kilanlager: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Texas DA slain in his home; had armed himself

This undated photo taken from the Kaufman County, Texas, website shows Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland. McLelland and his wife were found killed in their house, Saturday, March 30, 2013, two months after one of his assistants was gunned down near their office, authorities said. (AP Photo/Kaufman County)

Kaufman County Sheriff David Byrnes speaks at a news conference, Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Kaufman, Texas. On Saturday, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were murdered in their home. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, police block off Blarney Stone Road in Forney, Texas, where Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland were found dead in their home near Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY

In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, caution tape surrounds the home of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland who were found dead in their home near Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY

Kaufman County Sheriff David Byrnes, center, speaks at a news conference, Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Kaufman, Texas. On Saturday, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were murdered in their home. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

KAUFMAN, Texas (AP) ? Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland took no chances after one of his assistant prosecutors was gunned down two months ago. McLelland said he carried a gun everywhere he went and was extra careful when answering the door at his home.

"I'm ahead of everybody else because, basically, I'm a soldier," the 23-year Army veteran said in an interview less than two weeks ago.

On Saturday, he and his wife were found shot to death in their rural home just outside the town of Forney, about 20 miles from Dallas.

While investigators gave no motive for the killings, Forney Mayor Darren Rozell said: "It appears this was not a random act."

"Everybody's a little on edge and a little shocked," he said.

The slayings came less than two weeks after Colorado's prison chief was shot to death at his front door, apparently by an ex-convict, and a couple of months after Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was killed in a parking lot a block from his courthouse office. No arrests have been made in Hasse's slaying Jan. 31.

McLelland, 63, is the 13th prosecutor killed in the U.S. since the National Association of District Attorneys began keeping count in the 1960s.

Sheriff David Byrnes would not give details Sunday of how the killings unfolded and said there was nothing to indicate for certain whether the DA's slaying was connected to Hasse's.

El Paso County, Colo., sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Joe Roybal said investigators had found no evidence so far connecting the Texas killings to the Colorado case, but added: "We're examining all possibilities."

Colorado's corrections director, Tom Clements, was killed March 19 when he answered the doorbell at his home outside Colorado Springs. Evan Spencer Ebel, a white supremacist and former Colorado inmate suspected of shooting Clements, died in a shootout with Texas deputies two days later about 100 miles from Kaufman.

McLelland himself, in an Associated Press interview shortly after the Colorado slaying, raised the possibility that Hasse was gunned down by a white supremacist gang.

The weekend slayings raised concerns for prosecutors across Texas, and some were taking extra security precautions. Byrnes said security would be increased at the courthouse in Kaufman but declined to say if or how other prosecutors in McLelland's office would be protected.

Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson said he accepted the sheriff's offer of 24-hour security for him and his family after learning about the slayings, mostly over concerns for his family's safety. Anderson said also would take precautions at his Houston office, the largest one in Texas, which has more than 270 prosecutors.

"I think district attorneys across Texas are still in a state of shock," Anderson said Sunday.

McLelland, elected DA in 2010, said his office had prosecuted several cases against racist gangs, who have a strong presence around Kaufman County, a mostly rural area dotted with subdivisions, with a population of about 104,000.

"We put some real dents in the Aryan Brotherhood around here in the past year," he said.

In recent years, the DA's office also prosecuted a case in which a justice of the peace was found guilty of theft and burglary and another case in which a man was convicted of killing his former girlfriend and her 10-year-old daughter.

McLelland said he carried a gun everywhere, even to walk his dog around town, a bedroom community for the Dallas area. He figured assassins were more likely to try to attack him outside. He said he had warned all his employees to be constantly on the alert.

"The people in my line of work are going to have to get better at it," he said of dealing with the danger, "because they're going to need it more in the future."

The number of attacks on prosecutors, judges and senior law enforcement officers in the U.S. has spiked in the past three years, according to Glenn McGovern, an investigator with the Santa Clara County, Calif., district attorney's office who tracks such cases.

For about a month after Hasse's slaying, sheriff's deputies were parked in the district attorney's driveway, said Sam Rosander, a McLelland neighbor.

The FBI and the Texas Rangers joined the investigation into the McLellands' deaths.

McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, 65, were the parents of two daughters and three sons. One son is a police officer in Dallas. The couple had moved into the home a few years ago, Rozell said.

"Real friendly, became part of our community quickly," Rozell said. "They were a really pleasant, happy couple."

___

Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writers Michael Graczyk in Houston, Angela K. Brown in Fort Worth and P. Solomon Banda in Denver contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-31-District%20Attorney%20Dead-Texas/id-e209dfb33534498c96ae56a704381e76

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Senior Catholic clerics weigh in on gay marriage

Religion plays a big role in individual and institutional decisions about same-sex marriage. Senior Roman Catholic clerics spoke out Sunday on TV news shows ??expressing love and compassion but holding to the church's opposition to gay marriage.

By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / March 31, 2013

Kevin Coyne of Washington holds flags in front of the US Supreme Court Wednesday, March 27, 2013. The high court is considering two major cases involving same-sex marriage.

Carolyn Kaster/AP

Enlarge

As the US Supreme Court ponders same-sex marriage ? and politicians look anxiously for public opinion clues on today?s hottest social issue ? church leaders play an important role that may in fact be diminishing.

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Increasingly, it seems, church doctrine holds less sway on what many see as a moral issue.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll, for example, finds that Roman Catholics support gay marriage 54-38 percent ? slightly higher than the general population, according to several recent polls.

Among those who describe themselves as ?born-again, evangelical, or fundamentalist" Christians, opposition to gay marriage remains high. Still, half of those say ?the legalization of same-sex marriage is inevitable,? according to a survey by LifeWay Research, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, says polls showing increasing support for same-sex marriage should not be taken as political gospel ? especially for Republicans wavering in the direction of approval.

?History ? and most statistical data ? shows that young people tend to become more conservative and more religious as they grow up, get married, and start families of their own,? Mr. Perkins writes on the CNS.com website (founded as the Conservative News Service).

?In fact, in Frank Newport's new book,??God Is Alive and Well,? the editor-in-chief of?Gallup explains that most people are at their spiritually lowest point at age 23,? Perkins writes. ?After that, people become?increasingly religious ? meaning that a hasty retreat on marriage may score cheap points now, but it would actually alienate the same people later on.??

