

• Spike has'TNA Wrestling' at 9.

• At 10, Showtime has the season premiere of'Nurse Jackie,' then the season premiere of'United States of Tara.'

• ABC Family has a new'Greek' at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Continue reading What's On Tonight: 'Dancing,' 'Chuck,' '24,' 'United States of Tara' Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

54

Gadgets/ TV/ Economy/

E-reader News Edition

Conan and Fox Still Talking with 'Idol Gives Back' in the Mix Brad Trechak (TV Squad) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:02:00 AM

BlueAnt outs the rugged T1 Bluetooth headset Matt Burns (CrunchGear)

a normal headset. This little guy seems like one tough bastard.

The T1 comes with a protective Bluetooth headsets generally skin that that can protect and take a good amount of abuse. cushion better than just the outer They are after all thrown in plastic shell. It should provide a pockets with keys, tossed in bit more protection while not bags , thrown on desks, and increasing the weight or size too suffer countless other forms of much. It was also designed to stress over their lifetime. withstand everyday dust and Thankfully most are priced as moisture. throwaway items. However, the Of course the T1 offers all the just-announced BlueAnt T1 isn’t voice activated goodies found Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:08:35 AM

on previous BlueAnt headsets and is the first model to feature verbal caller ID where the headset will speak the name of the incoming caller. Users then can either say Answer or Ignore to perform the spoken task.

Expect the T1 to hit stores this May at or below the MSRP of $79.99.

The jury is still out as to whether Conan O'Brien will be starting a new late night talk show on Fox. Talks are still progressing on that front.

However, in an interesting wrinkle, the producers of one of Fox's biggest shows,'Americal Idol,' have approached Conan to appear on their charity special'Idol Gives Back.'

Unfortunately, Conan had to decline the appearance because it would still be in breach of contract (he is prohibited from appearing on television until September). You'd think NBC would be willing to allow for a one-time waiver for charity, but at the same time it's unlikely they would allow for such a ratings bonanza on a rival network.

For now, Conan still has

his'Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on TV' tour. It is interesting to note that the day of May 17th was left free on the tour, which is the same day as the Fox upfronts in New York City. Coincidence?

Filed under: Industry, Programming, American Idol, Celebrities Permalink| Email this| | Comments

Monetary tightening fears weigh on investors (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:44:05 AM

By Jamie Chisholm, Global Markets Commentator Published: March 22 2010

08:23 | Last updated: March 22 2010 16:44 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Apple/

E-reader News Edition

55

10.6.3 is Imminent…Maybe the Malware’s Not Far Behind?

Liam Cassidy (TheAppleBlog)

• Issues resolved with recurring events in iCal when connected to an Exchange server It looks like we’re getting close • Issues resolved that prevented to the official release of 10.6.3, files with the “#” or “&” the latest update to Mac OS X symbols in their names from Snow Leopard — and, from opening in Rosetta what we’re hearing on the • Issues addressed that caused developer grapevine, it might background message colors to prove to be the most extensive display incorrectly in Mail when Snow Leopard update yet. scrolling TUAW reported on Friday that • Issue resolved that caused the latest build of 10.6.3 (known machines using BTMM and the as 10D572, for those of you Bonjour Sleep Proxy to wake p a y i n g o b s e s s i v e l y - c l o s e unexpectedly attention) was seeded to developers only two days after a OK, as far as lists go, this one’s previous build. Typically, ever- not not very exciting, I know. shortening intervals between But, what if you fired-up build seeds indicates imminent Software Update and were release to the public. TUAW offered the latest pre-release describes the latest build as version of 10.6.3? Would that focusing on “Graphics Drivers, excite you? Update Snafu Quicktime, Images & Photos, According to TUAW’s Michael Mail, and Security Certificates.” Grothaus, this is exactly what Oh, what’s that? Want more happened to one Mac owner last details? OK, here’s the full week. They don’t name him, rundown of features and fixes probably to save him the emailwe can expect in 10.6.3; avalanche from other Mac • Compatibility issues with owners — not to mention the OpenGL-based applications inevitable Cease & Desist order • Performance improvements from Apple (you just know for 64-bit Logic Apple would bully the poor • Changes to QuickTime X that chap into silence, right?) but increase reliability and improve they do offer up this tantalizing compatibility and security screengrab of the autoupdate • Printing reliability and snafu: compatibility with third-party Image courtesy of TUAW printers Grothaus writes that the update • Issues resolved that prevented “…weighs in at a whopping files from copying to Windows 1.19GB” and, at that size, I’m shares happy to wait until Apple has Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:11:17 AM

finished tweaking (and trimming) the code! Security But the thing I’m most interested in is whether 10.6.3 addresses the alleged boat-load of security exploits identified by hacker extraordinaire and security expert Charlie Miller.

At this week’s CanSecWest security conference, Miller will discuss how he discovered them (all 20 of them) via a process known as ‘fuzzing’. His presentation is subtitled “An analysis of fuzzing 4 products with 5 lines of Python” and, according to security website honline.com, those 4 products are all made by Apple; In cracking competitions, it is regularly the Apple systems which are cracked first by attackers. Miller has argued for some time that Mac OS X is among the comparatively insecure operating systems.

Apple users are currently “safer, but less secure.

“Mac OS X is like living in a

farmhouse in the country with no locks, and Windows is living in a house with bars on the windows in the bad part of town.”

Miller said that the 20 exploits are all contained in closedsource Apple products, but pointed out that exploits could be found throughout Mac OS X due to bugs in many popular applications from different vendors; OS X has a large attack surface consisting of open source components (i.e. webkit, libz, etc), closed source 3rd party components (Flash), and closed source Apple components (Preview, mdnsresponder, etc).

Bugs in any of these types of components can lead to remote compromise. Sooner, Not Later It seems not a keynote goes by without Steve Jobs showing us one of his shareholder-andmedia-friendly line charts illustrating Macintosh sales.

You know the ones, always trending up-and-to-the-right.

Apple is clearly proud the Mac is selling better than ever (in a conference call in late 2009, Apple announced that, for 19 out of the previous 20 quarters, the Mac grew faster than the rest of the market!)

Statements from Apple regarding sales are always kinda tricky; they’re usually vague enough to allow pretty much any positive interpretation but,

for the most part, we can at least agree that the Mac has been enjoying fantastic growth. The old days of ‘security by obscurity’ are drawing to a close. Sooner, not later, Macspecific malware will come.

(You know, the real malware of Windows-exploit proportions!)

Miller says that “… in their minds, [Mac owners] don’t have a security problem until it affects their bottom line, which hasn’t been the case, yet.” And that ‘yet’ is the real issue here.

Mac OS X 10.6.3 probably addresses some vulnerabilities — we can expect at least that much — but I wonder how obsessively Apple focuses on the security of its venerable OS, and, whatever its actual efforts, is it enough? Can Apple do what Microsoft still struggles to produce; a user-friendly, userproof OS that isn’t riddled with vulnerabilities?

Every update to Mac OS X reminds me that the days of security-indifference amongst Mac owners are well and truly numbered.

Tell me I’m worried for no good reason, or scream at me and call me a moron for not already using security software, in the comments below.

56

Apple/ Entertainment/

E-reader News Edition

Gatekeeping the iPad: Apple Being Shrewd About What Will Appear at Launch Darrell Etherington (TheAppleBlog) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:00:59 AM

How do you control what will and won’t appear on your brand new platform on launch day if you’re Apple, without outright banning apps in a way that might invite accusations of attempting to start a monopoly?

If it’s the e-book market you’re after, apparently all you have to do is limit pre-release device access.

Amazon was not one of the select few companies that got access to pre-launch hardware with regards to iPad development. Neither was Barnes & Noble. That honor was reserved for others, like Major League Baseball, the New York Time and the Wall Street Journal. None of which, you’ll note, directly compete for dollars with anything Apple will be offering on the platform.

Since Amazon and Barnes & Noble won’t be able to test their e-reader apps on actual iPads prior to its launch, neither will be offering the software for download on launch day. Sure, they could use the virtual iPad development tool now included with the iPad SDK, but a smooth virtual experience

doesn’t necessarily guarantee the effectiveness of the real thing. Accordingly, the booksellers will wait until they can check final versions on iPads, which will only happen after the street date, before submitting iPad-specific apps to Apple.

This will give Apple a valuable head-start when it comes to selling books on the iPad. There’s almost no question that

its own iBookstore will be ready for the launch, though it will only be available as a download, and not pre-loaded on devices.

The B&N and Amazon iPhone apps will be available, of course, and compatible with the iPad, but they probably won’t be that appealing running in the iPad software’s shoehorned compatibility modes.

Apple needs the time it will gain as the sole iPad-specific

bookseller thanks to this shrewd move. The e-book market is one of the few where it will actually be playing catch-up. Amazon in particular will have a built-in user base at launch, as owners of its Kindle devices and those who’ve already built up a library on the iPhone and computer versions of its software could well be reluctant to start again with another seller, in the same way that Canon DSLR owners generally won’t switch to Nikon camera bodies since they lose the use of all their lenses.

My guess is that since Apple is launching iBooks in the U.S. only so far, its main concern isn’t really a customer-grab from Amazon and others already in the business. I’d say Cupertino is more interested in the extremely large potential marketshare that remains in the form of people who haven’t yet gotten on the e-book bandwagon. Just like with gaming, Apple will be looking to convert casuals who adopt its platform for other reasons, and I’d be surprised if we didn’t see them become an industry leading force overnight all over again in this new arena.

Niecy Nash Squeezes In One Final 'Dancing' Rehearsal (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/22/2010 5:38:00 AM

The clock is ticking fast in the dance studio. Niecy Nash and partner Louis Van Amstel are using every last second to perfect their "sassy" cha-cha for tonight's "Dancing with the Stars" premiere.

With her "secret weapon" by her side to lead her through the choreography, Niecy told ET, "I'm gonna bring it tonight." She promises to entertain and dazzle in a "very saucy, very uplifting" dress. As for what to look forward to in the dance steps, "The Insider"'s panelist teases, "Louis Van Amstel has choreographed my jiggly parts and made them a part of the routine."

So far Niecy has eluded injury, but comments, "How is my body holding up? I don't know because everything from the neck down is numb."

E-reader News Edition

Apple/ TV/ Entertainment/

Amazon Previews Kindle App for iPad (and Other Tablets)

Christian Slater's Latest Will Be a Fox Pilot

Darrell Etherington (TheAppleBlog)

Allison Waldman (TV Squad)

new ones of its own as of yet.

Visually, the Kindle app looks like what you’d expect. Page Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:30:33 AM turn animations are included, or It may not be ready in time for you can turn them off if you’re the launch of the iPad, but not so crazy about mimicking a Amazon wants you to know that paper reading experience on its Kindle app will be worth the your digital devices, which I wait. That’s why it’s created a most definitely am not. You can special preview page of the also change font size and color, upcoming software, dubbed and background color in order to “Kindle Apps for Tablet make the reading experience Computers” with “Including the more comfortable. iPad” in much smaller font Kindle for tablets also supports beside that primary title. full color images and graphics, So its clear that while Amazon especially for those (like me) which is great news not only for wants to capitalize on the iPad’s who are already hardware fans of comics and graphic hype and pre-release popularity, Kindle owners. novels, which haven’t really it also doesn’t want to go as far First, the Kindle tablet app will been a great option on the as helping Apple convey the offer Whispersync services, Kindle thus far, but also for impression that it’s the only which means you can pick up textbooks, recipe books, and tablet game in town. To me, the where you last left off reading, some more adventurous fiction “Including the iPad” sounds like no matter which device you that uses in text images and font a begrudging admission of the “I happened to be using. I can’t color changes as narrative was wrong and you were right” count how many times I’ve used devices. this between my Kindle 2 and Finally, you’ll be able to shop variety.

Of course, it might just be that my iPhone, so I can’t imagine it in the Kindle store via a built-in Amazon would like to appeal to being any less useful with my web view, so you can indulge all the widest group of potential iPad when it finally graces these those buying impulses on the fly customers possible, while at the Canadian shores. instead of having to wait till you same time acknowledging that The app will also synch your have access to a full computer.

Apple is likely to win the brand n o t e s a n d h i g h l i g h t s a n d All-in-all, it sounds like it’ll r e c o g n i t i o n f i g h t i n t h a t bookmarks across all compatible give my Kindle 2 a run for its particular category. Whatever devices, including the recently money, even with potentially the marketing logic, the actual r e l e a s e d K i n d l e f o r M a c eye-straining backlighting. software Amazon is previewing software, which can read notes looks to be pretty fantastic, and bookmarks, but not make

57

Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:00:00 AM

Nobody can accuse Christian Slater of not trying to get himself into a hit TV series.

First there was'My Own Worst Enemy,' then this year's'The Forgotten.' Two swings, two misses. Will the third strike rule apply if his next project fails to make the cut? Whatever the outcome, you gotta give the guy credit for trying. Today, the Hollywood Reporter reported that Christian Slater's been cast in an Adam Goldberg comedy pilot for Fox. There's action as well as comedy apparently, with Slater playing the leader of a group called Titan Team, a bunch of young, brilliant security experts.

He's ex-military and a maverick.

Writer/actor Trevor Moore from 'The Whitest Kids U'Know' is

also in the pilot. He's the Don Juan and reconnaissance expert.

Continue reading Christian Slater's Latest Will Be a Fox Pilot Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

Resonance of Starbucks Ad Correlates Directly to Appropriateness of Suicide [Kill Yourself] Hamilton Nolan (Gawker) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:44:02 PM

Starbucks Sumatra blend: "It's about the most adventurous thing you can do and still be at work by 9 a.m." Don't forget the

cyanide. [ Copyranter] More »

58

TV/ Entertainment/ E-reader News/

E-reader News Edition

How Will Christiane Amanpour Change ABC's 'This Week?'

