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Holder: collective administration decision on possible bin Laden trial Jeremy Pelofsky (Front Row Washington) Submitted at 3/22/2010 2:11:18 PM

(UPDATED – adds Tuesday hearing delayed) U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder drew a lot of attention last week when he told Congress that he believed that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden would never be captured alive and declined to say how he would be prosecuted if that hypothetical capture actually came to fruition. Holder offered a somewhat clearer answer on Monday to that question ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Tuesday that is expected to delve deeply into the Obama administration’s policies for prosecuting terrorism suspects. (The hearing was postponed until April 14

because many lawmakers plan to attend the healthcare bill signing.) “If Osama bin Laden were captured, a decision as to how to proceed would be made at that time in consultation with the President’s full national security team,” Holder said in written responses released on Monday to questions submitted for the record by the committee after its last oversight hearing in November. The attorney general has been harshly criticized by Republicans and even some Democrats for deciding to prosecute in criminal court the five alleged plotters of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, including selfproclaimed mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Some have argued that they should be tried in a special military court to avoid giving

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the suspects full U.S. legal rights or a potential platform for their anti-American views. Some in Congress are trying to block funding for trials in traditional criminal courts. The White House has had to intervene and is now

reconsidering Holder’s decision, though officials have defended the criminal courts as a tested means for such prosecutions. Last week Holder was asked about what would happen if U.S. forces captured bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding in the rugged mountainous border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. “The reality is that we will be reading Miranda rights to the corpse of Osama bin Laden. He will never appear in an American courtroom,” Holder told a House Appropriations subcommittee. He later characterized the chances of bin Laden being captured alive as “infinitesimal,” arguing he will be killed either by U.S. forces or by his own people to ensure he was not captured. The next day, the top U.S. and NATO commander in

Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, held out the possibility that bin Laden would be captured. “We certainly would go after trying to capture him alive and bring him to justice. I think that is something that is understood by everyone,” he told reporters. In Holder’s responses to lawmakers’ questions, he also defended the decision to use the criminal courts for terrorism trials as a tried and tested venue. Additionally he said that the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force would permit the Obama administration to hold terrorism suspects without trial if they somehow were not found guilty. - Photo credit: Reuters/ (1998 file photo of bin Laden)

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WHY continued from page 12

resource-rich area for us to scale in the way that we needed to scale at the time. Couple that with the fact that we actually felt wanted. My first time visiting out there, I had a meeting with the mayor and the mayor was very curious about our situation because we represented the creative class. We are a company that was attracted to Portland and we were the creative class and that's how you build a vibrant community. When you have a meeting with the mayor the first time you're out there, you realize you can actually get things done in the city and yet it's still a city of enough size and scale that there should be a lot of resources to pull from. Are there particular types of startups that you think do better in Portland than in other places? From an industry standpoint, Portland has some natural clusters that have developed. Certainly, one of the biggest has been athletic apparel with Nike being there and then Adidas and Columbia, they've had this epicenter of the athletic apparel industry and so that's been a cluster that developed and there's a lot of talent there. There's certainly been an upsurge in smart energy where I've seen a lot of companies either have their U.S. operations there or some startups that are

doing very unique things in smart energy. Software, of which we're a part, has been a relatively strong cluster. A lot of what I'm talking about is Portland-proper focused because we are downtown, and Portland is definitely one of those cities where there is Portland and then there is not Portland, right? Once you get outside Portland you may see things like Boeing contracts and military things, CAD design and hardware companies. I'm not as familiar with them, I'm in the more kind of like, cool, hip, downtown. Like what's happening in the startup culture around that area. How is Portland better or different for entrepreneurs than other cities? I think because it's a smaller city there's a little bit of the aggressive cohesiveness that comes with being a smaller city and wanting to kind of prove yourself to the world and that translates into a very tight-knit entrepreneurial community. So your ability to navigate the waters of Portland to connect with other people who can help you is so easy. I mean you can get to anybody you want to in minutes. And they're all very supportive of other Portland companies and they all want to see Portland do well. I think the other thing is that there is a lot of great talent out there for the

startup phase, so your ability to pull people in to help you out along the way is great. What kind of talent are you referring to? Engineers and inside sales people--people who have worked at other startups who've kind of seen how it works and what you need to do. People who are willing to live in a startup world, and also, this is the most affordable city on the West Coast, so this is a city where the artist can still afford to live in the downtown area and by extension, people that work for startups can afford to live in a downtown area, so your lifestyle isn't too impinged by working in a startup. What's the drawback to being in Portland? I think Portland is great for companies in startup phase, but it has a hard time operating at scale because there are fewer people out here who have been through it before. There's going to be plenty of executives out there, but for technology spaces that are more unique, they're just not there. We have been very successful in Portland and we're still based and headquartered here. I talked to The Oregonian recently about it and described it as kind of like the four-minute mile. It took a long time for the first person to break the four-minute mile, but once you did, then a bunch of

people did. There was a psychological barrier that you had to get across, so I think even in the five years that we've been based out there, I've seen the types of startups improve dramatically. So the nature of the companies that are getting started out there and the promise that they have and how they're getting funded-I've seen that improve and I feel like eventually, there's going to be a company in technology that breaks the four-minute mile. When that's done, suddenly then you've got more talent, more money flowing in and more companies who can see how you get there. For more from this series: Why you Should Start a Company in... Austin Why you Should Start a Company in... New York Why you Should Start a Company in... Los Angeles Why you Should Start a Company in... Chicago Why you Should Start a Company in... Boston Laura Rich is a freelance writer and co-founder of Recessionwire. I m a g e : http://www.flickr.com/photos/st useeger// CC BY 2.0

“Free” Pastry Day at Starbucks (but only till 10:30am)! (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/23/2010 7:01:32 AM

Not quite as good as the Ben & Jerry's deal, but if you're on your way to work (or at work already) and you missed breakfast, then Starbucks is celebrating its new (healthier) menu by offering a free pastry with any “handcrafted” beverage (which I suppose means not beverages like water or juice). Be aware, it's only on till 10:30am while supplies last! Today is certainly a great day for free food! Oh, and for our readers in Hawai'i, it appears this is only valid on Oahu, and not the other islands (but the rest of the U.S. is fair game). Get the coupon (which you can show on your smartphone or print out) at Starbucks. Thanks for the heads up, LDYWDE! Oh sweet deals. Permalink| Leave a comment »

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Nintendo Announces 3-D Handheld - But Can it Steal Back Apple's Gaming Market Share? Kit Eaton (Fast Company) Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:18:25 AM

Nintendo has revealed that it will be showing the next iteration of the DS handheld games console at the upcoming E3 games show in June, and it'll be sporting an amazing new feature: Glasses-free 3D display technology. It's all an attempt to beat Apple's increasing dominance in the handheld video gaming space. The DS 3D will have backwards compatibility with the previous generation's games, but there will be new titles that make use of its 3D powers. The amazing thing about the threedimensional system is that you can enjoy the "effects without the need for any special glasses." Nintendo's not revealing the technology behind how this works, but it's clear that the company's been working on it for a while--as Kotaku notes there were rumors earlier in the year that the nextgen DS would have "highly detailed graphics" and motion sensing, obviously tapping into the Wii's vibe. 3-D is a tech that's about to hit

the big time in a number of ways--3-D TVs are soon to be common, 3-D movies are coming out in increasing numbers, and 3-D monitors for desktop gaming are already on sale. Hence Nintendo's cleverly bringing this hot new tech into its market-leading portable console to maintain the attractiveness of the DS. But it's clearly a desperate move to fend-off Apple. A recent study shows that the

iPhone and iPod Touch successfully stole 20% of the handheld games market from Sony's PSP and Nintendo's DS, jumping up from 5% in the previous year. And this is just the hot-selling iPod and iPhone-Apple's got a paradigmdefining new handheld on the way in the form of the iPad. Flurry Analytics have did research among the iPhone/iPad developer crowd, and have discovered a statistic that will

How the Tablet Will Change the World Steven Levy (Wired Top Stories)

As Steve Jobs pointed out, what the iPad and the new almost everything about today's generation of tablets mean for computers is outmoded. Here's the future of computing.

have Nintendo's execs even more nervous about their future revenues: It seems 44% of apps being tested for the upcoming iPad are games. This makes sense, of course, since the iPad's larger screen can make for a more complex and visuallyarresting game experience than the iPhone, while still coming with the multitouch and accelerometer controls that are often utilized for iPhone games-and its beefier CPU will help

matters too. There's an obvious counterargument against the iPad as a games machine, though, and that's its price. Although the entry-level price for the iPad is actually surprisingly cheap at $500, this is far more than a DS, or even a PSP will cost. And it puts the iPad above the price bracket that many parents would consider acceptable for a gift for the kids--a market the DS has clearly sewn up. But we are as yet clueless about how much the DS 3-D will cost, and it seems likely that it won't be cheap--the specialist hardware will be custom-made for Nintendo, and there will be increased processing requirements to support the more complex graphics. The timing of this 3-D console news is also interesting, since the DSi XL hasn't even gone on sale yet, and it already costs a sizeable $190. [via Kotaku, AppleInsider] To keep up with this and more news, follow me, Kit Eaton, on Twitter. That QR code on the left will take you to my Twitter feed too.

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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.

Google Reduces Evil Quotient (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 3/22/2010 6:13:30 PM

Google announced today that they will be redirecting Chinese users to their Hong Kong search page, where uncensored results will be shown in simplified Chinese: Official Google Blog: A new approach to China: an update. This earns Google some good karma, and reduces their Evil Quotient considerably. The obvious possible hitch is that China could decide to block access to Google’s search engine entirely. The uncensored ball is now in the Chinese court.

Sugar Prices Plunge to an Eight-Month Low as Buyers Cancel Orders Connie Madon (BloggingStocks)

caused severe damage to sugar crops in Brazil and India. There were all kinds of stories about Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:30:00 AM dry weather, wet weather, Filed under: India, Brazil, anything that would make Commodities buyers rush in before prices Last year we heard that the lack skyrocketed. The stories drove of sugar supply was chasing sugar prices to a 29-year high. c h a n g e d . S u g a r s u p p l y i s prices higher. Adverse weather This year the situation has

increasing. Prices have dropped 41% since reaching a high on Feb. 1. India, the world's second largest producer, estimates that this year's crop will be about 17 million metric tons. Continue reading Sugar Prices Plunge to an Eight-Month Low as Buyers Cancel Orders

Sugar Prices Plunge to an Eight -Month Low as Buyers Cancel Orders originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Google AdWords Gets Legal Green Light From EU for Trademark Keywords Kit Eaton (Fast Company) Submitted at 3/23/2010 8:09:56 AM

The European Union has, for once, passed a legal ruling in Google's favor. The case centers around Google's use of trademarks as keywords in its adwords system, which is now legally sanctioned. But the lawyers for Louis Vuitton and other brands are still circling. Google's blog explains what happens--since its from Google's viewpoint it stresses the positives in the situation, but digging through the text it's pretty clear that Google sees this legal case as pivotal for the future of free and open Internet advertising. "The question before the court was whether advertisers should be allowed to choose keywords freely when reaching out to users on the Internet. In other words, if advertisers are allowed to show advertisements when another company's brand name is entered as a search query," it begins. This is precisely how AdWords works, of course, and from a user standpoint it makes

sense--if you type in a brand of car, the results you want to see may well include service centers for the vehicles, or if you're searching for a brand of clothing you're likely to be looking for a store that sells it rather than the actual brand's website. But that's the simplest interpretation, and the legal tussle centered on a technicality: AdWords works through a bidding system, so competitors can bid to have their ads show up when the competing brand name is searched for. To demonstrate this point, the U.K.'s Conservative Party bid for the phrase "Gordon Brown"

over the weekend, and thus got their political messages broadcast by people searching for Labour Party information. One of the plaintiffs in the case against Google was Louis Vuitton, which alleged that competitors, selling faked Vuitton goods were "hijacking" the Vuitton trademark to hawk their counterfeit items. Furthermore, if there's a bidding war, it can become expensive for brands to defend their brand in the AdWords system, and the only real winner of this is Google. Yet the European court has in fact found in Google's favor,

noting that it's not an infringement of trade marks for Google to use them in its system, and the E.U. law that protects Net hosting services also applies to Google. The plaintiffs will, inevitably, work out the next legal maneuver to make--but Google's already moving to claim the higher ground, noting that, "This is important because it is a fundamental principle behind the free flow of information over the internet. Our guiding principle has always been that advertising should benefit users, and our aim is to ensure that ads are relevant and useful."

In other words, Google's trying to deliver up useful info to the Net public, but the brands are aggressively trying to restrain Net freedoms by mis-applying trademark regulation. [via Googleblog, BrandChannel, BBC] To keep up with this news and more, follow me, Kit Eaton, on Twitter. That QR code on the left will take you to my Twitter feed too.

Pundits Who Were Wrong, Starring Fred Barnes (Little Green Footballs)

The Health Care Bill Is Dead | The Weekly Standard. The health care bill, Fred Barnes in January 2010: ObamaCare, is dead with not the

Submitted at 3/23/2010 7:00:01 AM

slightest prospect of resurrection. Brown ran to be the 41st vote for filibuster and now he is just that. Democrats

have talked up clever strategies to pass the bill in the Senate despite Brown, but they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fly.

Oops.

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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

Morning Reading 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.

nospam@example.org (Scott Jagow) (Marketplace Scratch Pad) Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:54:20 AM

Good morning. A few things to start the day, including more on health care, 10 things we can learn from Michael Lewis and the virtual wallet has arrived: A primer on the health care bill(Christian Science Monitor) The lies about health care costs(Bloomberg) Former (Congressional Budget Office) director Douglas HoltzEakin, writing in the New York Times, described the group’s process as “fantasy in, fantasy out.” CBO rules often preclude common sense. Its forecasters can’t take into account any other legislation when studying the price tag of a proposed bill. That enabled the forecasters costing out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bill to overlook this fact: Medicare spending

increases will force tax increases, which in turn will hurt growth. Having insurance is “going to be like Christmas”(WRAL TV) “It’s going to be great. You know, no worries (about) the bills. We are going to go ahead and pay our co-pay and be alright.” 10 Things we can learn from Michael Lewis’s new book(Marketwatch) • Never, ever invest in something you don’t fully understand. Ever. • Don’t take credit scores too seriously. The virtual wallet is here(NPR) “The convenience is really incredible — the ability to transfer funds on the spot, or look at multiple accounts on the spot — to be able to have almost a virtual wallet at your fingertips.”

Free cone day today at Ben & Jerry's! (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:11:00 AM

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield first scooped up free ice cream all day back in 1979

as a way to thank the community for supporting them in their first year—the tradition picked up and now most stores follow suit over 30 years later! Find your local Ben & Jerry's to

pick up your free cone (flavor of

your choosing) here! (oh, and it's only on from 12pm8pm!) More info at Ben & Jerry's. Although magnificent in combination, food and deals are

pretty darn good on their own, too. Photo credit: Fotolia Permalink| Leave a comment »

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More from GrowCo.: How to Pitch Your Business to Investors Janine Popick (Inc.com)

after another, we changed the story that day to: "We have an online tool where you can create I was sitting in the "How to e-mails in seconds without Finance Anything" session last being technical. Imagine week at GrowCo listening to inserting pictures of your Andy Craig, author of Elevator properties right inside your eSpeech, talk about how to pitch mail since attachments of y o u r b u s i n e s s t o a n y o n e , pictures in e-mail might be seen especially investors. Andy as viruses and not get through." emphasized the importance of And each one of the realtors had telling a story, and I couldn't a story to tell us where that agree more. How many times happened to them. have you heard someone talk Andy went on to emphasize the about what their company does importance of three things: and at the end of their speech using words, tools, and time to you say to yourself, "I have no tell your story. idea what it is or why someone Words -- You need to get would use it." across quickly what makes you One of our first years at different and what makes you VerticalResponse, we visited a shine. The only way to do this is real estate trade show where to tell that story. Start sentences thousands of realtors attended to with words like "Imagine..." or see how they could manage and "For instance...." Those will go grow their businesses. Our pitch a long way in starting to was the following: "We have a illustrate in their minds what self-service online tool where you do. you can create HTML e-mails Tools -- Using visuals to without being technical." support your words is important, After watching one blank stare but Andy says you shouldn't Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:33:00 PM

13 of the Brightest Tech Minds Sound Off on the Rise of the Tablet Wired Magazine (Wired Top Stories) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:00:00 PM

Is the rise of the tablet the death of the laptop? The final stage of

an extraordinary era of textual innovation? Neil Young, Kevin Kelly and Martha Stewart are among those who weigh in.

start with Powerpoint before starting with your ideas. Powerpoint should only come in at the end. He also brought up a great rule that Guy Kawasaki, founder of Garage Technology Ventures, has called the 10-2030 rule. 10 slides20 minutes30 point font size Time -- Andy emphasizes to come in under the time frame, especially when you're pitching investors. Get to the point because they're busy, but use the time you have to tell your story. One idea I thought was great when it comes to getting a meeting with a potential investor was to get out a video camera, and film yourself telling your story. Then send your pitch to the investor to get the meeting. Keep it short and sweet. Got any great ideas or tools you've used to get an investor on board?

Bill Gates Goes Nuclear with Toshiba's 4S Reactor Addy Dugdale (Fast Company)

philanthropist. Its 4S model (Super-Safe, Small and Simple) is expected to get US approval Submitted at 3/23/2010 8:50:48 AM this year, and Toshiba is hoping Bill Gates is going atomic. The to start production by 2014. Microsoft founder's startup It's not clear whether Gates is TerraPower is partnering with s i m p l y j o i n i n g i n t h e Toshiba to build a traveling- development of the 4S, or wave reactor. These reactors run collaborating on a separate on depleted uranium, rather than model. The technology will not the enriched sort found in light- be commercially available for water reactors, only have to be the next decade or so, according refueled every 60 to 100 years, to The New York Times. The and are small enough to fit in a Nikkei is also claiming that hot tub. it is all part of Gates' Gates might invest several quest for zero carbon emissions billion dollars of his own in the next 40 years. fortune in the project. Toshiba has been working on [ I m a g e V i a its own mini nuclear reactors http://www.flickr.com/photos/ju with a 30-year shelf life, making rvetson// CC BY 2.0">Flickr] it the perfect partner for the software magnate-turned-

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Phillips-Van Heusen Tops Estimates, the Future Looks Bright Steven Mallas (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 3/23/2010 8:30:00 AM

Filed under: Earnings Reports, Polo Ralph Lauren'A' (RL) Phillips Van-Heusen Corp. ( PVH) issued Q4 numbers Monday after the bell. The apparel maker, which recently purchased the Tommy Hilfiger brand, doubled its adjusted income to 61 cents per share. That was two pennies ahead of estimates. The top line increased 9%, also on an adjusted basis. When you compare the fourth quarter's growth rates to the performance of the full fiscal year, you'll see a clear advantage to the former. This is hopefully indicative of a bright

future course. Continue reading Phillips-Van Heusen Tops Estimates, the Future Looks Bright Phillips-Van Heusen Tops Estimates, the Future Looks Bright originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

Two releases today (Scripting News)

Another great suggestion from a River2 user: Instapaper support. Jay was sick so we got a guest, It's a rainy spring Monday in Jonathan Glick, to help Reboot NYC! the News. Submitted at 3/22/2010 4:36:37 PM

Clinton in Mexico for drugs talks (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)

over into US territory and against their interests. In turn, the Mexican Submitted at 3/23/2010 4:38:13 AM government insists that US Secretary of State Hillary Washington do more. Guns Clinton is leading a high-level bought north of the border end delegation to Mexico to discuss up in the drug barons' hands, it the fight on drugs. argues, and the heavy demand The long-planned visit comes for drugs in US territory is the 10 days after the killings of root cause of the conflict. three people connected to the What this meeting seems to US consulate in the Mexican confirm is that other important border city of Ciudad Juarez. i s s u e s o f t h e U S - M e x i c o Officials will discuss the relationship, like migration and Merida initiative, a $1.6bn US trade, have virtually vanished programme of aid aimed at from the bilateral agenda. These fighting the drug cartels. days, their relationship seems to The visit comes a year after be largely focused on Mexico's P r e s i d e n t B a r a c k O b a m a drugs war. promised to be a "full partner" Mrs Clinton is due to meet with Mexico in fighting drugs. M e x i c a n P r e s i d e n t F e l i p e Defence Secretary Robert Calderon at the end of her oneGates, Chairman of the Joint day visit. Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Officials will focus on the push Mullen and Homeland Security to improve law enforcement and Secretary Janet Napolitano are how to involve communities on part of the US delegation. both side of the border in Since that incident, Washington security planning. has expressed growing concern Most of the funds in the Merida over the spiralling drug-related programme, which is due to conflict and the situation in expire in 2011, are allocated to places like Ciudad Juarez, just Mexico, with the rest going to across the border from Texas, other countries in Central where more than 500 people America. have died since the New Year. On the eve of the talks, Mr Some Americans fear a spill- Obama spoke to Mr Calderon to

"underscore his administration's commitment to the strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico", a US statement said. The pair discussed their "mutual desire to work together for the benefit of the safety and security of citizens on both sides of our shared border", it added. Lesley Enriquez - a US citizen working at the Juarez consulate - her American husband, Arthur Redelfs, and Jorge Alberto Salcido, the Mexican husband of another consular employee, were shot dead in two separate incidents on 13 March. The motives for the killings remain unclear. Last week, US police across the border in El Paso, Texas, rounded up members of the Barrio Azteca gang suspected of carrying out the killings. Drug-related violence has left some 18,000 people dead in Mexico since 2006. Print Sponsor Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Drink Darker Coffee for a Happier Stomach [Coffee] Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:30:00 AM

If coffee tends to do a number on your stomach, but you love the brew too much to give it up, switch to a darker roast for less

digestive woes and more cup-ofjoe enjoyment. More Âť

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Tea partiers vow revenge over health overhaul (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)

consultant who works with tea party activists on the national level, as well as in Florida and TALLAHASSEE, Fla. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tea New York. "The health care party activists aren't just angry process has been an incendiary that Democrats passed a major i s s u e f o r t h e t e a p a r t y health care overhaul, they are organizations since Day 1. out for revenge. Losing that vote is going to They do not see passage of the inflame them more." landmark reforms that usher in The number of tea party groups near-universal medical coverage has been growing for a little as the end of the debate. Tea more then a year. Many in the partiers instead vow to support movement were previously not attorneys general who plan a politically active and have a lawsuit seeking to declare the strong independent streak, law unconstitutional. They are making organization sometimes demanding the bill be repealed difficult. or not funded and want to kick Most share a common belief out of office all supporters of that government spending and the measure. influence should be limited and So far, the nascent movement they're angry about policies h a s a l m o s t r e v e l e d i n i t s President Barack Obama and the rebellious and grass roots nature Democratic-controlled Congress and has avoided becoming as are implementing, including last much a part of the establishment year's $787 billion federal a s t h e R e p u b l i c a n a n d stimulus package and health Democratic parties. But some care. tea party organizers see the In a conference call with tea h e a l t h c a r e d e b a t e a s a party activists Monday night, galvanizing force that could stir Eric Odom of the Patriot Caucus its followers to greater action mapped ambitious plans to set and something to rally around up state chapters, organize with midterm elections this year. voters online and raise money to In states across the country, tea oust incumbents who supported party groups planned protests the health care overhaul. a n d v o w e d t o t a r g e t a n y He predicted the vote would congressional member who i n c r e a s e s u p p o r t f o r t h e supported the measure passed movement across the country. Sunday night. The government "has declared "There's going to be a whole, all war on our way of life," Odom -out effort for an Election Day from Nevada told listeners. o n s l a u g h t , " s a i d M i c h a e l "It's now time to boot them from Caputo, a public relations office," said Odom, who chairs Submitted at 3/23/2010 1:09:01 AM

the Liberty First PAC, a fundraising arm of the group. "We absolutely must have your help." In Florida, about 85 tea party groups encompass about 100,000 people, according to Everett Wilkinson, a leader in the state's movement. A small rally is being planned in Boca Raton on Tuesday with more likely the rest of the week in response to the vote, he said. There are similar reactions elsewhere. "We will be more determined than ever to see that this country is governed the way the constitution intended," said Brenda Bowen, a tea party organizer in Greenville, Ala. "We are all getting our second wind. When we do, you'd better watch out." Even though they didn't stop the bill, Tim Dake, organizer of the Milwaukee-area group GrandSons of Liberty, said he and others intend to push for a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit forcing people to buy health insurance. The amendment has been introduced by Republicans in the Democratic-controlled Wisconsin Legislature, but there are no plans to hold a hearing on it. The Republican-controlled Legislature is pushing a similar measure in Florida. If lawmakers put it on the ballot, at least 60 percent of voters would

have to approve it. Christen Varley, head of the Greater Boston Tea Party Organizers, said the House health vote was both "heartbreaking" and a wake-up call. "I think we all went to bed a little dejected last night, but from the communication I received this morning, people are energized," said Varley. Sarah Palin is scheduled to headline a tea party rally on historic Boston Common on April 14. Massachusetts already has a form of universal health care, yet the state made passage of the bill more difficult when voters elected Republican Scott Brown to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; who spent nearly his entire career pushing for health care for all. Brown's election took away Democrats' filibusterproof majority in the Senate. Willie Lawson, a Tampa-area conservative radio talk show host who speaks at tea party rallies, wondered what effect the vote will have on an April 15 event at a University of South Florida stadium. "It's just a big punch in the gut. It really is to a lot of people," said Lawson, who wondered whether people new to the movement will be discouraged by the vote and not bother to come. Others, he's sure, will be more fired up. "For some people it will just be

more raw meat, more raw meat out the back door to get people to come," he said. "The hardcore people will be there. They'll be angrier than ever." Whether or not tea partiers will be able to turn anger into organization may vary from state to state. "People in the Tea Party movement are fiercely independent. They don't like being told what to do. It's like herding cats," said Chad Capps, strategy coordinator for a Huntsville, Ala., group. While tea party activists have made themselves heard, University of North Florida political science professor Matthew Corrigan said the movement alone won't be enough to oust incumbents. "Do they have energy? Yes. Have they been getting into the media? Yes, but they still haven't sold me on the fact that they can swing elections," Corrigan said. He added, however, that tea party activists could be more influential if they work with Republicans against Democrats. And for Wilkinson, it doesn't just stop at voting out the lawmakers who supported the measure. "When they leave office, we're going to make sure the private sector is aware of who they are and we'll make it virtually TEA page 23