On several TV news shows Sunday morning, senior Roman Catholic clerics weighed in on the debate over gay marriage.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, says his church needs to be more welcoming of gay and lesbian Catholics.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/5HsturUAc1U/Senior-Catholic-clerics-weigh-in-on-gay-marriage

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7 Things I Was Baffled By When I Started Online

Baffled By Business I?d like to share some of the problems that prevented me making any money whatsoever for around 7-8 months after I began online almost exactly 3 years ago. I?ll also explain how I overcame them by giving some recommendations for each.

It?s quite interesting for me to see how my thinking and understanding of how to start and build a successful web business has changed over time.

But more importantly I hope you?ll be able to get a lot out of this because from talking to others I?ve learned that most people face the same challenges that I?ve experienced.

Let?s dive in with 7 things I was baffled by when I started out:?

1. How To Create Web Pages

Like all of us I visited lots of different websites on a daily basis but I really didn?t understand how to replicate them. Do you have to learn web design and HTML and get involved in the technical side of things?

Luckily, I was introduced to WordPress pretty early on. Although I have built a few pages in other systems (such as the free HTML editor Kompozer) I really never looked back.

What began as a blogging platform has now developed into a fully fledged content management system (CMS) for websites and for running a home business, there are very few cases when it makes sense to not use WordPress.

My Recommendation: If you don?t know WordPress. Learn it. Just create a simple personal blog and get acquainted. It?s time very well spent.

2. How To Get Traffic

I thought the only options were SEO (ranking your web pages high in Google) or Adwords (Google Paid ads).

Like most newcomers I didn?t want to risk any money so I went down the SEO path.

The trouble was by 2010 SEO was already becoming harder, more long term and increasingly uncertain. This didn?t stop me spending a small fortune on SEO software and training courses which resulted in virtually no revenue whatsoever.

My Recommendation: Traffic is a KEY element in your online success. So invest some time in learning about it. There are countless ways to promote your websites and many of them have been discussed on this blog (here and here?for example). Also, although I wouldn?t completely ignore SEO, I also highly recommend you don?t rely on it. Less than 10% of my traffic comes from SEO ? quite honestly I wouldn?t bother with it much at all!

3. Why The Websites Of Successful Marketers Didn?t Look Like Mine

During my ?SEO phase? I followed several ?gurus? who were very keen to tell me (and sell me) strategies which could rank my websites high in Google. Most of these involved setting up blogs, choosing the keywords, meta tags, headlines, H1 tags correctly and building backlinks to my site.

So how come when I visited these gurus? sites they had none of these things? I remember checking the backlinks and wondering why there weren?t any? How could they be making money if they didn?t seem to do the things they were telling me to do?

Also, a lot of their websites just had places for your name and email address (what I later learnt were called ?squeeze pages?) and had no content on them at all. Google wouldn?t rank these surely so I was baffled.

I was very na?ve really. But it just goes to show if you don?t know something then you just don?t know.

Of course, the reality was the the gurus were using joint ventures (JVs), affiliates and paid traffic to promote their websites. As silly as it might sound it really took me about 10 months to fully recognize this.

My Recommendation: Always ask yourself, ?Are the strategies that this person is teaching me what they actually use to make money themselves??. You can?t always be sure but being aware of this question really helps!

4. Who To Trust

A biggy.

As with any business ? online or offline ? there are scams and people who just want your money. In the internet marketing area there are definitely these kinds of people but also many very genuine businesses and marketers who provide solid products and services which can help you.

My Recommendation: Rather than expand on this here I will refer to a previous post where we covered this issue in detail.

5. Which Niche To Go Into

Again, usually a problem most of us have, especially at the early stage of our business.

This is partly related to ?I?m not an expert in anything? thinking but also because there are literally SO many different niches that it can become difficult to decide!

What I did was go into lots of niches. I don?t recommend this because you end up juggling so many balls that you can?t give the attention each niche deserves.

My Recommendation: Brainstorm niches you are interested in, check for sufficient audience size and profitability. Then pick one and go with it. Later on you can (as I have done) expand it more than one niche but that?s when you?ll have the experience of setting them up and promoting them. Also, understand you don?t need to be an expert: 1) You can learn, 2) You can get another expert to help (e.g., by interviewing them), 3) Many products (e.g., software) don?t rely on you being an expert at all.

6. How Can I Keep Up With The Information Coming At Me

Yes, the old information overload problem here!

What I specifically referring to though is the emails that I received as a result of signing up to people?s lists.

This distraction can manifest in at least 2 ways: 1) You are reading emails instead of implementing and taking action, 2) You get mixed messages and conflicting information which stops you taking action on your current plans by introducing doubt and shiny object syndrome.

My Recommendation: Unsubscribe from any list which just promotes things all the time. Follow the people you trust (or at worst think you trust!) ? see above for tips on this. Pick one project and stick with it, emotionally detach (as best you can) and work on your business (imagine you are consulting on someone else?s business which helps) instead of in your business.

7. Sales Funnels

Again I?m admitting naivety here but after coming online I really didn?t understand the importance of having a funnel or even what one was!

Basically, the sales funnel is process people go through after they go up the ?on ramp? into your business.

For example, they might sign up at for your squeeze page, get offered a promotion on the thank you page, receive email follow ups which offer free content and promotions which increase in price and value.

My recommendation: Be aware all the time of sales funnels and every time you purchase something or sign up for something watch what happens and take notes. I actually have a Word files called ?Other Marketers Swipe? which I take notes on what I see from my journeys around the internet in different niches.

3 Final Tips

Overall, If I could go back in time and speak to myself when I started out I?d give this advice:

Focus soley on building a list of subscribers in a profitable niche that you are interested in
Go to live events and meetups
Invest some time and money in solid training from people who have achieved what you want to achieve

If you can relate to any of my experiences I?ve described in this post then this is the same advice I?d give to you. Regardless of your history and where you are right now with your business the PERFECT time is NOW!

What things have baffled you in terms on setting up a successful web business? Please LIKE/TWEET if you enjoyed this and start some discussion by dropping a comment below. Cheers, Rob.