Tiger Woods Says Nothing in ESPN, Golf Channel Interviews

Danny Gallagher (TV Squad)

Bob Sassone (TV Squad)

Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:02:00 AM

Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:28:00 AM

Here's a bit of news from our "Department of News that Everyone and Their Mother Saw Coming." Needless to say, they've been a little behind with the health care bill debate, and Tiger Woods' apology .

Christiane Amanpour has accepted the offer from ABC's news division to anchor the Sunday show 'This Week,' taking over for George Stephanopolous, who now anchors'Good Morning America'. This means she'll be leaving CNN where she has racked up an impressive 18-year body of work consisting mostly of international reporting and journalism.

However, does this give her the chops to moderate a political fueled talk fest? There are yeas

So, did you see the interview that Tiger Woods gave to ESPN and The Golf Channel yesterday? It was ... odd. It was one of those interviews that had the appearance of telling us a lot, but after it was over you realize that you learned exactly nothing and your opinion on the matter didn't change one bit.

Woods talked to ESPN's Tom Rinaldi(the interview that I saw) for five minutes and to Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman for five minutes. The rules were he could be asked anything but the interviews had to be held at the Isleworth Country Club in

and nays on both sides of the question.

Continue reading How Will Christiane Amanpour Change ABC's 'This Week?'

Filed under: News, Casting, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

How to Make It in America Lesson of the Week: Flirting Gets You Everything [Recaps] Brian Moylan (Gawker) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:46:55 PM

Florida and they had to be held to five minutes.

Continue reading Tiger Woods Says Nothing in ESPN, Golf Channel Interviews Filed under: Sports, Celebrities, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:31:09 PM

Barack Obama will sign the

health care bill this week. But then there's more voting to be done, on the reconciliation package! And this voting will be

Amazon, Barnes & Noble prepping iPad ereaders (Macworld.com via Yahoo! News) (Yahoo! News Search Results for e-readers)

Health Care Madness: 'Vote-a-Rama' and Crazy Legal Challenges Yet to Come [Whee] Pareene (Gawker)

This is a lesson that the women of the world have known for a long time, but thanks to HBO's Horatio Alger story for hipsters, men might get hip to it, too. Oh, what a cruel world that will be!

More Âť

its goddamn time. Then: the lawsuits! More Âť done in the Senate, which takes

Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:22:00 AM

Terri buzzed up: Demise of coral, salamander show impact of Web (AP) 31 seconds ago 2010-0322T09:49:43-07:00 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Entertainment/ Sports/ Economy/

E-reader News Edition

Ben Affleck Raises What We Learned From Tiger’s Awareness To Troubled Interviews African Nation (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix) Submitted at 3/21/2010 7:16:14 PM

(ETonline - Breaking News)

long -- it is one of the worst humanitarian tragedies in the world,” said Affleck, who ET has the latest... returned today from a five-day Ben Affleck is lending his trip to the region. "I brought efforts to the African nation of together this unique collection Congo by launching the new of partners in order to bring initiative. Read on for details. their experience in humanitarian The Academy Award winner r e l i e f a n d s u s t a i n a b l e has launched the Eastern Congo development to bear as we focus Initiative (ECI), which supports like never before on local Congolese organizations that solutions to challenges in this help survivors of rape and region. Right now, the attention s e x u a l v i o l e n c e , h e l p s paid to this crisis doesn’t match reintegrated child soldiers into the needs of those affected by it. their communities, increases We will raise that attention access to health care and l e v e l , a n d w o r k w i t h t h e education, promotes economic extraordinary Congolese people o p p o r t u n i t y a n d c r e a t e s who are making a positive community-level peace and d i f f e r e n c e i n t h e i r o w n reconciliation programs. communities."

"The situation in eastern Congo has been neglected for far too Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:17:00 AM

Get feedback and collaborate about ideas with Collaboratize Barry Ritholtz (The Big Picture)

audience. I speak with CEO, Richard Lang, and learn more about this new service that Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:10:28 AM launches tomorrow at the Collaborize f r o m DEMO conference. http://democrasoft.com/ will let Five Filters featured article: you organize conversations, Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: capture ideas, get feedback from PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, your coworkers, friends, or Term Extraction.

Tiger Woods answered rapidfire questions in two short broadcast interviews Sunday, the first time he has made himself available to the media this way since his Nov. 27 car accident.

None of his answers provided significant new information, but the twin five-to-six-minute sessionswith ESPN and the Golf Channelgave viewers a chance to see Mr. Woods in a less scripted situation than his public reading of an apology Feb. 19.

The biggest revelation, actually, came during the Golf Channel studio show after that networks interview aired at 7:30 p.m. ET. Kelly Tilghman, who conducted the interview, said that she had learned beforehand that Ari Fleischer, the former press secretary to President George W. Bush who had been advising Mr. Woods on his public rehabilitation, had withdrawn his services because he felt he was becoming too big a part of the story.

Mr. Woods, standing uncomfortably in a green sweater and Nike cap on the portico of the golf clubhouse at Isleworth, the gated community near Orlando where he lives, appeared subdued and contrite.

He used strong, negative words like horrific, disgusting, reckless and brutal to characterize the philandering behavior which led to the current scandal and his withdrawal from golf.

In trying to explain his extensive marital infidelity, he used several similar phrases and sentences in both interviews. He said he had gotten away from his core values, including especially the Buddhism of his mother. He said he had been in denial, had felt entitled and had rationalized his behavior.

I was living a life of a lie, he told ESPNs Tom Rinaldi.

But he insisted his close advisors were not aware of his extra-marital affairs. It was all me, he told the Golf Channels Ms. Tilghman. Im the one who did it, Im the one who acted the way I acted, no one knew what was going on. Im sure if more people would have known in my inner circle they wouldve stopped it, or tried to put a stop to it. But I kept it all to myself.

Mr. Woods refused to give new details about the night of his accident, the issues he and his wife Elin are working on, or the exact nature of the therapy he is undergoing. He said those matters were private.

The tightly controlled format of the interviewsMr. Woodss camp limited each network to five

59

minutes, plus a little spilloverprevented either interrogator from diving deep.

Mr. Rinaldi in particular seemed to be racing furiously to get in the maximum number of questions, as if he were a contestant on the old television game show, Beat The Clock.

Consequently ESPN got many Twitter-length answers.

Ms. Tilghman seemed more composed. She noticed, for example, that Mr. Woods was wearing a white, double-strand bracelet and asked about it. Its Buddhist, its for protection and strength and I certainly need that, Mr. Woods responded.

Mr. Woods has said he will return to golf at the Masters on April 8. The interviews Sunday were clearly part of a broader, planned strategy for easing back into the public eye. They had the feel of being trial balloons, as if Mr. Woods were testingin a highly controlled circumstancehow he, his interlocutors and the public would respond to public questioning.

When Mr. Rinaldi asked what kind of reaction he expected from fans, Mr. Woods said, I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m a little nervous about that to be honest with you.

60

Sports/

E-reader News Edition

Tiger Woods: 'I've done some pretty bad things' ESPN.com (ESPN.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:52:14 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 ("Woods:%20\'I\'ve%20done%2 0some%20pretty%20bad%20thi ngs\'")); } I.setLinkBack("http://sports.esp n.go.com/golf/news/story?id=50 16125"); 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/golf/n ews/story?id=5016125' }); } A.userAction = I; gigya.services.socialize.showSh areUI(H,A); return false; } } ESPN.com Tiger Woods took questions from reporters for the first time in four months Sunday, saying "I've done some pretty bad things in my life" and that he doesn't know what kind of reception he'll get when he returns to competitive golf at the Masters.

Mike & Mike in the Morning Mike Golic and Doug Gottlieb listen to portions of ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi's interview with Tiger Woods and then speak with Rinaldi about the interview. Rinaldi describes his approach to interviewing Woods and says Woods was cordial but guarded.

"I'm a little nervous about that to be honest with you," Woods told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi, who asked him what he expects when he returns to golf on April 8 following an auto accident which led to an indefinite leave from professional golf and an admission of multiple affairs. "It would be nice to hear a couple claps here and there."

Woods conducted two interviews Sunday afternoon at Isleworth, the golf club near his home in Windermere, Fla. In addition to ESPN, Woods spoke with the Golf Channel. The interview was offered to ESPN with no restrictions on questions, but with a fiveminute time limitation, plus an agreement to hold it for airing on television beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. Woods hasn't been questioned by reporters since he was involved in a one-car crash outside his Florida home in the early-morning hours of Nov. 27.

He declined to answer questions about the specifics of the accident.

"Well, it's all in the police report," he said. "Beyond that everything's between [wife] Elin and myself and that's private." “ I was living a life of a lie, I really was. And I was doing a lot of things ... that hurt a lot of people. And stripping away denial and rationalization you start coming to the truth of who you really are and that can be very ugly. But then again, when you face it and you start conquering it and you start living up to it, the strength that I feel now ... I've never felt that type of strength.”-- Tiger Woods in interview with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi He also wouldn't get into specifics about his infidelity,

though he did tell Rinaldi that "just one is enough ... and obviously that wasn't the case."

After his auto accident, Woods admitted to infidelity and said Dec. 11 he would take an "indefinite break" from golf.

Woods spoke publicly for the first time Feb. 19, when he confessed to cheating on his wife. But he didn't take any questions after his 13-plusminute statement.

"I hurt a lot of people, not just my wife," he told Rinaldi on Sunday. "My friends, my colleagues, the public, kids who looked up to me. There were a lot of people that thought I was a different person and my actions were not according to that. That's why I had to apologize. I was so sorry for what I had done."

He was in a Mississippi clinic from Dec. 31 until Feb. 11, then went to an Arizona clinic for a week of family counseling after his Feb. 19 statement.

He didn't say what he was in treatment for, but did say "It was really tough to look at yourself in a light you never want to look at yourself, that's pretty brutal."

Woods denied that any of his associates were involved in his off-the-course affairs. "It was all me," he told the Golf Channel.

"I'm the one who did it. I'm the one who acted the way I acted.

No one knew what was going on when it was going on.

"I'm sure if more people would have known in my inner circle, they would have stopped it or tried to put a stop to it. But I kept it all to myself," he said.

Harig: Interview won't appease everyone Not until Tiger Woods faces the music without time restrictions will he be able to put all the questions behind him about his sordid tale, writes ESPN.com's Bob Harig. Story Woods told ESPN's Rinaldi that he didn't seek addiction treatment sooner because "I didn't know I was that bad." He said he married Elin in 2004 "because I loved her" and that his wife was "shocked," "hurt," and "angry" when he told her of his actions.

He called telling his wife and his mother among his lowest points.

"I hurt them the most," he said.

"Those are the two people in my life who I'm closest to and to say the things that I've done, truthfully to them [was] very painful."

In his interview with the Golf Channel, Woods talked about his father, Earl, who died in 2006.

"He'd be very disappointed in me," Woods said. "We'd have numerous long talks and that's one of the things I miss," Woods said. "I wish I could have had his guidance through all this, to TIGER page 64

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A Sweeter 16 for the Little Guys (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)

detonated millions of brackets.

At Yahoo, Dan Wetzel writes that the weekend’s stunning There have been years when the results are a natural outgrowth team everyone expected to win of a mentality for many midthe NCAA tournament won it — major teams that refuse to see like North Carolina last year, for t h e m s e l v e s a s u n d e r d o g s . instance. But it’s hard to “These teams aren’t just good, remember a year in which they’re confident,” Wetzel college-basketball fans woke up writes. “They believed that a bored on the Monday following Sweet 16 appearance was every the first two rounds. Some bit as much their destiny as the tournaments offer more upsets Kansas or Villanova kids did.” or more memorable games than In the Los Angeles Times, Chris others but, at least for your Dufresne argues that the upsets Fixer, there has never been a were the result of a shrinking tournament that didn’t offer “talent gap” between big-ticket enough of either. Getty Images conferences and the erstwhile Many more people know how to mid-majors. spell the name of Northern Two Sweet 16 teams with Iowa’s Ali Farokhmanesh than unimposing seeds bear names a did a week ago. bit more recognizable than Still, college-hoops fans had to Northern Iowa’s. At CBS wake up feeling somewhat, Sports, Jerry Palm warns readers well, grateful this Monday. to label sixth-seeded Xavier — Sure, many of our brackets are which dispatched three-seed Pitt in tatters and our earlier claims on Sunday — a mid-major at to expertise in serious doubt. their peril. In the Seattle Times, But if every NCAA tournament Steve Kelley writes that 11tho f f e r s f a n s e n o u g h g r e a t seeded Washington is finally basketball, surprising storylines playing up to expectations. and memorable teams, this While you probably won’t hear year’s tournament has offered many fans complaining about all something close to too much of those excellent games, it’s not all of those. Witness, among the d i f f i c u l t t o d e t e c t s o m e Sweet 16 members, ninth- disappointment from certain seeded Northern Iowa and 10th- quarters. Each upset leaves at seeded St. Mary’s and 12th- least one marquee program seeded Cornell, which became disappointed in its wake. “Does the first Ivy League team to that mean Kansas shouldn’t reach the round of 16 since have been a No. 1 seed, or that 1979. UNI’s shocking Saturday Georgetown and New Mexico upset of top overall seed Kansas shouldn’t have been No. 3 Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:39:14 AM

showing up in the box scores.

Among these are a few recognizable former college stars, from former VMI pointproduction dynamo Reggie Williams (currently lighting it up in Golden State) to ex-Siena star Kenny Hasbrouck, the first seeds? Of course not,” the Saints player to reach the NBA. Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob What all those players have in Ford writes. “It means that the common, beyond their obscurity NCAA tournament — this just to people who are not either i n — i s s o m e t i m e s m o r e hoops nerds or regular readers exciting than fair, and that’s of Ridiculous Upside, is a what makes it unique.” background in the NBA There are arguments to be made D e v e l o p m e n t L e a g u e . that Kansas’s draw was unfairly In the Washington Post, Carlo stacked with tough teams, given Rotella offers a glimpse inside the Jayhawks’ top-overall-seed t h e D - L e a g u e f r o m t h e status. But those cases look p e r s p e c t i v e o f t h e h o o p s unconvincingly abstract relative vagabonds and hopefuls filling to the hard-fought basketball the minor league’s roster. “You game against a flesh-and-blood play hard and well to catch the team that bounced Kansas from attention of an NBA team, and if the tournament. In the Kansas you get the call, you pack your City Star, Jason Whitlock bags and leave your minor refuses to play that game. “A league team behind without a p e r f e c t s t o r m w i p e d o u t second thought,” Rotella writes.

