Churchill Monitors Online Gaming Landcape | BloodHorse.com

Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2013 12:40 PM
Posted: Thursday, February 28, 2013 12:40 PM

With its experience in operating the advance-deposit wagering Internet site TwinSpires.com, Churchill Downs Inc. has been preparing to participate in other Internet gambling opportunities for some time.

Now the company's experience with dealing with state-to-state regulations on the gaming side could prove useful.

While supporters of Internet gambling once envisioned a federal law to open Internet gaming across the U.S., proposed legislation in Washington has stalled. But at the state level, things have picked up with Nevada and New Jersey recently approving Internet gambling. Churchill is interested in participating regardless of the regulatory framework.

In a conference call with investors and analysts Feb. 28, Churchill Downs Inc. president Bill Carstanjen said the Louisville company will be prepared to adjust to the changing regulatory framework.

"The online gaming landscape is evolving very, very quickly and probably much more quickly than any of the experts might have expected say a year ago," Carstanjen said. "With the dearth of true federal progress, what you're seeing are states exploring these issues on a state by state basis. You've seen the passage of laws in New Jersey and Nevada. There are a number of other states, like Illinois and California that are very large states, that are seriously considering state-driven online gaming legislation."

Nevada and New Jersey approved Internet wagering--poker and possibly casino-type games--at the intrastate level but state compacts could allow players from multiple states that have approved Internet wagering to participate.

Pari-mutuel wagering is one of the few gambling forms currently allowed in the U.S. and Churchill owns the successful TwinSpires.com site. The company believes that experience will help it gain a foothold should Internet gambling be expanded to allow it to offer games like poker.

Racing is regulated at the state level. As an owner of Thoroughbred tracks in four different states, Churchill has experience in this regulatory framework. Carstanjen said the company is keeping an eye on every twist and turn.

"That general field of activity is something we're spending a huge amount of time and attention on," Carstanjen said. "Like a lot of companies in our position, we're trying to figure out how we would play and how these states will end up playing with each other, in terms of sharing liquidity on games like poker, etc."

Carstanjen said the company will be ready whether a state-by-state regulatory framework takes shape or the federal government steps in.

"The way we approach that topic is to be prepared as possible for any eventuality," Carstanjen said. "I know for a number of years there was speculation that it would go federal. Now the tide has turned and the only activity you really see is state by state. Our focus right now is preparing state by state action plans.

"Obviously it seems like there will be some states where we can participate and obviously there will be some states where it would be much more of a stretch for us to find a way to participate. But right now we're focused on addressing the state by state opportunities. That doesn't mean we stop preparing federally. We still have the same resources deployed federally, the same action plan up on the shelves that we would use in the event that the feds take action."

Late last year, Churchill expanded its Internet operations with the launch of Luckity.com. The site provides real-money wagering on horse races through games that allow players to select the numbers of their horses. For instance, the games may involve popping online balloons to select numbers. The company spent $800,000 in the fourth quarter of 2012 launching Luckity.com.

Carstanjen said the company is still working with its customer base to improve the site.

"We haven't started marketing really heavily yet because our focus to date really has been on the quality of the product," Carstanjen said. "We're spending time with the customers we have acquired to understand what they like about it and what we ought to improve."

Carstanjen said Churchill has noted the popularity of social gaming in the U.S. and the explosion of online gaming throughout the world.

"We wanted to take the skills and capability we've built at TwinSpires and move into a new area and use those skills to reach a different customer set," Carstanjen said. "There has been a lot of learning and some hiccups too. Before we really launch in earnest any kind of marketing, what we've found is that we really need to fill the gap between when the customer plays the game and when the customer gets the result; and then actually, the quality of the games. We have to make them more interactive, more appealing.

"It's fair to say that there are a lot of encouraging signs that we've seen so far. With very little marketing, we've not had trouble acquiring customers. But really the focus needs to be on keeping those customers, getting them to redeposit, keeping them engaged when they're on the site. When we have those tasks achieved, then we'll go further and market with serious earnest."
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Source: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/76543/churchill-monitors-online-gaming-landcape

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Political tensions rise in Kenya ahead of election

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? Dozens of shack homes have been burned to the ground in recent weeks in Mathare, Nairobi's most dangerous slum. Families are moving into zones controlled by their own clans, fearful of attacks between the tribes of Kenya's top two presidential candidates.

Kenya on Monday holds its first presidential election since the 2007 vote devolved into months of tribal violence that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced 600,000 from their homes. In a hopeful sign, this year's presidential candidates pledged at a weekend prayer rally to accept the outcome of the election and ensure violence doesn't again break out.

But the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday released a long list of physical attacks, hate speech and cases of ethnic intimidation Kenya has seen in recent weeks, exposing an undercurrent of tribal tension.

Those strains are on high display in Mathare, where at least seven people have died and 100 shacks burned in the last two months. Officially Mathare suffered 112 deaths during the 2007-08 election violence, though one policeman, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, says Mathare really suffered over 370 killings.

Lewis Kamau is a Kikuyu but wears the bright orange hat of the Luo candidate, Raila Odinga. Kamau is not crossing party lines; he says the hat protects him from Luo attacks. He says he expects Luos to react negatively if Odinga loses.

"Violence will erupt because of results they don't like," he said. "I know these people. They won't accept the results."

Kamau ? who backs the Kikuyu candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta ? is standing 20 feet from a dirt lot scorched by fire, one of the shacks burned in Luo-on-Kikuyu attacks that began in late December and carried over into January.

"Just the other day they burned here and we didn't retaliate," he said, motioning to the charred lot. "We kept quiet. On Monday after the (election results) announcement, we will be ready for it."

Odinga or Kenyatta must win at least 50 percent of the vote in Monday's election, or the two will go to a second-round runoff, where attention will be even more focused on the two, heightening tensions further.

Many in Mathare, and across town in Nairobi's biggest slum, Kibera, say that Kenyans have learned from the 2007-08 violence, and won't repeat it. But many of those pronouncements come from people who assume their candidate will win.

"I think given the 2007 experience we will accept the results, even if, God forbid, we Luos lose. But I don't see us losing," said Daniel Omondo, an information technology specialist in Mathare.