Source: http://www.gainhigherground.com/7-things-i-was-baffled-by-when-i-started-online/

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Dungeon Hunter 4 hacking and slashing its way onto iOS this April

Iron Man 3 wasn't the only title Gameloft was showing off at GDC 2013; they also had Dungeon Hunter 4, which promises to be a great addition to their fantasy action-RPG family. Though the game remains free-to-play with optional in-app purchases for some items, Dungeon Hunter 4 has a greater focus single player campaign (while DH3 was more about quick-and-dirty arena matches). DH4 has clearly upped the ante in terms of graphics, too. Character models are more detailed, lighting effects are dramatic, and overall, the whole thing plays very smoothly.

Players work their way through a linear storyline, slaying all manner of monsters using one of four different character classes and their unique special abilities. As they progress, new powers are unlocked and new gear is picked up and upgraded. Players can hook up online for co-operative of competitive multiplayer. Sure, the hack-and-slash gameplay might not be a massive departure from what you're used to, but you know what they say: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Keep an eye out for Dungeon Hunter 4 when it hits the App Store this April.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/NPaJYx0G0h4/story01.htm

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Myanmar president, in first remarks on religious riots, says force could be used to end unrest

YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar President Thein Sein said that his government will use force if necessary to quell deadly religious rioting that started last week, as attacks on Muslims by Buddhist mobs continued in several towns.

In his first public comments on the violence, Thein Sein warned in a televised speech Thursday that he would make all legal efforts to stop "political opportunists and religious extremists" trying to sow hatred between faiths.

Police announced Thursday that 42 people have been killed, 37 religious buildings and 1,227 houses have been damaged or destroyed, and 68 arrests have been made in the three affected regions since the recent unrest started on March 20.

The violence began with rioting by Buddhists targeting minority Muslims in the central city of Meikhtila that drove about 12,000 people from their homes. It spread this week to several towns in the Bago region, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of the country's biggest city, Yangon. One incident was reported near Naypyitaw, the capital.

Curfews and bans on public gatherings have been imposed in the affected areas, but state television reported that groups of people attacked houses, shops and religious buildings on Thursday in two towns in Bago. On Wednesday, it reported that security forces fired shots into the air to break up attacks, which residents said targeted Muslim properties.

"In general, I do not endorse the use of force to solve problems. However, I will not hesitate to use force as a last resort to protect the lives and safeguard the property of the general public," said Thein Sein, who took office in 2011 as part of an elected civilian government after almost five decades of repressive military rule.

By instituting democratic changes and economic liberalization, he has built a reputation as a reformer and restored relations with Western nations that had shunned the previous military regime for its poor human rights record.

"We must expect these conflicts and difficulties to arise during our period of democratic transition," he said in a 10-minute speech. "As we rebuild our society, we must rise above 60 years of historical bitterness, confrontational approaches and a zero-sum attitude in solving our differences."

Myanmar, then called Burma, became independent from Britain in 1948, but suffered from instability because of tensions between various ethnic minorities. Parliamentary government proved fractious, and was ended by a military coup in 1962.

Occasional isolated violence involving majority Buddhists and minority Muslims has occurred for decades, even under the authoritarian military governments that ruled the country from 1962 to 2011. But tensions have heightened since last year when hundreds of people were killed and more than 100,000 made homeless in violence in western Myanmar between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya.

Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, welcomed Thein Sein's public call for the violence to stop but said authorities "need to do much more" to keep the violence from spreading and undermining the reform process.

"The government has simply not done enough to address the spread of discrimination and prejudice against Muslim communities," Quintana said in a statement. He also called on the government to look into allegations that soldiers and police stood by "while atrocities have been committed before their very eyes, including by well-organized ultra-nationalist Buddhist mobs."

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland praised Thein Sein's call for tolerance and religious pluralism, saying they were messages that his country needed to hear. She also noted the Myanmar leader said force would only be used as a last resort.

"We underscore that security measures should protect human rights not violate them," Nuland told reporters in Washington.

Thein Sein called on police to "perform their duties decisively, bravely" and according to the law. Police in Meikhtila had been criticized for failing to act quickly and decisively against the rioting, in which mostly Muslim-owned houses, shops and mosques were burned down. He said the military, called out after two days to restore order, also played "a meaningful role in safeguarding property and the rehabilitation of victims."

The violence in Meikhtila was sparked by a dispute between a Muslim gold shop owner and his Buddhist customers, and escalated after reports spread of a Buddhist monk being killed by a Muslim mob. Thein Sein said he was "deeply saddened to find out that a simple private dispute led to a deadly riot and that some unruly instigators, taking advantage of the disingenuousness of the public, tried to spread the riots to other parts of the country."

He did not specify who might have been behind the unrest.

Thein Sein said authorities "did not resort to the use of force immediately, mainly because we do not want to let anything happen to our ongoing democratic transition and reform efforts."

The scale and persistence of the violence has led to speculation that it may have been organized rather than spontaneous. Theories about the culprits abound, from hard-core military elements who want to turn back from democracy, to radical Buddhist monks, some of whom have been outspoken in denouncing the Rohingya Muslims as dangerous foreigners. A newly unshackled press has sometimes spread intolerant messages, which also get transmitted through social media on the Internet.

____

Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-president-first-remarks-religious-riots-says-force-124609583.html

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Razer begins shipping Edge units to those who pre-ordered this month

Back when the Razer Edge pre-orders kicked off, on March 1st, the company wasn't quite clear as to when exactly the device would commence shipping to early adopters, only going as far as saying it would be later that very month. Well, the good news is today Razer took to its own Facebook page to announce that its new-era gaming PC is now on its way to folks who put in a pre-order "from the March batch." Meanwhile, Razer's hoping other gamers will also shell out the hefty amount of $999-plus for its novel piece of hardware, urging potential buyers on the social network to snag a unit (or two) before they go out of stock -- just don't expect to get a keyboard dock with your order, as the previously reported Q3 availability for this add-on remains intact. Above all, however, it's a great thing to see that what was once just a project, is now getting ready to arrive at consumers' doorsteps.

