Sunday, March 31, 2013

Skype for Windows 8 gains contact blocking and performance improvements

Skype for Windows 8 gains contact blocking and performances improvements

Those of you using Skype in Windows 8 will be happy to know that Microsoft's just bumped the app to version 1.6. It's been a few months since the last update, and this revision brings more features to the table, including contact blocking and a slew of performance tweaks. You're now able to block users, with an option to remove or report the offending party. Speed and reliability have been improved, especially when loading contacts, and a number of bugs have been fixed, including one where the outgoing video was not always displayed after switching cameras. The update's available in Windows Store, so what are you waiting for?

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Source: Skype Blogs

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Contain this (Powerlineblog)

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Kenya's High Court to Rule Saturday on Presidential Election (Voice Of America)

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Best Buy giving Samsung the Apple treatment with in-store mini-stores

Apple's Best Buy stores

Way back in the year 2011, the big box gadget retailer Best Buy surprised us with the launch of dedicated in-store miniature Apple stores, or if you prefer fancier Apple display sections with dedicated sales staff. The move has worked well for both Best Buy and Apple, offering prospective Apple customers and current Mac and iOS users more than one thousand new spots to go check out and pick up the latest gear from Cupertino.

Clearly no longer content playing second fiddle to Apple, Samsung's partnering with Best Buy to do the same, launching before the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4 at the end of April. According to Geek.com, Best Buy's high traffic stores will be getting the Samsung mini-stores, with staff being told to start clearing out two aisles worth of space next to the popular in-store mobile departments.

Apparently there will be "large Samsung signage" and demonstration stations to show off the features of Samsung products. And like the Apple mini-stores, Best Buy employees will receive special training, though it appears that the entire mobile department staff will be receiving this training instead of select individuals like the Apple sections. If all goes according to plan, Samsung and Best Buy plan to eventually roll the mini-store expansion out to all of Best Buy's locations.

The move signals both Samsung's desire to push forward with their newfound swagger and the acceptance of the largest brick-and-mortar electronics retailer in the United States of the aforementioned swagger. It's worth giving some consideration to how Samsung's store will be adjacent to and staffed by the Best Buy mobile department, where the sales emphasis is almost exclusively on smartphones, with a handful of cellular tablets thrown in for good measure.

Samsung's success in the mobile market has been almost exclusively thanks to their Galaxy S line. Where consumers see Apple as a company that makes desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets, they see Samsung as televisions and smartphones. Setting up their store inside Best Buy is obviously a step to expand consumer recognition of what Samsung does, but by pairing it with Best Buy's powerful mobile presence they're also acknowledging what customers know and expect of Samsung.

It's also worth considering the benefits in the move for Best Buy. While they'll be losing significant floor space to the Samsung sections, this is a chain that's in the midst of an upheaval of sorts, faltering through a botched bid to take the company private and closing numerous stores over the past year to save costs. No doubt Samsung has paid well for the privilege of getting the same treatment as Apple, and that's money Best Buy desperately needs.

Source: Geek.com



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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Skype for Windows 8 gains contact blocking and performances improvements

Skype for Windows 8 gains contact blocking and performances improvements

Those of you using Skype in Windows 8 will be happy to know that Microsoft's just bumped the app to version 1.6. It's been a few months since the last update, and this revision brings more features to the table, including contact blocking and a slew of performance tweaks. You're now able to block users, with an option to remove or report the offending party. Speed and reliability have been improved, especially when loading contacts, and a number of bugs have been fixed, including one where the outgoing video was not always displayed after switching cameras. The update's available in Windows Store, so what are you waiting for?

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Source: Skype Blogs

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4Z5MGj82FJU/

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Sex offender missing after being expelled from mental health facility ...

staff report ? Published March 29, 2013 Modified March 29, 2013

The Olympian

Timothy Adam Ashford, who, on Thursday we reported to have absconded from his registration requirements after being expelled from a Behavior Health Rehabilitation mental treatment facility in Olympia, was apprehended by Olympia Police Thursday afternoon.

Ashford has been arrested for a charge of failure to register as a sex offender, and is being held at Thurston County Jail.

Source: http://www.theolympian.com/2013/03/29/2483804/sex-offender-missing-after-being.html

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Exclusive: Wal-Mart may get customers to deliver packages to online buyers

By Alistair Barr and Jessica Wohl

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is considering a radical plan to have store customers deliver packages to online buyers, a new twist on speedier delivery services that the company hopes will enable it to better compete with Amazon.com Inc.

Tapping customers to deliver goods would put the world's largest retailer squarely in middle of a new phenomenon sometimes known as "crowd-sourcing," or the "sharing economy."

A plethora of start-ups now help people make money by renting out a spare room, a car, or even a cocktail dress, and Wal-Mart would in effect be inviting people to rent out space in their vehicle and their willingness to deliver packages to others.

Such an effort would, however, face numerous legal, regulatory and privacy obstacles, and Wal-Mart executives said it was at an early planning stage.

Wal-Mart is making a big push to ship online orders directly from stores, hoping to cut transportation costs and gain an edge over Amazon and other online retailers, which have no physical store locations. Wal-Mart does this at 25 stores currently, but plans to double that to 50 this year and could expand the program to hundreds of stores in the future.