The Kikuyu-Luo rift goes back decades, to when Odinga's father was asked by British colonialist to be Kenya's prime minister. The elder Odinga declined, saying that Jomo Kenyatta ? Uhuru's father ? was the rightful leader. Kenyatta eventually became president, with Odinga as his vice president. But a few years later Kenyatta forced Odinga out of the government, and the tribes' relations began a long slide downward.

In a small tin shack in Kibera where illegal, home-made whisky is served, one Odinga backer who gave his name as Christian Nyambega said the country needs its political leaders to accept the results and for the voters to remain calm. Then one of his drinking colleagues became agitated at the memory of the disputed 2007 election win of current President Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu.

"They're going to steal the vote the way they did for Kibaki. The Kikuyus are not the only tribe in Kenya. We have 42 tribes in Kenya," said the man, who gave his name only as Patrick, saying her feared government retribution.

Of the dozens of worrying cases of political tensions described by the human rights commission on Wednesday was one in which Kikuyu landlords in a low-income area of Nairobi ejected Luo tenants from their rental houses. It also said a member of Kenyatta's party has been linked to the use of gangs to threaten opponents. The report also documented cases of residents voluntarily moving to areas controlled by their own tribe.

One Western embassy official watching election developments closely said he expects less violence this election season than in 2007. But he said if 200 people die in violence, it might have to be considered progress compared with the more than 1,000 deaths in 2007-08.

There are other areas of concern in addition to the Luo-Kikuyu rift in Nairobi. A United Nations official who is watching election developments said that Kenya's Rift Valley has seen an influx of imported guns that didn't exist five years ago, and the Tana River area ? a region that has seen serious tribal fighting over the last year ? is likely to see more deaths.

The official said that violence in Mathare will be the worst in Nairobi, and that members of Amnesty International and Kenya's Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission have been receiving serious threats. The official said he could not be identified because he was not authorized to share election data.

Since Kenya's last election, the country now has a new constitution, a new judicial system that is lauded as less corrupted, and the police force is being overhauled. Many residents hold out hope that those changes will help ensure that government systems ? instead of massive street violence ? will be used to settle election disputes.

"The violence (in 2007-08) came because of the stealing of votes. The Odinga supporters thought it was rigged, so there was an outcry. This time we have a credible judicial commission and we have seen many changes in police," said Bernard Titus, a Kibera resident.

In addition, four prominent Kenyans ? including Kenyatta and his vice presidential candidate ? face charges at the International Criminal Court over allegations that they orchestrated the 2007 election violence. Some Kenyans believe those charges have reduced the chances that power brokers will hire thugs ? mostly young men and boys from the slums hired for $5 to $10 a day ? and send them into the street.

Grace Kalibo runs a small shop selling basic food goods in Kibera. She attended Sunday's massive peace rally where Odinga and Kenyatta shook hands and pledged peace. She believes Kenya will avoid the massive violence of five years ago. So does her neighbor, Lucas Awol, a 39-year-old bar owner where poor Kibera men gather on Sunday afternoons.

"This time they won't react at all. They are tired of war," said Awol. "This time it will be peaceful. People say so."

___

Associated Press reporter Tom Odula contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/political-tensions-rise-kenya-ahead-election-170011584.html

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The four biggest moments from ?The Ultimate Fighter?

If you missed Tuesday night's episode of "The Ultimate Fighter," read on to find out about who is dividing the house, at what sport Chael Sonnen beat Jon Jones, and who scored a brilliant knockout.

By the hammer of Tor: The fighters made Tor Troeng, the Swedish fighter on Team Sonnen, a hammer out of foam rollers. It instantly reminded me of "Adventures in Babysitting" and, "Take it back, Brad! Take back what you said about Thor!" Oh, that's just me?

[Also: Concern is growing among devoted followers of UFC fighter Wanderlei Silva]

Uriah Hall feeling divided from his team: It started when Hall and Luke Barnatt were in sparring practice. Barnatt thought Hall threw too hard. Barnatt complained about Hall's attitude. Later, Hall mentioned who he would like to fight on his own team and it all snowballed from there. Hall is now our villain of he season.

We're gonna bo-ow-ow-l tonight: While out for a night of bowling with the fighters, Chael Sonnen threw a challenge down at Jon Jones. Bowl three frames, and the loser has to wear the winner's team jersey at a training session. Well, Jones is a great fighter, but he is not a good bowler. Sonnen beat him, and Jones ran out of the bowling alley, Forrest Griffin-style.

[Also: Ronda Rousey's low UFC 157 payday ]

Josh Samman vs. Tor Troeng: Late in the first round, Troeng dropped his hands, and Samman capitalized with perfect strikes. He landed a body kick and a 1-2 combo that knocked Troeng straight to the ground. Afterwards, Troeng said he got caught and there isn't much he can learn from loss. I'm no coach, but learning not to drop your hands is a good place to start.

With the win, Team Jones took control, and put Clint Hester up against Jimmy Quinlan of Team Sonnen.

UFC video from Yahoo! Sports:

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/four-biggest-moments-ultimate-fighter-140728821--mma.html

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A Family that Eats Together, Stays Healthy Together | balanced care

Studies have shown that there are significant benefits of sitting down for dinner as a family. Families tend to eat healthier meals at home, have better communication with their children (especially important during the teenage years), less adolescent problem behavior, less disordered eating problems, and have less problems with obesity. A Minnesota study showed that cooking dinner at home vs ordering take-out or eating out, also results in lower body fat, cholesterol, and insulin levels. The odds of being obese or overweight were greatly increased when families consumed even just 1 restaurant meal per week for dinner.

There is a clear association between?better family relationships?and those who eat dinner together, but its also important to eat the best foods to keep your family healthy. Dr. Katie can help you make sure the right foods are on your plates!

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Source: http://balancedcarend.com/2013/02/27/a-family-that-eats-together-stays-healthy-together/

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World powers and Iran begin nuclear talks

ALMATY (Reuters) - World powers are expected to offer Iran limited sanctions relief on Tuesday if it agrees to halt its most sensitive nuclear work, in a new attempt to resolve a dispute that threatens to trigger another war in the Middle East.

In their first meeting in eight months - time that Iran has used to expand atomic activity that the West suspects is aimed at developing a bomb capability - the powers hope Iran will engage in serious talks on finding a diplomatic solution.