Filed under: Gaming, Tablets

Comments

Source: Razer (Facebook)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/BmDpEEys0mU/

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Solar plane to set out to cross U.S. in early May

By Braden Reddall

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - The first crossing of the United States by a solar-powered plane is expected to start in just over a month, its creators said on Thursday, as they make final preparations for an attempt two years from now at the first round-the-world flight without any fuel.

Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard and project co-founder and pilot Andre Borschberg, whose Solar Impulse made its first intercontinental flight from Spain to Morocco last June, aim for their plane to take off from near San Francisco in early May and land at New York's John F. Kennedy airport about two months later.

With the wingspan of a jumbo jet and weighing the same as a small car, the Solar Impulse is just a test model for the team as they build a new aircraft they hope will circumnavigate the globe in 2015.

The project began in 2003 with a 10-year budget of 90 million euros ($112 million) and has involved engineers from Swiss lift maker Schindler and research aid from Belgian chemicals group Solvay -- backers who want to test new materials and technologies while also gaining brand recognition.

Unveiling the current plane at a news conference at Moffett Field on San Francisco Bay, Borschberg highlighted the cramped conditions of the cockpit in the Solar Impulse.

"That's a bad economy seat - you would not fly on this airline," he joked. "The next one should be good business class."

While the current plane was set up for 24-hour flights, the next one would have to allow for up to five days and five nights of flying by one pilot - a feat never yet accomplished.

Meditation and hypnosis were part of the training for the pilots as they prepare to fly on very little sleep, Borschberg said, adding that some sort of autopilot system would have to be built on the next plane to allow for some rest.

The plane runs on about the same power as a motor scooter, he explained, powered by 12,000 solar cells built into the wing that simultaneously recharge the batteries - with storage equivalent to that of a Tesla electric car.

The plane has already flown a 26-hour flight, back in 2010, to prove continuous flight was possible with charging taking place in the day and battery power working at night.

Piccard, asked about the downside of solar-powered flight, agreed that there is a price paid for the small carrying capacity and massive wings.

"In that sense, it is not the easiest way to fly," he said. "But it is the most fabulous way to fly, because the more you fly, the more energy you have on board."

The first stop for the Solar Impulse as it crosses the United States will be Phoenix, followed by Dallas and then one of three cities: Atlanta, Nashville or St. Louis. It will then stop outside Washington D.C. before heading on to New York.

"It carries one pilot and zero passengers, but it carries a lot of messages," Piccard said. "We want to inspire as many people as possible to have that same spirit: to dare, to innovate, to invent."

Piccard has a pioneering legacy to maintain. His grandfather helped his father, Jacques, build a revolutionary submarine that Jacques co-piloted on the deepest-ever dive. Bertrand said he believes the basic idea behind this spirit is to find out what you deeply believe, and then try the opposite.

"Innovation is not about new ideas, it's about getting rid of old ideas."

(Reporting by Braden Reddall in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/solar-plane-set-cross-u-early-may-213153466--finance.html

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Pope Francis forces Argentine political about-face

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) ? Catholic doctrine considers the pope to be God's delegate on Earth. That alone might explain the remarkable about-face that Argentina's populist president Cristina Fernandez and most of her followers have managed to pull off in the days since the cardinal she treated as a political arch-enemy became Pope Francis.

But there are more earthly reasons for her turnaround, factors that have more to do with the dirty and often contradictory Argentine political landscape that Jorge Mario Bergoglio knows so well.

Fernandez had sought to neutralize the Buenos Aires cardinal's political influence for so long that she and her allies suddenly found themselves out of step with the joy most Argentines have shown at seeing one of their own running the Vatican.

For years, they had labeled him "chief of the opposition" and "accomplice of the dictatorship." Supporters of the president reportedly even tried lobbying other cardinals to turn against Bergoglio when choosing a new pontiff.

But that was before he became Francis. Now he's suddenly the pope who shares the same commitment to the poor and dream of a "Patria Grande" (Grand Homeland) that the populist leaders of Latin America have been pursuing. Fernandez announced this herself, after a private lunch at the Vatican with her former foe that had Argentines glued to their TV sets, marveling over the sudden change. "The president made the simple calculation that this confrontation was totally a losing proposition," and so the government decided to try to co-opt the Argentines' fervor for their pope, political analyst Claudio Fantini said.

In Argentina's polarized political universe, which treats everyone as either a friend or enemy of the president, Fantini called this a "Copernican shift," as if everyone suddenly learned the true center of the solar system.

And Francisco, whose sharp political skills have long been apparent to Argentines, responded with his own highly symbolic gestures.

He invited Fernandez to share his first official audience as pope and then ended speculation in Argentina that he might visit home before October's congressional elections, which could determine whether she will have enough votes to undo constitutional term limits and keep ruling beyond 2015. The president's opponents had hoped he would come in July or September, and perhaps push votes their way.

These and other gestures by Francis, 76, sent a signal that when it comes to the populist governments of Latin America, he'll avoid the kinds of direct confrontations that feed divisive politics, and instead will seek to co-opt them as well, joining forces to help the poorest benefit from society. "Bergoglio is a conservative, but his church career has always been directed toward doing things for the poor," said Fantini.

At first, Fernandez seemed stunned by the election of Bergoglio, the man whose opposition to gay marriage and adoption she had compared to the Inquisition. On these and other social issues, from providing free contraception to enabling transsexuals to change their official identities on demand to rewriting divorce laws, she had enough votes in congress to ignore his complaints. His frequent homilies urging Argentina's leaders stamp out corruption and fix societal ills were an annoyance, but not a threat to her political power.

Suddenly, the old man who lived alone in a church office building across the plaza from her government palace had become the world's the most powerful religious leader.

She delayed congratulating him for more than an hour after his name was announced, and then buried a reference to his selection 40 minutes into an otherwise routine speech that day.

She had refused for years to cross the plaza and meet with him. Now she would have to travel around the world and face him before the cameras.

Activists most loyal to Fernandez and her late husband, President Nestor Kirchner, were even more disoriented. For years, they had shown their annoyance every time Bergoglio criticized society's ills in a homily, or met with opposing politicians behind closed doors.

But Francis's election exposed the group's otherwise well-hidden fissures ? and threatened to break it apart.