Wal-Mart currently uses carriers like FedEx Corp for delivery from stores - or, in the case of a same-day delivery service called Walmart To Go that is being tested in five metro areas, its own delivery trucks.

"I see a path to where this is crowd-sourced," Joel Anderson, chief executive of Walmart.com in the United States, said in a recent interview with Reuters.

Wal-Mart has millions of customers visiting its stores each week. Some of these shoppers could tell the retailer where they live and sign up to drop off packages for online customers who live on their route back home, Anderson explained.

Wal-Mart would offer a discount on the customers' shopping bill, effectively covering the cost of their gas in return for the delivery of packages, he added.

"This is at the brain-storming stage, but it's possible in a year or two," said Jeff McAllister, senior vice president of Walmart U.S. innovations.

Indeed, the likelihood of this being broadly adopted across the company's network of more than 4,000 stores in the United States is low, according to Matt Nemer, a retail analyst at Wells Fargo Securities.

"I'm sure it will be a test in some stores," he added. "But they may only keep it for metro markets and for higher-priced items."

LEGAL BOUNDARIES

Start-ups such as TaskRabbit and Fiverr already let individuals rent out their time and expertise to companies and people looking for small jobs to be completed.

Zipments was founded in 2010 as a crowd-sourced delivery network that allowed anyone over 18 years old with a vehicle, a text-enabled phone, and a PayPal account to bid on courier services for local businesses.

Such online match-making businesses often push legal boundaries - and a Wal-Mart crowd-sourced delivery program would be no different, according to Nemer.

Online packages delivered by customers may never reach their destination, either through theft or fraud, the analyst said.

Such a crowd-sourced delivery service may not be as reliable as FedEx or United Parcel Service, which have insured drivers, he added.

"You are comfortable with a FedEx or UPS truck in your driveway, but what about a stranger knocking on your door?" Nemer said.

ZIPMENTS EVOLVES

While Zipments started out with a pure crowd-sourcing approach, the company now does more screening of drivers before allowing them to be part of its delivery network, Chief Executive and co-Founder Garrick Pohl said in an interview. It now serves big cities including New York and Chicago.

Theft, fraud and late deliveries have never been a problem, but insurance and licenses were an obstacle, Pohl explained.

Drivers often need personal liability insurance to cover package delivery activities. Cargo insurance is also needed. Zipments self-insures this risk up to $250, but the firm encourages its couriers to buy additional coverage for higher-value packages, Pohl said.

In some areas, like downtown Chicago, people also need a courier license to deliver things, he added.

"Zipments now helps people get all these things set up before allowing them to deliver goods," Pohl said.

Still, he said the issues are not insurmountable, citing pizza restaurants, which have used part-time drivers to deliver pies for years.

"It's a great solution for large retailers like Wal-Mart," Pohl said. "We'd like to see them move quicker, but it's great that they are considering it."

Zipments is trying to provide such services to retailers, although Pohl declined to say which companies the start-up is talking to about this.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr and Jessica Wohl; Editing by Jonathan Weber, Martin Howell and Leslie Gevirtz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-wal-mart-may-customers-deliver-packages-online-050124872--sector.html

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Cyprus capital controls could be lifted in a month

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? There were long lines of anxious people but no sign of trouble as banks in Cyprus opened Thursday for the first time in nearly two weeks, following an international bailout that sought to prevent the country from financial ruin.

The government has imposed a daily limit on how much people can withdraw to stop a run on its banks ? the first such action in the 14-year history of the euro currency. Cypriots took the measure in their stride, aware that with their economy teetering on the edge of collapse, any undue panic would make the situation worse.

"Everything has been paralyzed. Besides my business being already low, now no one thinks of buying flowers," said flower shop owner Christos Papamichael who was among about 30 people waiting patiently for bank doors to open.

"People think of anything (else) besides flowers, they've got other priorities. But now there's a half an hour delay and we're just waiting here."

The limits on transactions, have been imposed initially for seven days and are being reviewed daily. According to Central Bank assessments, the restrictions are to be fully lifted in a month, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said.

"Gradually, probably in a period of a month, or something according again to the estimates of the Central Bank and according to the developments, the restrictions will be fully lifted," he said.

"If there (are) withdrawals from the banks, they may happen, but let me tell you once again there will be no bank run."

Guards from private security firms reinforced police outside some ATMs and banks in the capital, Nicosia, but no problems controlling crowds was reported.

President Nicos Anastasiades expressed his "warm gratitude and deep appreciation towards the Cypriot people for the maturity and spirit of responsibility they have shown at a critical time for the stability of the Cypriot economy," a statement from his office said.

However, many Cypriots were left frustrated and confused by the closures and controls and concerned about the effect on their businesses and livelihoods.

"No matter how much information there was, things were changing all the time," said Costas Kyprianides, a grocery supplier in Nicosia.

Banks have been shut in Cyprus since March 16 to prevent people from draining their accounts as politicians scrambled to come up with a plan to allow the country to qualify for 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) in international bailout loans for its stricken financial sector.