Kansas,” Whitlock writes. “D-League players wait for that “Period.”* * * break, and work toward it, in a Given the nonstop sensory distinctive in-between state. assault of college basketball’s T h e y ’ r e a s c l o s e a s a last several days, it’s easy to professional basketball player forget that the NBA regular can get to the NBA without season is still happening. The being in it, but they still have a league’s elites have pretty well long way to go to realize their separated themselves from the dream.” rest, and much of the rest of the In the New York Times, Tyler NBA has been reduced to K e p n e r o f f e r s a l o o k a t playing out the string at this baseball’s equivalent of the Dpoint. It’s about as interesting as League All-Star: the effective it sounds, generally, except for minor-league players who bear some of the unexpected names the dreaded AAAA tag. All

those A’s look good to anyone who has ever received a report card, but they suggest something less complimentary: a hitter or pitcher who is too good for Triple-A ball but not good enough for the majors. In Pittsburgh’s Garrett Jones, a breakout star as a 28-year-old rookie in 2009, Kepner finds an example of an erstwhile Four-A player who shed the label.* * * As anyone who has ever attempted to run a marathon — or even watched other people run a marathon — could tell you, 26.2 miles is a very long way. And if it seems like a long way to the runners and spectators, you can only imagine how long it seems to the city officials forced to re-route traffic and close off streets, and to the police and fire departments tasked with keeping order along the marathon route.

In recent years, the Los Angeles Marathon wound through some of the most easily managed areas of that labyrinthine metropolis, but since being purchased by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt in 2008, the L.A. Marathon has worked hard to increase its L.A. appeal. This year’s iteration, held Sunday, looked nothing like marathons past, ESPN LA’s Ramona Shelburne writes.

“From start to finish, concept to execution, dream to daylight on SWEETER page 65

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Michigan State Spartan coach Tom Izzo '90 percent' sure guard Kalin Lucas done ESPN.com news services (ESPN.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:24:39 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 ("Michigan%20State%20\'90%2 0percent\'%20sure%20G%20Lu cas%20done")); } I.setLinkBack("http://sports.esp

n.go.com/ncb/tournament/2010/ news/story?id=5017721"); 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/ncb/to urnament/2010/news/story?id=5 017721' }); } A.userAction = I; gigya.services.socialize.showSh areUI(H,A); return false; } } ESPN.com news services DETROIT -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is relieved his banged-up team has four days off before its next game in the NCAA tournament.

Not that it will help Kalin Lucas.

Izzo said Monday there's a "90 percent chance" tests later in the day would confirm Lucas has a torn left Achilles' tendon that would keep him off the court for

about five months.

"Even if it's just a sprain, he wouldn't play" Friday against Northern Iowa, Izzo said with a sigh.

Lucas' replacement, Korie Lucious, beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer that lifted the fifthseeded Spartans to an 85-83 win over fourth-seeded Maryland on Sunday.

Michigan State has advanced to the round of 16 for the ninth time in 13 seasons, a string of consistency topped in the NCAA tournament by only by Duke, and is two wins away from a nation-high sixth Final Four appearance since 1999.

The Spartans will play ninthseeded Northern Iowa in the Midwest Regional semifinals on Friday night in St. Louis, facing the team that knocked topseeded Kansas out of their path.

"We can't look at whoever lost," Durrell Summers said after scoring 26 points to send the Spartans home happy from Spokane, Wash. "We got to advance and prepare for Northern Iowa."

Izzo hopes his team lost only Lucas.

Chris Allen was limited to just

4 minutes against the Terrapins because of an injury to the arch in his right foot, Delvon Roe hobbled on his surgically repaired right knee against them and Raymar Morgan played with a broken tooth.

"We've got a `MASH' unit," Izzo said. "The bottom of Chris' foot is purple, Delvon is playing on one leg and Raymar looks like a hockey player with his tooth cut in half. We think we can get Chris back -- after showing toughness we've never seen from him -- and we'll hold Delvon out of practice to let him rest as much as we can."

Defining Loss Of Lucas Michigan State will have a big void to fill if Kalin Lucas can't play against Northern Iowa. The guard is a big part of everything the Spartans do.

With Lucas out, Lucious becomes a starter, walk-on Mike Kebler has to play more and versatile forward Draymond Green becomes even more valuable with the ball in his hands.

Lucas was hurt late in the first half, landing awkwardly after a shot, and did not return. He is a two-time All-Big Ten player

and 2009 conference player of the year. He also leads the team in scoring -- averaging nearly 15 points -- assists and playing time.

The injured players are the same ones that drew Izzo's tough love this past season: The coach kicked Lucas out of a practice, suspended Allen during the Big Ten tournament and Lucious from a game at Penn State.

Now the Spartans will face the Panthers missing their star in Lucas and perhaps Allen.

"We're going to need everybody we have in uniform to step up," Izzo said. "There were times we had two walk-ons, a freshman and a sophomore on the court Sunday and that probably won't be the last time in the tournament. Northern Iowa is good, but thank God they're not a team that presses like Maryland."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Tiger Woods Gives First Two Broadcast Interviews (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)

he has lost touch with his roots.

(Mr. Woods has said he will return to competition at the Tiger Woods sat for two Masters, which starts April 8.) interviews this afternoon, one The ESPN interview, by with The Golf Channel and one reporter Tom Rinaldi, was also with ESPN. Both interviews - short, about five to six minutes. the first he has given since his E S P N h a s r e l e a s e d t h e car accident on November 29 - following excerpt from the will be aired this evening at 7:30 interview: p.m. ET. Each network will On why he got married: make the interview available Woods: Why? Cause I loved online on its Web site. Reuters her. I loved Elin with everything Tiger Woods, shown during the I have. And thats something that Presidents Cup last October, makes me feel even worse. That gave his first two broadcast I did this to someone I loved interviews since his Nov. 29 car that much. accident today.

On the depth of his infidelity: The Golf Channel interview, by Woods: Well, just one is anchor Kelly Tilghman, took enough. Um, and obviously that place at Mr. Woodss home in wasnt the case, and Ive made the Isleworth community near my mistakes. And as Ive said, Orlando and lasted less than 10 Ive hurt so many people, and so minutes. No restrictions were many people I have to make an posed on the questions Ms. amends to, and thats living a life Tilghman could ask. The Golf of amends.

C h a n e l c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e On all that has happened over interview as emotional and said the past year: that Mr. Woods discussed what Woods: A lot has transpired in happened the night of his car my life. A lot of ugly things crash on November 29 and how have happened. Things that Submitted at 3/21/2010 3:47:04 PM

Woods: They both have been brutal. Theyve both been very tough. Because I hurt them the most. Those are the two people in my life who Im closest to and to say the things that Ive done, truthfully to them, is…honestly wasvery painful. have…..Ive done some pretty On what his measure of success bad things in my life. And uh, will be at the Masters: all came to a head. But now, Woods: Well, playing is one after treatment, going for thing. Im excited to get back inpatient treatment for 45 days and play, Im excited to get to and more outpatient treatment, see the guys again. I really miss um, Im getting back to my old a lot of my friends out there. I roots. miss competing. But still, I still On what happened the day of have a lot more treatment to do, the car accident: and just because Im playing, Woods: Well you know its all doesnt mean Im gonna stop in the police report. Beyond that going to treatment. everything’s between Elin and On the expected/hopeful myself and that’s private. reception from fans: On why he didnt seek treatment Woods: I don’t know. I don’t before all the news broke: know. Im a little nervous about Woods: Well I didn’t know I that to be honest with you…It was that bad.stripping away would be nice to hear a couple denial, rationalization. You strip claps here and therebut also that away and you find the truth. hope they clap for birdies too On the low points — the (laughs). moments of having to tell his wife and mother:

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Clinton presses Israel on peace deal (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:07:12 AM

Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, warned Israel that its survival could depend on negotiating a peace deal with the Palestinians and its Arab neighbours, in an eagerly awaited speech that followed the recent rift between the two countries.

In her speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington, Mrs Clinton called for concrete steps from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and its interlocutors and pledged US support for Israel’s security while stressing US interests as well as Israel’s.

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Now Playing: March 22-28, 2010 James Ransom-Wiley (Joystiq) Submitted at 3/22/2010 1:00:00 PM

That's right -- Cave Story.

Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list: Last updated: Monday, 1:00 PM Continue reading Now Playing: March 22-28, 2010

Now Playing: March 22-28, Permalink| Email this| 2010 originally appeared on C o m m e n t s Joystiq on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TIGER continued from page 60

have him help straighten me up.

I know he would have done it."

He also told the Golf Channel that he will eventually talk to his children about what has transpired in his life.

Asked how well the world knows him, Woods told ESPN's Rinaldi: "A lot better now. I was living a life of a lie, I really was. And I was doing a lot of things, like I said, that hurt a lot of people. And stripping away denial and rationalization you start coming to the truth of who you really are and that can be very ugly.

"But then again, when you face it and you start conquering it and you start living up to it, the strength that I feel now," he said, "... I've never felt that type of strength."

Woods returned to practice when he got home from Arizona. Swing coach Hank Haney joined him last week.

Woods announced on March 16 that he would return at the Masters, a tournament he has won four times (most recently in 2005).

For his return to public life, Woods enlisted the help of former White House press

secretary Ari Fleischer, who had recently worked with Mark McGwire on his return to organized baseball -- and his acknowledgement that he had used steroids. Fleischer acknowledged in an e-mail to The Associated Press that he had been working for Woods and had decided to withdraw.

Woods, who will have been idle for 144 days, said he is ready to return to golf.

"I'm excited to get back and play, I'm excited to get to see the guys again," he said. "I really miss a lot of my friends out there. I miss competing.

But still, I still have a lot more treatment to do, and just because I'm playing, doesn't mean I'm [going to] stop going to treatment."

Woods last played on the PGA Tour in the Tour Championship on Sept. 28, 2009, where he finished second. Woods won the Australian Masters in Melbourne on Nov. 15 for his 82nd worldwide victory.

Jim Furyk, who won the raindelayed Transitions Championship on Sunday, was given a transcript of Woods' comments as he walked in to

address the media. Woods' interview was shown at about the time he was finishing off his win (which came 90 minutes after the scheduled finish of the Transitions event).

"I wish him well," Furyk said. "... I think it's good for him to get his face out there and have people see him. They are going to make their judgments, but I think it allows him to kind of move on and get focused for the next thing."

CBS was offered a chance to interview Woods, but declined because of the five-minute time limit restriction. CBS Sports spokeswoman LeslieAnne Wade told The Associated Press that CBS would be interested in an extended interview with Woods "without any restrictions."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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NCAA Women's Tourney Day 2 Roundup Milton Kent (FanHouse Main) Submitted at 3/21/2010 5:05:00 PM

Filed under: NCAA Tournament, Women's Basketball Game of the Day Vanderbilt beat DePaul 83-76 in overtime, the first extra session game in the tournament to date.

The Commodores (23-10), the sixth seed in the Sacramento region, used an 11-0 run at the start of overtime to advance to the second round for the seventh time in 10 years.

"Overtime is about heart," said Vanderbilt senior Merideth Marsh (pictured right), who scored nine of her 26 points in OT. "It's a mental game, and you don't want to walk away with a loss."

Upset of the Day Is this any way to win an NCAA tournament game: Go the final 12:17 of the game without scoring from the floor.

Watch your two best players foul out in the closing minutes.

Oh, yeah, and turn the ball over 30 times.

It must work, as 12-seed Wisconsin-Green Bay, one of the last teams into the field, did all those things, and still knocked Virginia, the fifth seed,

out of the Dayton regional 6967.

The Phoenix (28-4) nearly dropped a 16-point lead but sank five free throws down the stretch to hold off the Cavaliers (21-10). In all, Wisconsin-Green Bay hit 34 of 40 foul shots on the night to advance to a second -round meeting with Iowa State.

Also receiving votes in this category were San Diego State's 74-63 win over Texas in Austin.

The 11th seeded Aztecs (22-10) beat the Longhorns (22-11), the sixth seed, behind 32 points from Jene Morris for their second first-round upset in as many years.

After Saturday's first-round action, when all 16 higher seeds won their games, Sunday saw four schools with double-digit seeds advance.

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Golden State Warriors announce they're for sale Associated Press (ESPN.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:33:15 AM

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SWEETER continued from page 61

race day everything is different,” Shelburne writes.