The negotiations formally got under way in the Kazakh city of Almaty - which follows three inconclusive meetings last year in Istanbul, Baghdad and Moscow - at around 1:30 p.m (0730 GMT).

But with the Islamic Republic's political elite pre-occupied with worsening internal infighting ahead of a June presidential election, few believe the meeting Tuesday and Wednesday in the Kazakh city of Almaty will yield an immediate breakthrough.

At best, diplomats and analysts say, Iran will take the joint offer from the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Britain and China seriously and agree to hold further talks soon on how to implement practical steps to ease the tension.

The powers would like to see "a recognition by our Iranian colleagues that our offer is a serious one ... but it is not the final act in the play," said one diplomat participating in the talks. "I wouldn't predict a decisive breakthrough."

Iran is showing no sign, however, of backing down over a nuclear program it says is for entirely peaceful energy purposes. The program has drawn tough Western sanctions that have greatly reduced its oil exports, an economic lifeline.

A U.N. nuclear watchdog report last week said Iran was for the first time installing advanced centrifuges that would allow it to significantly speed up its enrichment of uranium, which can have both civilian and military purposes.

HIGH STAKES

Tightening Western sanctions on Iran over the last 14 months are hurting Iran's economy, slashing oil revenue and driving the currency down, which in turn has pushed up inflation.

But they are not close to having the crippling effect envisaged by Washington, analysts say, and - so far at least - have not prompted a change in nuclear course by Tehran.

Western officials say the powers' offer - an updated version of one rejected by Iran in the last meeting in June - would include an easing of sanctions of trade in gold and other precious metals if Tehran closes its underground Fordow enrichment plant.

The stakes are high. Israel, assumed to be the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, has hinted strongly at possible military action to prevent its foe from obtaining such arms. Iran has threatened to retaliate hard if attacked.

The fact that the meeting takes place in Kazakhstan - which gave up its nuclear arsenal after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s - has symbolic resonance.

A U.S. official said the Central Asian state could serve as a "good role model" for the benefits of making "certain choices", in clear reference to Iran's atomic ambitions.

Western officials acknowledge an easing of U.S. and European sanctions on trade in gold represents a relatively modest step. But it could be used as part of barter transactions that might allow Iran to circumvent tight financial sanctions.

Iran so far appears to be showing little interest. Its Foreign Ministry spokesman last week dismissed the reported incentive as insufficient and a senior Iranian lawmaker has ruled out closing Fordow, located close to the holy city of Qom.

Iran says it enriches uranium to a fissile concentration of 20 percent to make fuel for a medical research reactor in the capital Tehran. But it also represents most of the work required to reach weapons-grade material of 90 percent.

A U.S. official said the powers hoped that the Almaty meeting would lead to follow-up talks, either at a political or technical level, before Iran's New Year celebrations in March.

(Reporting by Justyna Pawlak, Fredrik Dahl, Yeganeh Torbati, Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powers-offer-iran-sanctions-relief-nuclear-talks-055616179.html

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Reap The Amazing Skin Benefits Of This Special Tea | Food Trients

By Dr. Rosenberg

Reap The Amazing Skin Benefits Of This Special Tea

Many of the patients I see have chronic skin issues, like eczema.?? Other patients are simply interested in looking their best.? They want to know how to restore a youthful look to their skin ? improve the tone, color and maybe even get rid of some of those ?laugh lines?.? Recently, I started telling my patients about the benefits of drinking a special type of tea to help with these very issues.? If you have eczema, or just want to look younger, you?ll want to know about the skin benefits of this ancient tea?

Ancient Tea Improves Skin Youthfulness

Many patients seem shocked when I tell them about research out of Japan?s Shiga University of Medical Sciences, which showed a certain tea?s ability to improve eczema and restore youthfulness to skin.? That?s right, just simple tea, not some expensive, anti-aging serum.? Drinking a few cups of this special tea a few times a day has been shown to have amazing skin benefits which include:

• Brighter, improved color
• Diminished/clearing of dark, age spots
• Diminished wrinkles
• Improved tone and resiliency
• Effective sunscreen

This special tea is called?oolong?? or?wu liang ??after the Chinese tea leaf harvester of the same name who created it many centuries ago. The name means Black Dragon which it is also called.?? You may know oolong tea as ?Chinese restaurant tea?, because it is the type of tea frequently served in Chinese restaurants with meals.

Oolong is a delicately flavored tea from the same?Camelia sinensis?family as white, green, and black teas.? The difference between them lies in how early or late their tea leaves are harvested.???? Oolong tealeaves are harvested later than the leaves used to make white or green tea with black being harvested the latest.

Oolong tea possesses many of the same, healthy properties of green tea with just slightly less antioxidants.? However, the antioxidants that oolong tea does have do the same thing as green tea ? fights free radical formation, which causes oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is what damages cellular DNA and speeds up the aging process. In skin, this aging, DNA damage shows up as dark spots.? I frequently see these ?age spots? in my older patients.? DNA skin damage also results in wrinkles that are caused from the breakdown in skin cells.? As it ages, skin loses the ability to knit itself back together and results in wrinkles.

In research out of the University of California, only 15 days consumption of oolong tea showed an amazing 50% reduction in free radicals.? Other research shows that the antioxidant value of oolong tea may be increased, though, by steeping the tea in hotter water, for a longer time.

In fact, in one patient of mine, I noticed a distinct brightening and smoothing of her skin after she had started drinking oolong tea after only about 3 weeks.? Even her skin tone/elasticity seemed more resilient giving her a younger appearance.

Oolong Shown To Improve Eczema

Atopic dermatitis, or eczema, is a chronic skin condition associated with rash, itching, redness, swelling, and sometimes infection of lesions from scratching at them.? In the Shiga University research, published in?Archives of Dermatology, researchers noted that the frequently stubborn condition of eczema showed remarkable improvement in over half of the people tested.

And, these results were in eczema sufferers where traditional treatments like Benadryl, prednisone and other corticosteroids had failed. In their research, drinking 3 cups of brewed oolong tea per day yielded these results:

• Relieved itching
• Relieved swelling
• Relieved redness
• Reduced scarring

Now, I wouldn?t suggest to my eczema patients to forego their traditional treatments and just drink oolong tea.? Nor would I tell my patients wanting to improve their skin?s youthfulness to just rely on a few cups of oolong a day.? Keeping a healthy skin routine is always important.