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China slams Google censoring move (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)

"The thing that makes the government unhappy is this kind of gesture," he said. "They may Submitted at 3/23/2010 7:11:14 AM set up barriers against Google." China has said Google's move Young Chinese professionals to stop censoring search results working in Beijing's main IT is "totally wrong" and accused it hub, Zhongguancun, expressed a of breaking a promise made mixture of regret, anger and when it launched in China. surprise on Tuesday at Google's The US giant is redirecting decision. users in mainland China to its "I think it was inevitable unrestricted Hong Kong site, though," Chen Wen, 28, told although Chinese firewalls mean Reuters. "The government was results still come back censored. never going to compromise on Beijing said the decision should filtering. China needs this not affect ties with Washington. company. It's a great loss for the Google threatened to leave the country." Chinese market completely this You Chuanbo, 25, predicted the year after cyber attacks were government would "just end up traced back to China. blocking access to all of Google's move effectively to Google". shut its mainland Chinese search cyber attack. the law", he added. i n f o r m a t i o n t e c h n o l o g y Valued market service, google.cn, is a major The White House said it was Earlier an official in the specialist, told Reuters that In Beijing, some passers-by laid blow to China's international "disappointed" that Google and Chinese government office Google should have accepted flowers outside Google's offices image, the BBC's Damian China had not been able to which oversees the internet said: Chinese regulation if it wanted to thank the company for Grammaticas reports from resolve their differences. standing up for its principles. "Google has violated its written to operate in the country. Beijing. 'Politicisation' promise it made when entering "Any company entering China International human rights It means one of the world's A BBC search of google.cn on the Chinese market by stopping should abide by Chinese laws," groups praised Google's move , most prominent corporations is T u e s d a y u s i n g t h e w o r d filtering its searching service he said. "Chinese internet users with the New York-based saying it is no longer willing to "Tiananmen" brought up results a n d b l a m i n g C h i n a i n will have no regrets if Google Human Rights in China saying co-operate in China's censorship but the words "Dalai Lama" insinuation for alleged hacker withdraws." Google had put the ball in o f t h e i n t e r n e t , o u r returned messages like "problem attacks. Please turn on JavaScript. Beijing's court - China promised correspondent says. l o a d i n g p a g e " a n d " t h e "This is totally wrong. We're Media requires JavaScript to to respect freedoms in Hong But business analysts say the c o n n e c t i o n w a s r e s e t " . uncompromisingly opposed to play. Kong when it regained the company is taking a long-term Chinese foreign ministry the politicisation of commercial Google's Peter Barron on territory in 1997. gamble as the Chinese internet spokesman Qin Gang told i s s u e s , a n d e x p r e s s o u r decision Robert Mahoney, deputy search market is growing by reporters that Google's move discontent and indignation to Edward Yu, chief executive of director of the Committee to 40% a year. w a s a n i s o l a t e d a c t b y a Google for its unreasonable A n a l y s y s I n t e r n a t i o n a l , a Protect Journalists, said the CPJ China recently moved to further c o m m e r c i a l c o m p a n y a n d accusations and conducts," the Beijing-based research firm hoped it would "ramp up limit free speech on the web, should not affect China-US ties unnamed official was quoted as specialising in technology p r e s s u r e o n t h e C h i n e s e and Google's own websites and "unless politicised" by others. saying by Chinese state news issues, said he did not believe government to allow its citizens the e-mail accounts of human The government would handle agency Xinhua. Google's rerouting was CHINA page 26 rights activists have come under the Google case "according to Chen Yafei, a Chinese sustainable.

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Report: Catholic clergy abuse claims drop in US (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 3/23/2010 3:09:01 AM

While the Roman Catholic church in Europe reels from a widening sex abuse crisis, the scandal that has plagued the U.S. church for nearly a decade is tapering off, a report released Tuesday says. The number of abuse victims, allegations and offending clergy in the U.S. dropped in 2009 to their lowest numbers since data started being collected in 2004, the report said. The price paid by the church has fallen, too. Dioceses and their insurers paid $104 million in settlements, attorneys' fees and other abuse-related costs in 2009, down from $376 million in 2008. All told, the scandal's price tag for settlements and other costs has risen to more than $2.7 billion, according to estimates. The numbers of cases were expected to decline, but the financial impact remains severe, said Charles Zech, a Villanova University economics professor. "The U.S. Catholic Church cannot afford that right now, not the way the economy has been going, the hit taken on diocesan investments, and to some extent parishioner contributions," Zech said. "The church ... can't afford

to be going on like this very much longer." The latest annual report from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops identifies 398 allegations of abuse involving clergy from Catholic dioceses in 2009 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a 36 percent decline from 2008. Most cases involved preteen or teen males and incidents that were decades old, in keeping with past patterns. The number of offenders dropped 32 percent, to 286. Most are dead, no longer in the priesthood, removed from ministry or missing, the report said. Of the allegations reported in 2009, six involved children under the age of 18 in 2009. The report said that about oneeighth of the allegations made in 2009 were unsubstantiated or determined to be false by the end of the year. A companion survey that tracks how dioceses are complying with post-scandal reforms identified 21 cases of allegations against current minors in the year between July 2008 and June 2009. Nine allegations were against international priests visiting or serving in the United States. U.S.-born priests are scarce, and dioceses increasingly are looking overseas to staff their parishes.

The report also showed a striking decline in the amount of money paid out to settlements, reflecting a quieter period after several years of huge payments to victims in states such as California. Settlements totaled $55 million in 2009, down from $324 million in 2008. Other 2009 abuse-related costs were attorney's fees (almost $29 million), support for clergy offenders including therapy, living and legal costs (almost $11 million), and therapy for victims not covered by settlements ($6.5 million). Insurance covered about a third of the costs to dioceses, which is consistent with previous years. Similar trends exist in religious orders, which account for a smaller proportion of priests in the U.S. The report identified 115 credible allegations against order priests and deacons in 2009, a 35 percent decrease. Again, most involve decadesold cases. Abuse-related settlements and costs totaled nearly $16 million for orders, down from almost $60 million in 2008. The picture of the scandal in religious orders, however, is incomplete because just 159 of 219 men's religious

communities took part in the survey. David Clohessy, national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, reiterated victims' skepticism about self-reported abuse figures. He said it's naive to think an institution that has concealed abuse and protected its own for so long would suddenly be honest and forthcoming. Clohessy also predicted a ripple effect from the rash of new allegations of abuse and coverup in Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy and Pope Benedict's native Germany. "Many victims, like Catholics, desperately want to believe the abuses and cover-ups are less pervasive and reform is actually happening," he said. "When confronted with evidence that's not so, I predict more victims will come forward next year." Dioceses in 2009 also invested more than $21 million for child protection efforts including training programs, background checks and training for staff, according to the report for the bishops prepared by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. Almost 6 million children, or

96 percent of children in Catholic schools or religious education programs, received "safe environment" training. The training is required under the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, reforms adopted by bishops in 2002 at the height of the scandal. Two dioceses â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the dioceses of Baker, Ore., and Fresno, Calif. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; were not compliant by year's end with the provision requiring the training and documentation of it, the report said. "The number of children now equipped with the skills to protect themselves more effectively continues to grow," Chicago Cardinal Francis George, president of the bishops conference, wrote in a memo accompanying the report. "The Charter is causing a cultural change in the U.S. Catholic Church, one I hope will permeate all areas of society." George added that bishops need to continue to reach out to victims of child sexual abuse. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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AP Exclusive: Sources: Charges eyed for Blackwater (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)

contract could be worth up to $1 billion but has drawn the ire of some in Congress. WASHINGTON â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Federal The potential charges stem prosecutors are considering from a raid conducted by federal filing weapons charges against agents in 2008 that seized 22 former top officials of the weapons, among them 17 AKBlackwater Worldwide private 47s. security company over Multiple law enforcement a l l e g a t i o n s t h e y i l l e g a l l y officials familiar with the case stockpiled automatic rifles at the said investigators are trying to company's North Carolina d e t e r m i n e i f B l a c k w a t e r headquarters, The Associated obtained the official letterhead Press has learned. of a local sheriff to create a false Senior Justice Department justification for buying the guns. officials are reviewing a draft The officials spoke on condition indictment against former of anonymity because they were president Gary Jackson, former not authorized to discuss the Blackwater lawyer Andrew investigation. Howell, and a third man who Federal law prohibits private used to work at the firm's parties from buying fully armory, people close to the case automatic weapons registered told the AP. A decision is not after 1986, but does let law expected until at least next enforcement agencies have month. them. Any indictment, even of former Xe spokesman Mark Corallo e x e c u t i v e s , w o u l d b e said the company has "fully unwelcome news at a company c o o p e r a t e d w i t h t h i s b e l e a g u e r e d s i n c e a 2 0 0 7 investigation and we will have shooting involving Blackwater no further comment." guards in Baghdad left 17 Jackson said during a brief people dead. Under a new name, phone conversation Monday that Xe, the firm is trying to win he wouldn't be able to talk about Defense Department approval to federal charges and didn't know train police in Afghanistan. The anything about any that might Submitted at 3/23/2010 4:03:02 AM

be looming. "I haven't heard a single, solitary word," Jackson said before ending the phone call. Attempts to reach Howell for comment Monday were not successful. In a 2008 interview with the AP, Jackson and other Blackwater executives said the company provided the local Camden County sheriff's office a place to store weapons, calling the gesture a "professional courtesy." "We gave them a big safe so that they can store their own guns," Jackson said at the time. Company officials, including both Jackson and Howell, downplayed the raid during the interview. Jackson said some of the 16 uniformed officers who came to serve the warrant were embarrassed by the event and said agents had to stop at Blackwater's front gate to get passes to come onto the company's sprawling campus in northeastern North Carolina. "As a hypothetical, one would think that, if you were going on a raid, you'd take your Kevlar and your weapon," Howell said to laughter from other executives.

Blackwater, headquartered in Moyock, N.C., changed its name to Xe Services after its security guards were accused of killing unarmed Iraqi civilians more than two years ago. Those charges were later thrown out of court after a judge found prosecutors mishandled evidence. In the 2008 North Carolina raid, agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched the armory and seized 22 guns from a vault dedicated to county authorities. The company signed agreements in 2005 in which Blackwater financed the purchase of 34 automatic weapons for the Camden County sheriff's office. Sheriff Tony Perry became the official owner of the weapons, but Blackwater was allowed to keep most of the guns at its armory. One of the 2005 agreements viewed later by the AP says the weapons will be kept under "lock and key" and doesn't describe whether Blackwater would use the guns. At the time of the raid, Blackwater said federal

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impossible for them to have a job even after they leave office," Wilkinson said. "Wherever they are, we will be there. We are not stopping. We're not going away.

This is just the beginning." ___ Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., Phillip Rawls

in Montgomery, Ala., and PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Michael Blood in Los Angeles, Term Extraction. contributed to this report. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools:

authorities knew about the weapons for years and said investigators got a complete look at the company's cache in 2005 after two employees were fired. The company also said it was not unusual to store automatic weapons because the company is licensed to sell, provide training on or even manufacture firearms. The 2005 agreements give the sheriff's office unlimited access to the weapons, including 17 Romanian AK-47s. Perry said at the time that his department only used the AK-47s in shooting practice at Blackwater and that none of his 19 deputies were qualified to use them. ____ Baker reported from Raleigh, N.C. Associated Press Writer Matt Apuzzo in Washington contributed to this report. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Israel 'will build in Jerusalem' (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 3/23/2010 12:50:43 AM

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Benjamin Netanyahu: 'Jerusalem is not a settlement; it's our capital' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted Israel's "right to build" in Jerusalem, following a row with the US over plans for new homes in the city. "Jerusalem is not a settlement, it's our capital," he said in Washington. But Mr Netanyahu did not mention the decision to expand the East Jerusalem settlement of Ramat Shlomo in a speech to the pro-Israel lobby group, Aipac. Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the meeting Israel had to make "difficult" choices for peace. She said the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in Palestinian occupied territory undermined the US role in the peace process. The Palestinian Authority is furious at Israel's insistence on building on occupied territory. It sees it as a serious stumbling block to the resumption of talks, which have been stalled for more than a year. Some 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built

since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They are considered illegal under international law, which Israel disputes. Call to Abbas In his speech to a convention of the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) on Monday evening, Mr Netanyahu said that "the Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3,000 years ago and the Jewish people are building it today". Settlements in occupied East Jerusalem were an "inextricable" part of the city, he said, and would remain part of Israel under any peace agreement. "Therefore, building in them in no way precludes the possibility

of a two-state solution." He said Israel wanted Palestinians to be "our neighbours, living freely" and called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to "come and negotiate peace". Mr Netanyahu added that while the US could help resolve both sides' problems, peace could not be imposed from the outside. Speaking just hours earlier to the same audience, Mrs Clinton urged Mr Netanyahu to extend Israel's suspension of new building in the West Bank to include East Jerusalem. Israel's latest building plans in occupied East Jerusalem have been condemned by the Obama administration and are at the heart of the current crisis in

others in the region hope to exploit," she added. Last week, the Israeli prime minister proposed a series of "trust-building measures" that he said represented "a real effort" to aid US peace efforts. Although details have not yet been made public, Israeli officials said these included an agreement to discuss all outstanding issues in the indirect "proximity talks" being mediated by US special envoy George Mitchell. In Monday's speech, Mr Netanyahu also warned that "Iran's brazen bid to develop nuclear weapons... is the threat to the entire world". He urged the world community relations between the two to act "swiftly" to "swart this danger". countries. Iran insists its nuclear Both sides have been trying to take the heat of the dispute, re- programme is solely for civilian purposes. emphasising their friendship. Perhaps Mr Netanyahu has Mr Netanyahu is scheduled to given some kind of private meet President Obama later on assurance to the Americans that Tuesday. Meanwhile, at least three he won't surprise them with any people were injured in an Israeli more building projects. But his speech shows that on air strike overnight in the east of the fundamentals of the issue the Gaza City, Palestinian officials said. US and Israel are far apart. S h e s a i d t h e c o n t i n u e d The Israeli military said its expansion of Jewish settlements aircraft had targeted a weapons undermined "mutual trust and storage facility in retaliation for endangers the proximity talks Palestinian rocket attacks since that are the first step toward the Thursday, one killing a Thai full negotiations that both sides farm worker. In a separate incident, an Israeli want and need". "It exposes daylight between ISRAEL page 25 Israel and the United States that

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5 things you didn’t know about frozen food (Holy Kaw!) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:10:10 PM

March is a month for celebrating the end of winter, St. Patrick’s Day, and Big Bird's birthday, but did you know that the third month of the year is also Frozen Food Month? Probably not, but feel free to have a little party with your freezer. We’ll celebrate by sharing five totally random frozen food facts: • TV dinners debuted in 1954. C.A. Swanson & Sons got the idea for the product after the

food sector and rack up $5 billion in sales annually. • The first frozen food sold to the public was frozen vegetables, which hit kitchens in 1929.

Is A Captcha DRM? Craigslist Wins Default Judgment Claiming Yes Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 3/23/2010 4:54:19 AM

Last year, we wrote about a troubling set of lawsuits filed by Craigslist that seemed very Everything you ever wanted to dangerous, as it was pushing the know about frozen food at boundaries on a series of legal Answers.com. concepts, all of which could F u l l a g g r e g a t i o n o f come back to haunt Craigslist company got stuck with 520,000 that Americans would not want A n s w e r s . c o m . (and others) at a later date. For pounds of unsold Thanksgiving to live without. Photo credit: Fotolia turkeys. • Nearly half of Americans Permalink| Leave a comment » example, we noted that there was a "weak" DMCA claim that • The Frozen Food Institute purchase frozen dinners. said that the captchas used by claims that certain frozen foods • Frozen dinners comprise the Craigslist to get people to prove are among the top three items largest category of the frozen they were human were actually "technological protection measures," and circumventing them violated the anti(Holy Kaw!) News, and Google Images for circumvention provisions of the Google.cn, and the redirect to DMCA. While it's not the same Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:39:00 AM Google.com.hk is temporary lawsuit (apparently Craigslist Google announced yesterday while Google.cn is updated. had filed even more such that it had stopped censoring What do you think of a new, lawsuits), Ray Dowd has the Google.cn; it now redirects to unredacted Google in China? details of Craigslist winning a the uncensored Google.com.hk Will it have any huge effects, default judgment in a similar (which is in simplified Chinese). cultural or otherwise? lawsuit after the company sued Google's move was a direct Full story at Discovery News, didn't bother to defend itself. response to cyberattacks or check out Google's chief This is why the concept of originating in China against search capabilities in China engine in the hope that China legal officer's blog post at the d e f a u l t j u d g m e n t s a l w a y s human rights activists connected (“self-censorship is a non- will not block access to its Google Blog. concerns me. Now we have a with China over the past few negotiable legal requirement”), services. More China news. ruling on the books that finds months. China had made clear but Google is making the Google has stopped censorship Photo credit: Fotolia captchas are like DRM, and that Google would not be decision to open its search on Google Search, Google Permalink| Leave a comment » getting around them even if for allowed to provide uncensored perfectly legal purposes(can't read 'em?) may count as violating the DMCA. Permalink| Comments| Email Associated Press Top Performers Reb, 10 Ast, 2 Stl Term Extraction. This Story (ESPN.com) Dallas: J. Terry 24 Pts, 2 Reb, 4 Five Filters featured article: Ast Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:58:26 PM New Orleans: D. West 25 Pts, 6 PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS,

Google China uncensored

Paul limited in return as Hornets put away Mavs

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Chatroulette Beats Hot or Not in Reader Poll Barb Dybwad (Mashable!)

(Posterous: 1496 votes, Tie: 256 votes) Week 3: It looks like Hot or Not just got - Pandora vs. Last.fm nexted. The new shiny of the - WINNER: Last.fm, 1187 votes moment Chatroulette soundly (Pandora: 1156 votes, Tie: 122 trounced the older site in this votes) week’s edition of the long- Week 4: running Web Faceoff series. - Twitter vs. Facebook At 742 votes, Chatroulette - WINNER: Facebook, 2484 commanded 66% of the vote, votes (Twitter: 2061 votes, Tie: more than twice the 281 votes 588 votes) Hot or Not netted to stake out its Week 5: 25% of the total. The tie vote - WordPress vs. Typepad occupied 9% of the total. I guess - WINNER: WordPress, 2714 Ben Folds, Merton, and the 14% votes (Typepad: 267 votes, Tie: pervert demographic can’t be 357 votes) wrong. Week 6: Were you at all surprised by the - Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard results? Check out the full list of - WINNER: Windows 7, 3632 the Faceoff Series’ past winners votes (Snow Leopard: 3278 below, and be sure to come back votes, Tie: 121 votes) for the new edition for this Week 7: week! - TweetDeck vs. Seesmic Who would win in a fight: D e s k t o p Chatroulette or Hot or Not? - WINNER: TweetDeck, 3294 online surveys votes (Seesmic Desktop: 1055 Faceoff Series: Overall Results votes, Tie: 260 votes) Week 1: Week 8: - Mozilla Firefox vs. Google - Microsoft Office vs. Google Chrome Docs - WINNER: Firefox, 4600 votes - WINNER: Microsoft Office, (Chrome: 3310 votes, Tie: 911 1365 votes (Google Docs: 994 votes) votes, Tie: 315 votes) Week 2: Week 9: - Tumblr vs. Posterous - Apple iPhone vs. Google - WINNER: Tumblr, 1809 votes Android Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:36:04 PM

- WINNER: Google Android, 3323 votes (Apple iPhone: 1494 votes, Tie: 228 votes) Week 10: - AT&T vs. Verizon - WINNER: Verizon, 1161 votes (AT&T: 538 votes, Tie: 118 votes) Week 11: - Google vs. Bing - WINNER: Google, 2180 votes (Bing: 519 votes, Tie: 97 votes) Week 12: - iPod Touch/iPhone vs. Nintendo DS vs. Sony PSP - WINNER: iPod Touch/iPhone, 704 votes (Sony PSP: 639 votes, Nintendo DS: 482 votes, Tie: 108 votes) Week 13: - Digg vs. Reddit vs. StumbleUpon - WINNER: Digg, 14,762 votes (Reddit: 11,466 votes, StumbleUpon: 2507 votes, Tie: 1032 votes) Week 14: - Old versus new Twitter retweets - WINNER: Old style retweets,

1625 votes (New style retweets: 699 votes, Tie: 227 votes) Week 15: - Gmail vs. Outlook - WINNER: Gmail, 3684 votes (Outlook: 980 votes, Tie: 590 votes) Week 16: - Boxee vs. Hulu - WINNER: Hulu, 626 votes (Boxee: 591 votes, Tie: 106 votes) Week 17: - Nexus One vs. iPhone 3GS - WINNER: Nexus One, 6743 votes (iPhone 3GS: 2818 votes, Tie: 592 votes) Week 18: - Foursquare vs. Yelp vs. Gowalla - WINNER: Foursquare, 1182 votes, (Yelp: 661 votes, Gowalla: 509 votes, Tie: 143 votes) Week 19: - AIM vs. GTalk vs. FbChat - WINNER: GTalk, 2189 votes, (AIM: 1257 votes, FbChat: 511 votes, Tie: 203 votes) Week 20: - Music Ownership vs. Music Subscription - WINNER: Ownership, 533 votes (Subscription: 299 votes, Tie: 237) Week 21: - Match.com vs. PlentyofFish

- WINNER: Plenty of Fish, 430 votes (Match.com: 334 votes, Tie: 187 votes) Week 21: - Google Buzz vs. Facebook Vs. Twitter - WINNER: Facebook, 3353 votes (Twitter: 1828 votes, Google Buzz: 1298 votes, Tie: 651 votes) Week 22: - HTML5 vs. Adobe Flash - WINNER: HTML5, 3892 votes (Adobe Flash: 1779 votes, Tie: 660 votes) Week 23: - Project Natal vs. PlayStation Move - WINNER: Project Natal, 1268 votes (PlayStation Move: 668 votes, None: I don’t like motion controllers: 170 votes, None: I prefer the Wii: 150 votes) Reviews: Bing, Boxee, Chrome, Digg, Facebook, Firefox, Foursquare, Gmail, Google, Google Buzz, Google Docs, Gowalla, Gtalk, Hulu, Pandora, Posterous, Seesmic Desktop, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, TweetDeck, Twitter, TypePad, Windows, WordPress, Yelp, aim Tags: chatroulette, hot or not, poll, polls, social media, video, web faceoff

Dries Van Noten Oxfords ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:46:43 PM

Juliet Jernigan, Photo Producer, in Dries Van Noten Oxfords “These are my first pair of Dries

Van Noten shoes, but not my to night.” l a s t . T h e y a r e p r a c t i c a l , Photo: Kelly Stuart comfortable, and perfect for day

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Total folly?: Opera submits Mini browser for iPhone approval (CNET News.com)

-party application at a time. Page caching was also notable on the demo version of Opera We admit, when we first heard Mini for iPhone. Pressing the that Opera was creating a back arrow quickly surfaced the b r o w s e r f o r i P h o n e , w e page before without reloading it w o n d e r e d i f t h e b r o w s e r from scratch. company was bluffing to prove As interesting as these details a point, to pressure Apple into might be, the real elephant of accepting a browser to compete the question in the room--the with Apple's built-in Safari. Yet one perhaps being asked by Opera has followed through, on those who follow Apple's Tuesday admitting Opera Mini 5 submissions and rejections--is to the iPhone app store. But why Opera would go to lengths before that, we got a chance to to submit a browser that has a play with the final version of high chance of being cut short. Opera Mini on one of Opera's Apple isn't known for approving iPhones. browsers that aren't based on We&#39;re not lying. Opera W e b k i t , a n d O p e r a M i n i M i n i 5 r u n n i n g o n t h e absolutely falls into the latter i P h o n e . ( C r e d i t : J e s s i c a category. Like many other Dolcourt/CNET) iPhone apps, it's written in the Opera Mini 5 running on an Objective C programming iPhone looks and behaves l a n g u a g e o n t h e b a c k e n d , almost identically to Opera Mini Opera's founder and former 5 on other mobile browsers, like CEO Jon von Tetzchner told Java and BlackBerry. The one CNET, and on the front end is major exception is the addition written " in our own little of session restore for iPhone, language." But Opera's von which will reload browsers from Tetzchner has high hopes that the previous session if you need Apple will accept Opera Mini, to close and restart iPhone. This starting off by citing Opera's is an important feature for a merits of speedy browsing, high platform that only runs one third compression rates that lead to Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:38:45 AM

rapid loading, and bookmarksyncing, and ending with the opinion that users should have plenty of choice, specially if Opera Mini is in high demand. Opera's conviction would hardly seem like a compelling enough reason were we in charge, and we can't imagine it would sway Apple.