A deal was finally reached in Brussels with other euro countries and the International Monetary Fund early Monday. The country's second-largest bank, Laiki, is to be split up, with its healthy assets being absorbed into the Bank of Cyprus. Savers with more 100,000 euros ($129,000) in either Bank of Cyprus and Laiki will face big losses. At Laiki, those could reach as much as 80 percent of amounts above the 100,000 insured limit; those at Bank of Cyprus are expected to be much lower.

The capital controls include limiting daily cash withdrawals to 300 euros ($383) per person and limiting payments abroad to 5,000 euros ($6,400). No checks can be cashed, although they can be deposited.

Anyone leaving the country, whether Cypriot or a visitor, can only take up to 1,000 euros ($1,290) with them in cash.

The country's general accounting office said pensions and other social security payments, together with salaries for government employees, will be in bank accounts next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Many Cypriots were working out exactly what they could and couldn't do. Television talk shows hosted dial-ins with experts, with viewers' queries ranging from which bank they would repay loans to if their lender was being wound down, how they could pay tuition fees for children studying abroad and handle check payments. People wondered whether they would be able to access their salaries, many of which were due this week.

Some analysts are concerned that, if kept in place long, Cyprus's measures will go against the fundamental principle of the single currency: Free and easy movement of money around the euro's 17 members.

In a statement Thursday, The European Commission said EU member states could restrict financial transactions "in certain circumstances and under strict conditions on grounds of public policy or public security" but added that "the free movement of capital should be reinstated as soon as possible".

Not every account in Laiki and Bank of Cyprus will be hit with big losses. Deposits held by the central government, local authorities such as municipalities, universities and development projects being co-funded by the European Union will not face a so-called haircut. Constantinos Petrides, undersecretary to the president, said the measure was agreed between the Cypriot government and a delegation from the IMF, European Central Bank and European Commission.

Government welfare and pension fund accounts in Laiki will be treated in the same way as those in the Bank of Cyprus, "thereby ensuring most of the deposits," Petrides added.

Some individuals and businesses, spotting that Cyprus's economy was in trouble and that a tax on deposits was being discussed, had moved their money out of Cyprus well before the banks closed their doors last week.

According to ECB figures, deposits in Cyprus' banks slipped 2.2 percent last month, to 46.36 billion euros ($59.36 billion), the lowest figure since May 2010 and down from a peak of 50.5 billion euros ($64.67 billion) in May 2012. The figure excludes deposits from other banks and the central government.

"I anticipated, not this to happen, but I anticipated issues last year, when Greece had a question of whether it will remain in euro and the consequences of that," said Athos Angelides, who runs a business importing and distributing hair salon products. "So luckily we transferred money in the middle of last year over to the UK."

The stock market, which has been closed since March 15, stayed shut. It will remain closed on Friday and Monday, when most of Europe is closed for the Easter celebrations. Cyprus follows the Orthodox calendar and does not celebrate Easter until May this year.

____

Elena Becatoros in Nicosia and David McHugh in Frankfurt contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cyprus-capital-controls-could-lifted-month-163928990--finance.html

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New foreclosures fall to lowest since crisis: report

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/foreclosures-fall-lowest-since-crisis-report-141454615--sector.html

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The Secret to Success in the Fast Food Sector

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013
By George Leong, B.Comm. for Profit Confidential

Secret to SuccessMcDonalds Corporation (NYSE/MCD), a bellwether for the fast food industry, recently hit a barrier after coming in short on its earnings in both the second and third quarters. But the maker of the ?Big Mac? came back and beat the Thomson Financial consensus earnings-per-share (EPS) estimate in the fourth quarter. Like many of the fast food stocks, McDonalds has been feeling the pinch globally, seeing some pulling back in spending, especially in China and domestically. Or perhaps, consumers are becoming more health conscious and want to avoid fast foods, which is something McDonalds has acknowledged, as it?s working to deliver a healthier menu.

My stock analysis suggests that McDonalds has been the top performer in the restaurant sector over the past decade after the company made a dramatic shift in its menu to include an assortment of healthy meals to broaden its target market.

The stock chart of McDonalds below shows the company?s incredible and steady run since 2004 compared to the S&P 500, represented by the red line on the top of the chart, based on my technical analysis. McDonalds traded at a 52-week high on March 15, 2013.

MCD McDonalds Corp Stock chart

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

This strategy shift worked, as McDonalds continues to be at the top of the fast food chain and the ?Best of Breed,? leaving Burger King Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE/BKW) and The Wendys Company (NASDAQ/WEN) behind, according to my stock analysis.

McDonalds? comparable same-store sales in Europe fell 0.5% in February, which is not great. However, given the financial crisis over there, the numbers were not bad, based on my stock analysis, especially considering that same-store sales declined a much worse 3.3% in the U.S. market and 1.6% in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and African markets.

And based on my stock analysis, there?s a growing list of rivals that all have targeted McDonalds as the company to emulate in an attempt to take away its market share. But I doubt they will be able to knock McDonalds off its perch.