Yet, the research is compelling enough to me, as a dermatologist, that I feel confident in recommending that you might add some oolong tea to your daily routine. Its antioxidant properties have a lot of benefit for your entire body as well ? helping to decrease triglycerides/bad LDL cholesterol, lower blood sugar and blood pressure.? Just be sure not to load your oolong tea with skin-damaging table sugar.? Use stevia, or even the new monk fruit sweetener, if you like a little sweetness.

If you have eczema, or just want brighter, younger looking skin, 2-3 cups of oolong tea could make a big difference for the appearance of your skin.

Stay Well

Dr. Mark A. Rosenberg, MD Dr. Mark Rosenberg received his doctorate from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1988 and has been involved with drug research since 1991. With numerous certifications in several different fields of medicine, psychology, healthy aging and fitness, Dr. Rosenberg has a wide breadth of experience in both the public and private sector with particular expertise in both the mechanism of cancer treatment failure and in treating obesity. He currently is researching new compounds to treat cancer and obesity, including receiving approval status for an investigational new drug that works with chemotherapy and a patent pending for an oral appetite suppressant. He is currently President of the Institute for Healthy Aging, Program Director of the Integrative Cancer Fellowship, and Chief Medical Officer of Rose Pharmaceuticals. His work has been published in various trade and academic journals. In addition to his many medical certifications, he also personally committed to physical fitness and is a certified physical fitness trainer.

Source: http://www.foodtrients.com/inside/reap-the-amazing-skin-benefits-of-this-special-tea/

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Oscar Photo Bomb Champion!

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Protest votes increase uncertainty in Italy election

ROME (Reuters) - Italians voted for a second and final day in a general election on Monday with a surge in protest votes increasing the risk of an unstable outcome that could undermine Europe's efforts to end its three-year debt crisis.

Opinion polls give the centre-left coalition led by former Industry Minister Pier Luigi Bersani a narrow lead but the race has been thrown wide open by the prospect of protest votes against austerity and corporate and political scandals.

"I'm sick of the scandals and the stealing," said Paolo Gentile, a 49-year-old Rome lawyer who said he had voted for the 5-Star Movement, an anti-establishment protest group set to make a huge impact at its first general election.

"We need some young, new people in parliament, not the old parties that are totally discredited," he said.

Most of the voters interviewed outside polling stations by Reuters on Sunday and Monday expected the next government would quickly collapse, thwarting efforts to end an economic crisis.

"I'm very pessimistic, I don't think that whoever wins will last long or be able to solve the problems of this country," said Cristiano Reale, a 43 year-old salesman in Palermo, Sicily. He said he would vote for the far left Civil Revolution group.

A bitter campaign, fought largely over economic issues, has been closely watched by financial markets, nervous about the return of the kind of debt crisis that took the whole euro zone close to disaster and brought technocrat prime minister Mario Monti to office in 2011.

Italy is the third largest economy in the 17-member bloc and the prospect of political stalemate could cause dangerous market instability.

ANTI-EURO FORCES

"There are similarities between the Italian elections and last year's ones in Greece, in that pro-euro parties are losing ground in favor of populist forces," said Mizuho chief economist Riccardo Barbieri.

"An angry and confused public opinion does not see the benefits of fiscal austerity and does not trust established political parties."

Voting ends at 3 p.m. (1400 GMT), with the first exit polls due shortly afterwards. Projections based on the vote count will be issued through the afternoon and the final result should be known late on Monday or early Tuesday.

An extremely close Senate race is expected in several battleground regions and this could delay the final result.

Italian markets were sanguine on Monday morning, with both stocks and bonds showing little change.

Many analysts believe that whatever the result, the next government will be forced to stick to Italy's fiscal commitments because of the fear of a sudden spike in borrowing costs if markets take fright.

The election result is likely to be the most fragmented in decades, with the old left-right division disrupted by the rise of 5-Star, led by fiery Genoese comic Beppe Grillo, and by Monti's decision to run at the head of a centrist bloc.

"It will be a vote of protest, maybe of revolt," said Corriere della Sera, Italy's largest newspaper, on Monday.

It noted that for the first time the winning coalition is unlikely to get more than a third of the votes, making it harder to govern and likely opening weeks of complicated negotiations.

It is unclear how Grillo's rise will influence the result, with some pollsters saying it increases the chances of a clear win for the centre-left, led by Bersani's Democratic Party (PD), because 5-Star is taking votes mainly from Berlusconi.

After the first day of voting on Sunday, about 54 percent of voters had cast their ballots, a sharp fall on the level of 62.5 percent seen at the same stage in the last election in 2008.

If the trend continues on Monday it will confirm the disillusion of voters with a discredited political class.

Bad weather, including heavy snow in some areas, is also thought to have hampered the turnout in Italy's first post-war election to be held in winter.

This could favor the centre-left, whose voters tend to be more committed than those on the right, which has strong support among older people.

"Given the lower turnout, people are betting on a victory of the centre-left," said a Milan trader.

CALL TO ARMS

The 5-Star Movement, backed by a frustrated younger generation increasingly shut out of full-time jobs, could challenge former premier Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party as Italy's second largest political force.

"Come on, it isn't over yet," was Monday's front page headline in Il Giornale daily, owned by Berlusconi's brother, a call to arms to get out the vote.

The 76-year-old Berlusconi, has pledged sweeping tax cuts and echoed Grillo's attacks on Monti, Germany and the euro in an extraordinary media blitz that has halved the lead of the centre-left since the start of the year.

Support for Monti's centrist coalition meanwhile has faded after he led a lackluster campaign and he appears set to trail well behind the main parties.

Monti helped save Italy from a mounting debt crisis when he replaced a discredited Berlusconi in November 2011, but with the economy in its longest recession for 20 years analysts fear an electoral stalemate could delay vital moves to stimulate growth.

"I voted for the PD because a PD win is the only way to have a stable government and we need stability or we will end up like Greece," said Viola Rossi, an 80 year-old pensioner from Rome.

After drawing hundreds of thousands of supporters to its final campaign rally on Friday, Grillo has said he fears voting fraud to try to block a massive breakthrough, telling his supporters to wet the lead in the pencils they use to vote to prevent the crosses being rubbed out.