More on the mark, perhaps, is the argument that Apple shouldn't nix Opera Mini because it may not directly violate rules laid out in Apple's software development kit (SDK). Unlike other Web browsers (including Opera Mobile,) Opera Mini is a proxy browser that delivers Web pages

through Opera's servers. It isn't a standalone HTML browser that interprets and executes code on its own. This loophole alone is the more realistic justification that von Tetzchner and the rest of the Opera team should hope would get Opera Mini through the golden doors. "The way we read things, we don't violate anything with [Apple's] SDK license," von Tetzchner told CNET. "From our perspective, there's no reason why Apple would not allow Opera...It brings something really different to iPhone users." Again, we're not convinced that will be reason enough for Apple's application approval team, but if it is, it could signal a sea change that would make Opera Mini the most notable browsing alternative to Safari on iPhone. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Boehner to GOP: 'Behave Like Grown-Ups' (Little Green Footballs)

“ behave like grown-ups.” Now, why would he think it was necessary to tell them that? At a closed meeting yesterday, House Minority Leader John House Minority Leader John Boehner told his conference to Boehner told GOP legislators to “behave like grown-ups” if the Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:11:52 AM

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.

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The Most Popular SXSW Music Acts by Social Media Buzz [STATS]

Ariz. Senate Votes to Ban Texting While Driving

Brenna Ehrlich (Mashable!)

(Newsmax - Politics)

The preponderance of smaller bands on this list is due to the Submitted at 3/23/2010 7:16:47 AM fact that it shows biggest percent W o n d e r i n g w h i c h b a n d s change in buzz, meaning that a garnered the most buzz at band that went from zero to SXSW this year? Well, stats thousands of fans during SXSW service Next Big Sound has the week would rank pretty high on answers, and it’s a hearty mix of the list. up-and-comers, music vets and There are, however, a few more under-the-radar stalwarts. well-known bands on the list, Next Big Sound created two such as GZA of Wu-Tang Clan lists of buzzed-about bands by fame and The Antlers (whom counting increase in social we have just added to our media activity during the period SXSW music video post), who that encompassed SXSW, the were considered one of the first being a list of the fastest break-out bands of 2009. growing bands at SXSW and the Here’s the full top ten list, head second being the bands that over to the Next Big Sound site gained the most fans overall for a more detailed breakdown during the fest. of where these fans are coming At the top of the first list are a from: trio of lesser-known acts — for 1). Fang Island you music snobs out there, only 2). Neon Trees one of them has been reviewed 3). XV on Pitchfork: the band holding 4). Oddisee court at the number-one spot, 5). Jonna Lee Fang Island, which garnered a 6). Matthew Mayfield review of 8.3 from the music 7). Evergreen Terrace site for their self-titled debut 8). The Antlers album. 9). Phantogram

experimental/ambient indie band Broken Bells (composed of Danger Mouse and James Mercer of The Shins) and Sum 41 (who were super popular when I was in high school). Here’s the complete list: 1). NeverShoutNever 2). The xx 10). GZA 3). Wale In terms of bands that netted the 4). Broken Bells most fans overall, the mix is 5). Sum 41 rather eclectic. At number one is 6). Blair indie/emo act NeverShoutNever, 7). The Temper Trap whose Butch Walker-produced 8). Miike Snow disc What is Love? just dropped 9). Local Natives in January; followed by The xx, 10). We are Scientists a British indie rock outfit whose And since it wouldn’t be a debut album showed up on music post without some actual scads of top 10 lists last year jams, here’s a couple of songs (and got the consummate nod from the number-one acts on from the teen pop culture set each list. Did any of your faves when hit single “Crystalised” makes the cut? Fang Island made it onto Gossip Girl); and NeverShoutNever Wale, a D.C. rapper who has [img credit: Gorski] been recording music since Tags: music, social media, sxsw roughly 2006 with a debut -2010 album Attention Deficit dropping in 2009. Also present on the list are

Malkin's Wingnuts Seriously Cheesed Off (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:55:50 PM

To Michelle Malkin, if President Obama shows any sign of being even slightly happy about the success of his

health care reform bill, it’s “ gloating.” And in the comments for her thread (among dozens of comments talking about buying food, guns, and ammunition, “Snowfire” tries to raise the and going on “a war footing”), plummeting morale by posting

the poem “Invictus” — the final statement of Timothy McVeigh. Here’s McVeigh’s handwritten copy of the same poem:

Submitted at 3/23/2010 2:32:34 AM

A bill passed Monday by the state Senate would make it illegal in Arizona to text while driving. The Senate's 19-10 vote on the bill sends it to the House. Proponents say the bill would help curb an obvious threat to highway safety while opponents say motorists distracted by texting can and should be ticketed for reckless driving. The bill would make texting while driving a civil traffic violation punishable by a $50 fine. The fine would rise to $200 if the violator is involved in an accident. A similar bill failed to emerge from the Senate last year. This year's bill is supported by cell phone and insurance companies, as well as hospital, police and firefighter groups. At least 20 other states have enacted bans on texting while driving. © 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.

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Mobile phone buyback offered at carrier stores (CNET News.com) Submitted at 3/23/2010 4:45:26 AM

With literally hundreds of millions of mobile phones piling up in U.S. homes, how to profitably recycle these devices is a pressing question. Start-up eRecyclingCorps on Tuesday is scheduled to announce that its customer Sprint is offering a phone buyback program in which consumers can get money for older phones when they upgrade to a newer model. eRecycling Corp has developed an in-store application and a Web service, offered from Sprint's site. The application lets a person see how much an older phone is worth and get a credit for its residual value when buying a new one. A consumer can also use a Web site from home, mail a phone in, and get a credit for the returned product. Screenshot of the mobile phone recycling program, an app developed by start-up eRecyclingCorps.(Credit: eRecyclingCorps) There are existing take-back services, which will pay for an older device and then refurbish them for resale later. Rather

than rely on consumers to mail back goods or go to drop-off points, eRecycling designed its system around carrier retail outlets in the U.S. where between 50 percent and 60 percent of sales happen, said eRecyclingCorps CEO David Edmonson, the former CEO of Radio Shack. "You can play around with independent dealers and online programs, but you are not going to make a quantum leap in the process until carriers are engaged in low-cost and safe

process that doesn't interfere with their core processes," he said. According to eRecyclingCorps, the recycling rates of cell phones is about 10 percent and about 130 million new devices will be sold in the U.S. this year, which means there are tens of millions of phones available for refurbishing. The company estimates that phones that will be upgraded this year are worth $3.3 billion and older devices are worth $2.5 billion. The company's business model

is to collect turned-in phones and have the data cleaned off. Right now it plans to resell those phones for the domestic market in which people are seeking replacements for lost or stolen goods. But the company is seeking to establish relationships with carriers in India, China, and other countries outside the U.S. Sprint rolled out the program in 2,500 stores and dealerships so far and has seen its recycling rates shoot up far above the industry average. The company

has set recycling rate goal of 90 percent. About 70 percent of consumers show preference to returning old cell phones at the point of sale, according to eRecyclingCorps' estimates. The company is also working on an online application that will let people transfer contacts from an old phone to a new one, Edmonson said. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Heatswell: If Tetsuo Was a Coffee Cup Sleeve [Coffee] matt buchanan (Gizmodo) Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:35:56 AM

Genius: a cup sleeve that expands via endothermic reaction when the cup is filled

with hot liquid, insulating your Utterly horrifying: the end of hot coffee and keeping your this video. [ Heatswell] More Âť hand from getting roasted.

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Toshiba eyes nuclear alliance with Bill Gates (CNET News.com)

of the technologies used in the reactor under development can Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:34:00 AM be applied to traveling-wave Toshiba is in talks with a good fit for emerging markets, reactors, the Nikkei said. company backed by Microsoft Deutsche Securities analyst One hurdle for Chairman Bill Gates to jointly Takeo Miyamoto said. commercialization of travelingdevelop advanced nuclear "If you put a regular reactor like w a v e r e a c t o r s i s t h e r e a c t o r s , t h e J a p a n e s e the one used in Japan in some development of materials that electronics maker said Tuesday. emerging nations, that could can withstand nuclear reactions The Japanese electronics sometimes create overcapacity for such long periods of time, maker, which is also the world's and make it difficult to back that the newspaper said. No. 3 chipmaker behind Intel reactor up when you take the Separately, Toshiba said it had and Samsung Electronics, added unit off line for maintenance," decided to start construction of it will restart plans to build a Miyamoto said. "There would its fifth NAND flash memory factory to make NAND flash be demand for this type of plant in July in reaction to a memory chips as the global reactor in newly developing recovery in demand, driven in countries." economy recovers. part by the growing popularity Toshiba, which owns U.S. The Nikkei daily, which first of smartphones. Production is nuclear firm Westinghouse, said r e p o r t e d t h e n e w s e a r l i e r slated for early 2011. it was in preliminary talks with Tuesday, said Gates could invest Toshiba had originally planned t h e G a t e s - b a c k e d f i r m several billion dollars of his own to start building the factory in TerraPower to develop so-called money in the project, with Mie in central Japan last spring traveling-wave reactors, which commercialization likely to take and to complete it this year, but are designed to use depleted more than 10 years. it put the project on hold due to uranium as fuel and thought to Toshiba spokesman Keisuke the industrywide slump. hold the promise of running up Ohmori said the talks with Story Copyright (c) 2010 to 100 years without refueling. TerraPower are at an early stage Reuters Limited. All rights T h a t c o m p a r e s w i t h and nothing has been decided. reserved. c o n v e n t i o n a l l i g h t - w a t e r Toshiba, which is developing Five Filters featured article: reactors, which require refueling its own mini nuclear reactors Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: d e s i g n e d t o o p e r a t e PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, once every several years. Small reactors like traveling- continuously for 30 years, Term Extraction. wave reactor would make a anticipates that about 80 percent

Beijing tightens censorship of Google (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:03:10 AM

By Kathrin Hille in Beijing and

Richard Waters in San Francisco Published: March 23 2010 09:44 | Last updated: March 23 2010 12:50

Why Real Programmers Don't Take The USPTO Seriously: Doubly-Linked List Patented Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

entire computer languages have been created around the list as a core data structure. One of my This post is part of the IT f i r s t P a s c a l p r o g r a m m i n g Innovation series, sponsored by exercises in high school (in Sun & Intel. Read more at 1981 -- on an Apple II using ITInnovation.com. Of USDC Pascal) was to write a course, the content of this post series of operations on lists, consists entirely of the thoughts including both linked and and opinions of the author. It's doubly-linked lists (I always pretty difficult to find software thought it was funny they were engineers who take the patent called "doubly-linked" instead system seriously. There are a o f " d o u b l e - l i n k e d " l i s t s . ) few, but it's still pretty difficult. Anyone who ever graduated F o r t h e m o s t p a r t , t h e y from MIT and took 6.001 recognize that code is just a learned to love all varieties of tool: you can make it do all sorts the linked list, including the of things, given enough time doubly-linked one. That was and resources, but that doesn't 1984 for me by the way. mean that doing any particular Ironically, Wikipedia had great thing in code is an "invention" entries -- with source code no that no one else should be able less -- about both linked lists to do. And then, sometimes, and doubly-linked lists. The they discover that something linked list history goes back to p r e t t y b a s i c a n d o l d h a s 2001, well before the patent was suddenly been given a patent. filed. Another day, another B r a d F e l d d i s c u s s e s h i s reason to question why software discovery that doubly linked is patentable at all -- and to lists were apparently patented in question who approves these 2 0 0 6 ( p a t e n t n u m b e r kinds of patents. Five Filters featured article: 7,028,023): The prior art was Permalink| Comments| Email Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: extremely thin, only went back This Story PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, to 1995, and didn't mention that Term Extraction. Submitted at 3/23/2010 2:52:10 AM

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Flurry data: 44% of apps tested on the iPhone are games Mike Schramm (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

with 14%, and then the list evens out around there -- social networking claims 7% of the Submitted at 3/23/2010 10:00:00 AM apps, sports 6%, travel 5%, and Filed under: iPad Last night on so on. the Talkcast, we pointed out that It's not completely clear where we didn't know exactly which t h i s d a t a c o m e s f r o m - developers were getting those presumably, Flurry is finding t e s t i P a d s t o p l a y w i t h . web traffic somewhere that's However, we might know just marked as coming to or from an which apps they're testing. iPad. Of course, that doesn't According to Flurry Analytics, guarantee that these numbers are who have (somehow) been legit. Some apps are more likely watching traffic from the iPhone to send traffic than others, and OS 3.2, 44% of the apps being all we see here are percentages, tested on the iPad right now are as Flurry hasn't released actual games. Entertainment apps numbers. "Games," as we (which seems like a broad speculated last night, probably category) falls into second place means that bigger companies

like EA and Gameloft have test iPads to try out, and "social networking" probably means that Facebook and possibly Foursquare are testing their

apps. "Sports" could mean that MLB is testing its app, and so on. It looks like gamers who have an iPad on day one will at least

have plenty of game titles to choose from. The iPhone's App Store took a little while to get rolling with some hit apps, but developers and Apple seem to be doing everything they can to ensure that there are some popular downloads in the iPad's App Store right away. [via TheAppleBlog] TUAW Flurry data: 44% of apps tested on the iPhone are games originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

Opera Mini Submitted to Apple’s App Store. Your Move, Apple

The Rotting Corpse of Windows Mobile: Goodbye Mobile Firefox [Windows Mobile]

Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)

matt buchanan (Gizmodo)

Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:03:09 AM

Opera is playing a somewhat odd game with Apple. Their Opera Mini and Opera Mobile browsers are great mobile browsers, but the iPhone already has a great mobile browser — Safari. This fact alone wouldn’t be that big of a problem if Apple’s rules weren’t prohibiting other apps to duplicate the functionality of their own apps. Simply put, if Apple doesn’t suddenly change that policy, Opera Mini, which

Opera has now officially submitted to the App Store, doesn’t stand a chance of being approved. On one hand, the folks at Opera are acting as if they don’t know this. “Opera has put every effort into creating a customized, stylized, feature-rich and highly responsive browser that masterfully combines iPhone capabilities with Opera’s renowned Web experience, and the result is a high performing browser for the iPhone,” said Jon von Tetzchner, co-founder of Opera Software.

On the other, Opera launched a counter, measuring how much time has passed since Opera Mini has been submitted to the App Store. Below, there’s a poll, asking visitors the following: “When do you think

Opera Mini will be approved by Apple? The closest guess wins a brand new iPhone!” It’s hard to say whether the folks at Opera really think that Apple will cave in under a bit of pressure like that and approve Opera Mini or if they’re expecting the app to be denied, and are trying to make a bit of a fuss about it even before it happens. What do you think? Will Apple approve Opera Mini? Share your thoughts in the comments! Tags: apple, iphone, mobile apps, opera, opera mini

Submitted at 3/23/2010 8:19:56 AM

Mozilla's officially abandoning development of Firefox Mobile for Windows Mobile in the wake of the shiny—er, matte—future of Windows Phone 7. Which they're not latching onto, either, because there's no native SDK. More »

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SimCity Deluxe coming soon to iPhone ACTA Set To Cover Not Just Copyrights & Trademarks, But Seven Areas Of IP Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

leaked draft document, and notes that the draft sneaks in the Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:30:00 AM fact that it's designed to cover The folks who created ACTA s e v e n d i f f e r e n t a r e a s o f were already sneaky enough in intellectual property. In typical describing it as an "anti- sneaky fashion, it doesn't come counterfeiting" agreement, when out and list them directly, but in they knew all along it went way the definitions section, defines b e y o n d i s s u e s r e l a t e d t o "intellectual property" as "refers counterfeiting. For a while, it's to all categories of intellectual been obvious that it was also property that are the subject of very much (perhaps more than section 1 through part 7 of Part counterfeiting) about copyright, II of the Agreement on Trade but it's actually about much Related Aspects of Intellectual more than that. We already Property Rights." Basically, it's mentioned that it is designed to saying that it's accepting the cover patents as well. Now, definition in a totally different KEI has looked at another document, from TRIPs. So,

what's in that document? • Copyright and Related Rights • Trademarks • Geographical Indications • Industrial Designs • Patents • Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits • Protection of Undisclosed Information Note how little of that has anything to do with counterfeiting -- which is mostly just a trademark issue. Permalink| Comments| Email This Story

Mel Martin (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:30:00 PM

Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad An updated version of the the preferred game for those who want to create cities and watch them prosper or founder is coming to the iPhone this summer. SimCity Deluxe from EA Mobile will have a user interface that improves on the current Sim City offering, with enhancements that make it look a bit more SimCity 4 on the PC. SimCity has been popular on the iPhone since it was released in 2008 The game includes different seasons (with appropriate disasters, of course) and 7 starter cities just waiting for you to run them into the ground. The new version will sport improved frame rates, and the ability to modify terrain with a touch and swipe of your finger. These type of games go way

back. I remember playing Santa Paravia which was a similar, but considerably more primitive economic simulation, way back when it was on the TRS-80. Ah, memories. The new SimCity Deluxe will work on the iPhone and iPod touch, and I reckon that you can count on an iPad version as well. [via Slide to Play] TUAW SimCity Deluxe coming soon to iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

Firefox 3.6.2 Fixes Critical Security Flaw [Updates] Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:00:00 AM

Windows/Mac/Linux: Mozilla's out with a notably important

update to Firefox, one that fixes a critical code-executing exploit in Firefox that was reported about one month ago. The gHacks blog notes that more

than 100 other bugs have been

fixed in this point release, grab it from Mozilla. [via including 21 marked as critical. gHacks] More » Hit your About menu and choose "Check for Updates," run an update check in Linux, or

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Egypt Says No More Mobile Skype Calls Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

Under Egyptian law, international calls must pass through a network controlled by Egypt has apparently decided majority state-owned Telecom that it doesn't like the idea of Egypt, which this week reported people making mobile phone disappointing earnings. But calls that it can't track and/or what is the difference between that the state-owned telco can't the "mobile internet" and the make money off of. So it's "fixed internet" in real terms? If banning all mobile VoIP calls. I u s e a l a p t o p o n a 3 G Apparently "fixed" VoIP calls connection... is that fixed or are okay, which gets a bit mobile? If I use a mobile phone confusing:"The ban is on Skype on a WiFi connection connected on mobile internet, not on fixed, to a DSL line, is that fixed or and this is due to the fact it is mobile? This just seems like a against the law since it bypasses way to try to boost profits for the legal gateway," said Amr the state owned telco with Badawy, the executive president arbitrary rules. of the N a t i o n a l Permalink| Comments| Email Telecommunication Regulatory This Story Authority (NTRA). Submitted at 3/23/2010 12:34:50 AM

Found Footage: MIDI wind instrument controlled with the iPod touch's accelerometer Steven Sande (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

accelerometer in the touch to translate his hand motions into control inputs for PureData Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:00:00 AM audio processing. Filed under: Found Footage You may not necessarily like Onyx Ashanti is an American beatjazz, but you've got to admit musician living in Berlin. He it's cool that musicians like specializes in "beatjazz," which Ashanti are pushing the edge he describes as being built on with Apple technology. "live looping, sound design, and [via Engadget] jazz improvisation." TUAW Found Footage: MIDI Using a Yamaha MIDI wind wind instrument controlled with controller (that looks like an the iPod touch's accelerometer electronic clarinet) and an iPod originally appeared on The touch running the TouchOSC U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g app (US$4.99), Ashanti has (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 been able to create some pretty 09:00:00 EST. Please see our incredible sounds. In the above terms for use of feeds. video, Ashanti has the iPod Read| Permalink| Email this| touch strapped to his right hand, Comments and he's able to use the

Binder Clips as Cable Catchers Redux [Cable Management] Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:30:00 AM

We've long been fans of using binder clips as cable managers, but sometimes, a person's raw enthusiasm for a technique makes it worth another look. Dutch freelancer David Rudolf Bakker photographs the whole process of desk-edge cable catching in beautiful detail. More Âť

Flickr Find: Papercraft Steve Jobs Mike Schramm (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

up into the form of our favorite CEO. The little figure even comes with a paper iPhone, Submitted at 3/23/2010 8:00:00 AM though I guess if you want (and Filed under: Steve Jobs I love if you're a little skilled with this -- papercraft artist Jay Hauf Photoshop), you could put an h a s c o n s t r u c t e d a l i t t l e iPad or another Apple product in papercraft Steve Jobs cutout. there. weird shapes on the "Cubee," Over on his Flickr account, he's It does look pretty great -- those eyes and that black posted a picture that you can somehow, even with that big turtleneck with jeans make it print out, cut out, and then fold blockhead and all of the other

clear right away who you're looking at. Excellent work there. [via iPhone Savior]

TUAW Flickr Find: Papercraft Steve Jobs originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Debate On the Future of Fannie, Freddie Heats up (Newsmax - Politics) Submitted at 3/23/2010 12:17:30 AM

There would be no housing market today without the government. Over the past 18 months, Washington has taken extraordinary steps to keep home loans available and affordable. That caused a tentative housing recovery last year. Home sales reversed their four-year descent, while prices stabilized. One big reason: The government seized control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, massive companies that purchase home loans, package them into investments and guarantee them against default. The price tag has been huge — $126 billion and growing. Now comes the hard part: figuring out what to do next. With the Obama administration largely mute on the issue, Congress will hold its first hearing Tuesday about how to restructure the mortgage system in the wake of the financial crisis. Working out a new system is likely to take years. For the time being, the market is still resting

on three government pillars: Fannie, Freddie and the Federal Housing Administration. There has been plenty of talk in recent months about how to scale back reliance on those behemoths, which own or guarantee half of all mortgages. Fannie and Freddie were effectively nationalized by regulators in September 2008, and their role in the marketplace has only grown since. Last year, they backed about 70 percent of all home loans, according to Inside Mortgage Finance, a trade publication. The duo also manage the Obama administration's $75 billion loan modification program. But the housing recovery remains too fragile and feeble for the government to step away. Even staunch free-market advocates who want to get rid of Fannie and Freddie in the long run don't see that happening anytime soon. "The first priority is we have to keep financing homes, and we don't have a way to do that without Fannie and Freddie," said Peter Wallison, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. "We have to deal with the

realities of where we are today." Since the government took over Fannie and Freddie, Obama officials have given few details on their long-term thinking, apart from saying that they want to delay a legislative proposal until next year. "If we rushed it, the risk is we would not achieve enough and not get consensus on something sweeping enough," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told lawmakers recently. Geithner, in testimony prepared for Tuesday's hearing held by the House Financial Services Committee, added that such action should wait until "a time of greater market stability." Obama officials also plan to seek public comment on a list of questions to be published next month. The administration is "loath to talk about drastic reform to the system until there's more evidence that the housing markets are not going to experience a severe double-dip," said David Min, associate director for financial markets policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. "If you talk about drastic changes, you'll spook

investors." On Capitol Hill, however, Republicans are impatient. They argue that the government's push to expand homeownership through Fannie and Freddie was the main cause of the financial crisis. They are proposing to phase out Fannie and Freddie within four years. "Something has to be done sooner rather than later, while there is some political will," said Rep. Scott Garrett, R.-N.J. If lawmakers wait too long to tackle Fannie and Freddie, he said, "we will have forgotten the problems that they caused." But powerful interests don't want to rock the boat too hard. The National Association of Realtors is pushing to preserve Fannie and Freddie, but as nonprofit government authorities without private shareholders. "The disruption in the marketplace by doing something too radical would be harmful" to the housing market and the economy, said Vince Malta, a San Francisco Realtor who is testifying at Tuesday's hearing. And those who want to eliminate Fannie and Freddie face another hurdle — investors

are still nervous. They don't want to buy mortgage securities that don't carry a government guarantee — whether explicitly in the case of FHA or implicitly in the case of Fannie and Freddie. In a recent speech, David Stevens, the FHA's commissioner, recalled meeting a group of international bankers who "peppered me with questions — very difficult questions" about what the U.S. government was doing to bring back their trust. They all have been burned, he noted, after buying mortgage securities with triple-A ratings that turned out to be junk. "We are at the point right now," Stevens said, "where no one trusts the American housing finance system." © 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.