In the key and growing China fast food market, McDonalds operates about 1,500 stores (aiming for 2,000 by 2013), but my stock analysis indicates that the company faces tough competition from YUM! Brands (NYSE/YUM)?the operator of many well-known fast food outlets, such as Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), and Pizza Hut. YUM! is hesitating on the chart after reporting some stalling in sales, especially in its key and growing Chinese market. Based on my stock analysis, the lack of healthier alternatives on its stores? menus is one reason for this stalling. The biggest challenge for McDonalds in China could be Burger King, which announced it would open up 1,000 restaurants in China within five years. Again, a challenge, but I doubt the ?Whopper? will overtake the Big Mac, based on my stock analysis.

YUM Yum Brands Inc Stock market chart

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

So until there?s a real challenge, McDonalds will continue to be the top fast food stock to own. The company has proven it for the past 10 years, and nothing will change, according to my stock analysis.

Read about a good risk-to-reward travel stock in ?Play the Travel Space with This Former Highflier.?

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Source: http://www.profitconfidential.com/stock-market/the-secret-to-success-in-the-fast-food-sector/

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Huge Wash. island landslide affects 34 homes

SEATTLE (AP) ? Residents of a hillside overlooking scenic Puget Sound heard the thunder of a large landslide early Wednesday that knocked one home off its foundation, and isolated or threatened more than two dozen others on Whidbey Island, about 50 miles north of Seattle.

A man who escaped from the damaged home was evacuated by rescuers in an all-terrain vehicle, Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue Chief Ed Hartin said. Some people are completely cut off from their properties.

Many of the homes are summer cabins or weekend getaways and were unoccupied. Some are larger, upscale properties and others are more modest dwellings.

Eleven people from 16 homes along a road close to the water were evacuated by boat because the road was blocked by the landslide, he said.

And, another 20 to 25 people were evacuated from 17 homes along a road higher up the hill that is being undermined by the slide. Land is falling away just 10 feet from one home.

No one was injured when the slide broke loose about 4 a.m. in the Ledgewood community. One person was taken to a hospital with a condition unrelated to the slide.

The cause of the slide is unknown.

Residents that heard the slide about eight miles south of Coupeville described it to KOMO-TV as sounding like thunder.

"It was a mix of rumbling and snapping trees," Hartin said. "We were hearing the same thing when we arrived."

On Wednesday afternoon the slide still showed signs of movement, Hartin said.

"It's possible more homes could be lost. We're trying to ensure the safety and awareness of people," Hartin said. "There's not anything we can do to stop the movement of the ground."

Whidbey Island is about 35 miles long, north to south, and just a mile or two wide in places east to west.

The slide area extends about 400 to 500 yards across the hillside and down 600 or 700 yards to the water, Hartin said.

There has been no significant rain in recent days so the immediate cause of the slide is unknown. But the area has been prone to slides in the past, Hartin said.

A geotechnical expert was being brought in to assess the slide and the danger to homes. If the slide stabilizes, some people might be allowed to return. But others have homes that are now unreachable.

"Being cut off from the road, water and power," residents had to leave, said Island County Sheriff Mark Brown. "It's a pretty massive mudslide."

A ferry ride from the Seattle area, the island offers picturesque farm and water views and has a population of about 60,000, mostly centered around Oak Harbor and the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/washington-island-landslide-affects-34-homes-205306861.html

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Ex-CIA chief aided WWII hero's Arlington burial

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) ? When Dr. Rene Joyeuse's request for burial at Arlington National Cemetery was rejected, the family of the decorated Swiss-born World War II spy launched a campaign to get the decision reversed. Months later, Joyeuse is getting his wish, thanks in part to the involvement of the nation's top covert operators, including CIA Director David Petraeus.

Before resigning amid a sex scandal last November, Petraeus played a key role in convincing Pentagon officials that Joyeuse, a retired doctor from upstate New York, deserved to lie in rest among some of America's greatest military heroes, people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

"It got attention at the highest levels, very high up. That's how important he (Joyeuse) was," said Charles Pinck, president of the OSS Society, whose membership includes a dwindling number of veterans of the Office of Strategic Services, the nation's World War II intelligence agency and forerunner of the CIA.

Petraeus, Pinck added, "took a lead role to get this approved."

A memorial service and inurnment of Joyeuse's cremated remains will be held Friday afternoon at Arlington. It will be a final tribute for a warrior spy-turned-surgeon who spent his post-war years pioneering heart research and emergency trauma care from New York to Hawaii.

"We're finally putting him somewhere he belongs," said Marc Joyeuse, the veteran's oldest of two sons. "Being a soldier, that's where he wanted to be."

It almost didn't happen. After Joyeuse died in June at 92 in Saranac Lake, N.Y., his family's request for his inurnment at Arlington was rejected because he hadn't served in the U.S. military. According to military records, Joyeuse worked for the OSS but was officially a member of the Free French Forces, enlisting after France's surrender to Germany in 1940.

Marc, his brother, Remi, and their mother, Suzanne, started an effort to have the decision reversed by the Department of the Army, which runs Arlington. They contacted Patrick K. O'Donnell, a military historian who had interviewed Joyeuse a decade earlier for a book on World War II espionage.

O'Donnell had met Petraeus several years earlier at a Wounded Warriors event when the four-star Army general was commanding American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two weeks after Joyeuse's death, O'Donnell emailed Petraeus, describing the family's quest and the veteran's wartime heroics.