Kirchnerism includes human rights leaders fiercely critical of the church hierarchy's failure to openly confront the 1976-1983 dictatorship, and others with close church connections. There are activists for the rights of sexual minorities and the separation of church and state, but also Catholics who are proud members of the same Peronist party that has dominated Argentine politics for generations.

And just as some Kirchnerites were cheering for Bergoglio ahead of the conclave, others were trying to derail his chances.

The Argentine daily El Cronista Comercial reported that some officials even tried to circulate a dossier of allegedly incriminating stories about Bergoglio with cardinals before they entered the conclave.

The Fernandez government denied it, but Bergoglio's allies described a similar campaign in 2005, when the cardinals were sent anti-Bergoglio emails just as they were preparing to choose John Paul II's successor. Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi called it a defamation campaign by a newspaper staffed by the "anti-clerical left."

Lombardi was aiming at journalist Horacio Verbitzky, who kept publishing allegations in the pro-government Pagina12 daily even after Francis was elected, accusing Bergoglio of provoking the kidnapping of two of his Jesuit priests during the dictatorship.

Verbitzky wasn't the only Kirchnerite unwilling to conform to the new posture.

National Library director Horacio Gonzalez took the microphone at a meeting of the "Carta Abierta" (Open Letter) group of pro-government intellectuals, called Francis a demagogue and described his election as some kind of global conspiracy.

"Every time he said something, he would shoot at the heart of the government, saying 'there are poor people and you all are provoking it,'" Gonzalez complained. He called the papal election part of "a project to divert the masses from the political processes that aren't controlled by the church."

Most Argentines apparently don't share such ideas now. A new nationwide poll by Management & Fit found nearly two-thirds have a positive image of Francis.

Meanwhile, other respected figures emerged, vouching for Bergoglio. Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel said he's in no way responsible for human rights violations. Emilio Persico, a leader of the pro-government Evita Movement, proudly recalled that Bergoglio led a mass to pray for the health of Hugo Chavez before the Venezuelan leader's death.

To help reorient the government's base of support, posters quickly appeared around Buenos Aires with the image of Francis over the words "Argentine and Peronist." Another showed the hands of both Fernandez and Francis as she gave him a traditional set for drinking "mate," an herbal infusion popular in Argentina, during their Vatican encounter. That poster carried the phrase "we share hopes."

On her return to Argentina, the often-combative Fernandez described the new relationship in almost mystical terms.

"The marvelous thing is to re-encounter each other," she said. "God made us in his image, but all of us in a different way, so that we have the option of deciding who we want to be. This is the human condition: diversity, plurality, and acceptance."

Political analyst Ricardo Rouvier put it more cynically: that within Kirchnerism, politics triumphed over ideology.

"The first reactions from this space were ideological: he's an ally of the dictatorship, a right-wing populist," he said. Then came a "clearly political presidential reaction: moving rapidly from being perplexed and possibly uncomfortable to joining forces and actively participating" in the Francis phenomenon.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-francis-forces-argentine-political-face-165456207.html

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Full-time Marketing Communication Specialist at ... - South Africa Jobs

Location: Tygervalley
Publish Date: 28-03-2013
Expiry Date: 2013-04-05
Description:

Job Title: Marketing Communication Specialist ? Fixed Term Contract
City: Tygervalley
Division: Sanlam
Job Category: Financial Services
Business Unit: Sanlam Investment Cluster
Position Type: Fixed Term ? Contract
Education Required: Diploma

The Investment Services Sub-Cluster aims to provide institutional and retail clients with a superior investment experience by offering access to a range of single and multi manager funds via our underlying businesses. Sanlam Multi Manager International (SMMI) provides tailor-made multi managed solutions that blend the top investment managers into funds that are designed to meet a variety of investment needs. Blue Ink Investments is one of South Africa?s leading fund of hedge fund managers, with one of the longest track records in the country. Graviton provides financial planners with the highest-quality investment management and business support services, freeing up their time so they are better able to help their investors achieve their financial well-being and goals. Sanlam Collective Investments (SCI) is one of the oldest and most respected unit trust companies in South Africa , offering clients a wide selection of funds.

Key Responsibilities

Marketing Communications

Copywriting material for publication

Assist with the development of stories through a strong understanding of the business

Source material for press releases and articles

Develop strategies suited to each business and target market

Seek approval from executives

Building relationships with targeted audiences

Liaise with agencies

Review website content and update to ensure it remains relevant to business needs

Branding

Develop marketing collateral as required

Agency/writer/creative briefing and project management

Brochureware sourcing/distribution/maintenance

Creative control

Apply branding standards

Other

Content/thought leadership sourcing and packaging as required

Business representation at forums

Stakeholder management

A thorough understanding of the business and its key objectives

Minimum Requirements

Matric/ relevant degree/diploma

Experience within financial services is preferable

Minimum of 3 years related experience essential

Competencies

Technical Competencies:

Computer literacy (MS word, Power Point, Excel)

Behavioral Competencies:

Excellent communication, writing and interpersonal skills

Creative and innovative

Ability to multitask and prioritize

Strong attention to detail

Thrives in a high pressured environment

Ability to work independently and be proactive

Deadline: 05/04/2013

How to Apply:

http://careers.peopleclick.eu.com/careerscp/client_sanlam/sanlam_external/jobDetails.do?functionName=getJobDetail&jobPostId=5509&localeCode=en-us

Source: http://www.south-africa.jobs-career-employment.com/management-administration-vacancies/full-time-marketing-communication-specialist-at-sanlam-south-africa/

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AP Pharma's drug for chemotherapy-induced nausea denied approval

(Reuters) - U.S. health regulators denied approval to A.P. Pharma Inc's drug for treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and asked for additional analysis of existing late-stage data on the drug.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also asked for a study that can test the usability of the drug's syringe system.

The agency had earlier rejected the approval of the drug, APF530, in March 2010, citing concerns about its two-syringe administration system and deficiencies in the company's contract manufacturing facilities.

A.P. Pharma resubmitted its application in September last year after switching to a single-syringe system and conducting additional metabolism studies as required by the FDA.