Whatever government emerges will inherit an economy that has been stagnant for much of the past two decades and problems ranging from record youth unemployment to a dysfunctional justice system and a bloated public sector.

If Bersani wins, it is far from clear that he will be able to control both houses of parliament and form a stable government capable of lasting a full five-year term.

Italy's electoral laws guarantee a strong majority in the lower house to the party or coalition that wins the biggest share of the overall national vote.

However the Senate, elected on a region-by-region basis, is more complicated and the result could turn on a handful of regions where results are too close to call, including Lombardy in the rich industrial north and the southern island of Sicily.

Many politicians and analysts believe Bersani and Monti will end up in an alliance after the vote, despite a number of spiky exchanges during the campaign and Monti's insistence that he will not join forces with Bersani's leftist allies.

As well as the national election, voters are also casting their ballots to elect new regional administrations in Lombardy, Lazio and Molise.

(Additional reporting by Stefano Bernabei, Steve Scherer and Giuseppe Fonte in Rome, Lisa Jucca in Milan and Wladimiro Pantaleone in Palermo; Editing by Barry Moody and Anna Willard)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/protest-votes-add-uncertainty-close-italy-election-070325879.html

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Ultrasound reveals autism risk at birth

Feb. 25, 2013 ? Low-birth-weight babies with a particular brain abnormality are at greater risk for autism, according to a new study that could provide doctors a signpost for early detection of the still poorly understood disorder.

Led by Michigan State University, the study found that low-birth-weight newborns were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with autism later in life if an ultrasound taken just after birth showed they had enlarged ventricles, cavities in the brain that store spinal fluid. The results appear in the Journal of Pediatrics.

"For many years there's been a lot of controversy about whether vaccinations or environmental factors influence the development of autism, and there's always the question of at what age a child begins to develop the disorder," said lead author Tammy Movsas, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at MSU and medical director of the Midland County Department of Public Health.

"What this study shows us is that an ultrasound scan within the first few days of life may already be able to detect brain abnormalities that indicate a higher risk of developing autism."

Movsas and colleagues reached that conclusion by analyzing data from a cohort of 1,105 low-birth-weight infants born in the mid-1980s. The babies had cranial ultrasounds just after birth so the researchers could look for relationships between brain abnormalities in infancy and health disorders that showed up later. Participants also were screened for autism when they were 16 years old, and a subset of them had a more rigorous test at 21, which turned up 14 positive diagnoses.

Ventricular enlargement is found more often in premature babies and may indicate loss of a type of brain tissue called white matter.

"This study suggests further research is needed to better understand what it is about loss of white matter that interferes with the neurological processes that determine autism," said co-author Nigel Paneth, an MSU epidemiologist who helped organize the cohort. "This is an important clue to the underlying brain issues in autism."

Prior studies have shown an increased rate of autism in low-birth-weight and premature babies, and earlier research by Movsas and Paneth found a modest increase in symptoms among autistic children born early or late.

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

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Journal Reference:

1. Tammy Z. Movsas, Jennifer A. Pinto-Martin, Agnes H. Whitaker, Judith F. Feldman, John M. Lorenz, Steven J. Korzeniewski, Susan E. Levy, Nigel Paneth. Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Associated with Ventricular Enlargement in a Low Birth Weight Population. The Journal of Pediatrics, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.12.084

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/CRxm3nh61Tc/130225112510.htm

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PFT: Draft prospect Lotulelei has heart condition

AP

It?s late February.? The Combine is unfolding.? And that means it?s time for scouts to rip or praise players under the cloak of anonymity.

Plenty of writers who publish assessments made by unnamed scouts are now ridiculed when doing so.? The pedigree and accomplishments of Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tend to insulate him from scrutiny, even when his unnamed scouts swing and miss on players like Robert Griffin III.? (Heck, McGinn can even publish Wonderlic numbers without being vilified.)

McGinn assesses the players who could be available when the Packers use their first-round pick, and he shares the insights of a pair of unnamed scouts regarding Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner, a German-born-and-bred prospect who is now poised to fulfill the very unlikely dream of being a first-round draft pick in the NFL.

?He?s good, but I don?t see the special in him,? one unnamed scout said. ?Kind of a try-hard, good football player but nothing special.?

Said another:? ?He?s not a dynamic pass rusher but he seems to get sacks.? He comes off the ball hard but he?s not special.?

Without knowing anything about the team(s) for which these scouts work, there?s no way of knowing whether they?re badmouthing Werner in the hopes that he?ll be available when their team(s) pick.? That?s how it works.? Teams that love a player say bad things about him, wishing for a free fall.? Teams that hate a guy say great things about him, hopeful he?ll be taken early ? pushing down the board players in which the team is actually interested.

With more and more media swarming around the pre-draft process, there?s always someone ready to publish these anonymous assessments.

But citing an ?unnamed scout? tells the audience nothing about the skills or credentials of the scout.? As the late George Carlin used to say (as Carlin himself would say, he?s saying nothing now), there?s a worst doctor in the world ? and someone has an appointment with him tomorrow.? Similarly, there are plenty of scouts who aren?t as skilled as others.? Any time an unnamed scout is being quoted, there?s a chance that he?s the worst of them all.

You know, like the ones who told McGinn last year that, as to RG3, ?[e]verybody is just assuming because of the Heisman and the socks and all that bs. . . . they are ignoring a lot of bad tape that he?s had,? that ?I don?t think he has vision or pocket feel, which to me are the two most important components of quarterbacking,? that ?[h]e?s just running around winging it,? that ?[h]e?s [Michael] Vick, but not as good a thrower,? that ?he?s not as good as Cam Newton,? that ?[a]s much as is written about his athleticism, his athleticism under duress in the pocket isn?t even close to Cam Newton?s,? that ?the only way he gets big plays with his feet is if he?s got a wide-open field and the sea opens for him,? that ?[h]e?s got a little bit of a selfish streak, too,? and that ?[h]e doesn?t treat anybody good.?

Or maybe these unnamed scouts are just good enough to know how to push lies in the hopes of advancing agendas.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/24/combine-medical-test-reveals-star-lotulelei-has-heart-condition/related/

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Samsung to introduce 'the next Galaxy' on March 14

Rosa Golijan , NBC News ? ? ? 2 hrs.