The exploits are straight out of a Hollywood movie: nighttime parachute drops behind enemy lines before the D-Day invasion in France, shootouts with SS troops, dodging Nazi collaborators, helping hundreds of downed American airmen elude capture. His actions earned him the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest military honor, pinned on him by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme command of Allied forces in Europe.

"Someone once said the ideal OSS candidate was a Ph.D. who could handle himself in a bar fight," said Pinck, a private-sector security consultant whose father was an OSS agent. "I think Rene Joyeuse typified that."

Petraeus' emailed responses to O'Donnell in late June, copies of which the author shared with the AP, show the CIA director was "checking into it." On July 20, Petraeus wrote a letter to Secretary of the Army John McHugh, highlighting Joyeuse's accomplishments and supporting his family's request for a review of Arlington's decision.

At the bottom of the letter, a copy of which was also provided to the AP, Petraeus wrote: "The situation seems very unique and the rationale quite exceptional. It would mean a great deal to the agency family and its forerunner, the OSS. Many thanks ? Dave."

Other military members and intelligence operatives wrote letters in support of Joyeuse, including Adm. William McRaven, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command. McRaven's letter referred to Joyeuse, who became a U.S. citizen in 1975, as "a true American patriot."

Asked whether the Petraeus and McRaven letters helped the family's cause, Maj. Chris Kasker, a spokesman for McHugh, responded in an email: "The letters were certainly appreciated and a testimony to the extraordinary contributions of Dr. Joyeuse to the United States military. But exceptions to policy are based on a variety of factors that look at the totality of one's service. Because of this, they are extremely rare."

On Nov. 9, a letter from the executive director of the Army National Military Cemeteries to Suzanne Joyeuse notified her that the family's request for burial at Arlington had been approved. It was the same day Petraeus resigned as director of CIA, acknowledging an extramarital affair with his biographer.

Messages left with Robert B. Barnett, Petraeus' lawyer, weren't returned.

While it might seem unusual for a CIA director to take interest in a veteran's burial dispute, in Joyeuse's case, Petraeus was paying homage to a fellow soldier-spy, said O'Donnell, whose latest book, "Dog Company," tells the story of U.S. Army Rangers in World War II.

"He is a soldier's soldier," O'Donnell said. "That was his motivation."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-cia-chief-aided-wwii-heros-arlington-burial-063033814.html

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

How To Import All Your Google Reader Feeds Into Rockmelt For iOS

It has taken a few days, but the news of Google Reader?s looming demise has finally started sinking in, and people are now coming to terms with the fact that there are other services out there that are more than capable of replacing Reader. As for the data you might have accumulated over time, that can easily be exported to the new service you decide to use. However, most people have discussed desktop-based replacements for Google Reader until now (although Feedly does have mobile clients), but there are also those who are open to the possibility of switching completely to their iPhone to check out all the latest news stories from around the world. The previously covered Rockmelt deals with RSS feeds, and lets users sift through interesting articles using gestures. The team behind the app has taken full advantage of Reader?s end, and has made it possible to import all your Reader feeds to Rockmelt in a few easy steps.

To get started, you need to have the free Rockmelt app on your iPhone or iPad. Make sure you are logged into your account, and then proceed with the following steps.

Instructions

Rockmelt iOS Import Link?Rockmelt iOS Import Start?Rockmelt iOS Allow

  1. Launch Rockmelt. You should have a notification saying that the app is ready to import RSS feeds from your Reader account. If you have already dismissed that notification or haven?t received it for some reason, just click this link from within the Rockmelt app.
  2. Get the app?s import mechanism to work by hitting the ?Start Import Now? button.
  3. Sign in to your Google account, keeping the ?Stay signed in? option checked.
  4. From the next screen, tap the ?Allow access? button.
    Rockmelt iOS Select?Rockmelt iOS Success
  5. Choose the feeds you want to import to Rockmelt, or just hit ?Select All? from the top-left corner if you want to make the app a true replacement for Google Reader.
  6. Give the app some time to grab all your data from Reader.
  7. Hit ?OK? when the success message is displayed.

Rockmelt iOS Feed

You might not see your newly added feeds on the Rockmelt homepage straight away, so wait for a few minutes (without exiting the app) to let everything show up properly. While the app?s interface and gestures make viewing RSS feeds a delight, the articles you have starred in the past are nowhere to be found. If you are willing to make that sacrifice, head to the App Store link below and grab this free and universal app right now.

Download Rockmelt For iOS

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Addictivetips/~3/jnkH5zTJ1Nk/

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Women's Health Issues | Body Health ? Bodybuilding, Workouts ...

E??r? woman ?? unique (well, duh), b?t th?r? ?r? a few things ???r? lady shares w?th h?r female best friends ?r relatives?th? risk ?f developing th??? five common health problems.
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Heart disease

A leading killer ?f men ?n? women, th?? condition ?? responsible f?r ?b??t 29 percent ?f deaths ?n women (according t? th? Center f?r Disease Control ?n? Prevention). Th?t?s largely b?????? signs ?n? symptoms ?f th? disease ?? misdiagnosed ?n female patients (research ?? starting t? ?h?w women develop th? disease differently th?n men). Wh?t puts a woman ?t risk? Obesity, stress, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, ?n? inactivity. Left untreated, th? disease ??n lead t? heart attack ?n? stroke.