UK to expel Israeli diplomat over Dubai murder (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 3/23/2010 3:41:08 AM

Britain is to expel an Israeli diplomat from London over the use of British passports in the assassination of a Hamas leader

in Dubai. David Miliband, Britain’s foreign secretary, will make a statement to parliament

announcing the expulsion on PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Tuesday. Term Extraction. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools:

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GOP Sharpens Health Bill Amendments (Newsmax - Politics)

block the bill. Any change the Senate makes to the legislation would force President Obama on Tuesday is the House to take another tough expected to sign into law the vote to pass the plan and health care overhaul, but the possibly kill it. battle over alterations demanded Top Senate Democrats have by House Democrats is just said that they have asked the beginning in the Senate. rank-and-file to vote against Republicans are preparing a every amendment to the bill -series of amendments and even if they agree with them. objections to the secondary bill Sen. Bernard Sanders, a designed to force Democrats to Vermont independent who take difficult political positions. caucuses with Democrats, was Republican Sen. Charles E. e x p e c t e d t o i n t r o d u c e a n Grassley of Iowa said Monday amendment to establish a public h e p l a n s t o i n t r o d u c e a n insurance plan. But a spokesman amendment to require the for Senate Majority Leader president, Cabinet members and Harry Reid said Monday that he White House staff to buy their h a s n ' t s e e n a n y p e n d i n g i n s u r a n c e t h r o u g h t h e Democratic amendments. government exchanges. As The package of changes passed written, the overhaul prevents the House on Sunday after the t h e m f r o m g o i n g t o t h e primary bill passed. It would exchanges because they get their decrease the impact of a tax on i n s u r a n c e t h r o u g h t h e i r high-cost insurance plans, employer. eliminate state-specific deals Senate Democrats are expected that critics say were crafted to to have the 51 votes they need to "buy" votes and insert a new pass the package of changes M e d i c a r e t a x o n w e a l t h y under reconciliation rules. So A m e r i c a n s . T h i r t y - t h r e e the drama will rest with the D e m o c r a t s j o i n e d a l l 1 7 8 Senate parliamentarian, who Republicans in opposition. w i l l d e c i d e w h e t h e r t h e House Democrats said Monday Republicans' objections are that they're confident the Senate l e g i t i m a t e , a n d w i t h can complete the job. Republicans, who will decide " W e ' v e r e c e i v e d e v e r y how long they plan to try to assurance the Senate will move Submitted at 3/23/2010 1:14:54 AM

forward this week," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "In the very unlikely event that it would happen to come back to the House, we will get it done. The votes are clearly there to get it done." The Senate will debate the bill through Thursday and then start voting on the amendments in a frenzy called "vote-o-rama." Lawmakers stay in the Senate chamber all day working through votes on the amendments with only a few minutes to debate the merits of them or read them. Republicans also say they plan to raise many objections to the so-called Byrd rules that restrict what kind of legislation can pass through reconciliation. For instance, they plan to argue that the bill's tax on high-cost insurance plans would impact Social Security, which would be a violation of reconciliation rules. Republicans said Sunday, shortly before the House voted, that they are confident the objection would hold up, but Democrats on Monday called it a phony move designed to scare House Democrats.

The parliamentarian, Alan Frumin, would decide whether the objection is legitimate. Whoever is presiding over the Senate at the time - it could be Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. - would decide whether to accept his advice. If the objection is deemed legitimate, Democrats would have to corral 60 votes to override the decision. But all 41 Republicans have said they wouldn't support such a move. Sen. Ben Nelson, Nebraska Democrat, said Monday that he intends to vote against the reconciliation bill because it includes changes to the studentloan industry that would essentially ban private banks from issuing student loans. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas Democrat, has said she plans to vote against the bill as well because she doesn't agree with reconciliation. ÂŠ Copyright 2010 The Washington Times, LLC Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Nozbe To-Do App Integrates Evernote for Universal Capture [Task Management] Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 3/23/2010 7:00:00 AM

Nozbe, a web-based task manager with a serious Getting Things Done setup, has made a smart move by integrating capture tool Evernote. Grab something in Evernote, tag it with your project name, and it shows up in your Nozbe project list. More Âť

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Ex-Pa. Rep Guilty of 14 More Twitter Analysis: Influencers Counts in Corruption Don't Retweet Case Abraham Hyatt (ReadWriteWeb)

(Newsmax - Politics) Submitted at 3/23/2010 12:24:54 AM

A Pennsylvania jury has convicted a former state representative of conflict of interest in a public corruption trial. Democrat Mike Veon was among 25 people arrested since the attorney general's office began investigating three years ago with the news that millions of dollars in bonuses had been quietly handed out to legislative employees. He was found guilty Monday of 14 of the 59 counts he faced. Two aides to the former Beaver County lawmaker were convicted of some charges in the theft, conspiracy and conflict-of -interest case. One was

identify 485 accounts and then ran those names through Tableau's data visualization Submitted at 3/23/2010 7:00:00 AM acquitted. tools. What did we find? S e v e n p e o p l e p r e v i o u s l y As part of our ongoing series in Surprisingly, the majority of pleaded guilty. Another was c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h T a b l e a u influencers retweet fewer than Twitter. acquitted. Thirteen await trial. Software and TweetStats, we've 30% of the time. Play With the Sponsor Monday's verdict comes after b e e n l o o k i n g a t s o m e o f Influencers weeks of testimony by dozens of Twitter's most influential users. Editors Note: This post is part The top graph shows the witnesses, many of whom struck What it means to be a "top" user of a series ReadWriteWeb is distribution of total tweets from producing in partnership with deals with prosecutors. on Twitter has changed a lot all of our influencers. You can Defense lawyers attacked their since 2007. Recently we found Tableau Software, where we play with the data yourself. credibility and contended some out that a high number of examine interesting data sets When you select an account on of the accusations didn't rise to followers, which most people relevant to technology trends the right you can see they fall in the level of criminal behavior. use to judge the popularity of an today. You can use Tableau the larger @, retweet and © C o p y r i g h t 2 0 1 0 T h e account, doesn't actually really Public to create interactive hashtag trends. The data is from Associated Press. All rights m e a n a n y t h i n g . H o w e v e r , visualizations like this and January and February. The Data reserved. This material may not Twitter lists - where we identify publish them to your own blog Dashboard b e p u b l i s h e d , b r o a d c a s t , o u r f a v o r i t e s a s " m o s t or website or anywhere online. Powered by Tableau rewritten or redistributed. influential" or "essential" - are This is the last week to enter Thanks to TweetStats for Five Filters featured article: still revealing. Today we're Tableau's User Generated Graph providing the Twitter data. Contest. Winner will receive a Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: using lists to unscientifically Discuss PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, analyze what we think are some free trip to Web 2.0 and $500. Sign up before March 26. Term Extraction. o f t h e s o m e o f t h e m o s t We used a variety of lists to influential people and entities on

TokyoFlash Escape C: Make Kisai Kisai with me! John Biggs (CrunchGear) Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:58:58 AM

Yo, what’s up. You need to do your Skyping and your phoning and your music? Yeah? I got something for you. Come over here. Look at this. This is the TokyoFlash Escape C Kisai, a little Bluetooth thinger that connects to almost any device

and routes audio and controls wirelessly. Kisai Escape C is the revolutionary new Bluetooth® fashion accessory from Tokyoflash Japan. Pair with your cell phone to make and receive calls hands-free, pair with your MP3 player to listen to your favorite tunes in comfort or use with applications such as

The time has come to Escape. It also works as a watch, but one of those crazy watches. It costs $107 and is so maddeningly beguiling that while I find it strange, I also want to obtain it. Skype™ for a great chat experience. Escape C is also a stylish and versatile time piece.

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Enterprise Cloud Control: Q&A with Eucalyptus CTO Dr. Rich Wolski Mike Kirkwood (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 3/23/2010 12:22:00 AM

Eucalyptus a software layer that forms private clouds patterns in the enterprise. Private clouds are bringing together the best of Linux, Amazon, and VMware in a practical way. It could be argued that the cloud itself is a product of the open source spirit. So, with that in mind, we took a closer look at Eucalyptus and sat down with Dr. Rich Wolski, Chief Technology Officer of the Eucalyptus team to figure out what is the opportunity and why it is gathering the attention of successful open source entrepreneurs, investors, and partners. Sponsor A Cloud Forest. Where the Cloud and Servers Meet? We asked this abstract, but also practical question. Eucalyptus offers a solution for that models enterprise resources around Amazon's core cloud services. The result is resources in the enterprise having parity with instances in Amazon's cloud. By modeling the Enterprise Cloud after EC2, EBS, and S3 and joining a cloud control center into the enterprise, the company introduces a control

point for enterprise resources. The resources are bound together at the core model of compute and store, and build a network control point for surrounding services. Simple, but elegant. Dr. Wolski pointed us to a reference implementation that shows a cloud enabled data center with the cloud manager enabled, Intel® Cloud Builder Guide to Cloud Design and Deployment on Intel® Platforms, which features a scenario provided by the Ubuntu cloud. We found this scenario a great description of the powerful join happening around open source and Amazon's AWS (Amazon Web Services). The components of this model described here in the white paper give an idea of how this model includes the cloud controller as a map to the brains. It gets access to each of these core services on the network, and choreographs how they connect. Here is a little bit more about each, offered by the white paper. "•The Cloud Controller provides the primary interface point for interactng with the cloud. Commands to create or terminate virtual machines are initiated through the API interface at the Cloud

persistent storage. •And, the Node Controllers(NCs) which are the servers in the pools that comprise the compute elements of the cloud. *It is noted that many of these pieces are interchangeable (e.g. Walrus) in this example with other components. Also noted: Eucalyptus supports numerous hypervisors in the market today. So, in this quick list of components we have a real-life definition of cloud computing, in the form of an enterprise service layer. Is the enterprise more complex Controller. in reality? You bet. Now, the • The Walrus Storage Service fun begins. If a Tree Falls in the exposes the object store. The Forest, Does the Forest Know? object store is used to hold the Now your server distribution of virtual machine images prior to Ubuntu, et al can one-click to instantiation and to hold user cloud. That is interesting, but data. we know there is more. We •The Storage Server hosts the found that cloud computing actual bulk storage (a 1.4 TB capability and cloud design are JBOD in this case). Storage is two different things and there exposed to the Block Storage are many pieces ripe for market Controllers and the Walrus upheaval. Controller as a set of iSCSI In a way, Dr. Wolski and team volumes. bring a new protagonist into the • The Cluster Controllers network, as he told us "A new manage a collection of Node abstraction to the toolkit". Controllers and provide the If Eucalyptus works, we'll see traffic isolation. the company continue to grow • T h e B l o c k S t o r a g e as a piece of the fabric and bring C o n t r o l l e r s ( S C s ) m a n a g e this cloud object into the dynamic block devices (e.g., enterprise toolkit in a substantial EBS) that VMs can use for way. IT leaders will start to

plan around it, model it, and evolve it into core practices, disaster recovery, and the many scenarios around turning down and bursting resources. To do all of this, Eucalyptus creates a lens to distributed resources, a join of all the facets of the cloud that should move to keep in sync. This model is built on core compute fabric that is offered by Amazon to isolate the simplest go-to-market pattern for connecting enterprise and public resources. Here, we see a view of this model from the white paper. A Pristine Forest of Enterprise Cloud Servers We have a few questions left remaining, so we plan on keeping in touch with Eucalyptus. • Will Eucyluptus gain enough mass in the private cloud while continuing a cozy relationship with Amazon? • Will Eucalyptus bring forward competitors to AWS and/or commoditize Amazon's services by offering "in parity" providers? Is it possible to compete? • What impacts might this have to VMware's core offerings, will this move VMware offering cloud computing closer to ENTERPRISE page 41

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5 Hiring Tips for Startups Deane Rimerman (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:30:00 PM

From knowing who to hire next, to ethical and legal concerns, to how to interview the best candidates, to how to evaluate them once they're hired - startups have their work cut out for them when it comes to hiring. If you can afford to hire a trained professional, someone who's skilled in evaluative testing, do so. But if not, you need to learn as much as you can about how to hire the right people. Here's our contribution to your endeavor. Sponsor How Does a Startup Know Who to Hire Next? First it must be said that each startup has different needs. But in general, a startup that's still in pursuit of funding requires a sales-oriented team, whereas a startup with funding sources that have begun to stabilize can focus its team on more specific objectives. In general, Anthony Cerminaro of AllBusiness says that the classic hiring stage starts with hiring someone to build a prototype. Then a manger is hired to turn the prototype into a product. Then a business manager is hired to coordinate business opportunities for the

product. Then a lawyer is hired. Finally, someone is hired to focus on overall business development. What Kind of People Are You Looking For? To find the answer to that question, you need to understand the work ethic of each generation. Yesterday Ypulse interviewed the president of LifeCourse, Neil Howe. With a background in history, demographics and economics, Howe offer this advice:"If you want visionary leadership, if you need to redefine your corporate culture, go to your Boomers. If you need to apply incentives in a creative out-of-the-box way, if you need that cost-cutting, reality shock therapy done to your department, get your X'ers to do it. But if you want a group of people to come together in a team and to design a system and a protocol to get everything working effectively in an organized fashion, if you want to improve the morale of the group, get your Millennials to do it." Ethical and Legal Requirements Laws protect us from discrimination based on age, race, gender, religious and political beliefs. These laws are not as easy to follow as you might think. But some of the most common hiring advice given to startups is to treat your

during the interview don't peer out at them from behind it. Set the interview space up so you can easily look at the screen together. • Don't surprise them with a room full of partners staring them down. If they'll be meeting other partners let them know ahead of time who these people are and how they can learn more about them prior to the job candidates with respect. interview. As blogger Rands in Repose • Do your homework on how to says: "...a team built on trust and interview. This means no r e s p e c t i s v a s t l y m o r e generalized questions, no productive and efficient than the storytelling or memorized one where managers are distant presentations about what your supervisors and co-workers are company does. Get detailed and 9-to-5 people you occasionally s p e c i f i c r i g h t a w a y . see in meetings. You're not Demonstrate to them the type of striving to be everyone's pal; professional rapport you'll be that's not the goal. The goal is a expecting in the workplace. set of relationships where there is a mutual belief in each other's Who's Best and How Do You reliability, truth, ability, and Get Them Started? strengths." Have you ever been told by Finding this on a resume and someone that they don't like the from references, and from face- business side but they love the to-face meetings is not easy. work they do? Don't hire those The atmosphere around you is p e o p l e ! P e o p l e w h o a r e critical. Essential Ingredients of enthusiastic about the business a Successful Interview side are far more cognizant of • TechStartups suggests that the how teamwork and problem u l t i m a t e d i s r e s p e c t i s t o solving affects the bottom line. interview someone in public. A A n a d d i t i o n a l q u a l i t y i s quiet office or home is an someone called a "Driver." essential atmosphere to put your Online product marketing guru potential new star employee at Eben Pagan explains how a ease. Driver doesn't slack off on their • If you are using a computer work if their boss is too busy to

give them a crucial answer. The Driver keeps pursuing the boss rather than using the lack of response as an excuse to slack off. As Pagan explains in the video below, if you want to know if you hired a Driver give them their first task, tell them who to work with and then let them get the work done with as little supervision as possible. At the end of each day ask them to take five minutes to send you a very brief email describing how their day went. And again, don't supervise them or send them indepth guidance in a reply - just take a step back and see how they respond to the real world. Pagan explains that shifting from high expectations to neutral will reveal if you have a real Driver. In the long run, no one is served by keeping an employee around who can't relate to the drive for success that you are putting into your startup. Do you have more hiring tips. Or do you have horror stories about hiring or being hired by a startup? Let us know in the comments. Image from Wiki Commons. Discuss

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ENTERPRISE continued from page 39

Amazon's AWS • How does this impact software that is packaged for a data center and/or cloud? • Will this model become critical mass for deploying Amazon? How does it trend with the deployments of Amazon's model of creating private data centers and cloud monitoring services? Also, a bigger question came to mind. Is this Eucalyptus further evidence that AWS was " the shot heard round the world"? Computing may never be the same, as freedom has rung now that the base computing solution is in the cloud?

It really feels like competing has forever changed, and as a server, it just doesn't make sense to be a alone, when a forest is all around you. Open Source Fastest Way to 10 million downloads Eucalyptus seems to have chose the path of least resistance, and brought open source into its corner. Becoming packaged at the core, in the Linux distribution and connected to other fabric it has the opportunity to grow quickly. And, since it's a private cloud, it can also grow for critical tasks. To that end, we see friends of open source, like Intel, Extreme, and Ubuntu ready to go the distance with

Eucalyptus in their stacks. We asked about traction for the product. Dr. Wojiski chuckled a bit when he mentioned the large volume of downloads it has received with company partners. "It's rewarding being in open source model. It's in the core of our company and our motivations". Can you win by binding dominant platforms with open source? And, is that itself, open source? Photo credits: kubina& lgb06 Discuss

The Anti-Sam Fisher Surveillance Camera [Cameras] matt buchanan (Gizmodo) Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:06:08 AM

I was playing the Splinter Cell: Conviction demo after turning my Xbox on for the first time in a month, and thought, "man, it's Camera would've gotten me easy to stealthily snap necks." killed. More » JETProtect's CS300K Long Range Counter Surveillance

Mobile Media Gets Pushy: Push Notifications With a Media Payload Marshall Kirkpatrick (ReadWriteWeb)

an app, but specific content like images, videos or text inside that app. Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:26:35 PM Developers who put the Portland, Oregon mobile AirMail library into their apps service provider Urban Airship will also receive full analytics announced today that it now showing how many recipients offers push notifications as a opened the messages, how long service - with a multi-media they spent viewing the content payload. The white label and more. AirMail is available technology, called AirMail, only as a developer preview s e n d s u s e r s o f i P h o n e , today but a preview video can BlackBerry and soon Android be viewed below. phones a push notification that Sponsor when clicked launches not just The downside to using services

like UrbanAirship is always dependence on 3rd party service providers. This newest feature

is probably the startup's most intimate integration yet from a technology perspective, but development required is nontrivial and the resulting functionality is likely to be a real boon to publishers. If you've got multi-media in an iPhone app, this is a way for it to reach out and grab (with push) your users and keep them engaged. Discuss

Dell Aero hits the big time on AT&T John Biggs (CrunchGear) Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:45:21 AM

Dell's Aero is a decidedly odd duck. When we first discussed it a few months ago, it looked like it would be a non-US device. Now, however, it's hit AT&T and it looks like a cross between the new T-Mobile CLIQ XT and a NeXT Cube. Dig those photorealistic icons!

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Mojito Stand-Alone Social Aggregator Jay Donovan (CrunchGear)

But somehow I wonder if the $299 price tag will relegate it to the “Sharper Image-esque” I’m not sure if this is a must- i s l a n d o f m i s f i t t o y s f o r have item for everyone, but I executive desks. Maybe not have to admit there is something though. It could look smashing interesting about Blue Lounge’s in a kitchen or corporate public new device called the Mojito. space and could definitely keep Spied on the trade show floor at you from pulling your iPhone SXSW Interactive 2010, it is out of your pocket every thirty part of my post trip download. seconds, for updates. Truly that Certainly, the goal of the seems to be one of the benefits Mojito is to free you from the the Mojito offers; it relaxes bondage of countless, annoying social media a tad and puts it a alerts cycling on your computer bit more in the background. as each social network to which The design is nice (if not a tad y o u b e l o n g c r i e s o u t f o r thick for these Apple days of attention—and it could succeed. anorexic industrial design) and Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:20:30 AM

the keyboardless concept, while at first a bit confusing, ultimately makes sense for a concept which aims to take social media out of your face

and move it about thirty inches to the side of you desk while formatting it as an elegant slide show. Honestly, I think it’s a good and noble idea and I would

want one, but I am not sure I could justify 300 bucks for it (without becoming an executive type, in which case I probably wouldn’t need it anyway because people would then be typing out my twitter feed and and reading it to me while I play golf, right?). Just kidding. My guess is people will be hacking this thing immediately. It’s not out yet, but there is more info at mymojito.com and Alan from Blue Lounge was kind enough to give us a little demo below.

The Enso zenPad MID banks on being the cheap Android tablet Tablet (BestTabletReview.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:20:40 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 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.