"Ready 4 the show," an invitation sent to members of the press teases, blatantly hinting that we'll be seeing the Galaxy S 4 ? the highly anticipated follow-up to the Galaxy S III smartphone ? at the event being held by Samsung on March 14.

The event will take place in New York City at 7 p.m. ET. (We'll be there to cover it live, of course.)

The Galaxy S 4 ? we're assuming by the big "4" that the only change to Samsung's incredibly consistent naming approach will be to drop the Roman numerals ? will be the company's newest flagship device.

A poster spotted by AnandTech's Brian Klug during a visit to Samsung's demo room at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January suggests that the Galaxy S 4 could be rocking a 4.99-inch 1080p screen with a whopping 440 pixels per inch. While the iPhone 5 offers the significantly less dense 326 ppi, it's worth noting that it's practically impossible for human eyes to tell the difference. After a certain point, the individual pixels simply become indistinguishable.

That's about all we know (or think we know) about the Galaxy S 4 for now, so Samsung could have plenty of surprises waiting up its sleeves come March 14.

Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/samsung-introduce-next-galaxy-march-14-1C8524195

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Cruz's tactics boil Washington, but impress Texas

HOUSTON (AP) ? Ted Cruz glanced at his black cowboy boots, beneath a silver Texas belt buckle, waiting for the admirers to stop clapping.

His arrival had turned a drop-by at a Houston lumber yard into a virtual campaign rally. At an earlier stop near Austin ?at a gun manufacturer that churns out AR-15 rifles ? cheering fans crowded next to employees, and one held a sign reading "Ted Cruz rocks!"

The new troublemaker of the U.S. Senate was home again, and savoring nothing short of a victory lap.

In just seven weeks on the job, the insurgent Republican elected with the tea party's backing and bankroll has run afoul of GOP mainstays, prompted Democrats to compare his style to McCarthyism and has voted against nearly everything of significance that came before him.

"My view is simple: Washington is a rough-and-tumble place. If folks want to attack me personally, they're welcome to it," Cruz said during a visit this week to a Houston lumber wholesaler. "Texans elected a senator to go to Washington and speak the truth."

His approach was unusual for a freshman in Washington, and its effectiveness long-term far from certain, but the reaction at home so far is effusive.

Other Texas politicians are celebrating him, and supporters have turned his constituent visits during the congressional recess into revivals. On Twitter, Texas' popular attorney general Greg Abbott, a rumored candidate for governor next year, is among those beaming about the "Cruz Missile."

"He's been a terrific partner," declared the state's senior senator, Republican John Cornyn. "What he's finding is there's a lot of critics in Washington when you try to change the status quo."

As the lone tea party candidate to win a Senate seat in last year's election, the brash 42-year-old Harvard-trained attorney has aimed to become a force the GOP ? and Democrats ? must deal with. Having beaten a heavily favored establishment candidate in the Texas primary, he's made good on promises to be combative, uncompromising and absolute in his adherence to conservative principles.

His profile as an Cuban-American in a party struggling to appeal to Hispanics, and his pedigree as a top Ivy League debater and former clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist have made him the freshman to watch in Washington.

Yet Cruz's transition from the campaign trail to the Senate has been anything but smooth.

His sharp questioning of Defense Secretary-nominee Chuck Hagel during his confirmation hearing ? and public challenges to Hagel's integrity? drew a sharp rebuke from Democrats and even a Republican. In pressing for more documents about Hagel's speechmaking in the private sector, Cruz suggested that Hagel, a former Republican senator, had received money from radical sources and possibly was hiding it.

While some Republicans attempted damage control, in Houston this week, Cruz didn't back down.

"The flurry of attacks on me has had their intended effect, which was to shift the conversation away from Chuck Hagel," Cruz said. "Away from his record, away from his refusal to provide financial disclosures, and toward the direct, nasty, personal attacks leveled at me."

Privately, some Republicans expressed surprise that Cruz was barely on the job five minutes before he was saying no to a Cabinet choice. As the latest iteration of "Senator No," he voted against Senate rule changes to modestly curb filibusters, aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy and the Violence Against Women Act.

The attention Cruz received has cast a spotlight on Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the leadership, who hasn't strayed far from Cruz on those votes as he looks ahead to his own re-election in 2014 and the possibility of a challenge from the tea party. The only votes against Sen. John Kerry to be the next secretary of state came from Cruz, Cornyn and Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma.

Cornyn called it a "phony construct" that Cruz is pulling him farther to right in an act of political self-preservation.

Not all Republicans have been as comfortable with Cruz. After Cruz's rough treatment of Hagel, Sen. John McCain defended his fellow Republican and Vietnam veteran.

"I just want to make it clear Senator Hagel is an honorable man. He served his country. And no one on this committee at any time should impugn his character or his integrity," McCain said.

At Hagel's confirmation hearing, Cruz employed charts and a scratchy tape from an Al-Jazeera interview with Hagel to challenge the nominee. But it was his guilt-by-association line of questioning that surprised several in the Senate, particularly when Cruz tried to link Hagel to Charles Freeman, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia who resigned in March 2009 as chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Freeman was undone by congressional criticism over his comments about the Israel government and alleged ties to foreign governments.

Cruz cited media reports that Hagel traveled with Freeman to China. Hagel said he had never been on a trip with Freeman and hadn't spoken with him in years.

Cruz shifted the questioning.

"Is he someone whose judgment you respect?" he asked.

Cruz's questioning raised the specter of 1950s communist-hunter Joe McCarthy, the former Wisconsin senator. He has dismissed those suggestions, and conservatives have come to his defense.

In Texas this week, those who came to meet Cruz at stops like Lodge Lumber and La Rue Tactical in Leander took no issue with his line of questioning.

At the end of a tour at Lodge Lumber, Cruz was met by a supporter who carried in his billfold several fake dollar bills bearing Obama's face, including one that read, "The People's Republic of Hollywood." He said it was the president he wanted Cruz to keep in his sights.

Owner John Lodge said he felt that for the first time in a long while, someone in Washington was on his side.

"He gets with them. He's gotten down to business," Lodge said. "He's the man."

___

Cassata reported from Washington.