Breast cancer

Responsible f?r ?b??t 1 percent ?f deaths ?n women worldwide, breast cancer ?? a serious issue th?t affects ???r? woman. Recent research shows th?t wh??? doctors ?r? getting better ?t treating th? disease, incidence rates ?r? ?n th? rise. Th?t?s largely due t? lifestyle factors. Today, women ?r? getting married later, having children later (?f th?? h??? th?m ?t ???), ?n? ?r? more overweight, stressed out, ?n? generally more inactive th?n th??r mothers w?r? (wh?n breast cancer rates w?r? still quite low).


Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Affecting 10 percent ?f women ?f reproductive age, th?? condition causes small cysts t? form ?n th? ovaries during ovulation. Th??? cysts m?? b? nothing more th?n a nuisance, causing side pains ???r? now ?n? th?n, ?r th?? m?? become infected ?n? rupture, possibly damaging a woman?s uterus ?n?, thereby, h?r fertility. Women w?th PCOS ?r? ???? more prone t? weight gain, abnormal periods, acne, ?n? excess hair growth.

Osteoporosis

Wh??? th?? disease ??n affect both men ?n? women, ?t disproportionately threatens th? health ?f females. Largely preventable, ?t affects th? strength ?n? resiliency ?f th? bones, wh??h ??n lead t? fr??t?r?? ?n? bone br??k? later ?n ?n life. Oth?r risk factors include age, having a wiry frame, ethnicity (Caucasian ?n? Asians h??? th? highest risk ?f developing th? disease), eating a diet th?t?s low ?n calcium ?r vitamin D, smoking, ?n? excessive alcohol ???.

Depression

Th?? disease affects women ?b??t 50 percent more th?n men, largely b?????? ?f hormonal changes (f?r example, postpartum depression th?t develops post-pregnancy), ?r lifestyle factors (feeling disconnected fr?m ????? ones, a family history ?f th? disease, ?r substance abuse). It ???? ??n b? triggered b? a stressful life event, a history ?f childhood abuse, ?r neglect.

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Source: http://mybodyhealth.net/womens-health-issues/

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Make Your Wedding Memorable with the Party Dresses from China

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Saturday, March 23, 2013

Three dead after shooting at US Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va.

Matthew Barakat / AP

The entrance to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Northern Virginia is shown early Friday after three Marines, including the suspected assailant, died in a shooting.

By Courtney Kube and John Newland, NBC News

A Marine opened fire on two of his comrades Thursday night at a base in Quantico, Va., before turning the gun on himself, leaving all three dead, military officials said.

A relationship dispute was believed to be behind the shooting, which occurred in the staff barracks area of the Officer Candidates School at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Northern Virginia, a Marine official said.

The assailant and both victims, a man and a woman, were staff members at the school and not students,, a senior defense official said. The official called the incident "isolated," adding: "There was nothing random here."

The names of the dead were being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Military police and Prince William County, Va., Sheriff's Department officers responded to a report of gunshots about 11 p.m. ET Thursday and found one Marine dead and the shooter barricaded inside the barracks, a Marine official said. The barricade lasted until 3 a.m., when officers entered the barracks and found two more bodies, including that of the shooter, the official said. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.

The assailant appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, base officials said.

The base had been under lockdown after the incident, but its status early Friday returned to "Code Green," meaning operations were normal.

A message posted on Quantico's Facebook page?had earlier had told residents to remain in their homes with their doors locked.

Quantico is about 40 miles south of Washington in the Northern Virginia suburbs.

The Officer Candidates School calls itself "the first proving ground for future Marine officers." Its graduates attain the rank of 2nd lieutenant.

It has a reputation for being challenging.

"The mission of OCS is to train, screen and evaluate candidates, who must demonstrate a high level of leadership potential and commitment to success in order to earn a commission," the Marine Corps says on the school's website. "Officer Candidates School training will be more demanding than any you've experienced before, regardless of commissioning program."

NBC News' Denise Ono and Christopher Nelson contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on

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Steve Wozniak, Speaking To The Denver Apple Pi Club In 1984, On College Pranks, Building The Apple I & II, And The Apple Pledge Allegiance

vincepattonvideowoz"I pledge allegiance to the logo of corporate marketing in Cupertino. And to the computers for which it stands: One notion, under Jobs, indispensable, for hardware and software for all." Steve Wozniak, to the Denver Apple Pi Computer Club in 1984. And that video above is just a funny anecdotes. TUAW reader Vince Patton pointed the Apple fan site to 14 insightful videos he uploaded to YouTube of Steve Wozniak talking to the Denver Apple Pi Club in 1984. As TUAW notes, they're a treasure trove of first hand accounts into the formation of Apple, the creation of the Apple I and II, and Woz's college antics.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/g4BxKL00jEo/

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Troubled Calif. nuke plant seeks restart in summer

(AP) ? As part of an effort to convince federal regulators that a nuclear reactor is safe to restart, the operator of the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant in California has disclosed it might push for a rewrite of the facility's operating rules.