They Could Both See Them Gleaming There In the Past: The Late '90s [Open Caption] Richard Lawson (Gawker) Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:33:24 AM

[ Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler film their new movie "Just Go With It" in LA; image via INF] More »

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Dell Aero is 'the lightest' Android phone yet, TiltFX from Codejunkies poses for pictures makes a PSP respond to your every move (video) Vladislav Savov (Engadget)

Aero will also come with WiFi and GPS built in, though its biggest attraction will AT&T's teaser site for the Dell undoubtedly be the thoroughly Aero has gone live and we can tricked out Android UI, which now fill in a few more gaps in p r o m i s e s P i c a s a , F l i c k r , our knowledge about this F a c e b o o k , Y o u T u b e , a n d f o r t h c o m i n g h a n d s e t . I t ' s Twitpic integration right out of looking every bit the renamed the box. Check out the gallery Mini 3 we thought it was, so below for some hints of what click here and here to get a that willl look like. closer look at the body of the [Thanks, Chilko] d e v i c e . T h e o f f i c i a l w e b Gallery: Dell Aero mouthpiece confirms a 3.5-inch Dell Aero is 'the lightest' screen with nHD resolution -- Android phone yet, poses for which may or may not signify pictures originally appeared on the same 640 x 360 as on the Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 Brazilian and Chinese versions-- 08:27:00 EST. Please see our and one definite point of t e r m s f o r u s e o f f e e d s . departure, a 5 ( rather than 3) Permalink| AT&T| Email this| megapixel camera on the back. Comments Claimed to be the lightest Android smartphone yet, the Submitted at 3/23/2010 8:27:00 AM

Tim Stevens (Engadget)

experience of games like Archer McLean's Mercury or or Loco Roco. And, for just We all lean when playing £14.99/$19.99, it's certainly a racing games and sit up in our better value than some other seats when jumping in action PSP accessories we've sampled games, but so far most PSP in the past. Video demonstration games have stoutly ignored all after the break. that nonsense. The TiltFX from Continue reading TiltFX from Codejunkies might finally make Codejunkies makes a PSP those uppity consoles a little respond to your every move more responsive with a "G (video) Sensor" -- a three-axis MEMS TiltFX from Codejunkies gyro that clips onto the lower- makes a PSP respond to your left of a PSP 1000, 2000, or every move (video) originally 3000-series console. (Sorry, appeared on Engadget on Tue, Goers, left out again.) Once 23 Mar 2010 09:58:00 EST. plugged in you can simply tilt Please see our terms for use of the console in the direction you feeds. Permalink| Codejunkies| want your character to go, Email this| Comments something that we could definitely see enhancing the Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:58:00 AM

The Archos 9 PC Tablet makes room for the Atom Z515 CPU Matt Burns (CrunchGear) Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:00:57 AM

Isn’t it grand when companies somewhat silently update their products with new hardware but keeps the previous price. That’s just what Archos did with the 9 PC Table t. Overnight it went from the Intel Atom Z510 1.1GHz CPU to the Z515 1.2GHz Atom with HyperThreading and Intel Burst Performance Technology. It’s a nice little spec bump, actually. Everything else seemed to remain as it was. The 8.9-inch screen, 32GB SSD, Win7 Starter Edition, and the 1GB of RAM appears to be untouched. A bit more RAM and a larger hard drive should be next, right, Archos? It better be. [ Archos via SlashGear]

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Sony ICF-C71PJ projecting clock radio to hit stores in April Joseph L. Flatley (Engadget) Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:36:00 AM

We've seen a few projecting clocks over the years, and we're guessing that we'd have seen plenty more if people actually bought the things! But maybe you live in a windowless box, or in Alaska, or someplace else where it is dark for depressingly long stretches and you need the cheerin' up that only an extra projecting light source can provide -- then this may be the timepiece for you. A product of Sony, the ICF-C71PJ projecting clock radio lives up to its name on all counts: It's a clock. It's a radio. And it will project the

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China partially blocks Google search results from Hong Kong, the saga continues Vladislav Savov (Engadget)

strength, it's expected the Chinese government's influence will also result in China Mobile You didn't think that just canceling a deal to have Google time on your ceiling if you so b e c a u s e G o o g l e s t a r t e d as its default search provider on desire. This bad boy also r e d i r e c t i n g i t s G o o g l e . c n mobile handsets. We suppose features an input for your MP3 domain to its Hong Kong site, it's Google's turn to respond player, and the LCD display has we were coming to a neat now. How about offering a adjustable brightness controls, compromise to the big brouhaha friendly game of badminton to which is pretty nice for a clock between the search giant and settle their differences? radio. And if that weren't China, did you? Oh no, brother, [Thanks, Colin] enough, wait'll you get a load of this thing is far from over. China China partially blocks Google the five different soothing has now responded by whipping search results from Hong Kong, n a t u r e s o u n d s a n d t h e its state computers into a the saga continues originally thermometer! Available in April filtering frenzy, blocking and appeared on Engadget on Tue, for a price TBA. c e n s o r i n g o u t c o n t e n t i t 23 Mar 2010 09:10:00 EST. Sony ICF-C71PJ projecting considers objectionable from Please see our terms for use of clock radio to hit stores in April Google's HK-based search feeds. Permalink| New York originally appeared on Engadget results. Adding to its show of Times| Email this| Comments on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Sony| (Financial Times - US Dombey in Washington Email this| Comments homepage) Published: March 22 2010 20:16 | Last updated: March 22 Submitted at 3/22/2010 4:18:16 PM 2010 23:18 By Tom Braithwaite and Daniel Five Filters featured article: Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:10:00 AM

Free Time Watch's Concentric Circles Move to Tell the Time [Watches] Kat Hannaford (Gizmodo) Submitted at 3/23/2010 10:00:33 AM

Imagined back story: Tokyo Flash designer had one too many sakes, attempted to screw a Labyrinth maze game onto the face of an ordinary watch, got fired, moved to Project Designs, and is now flogging the watches for $100. [ Yanko] More Âť

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The Next iPhone: Are We Ready for 4G? Chris Ryan (TheAppleBlog)

networks. To get a quick idea of the difference, a circuit switched network involves securing a When the fanfare of the iPad circuit from the origin to the launch begins to diminish, eyes destination. Packet switching will begin to look to the fast i n v o l v e s s e g m e n t i n g t h e approaching summer and seek comment into individual packets an updated iPhone. Though that can be routed individually rumors of the iPhone 4.0 OS are (and even take different paths) circulating, there’s been little to reach the destination where talk about what could be next they are then reassembled in for the iPhone hardware. Will it o r d e r . F r o m a t e c h n i c a l take design cues from the iPad perspective, this is a much better with an aluminum enclosure, utilization of resources as though that would feel in some capacity isn’t wasted on circuit ways to be a step backwards? switching when the circuit may More importantly, is the time not be in continuous use. right for the iPhone to take the The general idea behind 4G is leap to 4G? A Bit of History to provide “a comprehensive Three years ago when the and secure all-IP based solution handset launched, the iPhone where facilities such as IP was a 2G device. As a quick bit telephony, ultra-broadband of history to what all of these Internet access, gaming services G’s mean, Wikipedia offers the and streamed multimedia” can definition that the naming be provided to users. Pulling conventions “generally refer to a this off, however, involves change in the fundamental meeting standards set forth by nature of the service.” For t h e International example, 2G represented the Telecommunication Union. To switch from analog phones to be in compliance and really be digital ones (the iPhone was operating at 4G standards, the never analog). 3G brought cellular system must have multimedia support (recall how “target peak data rates of up to the iPhone 3.0 OS didn’t bring approximately 100 megabits per M M S s u p p o r t t o o r i g i n a l second for high mobility” like iPhones). True 4G networks mobile access and up to 1 represent all IP packet switched gigabit per second for low networks and as a result, mobility, like local wireless c o n s u m e r s b e n e f i t f r o m access. That’s a very high bar i n c r e a s e s i n d a t a s p e e d s . compared to current standards, 3G is based on two parallel even compared to what most of infrastructures of circuit- y o u p r o b a b l y h a v e f o r switched and packet-switched broadband at home. The Road Submitted at 3/22/2010 1:09:32 PM

cost and rollout of 4G service means that carriers will continue to invest in their 3G networks, which is a win to everyone. In fact, iPhone 3GS users are capable of taking advantage of the HSPA 7.2 megabits per second speeds if in a compatible market. Trials for this began last year and the technology is still being rolled out over this year. AT&T announced in February that its next-generation 4G network wouldn’t be available until 2011, though trials would begin later this year. So will the next iPhone be the iPhone 4G? Most likely. The iPhone 3GS was released before AT&T’s networks had upgraded to offer Ahead the faster speed and I predict a On the road to 4G, you might similar case with this year’s encounter something called iPhone model. Will Apple call it 3GPP Long Term Evolution the iPhone 4G? Especially (LTE). Though it technically considering there aren’t plans doesn’t comply with all of the for a 5G or 6G network in 4G specs (mostly in terms of immediate future? That remains speed), you’ll still see this to be seen but if I had any say in branded as 4G. Since last year, the matter, I’d prefer it to just be that’s where most networks called the iPhone. h a v e b e e n h e a d e d . L T E What are your thoughts? Do promises to bring some speed you have the iPhone 3GS and improvements (and hopefully does the network feel faster in latency improvements too, as your neighborhood? Are you that’s a big issue that really like me and still have the 3G, affects how the true speed is hoping that the next iPhone will perceived). be a substantial upgrade? Drop With the increase of iPhone us a line and tell us what you users on AT&T’s network in the think. U.S., there are places across the country where strains are felt during heavy usage times. This reality mixed with the expensive

Do you have FIOS in Manhattan? (Scripting News) Submitted at 3/22/2010 7:02:21 PM

This question came up in today's podcast. I thought I'd try casting a net to see if we can get any information by asking people who live in Manhattan if they have FIOS. If you do, please post a comment below, saying where you live. Not the exact street address if you don't want to share it. Something like "86th and Broadway." It also struck me that an app like Foursquare might be able to help gather this kind of information. My guess is that there is little or no FIOS in Manhattan. Also, please pass on pointers to this post to help gather the info.

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How-To: Rediscover Your iTunes Music Josh Sunshine (TheAppleBlog)

last’, and the text box on the right will change into a smaller text box and another dropdown Submitted at 3/22/2010 3:00:36 PM list. If you have hundreds or even • Enter a period of time using thousands of songs in your the options on the right. The iTunes library, then it’s more amount of time you use is than likely there are some songs totally up to you, although I which you’ve forgotten you recommend a shorter amount of even own — you can’t listen to time for small iTunes libraries. every single one at the same T o g i v e y o u a s e n s e o f time, after all. perspective, I chose 3 months By using iTunes’ Smart Playlist for a 165 song library, and the feature, however, you can create p l a y l i s t e n d e d u p o n l y a playlist of songs which you c o n t a i n i n g 8 s o n g s . haven’t listened to in a while. • Make sure to keep the ‘Live You can get iTunes to look u p d a t i n g ’ b o x c h e c k e d , through your music collection, otherwise your playlist won’t w o r k o u t w h i c h s o n g s update with other songs that you haven’t listened to in a match the search parameter after while, then present them all in a the playlist is created. list for you. • When you click OK, the • Create a new Smart Playlist playlist will be created and by going File New Smart populated with songs that match Playlist. Alternatively, if you you criteria you specified. The hold , the + button at the bottom name of the playlist will be of the window will change to a highlighted, ready for you to gear icon. Click this to create a type in a custom name for it. Smart Playlist a bit quicker. • Set up a rule using the Last As long as you kept the Live Played option. Change the updating option turned on, second option to ‘is not in the iTunes will automatically add

could ultimately end up in your playlist. To combat this problem, all it takes is one extra rule in your playlist. If you’ve already created the playlist, you can right-click and choose Edit Smart Playlist to add the rule using the same window from before. • Add a new rule by clicking the round + button to the right of the first rule. and remove songs from the • Change the first option to playlist as its data changes. This Skip Count and the middle means that you’ll always be able option to ‘is less than’, then type to listen to something you a small number such as 2 or 3. haven’t heard in a while! Just This accounts for any accidental remember to choose a sensible skips you may have done. length of time for the playlist; • Click OK and any songs with too short, and you’ll end up with a skip count higher than the a massive playlist that you number you chose will be won’t be able to listen to all of removed from the playlist, before it changes. Too long and keeping only the ones you like there’ll only be a few songs in in there. there. There is, however, one thing Of course, you may have w h i c h w i l l m e s s u p y o u r changed your mind about songs playlist. iTunes only updates the you didn’t like 3 months ago. Last Played field if you listen to For this reason, I choose not to the whole song. Therefore if you implement this extra rule into skip a song you don’t like, it my playlist. won’t be counted as a play and

Honeymoon Period is Going Strong at 'Why Did I Get Married Too?' Premiere (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/23/2010 3:50:00 AM

Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson are happily married to their latest film, 'Why Did I Get Married Too?' at its New York premiere. ET's Kevin Frazier asks the stars if the movie will give all the single ladies and gents cold feet about tying the knot. Ms. Jackson said, "I hope not…It's beautiful what Tyler has written. I think everyone can relate and if you just watch and listen, there's so much to learn from every character in this film." The funnyman got inspiration from personal experience. "In my life, I've dated five women seriously and I've got enough drama in my arsenal to write a whole novel, so I just pull a little bit here, a little bit there as we go," Tyler said.

'Two and a Half Men' - 'Ixnay on the Oggie Day' Recap Allison Waldman (TV Squad)

rehab and was back at work on the set of the show. I'm talking about Charlie Harper, who has ( S 0 7 E 1 8 ) W e l c o m e b a c k , had his man berries crushed by Charlie. I don't mean Charlie Chelsea and the engagement and Sheen, who came back from the prospect of a June wedding Submitted at 3/23/2010 10:02:00 AM

at the Bel Air hotel. For the first

time in a long time, Charlie had his old spunky, devil-may-care attitude back. What a relief! Continue reading'Two and a Half Men' - 'Ixnay on the Oggie Day' Recap

Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

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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.

The Pussycat was a Fierce Lion on 'Dancing with the Stars' (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:08:00 AM

Nicole Scherzinger was all "dolled" up in hair, makeup, and a flashy dress when she waltzed gracefully on "Dancing with the Stars." Joined by partner Derek Hough who led her to the top of the scoreboard, she spoke to ET about having her first performance under her belt. "You feel the energy from everyone. It's really warm, but if you start to think in your head, you get thrown off at any moment," the pop star said of the thrilling sensation. Pamela Anderson and Kate Gosselin were pretty in pink. Both blond bombshells credited their pros for the night's smooth sailing. Pam accused Damian Whitewood of creating a dancing "monster." Kate commended Tony Dovolani, saying, "He's just the local miracle worker. If he can make me dance, he can make anybody dance…"

Apple/ TV/ Picture/

E-reader News Edition

Amazon Previews Kindle App for iPad (and Other Tablets)

Jaime Pressly Cast In New Bays/Thomas Pilot

Darrell Etherington (TheAppleBlog)

Brad Trechak (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

Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:29:00 AM

Admittedly, the name Jaime Pressly springs more to mind one of the 'Poison Ivy' movies rather than her Emmy-winning role on'My Name is Earl,' but obviously other people feel differently. She's just been cast in a supporting role in the as-yet -untitled comedy pilot from the creators of'How I Met Your Mother,' about an unmarried couple that live in Pittsburgh. It's somewhat understandable why Pressly didn't get the lead role. For one thing, it's about a younger couple and sadly Pressly is only aging upwards. For another, a supporting role would likely allow her to use her terrific comedic acting chops much better than a straight-laced lead role. In the right circumstances, television supporting characters can be more memorable than the leads and make the show more of an

ensemble. After her terrific acting in 'Earl,' it's only surprising it took this long to get another role. Considering that both Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee have already landed other television roles as well, there must be life after 'Earl.' Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Celebrities, Pickups and Renewals, Casting, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

Atlas Obscura Day Zack Sheppard (Flickr Blog) Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:38:53 AM

• About Flickr Flickr is a revolution in photo storage, sharing and organization, making photo management an easy, natural

and collaborative process. Get comments, notes, and tags on your photos, post to any blog, share and more! Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Kelly Osbourne Debuts as a Special Correspondent on 'Dr. Phil'

'Damages' - 'Drive It Through Hardcore' Recap

(ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:00:00 AM

Jane Boursaw (TV Squad) Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:08:00 AM

(S03E09) "We'll find Patty's humanity and we'll drive it through hardcore." - Gail Sturmer What is up with that horse? In a previous review, I wondered if maybe Patty Hewes was harking back to an earlier time in her life when she wanted a pony. But it's hard to imagine Patty being so innocent and carefree and, you know, the pony-coveting type. On the other hand, she doesn't seem like the bad guy when you put her in a room with Arthur Frobisher. Hence her comments when Frobisher, Terry Brooke and Gail Sturmer sat down for a meeting. "The Arthur Frobisher that I know: foolish, vain, pathetically insecure, a despicable bully," she told the would-be filmmakers. "He stole from his employees and manipulated the system to escape life in prison with a slap on the wrist."

Dr. Phil welcomes a new addition to his long-running show -- and only ET has the inside scoop! Kelly Osbourne will be joining "Dr. Phil" as a special contributor, beginning on Wednesday, March 23, and then make additional appearances through the remainder of this season. "Kelly is an excellent addition well. While he works to recover to our show because sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s his systems and get back online, experienced a lot of what many I agreed to pinch-hit and see of our younger viewers may be how CTU handled their own going through," said Dr. Phil. "She has dealt with drug electronic crisis. If last week's episode was the addiction as well as addictions best episode of the season so far, within her family. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also this week just knocked it back to fought the battle with obesity, number two. I'll even forgive and the public scrutiny that that we got one of the oldest and often accompanies it. She is most tired '24' cliches ever in well-armed and up to the task of play again, because everything being our special contributor." else was just so damned good! Continue reading'24' - '4:00 AM - 5:00 AM' Recap Filed under: OpEd, 24, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

'24' - '4:00 AM - 5:00 AM' Recap Jason Hughes (TV Squad) Submitted at 3/23/2010 4:56:00 AM

(S08E13) Jack Bauer may be the star of'24,' but this week it was If there's anything Patty loves, Ladies' Night -- or maybe the it's seeing the bad guys behind expression should be Ladies' b a r s , e v e n i f s h e h e r s e l f Hour in this case. Regardless, it manages to escape all of that was the fairer sex that did the turmoil for her wrongdoings. ass-kicking and the ass-saving Continue reading'Damages' - this week. More impressively, 'Drive It Through Hardcore' this was accomplished without a single appearance by President Recap Filed under: Episode Reviews, Allison Taylor. Luckily, I'm far enough away Damages, Reality-Free that the EMP that took down Permalink| Email this| | CTU didn't impact my systems, Comments though our regular reviewer, Mike Moody, didn't fare so

Economic Confidence Remains Depressed Thus Far in March (All Gallup Headlines) Submitted at 3/22/2010 8:00:00 PM

[ fivefilters.org: unable to

retrieve full-text content] Gallup's Economic Confidence Index is -31 for the week ending March 21, continuing a trend of

depressed confidence that began e c o n o m i c c o n d i t i o n s a r e three weeks prior. Compared to unchanged, but their economic J a n u a r y a n d F e b r u a r y , outlook is dimmer. consumers' views of current

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Lacey Brown on the End of Her 'American Idol' Journey

Vivian Blake, Murderous Coke Don [And Now He's Dead]

(ETonline - Breaking News)

Hamilton Nolan (Gawker)

Submitted at 3/23/2010 3:03:00 AM

When Lacey Brown was in the bottom two with Paige Miles on last week's "American Idol" results show, the red-headed singer reassured Paige that she had nothing to worry about. "I just woke up that morning and I had the weirdest feeling that I was going home that night," Lacey tells ET. "I hadn't

heard anything or read anything. I just felt, 'Today is the day I am going home.' I wasn't comfortable with that feeling. I wasn't depressed. I had heard past contestants say that, but I didn't believe them." Lacey, who made it to Hollywood Week last year, but not to the Top 36, says she was glad she had a second shot at "American Idol."

California Smokers Confined to Parking Lots [War On Smoking] Hamilton Nolan (Gawker) Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:43:09 AM

Uhhh, clearly California legislators have not been studying our list of Places People Can Always Smoke, No Takebacks. They're now trying to outlaw smoking at state parks

Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:02:02 AM

Vivian Blake—founder of the Shower Posse, the Jamaican coke-dealing gang that terrorized great swaths of cokey Sunday in Jamaica at age 53. So America in the 1980s, and got young! More » its name from "showering" people with bullets— died

ThereSWEETER have been years page when 51 the (WSJ.com: Theexpected Daily Fix) team everyone to win

Short rates continue to creep higher Peter Boockvar (The Big Picture)

Armed State Trooper Busted for Drunk Driving [Protect And Serve] Jeff Neumann (Gawker)

and at beaches. Is there no smokin' nature left? More »

A Sweeter 16 for the Little Guys

Submitted at 3/23/2010 8:29:30 AM

Cops are people, too. They drive drunk with weapons and swerve across mountain roads at 7 o'clock in the morning just like the rest of us. And this Colorado State trooper was cuffed and stuffed, just like an average Joe. More »

minister that said even with a weaker than expected economy in ‘10, their budget deficit Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:05:36 AM cutting plans are still on track. US$ 3 mo LIBOR continues its Greek stocks are also bouncing march higher, however glacial, but the euro is back below 1.35 to .284%, the highest since mid v s t h e U S $ o n c o n t i n u e d Oct ‘09. The move follows the u n c e r t a i n t y w i t h w h e r e rise in the discount rate one Germany stands on a credit month ago and expectations it backstop or loan plan for will soon go up again, the 1 Greece. As we approach the month bills the Treasury has spring selling season, end to QE been selling to rebuild its and upcoming expiration of the s u p p l e m e n t a l f i n a n c i n g home buying tax credit, Feb program, the coming end to QE Existing Home Sales are out and the growing belief that the today. fed funds rate will be moving Five Filters featured article: slightly higher over the next 6 Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: months. Greek bonds and CDS PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, are trading up after comments Term Extraction. from the Greece finance

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SWEETER continued from page 50

the NCAA tournament won it — like North Carolina last year, for instance. But it’s hard to remember a year in which college-basketball fans woke up bored on the Monday following the first two rounds. Some tournaments offer more upsets or more memorable games than others but, at least for your Fixer, there has never been a tournament that didn’t offer enough of either. Getty Images Many more people know how to spell the name of Northern Iowa’s Ali Farokhmanesh than did a week ago. Still, college-hoops fans had to wake up feeling somewhat, well, grateful this Monday. Sure, many of our brackets are in tatters and our earlier claims to expertise in serious doubt. But if every NCAA tournament offers fans enough great basketball, surprising storylines and memorable teams, this year’s tournament has offered something close to too much of all of those. Witness, among the Sweet 16 members, ninthseeded Northern Iowa and 10thseeded St. Mary’s and 12thseeded Cornell, which became the first Ivy League team to reach the round of 16 since 1979. UNI’s shocking Saturday upset of top overall seed Kansas detonated millions of brackets. At Yahoo, Dan Wetzel writes that the weekend’s stunning results are a natural outgrowth of a mentality for many mid-

major teams that refuse to see themselves as underdogs. “These teams aren’t just good, they’re confident,” Wetzel writes. “They believed that a Sweet 16 appearance was every bit as much their destiny as the Kansas or Villanova kids did.” In the Los Angeles Times, Chris Dufresne argues that the upsets were the result of a shrinking “talent gap” between big-ticket conferences and the erstwhile mid-majors. Two Sweet 16 teams with unimposing seeds bear names a bit more recognizable than Northern Iowa’s. At CBS Sports, Jerry Palm warns readers to label sixth-seeded Xavier — which dispatched three-seed Pitt on Sunday — a mid-major at their peril. In the Seattle Times, Steve Kelley writes that 11thseeded Washington is finally playing up to expectations. While you probably won’t hear many fans complaining about all those excellent games, it’s not difficult to detect some disappointment from certain quarters. Each upset leaves at least one marquee program disappointed in its wake. “Does that mean Kansas shouldn’t have been a No. 1 seed, or that Georgetown and New Mexico shouldn’t have been No. 3 seeds? Of course not,” the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Ford writes. “It means that the NCAA tournament — this just in — is sometimes more

exciting than fair, and that’s what makes it unique.” There are arguments to be made that Kansas’s draw was unfairly stacked with tough teams, given the Jayhawks’ top-overall-seed status. But those cases look unconvincingly abstract relative to the hard-fought basketball game against a flesh-and-blood team that bounced Kansas from the tournament. In the Kansas City Star, Jason Whitlock refuses to play that game. “A perfect storm wiped out Kansas,” Whitlock writes. “Period.”* * * Given the nonstop sensory assault of college basketball’s last several days, it’s easy to forget that the NBA regular season is still happening. The league’s elites have pretty well separated themselves from the rest, and much of the rest of the NBA has been reduced to playing out the string at this point. It’s about as interesting as it sounds, generally, except for some of the unexpected names 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 Saints player to reach the NBA. What all those players have in common, beyond their obscurity to people who are not either hoops nerds or regular readers

of Ridiculous Upside, is a background in the NBA Development League. In the Washington Post, Carlo Rotella offers a glimpse inside the D-League from the perspective of the hoops vagabonds and hopefuls filling the minor league’s roster. “You play hard and well to catch the attention of an NBA team, and if you get the call, you pack your bags and leave your minor league team behind without a second thought,” Rotella writes. “D-League players wait for that break, and work toward it, in a distinctive in-between state. They’re as close as a professional basketball player can get to the NBA without being in it, but they still have a long way to go to realize their dream.” In the New York Times, Tyler Kepner offers a look at baseball’s equivalent of the DLeague All-Star: the effective minor-league players who bear 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 race day everything is different,” Shelburne writes. “The 26.2 miles [have been] designed as though the lead race car should be a red doubledecker tourist sightseeing bus.”* ** Last year, as part of my ongoing campaign to supplement my freelance earnings (inquire about rates!), your Fixer worked night shifts at MLB.com as a fantasy-baseball SWEETER page 55