___

Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pauljweber

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cruzs-tactics-boil-washington-impress-texas-165805030--politics.html

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'Fox News Sunday' to interview Mitt and Ann Romney (Washington Post)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287079148?client_source=feed&format=rss

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NFL combine: Browns CEO Joe Banner says finding a new QB not a high priority

INDIANAPOLIS ? Brandon Weeden will get a second chance to prove he?s the quarterback that will close the gap in the AFC North and lead the Browns into playoff contention.

CEO Joe Banner said Saturday he doesn?t expect to draft a quarterback in the first round and strongly indicated Weeden would return as the starter for his second season. Banner knows what he?s looking for in 2013.

?We see potential that we?re going to try to work with it and see what it?s going to develop into,? Banner said during the scouting combine. ?Some of that is just going to come from how bad he wants it. So I think we?ll know a lot more than we know now shortly.?

The new regime of Banner, vice president of player personnel Michael Lombardi and coach Rob Chudzinski had withheld support for Weeden until this weekend. In fact, owner Jimmy Haslam said at the Super Bowl the team would bring in competition for the starting job.

But Chudzinski on Friday complemented Weeden?s arm and poise in the pocket, while stopping short of committing to him.

?I?m excited about getting Brandon out on the field and in the meetings and around the building,? said Chudzinski, whose offseason program begins April 1.

Banner went a couple of steps further.

?We want to give him the best chance to succeed,? Banner said. ?We have a huge vested interest in him being successful. We think that we?re bringing in coaches that can maximize that. It will accelerate our ability to get to where we want to if he succeeds.?

The change in the message to the public follows film study by Lombardi, Chudzinski and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Norv Turner. It could also be a reaction to the alternatives available. The draft class of quarterbacks is considered weak, and the options aren?t much better through trade or free agency.

The Browns own the No. 6 pick, and the top 10 is usually where franchise quarterbacks are obtained.

?It?s not the focus of our thinking,? Banner said. ?If we thought there was a QB at No. 6 that we thought was going to be a top player we would have to consider that. But if we picked a quarterback just ?cause we?re worried we?re not good enough there just to pick somebody who we?re not even that sure about, that would be a bad mistake.?

Banner didn?t rule out any means of acquiring another quarterback, but his focus was on the one he inherited.

Weeden started the first 15 games in 2012 after being the No. 22 pick in the draft. He opened the season with four interceptions in a loss to Philadelphia and finished with 14 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a 72.6 rating that ranked 29th in the league. He went 5-10 and missed the last game with a minor shoulder injury.

Banner believes he can take a significant jump in his second season, especially with the help of Chudzinski and Turner. Their offensive system focuses on downfield throwing, which should also benefit Weeden by taking advantage of perhaps his greatest strength.

?Chud told you yesterday they think they can work with Brandon,? Banner said. ?He obviously has a lot of redeeming qualities. Most of the time you see big improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 in players who are going to become good players. He?s in the window where you need to see the kind of development if he?s going to be the long-term answer.?

Banner and Chudzinski referred to commitment and determination as imperative for Weeden to make the improvement they deem necessary. Jake Spavital, his quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State, was quoted in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story about West Virginia?s Geno Smith that Weeden didn?t compare as a studier of film.

?These are guys who have shown some potential,? Banner said, referring to Weeden and second-year receiver Josh Gordon. ?But if they flattened at the level they are at now or didn?t have the determination to be the best they could be because of work ethic and things like that then they probably won?t be good enough to be on a team that will try to win a championship.

?On the other hand, they seem to have the ability that if they are willing to make the commitment, take the coaching, be part of kind of the culture that we are going to create in the organization with the team that is going to be a very physical, determined, hard-working group then maybe they can be part of the team.?

Banner was asked if there was an issue with Weeden?s work habits last year.

?My impression was that he took coaching well,? Banner said. ?So I?m hoping that will be a positive thing.?

Weeden will turn 30 in October, but Banner said that doesn?t mean giving him another season is a waste of time.

?Would it be better if was 24? Of course,? he said. ?But there?s no reason to think he can?t play five or six more years and if he can play well for us for five or six years, that would be great.?

The former regime of general manager Tom Heckert and coach Pat Shurmur publicly supported Colt McCoy during the 2012 offseason, then drafted Weeden and handed him the starting job. Banner said the backing of Weeden isn?t a smokescreen.

?I will not lie to anybody here. I will not mislead you,? he said. ?I may not answer you, I may be incomplete in my answer. So I?m not telling you we would or wouldn?t pick a quarterback in the first round or the second round, I?m just not doing that. But I?m also kind of implying that that?s not what I expect to have happen.?

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

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Source: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/02/24/nfl-combine-browns-ceo-joe-banner-says-sticking-with-brandon-weeden-at-qb-a-definite-possibility/

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Graphene: A material that multiplies the power of light

Feb. 24, 2013 ? Bottles, packaging, furniture, car parts... all made of plastic. Today we find it difficult to imagine our lives without this key material that revolutionized technology over the last century. There is wide-spread optimism in the scientific community that graphene will provide similar paradigm shifting advances in the decades to come. Mobile phones that fold, transparent and flexible solar panels, extra thin computers... the list of potential applications is endless.

The most recent discovery published in Nature Physics and made by researchers at the Institute of Photonic Science (ICFO), in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany, and Graphenea S.L. Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain, demonstrate that graphene is able to convert a single photon that it absorbs into multiple electrons that could drive electric current (excited electrons) -- a very promising discovery that makes graphene an important alternative material for light detection and harvesting technologies, now based on conventional semiconductors like silicon.

"In most materials, one absorbed photon generates one electron, but in the case of graphene, we have seen that one absorbed photon is able to produce many excited electrons, and therefore generate larger electrical signals" explains Frank Koppens, group leader at ICFO. This feature makes graphene an ideal building block for any device that relies on converting light into electricity. In particular, it enables efficient light detectors and potentially also solar cells that can harvest light energy from the full solar spectrum with lower loss.

The experiment consisted in sending a known number of photons with different energies (different colors) onto a monolayer of graphene. "We have seen that high energy photons (e.g. violet) are converted into a larger number of excited electrons than low energy photons (e.g. infrared). The observed relation between the photon energy and the number of generated excited electrons shows that graphene converts light into electricity with very high efficiency. Even though it was already speculated that graphene holds potential for light-to-electricity conversion, it now turns out that it is even more suitable than expected!" explains Tielrooij, researcher at ICFO.