Southern California Edison disclosed Friday it hopes the move could open the way for the Unit 2 reactor to be back in service by summer, when power demand typically soars in the region.

San Onofre has been shut down since January 2012, after a small radiation leak led to the discovery of unusual damage to hundreds of tubes that carry radioactive water.

Edison has been trying since October to convince the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it's safe to run Unit 2 at no more than 70 percent power. Company engineers believe the reduced level will limit vibration and friction that can cause excessive wear to tubing.

The tentative proposal amounts to Edison's third attempt to answer a thorny question raised by the NRC: Is the plant that hasn't produced electricity in more than a year capable of running at full power?

In earlier filings, Edison argued that its 70 percent restart target was, in effect, full power. It later submitted another analysis showing the reactor could run at 100 percent power, but the research found the risk of a tube break could reach unacceptable levels after 11 months.

The new proposal could essentially eliminate the debate over the full power threshold.

It calls for capping the plant's power output at 70 percent in the plant's technical operating rules, rather than the now-required 100 percent. It also argues that running the reactor at 70 percent capacity would pose no significant safety risk.

The proposal, known as a license amendment, came as a surprise since Edison has long argued such a revision was unnecessary to restart the plant.

If approved by federal regulators, the move could offer a potentially quicker way to a restart.

"We want to do every responsible thing we can do to get Unit 2 up and running safely before the summer heat hits our region," SCE President Ron Litzinger said in a statement.

Anti-nuclear activists who have opposed the restart accused Edison of trying to circumvent a thorough NRC review of machinery with a history of trouble.

According to Edison documents, members of the public can request a hearing on the amendment, but if NRC staff finds there is no significant hazard, the hearing can be held after the amendment is approved.

"Edison is more focused on making profits than it is in assuring the safety of millions of Southern Californians living near these reactors," Damon Moglen of the advocacy group Friends of the Earth said in a statement.

Daniel Hirsch, a lecturer on nuclear policy at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a critic of the nuclear power industry, said Edison was trying to delay a substantive review until "long after it has already restarted."

"If it is subsequently determined it wasn't safe to do so, it would be way too late," Hirsch said in a statement.

NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said the agency had not received the proposal from Edison.

The problems at San Onofre focus on its steam generators, which were installed in a $670 million overhaul in 2009 and 2010.

Last year, federal regulators blamed heavy tube wear in the generators on a botched computer analysis that they said misjudged how water and steam would flow in the reactors, along with manufacturing problems.

The generators, which resemble massive steel fire hydrants, control heat in the reactors and operate somewhat like a car radiator. At San Onofre, each one stands 65 feet high and weighs 1.3 million pounds, with 9,727 U-shaped tubes inside that are each 0.75 inch in diameter.

Overall, NRC records show investigators found wear from friction and vibration in 15,000 places, in varying degrees, in 3,401 tubes inside the plant's four generators, two in each reactor.

The future of the heavily damaged Unit 3 reactor, where the radiation leak occurred after a tube break last year, is not clear. Edison has said that because of manufacturing differences, Unit 2's generators did not suffer the extent of deep tube wear witnessed in its sister.

Cracked and corroded generator tubing has vexed the nation's nuclear industry for years.

Decaying generator tubes helped push San Onofre's Unit 1 reactor into retirement in 1992, even though it was designed to run until 2004. The following year, the Trojan nuclear plant, near Portland, Ore., was shuttered because of microscopic cracks in steam generator tubes, cutting years off its expected lifespan.

San Onofre is owned by SCE, San Diego Gas & Electric and the city of Riverside.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-23-Nuclear%20Plant%20Problems/id-885885a8a02848b8988059161682d948

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Scientists discover reasons behind snakes' 'shrinking heads'

Thursday, March 21, 2013

An international team of scientists led by Dr Kate Sanders from the University of Adelaide, and including Dr Mike Lee from the South Australian Museum, has uncovered how some sea snakes have developed 'shrunken heads' ? or smaller physical features than their related species.

Their research is published today in the journal Molecular Ecology (doi: 10.1111/mec.12291).

A large head ? "all the better to eat you with" - would seem to be indispensable to sea snakes, which typically have to swallow large spiny fish. However, there are some circumstances where it wouldn't be very useful: sea snakes that feed by probing their front ends into narrow, sand eel burrows have evolved comically small heads.

The team has shown normal-shaped sea snakes can evolve such "shrunken heads" very rapidly. This process can rapidly lead to speciation (one species splitting into two). The small-headed populations are also much smaller in absolute size than their ancestors, and these shape and size differences mean they tend to avoid interbreeding with their large-headed ancestors.

Dr Lee says, "A team led by my colleague Dr Kate Sanders at the University of Adelaide has been investigating genetic differences across all sea snakes, and we noticed that the blue-banded sea snake (Hydrophis cyanocinctus) and the slender-necked sea snake (Hydrophis melanocephalus) were almost indistinguishable genetically, despite being drastically different in size and shape.

"The slender-necked sea snake is half the size, and has a much smaller head, than the blue-banded sea snake.