(Reporting by Esha Dey in Bangalore; Editing by Maju Samuel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-pharmas-drug-chemotherapy-induced-nausea-denied-approval-113313673--finance.html

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Dunst: Kissing Brad Pitt was 'disgusting'

By Brett Malec, E! Online

Cover your ears, Garrett Hedlund!?Kirsten Dunst is talking about kissing Brad Pitt.?However, she's not saying what you'd expect to hear from someone lucky enough to lock lips with the superhot movie star.?

"It was just a peck," Dunst tells Bullet magazine when asked about the smooch she had with Pitt in the 1994 movie "Interview With the Vampire."

Brad's sons play soccer

"I remember Brad would watch lots of 'Real World' episodes," she dished. "He had this long hair. He was just a hippie-ish cool dude. Everyone at the time was like, 'You're so lucky you kissed Brad Pitt,' but I thought it was disgusting. I didn't kiss anyone else until I was 16, I think. I was a late bloomer."

We're sure working with Pitt had its perks though.

Kim &Kanye pose for sexy magazine pics!?

Meanwhile, Dunst posed for sexy (and colorful) pics in the mag. The 30-year-old actress looks lovely in bold printed dresses in the other-worldy photo shoot.

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PST: US plays Mexico to standstill at Azteca

A week ago the United States national team found itself injury depleted, dealing with some internal turmoil and not so far from a full-blown crisis.

These things do change quickly, though, and tonight finds the United States with four big points from a pair of matches over five nights, striding away from a memorable few days, comfortably positioned in final round World Cup qualifying.

The Americans were hardly overwhelming in a 0-0 draw with Mexico, but Jurgen Klinsmann and his patchwork back line will be far more pleased with Tuesday?s result than the hapless Mexicans, who have (Shockingly!) zero wins after three matches in the final stage of CONCACAF regional qualifying.

The United States never put a shot on goal Tuesday. But neither did they allow much bother for goalkeeper Brad Guzan as quality center back play and a first-half defensive adjustment reduced Mexico and high-scoring Mexican striker Javier ?Chicharito? Hernandez ? who remains on the hunt for his first goal against the United States ? to a series of half-chances and a couple of unlucky, close-in ricochets.

Guzan handled a few routine balls and needed to make one late, quality save. But Tim Howard?s replacement was hardly tested otherwise by a rather stale and uncreative Mexican attack. Including last August?s 1-0 win for the United States, El Tri has not scored on the Americans at Azteca Stadium in more than 180 minutes.

(MORE: United States Man of the Match, Omar Gonzalez)

The United States is tied for second with Costa Rica and Honduras in the six-team group (from which three teams automatically qualify for Brazil 2014). But with the toughest match (away to Mexico) behind them, and with four of seven remaining matches on home soil, the Americans have reason to like their positioning tonight.

?I think when many people doubted us, when many people said it couldn?t be done, that it was over, we came together as a group,? Herculez Gomez told ESPN after the match. ?We showed tremendous attitude, tremendous willingness to sacrifice for one another ? I?ve got to applaud my teammates. It?s a great group of guys, and we couldn?t have asked for any better.?

This was just the second time the United States earned a point in 15 World Cup qualifiers in Mexico; the U.S. record there now is 0-13-2.

U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann made just two changes form the team that stamped ?mission accomplished? across last Friday?s snowy proceedings outside Denver. Maurice Edu was in for the injured Jermaine Jones at the holding midfield spot. And Matt Besler got his first World Cup qualifier start for Clarence Goodson, who picked up a minor injury in Friday?s 1-0 win over Costa Rica.

Mexico?s plan was clear ? and it was causing some U.S. defensive headaches early. El Tri looked for Gio Dos Santos or Javier Aquino on the right or Andr?s Guardado on the left with diagonal balls, repeatedly catching the U.S. fullbacks a little too far forward.

(MORE: Mexico left to deal with their own crisis)

DaMarcus Beasley looked particularly bothered, reinforcing the worry that the veteran midfielder, pulling emergency left back duty, would be stretched in a match that demanded more defending. Indeed, Mexico at Azteca is a wholly different beast than what Beasley saw Friday at home against Costa Rica.

Two U.S. men had yellow cards in the first 20 minutes. In fact, Beasley needed just eight minutes to get his booking for an unwise push in the back on Aquino.

Those weren?t the only defensive issues early. Jesus Zavala was allowed a wide open header off a free kick, as Geoff Cameron appeared to lose his man. And the United States? midfield was allowing too much service from 35-40 yards out, begging for trouble with a goal-scorer of supreme instinct like Hernandez is around.

But a defensive tweak helped as what looked like a 4-2-3-1 to begin Tuesday?s contest evolved necessarily into more of a 4-4-2. When Graham Zusi and Herculez Gomez moved their starting positions along the flanks about 10-15 yards back, providing more assistance to their fullbacks, the Mexicans looked slightly less dangerous.

(MORE: ?A big point in Mexico City took a bit of ?luck, too)

Mexico, running out of ideas, became predictable. They remained dangerous on the flanks, but Besler and especially Omar Gonzalez remained faithfully in the center, refusing to be drawn out, and were so dominant in there. Cameron also did solid work in his second consecutive start at right back.

??The back line was outstanding,? Klinsmann said. ?It?s really wonderful to see these guys take on these challenges. And it?s a huge challenge in front of 100,000 people, and it seemed like it didn?t bother them.?

Mexican fans will surely be upset about the most dangerous moment for their team, which has not scored at home so far in two final round qualifiers. El Tri was unlucky to be denied a 75^th minute penalty appeal when Edu bundled into Aquino from behind 10 yards from goal.

Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/27/united-states-draws-with-mexico-in-world-cup-qualifier/related/

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Proof That PR Will Bankrupt The Country

Cheers from Pakatan Rakyat on statement made by Tun Musa Hitam saying that PR would never intentionally bring the country to a bankruptcy, is still going? around. For PR, those words are their motivation after being unable to push aside facts and figures presented by the government showing how the country would fall to a bankrupt if the contents in their Buku Jingga are implemented.
Meanwhile, PR?s latest Manifesto is expected to cause increased deficit to 11.5% GDP compared to BN?s 4.0% and debt will increase to 62.1% GDP compared to BN 54.6%. This statement is made after considering all sweet promises made by PR, added with the figures of income and expenses, including the estimate the potential and risks of the current situation in the country as well as global.
With that, we concluded that the only way for PR to not bankrupt the country is by making a revamp on Buku Jingga as well as throwing away their manifesto if they do win the next election. In other words, they are just liars.
This would definitely mean that they need to make a new budget without including the promises they made.
However, this does not mean that their new budget would guarantee good economy, especially with the bad record of ?PR? Prime Minister? in terms of economy.
To see this clearly, we need to refer to the current financial position in Selangor during BN?s era back in 2003 ? 2007: In 2003, financial position in Selangor was at RM325.38 million, 2004 ? RM427.64 million, and it increased in 2006 to RM565.47 million and until 2007, it was at RM738.05 million.
However, in 2008, when PKR took over and Anwar Ibrahim became the economic advisor for Selangor, the financial position for the state recorded declining trend as follows: 2007 ? RM776.44 million, 2008 ? RM733.64 million, 2009 ? RM617.20 million and in 2011 to RM390.89 million.
The figures above is based on Report of the Auditor General for Selangor on the year.
If this is not enough to prove how incompetent Anwar Ibrahim is in managing economy, we should see his performance while he handled financial crisis back when he was Finance Minister in 1997:
Under Anwar, Malaysia stock market from February 1997 which was at 1300 points declined uncontrollably until July 1998, Malaysia stock market was at its lowest with 261.33.
When Anwar was sacked on September 2, 1998, and Tun Mahathir took over as Finance Minister, he remodelled Anwar?s plans to apply IMF?s strategy as well as introduced new strategy.
The result, Malaysia stock market had a swift recovery where by the end of September 1998, soon after Anwar was sacked, the stock market showed immediate increase to 400 points and it recovers slowly where in early 2000, the stock market was at 980 points.
As another comparison, Dato? Seri Najib Tun Razak also took over the post of Finance Minister during the economic crisis on September 17, 2008. he struggled with the declining stock market at first, up until the end of the year, with 801.27 points. In Early 2009, perhaps he managed to get to the ?momentum?, presented a mini budget worth RM60 billion.
The situation looks promising that he was then appointed as Prime Minister on April 3, 2009. Then, Malaysia stock market showed consistent increase that by the end of 2012, it was recorded at its highest, 1699.68 points.
It is clear that wise leadership could restore any issues even during crisis and when people see it as something impossible. However, incompetent leadership such as Anwar Ibrahim, will only add more crisis and it could lead the country towards destruction, poverty and bankruptcy.
Imagine, if Anwar Ibrahim took over the country in 2008, during the global economic crisis, wouldn?t he lead us to the same road he led us during 1997 crisis? And just imagine if he wins this coming election and become the Prime Minister, what is the guarantee that he would not lead us to the same road Selangor is going through today?
Imagine if another economic crisis hits, what would happen to Malaysia, to us, if this country is led by incompetent leader who does not know anything about the economy such as Anwar Ibrahim?
Fact is, Anwar Ibrahim is a Malay Education graduate, a graduate of literature who often play with words. This means, Anwar is not a person who masters his left-brain, the side where one could analyse of see through math logic which is needed to understand economy. Anwar is a man overpowered by the right side of the brain, everything is art-sy, abstract and free in expressing himself and he is emotional.
The country would definitely be in danger is its Prime Minister sees figures as poem and can be changed just like that. And we are yet to consider the risks of Anwar changing those numbers to be put into his personal account, and his family?s account, or his maters, scandals, friends, and those who holds his darkest secrets.
Thus, Tun Musa?s statement saying that PR will never lead this country towards bankruptcy is not that correct. The correct statement would be, PR leaders will never be bankrupt, but the probability of them leading this country to a bankruptcy is huge and it cannot be taken lightly.
The country?s economy is not something which we could gamble on. It needs specific intelligence which people like Anwar can never be able to process.

Source: http://www.isuhot.com/?p=8854

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Clean electricity from bacteria? Researchers make breakthrough in race to create 'bio-batteries'

Mar. 25, 2013 ? Scientists at the University of East Anglia have made an important breakthrough in the quest to generate clean electricity from bacteria.

Findings published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) show that proteins on the surface of bacteria can produce an electric current by simply touching a mineral surface.

The research shows that it is possible for bacteria to lie directly on the surface of a metal or mineral and transfer electrical charge through their cell membranes. This means that it is possible to 'tether' bacteria directly to electrodes -- bringing scientists a step closer to creating efficient microbial fuel cells or 'bio-batteries'.

The team collaborated with researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington State in the US.?

Shewanella oneidensis is part of a family of marine bacteria. The research team created a synthetic version of this bacteria using just the proteins thought to shuttle the electrons from the inside of the microbe to the rock.

They inserted these proteins into the lipid layers of vesicles, which are small capsules of lipid membranes such as the ones that make up a bacterial membrane. Then they tested how well electrons travelled between an electron donor on the inside and an iron-bearing mineral on the outside.

Lead researcher Dr Tom Clarke from UEA's school of Biological Sciences said: "We knew that bacteria can transfer electricity into metals and minerals, and that the interaction depends on special proteins on the surface of the bacteria. But it was not been clear whether these proteins do this directly or indirectly though an unknown mediator in the environment.

"Our research shows that these proteins can directly 'touch' the mineral surface and produce an electric current, meaning that is possible for the bacteria to lie on the surface of a metal or mineral and conduct electricity through their cell membranes.

"This is the first time that we have been able to actually look at how the components of a bacterial cell membrane are able to interact with different substances, and understand how differences in metal and mineral interactions can occur on the surface of a cell.

"These bacteria show great potential as microbial fuel cells, where electricity can be generated from the breakdown of domestic or agricultural waste products.

"Another possibility is to use these bacteria as miniature factories on the surface of an electrode, where chemicals reactions take place inside the cell using electrical power supplied by the electrode through these proteins."

Biochemist Liang Shi of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory said: "We developed a unique system so we could mimic electron transfer like it happens in cells. The electron transfer rate we measured was unbelievably fast -- it was fast enough to support bacterial respiration."