Although there are some issues for direct applications, such as graphene's low absorption, graphene holds the potential to cause radical changes in many technologies that are currently based on conventional semiconductors. "It was known that graphene is able to absorb a very large spectrum of light colors. However now we know that once the material has absorbed light, the energy conversion efficiency is very high. Our next challenge will be to find ways of extracting the electrical current and enhance the absorption of graphene. Then we will be able to design graphene devices that detect light more efficiently and could potentially even lead to more efficient solar cells." concludes Koppens.

Scientists, industries and the European Commission are so convinced of the potential of graphene to revolutionize the world economy that they promise an injection of ?1.000 million in graphene research.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. K. J. Tielrooij, J. C. W. Song, S. A. Jensen, A. Centeno, A. Pesquera, A. Zurutuza Elorza, M. Bonn, L. S. Levitov, F. H. L. Koppens. Photoexcitation cascade and multiple hot-carrier generation in graphene. Nature Physics, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nphys2564

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/5QHhG2DLkpc/130224142831.htm

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All-Time Best Baseball Films

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Top 50 baseball movies. The hugely historically inaccurate, "The Babe" or the awful "Babe Ruth Story" won't be found here. Bad "Major League" sequels, baseball movies with Keanu Reeves, "Bad New Bears" sequels or remakes and silly things like, "The Scout" just didn't make the cut...

Source: http://www.ranker.com/list/all-time-best-baseball-films/kirksaw

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UK press: Host of upcoming G8 summit encouraging Obama and others to leave their spouses at home (Michellemalkin)

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A Bottle Cap Pencil Sharpener Is Pure Genius

If you prefer the feel of writing or sketching with a freshly sharpened pencil and are fastidious about keeping hydrated, this clever piece of synergy is going to blow your mind. Designed for use on standard plastic water bottles, this pencil sharpening bottle cap is a brilliantly obvious way to deal with pencil shavings. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/IAAOSWEGcDA/a-bottle-cap-pencil-sharpener-is-pure-genius

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The SciFri Book Club Visits "Gorillas in the Mist"

The book club regulars visit Gorillas in the Mist, Dian Fossey's memoir of her years studying mountain gorillas in a remote African rainforest. Gorilla expert Annette Lanjouw joins the club to give an update on how this endangered subspecies of gorilla is faring.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/02/22/172696696/the-scifri-book-club-visits-gorillas-in-the-mist?ft=1&f=1007

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AP Source: Breedlove likely pick to lead NATO

BRUSSELS (AP) ? Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, the top U.S. Air Force commander in Europe, is the likely choice to become commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, a senior NATO official said Thursday.

The job opened up this week when President Barack Obama's first choice, Marine Gen. John Allen, announced he would retire after 19 months commanding allied forces in Afghanistan in order to attend to his wife's health issues.

The NATO official was not authorized to discuss internal deliberations and spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity.

If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Breedlove would be the first Air Force general to hold the top NATO job since Joseph Ralston in 2000-2003. Breedlove would succeed Navy Adm. James Stavridis, who has held the post since 2009.

Breedlove, a native of Forest Park, Ga., earned his Air Force officer commission in 1977 through the Reserve Officers Training Corps program at George Tech and has extensive overseas experience, including numerous tours of duty in Europe.

A fighter pilot by training, Breedlove served in Spain and Germany in the mid and late 1990s; in Italy from 2004-05, and in Germany in 2005-2006 and 2008-2009. He has held his current post as commander, U.S. Air Forces Europe, since last July.

Breedlove also served tours in South Korea in 1991-1994 and 2000-2001.

The job of commanding NATO forces in Europe is considered one of the more prestigious command positions for U.S. generals. The U.S. has about 80,000 troops based in Europe.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-21-NATO%20Chief/id-a1cabdf75f6f456f9853168d9738cb1c

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Facebook?s Data Breach ? A Dangerous Possibility?

Facebook?s data centers are a goldmine for hackers. It?s not a question of ?if?, but ?when? will these hackers try to take control of the servers. With increasing number of threats on the internet, Facebook cannot remain insulated forever. And when it does come under attack, a huge cache of personal data will be at stake. It could result in cutting short e-commerce?s lifetime.

However, the good news is that the top talent at Facebook is now a part of their security team. Facebook is spending huge amounts to ensure there is no loss of privacy. Many white hats are being paid cash to identify holes or bugs.
Recently, Facebook was under a ?sophisticated? malware attack. Many of the Facebook engineers came under attack when they visited particular websites. But the authorities soon came to know of it and took the necessary actions. The police was called in and investigations have already begun. It seems the hackers were after the company?s trade secrets but did not manage to get anything. Anyhow, it is just a preview of what may happen in the future.

The Facebook database is considered to be one of the biggest on the planet. And till now, it has been able to keep the information secure. Others, though, have not been so lucky. Recently, 250,000 accounts from Twitter were accessed by hackers. Apart from this, passwords of 6.5 million accounts on LinkedIn were leaked onto the internet.

Facebook is different. Most of the data on LinkedIn and Twitter is already public whereas Facebook has strict privacy settings. Most of its data is hidden by default. This also means that there is a lot to lose for Facebook in case it gets hacked. In such a case, a few of users? pictures and messages may be stolen. Or some credit card particulars might get into the public. But Facebook is ready for such a situation and will immediately quarantine the affected accounts. This is till the users log in and change their passwords.

All this may not affect the users much but the trust will surely be broken. News agencies are always on the lookout for some big story. Such a story will certainly be inflated and told across all regions. And that is when the panic could start. It probably would be a comical situation too. This is because most of the people would be sharing such stories on their Facebook accounts. So Facebook, itself, would be propagating propaganda against it. Most people might not log off from Facebook permanently, but doubts will start cropping up in their minds. The already bad hit stock price would probably fall further.

Mark Zuckerberg?s law of content sharing increases the fears too. The law says that amount of shared content is doubled each year. This means that hackers can access more and more secret information. This combined with the fact that there is already a perception about Facebook?s privacy settings being deliberately confusing, could compound the fears.

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Source: http://www.thetechlabs.com/tech-news/facebooks-data-breach-a-dangerous-possibility/

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