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MRI confirms ruptured Achilles tendon for Michigan State Spartans guard Kalin Lucas ESPN.com news services (ESPN.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:13:20 PM

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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. An MRI confirmed the junior guard ruptured the Achilles tendon in his left foot during the first half of Sunday's NCAA tournament game against Maryland. Defining Loss Of Lucas Michigan State will have a big void to fill without Kalin Lucas against Northern Iowa. The guard is a big part of everything the Spartans do. The recovery time is expected to be 4-6 months. "We feel terrible for Kalin, he

was having a great NCAA tournament," Izzo said in a statement. "The good news is there is no doubt he will make a full and complete recovery. He's a tough kid and he'll do everything necessary to return to his elite level." 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. "I appreciate all the support I've received from everyone, but especially my teammates," Lucas said in a statement. "At halftime against Maryland, they told me they had my back. And I told them I had theirs." Lucas will travel with the team to St. Louis, where MSU will play Northern Iowa on Friday night. 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 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, facing the team that knocked top -seeded Kansas out of their path. Achilles Tendon Injury: An Explainer

The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the bone in the heel and is the most commonly torn tendon in the body. The tendon is usually torn when the leg is straight and the calf muscle contracts. It typically takes several months for athletes to fully recover. Tearing the Achilles tendon can happen without major incident, particularly in athletes whose bodies are under the continual stress of training. The injury is most common in tennis, soccer, basketball and running. A study published this year found that one third of NFL players who hurt their Achilles tendon never played professionally again. People who tear their Achilles tendon have major swelling and are unable to put weight on their ankle or foot. Certain medications increase the risk of tearing the Achilles tendon, like antibiotics or medicines to reduce inflammation like corticosteroids. Doctors typically fix torn Achilles tendons with surgery. After the operation, patients are outfitted with a cast or brace to help the tendon heal, for about six to eight weeks. -- The Associated Press "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." 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 MRI page 53

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He's back: Tiger Woods practices at Augusta National Golf Club Jason Sobel (ESPN.com) Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:58:03 PM

ractices%20at%20Augusta%20 National")); } I.setLinkBack("http://sports.esp n.go.com/golf/masters10/news/s tory?id=5019556"); 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/ masters10/news/story?id=50195 56' }); } A.userAction = I; gigya.services.socialize.showSh areUI(H,A); return false; } } By Jason Sobel ESPN.com Archive One day after granting his first interviews since taking a leave of absence following a highly

publicized sex scandal, Tiger Woods was practicing at Augusta National Golf Club on Monday, as reported by Golf Channel and confirmed by ESPN.com. Last week Woods announced his plans to return from a 4½month hiatus from competitive golf at next month's Masters Tournament, which will take place from April 8 to 11. The Doug Gottlieb Show ESPN.com golf writer Jason Sobel shares his thoughts on Tiger Woods' interviews. He thinks one issue that wasn't addressed was Tiger's connection to Canadian doctor Tony Galea. More Podcasts » Woods is a four-time Masters champion, but hasn't won a green jacket since 2005, finishing in the top six at each of the past four editions of the year's first major. "I'm excited to get back and play," Woods told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi on Sunday. "I'm excited to get to see the guys again. 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 gonna stop going to treatment." It remains unclear how patrons at Augusta National will treat Woods' return. Even he maintains he doesn't know what to expect. "I'm a little nervous about that to be honest with you," he said. "It would be nice to hear a couple claps here and there. But also hope they clap for birdies, too." Still ranked No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Woods hasn't played competitively since Nov. 15, when he won the JBWere Masters in Australia. Jason Sobel covers golf for ESPN.com. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Street Chic: New York ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 3/23/2010 4:00:00 AM

Lindsey Thornburg fights the cold in a colorful cape (of her

own design). Photo: Anne Ziegler Think you are Street Chic? Email us your photo and you could appear in ELLE.com's

Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan! Street Chic Daily.

MRI continued from page 52

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

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The Count: Big East Leads NCAA Tournament in iPad Magazine Letdowns Demos (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)

over- and under-performed their seeds the most. I compared how many first- and second-round Everyone knows the Big East’s wins each conference’s teams e n t r a n t s t o t h e N C A A collected, compared to how tournament have disappointed. many would be expected based The eight teams, making up one on the historical performance of -eighth of the 64-team main the seeds the conference’s teams bracket, went just 6-6 in the first were awarded. For instance, No. two rounds, and only two teams 1 seeds have gone 100-0 in the — Syracuse and West Virginia first round, so a No. 1 seed that — advanced to the Sweet 16. advanced to the second round — Getty Images Saint Mary’s such as Syracuse — is merely players celebrate after a win performing to expectations. over Villanova, emblematic of However, just 88% of No. 1 the WCC’s tournament success seeds make the Sweet 16, so and the Big East’s struggles. Syracuse’s achievement is a But those stats don’t tell the m o d e s t u p g r a d e o v e r t h e whole story. What makes the average — 0.12 second-round Big East’s start so poor is that wins — over the average. But the selection committee gave Villanova’s second-round loss top-three seeds to five of its was a big letdown, because 64% teams, suggesting that those five of No. 2 seeds reach the should have been good bets to tournament’s second week. (I reach the Sweet 16. That makes used historical records to reflect the 6-6 record even worse than uneven distribution in talent if the eight teams all had between teams and poor seeding mediocre seeds. decisions by the selection To quantify the disappointment, committee, although statistical I evaluated the 11 conferences noise may also explain some of with at least two teams in the the oddities in the historical tournament to see which ones record, such as No. 12 seeds’ Submitted at 3/22/2010 1:59:18 PM

to an expectation of 4.9. In percentage terms, Conference USA and the Western Athletic Conference were worse, with neither league having a single tournament win, but neither could have been expected to have a Sweet 16 entrant. (The superiority to No. 11 seeds.) disappointing Mountain West Overall, the Big East’s seeds had two first-round wins and could have been expected to none in the second round, collect 6.5 first-round wins and compared to expectations of 2.2 3.9 berths in the Sweet 16. and 0.9, respectively.) Instead they collected four and The most pleasant surprises two, respectively, for letdowns came from the West Coast, of -2.5 and -1.9 — or 39% and more evidence of an East Coast 49%, respectively. In absolute bias on the selection committee. terms, the Big East was by far The Pac-10’s two teams both t h e m o s t d i s a p p o i n t i n g won their first game and conference. The SEC’s four Washington also won its second. representatives won two first- D i t t o f o r t h e W e s t C o a s t round games, compared to an Conference and its Sweet 16 expected 2.9 — but those two representative, St. Mary’s. w i n n e r s , K e n t u c k y a n d Neither conference was likely to Tennessee, also won in the have a Sweet 16 team, based on second round to exceed overall seedings. The Big Ten also did expectations for the conference. well, with its five tournament And the Big 12 had two Sweet teams collecting four first-round 16 teams, compared to an wins and three Sweet 16 berths, expectation of 2.9, but did compared to expectations of 3.5 outperform slightly in the first and 2, respectively. round, with five wins compared

Barry Ritholtz (The Big Picture) Submitted at 3/23/2010 7:00:18 AM

VIVmag http://vivmag.com/ VIV Mag Interactive Feature Spread – iPad Demo from Alexx Henry on Vimeo. Hat tip Bits http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/20 10/03/18/a-peek-at-aninteractive-magazine-for-theapple-ipad/ The Wired Tablet App: A Video Demonstration http://www.wired.com/epicenter /2010/02/the-wired-ipad-app-avideo-demonstration/ VIVmag http://vivmag.com/ Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Sparring over Greece keeps pressure on euro (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:52:23 AM

12:10 GMT: Further sparring

within the eurozone over Greece, placed the single currency under renewed pressure on Tuesday, but could not prevent stocks eking out

further gains. The FTSE All-World index rose 0.1 per cent, with many major equity benchmarks at or near multi-month peaks, though

in currencies some sanctuary Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: was sought in the dollar, which PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, i n t u r n p u t p r e s s u r e o n Term Extraction. commodities. Five Filters featured article:

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Pittsburgh Steelers coach in daily contact with Ben Roethlisberger

MediaDailyNews: GroupM's Maxus Enters Mideast/Africa Via BPG Deal

ESPN.com news services (ESPN.com) Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:42:22 AM

":header:first").text()); } else { I.setTitle(decodeURIComponent ("Tomlin%20says%20he%20an d%20Roethlisberger%20talk%2 0daily")); } I.setLinkBack("http://sports.esp n.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=502 0766"); if (jQuery("#videoInfo").length > 0 ) { I.setDescription(jQuery(".article p:not(div.beta-opt p):first").text()); } else { I.setDescription(jQuery("p:first" ).text()); } if (jQuery(".article .image, .headshot").length > 0) { var theimage = (jQuery(".article . i m a g e , .headshot").find("img").attr("src ")); I.addMediaItem( { type: 'image', src: theimage, href: 'http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/ne ws/story?id=5020766' }); } A.userAction = I; gigya.services.socialize.showSh areUI(H,A); return false;

} } ESPN.com news services ORLANDO, Fla. -- Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he talks to Ben Roethlisberger daily while the star quarterback is being investigated for an alleged sexual assault. Tomlin says they talk "about football, about personal life; that's the nature of our relationship." Upon arriving Saturday in Orlando for the NFL meetings, Tomlin told the NFL Network his concerns for Roethlisberger "are many." "But I think at this time it's kind of appropriate to watch these things and let these things run their course," Tomlin said then. "I think it would be inappropriate for me to have strong feelings one way or another with the investigation being ongoing and so forth. Like everyone else, you watch these things unfold."

Roethlisberger is accused of assaulting a 20-year-old college student March 5 in a Georgia nightclub. Roethlisberger's attorney says the quarterback committed no crime. Roethlisberger has yet to be interviewed by police in Milledgeville, Ga., and charges have not been filed. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said he will meet with Roethlisberger "at the appropriate time," and Tomlin said Tuesday that Goodell "is well within his right in terms of meeting with him and I share his concern." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

(MediaPost | Media News)

ravages of late-night sarcasm was Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, an 82-year-old baseball institution who has been calling L.A.games since Harry Truman was in the White House. All of which is to say that when Scully 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.

Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:30:35 AM

GroupM Monday announced that its Maxus media services network has established a presence in the Middle East and North Africa markets via a new strategic affiliation with BPG Media, a sister WPP agency based in Dubai. The new alliance, called BPG Maxus, will offer strategic planning, implementation and buying, analytics, and digital communications throughout the regions. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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reporter. Many of these hours were spent in the “bullpen” at MLB.com’s New York office, where baseball was always on and, as is often the case with jobs that end in the early hours of the morning, irreverence was the general rule. About the only person in baseball to escape the

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Mauer Staying Home Is Landmark Baseball Tale Jay Mariotti (FanHouse Main) Submitted at 3/22/2010 4:59:00 PM

Filed under: MLB Not to overstate the cultural importance of Minnesota, which once elected Jesse (The Body) Ventura to be governor and still cheers wildly when a bearded barbarian warrior in Viking horns blasts through the Metrodome on a motorcycle. But the signing of Joe Mauer to an eight-year, $184 million extension -- more than half of what the Twins franchise is worth -- is the most important event in that state since Prince trumped Morris Day for Apollonia and wrote "Purple Rain.'' Either that or the continuing popularity of the Lutefisk festival, take your pick. Other than the ongoing drama between LeBron James and Cleveland, which might collapse

and slide into Lake Erie if The King departs this summer, I can't think of a would-be free agent whose long-term commitment is more vital to a community's self-esteem and feel-good quotient. Here was a convergence of All Things Minnesotan: Mauer, the polite and squeaky-clean lad who grew up in St. Paul and became the

face of every virtue that the natives love to embody, committing the rest of his Hall of Fame career to his hometown ball club because, well, he'd prefer to stay than play in New York, Boston or Chicago. Given the local angst when two homegrown superstars, Torii Hunter and Johan Santana, fled the Twin Cities for bigger contracts and markets, the state would have been stone-cold devastated had Mauer gone elsewhere. There'd be no reason to buy tickets at the new Target Field because the Twins, once for all, would be making an ultimate mission statement to the fans: They're more interested in maintaining a small-market bottom line than retaining the most marketable commodity within an individual market in the major leagues.

Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:30:35 AM

The City of Milwaukee Monday kicked off a digital outof-home media campaign to promote its chances as a

contender for Google's new fiber optic test project. The campaign began running on a digital billboard on the southeast corner of North 25th Street and West Clybourn Street donated by Clear Channel

Lisa Olson (FanHouse Main)

world. This is supposed to be a basketball hotbed, home to blueNEW YORK -- In roughly the chip ballers and heavenly same time it takes Kentucky's playgrounds, and yet every John Wall to run the court, this spring it's the same tired screencity's once glorious metropolitan and-roll: the local colleges stink -area basketball teams have out the joint, the local fans flipped backward and landed scramble to adopt a "home" hard on their tail bones. team. Bless Cornell's big red Screams and curses can be heart, it's not just a joy to watch, heard from the so-called World's it's also just up the road. Sure, Most Famous Arena on 33rd that road is five hours and 220 Street all the way up to Rucker miles north-by-northwest, give Park, birthplace of so many or take a few potholes, but legends. Not a single local team who's counting when decent was good enough to earn an hoops beckon at the last exit? Or invite to the NCAA tournament, there's Syracuse-- just a puddle Communications. but just as New Yorkers accept jumper out of LaGuardia, and Five Filters featured article: potholes and feral pigeons, always excellent eye candy for Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: they've grown used to March those jonesing for a basketball PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, s n u b s . M a y b e i t ' s k a r m i c fix. Term Extraction. payback for unleashing Stephon Marbury upon a YouTube

MediaDailyNews: Clear Channel Aids Milwaukee In Google Digital Bid (MediaPost | Media News)

Welcome to the Bad Apple of Hoops Submitted at 3/22/2010 4:00:00 PM

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Amanda Seyfried on Her Latest Role, Chloe ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:58:34 PM

One-on-One With Mike Holmgren: Rebuilding the Browns Pat McManamon (FanHouse Main) Submitted at 3/22/2010 4:30:00 PM

Filed under: Browns, FanHouse Exclusive ORLANDO, Fla. -- Mike Holmgren emerged from his first presidential morning at the NFL's annual league meetings unscathed. No scars were visible, and Holmgren did not seem ruffled by the fact he was not in the annual photo of the league's coaches. "I'm getting there," Holmgren said of his adjustment to his

front-office role with the Cleveland Browns. Holmgren is a rarity in the NFL: Ask a question and he'll answer. If he can't, he'll simply admit it. Monday, the new Browns president addressed many issues, among them his and the Browns' thinking about quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen (thumbs neither up nor down) and Sam Bradford (thumbs up) as the draft approaches. He also discussed his thought process in keeping Eric Mangini as coach after a 5-11 season, his thinking in trading Brady Quinn

and his approach to changing 11 years of losing in Cleveland. He even related a story about being challenged by a fan who was not thrilled the Browns had traded Quinn, and conceded seasonticket and suite sales are not what the team would want. In an exclusive Q&A with FanHouse, Holmgren first specified his most important job: "Put a good product on the field. That and to do it with a certain degree of fiscal responsibility."

Amanda Seyfried’s latest film, Chloe—about a prostitute hired to catch a suspected philanderer—is a far cry from Mamma Mia!. In fact, the role was so racy she gave it a second thought. “When we were getting close, I got really scared and started trying to think of a way to get out of it,” she revealed while promoting the movie in New York last week. “But it was the best opportunity that had ever come up for me and the most complex character. It was clearly the riskier choice but it was also the better choice.” What appealed to her about playing the titular call girl? “I just don’t see her as an antagonist. At the beginning, she’s creepy and you don’t trust her at all. But then you start seeing some deeply human qualities, and vulnerability and depth. You see this lost girl falling in love with somebody, who doesn’t have nasty motives.” Seyfried also dispelled rumors

that a Mamma Mia! sequel is in the works (though noting that the original blockbuster failed to exhaust ABBA's early catalog—"King Kong Song," anyone?). “It’s just not going to happen," she said. "Apparently someone said I’d asked for $7.5 million. I would love $7.5 million, but I don’t think it would be right to ask for that for Mamma Mia 2.” —Erin Clements Photo: Retna Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan!

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Overpaid Execs OverEmphasized Comp Barry Ritholtz (The Big Picture)

nearly 85 percent, are still with the companies even though their pay was drastically cut back, Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:53:23 AM according to people briefed on Here are the key data points: the government data. • The average CASH payout for The relative stability, at least the top 25 execs at the 5 within the executive suite, companies that were bailed out suggests that a soft job market, by Uncle Sam — AIG, Chrysler, corporate loyalty and personal GM, GMAC and Chrysler pride helped deter the feared Credit — has been cut in half management exodus at the since 2008 to $469,777. companies hardest hit by the pay • For the top earners at those rules.” companies, pay is expected to Gee, complaining execs turn fall by 11% to $1.62 million.• out to be full of crap — who Mike Schramm (Joystiq) appears as a file on Nintendo's head-tracking 3D solution, then Total compensation is down could have ever seen that website, there's no other official maybe the console is ready to nearly 77% from 2008. coming? Submitted at 3/23/2010 3:44:00 AM word about the new hardware. go. The press release, which you • More than 70% of all approved One last note: None of this data A press release on Nintendo's There are a few dots to connect, can read after the break in full, compensation is expected to be includes comp from Bank of Japanese website appears to however: 3D gaming is on the says we'll see more at E3, so given in the form of stock America/Merrill Lynch, Citi, confirm the company's next rise, and a few other companies stay tuned. instead of cash this year. Goldman Sachs, Fannie/Freddie, handheld console, temporarily have also experimented with [Thanks to everyone who sent Oh well, that’s what happens J P M o r g a n / B e a r S t e a r n s , named the " Nintendo 3DS," head tracking as a way to this in!] when you run your firm into the Morgan Stanley or Wells Fargo and said to include hardware i m p l e m e n t 3 D e f f e c t s . Source-- Nintendo (PDF) ground. ... and software that will enable Nintendo's own Satoru Iwata Continue reading Nintendo Here’s your NYT excerpt: > "3D effects" without the need hasn't been impressed with 3D 3DS handheld announced, more “For months, Wall Street banks Source: for special glasses. The console gaming in the past, but his issue news at E3 and the troubled automakers Few Fled Companies is stated to be backwards is with the glasses, not the N i n t e n d o 3 D S h a n d h e l d feverishly protested that their Constrained by Pay Limits compatible with DS and DSi technology. "I have doubts announced, more news at E3 top executives would flee if they ERIC DASH games and is expected to go on whether people will be wearing originally appeared on Joystiq were not lavishly rewarded for NYT, March 22, 2010 sale (in Japan, presumably) glasses to play games at home," on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:44:00 t h e i r t a l e n t s . N e w d a t a , "during the fiscal year ending he said recently. We've also EST. Please see our terms for h o w e v e r , s u g g e s t s t h e http://www.nytimes.com/2010/0 March 2011" -- so within the heard that the next handheld use of feeds. departures were more of a 3/23/business/23pay.html next year. The press release has w o u l d h a v e a " m o v e m e n t P e r m a l i n k | E m a i l t h i s | trickle than a flood. Five Filters featured article: no pictures or other information, sensor" of some kind, so if C o m m e n t s Of the 104 senior executives Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: and save for the fact that it Nintendo really has designed a whose pay was set by the PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, federal pay regulator in the last Term Extraction. two years, 88 executives, or

Nintendo 3DS handheld announced, more news at E3

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Sony Benelux brand manager casually mentions 'LittleBigPlanet 2' JC Fletcher (Joystiq) Submitted at 3/23/2010 10:07:00 AM

In a video interview posted by Game-Vid and reported by Dutch tech site Tweakers, a kind of nervous-sounding Folkert Langeveld, PlayStation marketing manager for Sony Benelux, appears to have outed LittleBigPlanet 2. His Dutchlanguage speech about the PlayStation Move hits all the familiar bullet points: support for downloadable games like Hustle Kings, new games like The Shoot, and major releases

like SOCOM 4. The thing is, he also name-drops a "LittleBigPlanet Twee" -- or, in English, "LittleBigPlanet Two." (See the video interview after the break.) While it makes sense on a base level for Sony to release a sequel to one of its flagship games, we're leaving the possibility open that Langeveld simply misspoke, for a couple of reasons: First, Sony has made repeated reference to Move support for the original LittleBigPlanet, something that Langeveld didn't mention; and

second, Media Molecule level designer Danny Leaver once said that a sequel would be "the most counterproductive thing you could do I think." Of

course, Leaver may have been overruled by Media Molecule's Alex Evans, who said last year that he would "love there to be a sequel" -- and overruled by

Sony, which owns the studio now. Continue reading Sony Benelux brand manager casually mentions 'LittleBigPlanet 2' Sony Benelux brand manager casually mentions 'LittleBigPlanet 2' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

Plants vs. Zombies started as Insaniquarium sequel, PopCap is human Mike Schramm (Joystiq) Submitted at 3/23/2010 5:00:00 AM

If you, like us, were laboring under the impression that the entity known as"PopCap Games" was some sort of supernatural anti-free time daemon that simply willed release after release of perfectly polished and addictive gameplay into an increasingly submissive world, then you'll probably find this little writeup over at Ars Technica intriguing. Apparently

PopCap is just a video game developer, made up of real people who draw ideas out on notepads and tweak them as they see fit. Who knew? For example, its latest runaway hit, Plants vs. Zombies, started out as a sequel to Insaniquarium, but as the gameplay was tuned more towards a tower defense-like setup and the idea arose of regenerating sunlight as a resource for the fight against the undead, the title morphed into

the time-killer we know it as today. Of course, there's no doubt that a game that featured locust aliens and "jolly-

moustache-potato-men" would have been just as fun, but it's good to know that the minds behind PopCap are, in fact,

human. We'd like to use that knowledge to find a weakness and attempt to reclaim our longmissing boredom, but we're too busy playing its games. Plants vs. Zombies started as Insaniquarium sequel, PopCap is human originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Around the Net In Media: YouTube May Trump Viacom In Court (MediaPost | Media News)

complaining about its presence there." While industry watchers feel W h i l e a j u d g e w e i g h s YouTube and Viacom each arguments from Viacom and s c o r e d p o i n t s , Y o u T u b e ' s YouTube in a closely watched evolution into a recognizable copyright Web case, a legal brand may give it the upperexpert said YouTube might have hand, says Eric Goldman, the advantage of transforming associate professor at Santa into a reputable business. Clara University School of Law Viacom contended in its motion and director of the High Tech that Google acquired YouTube Law Institute. Google wins most in 2006 because it was a "haven lawsuits against it because few of infringement" and planned to judges are willing to take it profit from it. Google in its own down, given its popularity. motion alleged that after filing Five Filters featured article: t h e s u i t V i a c o m s e c r e t l y Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: uploaded video content to PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, YouTube, "even while publicly Term Extraction. Submitted at 3/22/2010 9:38:41 PM

Standalone Xbox 250GB HDD confirmed by Dashboard Ben Gilbert (Joystiq) Submitted at 3/23/2010 9:30:00 AM