“The 26.2 miles [have been] ("Warriors%20are%20for%20sa The Warriors say they have designed as though the lead race le;%20Oracle%20CEO%20read hired Galatioto Sports Partners, car should be a red doubley%20to%20buy")); } or GSP, to handle selling the decker tourist sightseeing bus.”* I.setLinkBack("http://sports.esp franchise and serve as their * * Last year, as part of my n.go.com/nba/news/story?id=50 exclusive financial adviser o ngoing campaign to 18317"); if throughout the process. (jQuery("#videoInfo").length > While current owner Chris s u p p l e m e n t m y f r e e l a n c e 0 ) { C o h a n h a d n ' t g i v e n a n y earnings (inquire about rates!), I.setDescription(jQuery(".article indication he planned to put the your Fixer worked night shifts at p : n o t ( d i v . b e t a - o p t franchise up for sale anytime MLB.com as a fantasy-baseball p):first").text()); } else { soon, there had been thinking reporter. Many of these hours I.setDescription(jQuery("p:first" that he would certainly listen if were spent in the “bullpen” at MLB.com’s New York office, ).text()); } if an incredible offer was made. ( j Q u e r y ( " . a r t i c l e . i m a g e , Ellison told financial analysts in where baseball was always on .headshot").length > 0) { var late January he was trying to and, as is often the case with theimage = (jQuery(".article b u y t h e t e a m b u t s a i d , jobs that end in the early hours . i m a g e , "unfortunately you can't have a of the morning, irreverence was .headshot").find("img").attr("src hostile takeover of a basketball the general rule. About the only person in baseball to escape the ")); I.addMediaItem( { type: team." 'image', src: theimage, href: T h e W a r r i o r s s a i d t h e y ravages of late-night sarcasm 'http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/n wouldn't comment further until was Dodgers broadcaster Vin ews/story?id=5018317' }); } an agreement or transaction with Scully, an 82-year-old baseball institution who has been calling A.userAction = I ; a buyer is reached. gigya.services.socialize.showSh C o p y r i g h t 2 0 1 0 b y T h e L.A.games since Harry Truman was in the White House. All of areUI(H,A); return false; A s s o c i a t e d P r e s s } } Associated Press Five Filters featured article: which is to say that when Scully OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Golden State Warriors are for PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, sale -- and Oracle Corp. CEO Term Extraction.

Larry Ellison has already said he wants to buy the team.

Street Chic: New York ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog)

Photo: Anne Ziegler Click here for our complete fall 2010 Fashion Week coverage Get wrapped up in cozy-chic Think you are Street Chic? Epieces(like Frances Tulk-Hart). mail us your photo and you

Street Chic Daily.

Follow ELLE on Twitter.

Become our Facebook fan!

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could appear in ELLE.com's

65

was hospitalized on Friday after a fall in his home, Dodgers fans weren’t the only ones holding their breath.

The good news is that Scully is back in action, and broadcast his first Dodgers game of the spring on Sunday. In the Los Angeles Times, Bill Dwyre offers a tribute both to Scully himself and to the relief that followed Scully’s quick recovery. It’s fairly emotional and pretty straight-faced, but Scully inspires that sort of response in people.

— Tip of the Fix cap to readers Don Hartline and Fixer emeritus Garey Ris. Found a good column from the world of sports? Don’t keep it to yourself — write to us at dailyfix@wsj.com and we’ll consider your find for inclusion in the Daily Fix. You can email David at droth11@gmail.com.

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NCAA rejects Memphis' final appeal of vacated wins Associated Press (ESPN.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:25:04 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 ("NCAA%20rejects%20Memph is\'%20appeal%20of%20vacated %20wins")); } I.setLinkBack("http://sports.esp n.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=50 18281"); 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/ncb/n ews/story?id=5018281' }); } A.userAction = I; gigya.services.socialize.showSh areUI(H,A); return false; } } Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Memphis must vacate its record 38-win men's basketball season from

2007-08 after the NCAA rejected its appeal.

The NCAA announced Monday that its Infractions Appeal Committee ruled against Memphis, which was found to use an ineligible player, believed to be Derrick Rose.

The Tigers lost in overtime to Kansas in the national title game that season.

The NCAA originally ordered Memphis to vacate the season and forfeit money on Aug. 20.

Memphis had appealed, arguing the penalties were unprecedented and that the school was held to a strict liability when Rose was ruled retroactively ineligible for an SAT score that was invalidated by the Educational Testing Service in May 2008.

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Furyk Ends Drought at Transitions Mick Elliott (FanHouse Main)

so inviting Furyk could have been excused for breaking into a run.

Filed under: PGA In addition to a close to a PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- As a lengthy day, an end to Furyk's wet, chilled and dreary day second longest winless drought moved hastily toward darkness, of a productive career -- 32 Jim Furyk stood on the 18th tee months and 58 tournament Sunday in the Transitions appearances -- was that close.

Championship at Innisbrook And what happened? He took Resort knowing it was perfectly the scenic route. natural to be in a hurry.

First Furyk pushed his tee shot Maybe that was the problem. to the right into pine trees that Rain and lightning earlier in the line the finishing hole. His day had delayed Furyk's final- second shot was a semi-shank group tee time almost five hours that stopped some 100 yards and now, holding a two-shot short of the green in rough. lead with the finish line in sight, "Yeah, just went right in front of he was more than eager to bring me," playing partner K.J. Choi the day to an official close. said. "I thought it was a moon The par-4 finish line was 454 passing by." yards away -- albeit uphill -- and Submitted at 3/21/2010 4:01:00 PM

Sports/ Economy/

E-reader News Edition

Tiger Fooling Nobody With 5Minute Blips Jay Mariotti (FanHouse Main)

normalcy, he comes off as a plastic man who's trying to outsmart us. Really now, what Filed under: Golf Not much in more did he say this time that he life can be accomplished in five hadn't said already in his nominutes, phone sexting being questions apology last month? I one such exception. Certainly, it feel like we're part of a plotted isn't enough time for the world's 12-step program toward most prominent athlete when regaining the public trust, an he's attempting to explain why incremental taffy pull that has he cheated on his wife and slept expansive and willing to answer no chance of succeeding if he with half the free world, all every question. But that's doesn't start opening up and while fraudulently promoting a exactly what the harsh ground sitting down for long periods of f a m i l y - m a n i m a g e f o r rules were as he specified them, time with interviewers. In one and when his mini-interviews breath, he admits to concern megabucks.

Which is why Tiger Woods' were finished with ESPN's Tom about how the public will two TV interviews Sunday Rinaldi and the Golf Channel's receive him at the Masters, night, each a mere 300 seconds Kelly Tilghman, it was clear saying, "I don't know. I don't in length by his decree, pretty he'd only leaked snippets of his know. I'm a little nervous about much left him sunk in the same truest thoughts instead of the that to be honest with you. It deep bunker. When he has spent elaborate answers his sins would be nice to hear a couple the last four months in a scandal demand. claps here and there. But also of epic proportion, when he has The last thing we want from hope they clap for birdies, too." been a significant part of the Woods is more control, more And yet, he can't be more global consciousness for a calculation, more spin. Even forthcoming for the very fans decade and a half, Woods can't w h e n h e ' s t r y i n g t o b e whose favor and applause he grant his first interviews since remorseful, salvage his marriage seeks. his life unraveled without being a n d r e s u m e s o m e s o r t o f Submitted at 3/21/2010 2:55:00 PM

Democrats win historic healthcare vote (Financial Times - US homepage)

moves on Monday before signing the historic reform into law.

Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:00:26 AM Mr Obama was due to speak President Barack Obama, later on Monday after the energised by the House passage Democrats emerged victorious of the US healthcare bill, was with the passage of the most awaiting Senate procedural significant piece of US domestic

social reform in more than 40 years.

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X Marks the Spot of Most Overlooked MidMajor John Walters (FanHouse Main) Submitted at 3/21/2010 3:03:00 PM

Filed under: NCAA Tournament, NCAA Tournament - West Region On Sunday, Xavier beat Pittsburgh, the team that knocked them out in the Sweet 16 last season, to advance to its third consecutive third-round contest in the NCAAs. Only Michigan State has a streak that long, and the Musketeers would be going to their fourth consecutive Sweet 16 if not for a semi-miraculous 3-pointer by Ohio State in 2007.

That contest, a 78-71 overtime win by the Buckeyes, featured Xavier coach Chris Mack's two predecessors at the Cincinnatibased Jesuit school, Thad Matta and Sean Miller. Matta, who coached three years at Xavier (2001-2004), led them to at least one NCAA tournament victory

each year. Miller, now at Arizona, was with the Musketeers five seasons and led them to an NCAA first-round victory in four of the five years.

Matta. Miller. Mack. Three coaches in one decade has not impinged Xavier's on-court prowess, but it's one more that the school, despite its unparalleled consistency among non-BCS powers this decade, has yet to seduce us.

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Sports/ Game/ Economy/

Teemu Selanne Scores 600th Career Goal Adam Gretz (FanHouse Main) Submitted at 3/21/2010 2:45:00 PM

Filed under: Ducks, NHL Videos Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne added another milestone to his already impressive Hall of Fame resume on Sunday night when he tallied the 600th goal of his NHL career at the 34 second mark of the second period of Anaheim's 5-2 win against Colorado. He becomes just the 18th player in league history to reach the plateau, and only the third European player (Jaromir Jagr and Jari Kurri are the others).

He hit the ground running as a rookie during the 1992-93 campaign, scoring an incredible 76 goals -- tied for the league lead -- with the Winnipeg Jets.

He's also spent time with the Colorado Avalanche, San Jose

E-reader News Edition

The violent, vulgar first trailer for Kick-Ass: The Game Andrew Yoon (Joystiq)

movie tie-in games. We do see mention of Facebook connectivity in this trailer, but Nearly everything about Kick- it's hard to gauge the precise Ass: The Game is bewildering. functionality of the feature.

Like its movie and comic Still, if both the PS3 and iPhone counterpart, it features young, versions of the game are priced everyday kids killing bad guys right, Kick Ass may be worth in graphically violent ways. It's checking out, especially for fans a bit startling to see a game with of the franchise. Kick-Ass: The such vulgar language appear on G a m e will launch Sharks and is currently in his Apple's iPhone platform, and simultaneously on PSN and second stint with Anaheim, how bizarrely random is a iPhone on April 15. scoring 225 of his goals with the simultaneous release on iPhone Gallery: Kick-Ass The Game Ducks. and PS3 (via PSN)?

The violent, vulgar first trailer He's a 10-time All-Star, a Less unexpected is the apparent f o r K i c k - A s s : T h e G a m e Stanley Cup Champion, a three"budget" quality of Kick-Ass: originally appeared on Joystiq time Rocket Richard Award The Game, as featured in the on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:27:00 winner and a four-time trailer. Predictably, the game EST. Please see our terms for Olympian for his native Finland. looks to be a rather standard use of feeds.

Here's the video of his 600th beat-em-up, with the kind of Permalink| Email this| goal. low production values we've C o m m e n t s come to expect from simple, Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:27:00 AM

Hamster Ball rolls onto PSN this week Andrew Yoon (Joystiq)

mammals, Hamsterball looks to be a race through suspended Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:58:00 AM mazes, with the goal of TikGames is launching yet achieving faster and faster another game on PS3 this week completion times. via the PlayStation Network: In addition to the requisite Hamsterball, a self-described, s i n g l e - p l a y e r c a m p a i g n , hamster-themed mix of " Marble Hamsterball also features a twoMadness and Super Monkey player split-screen mode and a Ball." As with other games seven-player "sumo" mode. f e a t u r i n g p l a s t i c - t r a p p e d We're not entirely sure what

"sumo" is supposed to mean, but it's true that the PS3 can support up to 7 controllers locally -- so will Hamsterball be one of the few games to actually support this feature?

Hamsterball will be available for $9.99 on the North American PlayStation Store this Thursday, March 25.

Gallery: Hamsterball

Hamster Ball rolls onto PSN this week originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Health Care Expenses vs.

Life Expectancy Barry Ritholtz (The Big Picture) Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:30:25 AM

via Columbia / Sam Cook Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Around the Net In Media: Old, New Media Can Co-Exist For Marketers

Original Alone in the Dark designer hints at new project for Ubisoft Xav de Matos (Joystiq) Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:58:00 AM

On the website for French developer Ludoïd(the team headed up by designer Frédérick Raynal), a chalkboard image teases an upcoming project and features a rather conspicuous Ubisoft logo nearby. When translated, the image (pictured right) tells site visitors to check the "back" of the chalkboard for the name of Ludoïd's next project. Clicking the image flips the board, but only reveals rubbed out text. Tease!

Frédérick Raynal is best known for co-designing the original Alone in the Dark(1992), a forebearer of the survival horror genre. Raynal is also responsible for the cult-hit Little Big Adventure series; however, Ludoïd has already said its upcoming project will not be a continuation of that franchise.

So, all we have to go on is some French text and a chalkboard that looks suspiciously like an iPhone or

(MediaPost | Media News) Submitted at 3/21/2010 10:28:00 PM

As more marketers turn to Web video, many are increasingly doing so in addition to, rather in place of, television. Take, for instance, "The Next Round Served Up by Jim Beam," a Web series for Jim Beam bourbon that ESPN plans to introduce on April 4. Although the Webisodes will be on ESPN.com, excerpts will appear during the first commercial Justin McElroy (Joystiq) the developer's Twitter feed breaks on 11 p.m. episodes of promises, " All will be revealed "SportsCenter" on the ESPN Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:27:00 PM v e r y s h o r t l y , " a d d i n g , cable channel.

True to its name, news on Dark "something big is coming." This The pairings of Web video and Energy Digital's episodic XBLA whole countdown page thing is television reflect a belief that the (puzzle? horror? action?) game, a little "mid-to-late 2008" for old and new media can coexist Hydrophobia, has been the very our tastes, but we'll be willing to and benefit from each other. definition of a trickle. Every few forgive, if the reveal leads to That idea has been reinforced months, the thing emerges Loch some promising details about recently by growing audiences N e s s - s t y l e t o r e a s s e r t i t s the game. for the Super Bowl and other existence, then promptly dives [Via CVG] big events on TV. They seem to below again. If the game's Hydrophobia site set for reveal be stimulated by blogs and official site is to be believed, this week originally appeared on social media like Facebook and though, the peek-a-boo routine Joystiq on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 Twitter, enabling viewers to may be ending.

12:27:00 EST. Please see our discuss together what they are Visitors to the page are now terms for use of feeds. watching separately. greeted with a timer counting Read| Permalink| Email this| Five Filters featured article: down to 12 AM ET Friday, and Comments Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Hydrophobia site set for reveal this week iPad. Time Commando reboot anyone?