"This suggested they separated very recently from a common ancestral species and had rapidly evolved their different appearances. One way this could have happened is if the ancestral species was large-headed, and a population rapidly evolved small heads to probe eel burrows - and subsequently stopped interbreeding with the large-headed forms."

Dr Sanders says the research could have wider implications in other scientific studies: "our results highlight the viviparous sea snakes as a promising system for studies of speciation and adaptive radiation in marine environments."

###

University of Adelaide: http://www.adelaide.edu.au

Thanks to University of Adelaide for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127390/Scientists_discover_reasons_behind_snakes___shrinking_heads_

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Friday, March 22, 2013

Smelling genetic information: Molecules allow mice to sniff out the genes of other mice

Mar. 21, 2013 ? Scientists have theorized that animals and humans are able to smell certain genes linked to the immune system, which in turn influences their choice of mate. The genes in question are known as MHC (major histocompatibility complex) genes. Selecting a mate with very different MHC genes from one's own makes sense, because your offspring will then have a greater variety of immunity genes -- and a correspondingly greater resistance to disease. But until now, no scent offering information about MHC genes had been discovered among those emitted by humans and animals.

Now researchers from the University of T?bingen's Immunology department and the Proteome Center, working with their colleagues from the University of Saarland, have managed to do just that. Their results, just published in Nature Communications, will lead scientists to review the "sniff out a mate" theory.

It is well known that the MHC genes determine which MHC peptides a cell presents at its surface to the immune system's killer cells. These peptides are usually composed of the body's own proteins and therefore do not set off any reaction. But if the MHC peptides come from a virus, the immune system's killer cells can recognize that and attack it. According to one current theory, the MHC peptides also communicate the smell which offers information about MHC genes -- a theory tested in mice. Special sensor cells were found which are able to recognize and distinguish the various MHC peptides from one another. Experiments have shown that synthetic MHC peptides in high concentrations were able to influence the behavior of mice, and that mouse urine carries what is believed to be the smell of MHC genes. Until now, it was not known whether MHC peptides even occurred naturally in urine.

The researchers have now been able to identify in mouse urine an MHC peptide indicating a corresponding MHC gene. Yet the concentration was extremely low -- the urine contained around one-millionth of the amount of MHC peptides than had been used in previous behavioral experiments. And hundreds of other peptides were identified in the mouse urine along with this MHC peptide -- those peptides were derived from all kinds of genes but had nothing to do with MHC genes. These peptides should enable mice to map most of the fellow mouse's genes. They appear in concentrations up to a million times higher than that of the MHC peptide, coming closer to the amount used in the behavioral experiments. Both kinds of peptides can activate specific olfactory cells in mice, as researchers from the University of Saarland showed.

These results suggest that "smelling" similarities and differences in the overall genome plays a far greater role than the smell of immunogenes. Smell could provide comprehensive information on the relationship between two individuals. The researchers found that non-MHC peptides that were different between two mice of the same species could be precisely distinguished by their smell receptor cells. This raises the question of how the previous experiments carried out with unnaturally high concentrations of synthetic MHC peptides ought to be interpreted. To this day, no MHC peptide has been detected in human urine, sweat, or saliva. The large number of other peptides -- giving a picture of nearly all other genes and occurring in far greater concentrations -- needs to be taken into account in future behavioral experiments. It may be that these frequent peptides completely cover up the influence of other peptides providing information on the immune system.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Universitaet T?bingen.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Theo Sturm, Trese Leinders-Zufall, Boris Ma?ek, Mathias Walzer, Stephan Jung, Beate P?mmerl, Stefan Stevanovi?, Frank Zufall, Peter Overath, Hans-Georg Rammensee. Mouse urinary peptides provide a molecular basis for genotype discrimination by nasal sensory neurons. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1616 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2610

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

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/z0xv1LDi25s/130321110217.htm

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AMD intros Radeon HD 7790 graphics card for $149, promises cooler and quieter 1080p gaming

AMD intros Radeon HD 7790 graphics card for $149, promises cooler and quieter 1080p gaming

We were half expecting AMD's next graphics card to be some sort of supercomputing colossus, given all the buzz around NVIDIA's GTX Titan. As it turns out, though, we're looking at something more subtle and just slightly more affordable: the new Radeon HD 7790. It slots into a cosy niche between the 7770 and the 7850, targeting gamers who want a good helping of 28nm silicon and potential for CrossFire expansion but who don't want to stretch beyond $149. Efficiency tweaks allow the 7790 to offer almost 50 percent more processing power than the 7770 while only demanding a smidgen of extra wattage (85 W instead of 80 W), which bodes well for cooling and decibels. Relative to the 7850, which can now be had for under $200, you'd be getting a card with half the power consumption, half the memory (1GB GDDR5), half the memory bandwidth (128-bit) and around 30 percent less processing power.

Compare it to the closest rival from NVIDIA, the GTX 650 Ti, which currently fetches upwards of $140, and AMD claims the Radeon HD 7790 offers an average 20 percent advantage in frame rates at 1080p -- enough that you shouldn't need to worry about games like Tomb Raider or Hitman: Absolution at that resolution. Check out the slide deck for further details and official frame-rate charts, and expect to see the card reach retailers starting April 2nd.

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