While Microsoft may have stated up, down and sidesaddle that the 250GB version of its Xbox 360 HDD would remain exclusive to special console bundles (e.g., Modern Warfare 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction), it would appear that the particular drive will arrive as a standalone accessory sometime soon. As spotted by eagle-eyed Joystiq reader Rodney in the Spotlight section of the Xbox 360 Dashboard (pictured above), the

accessory should be available at "participating retailers" rather soon -- the ad's wording indicates that the HDD might already be on store shelves (as of this writing, Amazon has the product listed without a price). Though it's odd to see an official reveal through the Xbox Dashboard, we have been hearing rumblings about a standalone version of the 250GB HDD for quite some time -- listings even popped up on retail sites earlier this month bearing ... today's date! We've contacted Microsoft for pricing

and release info, but until the West Coast wakes up, we've got this thrilling hi-res gallery of the Dashboard advertisement for you below. Gallery: Xbox 360 Dashboard with 250GB HDD ad [Thanks Rodney!] Standalone Xbox 250GB HDD confirmed by Dashboard originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Frayed String for China’s Property Balloon Guest Author (The Big Picture) Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:58:55 AM

Don’t expect China’s property bubble to shrink as long as Beijing tinkers with rules but neglects credible reform Beijing has unleashed another round of property market tightening measures, and this time it’s tightening mortgage loan terms considerably: The mortgage interest discount has been reduced for first-time homebuyers; the discount has been abolished and down payment requirement raised to 40 percent for second-time homebuyers; and rates are at banker discretion while the required down payment has been raised to 60 percent for third-time buyers. Predictably, sales volumes in the primary and secondary markets have collapsed. But no one is panicking, not even those who live off the property bubble. Why? Aren’t they supposed to be terrified when Beijing cracks down? It seems we have seen this movie before. Beijing launched property tightening measures several times in the past but then relaxed as soon as the market felt the bite. The bottom line is that local governments, and Beijing through them, depend very much on property for fiscal revenues. And now, the market does not believe the government

will cut off the hand that feeds it. Local governments and developers are sitting on massive amounts of liquidity they raised last year through land and property sales and borrowings while taking advantage of an “anything goes” window open during the economic stimulus period. They seem to think Beijing will change its mind before their liquidity runs dry, so they are comfortably waiting without cutting prices. Current lending terms effectively keep second- and third-time homebuyers out of the market. Thus, to sell now, developers have to cut prices to levels affordable to first-home buyers with low incomes and little wealth. But cutting prices doesn’t make sense if Beijing is expected to loosen again soon. This game will continue until Beijing proves its credibility. And it can only prove its credibility by maintaining a tight market policy until local governments and developers run out of money. After that, everyone will have to play by new rules. Resettlement Role Contrary to Beijing’s policy intent, local governments are readying for another round of property inflation. Local governments have been using bank loans to resettle residents, and resettlement costs have

skyrocketed since those being moved need enough compensation to buy properties at today’s prices. Unless property prices rise considerably, local governments will end up losing money, which they cannot afford. Such resettlements played an important role in supporting demand for property last year. The overwhelming majority of end-user purchases probably came from resettled residents who used their compensation cash for down payments. Resettlement compensation is the biggest transfer of wealth from the government to the household sector since the privatization of low-cost public housing a decade ago. It is probably the most important government action supporting today’s economy. The positive elements of resettlement compensation come with two major negatives. First, it uses a form of leverage to support demand. Local governments borrow to pay compensation packages, using land as collateral. Resettled residents use compensation cash as down payments for mortgages. In this way, government debt becomes equity for mortgage debt; there is no real equity in the financing chain. Second, although high compensation payments benefit resettled residents, they make

local governments a player in further inflating property prices. Ultimately, the costs will be borne by China’s nascent middle class. Beijing’s economic policies have been favorable to people in the low-income bracket over the past few years through rural subsidies, agricultural land reform and price controls for necessities. The resettlement policy is another element designed to help them. But the middle class is paying the price while their most important expenditures – property, cars and education – are highly inflated. Indeed, China’s property and car prices are among the highest in the world in absolute terms, and by far the highest relative to income. Unless policies change dramatically, the middle class squeeze will get worse. China’s property market is a massive bubble. The stock of residential properties, developer inventories and land pledged to banks by local governments exceed by three times the nation’s gross domestic product. Rental yields in most cities fail to cover depreciation costs. The price-to-income ratio, a measure of housing affordability, is routinely above 20 in major cities, which means an average Chinese citizen would spend his or her entire income for 20 years to buy an average-priced property.

The bubble can continue because China’s banking system has plenty of liquidity, partly thanks to hot money and because governments have many levers to channel bank liquidity into the market. But the longer the bubble lasts, the more damage it will do to the economy. Sensible Policy A modern society’s stability depends on a dominant and content middle class. A policy that supports high land prices is a form of tax on the middle class, slowing its growth. China may become a country with a small number of super-rich, a vast class with no property, and a small middle class. This kind of social structure would be risky for long-term stability. The key to sensible property policy is fiscal structural reform. First, government spending, mostly in fixed investment, should be curtailed. China doesn’t need to build everything at once. The sum of all government fiscal revenues, central and local government borrowings, and expenditures by state-owned enterprises probably exceeded half of GDP last year. Can the government sector spend that much money efficiently? You know the answer. Shrinking the government sector should be a top priority. FRAYED page 62

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Second, assets in the government sector still exceed the nation’s entire GDP. The government should give these assets to the people in a way that expands the middle class. Such a move would support consumption, incomes and tax revenue. Policies that shrink the government and give wealth to the people are needed for balanced and sustainable growth. The rapid expansion of the government sector only increases its need for revenue and the incentive to inflate the property bubble. Without credible government reforms, property tightening is not credible.

Andy Xie is an independent economist. This article first appeared in the South China Morning Post. Source: Frayed String for China’s Property Balloon Andy Xie Caixan, 03.22.2010 17:54 http://english.caing.com/201003-22/100128789.html Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble Prepping IPad E-readers (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 Barnes & Noble e-readers 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.

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Research Brief: Half of U.S. Advertisers Missing Trillion Dollar Hispanic Market (MediaPost | Media News)

in food tastes, fashion and technology. Hector Orcí, co-founder and According to a new Hispanic chairman of the agency, says "... m a r k e t i n g t r e n d s s u r v e y , for the last 30 years, a minority commissioned by the Hispanic o f c o m p a n i e s t h a t h a v e advertising agency Orcí, the been smart enough to take 2010 U.S. Census is expected to advantage of engaging Hispanic find that Hispanics number consumers, have seen their more than 50 million in the efforts make a difference to their United States, and command bottomline... " $1 trillion in buying power. Yet The survey also found that 78% half of U.S. advertisers, says the of respondents do not use social report, who acknowledge the media to engage Latinos despite cultural impact of Latinos, do the fact that Hispanics are the not include Hispanics in their heaviest users of wireless access marketing efforts. through mobile phones and Latinos comprise more than laptops than any other ethnic 15% of the U.S. population, and group. In addition, close to 80% are predicted to rise to 50 of Latinos engage in some kind million in the 2010 Census, an of online socializing. Among increase of 42% since the last those companies who do use Census in 2000. In the 2000 social media to market to report, the Hispanic growth rate Hispanics, Facebook was the o f 2 4 . 3 % w a s m o r e t h a n site of choice with Twitter a three times the growth rate of close second. the total U.S. population, which "Hispanics are tech savvy, was 6.1%. young trend setters with Yet the research showed that i n c r e d i b l e s p e n d i n g 82% of respondents have no p o w e r . . . " O r c í s a i d . plans to begin or increase Other key results of the survey e x i s t i n g e f f o r t s a i m e d include: at American Hispanics in the • 89% believe Latinos will next 12 months. This despite the somewhat or significantly fact that the great majority of impact American taste in foods respondents agreed that Latinos in the next five years will impact U.S. companies' • 87% believe Latinos will product and service offerings in impact fashion and beauty the next five years, particularly • 82% expect Hispanics to Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:15:19 AM

impact entertainment • 78% believe Hispanics will i m p a c t technology/communications The survey was conducted via email to 9,300 senior marketing and advertising executives of B2B, consumer, small, medium and large Fortune 1000 businesses across the country in February of 2010. And, according to a recent study by The Nielsen Company released almost simultaneously with the Orci study, America's demographic profile is undergoing major changes, and describes the potential impact on consumer packaged goods. The report says that by 2050, more than half of the U.S. population will be non-white (African-American, Asian, Hispanic). This dynamic growth represents not only significant cultural shifts, but also one of the more remarkable marketing opportunities in history. By that 2050 milestone, the economic opportunity for brands in the multicultural CPG space is projected to exceed $500B. Key information on the Hispanic portion of the Multicultural CPG Buying Trends from the Nielsen study includes these observations. When compared to the general

population, on average Hispanic Shoppers: • Tend to spend more on categories for babies and children. Hispanic households represent 11.8% of CPG total spending, but 16.6% of disposable diaper sales. • Tend to spend more in traditional mass merchandise and warehouse clubs. • Tend to spend more on food consumed at home. • The Hispanic TV audience in the US is growing faster than the TV audience for the total population, showing a continued increase of Hispanic TV homes (2.3%) compared with total US TV homes (0.3%) for the 2009-2010 TV season. • The number of people ages 2 and older in Hispanic TV homes will also grow, with estimates showing a 2.4% increase to a total of 44.3 million The full copy of the survey results is available through Orci News here, and for more about the Neilsen multicultural study, please visit Nielsen here. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

With iPad Looming, Amazon, Barnes & Noble Push The Platform (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance) (Yahoo! News Search Results for e-readers) Submitted at 3/22/2010 10:10:53 AM

After the hardware holiday battles, Amazon (AMZN) and book-selling rival Barnes & Noble (BKS) are eager to remind users, potential buyers and analysts that they offer platforms in addition to ereaders. And they should be: the multi-tasking more versatile iPad may not appeal to everyone but it's already siphoning attention away and dollars are sure to follow. The two already have their own following for software and hardware so are in better shape than those still trying to gain a foothold. Still, they need to come up with strong contenders for the iPad and the other next-gen tablets on the way, especially if they want to keep iPhone/iTouch users who add on the iPad. Amazon's approach: convince people it offers "the best reading experience available on your tablet computer including the iPad. No Kindle required." A few days after launching its moderately in-your-face Kindle for Mac app, Amazon is already showing off its tablet approach WITH page 64

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via an official page. The current Kindle apps offers splashes of color. The tablet version embraces it, as much of it as we can see. Like the other Kindle apps, it's limited to books but last page read, notes and highlights can sync across devices. (Those of us who subscribe to magazines, newspapers or blogs on Kindle can only access those version on the e-reader.) Readers will be able to switch between animated page mode and basic reading. When I asked Amazon if the Kindle iPad app had been approved yet, a spokesman replied: "We look forward to making Kindle for iPad available very soon. I'll have to ask you to stay tuned on specific timing." As for the emphasis on tablets as a category: "There are going to be many general purpose tablet computers and we want to show customers what they can expect for the

category in general." Barnes & Noble sent a strong signal about its digital ambitions last week with the promotion of BN.com head William Lynch to CEO. The company has yet to go public with looks but it's already promised an app"specifically" for iPad, a different take from Amazon's tablets-and-iPad strategy. It's also promising to enhance the other B&N eReader apps for "an enhanced on-the-go reading experience." Also unlike Amazon, B&N is promising iPad access to everything sold in its eBookstore. B&N told the NYT it has 14 developers working on the app in a windowless room. The reimagined app will offer finger swiping, a customized look and possibly multimedia. Update: I substituted "more versatile" for "multitasking" after a note from Slate's Jack Shafer reminding me that it

800-Year-Old Fossilized Brain Found Containing Intact Remnants of Brain Cells

wasn't the right choice in this context. The iPad offers multiple tasks but doesn't allow multitasking, a distinction with a difference. Jeremy Hsu (Popular Science Related - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) • Barnes & Noble Shakeup: Submitted at 3/23/2010 6:30:00 AM Digital Head Lynch Now CEO Sorry cryo-immortals, this • @ MPA: Is A Short Story preservation method is not for Equal To The Price Of A Cup you Of Starbucks' Coffee? Even a stutter-gait zombie • Barnes & Noble Adds Time might turn up its nose at a 13thInc. Vet Shar As GM, Digital century fossilized brain, but Newsstand & Emerging Content neuroscientists probably have • The E-Book Marketplace: good cause for excitement. An Does Anybody Really Know amazingly well-preserved 800What Price It Is? year-old infant brain found in northwestern France contains Five Filters featured article: recognizable remnants of brain Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: cells, according to a new study PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, covered by Neurophilosophy. Term Extraction. Most soft tissue such as brain matter decomposes rapidly following death, and so fossilized brains with cells intact are typically hard to come by. This does not represent the oldest known specimen, but does appear to be one of the best -preserved. Brain imaging tests on the specimen revealed clear anatomical landmarks of the brain, including grey and white matter made up of cells and axon bundles, respectively. A closer look showed glial (non -neuronal) cells and blood vessels. Pyramidal neurons from the hippocampus--a region of the brain involved with memory and navigation--also appeared under the microscope.

Just how the soft brain tissue ended up preserved remains a bit puzzling, but the researchers suggested that a wax-like preservative substance may form as bacteria break down fatty tissue without oxygen. The child's remains were first dug up in 1998 in the city of Quimper, France, where environmental conditions could favor that preservation theory. Neurobiologist Mo Costandi of Neurophilosophy describes the original paper slated for publication in the journal NeuroImage as reading "somewhat like a medieval murder mystery," and accordingly does not spoil much of the surprise with details on the circumstances of the 18month-old infant's death. Well OK, there's one big spoiler--cause of death apparently came from brain hemorrhaging due to a severe fracture near the top of the skull. Ouch. We're normally all about futuristic brain implants and cryogenic brain preservation for wounded soldiers, but we have to admit that a medieval-era brain carries its own interesting appeal. [via Neurophilosophy]

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At Annual Convention, Chemists Warm to Cold Fusion Rebecca Boyle (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)

gaining new researchers from universities that had previously not pursued cold fusion research. More and more people are becoming interested in it," Submitted at 3/22/2010 2:16:19 PM Looking for new energy he said in a statement. "There's s o l u t i o n s , s c i e n t i s t s a r e still some resistance to this field. increasingly embracing the idea But we just have to keep on as of cold fusion, once considered we have done so far, exploring a junk science along the lines of cold fusion step by step, and that a l c h e m y . " C o l d f u s i o n " will make it a successful describes the nuclear fusion of alternative energy source." a t o m s a t c l o s e t o r o o m The term dates to 1989, when temperatures, as opposed to the Martin Fleischmann of the epic temperatures at which University of Southampton and nuclei fuse inside stars. If Stanley Pons of the University realized on a practical scale, it of Utah reported achieving could provide the world with a n u c l e a r f u s i o n a t r o o m virtually limitless source of temperature with a simple energy. device. Their claim ignited an Several new frontiers in cold international firestorm -- which fusion research are on display was soon quashed when no this week at the American other scientists could duplicate Chemical Society's annual t h e i r r e s u l t s . S o o n a f t e r meeting in San Francisco. One Fleischmann's and Pons' paper researcher is working on a new was published, cold fusion fell kind of battery that uses a new into disrepute. (Although it did cold fusion process and has a have a brief starring role l o n g e r s h e l f l i f e t h a n alongside Elisabeth Shue.) conventional batteries. Another But new research is bringing researcher has experimental cold fusion toward mainstream evidence that some forms of acceptance, Marwan said. The bacteria use a type of cold number of papers on the topic fusion, and their biologically has quadrupled since 2007, and driven transmutations could help several papers presented at the dispose of nuclear waste. ACS conference use the term German chemist Jan Marwan, " c o l d f u s i o n " o r t h e who organized the Low-Energy "Fleischmann-Pons Effect" to Nuclear Reactions symposium describe the phenomenon, he at the ACS meeting, said said. scientists are no longer afraid to Here's a glimpse at 5 promising talk about cold fusion. pathways to cold fusion, "I've also noticed that the field is courtesy of the American

Chemical Society. Cold Fusion Battery George Miley, a researcher at the University of Illinois, is developing a type of cold fusion energy cell. The process would work by purposely creating defects in an electrolyte cell's metal electrode. Deuterium atoms -- also called heavy hydrogen atoms -- migrate from the electrolyte into the defective electrode, where they pile up and get very dense. Then the atoms undergo a nuclear reaction, much like the cold fusion originally described by Fleischmann and Pons. Add in some energy conversion pieces, and the result is a battery that can produce electricity. The battery would last much longer

than your average Duracell, thanks to the nuclear reactions. New Calorimeter to Track Cold Fusion at Work Melvin Miles, a researcher at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, is working on a new type of calorimeter that could measure heat effects produced by electrochemical reactions. Built using storebought copper tubing, a glass test tube and Mobil-1 oil, the calorimeter is very stable, allowing for accurate measurements of heat transfer. The goal is to study cold fusion, but the calorimeter can also be used to study the heat created in other chemical reactions, Miles reports. He used the system to measure what happened when

he charged an ammonium chloride solution, and found that it formed nitrogen trichloride and 50 megawatts of excess power. Transmutation in Biological Systems Ukrainian scientist Vladimir Vysotskii reports experimental evidence that certain bacteria can undergo a type of cold fusion process. In a talk scheduled for Monday afternoon, he was slated to describe studies of nuclear transmutation -- the transformation of one element into another -- in biological systems. His experiments examined stable and radioactive isotopes. Theoretically, cold fusion could be used to reduce nuclear waste. Fuzzy Math One of the most controversial aspects of cold fusion is excess heat production, which seems to violate laws of thermodynamics. Peter Hagelstein, a scientist at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology, has several new theoretical models that can help explain the excess heat production in cold fusion. In a nuclear reaction, one would expect that the excess energy would appear as kinetic energy - but in the Fleischmann-Pons experiment, there are not as many energetic particles as there should be. Hagelstein's models ANNUAL page 67

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World's Most Efficient Insulation Made From Synthetic Crystal Could Keep Satellites Pinging From Deepest Space Jeremy Hsu (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) Submitted at 3/22/2010 3:00:00 PM

But it only works at subfreezing temperatures for now Deep-space probes and scientific devices in Antarctica could soon get a new form of insulation based on synthetic crystals that stop and reflect heat. Such material could eventually lead to the best insulation ever created, even at room temperatures. The crystals work by manipulating phonons, or vibrational waves that can carry either sound or heat depending on the frequency. Each crystal structure consists of alternating layers of silicon dioxide and a polymer material, so that the spacing between similar layers matches the wavelength of phonons. That allows the material to block and reflect back the phonons in the form of heat.

Most prior research used larger crystals to deal with soundrelated phonons, but nanotechnology has given researchers the ability to create the tiny structures necessary to control heat-related phonons. Phonons reflected by the new material represent lowfrequency heat, and so the material only does its insulating

trick in sub-freezing temperatures. That means the most immediate applications could involve protecting scientific instruments in an Antarctic environment, or insulating devices on spacecraft operating far from the sun. But researchers hope to come up with room-temperature variants by thinning the layers

that make up the crystal structure -- a necessary step toward reaching the range of a supposedly "perfect insulator" that blocks heat at certain frequency ranges. The work done by MIT researchers and their colleagues in Germany and Greece has greater possibilities beyond the "perfect insulator." The ability

to control phonons could lead to more efficient ways of scavenging phonon-related heat in computers, cell phones and cars to create electricity. And that's just the beginning, according to Edwin Thomas, a materials scientist and engineer at MIT. He compared the early scientific understanding of phonons with that of understanding electrons and photons behind electricity and light. Mastering electrons and photons has led to technological innovations that built the modern world and gave us lasers, transistors, photovoltaic cells and microchips. Thomas believes that we may be sitting on the brink of a phonon-driven technological revolution as well. [ MIT]

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A Variable Velocity Rifle That Puts the 'Less' in 'Less-Lethal' Clay Dillow (Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now) Submitted at 3/22/2010 3:25:57 PM

New from the designers of the "Tickle Me Elmo" doll: a variable velocity less-lethal rifle. The Lund Variable Velocity Weapons System is a gas combustion rifle that chambers both lethal and lesslethal rounds, automatically adjusting the muzzle velocity downward if a target is too close so as not to accidentally turn a "less-lethal" situation into a highly undesirable one. Lund Technologies - designers of the fuzzy red Sesame Street doll that incited parents to riot a few years back - are pitching the LVVWS as an all-in-one weapon for law enforcement or military operating in situations where the circumstances, and the level of necessary force, can change on a dime. "Less-lethal," of course, is a term that replaced "non-lethal" because it turns out most rounds being billed as non-lethal - like rubber bullets for instance - are actually quite fatal at close range. Too keep less-lethal intentions from turning into lethal actions, the LVVWS is

equipped with a range finder that locates the target and calculates distance; if the shooter is working in less-lethal mode, the rifle ratchets down the muzzle velocity of the round, maintaining its less-lethal status even in close quarters. The concept of swapping between lethal and non-lethal force in urban environments where civilians may be present is attractive to a Pentagon that loses a PR battle each time a civilian in Iraq or Afghanistan

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help explain the energy changes, by breaking large bits of energy into a lot of small bits. A Cold Fusion Device That Uses Oil During the heyday of cold fusion research, especially in Japan and Germany, much attention focused on making liquid fuels from coal, according to Tadahiko Mizuno, a researcher at Hokkaido University in Japan. In one such study, researchers observed large amounts of excess heat. Mizuno replicated that study to determine if he could control the excess heat effect. He used phenanthrene, a heavy oil fraction, and subjected it to high pressure and heat in the presence of a metal catalyst. The reaction caused excess heat, gets caught in the crossfire. But m a s s o f t h e t a r g e t , t h e strong gamma radiation and a in reality, a weapon like the placement of the shot and the slew of hydrocarbons. Mizuno LVVWS is likely a long way physical condition of the target also measured isotopes of away from being service ready. invite more variables into the elements ranging from hydrogen For one, gunpowder is a time- equation that the LVVWS can't to lead. He said the formation of tested portable, combustible address. Not to mention, as that, if kept dry, has reliably Danger Room points out, a hydrocarbons doesn't account s e r v e d i n f a n t r y m e n f o r weapon that easily switches for the excess heat caused by the centuries; we're not so sure the between less-lethal and "kill- r e a c t i o n . H e a t p r o d u c t i o n same can be said for compressed you-dead" invites the kinds of reached 60 watts -- way higher g a s c a r t r i d g e s . B u t m o r e mistakes that can be irreversible. than it should have been for importantly, while range is You can see the LVVWS in chemical reactions. "Overall heat production usually a big factor when less- action here. exceeded any conceivable lethal rounds turn deadly, it's [ Danger Room] chemical reaction by two orders certainly not the only one. The of magnitude," he wrote.