[Via VG247] Original Alone in the Dark designer hints at new project for Ubisoft originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Health-care reform: Hammering home reform (The Economist: News analysis)

initially voted against reform last year.

However, the crucial holdouts Submitted at 3/21/2010 8:05:38 PM were a block of anti-abortion Health-care reform Barack Democrats led by Bart Stupak of Obama’s health reforms cross Michigan. This group worried the most important threshold that the Senate bill’s provisions Mar 22nd 2010 | From The on abortion were too liberal.

Economist online The breakthrough came when “TODAY is a day that will rank Mr Obama issued an executive with the day we passed the Civil order on March 21st confirming R i g h t s A c t i n 1 9 6 4 ! ” S o that the new law would not d e c l a r e d J o h n D i n g e l l , a result in federal funds being Democrat from Michigan, on used to fund abortion. Mr the floor of the House of S t u p a k d e c l a r e d h e w a s Representatives as he argued for satisfied, and the Democrats got passage of President Barack the majority they needed.

Obama’s health-reform package In the event, the Senate bill was on Sunday March 21st. That is passed by the House on a final quite a claim, but coming from vote of 219 to 212 just before America’s longest-serving midnight; this now goes to Mr congressman (and one whose Obama for signature into law. father also championed health The reconciliation bill then reform in Congress) his words passed by a margin of nine carried weight. votes. Because this is a new bill, Democrats were hardly assured it now needs to be approved by of victory going into the day’s the Senate. Passing a bill legislative wrangling in the uniformly opposed by the House. In order to pass both the Republican minority would principal health reform bill normally require a filibuster(identical to a flawed, pork- p r o o f 6 0 v o t e s , b u t t h e laden bill passed by the Senate Democrats now lack such a b e f o r e C h r i s t m a s ) a n d a super-majority. So they are “reconciliation” bill (designed to u s i n g a p r o c e d u r a l fix many of those flaws), tactic—claiming that health Democratic leaders needed 216 r e f o r m i s r e a l l y b u d g e t votes. In recent days Mr Obama “reconciliation”—that requires and Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker only 50 votes. of the House, had won over a This approach is risky and number of wavering Democrats, hugely controversial. That is i n c l u d i n g s o m e w h o h a d because, strictly speaking, only

financial provisions are supposed to be passed using the budget reconciliation rules.

Republicans are noisily claiming that some provisions do not meet this test, and therefore must be rejected by the Senate’s parliamentarian. If he does so, the resultant bill passed by the upper chamber would no longer be an identical version of the House bill—and therefore, the lower chamber would once again have to vote to approve the new reconciliation bill.

Even if there were such a toand-fro, it seems likely that Mr Obama, who brought the health bill back from near-death, will soon get a final health reform package. The heart of the new reform is a restructuring of America’s deeply flawed insurance market. Insurers would face tough new regulations forbidding such practices as dropping customers with “pre-existing conditions” (real or trumped up), lifetime coverage caps and other cruel practices. In return, though, they would enjoy a vast expansion of the country’s private insurance market. Some 32m of the country’s 49m or so uninsured would be required to get insurance, starting in 2014; and the poorer ones will be given subsidies for doing so.

If coverage is the new law’s strong point, cost containment is

its weakness. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan agency, estimates that the new health reforms will cost some $940 billion over the next decade. Using heroic assumptions about likely future revenues (from cuts in Medicare and doctors’ reimbursements, for example), it concludes that those costs will be more than offset by revenues. In fact, the CBO claims the federal deficit will actually be cut by over 1 trillion dollars over the next two decades by this reform. That, argue fans of the Obama effort, means it is a triumph of fiscal rectitude.

Not so, say critics, observing that subsidies and other big outlays do not kick in till 2014.

Paul Ryan, a Republican congressman, says the CBO estimate “has 10 years of tax increases, about half a trillion dollars, with 10 years of Medicare cuts, about half a trillion dollars, to pay for six years of spending” By his reckoning, this reform will prove a “fiscal Frankenstein” with a true ten-year cost (that is, from 2014 to 2023) of $2.3 trillion, not $940 billion.

The truth is that ObamaCare does much to expand coverage, but does too little to rein in health inflation. The reform effort did start over a year ago with aspirations of “bending the

cost curve”, but Mark McClellan of the Brookings Institution, a think-tank, explains that the most meaningful proposals have since been “watered down or delayed.” For example, an independent commission on reforming Medicare got defanged, and a promising tax on gilded (or “Cadillac”) insurance plans will now be diluted and delayed for years.

Indeed, it is likely that the laudable extension of insurance coverage now makes it more important to tackle the question of costs. On that, at least, left and right seem to agree. Paul Krugman, an economics professor at Princeton and a liberal booster of reform, said on the eve of the votes, “there is, as always, a tunnel at the end of the tunnel: we’ll spend years if not decades fixing this thing.”

Robert Moffit of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think -tank opposed to the effort, agrees, albeit in darker terms: “This marks the beginning of the next phase of this 100 years’ war.” Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views.

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Economy/ Media/

Google set to announce China site closure

Online Media Daily: Canadian Online Usage Surpasses TV

(Financial Times - US homepage)

google.com website could suffer and and its share of the search advertising market would Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:29:20 AM dwindle in China.

Google could reveal as early as Google in China – what’s at Monday the closure of its stake Chinese search engine and its Company could close all plan for the rest of its China subsidiaries and offices in China operations, according to a More than 600 staff could lose p e r s o n f a m i l i a r w i t h t h e their jobs situation.

Google faces losing most or all The US internet giant said on of its 35% search market share January 12 it was no longer in the country willing to censor its Chinese Beijing could block google.com search engine and could pull out A political stand-off between of the country unless a solution China and Washington could was found. Since then, Google deepen employees, advertisers and the A complete pull-out by Google millions in China who use its would indicate a failure to reach services have been waiting to even a basic compromise with find out how far the company’s the Chinese government. This retreat from the country will go. could result in a political standGoogle could terminate all off, heightening the risk that business activities in China. Beijing could block or disrupt This would include closing access to google.com within down both its joint venture China. running Google.cn and its The fate of other Google-linked w h o l l y - o w n e d r e s e a r c h businesses such as the sale of subsidiary. More than 300 handsets using the company’s engineers and another 300 local Android platform could also be sales staff in Beijing and threatened.

Guangzhou would lose their However, global handset jobs. makers and Chinese telecoms Without their support, the companies have repeatedly said company’s ability to offer they expected Android devices Chinese services on its main to continue to do well in China.

A different scenario could see Google maintain a sizeable presence in China. The company could keep its research staff in the country and continue to build search features suited to Chinese internet users.

Users could access the Chineselanguage interface of Google.com through the English -language site and changing the language setting, said Cao Junbo, chief analyst at iResearch in Beijing. “But [Google] could tweak this in a way that every user with a China-based internet protocol would automatically get the Chinese-language interface.”

“They would then move all the service offerings for the Chinese market on to google.com so for Chinese users many things would still be available,” Mr Cao said.

However, this scenario, which might allow Google to hold on to part of its 35 per cent market share in China, could only work out if access to google.com remained unobstructed.

“The bad thing has been the uncertainty since January,” said Steven Chang, the Greater China chief executive of ZenithOptimedia, a media

services group. “Since January, we have been offering clients advertising on other search engines in China as a back-up plan. But many continue to go for Google because a large majority of digital advertising is very short-term.”

So far, most Google staff in China have stayed with the company and attempts to poach them have been largely unsuccessful.

A headhunter who had been trying to interest engineers for jobs at IBM’s cloud computing unit said nobody at Google China wanted to move. A human resources consultant working for Microsoft said offers for jobs at Bing had also generated very little interest among Google China staff. She added that the internet company’s employees were still betting that they could keep their jobs. “And if not, they’ll be waiting for fat severance packages,” she said.

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(MediaPost | Media News) Submitted at 3/22/2010 5:31:01 AM

Marketing and media research firm Ipsos this morning reported findings of an ongoing tracking study indicating that the weekly Internet usage of online Canadians (18.0 hours) has surpassed the number of hours spent watching television (16.9 hours). Ipsos said the weekly Internet usage of Canadians is up from 14.9 hours last year, while time spent watching television is up from 15.8 hours.

Ipsos said usage of other media, including newspapers, radio and magazines, is "relatively stable" vs. a year ago.

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MediaDailyNews: Maxus Establishes Mideast Presence (MediaPost | Media News) Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:26:30 AM

Maxus has established a new

strategic affiliation with BPG Media that gives the GroupM agency its initial presence in the Middle East and North Africa

markets. The new alliance, a n a l y t i c s a n d d i g i t a l PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, called BPG Maxus, will offer c o m m u n i c a t i o n s .

Term Extraction. strategic p l a n n i n g , Five Filters featured article: implementation and buying, Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools:

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Burst.com Launches Web-Based Software Collaborize Barry Ritholtz (The Big Picture)

audiences and internal teams of nonprofits and for-profit organizations address issues Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:00:46 AM both large and small and drive Several emailers have asked me toward actual implementation of about what was the latest collective solutions. The public information with Burst.com. a n n o u n c e m e n t of (“Hey, how about some non- Collaborize(TM) was made at public inside information to the Spring DEMO Conference. trade off of?”) I have been Burst.com is in the process of unable to discuss as I am a c h a n g i n g i t s n a m e t o Board member, being one of Democrasoft(TM) to underline those odd ducks who prefer not its new strategic direction. to go to jail.

Collaborize is the first in an Since its now official, I can a n t i c i p a t e d s e r i e s o f point those who are interested to Democrasoft products built the following. upon a common platform.

H e r e ’ s t h e o f f i c i a l Collaborize arrives on the scene announcement: backed by the company’s 20 Burst.com (BRST) today years of technology expertise announced its long-awaited new and beta partners that include direction with the launch of Medtronic, Robert Cringely, Collaborize, its new easy-to- TechSoup Global, Monitor start, e a s y - t o - u s e Group, Maverick Media, Wine communications and decision Industry Network and others tool for groups of all sizes. Because of the flexibility and Collaborize is an online service scalability built into its “cloud designed to help both external c o m p u t e d ” t e c h n o l o g y ,

Collaborize can cost-effectively empower groups and organizations of all sizes: businesses, non-profits, governments and their citizens.

It taps into the “Wisdom of We”(TM) to turn a group, organization or social network into a functioning community that can organize conversations, capture great ideas, collect votes and streamline group decisionmaking, all online and in real time.

Burst is presenting at Demo.com today; that presentation will be posted eventually.

Scobelizer did an interview with the CEO Richard Lang about Collaborize — the video is here. . .

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Government’s Share of Economy, 1950 to 2075 Barry Ritholtz (The Big Picture)

Table Chart Charts via CBO, Perot Charts Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:00:46 AM More charts after the jump . . .

Peter Boockvar dug up these From Perot Charts: fascinating charts from this > CBO report from 2002.

Source: What really surprised me is A 125-Year Picture of the how consistent the US economy Federal Government’s Share of has been for most the latter half the Economy, 1950 to 2075 of the 20th century: About 20% CBO, No. 1, June 14, 2002; of GDP. It starts about 19%, Revised July 3, 2002 peaks at about 23% then falls back to about 18 and a half%. http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?in Note that this data is before the dex=3521&type=0 Bush’s Prescription Drug Act or Five Filters featured article: Obama’s Health Care bill. Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Federal Outlays, 1962 to 2001 PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, (As a percentage of GDP) Term Extraction.

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Research Brief: Big Screens Drive Movie-Goer Growth, But Cable and Online Encroaching (MediaPost | Media News)

effects and sound quality.

People are also looking for alternative ways to watch According to a new consumer movies on their own schedules survey conducted by Market and at a lower price, driving Force Information, nearly 70% movie consumption even higher. of consumers said they planned In this area, the biggest growth on going to the movie theatre in story in movie consumption, the first three months of 2010, says the report, is the explosion and one third of those said they of kiosk movie rentals. More planned on seeing three or more than four in 10 consumers movies by the end of March. reported they are using in-store One out of two respondents or mall kiosks such as RedBox pointed to the experience of to rent the latest movie on DVD, viewing a movie on the big surpassing the 36% that rent screen as the reason for going to from physical stores. a theatre instead of watching a Even more telling is that 26% movie in the comfort of their of consumers said they will o w n h o m e . O n e t h i r d o f increase their use of kiosk DVD respondents said they did not rentals, the highest percentage want to wait to see the latest of any of the movie rental release, and one quarter also options. Almost one in five listed that they liked going to expect to rent less frequently the theatre with friends. from stores in the future, while These results support the online rentals such as Netflix emphasis that studios and and Blockbuster Online are exhibitors alike are placing on being used by 27% of the the overall theatre experience, consumers surveyed, and 21% from focusing on comfortable said they expect that to increase. seating and clean facilities to Expectations of Movie Rental investing in the latest in digital a s A l t e r n a t i v e ( % o f Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:15:45 AM

Respondents) Planned Usage Rental Source % Using Will Increase Will Decrease No change Cable TV 15% 28% 11% 72% Kiosk 41 26 10 64 Physical store 36 12 18 69 Online 27 21 10 18 Source: Market Force, March 2010 When asked what drives them to seek out a new movie, more

than 70% of consumers said television ads, followed by movie trailers that they see intheatre. Recommendations from friends and written movie reviews were also cited by three in 10 consumers.

The survey was conducted in December 2009 from the Market Force network of more than 300,000 consumers. The pool of 3,000 respondents ranged in age from 19-72 and reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with approximately half reporting incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Approximately 75% were women, the primary household consumer purchasers. Half had children at home.

For additional information, please see the Market Force presentation here.

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Amazon, Barnes & Noble prepping iPad e-readers (Macworld) (Yahoo! News Search Results for e-readers)

Given that Amazon has had an iPhone version of its Kindle app for a while and even recently Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:36:22 AM released a beta version of its Posted on by Aayush Arya, Mac client, it seems only logical Macworld.com that the software would head to With the launch of the iPad t h e i P a d . W h a t ’ s m o r e looming ever closer, more and interesting, however, is whether more developers are coming or not the iPad app will allow forward with plans for the customers to buy content from device. The latest in line are the Kindle Store. book retailers Amazon and The New York Times says that Barnes & Noble, both of which both vendors are working on are hard at work on their apps for reading and buying erespective e-book reading apps books—and the screenshot for the iPad, according to The above does show a link for New York Times. shopping in the Kindle Neither of those companies Store—but it’s not clear whether were among the ones that got that will open the bookstore physical pre-production iPads to within the app itself, à la test their applications on and Apple’s own iBooks app, or won't be aiming to make their simply bring up the Web-based applications available on launch store in the iPad's browser, as day. Both apps will feature a Amazon's Kindle app for the completely redesigned interface iPhone does. to take advantage of the larger Some have speculated whether screen and likely some funky Apple would approve the Kindle page-turn animations, because app if it allowed customers to that's what we've come to expect purchase books from inside the from an e-reader. app. In my opinion, if Amazon

AMAZON, continued from page 74

Barnes & Noble e-readers from Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: the infamous"duplicates existing PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, functionality" rejection. It'll be Term Extraction. interesting to see how this situation unfolds. [via Engadget] Five Filters featured article:

wants to do it, there is no reason for Apple to stop them. Apple has always been more interested in selling the razors than the blades and the more content they allow onto the iPad—no matter which channel it comes from—the more appealing the iPad itself becomes for consumers.

It’s also worth noting that Apple will not include the iBooks app pre-loaded on the iPad itself; instead, it will be available as a free download from the App Store. That ought to at least shield apps like the Kindle and Barnes & Noble ereaders from the infamous“duplicates existing functionality” rejection. It’ll be interesting to see how this situation unfolds. [via Engadget] Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble Prepping IPad Ereaders (PC World) (Yahoo! News Search Results for e-readers) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:56:23 AM

With the launch of the iPad looming ever closer, more and more developers are coming forward with plans for the device. The latest in line are book retailers Amazon and Barnes & Noble, both of which are hard at work on their respective e-book reading apps for the iPad, according to The New York Times.

Neither of those companies were among the ones that got physical pre-production iPads to test their applications on and won't be aiming to make their applications available on launch day. Both apps will feature a completely redesigned interface to take advantage of the larger screen and likely some funky page-turn animations, because that's what we've come to expect from an e-reader.

Given that Amazon has had an iPhone version of its Kindle app for a while and even recently released a beta version of its Mac client, it seems only logical that the software would head to the iPad. What's more interesting, however, is whether or not the iPad app will allow customers to buy content from

the Kindle Store.

The New York Times says that both vendors are working on apps for reading and buying ebooks-and the screenshot above does show a link for shopping in the Kindle Store-but it's not clear whether that will open the bookstore within the app itself, à la Apple's own iBooks app, or simply bring up the Web-based store in the iPad's browser, as Amazon's Kindle app for the iPhone does.

Some have speculated whether Apple would approve the Kindle app if it allowed customers to purchase books from inside the app. In my opinion, if Amazon wants to do it, there is no reason for Apple to stop them. Apple has always been more interested in selling the razors than the blades and the more content they allow onto the iPad-no matter which channel it comes from-the more appealing the iPad itself becomes for consumers.

It's also worth noting that Apple will not include the iBooks app pre-loaded on the iPad itself; instead, it will be available as a free download from the App Store. That ought to at least shield apps like the Kindle and AMAZON, page 74

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Should I Be Worried About Electromagnetic Pulses Destroying My Electronics?

Lana Birbrair (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)

Swiss Team Breaks Record for Around-theWorld Flight, Despite Encountering Volcanic Eruption

Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:02:49 AM

It depends on the source of the pulse. Electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) large enough to cause you trouble come in two varieties: those produced by the sun, and those created by a nuclear bomb or another military-grade emitter device.

With the sun-related variety, specifically coronal mass ejections (CMEs), your gear will probably be fine. But a really large CME could take down the power grid, says Bill Murtagh, the program coordinator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center. Power lines transmit electricity as an alternating current, but a pulse from a CME can introduce a direct current into the system, says Luke van der Zal, a technical executive at the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute. This can cause transformers to overheat and work sluggishly, or fail altogether.

Despite the grid's numerous built-in safeguards, if enough transformers go down, they

Clay Dillow (Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:28:41 AM

could take large chunks of the grid with them. The only way to get it running again would be to replace all the damaged gear.

CMEs aren't usually disastrous, but the two largest blasts on record, which took place in 1859 and 1921, could each knock out the Northeast power grid if they happened today. On the bright side, although CMEs have been known to put satellites out of commission, our atmosphere deflects most of the energy, so the radiation is too diffuse by the time it reaches

your electronics to destroy them.

A man-made EMP poses a greater threat. If one goes off in your neighborhood, there's a significant risk that the concentrated pulse will induce extra voltage in the circuit-board components, frying them for good. The best bet for protecting your electronics is to store them in a Faraday cage: a cube of interweaving metals, preferably copper and quarter-inch-thick steel, which together can act as an electromagnetic shield. Like in a lightning rod, the copper

First time the record has been set with refueling stops Piloting a plane older than two of the three crew on board, a Swiss team shattered Steve Fossett's around-the-world flight record by almost ten hours over attracts electricity while the the weekend, the first time the steel absorbs magnetic pulses. A record has been set in this cage big enough to hold all your weight class with refueling favorite gadgets-your cellphone, stops. But the pilots didn't just TV, computer, and so on-runs in have to negotiate the usual the neighborhood of $15,000. headwinds and bad weather -An EMP could also crash the their flight was nearly derailed power grid, so you might want by a volcanic eruption in Iceland to spring for an extra cage to that forced them to make an protect your generator too. extra refueling stop and add an Try to stump us. Send your unexpected 12th leg to their questions to fyi@popsci.com journey.

The Swiss team -- helmed by Chief Pilot Riccardo Mortara -set out to beat not only Fossett's non-stop circumnavigation time of 67 hours one minute, but also SWISS page 76

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golf legend Arnold Palmer's 1978 record of 57 hours 26 minutes which was set in a Learjet 36, a plane in a lighter weight class than Mortara's Sabreliner 65.

After lifting off from Geneva, the team stopped to refuel in such places as Bahrain, Macau, Osaka, Anchorage and Las Vegas before lifting off from Montreal for Keflavik, Iceland.

But halfway there -- and four hours ahead of Palmer's time -the crew learned of the volcanic eruption in Iceland that forced the closure of the nation's airports.

continued from page 76

Rather than risk being grounded in Iceland or limping on fumes all the way to Ireland, the crew decided to turn back for Goose Bay in Labrador, Canada. After refueling there, they continued to Ireland and on to Geneva via Marrakesh, completing the nearly 23,000 mile journey in 57 hours 54 minutes, a half hour slower than Palmer's 1978 run.

Why did Mortara and company choose to break the record in a thirty-year-old plane? There doesn't seem to be a real reason except that they had one and Mortara likes the way they fly.

They're not exactly the most

fuel-efficient planes, though they are pretty swift (the crew averaged just over 400 miles per hour during the trip).

Whether or not the team will attempt a second journey sans rare geologic event is uncertain; in the meantime, the Sabreliner 65 returns to its day job as a luxury charter jet.

stations, hundreds of battery swapping stations, and devising software so these cars won't crash the grid when charging.

But look at it from another perspective. There are around 200 million drivers and 254 million vehicles in the U.S. and insurance companies say the average person drives 12,000 miles a year. That comes to 2.4 trillion miles, or $72 billion of potential three-cent transactions per year. Even one percent of that would probably placate investors. And in Europe and WILL page 77

Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:51:06 AM

You've finally got your PC set up to your liking and running smoothly. So when you decide to add software later on, the last thing you want is something potentially unstable that could endanger the system. Although they're not a replacement for antivirus applications, virtual machines can really come in handy. Essentially, they're fullfledged operating systems that run as an application inside your actual operating system while remaining safely isolated from

it.

Say you want to open a file you downloaded from a questionable source, kick the tires on a new operating system like Linux, or even run an older OS from the

info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines) Submitted at 3/22/2010 4:56:14 AM

Can three cents be transformed into billions of dollars?

That's the big question when it comes to Better Place, the wellfunded start-up that wants to put people into electric cars. Driving a gas car costs about 12 cents a mile when gas costs $3 a gallon, says Jason Wolf, vice president the company's North American division.

Electricity, on the other hand, costs about 3 cents a mile: a kilowatt hour costs around and a You could even run a separate car can go around 4 miles on a operating system as a virtual kilowatt hour. A battery for an machine just to use that one electric car, meanwhile, will killer app that's not available on cost around 6 cents a mile over a 200,000 mile lifetime. your OS of choice.

F r e e a p p l i c a t i o n s l i k e Since Better Place says it will Microsoft's Windows Virtual supply the electricity and PC ( micro soft.com), VMware batteries to consumers, the Player ( vmware.com) and the company has a margin of 3 open-source app VirtualBox ( cents per mile (12 cents minus virtualbox.org) are great for 9) before potential customers getting your feet wet. Setting complain about the higher cost them up is a similar process to of going electric. Granted, 3 familiar environment of your installing a regular operating cents doesn't sound like much: I main desktop. If anything goes system. Once you've done it, it harvest more loose change than awry in your virtual machine, will seem like you've got a real, that every time I do laundry. you can reset it to a previous separate computer living inside And Better Place proposes state or just delete it altogether, your system. building thousands of charging with no harm to your system.

WILL page 76

What are Virtual PCs, and What Can I Do With Them?

Adam Pash (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)

Will Better Place Make It?

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Asia, higher gas prices boost that 3 cent margin to 9 or 12 cents. Additional revenue can come from selling semi-depleted batteries to utilities, which isn't part of the above calculations.

And with the battery separated from the car, the down payment and resistance toward going electric goes way down.

"When you buy a Toyota, you don't buy eight years of gasoline," Wolf said. "You take out the battery and now you have a much, much cheaper car."

Big math problems like that, along with their inherent uncertainties, make Better Place one of the more intriguing companies in greentech today, or in any market, for that matter.

In a short period of time, the company has joined the ranks of Google, Apple, Microsoft and Tesla Motors as a subject of endless debate and speculation.

How did they raise over $500 million? How much have they spent? Will car dealers and manufacturers work with them?

I've criticized the company's strategy in the past. Now, after talking to Wolf, I have to admit that the plan actually makes more sense. But the recent discussion also crystallized what appear to be five big hurdles the company will have to overcome.

Here is how the service works.

Consumers will buy electric cars, but not the battery. Better Place will build charging

networks and then charge consumers subscription fees that cover the cost of the car's battery, the electricity to run them, and ancillary services like smart charging software and charging station maps. (The company figures 2.1 charging stations per car, by the way.)

Since the battery accounts for about one-third of the cost of an electric car, the sticker price will be far lower than competing cars sold with batteries.

Along the way, it will also offer discount entertainment packages, insurance and other services.

Competitors such as Coulomb Technologies will offer subscriptions too, but they won't include the battery. In other words, a more expensive car, but a less elaborate subscription -- and it works with any electric car.

So what are the Better Place hurdles?

1. Fear, Uncertainly and Doubt.

The ol' Nixonion Trilogy is perhaps the largest looming barrier. It's just plain weird to buy a car but lease the most expensive component. Nissan recently announced it would initially not try battery rental strategy in the U.S. with the Leaf, due to negative response to the concept in customer surveys.

This is America, after all. We hate renting. Graduating from renting an apartment to buying a

home has become enshrined as hallmark of adulthood. And if there's one thing we hate more than renting, it's sharing stuff with strangers. Who had this battery before me? Is that smoke coming from the hood? The first time someone gets in a bad accident or the car conks, watch them blame it on some stranger's battery.

Getting consumers comfortable with this will take extensive marketing and hand-holding.

And they will have legitimate questions. How will this impact the resale price of the car? What if Better Place goes out of business? Is this like getting a car from Hertz? You might pay more money and feel cheap at the same time.

The weirdness of it all is one more reason Better Place may succeed in Israel first. In Israel, large companies give cars to employees as sort of a fringe benefit. Thus, the drivers won't have to worry about who-ownswhat questions.

2. It's the Dorian Gray-Mobile.

Swapping, as it takes place over time, is the brilliant nugget buried in the business plan.

Consumers don't have to worry about their battery degrading. In fact, their cars will stay younger longer because Better Place will circulate newer, longer-lasting batteries into the fleet.

But for Better Place, the benefits are even greater because batteries will decline in

price over time. Several months ago, lithium-ion batteries sold for around $900 a kilowatt hour, according to various estimates.

Now lithium batteries sell for $500 a kilowatt hour, said Wolf, and the Department of Energy is funding research to drop it to $250 a kilowatt hour.(Others put the price at closer to $900 now.)

Moore's Law will similarly whack the cost of the electrical components surrounding the cells in the battery pack.

Declining prices, of course, mean increased margins. At $250 a kilowatt hour, Better Place's battery expenses drop to 3 cents a mile and the gross margin doubles to 6 cents. The company can then add to its margins by selling the semidepleted battery packs to utilities for grid balancing.

Overall, this is a huge plus for everyone, but one that could go wrong in word-of-mouth.

Consumers might see this as buying a car with a perpetual stream of payments. Never ending fees explain why many detest cable companies: your monthly rates is going up, but now you get the Bowhunter Network and Hungarian Life in HD. Slogans could help: "The Only Car that Gets Better with Age." "It's a Timeless Classic. Really," etc. If the company can stroke the ego of upper-middle-class consumers and convince them they are getting a superior deal

to those clods that insist on owning batteries, perceptions may turn. But if Better Place doesn't surrender some margin on its savings, the program could smell like a trap.