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Petra Solar: Solar on the Pole, Part 2 info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines)

SMA and SatCon as well as the small army of startups in this emerging field. Here's a list of Submitted at 3/22/2010 1:30:38 PM the aspirants in the Petra Solar, armed with $54 microinverter / distributed million in venture capital raised inverter market: over the last three years, has I spoke with Petra's VP of built itself into a distributed Strategic Development, Neel generation firm leveraging Master, a former investor, m i c r o i n v e r t e r a n d g r i d researcher and entrepreneur. availability technology with a Master believes that Petra is u n i q u e p r o d u c t a n d s a l e s differentiated in this field by channel. Up until now, the virtue of, amongst other things, startup has been relatively the ten patents they hold in the secretive about its affairs. field of power electronics, Through information garnered originally invented with NASA from our informants in bars and and the U.S. Air Force in mind. pool halls, we've been able to Here's a link to one of the firm's write about the firm (see here) patents. and we even placed them in our With a history of designing for list of the Top 50 Greentech the rigors of spaceflight and a Startups by virtue of their portfolio of power control volume shipments and utility patents, Petra was able to get a contract with PSE&G. That system designed and out the profile prompted the startup to door for testing by utilities contact Greentech Media to relatively quickly. According to clarify just what it is that Petra Master, utility expectations for Solar does. reliability were regularly P l a y i n g i n t h e c r o w d e d exceeded and BP Solar's stress m i c r o i n v e r t e r / d i s t r i b u t e d tests yielded "great results." i n v e r t e r m a r k e t i n v o l v e s Technology aside, Petra has competing against incumbent exploited an untapped sales centralized inverter firms like channel and unique application -

- solar panels that are mounted on utility and power poles and sold directly to the utility. Petra has won a large contract with Public Service Electric & Gas, New Jersey's biggest power utility, to install solar panels on streetlights and power poles across the distribution network. PSE&G looks to install 200,000 panels and about 5 percent are up so far, according to PSE&G. The company's CEO, Shihab Kuran, has claimed, "This is the single largest distributed installation in the world," according to The Star-Ledger. Petra sells a kitted system consisting of a solar module, an integrated microinverter, mounting hardware, and wireless monitoring equipment. It sells this system directly to utilities for mounting on the distribution pole or streetlight pole. It's meant to be installed by a utility crew in less than 30 minutes and to deliver AC power directly to the grid. By dealing with utilities and mounting directly on the utilityowned pole, the hassles of permitting and Nimbyism are

pretty much avoided. Petra has partnered with SunTech and BP Solar. But they are essentially vendor- and technology-agnostic. In Neel Master's words, "We build a self-contained energy generation system." Unlike the other successful microinverter startup, Enphase Energy, which focuses on residential and commercial solar installations, Petra Solar looks at their solution "with the utility in mind" and "the impact of the system on the grid." It's not just about the power being generated by the Petra microinverter -Petra is monitoring in real-time the voltage and current at each power pole. The microinverter thus serves as an element in the smart grid, alerting utilities to outages and voltage sags via wireless communications. Typically, voltage sags, which can cause brownouts, are only detected via a truck roll. And in what is a victory for any startup, Petra is starting to ship in volume with 15,000 units delivered so far and expectations of shipping 70,000

units in 2010. The firm is commissioning about one megawatt per month and all of the units are assembled in New Jersey. This potential for this untapped application is immense -- there are hundreds of millions of power poles in the U.S. This type of installation lets utilities address ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) quickly without having to deal with siting, permitting and limited transmission resources. In fact, Petra was shipping product within a month of signing the PSE&G contract. And installation of these modules is straightforward, especially when you're working with a workforce of linesmen who know their way around power poles. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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On Italy, PV, and Overheated Markets info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines)

national feed-in tariff without a hard cap, which enabled demand to expand far beyond the Submitted at 3/23/2010 4:00:14 AM government's expectations The Italian PV market has been within a single year. And in e x p l o d i n g w i t h p r o j e c t each market, the government announcements over the past responded drastically, either by two weeks. Among them is a 25 s l a s h i n g r a t e s ( G e r m a n y ) , MW project to be constructed instituting a strict program cap by Prime Sun Power, a 5 MW (Spain), or placing the program project that is already the largest e n t i r e l y o n h o l d ( C z e c h using Evergreen Solar modules, R e p u b l i c ) . a 9.8 MW turnkey project to be In order to assess the likelihood d e v e l o p e d b y S i l i k e n f o r of Italy as the next overheated Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, market, there are three questions a n d a 7 2 M W p r o j e c t b y we need to ask. Why all the SunEdison that will become the interest in the Italian market? largest PV project in Europe. In How fast can it ramp up? And, February, SunPower acquired what happens next? SunRay, a Malta-based project Why All the Interest in Italy? developer with a 75 MW+ Italy installed 544 MW of PV Italian pipeline, in no small part in 2009 to become the secondto gain better access to the largest European PV market Italian market. And that is behind Germany. Italy's Conto w i t h o u t m e n t i o n i n g t h e Energia feed-in tariff program, continuous stream of just-under- which offered tariffs ranging 1 MW project announcements from â&#x201A;Ź0.37/kWh to â&#x201A;Ź0.48/kWh that arrive daily (more on that in 2009, enabled increasingly later). Most importantly, all of attractive investor returns as these projects are intended for module prices fell throughout completion this year. the year. For 2010, we estimate If the market keeps up this pace that equity (levered) internal throughout 2010, Italy will rates of return for projects experience triple-digit growth generally range from 18 percent and could install a gigawatt of to 23 percent, well above typical new PV capacity. But in doing investor threshold rates. In other so, Italy risks becoming the next words, there is gold to be found victim of the PV gold rush. Over and prospectors know it. the past two years, this has The current phase of the Conto happened in Spain (2008), the Energia ends in 2010 and is Czech Republic (2009) and, to a theoretically capped at 1,200 lesser extent, Germany (2009). MW, which will be reached Each of these countries had a early this year. But there is a 14-

month grace period for projects installed after the cap is reached, essentially guaranteeing that all projects installed in 2010 receive the current tariffs. Adding to Italy's growth this year is the fact that post-2010 rates have not yet been set by the government. Uncertainty regarding the severity of those cuts is creating an additional demand pull into 2010. The Italian market was likely to grow substantially in 2010 regardless of external factors. But the feverish growth occurring now is as much a result of the German market as it is the Italian market. The lack of visibility into the second half of the year in Germany, both in terms of the magnitude of the feed-in tariff cuts and the impact of those cuts on demand, has led suppliers to seek a hedge against lost German demand. Italy is a popular choice -- it offers attractive returns, a relatively established integrator base and, as I mentioned, no market cap. So unless the German government pares back its planned feed-in tariff cuts, Italy will remain the European market's big hope for 2010. How Fast Can Italy Ramp Up? If anything hinders Italy's growth this year, it will be administrative barriers. The Italian government requires every project over 20 kW to go through a "single authorization procedure" (Autorizzazione

Unica, or AU) that can take over six months. Additional delays for environmental impact screening have also been reported. Even after the AU process has been completed, grid connection approvals are required from local distribution companies before a project can submit a feed-in tariff request to the GSE, the grid operator. Recognizing the difficulty presented by the AU, a number of regions, mostly in Southern Italy, increased the capacity requirement to 1 MW, allowing smaller projects to receive authorization through a "start of activity declaration" (denuncia di inizio attivita, or DIA), which automatically authorizes projects if the public administration does not object within 30 days of receiving the DIA. This resulted in a wave of just-under 1 MW projects in these regions in 2009 that provided most of Italy's demand growth. However, the DIA benefit may disappear, as the federal government is challenging the regions on their ability to autonomously alter the AU requirements. The first hearings on the topic, in Apulia, began in January 2010. If the federal government prevails, the approvals process will become worse than it was previously and the project backlog will likely increase. Source: GSE, GTM Research However, 47 percent of Italy's

demand in 2009 came in November and December. Many of these projects began development in the third quarter, once module prices had plummeted. The fact that so many projects were able to achieve completion during 2009 may be an indicator that the Italian market can ramp up faster than expected in 2010. What Will Happen Next? The Italian government is in a strange position. The better it is at reducing regulatory delays, the more likely the market is to overheat in 2010. Similarly, the stricter its 2011 feed-in tariff cuts are, the larger the demand pull into this year. So the government has to weigh its desire to support a growing PV market with a need to avoid repeating the mistakes of other overheated PV markets. We will soon gain a better picture of the 2010 Italian market landscape. In January, the Italian government announced that it would set a new goal of 8,000 MW cumulative solar capacity by 2020, and that it expected to introduce new feed-in tariff rates for 2011 onward at the end of the month. However, the government then stated that it would delay the introduction of new rates until sometime in March. The timeline is still in question, and the longer the ITALY, page 72

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Comverge: From Demand Response to Energy Management info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines)

goals in the coming year. The company's Apollo platform effectively serves as a glue to Submitted at 3/22/2010 11:52:43 AM allow operators to dig out data Is there really much of a and control equipment in the difference between demand field much easier. A utility in response and smart grid? Pennsylvania has already agreed Demand response companies to adopt it. try to curb peak power and are It will also better connect increasingly moving toward demand response functions with managing power throughout the things like billing systems, said d a y t o r e d u c e e n e r g y new CEO Blake Young. Young c o n s u m p t i o n . S m a r t g r i d will go over Apollo in more c o m p a n i e s w a n t t o a d d detail at DistribuTech next intelligence to the grid so that week. one day they can shut down "The amount of data that will clothes dryers and curb air come out of the smart grid will conditioners remotely, sort of be exponential," he said in an l i k e d e m a n d r e s p o n s e interview. "The shift to smart companies. grid is not going to be like The The main difference seems to Wizard of Oz. You just don't be that they live in parallel, click your heels and go home." alternative universes. Utilities In the process, of course, want to own the smart grid and Comverge wants to become they outsource demand response more ensconced in the day-tofunctions to companies like day operations of utilities E n e r N o c , C o m v e r g e a n d instead of just a hired hand CPower. during peak events. By moving Smoothing over the gap will be into management, the company one of Comverge's primary begins to encroach on territory

staked out by companies like eMeter, Oracle and others, which in turn want to move into Comverge's ancestral home. A key selling point will be familiarity. Comverge is over 12 years old and manages over 3 gigawatts of capacity. Roughly half of the demand response business revolves around residences. How will the smart grid evolve? Intelligent, consumercontrolled thermostats and energy panels will play a role, but autonomic systems that control heaters and air conditioners that effectively let consumers forget about their thermostats will probably be more common, he said. "We are a long way from the consumer component leading the pack," he said. Common standards for communications protocols will likely emerge -- ZigBee and the Wi-Fi alliance agreed to cooperate this week, ending their war of words -- but a lot of

the underlying hardware systems will remain unique. That's good for vendors, but it means consolidation may occur slower than some expect. The ultimate smart grid network, meanwhile, may become a hybrid. Utilities can save money by carrying traffic on public cellular networks, but quality of service issues and other factors will continue to make owning their own networks attractive. Still, it would be difficult for any utility to cover the capital expense of a complete, dedicated network. Thus, expect to see carrier alliances, he said. Finally, smart grid companies will have to get used to the pace of the industry. "It's no secret that utilities can pilot themselves to death," he said. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Gear Up the Hype Cycle: Coal Producer to Invest in Calera info@greentechmedia.com (Greentech Media: Headlines)

conversion to stable solid minerals. We refer to this new process as Mineralization via Submitted at 3/22/2010 12:20:29 PM Aqueous Precipitation, or MAP It's the Bloom Energy for for short. In its simplest form March. MAP involves contacting gas Calera, the often controversial from the power plant with company that says it can capture water. The water chemistry is carbon dioxide and turn it into controlled such that the carbon cement, will get a $15 million dioxide in the power plant gas is i n j e c t i o n o f c a p i t a l f r o m absorbed into the water and Peabody Energy, according to reacts with the water hardness the New York Times. Hype, to form solid mineral carbonates hope and a lot of talk about and bicarbonates, which are cement will follow. very similar to finely The company, funded and disseminated 'whitings' seen in guided in part by Vinod Khosla, tropical oceans at mid-day," the claims it can mix carbon dioxide web site says. i n t o s e a w a t e r t o p r o d u c e But beyond that, Calera takes a calcium carbonate, which in turn "Just believe us. We're out to gets mixed into cement. Founder save the world. Don't slow us B r e n t C o n s t a n z a l l e g e d l y down by asking for petty approached Khosla and said he details" approach when asked wanted to make cement the way about the technical details of its the ancient Egyptians did, but p r o c e s s . T h e c o m p a n y i s presumably without the slave notoriously reticent. Alex labor. Kinnier once joked that the "The heart of the Calera process secret ingredient was pixie dust. is the technology associated The coy silence has helped fuel with carbon capture and criticism from figures such as

Ken Caldeira, a well-regarded and notable climate scientist with the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, who say the process won't work. Carbon sequestered in the process will get generated during processing. Naturally, a war of words between detractors and supporters has emerged. J.R. O'Neil, a professor emeritus of geological sciences at Michigan, says Caldeira goofed " big time." Others, however, have supported Caldeira's assertions. It's as close to mud wrestling as you can get in Silicon Valley. Meanwhile, other companies-Novacem, Zeobond, Calstar--are working on similar products. You can look up a bit on Calera's patents here. Even if it does work, Calera faces even a bigger problem: the economy. Building materials are in the dumps because of the prolonged slump in construction. Serious Materials,

which earlier hoped to build a volume factory in 2008, still does not have a factory for mass commercial manufacturing of its eco-friendly drywall and doesn't even have plans to erect one at the moment. Why? Slack demand. Some of these green building companies had also hoped that cap and trade systems would make their products attractive. Because they generally use less energy to produce, these products would have an advantage in a carbon-adjusted economy. Cap and trade may not occur for quite a while in the U.S. which puts a lot of these products at a disadvantage with traditional, albeit, energyintensive mainstays like plain cement. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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ITALY, continued from page 69

delay, the more post-2010 uncertainty will drive demand in this year. The best indicator of potential cuts in Italy is a proposal issued by Italy's three industry associations (ASOSOLARE, APER, and GFI) in November 2009. According to a draft decree passing through the Italian Parliament, the groundmount tariff for projects over 1 MW will only be cut to €0.313/kWh, a smaller cut than proposed by the industry associations. This would decline to €0.2642/kWh at the end of

2011 and digress by 6 percent annually thereafter. While significant, these cuts would not seriously constrain the Italian market. Returns will remain sufficient even with module price moderation. Proposed 2011 Italian Feed-in Tariff Rates Source: ASOSOLARE, APER, GFI Final passage of the German feed-in tariff cuts will also give us a window into Italy's nearterm future. The worse things look in Germany after July, the larger the shift to Italy will

Debtors Beware (Kiplinger Personal Finance)

With a debt monkey on your back, the prospect of fast relief and a debt-free life seems like a welcome respite. But don't be taken in by debt-settlement companies that essentially promise "to wave the magic debt wand three times and make debt disappear," says William Binzel, senior adviser and counsel for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. "It's just deceptive." Debt-settlement agencies may require clients to pay more than

$1,000 in fees upfront. Then they are usually told to stop paying their creditors and to send money to the agency instead, to be deposited in an account. Settlement agencies claim that a lump sum makes it easier to negotiate with creditors. But many creditors -Bank of America, for one -- say they will not work with settlement agencies and would prefer that customers call them directly. Debtors who stop payments to creditors risk incurring multiple penalties that will only increase their debt

become. Regardless, expect Italy to remain at the forefront of PV project development activity throughout 2010, and be wary of making any assumptions regarding its market size in 2011 and beyond. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Buy Load Funds Without the Load (Kiplinger Personal Finance)

easy to exploit, why hasn’t anyone come up with this model Score one for investors. before? “Any registered adviser If you ever thought about could have done this in the investing in a terrific fund but past,” says Kevin Knull, chief didn’t to avoid paying a fat sales executive of InvestForLess, charge, you will rejoice at the which is based in White Stone, arrival of a new service that Va. That no one has done so is takes the “load” out of load presumably because loads, f u n d . A W e b s i t e c a l l e d which typically run up to 5.75% InvestForLess allows investors for stock funds, are so lucrative to buy load funds without for the people who sell the paying a commission and, in funds. some cases, to invest modest Granted, $250 may seem like a amounts in low-cost fund share mighty sum if you currently use c l a s s e s t h a t o f t e n w o u l d a discount-brokerage platform o t h e r w i s e r e q u i r e i n i t i a l and buy only no-load, noburden, pushing their bills into minimums of $100,000 or more. transaction-fee funds. But the collection and damaging their InvestForLess is sort of like the figure is dwarfed by the size of credit scores. Creditors might Costco of mutual funds. It the typical sales charge. For charges $250 per year for example, someone investing even sue. Instead of seeking an easy way membership in its platform. $10,000 in the Class A shares of out, consumers should meet Once you join, you can buy the G r o w t h F u n d o f A m e r i c a with a reputable credit counselor “adviser” or “institutional” share (symbol AGTHX) would save to get budgeting advice or work classes of funds on its platform the initial $575 sales fee, out a repayment plan with no for free. This is possible because quickly offsetting the first year’s exorbitant fees (find a counselor InvestForLess, despite looking membership cost. By getting at www.nfcc.org). Or contact and smelling like a broker, is Growth Fund of America’s lowstructured as a registered cost F-1 share class ( GFAFX) creditors directly. Five Filters featured article: i n v e s t m e n t a d v i s e r , w i t h through the InvestForLess Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Scottrade as its custodian. So service, the customer would also PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, InvestForLess members have save $7 a year in annual fees. access to the same share classes Should you decide you don’t Term Extraction. that are available to other want to purchase any more advisers on the Scottrade funds through the site, you network. Among the load funds could transfer your fund shares available without commission to your ordinary brokerage are all 12 featured in Our account and avoid the $250-perFavorite Broker-Sold Funds. BUY page 73 If this seeming loophole is so

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BUY continued from page 72

year fee. The site’s other plus is that it gives clients access to share classes with prohibitively high minimums. Under InvestForLess’s arrangement with Scottrade, the service can drop its initial minimum investment for many funds to $100 once its members’ total assets in a given share class meet the minimum initial investment for that class (not all fund families permit this kind of aggregation, but InvestForLess will make use of the option for all fund families that do). For example, the listed minimum on the site for the institutional share class of Pimco Total Return ( PTTRX) is currently $100,000. But once InvestForLess reaches that threshold, it can drop the minimum for its members to $100. You’ll pay a $17 transaction fee to Scottrade to buy that share class. But considering that the expense ratio is just 0.46% for the institutional class, compared with 0.75% for the Class D shares ( PTTDX), which are sold without a sales charge by many discount brokers, it may make more sense to pay the transaction fee.

For investors, this new service is an obvious win. “The more opportunities investors have to purchase quality investments at a low cost, the better off we all are,” says Diahann Lassus, an adviser and former chairwoman of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. But for brokers and advisers who earn their livelihoods from sales commissions, and for the fund companies that rely on these sales channels, InvestForLess poses an undeniable threat. “It could carve out a niche from their business,” Lassus says. In fact, InvestForLess originally launched with Charles Schwab & Co. as its custodian, and it had been operating for several weeks on Schwab’s platform until Schwab unexpectedly terminated the relationship in early March. “Schwab’s Advisor Services platform is designed for independent investment advisers who provide personalized investment advice,” says Schwab spokeswoman Alison Wertheim, implying that Schwab took issue with the do-it-yourself format of InvestForLess. But considering that Schwab acts as the

custodian for some 6,000 advisers, who entrust approximately $590 billion in fee-generating assets with the firm, it doesn’t seem like a stretch to imagine that protecting other advisers’ interests could have come into play. Knull stresses that he isn’t trying to make war on the advisory profession. “Most investors need some advice,” he says, “but advisers should be able to justify their fees.” To this end, he’s building a network of fee-only advisers (who don’t accept commissions) to be affiliated with the site. Conflicts with fund companies that rely heavily on advisers and brokers could pose further hurdles for the fledgling firm. “To establish an account with American Funds, we require than an investor use an adviser,” says American Funds spokesman Chuck Freadhoff. “InvestForLess appears to be a registered investment adviser and as such would meet that requirement, but we are reviewing its business model.” However, American Funds may be swimming against the tide of the industry, which is moving

ever closer to eliminating the divide between load and no-load fund families. Longtime load shop Pimco started offering noload Class D shares 12 years ago to supplement its roster of load-bearing alphabet-soup fund shares. More recently, Eaton Vance, Putnam and several other load shops have started offering no-load or load-waived shares of some of their funds on certain discount-brokerage platforms. That InvestForLess is furthering this trend “doesn’t surprise me,” says David Speck, managing director of Speck Caudron Investment Group. “Think about what’s happened in this industry over the years. First there were negotiated commissions. Then there were discount brokers. Then there was the increased presence of no -load funds.” The common thread? Expanding access and falling costs. If this sounds too good to be true or if you get the willies thinking about entrusting your money to a new advisory firm, you can take comfort in InvestForLess’s relationship with Scottrade. As custodian, Scottrade has actual possession

of client assets and sends out members’ monthly account statements. (By contrast, convicted swindler Bernard Madoff had no custodian and sent investors’ statements directly from his office.) Members can even use Scottrade’s brick-and-mortar offices for dropping off paperwork. InvestForLess is also currently working to bring Fidelity on board as a second custodian, in which case new members would choose which of the two firms they want to take possession of their assets. For penny pinchers, the site opens up a universe of funds that was previously unavailable. And for investors who work with advisers paid on commission or through assetbased fees, the site gives you an alternate way of accessing the same funds you’re already invested in, for a fraction of the cost. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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What Firms Will Do With Health Care Reform (Kiplinger Personal Finance)

participate in programs to manage their chronic illnesses. Employers are taking matters In a recent survey by Hewitt into their own hands as they get Associates, nearly half of ready for the 2011 benefit plan employers say they plan to use y e a r . T h e r e ’ s a g r o w i n g financial penalties for workers recognition that the health care who don’t participate in certain bill passed by Congress on health improvement programs. March 21 won’t help lower “Employers have come to costs in the short term, forcing realize that they have to manage firms to act on their own if they their risks, not just costs,” says want to survive. In fact, many Rick McGill of Hewitt, a employers believe the pending benefits consulting firm. health bill will only add to their Big bucks are at stake. About problems. “Health reform will 70% of health care costs are result in not only increased costs d r i v e n b y b e h a v i o r s . T h e for employers, but less generous difference in cost between a benefits for employees,” says diabetic who manages his or her Helen Darling, president of the disease compared with one who National Business Group on doesn’t can be 10 times higher, Health. says McGill. Most companies will make Workers who don’t play ball workers pay a bigger share by will pay more. Employers are raising premiums, deductibles realizing that penalties work a n d c o p a y m e n t s . T h e s e better than rewards and are increases will affect both the planning to ramp them up. To medical and pharmacy plans. avoid running afoul of federal Surcharges for providing health a n t i d i s c r i m i n a t i o n l a w s , care coverage to working businesses can’t base penalties spouses will also increase, to or rewards on results, but they encourage those spouses to use c a n d i s c o u n t r a t e s f o r their own employer’s health participation. For example, plan. employers will impose higher But the real emphasis will be on premiums for smokers who behavior, with businesses using refuse to participate in a more sticks and fewer carrots to smoking cessation class, or will pressure employees to adopt relegate wage earners who h e a l t h i e r l i f e s t y l e s a n d 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. For weekly updates on topics to improve your business decisionmaking, click here. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Employers Face Growing Headaches Under New Federal Rules (Kiplinger Personal Finance)

A new ergonomics requirement is likely to bring added cost and confusion to employers. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is proposing that a column be added to the OSHA 300 log, which employers use to record workplace injuries and illnesses. That column would track musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs. OSHA officials say the goal is to help employers identify workplace hazards. Employers are unhappy, though, because even minor MSDs would have to be recorded. Business groups say the requirement is unreasonable, in part because it’s often impossible to tell whether an MSD is work-related. If someone hurts his back at home, for example, and then has pain lifting on the job, what category would that fall in? An employer who guesses wrong could be subject to a penalty for a recordkeeping violation. The biggest concern is that the recordkeeping requirement is only the start. Companies fear that OSHA will use the data to justify tough new ergonomic standards that will be expensive and disruptive. One approach would require employers to EMPLOYERS page 75

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EMPLOYERS continued from page 74

have injury and illness prevention programs and include an ergonomic standard as part of the programs. That would keep OSHA from running afoul of the Congressional Review Act, which was used to repeal the Clinton ergonomics rule and which forbids OSHA from proposing a similar rule. Other changes in federal rules and procedures that could be problematic for employers are also in the works. Firms could have a tougher time defending against age discrimination cases after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issues rules responding to two U.S. Supreme Court decisions. In Smith v. City of Jackson, the court ruled that employment practices that have a disparate, adverse impact on workers aged 40 and older may violate the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Then, in

Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Lab, the court found that if an adverse impact is shown, employers have the burden of proving the employment practice was based on “reasonable factors other than age.” The EEOC proposal would define “reasonable factors other than age” in a way that would lead to a much narrower defense than that now in use. But a final rule may take some time, since the EEOC lacks a quorum to issue rulings, and Republicans aren’t likely to hurry action on any of Obama’s three nominees. Also worrying employers: A likely break in the impasse at the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB has been hobbled by the lack of a quorum, with only two of five slots filled, for more than two years. Controversial issues are on hold, but the sitting members have issued 500 rulings, though

their legitimacy is under challenge in the courts. Republicans are blocking Craig Becker, one of Obama’s three nominees. Business groups insist he’s a pro-labor radical, but labor unions are insisting that Obama not withdraw the nomination. A recess appointment once Congress breaks for Easter is a good bet. Once the board has a quorum, it could reaffirm the challenged rulings to give them more legitimacy, if need be. Also, an Obama board is expected to overturn many of the decisions made during the Bush administration. For weekly updates on topics to improve your business decisionmaking, click here. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.