3. Hostility from Car Makers.

The battery is one-third of the price of an electric car. That means car manufacturers only get to sell two-thirds of a car, leaving them and their dealers less wiggle room for haggling and making a profit. That should really warm car makers up to this. Car manufacturers -- on the whole, a conservative lot -- also worry about safety, warranties and design homogenization.

"The battery defines the architecture of the car. It only makes sense if you have the same type of battery for every car," Ulrich Hackenberg, a member of VW's board told me last year."I can't imagine all of the OEMs are building their cars around this type of battery."

Volkswagen and Ford do not have battery swap plans on the road map, while General Motors and Fisker have hybrids that make swapping unnecessary.

Tesla will have one version of the Model S with a swappable battery. So far, it's not a rousing start.

On the other hand, fleet sales of these things are drawing customers, which car makers won't want to miss out on.

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Higher Temperature Solar Thermal from SHEC info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines)

Doubling the operating temperatures doubles turbine efficiencies, according to the Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:00:06 AM company. The high temperature SHEC Energy started doing technology lends itself to research in the production of systems employing thermal hydrogen using solar technology based stored energy. in 1996. But with the hydrogen SHEC's temperatures aren't as power market, um, still in high as what Israel's HelioFocus development (i.e., non-existent), has achieved: that company has SHEC Energy’s focus is now on hit 850 Celsius and says it will power generation. get to 1,000 Celsius. The S H E C h a s d e v e l o p e d Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi innovative solar concentration, has a high temp prototype too. receiver and thermal storage Still, the hotter the better and technology for the efficient this puts SHEC toward the top collection of solar power. of the class in the ever-evolving "What we do is concentrate at a solar thermal world. very high level," according to SHEC also claims a dramatic Tom Beck, the CEO of the improvement in the power Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based distribution curve. According to firm. He claims a concentration the firm, a competitive system level of 5,000 to 22,000 suns with a power rating of 1 with a "new counterintuitive and megawatt, for example, may elegant design that uses no only deliver 5 megawatt-hours exotic materials." of power per day, while SHEC's Beck claims that the firm has s y s t e m , a l s o r a t e d a t 1 developed some of the world's megawatt, could deliver 10 most efficient solar thermal megawatt-hours per day. power technology with systems In order to make this happen, that operate at much higher SHEC's optical receiver has temperatures (800 degrees C) been designed to withstand a lot compared to trough systems of heat. And SHEC is ambitious (400 degrees C), resulting in -- not only are they developing higher turbine efficiencies. h i g h - t e m p e r a t u r e , h i g h -

efficiency receivers and proprietary high-temperature thermal storage media, but they have also developed a manufacturing process for the rapid forming of glass mirrors, claiming a manufacturing process that is 30 times faster than conventional glass forming technologies. It's a lot of technology development for a small company to take on.

The company believes that its technology can drop the levelized cost of solar thermal to down to that of fossil fuels.

The 15+ employee company envisions utility-scale deployment of its technology in an array of receivers, taking the collected heat to a steam boiler in a closed-loop binary system.

When queried about go-tomarket strategy, the CEO said, "Owner-operator and power producer is definitely our preferred business model. But we would be willing -- under special circumstances -- to consider other options."

SHEC Energy has performed field trials of its technology on a small-scale pilot plant at a test site in Arizona. The CEO claims that a CSP plant would be an

excellent complement to an Integrated Combined Cycle plant.

The firm is funded by private placements, high net-worth individuals, government funds, and corporate investors, and is now looking for its first institutional round from VCs or strategic partners.

As with all solar thermal technologies, SHEC would have better economics in the sunbelt and in a region with generous feed-in tariffs.

We asked a prominent member of the CSP community who preferred to remain anonymous, to comment: "The concept of a dish having a higher capacity factor than a tower which is higher than a trough, based on an analysis per meter squared of glass is accurate. The question is how much higher and what is the relative tradeoff of capacity factor vs the installed cost -- the graph is way out of any reasonable bounds.

Higher temp/pressure has always been the best way to go, and will be for all thermal cycles, but this sounds more academic and theoretical...Lots

of companies are working on this, but it is highly unlikely that a 15 person company can cover the ground they are claiming to cover - everything from receiver design to mirror manufacturing processes?...its easy to make claims in CSP, its harder to get results."

Finally, all the technology in the world won't get CSP deployed if the funding is not there. Other CSP startups have great technology, but getting to market requires funding -- and lots of it. BrightSource Energy was anointed by the U.S. government with $1.37 billion in loan guarantees. eSolar was anointed by the Chinese government and Ausra had to let itself get caught by Areva in order to live another day. SHEC is going to have to prove it can develop funding as well as technology.

Acciona, Solar Reserve and Tyco are also working on solar thermal and thermal storage media.

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Control4 Announces New Software, Partners With Lockheed Martin info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines)

The company is hoping the 5inch screen display, which will allow customers to monitor Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:59:26 AM everything from a wireless Control4 unveiled new software thermostat and other smart today to accompany its Energy d e v i c e s , c o u l d a l s o h o s t Management System 100 (EMS applications such as Facebook, 100). The flash-based open RSS feeds and Netflix, to make p l a t f o r m s o f t w a r e , c a l l e d it a one-stop destination for not ADVANTAGE, is designed so just energy management, but that utilities and developers can also for apps that fit every facet build applications to integrate of a consumer’s life. Move over with the EMS 100. iBeer. Get ready for an app Control4, which also builds where your wireless thermostat other wireless home networking and refrigerator can tweet for systems from audio systems to you. temperature control, is confident On the utility side, Control4 is that their system will not only touting the analytics that will blend in with a utility’s back allow power providers not only end to optimize demand gather data on individual response, but also engage the houses, but also build models of customer. how an entire neighborhood “ W e ’ r e c o m i n g f r o m t h e behaves that will allow them to consumer side,” said Susan K. build more accurate demand Cashen, vice president of response. marketing for Control4 Energy.

The Salt Lake City-based “Most of the focus on the c o m p a n y a l s o a n n o u n c e d feedback has been on the in- partnerships that they are home experience.” confident will bring their

hardware and software to a larger segment of the market.

Control4 is teaming up with Lockheed Martin to connect their EMS 100 and ADVANTAGE software with the defense company’s SEEload demand response platform.

“We’re providing the connection from the EMS100 directly back to SEEload with whoever [Lockheed Martin] partners with,” said Richard Walker, president of Control4 Energy Systems. “We’ve always been hardware and software agnostic, which has helped us on the partnership front.”

Lcokheed Martin, along with other defense contractors, is eager to bring their security expertise to smart grid (see Defense Contractors Pursue the Smart Grid). But Lockheed isn’t stopping at just security; it also wants to provide full demand response with its SEEgrid platform, which includes demand response, microgrid

management and grid security for utilities.

Lockheed is already working with PPL Electric Utilities, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, American Electric Power Co. and Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative on designing security solutions (see Lockheed Expands Its Smart Grid Wings).

Control4 is banking that their system can overcome some of the backlash in smart grid rollouts (see Oncor Reacts to Smart Grid Anger) by drumming up consumer confidence while pursuing partnerships that will hopefully get its product into homes. After all, what good is a secure, dynamic smart grid if the consumer rejects it?

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"In Israel and Denmark, we announced with Renault that we are buying 100,000 switchable cars," Wolf said. "That is larger than all of the noise in the U.S." 4. Your Dryer. Most people don't realize this, but they already have an electric car charging station. It's the 240 volt outlet their clothes dryer is plugged into. Technically, you will need to install a charger for safety reasons, but it's essentially the same outlet.

Do you really need subscriptions from Better Place or Coulomb? Your first electric call will likely be a commuter car, plowing less than 40 miles a day, so the need for public chargers remains small. Both companies readily admit most consumers will charge their cars at home. If you drive 12,000 miles a year like the average American, your electricity costs come to $360 a year, or $36 a month. And if you charge at offpeak hours like the utilities will urge you to, the monthly costs drop to $24. Costco offers free electricity in some cars and one can imagine office buildings doing the same.

"When 90 percent of the cars are electric, do you think the

majority of charge spots will be free?" he asked. Maybe not, but those subscription services better be mighty cheap.

5. It's Not a Cellular Network.

Better Place often analogizes the service to the cell phone industry. In the early days, cell phone equipment was expensive: the only guy that could afford them was Michael Douglas with that shoe phone in Wall Street. Now, phones go worldwide and the infrastructure costs have dropped.

Better Place drivers will be able to charge on other networks, so the company won't have to build as many charging stations as you might think. Plus, the number of charging stations isn't extreme, which means Better Place only has to keep about 12 batteries at each switch station.

"A switching station can support 3,000 cars," Wolf said. "A gas station supports 60 cars. There are 1,200 gas stations in the Bay Area. You won't need that many charge stations...With a 100 switch stations in the Bay Area, you can support hundreds of thousands of users."

"Smart phones are switchable cars," he added later.

Still, the prices of cell phone

equipment and Better Place equipment aren't remotely in the same league. A cell phone costs less than $20 to make and Verizon charges customers $30 to $100 a month to use them.

Antennas continue to plummet in price, they largely get planted on marginal land that has no other economic use and everyone owns a phone. When a phone breaks, you get a new one. These factors are far different with cars. 100,000 drivers means $4.8 million worth of charging stations, $210 million worth of charging stations and $1.2 billion worth of $12,000 batteries.

Cell phones give you freedom to take calls and get emails away from your desk.

Then again, with a leased battery, electronics are someone else's problem. That's freedom by another name.

So it could work.

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Our Favorite BrokerSold Funds (Kiplinger Personal Finance)

Twenty years ago, the distinction between load and noload mutual funds was clear-cut.

Do-it-yourselfers bought noloads directly from the sponsors.

Investors working with brokers, financial planners and even insurance agents invested in load funds, typically paying a front-end sales charge of 5% to 6% for stock funds and a little less for bond funds. Or they bought share classes with higher annual fees and stiff back-end sales charges.

In recent years, though, the distinction between load funds and no-load funds has blurred.

Take the case of Thornburg Investment Management, which runs $48 billion of assets.

Thornburg’s Leigh Moiola reports that 80% to 90% of the Santa Fe, N.M., firm’s funds are bought without a sales commission -- the inverse of the ratio 20 years ago.

Load funds without loads come in a variety of guises. They may be institutional-class shares, which investors typically buy through fee-based advisers.

They could be Class A shares with their front-end loads waived. Or they could be Class R shares, which are used in 401(k) or similar retirement plans. “Load versus no-load is

no longer correct terminology,” says Avi Nachmany, head of research at Strategic Insight. He estimates that the share of funds from traditional load families sold without sales fees today is 60% and rising. “Everyone is moving toward offering mutual funds through financial advisers,” Nachmany adds.

We don’t advise that you ever pay a front-end load or an ongoing sales charge (particularly for Class B fund shares). But we recognize that many outstanding load funds are now available without a fee through advisers, brokerage wrap accounts, 401(k)s and even 529 plans, so we decided to pick our dozen favorites. In compiling this list, we used the same strict criteria that we employ to compile the Kiplinger 25, the list of our favorite noload funds. Among other considerations, we gave extra points to fund managers who are skilled risk managers and whose funds tend to hold up well in bear markets. Domestic stock funds Don’t let the name fool you.

Thornburg Value(symbol TVAFX) isn't purely a bargainhunting fund. Managers Connor Browne and Ed Maran divide their holdings into three OUR page 83

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Should You Buy or Rent?

(Kiplinger Personal Finance)

If you're a renter, you may be champing at the bit to buy a house after watching prices fall for four years. Is it time to jump? It may well be, especially if you want to capture the home buyer's tax credit (you'll need to have a contract by April 30 and close by June 30). But before you leap, you need to go beyond calculating the impact on your monthly budget and figure out how much home-price froth is left in your local housing market.

Encouraging signs. A key number to consider when switching from renter to homeowner is the price-rent ratio. This figure compares a city's median home price with its median annual rent. At the housing market's peak in 2005, the national median home price had inflated to nearly 21 times the median annual rent. By the third quarter of 2009, however, the ratio had deflated to 15, returning to the historical norm, according to Hessam Nadji, managing director of Marcus & Millichap, a commercial real estate brokerage company in Encino, Cal. If the price-rent ratio where you're looking to buy is 18 or higher, your market may still be in the bubble zone, with a greater probability that home prices will fall after you buy.

That could put you underwater -

- meaning your home would be worth less than what you owe on the mortgage. If the ratio has fallen below 15, there's less chance that home prices will sink.

The table on Rent or Buy below shows the ten cities in which home prices are least likely to drop further, as well as those most likely to fall further, based on price-rent ratios. We also show the gap between median monthly apartment rents and median monthly mortgage payments. Five years ago, the difference between monthly mortgage payments and rent was $745 nationally; by the end of 2009, it was just $181.

To get a rough estimate of your local price-rent ratio, divide the average list price of several homes that meet your criteria by the average annual rent of several rental units with the same number of bedrooms and comparable amenities.

Weighing the decision. A year ago, the price-rent ratio in Phoenix was 14 -- down from almost 19 a year earlier. Home prices had fallen by half, and mortgage rates were at historic lows. Financial planner Brendan McNamar decided it was finally time for him to buy. He had rented since moving to the city in 2006, just after the housing bubble peaked, and was sitting on a nice nest egg from a home he had sold in 2004.

McNamar shopped for a long

time, made offers on several

houses and eventually bought a

ten-year-old, four-bedroom, three-bathroom short sale listed for $219,000. (In a short sale, the sellers get permission from the lender to sell for less than the mortgage amount.) The house had sold for $355,000 in 2007. McNamar offered the full price, which the bank eventually accepted after 90 days. He put down 20% and took out a 30year mortgage with a low fixed rate of 5.25%. He pays $1,176 a month (including taxes and insurance), which is more than twice his former monthly rent of $550. But because he hadn't owned a home in the past three years, he was able to snag the $8,000 first-time home buyer's tax credit.

From an investment perspective, McNamar wanted a house that would allow him to break even or earn a profit if he sold in three years. But given that prices have fallen even further in Phoenix since last spring -- the price-rent ratio is a rough guide, not an infallible one -- he reckons that his breakeven point now may be four years away. But it's not a big financial setback to him because he has no plans to move.

Good deals for renters. Renting can be a smart strategy while waiting for this choppy housing market to settle down. Consider Jeremy Portnoff and his wife, SHOULD page 84

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5 Stocks for Food Inflation (Kiplinger Personal Finance)

Producers of potash, a key fertilizer, should prosper People have to eat. As the mightily from food inflation. economy recovers, expect G o l d m a n a n a l y s t s e x p e c t demand for food to grow and f a r m e r s t o b o o s t p o t a s h prices of meats, grains and dairy consumption significantly from to rise. Goldman Sachs named weak 2009 levels. If potash food inflation one of its top nine volume declined again this year, investing themes for 2010. The it would be only the second time agricultural sector will benefit since 1960 that volume dropped broadly from this trend, and we for three consecutive years, have identified five stocks that Goldman analysts say. w i l l t h r i v e i n s u c h a n The price of potash has already environment. started to recover from declines Let’s break it down by the sparked by the Great Recession. numbers. The U.S. Department After peaking at more than of Agriculture forecasts that $1,000 per ton in 2008, the price food prices will rise 2.5% to fell to about $350 per ton in 3.5% this year, up from a 1.8% January 2009. On March 5, increase in 2009. Several factors Canpotex, the international will put pressure on food prices. marketing arm for the three top Producers of cattle, dairy cows, producers -- Potash Corp. of hogs and poultry cut their output Saskatchewan(symbol POT), in 2009 because of high feed Mosaic Co.( MOS) and Agrium( prices. That, in turn, reduced the AGU) --announced that it was supply of meat. At the same raising potash prices to $400 a time, a growing number of metric ton. p e o p l e a r o u n d t h e w o r l d , Edlain Rodriguez, an analyst particularly in fast-growing with Broadpoint AmTech, sees emerging nations, such as China prices increasing throughout the and India, are consuming more year. That’s why he’s bullish on protein. Add to the mix the the trio of fertilizer stocks. e t h a n o l i n d u s t r y ’ s h e a v y Potash Corp., which , controls reliance on corn, the main 22% of the world potash supply, source of animal feed. expects rising prices to be The result is higher demand for reflected in its bottom line. On meat and grains. So farmers March 11, the Saskatchewan, need to grow more grain to feed Canada, company raised its first more animals, and that takes -quarter earnings estimate to more fertilizer. $1.30 to $1.50 per share, from

the estimate of 70 cents to $1 per share it made in January.

The company says “the increase in potash sales volumes this quarter represents the beginning of a return to long-term growth in demand.”

Potash Corp.’s stock has been on a wild ride. The stock, as low as $9 in July 2002, ran up to $230 in June 2008 before collapsing to $53 in December 2008. At its March 18 close of $122.88, the stock traded for 24 times estimated 2010 earnings of $5.10 per share.

Mosaic, Potash Corp.’s top rival, is also optimistic about the prospects of a potash rebound.

Chief executive James Prokopanko says potash sales have picked up since November and expects growth to continue through 2010.

Mosaic’s stock tracks a boomand-bust pattern similar to that of Potash. At $59.56, Mosaic shares are up 55% since the stock market bottomed on March 9, 2009. Mosaic trades for 15 times the $3.95 per share analysts expect the Plymouth, Minn., company to earn for the 12 months ending in May 2011.

Agrium, which sells seeds as well as fertilizer, is more diversified than Potash Corp. and Mosaic. Potash accounted for 4% of the company’s total 2009 sales of $9.1 billion.

Agrium recently dropped a bitter yearlong bid for CF Industries, which makes nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer products. Agrium shares have leapt 120% since the market’s bottom. At $70.71, they trade at 15 times estimated 2010 earnings of $4.68 per share.

Once you have the fertilizer, you need the seeds. No company in the seed business is more dominant (or more despised) than Monsanto( MON). The St. Louis company faces an antitrust investigation by the Justice Department and, as a top producer of genetically engineered seeds, has drawn fire from activists about its business practices and the long-term effects of its products on the food supply. Politics aside, UBS analyst Don Carson expects Monsanto to gain market share in the growing market for corn seeds through 2012.

Monsanto’s stock, which advanced by a factor of 20 between March 2003 and June 2008, has stood still during the current bull market. The stock, at $72.03, is up just a couple of bucks a share since March 2009.

It trades for 16 times estimated earnings of $4.40 per share for the year that ends August 2011.

Carson rates the stock a “buy” and thinks it is worth $94 per share, with $60 of the value

coming from Monsanto’s pipeline of new products.

A moderate amount of food inflation tends to be good for grocers, and one of the bestpositioned supermarket chains is Safeway( SWY). The company, which has more than 1,700 grocery stores in the U.S. and Canada, slashed costs aggressively in 2009. The belttightening means that Safeway’s profits should improve this year and that the Pleasanton, Cal., company should have more money to return to investors in the form of dividends and share buybacks. Scott Mushkin, a Jefferies & Co. analyst, estimates that Safeway will generate more than $1 billion in free cash flow per year for the next five years even if business remains challenging. (Free cash flow is net income plus depreciation and other cash charges, minus the capital expenditures necessary to maintain the business.) The stock, at $24.65, trades for 14 times estimated 2010 earnings of $1.81 per share. Mushkin rates the stock a buy and has a 12-month price target of $30.

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buckets: basic value, consistent earners and “Remerging franchises,” companies with fast -growing products or services with strong competitive positions. This gives the fund, which invests mostly in large companies, a blend of growth and value attributes.

Basic value companies tend to be in industries, such as banking and oil, in which competition is fierce and firms don’t have much pricing flexibility. An example of such a holding is U.S. Bancorp, which remained profitable throughout one of the ugliest banking cycles in history.

Another holding, Gilead Sciences, the leader in HIV treatments, generates consistent (and rapid) earnings growth.

Stocks such as this tend to hold up well in bear markets (see Stocks That Grow in Any Climate). Emerging franchises can be small or they can be large -- such as Apple, which Browne says has the potential to dominate the fast-growing smart -phone business.

The six managers at RS Partners( RSPFX), a smallcompany fund, think very much like private-equity investors when they spend hundreds of hours breaking down a business and analyzing each of its parts.

Co-manager Joe Wolf says deep knowledge of a business is one of the best tools to mitigate risk.

So he and his colleagues will buy a stock when they are satisfied that it has $3 to $5 per share of upside potential for each dollar of downside risk.

The RS team searches for businesses showing improved returns on invested capital.

“When you purchase structurally improving businesses, time is your friend,” Wolf says. Holdings include NBTY -- owner of Nature’s Bounty, the leading vitamin wholesaler -- and ACI Worldwide, the dominant processor of debit-card transactions.

Eric Ende, of FPA Perennial( FPPFX), makes stock picking sound easy. You identify superior businesses that will increase their intrinsic value every year, buy them at a discount and hold on.

For Ende and co-manager Steven Geist, a superior business has a sturdy balance sheet, achieves a high return on capital and has abundant opportunities to reinvest in the business. And most important, the businesses are shielded by high barriers to entry, which means that returns will not be eroded by competitors.

Perennial, which focuses on small and midsize companies, has found several of these businesses in health-care niches.

VCA Antech is a consolidator in the highly fragmented veterinary -hospital industry, and Charles River Laboratories dominates the market for providing laboratory rodents for pharmaceutical research.

Overseas stock funds Thornburg International Value( TGVAX) is a close cousin of Thornburg Value. The managers (Bill Fries, Wendy Trevisani and Lei Wang) divide stocks into the same three buckets of basic value, consistent earners and emerging franchises.

During gloomy 2008, Trevisani notes, the fund had half of its assets in consistent growers.

Such steady Eddies as Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the Israel-based generic-drug giant, provided some ballast. This year, emerging-growth companies such as Baidu, a Chinese Internet play, are boosting performance.

In addition to holding 18% of its assets in emerging-markets stocks, International Value recently owned several European companies largely for their exposure to fast-growing developing countries. Trevisani says Louis Vuitton, the French

luxury-fashion king, is selling more and more products in China, and Standard Chartered, a bank based in the U.K., generates 90% of its profits from emerging markets.

Over the long run, emerging markets deliver handsome returns. The problem is the rocky ride: Emerging-markets stocks tend to be nearly twice as volatile as U.S. stocks.

American Funds New World( NEWFX) was designed to tamp down that risk. Along with developing-markets stocks, such as China Mobile, this fund invests in emerging-markets bonds (typically 10% of the portfolio). It also holds stocks of multinational corporations (currently one-fourth of assets), including Avon Products and Switzerland-based Nestle, that derive substantial revenues from emerging nations. As a result, investors enjoy most of the gains from emerging markets with about one-third less volatility than the typical emerging-markets stock fund.

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Health Care Bill Won’t Help Employers Cut Costs (Kiplinger Personal Finance)

Employers are taking matters into their own hands as they get ready for the 2011 benefit plan year. There’s a growing recognition that the health care bill passed by Congress on March 21 won’t help lower costs, forcing firms to act on their own if they want to survive. In fact, many employers believe the pending health bill will only add to their problems. “Health reform will result in not only increased costs for employers, but less generous benefits for employees,” says Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health.

Most companies will make workers pay a bigger share by raising premiums, deductibles and copayments. These increases will affect both the medical and pharmacy plans.

Surcharges for providing health care coverage to working spouses will also increase, to encourage those spouses to use their own employer’s health plan.

But the real emphasis will be on behavior, with businesses using more sticks and fewer carrots to pressure employees to adopt healthier lifestyles and participate in programs to HEALTH page 84

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manage their chronic illnesses.

In a recent survey by Hewitt Associates, nearly half of employers say they plan to use financial penalties for workers who don’t participate in certain health improvement programs.

“Employers have come to realize that they have to manage their risks, not just costs,” says Rick McGill of Hewitt, a benefits consulting firm.

Big bucks are at stake. About 70% of health care costs are driven by behaviors. The difference in cost between a diabetic who manages his or her disease compared with one who doesn’t can be 10 times higher, says McGill.

Workers who don’t play ball will pay more. Employers are realizing that penalties work better than rewards and are planning to ramp them up. To avoid running afoul of federal antidiscrimination laws, businesses can’t base penalties or rewards on results, but they

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can discount rates for participation. For example, employers will impose higher premiums for smokers who refuse to participate in a smoking cessation class, or will relegate wage earners who refuse to participate in wellness activities to a health plan with leaner benefits.

More firms are also using their own clinics to cut costs, on-site if the company is big or nearby when smaller businesses work together. Clinics offer low prices, convenience and noteworthy success rates.

Also growing: Consumer directed health plans (CDHPs) combining high deductible plans with a tax advantaged savings account. About 60% of companies will make them an option in 2011, up from 54% this year, and 12% will make them the only option, up from 8% in 2010, according to a recent employer survey by Towers Watson and the

National Business Group on Health. “Employers offer substantially reduced premiums of between 30% and 50% to encourage employees to choose the CDHP option,” says Ted Nussbaum of Towers Watson.

Having more-educated health consumers is a key goal, with insurers helping firms provide information to employees on cost-effective treatments and comparative pricing. Employers will also provide incentives such as lower copays or no deductibles to encourage workers to use the top performers. There’s ample evidence that higher quality providers have lower costs and employees get back to work quicker, says Nussbaum.

Several big firms are sharing success stories, making it more likely that others will follow suit. For example: •At PepsiCo., smokers who won’t join programs pay $600 more a year, a policy that has

hiked participation 10-fold and boosted smoking cessation rates 14%.

•Boeing targeted employees with complex medical problems for a program in which specialized teams of nurses and doctors monitor care. Average absence rates fell from 7.8 days per six months to 3.4 days. The first two years of the program resulted in a savings of 20%.

•Perdue Farms has 18 on-site clinics and credits them with helping keep worker diabetes control rates at 68%, double the national average.

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2011, with very strong rent growth between 2011 and 2015.

Demographics (five million people will enter the peak renter age range of 20 to 34 over the next decade) and plummeting construction starts in 2009 and 2010 drive his forecast.

Not all cities have an excess of rental units, though. In some large cities, such as New York, downtown Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., vacancy rates have remained tight -- and home prices have remained stubbornly high.

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townhouse -- which, on an aftertax basis, they figured would cost them about the same as renting.

But the Portnoffs also figured that if they sold it in three years, real estate commissions would consume any gains they could reasonably expect. Plus, Jeremy believed that the price of their ideal home in that area would continue to decline.

So they took a pass on buying and got a great deal on renting a two-bedroom townhome -$1,550 a month, $300 less than when they looked at the same development three years before.

The couple prudently plan to continue to pay down debt and save for a larger down payment on their next home.

In some markets, rental prices have dropped as supply has

increased. By the end of 2009, the vacancy rate nationally had grown to 8.2%, a 30-year high, according to Nadji, of Marcus & Millichap. Meanwhile, rents had fallen 5.8% from the year before.

Markets with the highest vacancy rates include Jacksonville, Fla. (forecast at 14% in 2010), Atlanta, Houston, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix,

Tampa and Tucson. Renters in such markets can afford to shop around and negotiate hard. A building's leasing manager may be willing to lower the rent to attract or keep your business.

Nadji expects the vacancy rate nationally to tighten up a bit (to 7.8%) by year-end and start a rapid recovery beginning in SHOULD page 84

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Heather, of Edison, N.J. By mid 2009, the median home price in Edison had fallen a healthy 19%, to $317,000, from the market's peak in mid 2006.

The Portnoffs had their heart set on a home with three or four bedrooms to accommodate the family they hope to have, plus an office for Jeremy. The house they could afford was a starter home, probably a small