The finding is also important for understanding how carbon works its way through the atmosphere, land and oceans.

"When organic matter is involved in reducing iron, it releases carbon dioxide and water. And when iron is used as an energy source, bacteria incorporate carbon dioxide into food. If we understand electron transfer, we can learn how bacteria controls the carbon cycle," said Shi.

The project was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the US Department of Energy.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of East Anglia.

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

Journal Reference:

Thomas A Clarke, Gaye White, Julea N Butt, David J Richardson, Zhri Shi, Liang Shi, Zheming Wang, Alice C Dohnalkova, Matthew J Marshall, James K Fredrickson and John M Zachara. Rapid electron exchange between surface-exposed bacterial cytochromes and Fe(III) minerals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, March 25, 2013

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/~3/C9b9oM-guKU/130325183900.htm

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Review: 'BioShock Infinite' is a masterpiece

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

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/29f874ae/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C51264143/story01.htm

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

In Moscow, new Chinese leader Xi warns against meddling

By Vladimir Soldatkin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against foreign interference in the affairs of other nations during a speech in Moscow on Saturday, sending a signal to the West and echoing a message often repeated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Permanent U.N. Security Council members with veto power, Russia and China have frequently teamed up diplomatically to blunt the influence of the United States and its NATO allies and have blocked three draft resolutions on Syria.

"We must respect the right of each country in the world to independently choose its path of development and oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries," Xi told students at an international relations school.

He spoke a day after meeting Putin on his first foreign trip since becoming president, a choice both said underscored a "strategic partnership" between Russia and China. In the Kremlin, he told Putin: "you and I are good friends."

Xi told Russian students on Saturday: "Strong Chinese-Russian relations ... not only answer to our interests but also serve as an important, reliable guarantee of an international strategic balance and peace."

Putin, who began a six-year term last May, has often criticized foreign interference in sovereign states.

Russia and China have resisted Western calls to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the two-year-old civil conflict that has killed more than 70,000 people.

They both criticized the NATO bombing that helped rebels overthrow Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and stood together in the Security Council in votes on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs.

Both China and Russia have bristled at U.S. and European criticism of their human rights records.

Putin said in a foreign policy decree issued at the start of his new term that Russia would counter attempts to use human rights as a pretext for interference, and his government has cracked down on foreign-funded non-governmental organizations.

FRIENDSHIP AND FEAR

Xi told Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev his visit had "surpassed my expectations" and said he had chosen Russia as his first foreign destination as president to "show the special importance of our relations."

Despite the warm words, Moscow is concerned that its far more populous, faster-growing neighbor could pose a threat, something that has not made for easy deals between the world's biggest energy producer, Russia, and its biggest consumer, China.

Xi's visit produced an agreement for Russian state giant Rosneft to gradually treble oil supplies to China, but the sides are still short of a deal on the supply of pipeline gas to China, thwarted for years over prices.

Viktor Yaskov, a student who attended Xi's address, said the Chinese leader made "a good impression", but expressed fears about the neighbor. "We're worried about Chinese economic expansion," he said.

Xi arrived in Moscow with glamorous first lady Peng Liyuan, prompting speculation about whether Putin's wife Lyudmila - last seen at a state event last May - would make an appearance.

That did not happen, and Peng kept a low profile after her first steps off the airplane caused an Internet sensation in China.

After Russia, Xi will visit Tanzania, the Republic of Congo and South Africa, where he and Putin are expected to meet again at a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies next week.

(Additional reporting by Megan Davies; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/moscow-speech-chinese-leader-xi-warns-against-meddling-092547200.html

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A Stop Motion Video Showing the Drawing of an Art Model from Every Angle Brings the Sketch to Life

Stop motion videos are usually charming because they're so bare boned, the choppy movements are part of the appeal. But at its most wonderful, stop motion videos can bring sketches or toys or static objects to life. This super creative idea from Wriggles & Robins shows just that—every angle of an art model is captured and translated to stop motion. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4FyD5DfSmrQ/a-stop-motion-video-showing-the-drawing-of-an-art-model-from-every-angle-brings-sketches-to-life

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This Arduino-Powered Mosquito Killer Keeps Bugs at Bay

This Arduino-Powered Mosquito Killer Keeps Bugs at Bay It's hard to imagine many things worse than a house full of mosquitos. If you need some help quelling an infestation, this Arduino-powered vaporizer can do the job on a custom schedule.

Instructables user jack1986 was having trouble sleeping at night because of all the mosquitos in his apartment. He bought an insect-repelling vaporizer to keep them at bay, but he was racking up a high electric bill by keeping it on all the time. His walkthrough details how he hooked the vaporizer up to an Arduino board so that it would only run at night, or in mosquito-friendly warm weather. It's a pretty advanced project, but if you know Arduino and mosquitos are keeping you up at night, this is a really cool way to get rid of them.

Remake the Mosquito Killer (Arduino) Instructables

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/a5X5W8c36vc/this-arduino+powered-mosquito-killer-keeps-bugs-at-bay

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ICANN clears 27 non-English domain name suffixes - seattlepi.com

NEW YORK (AP) ? The agency in charge of Internet addresses says it's given preliminary approval for 27 new suffixes ? all in Chinese, Arabic and other languages besides English.

They are the first approved out of nearly 2,000 bids submitted last year. The Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers previously said it was reviewing the non-English bids first. ICANN expects additional approvals in the coming weeks.

Winning bidders must now work out contractual and other details. The new suffixes could be available for use as early as the middle of the year.

Proponents of the new suffixes hope the expansion will lead to online neighborhoods of businesses and groups around specific geographic areas or industries and help non-English speakers avoid typing English domain names like ".com."

___

Online:

http://gtldresult.icann.org

Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/business/technology/article/ICANN-clears-27-non-English-domain-name-suffixes-4377255.php

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Sky's the limit? Southeast Asia budget airlines bet big on growth

By Anshuman Daga

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Lion Air's record aircraft orders underline the ambitious plans the privately held Indonesian group is hatching to emerge as a pan-Asian low cost carrier, throwing a serious challenge to AirAsia Bhd, the region's biggest budget airline.

The rivalry intensified on Friday when Lion Air launched its first service in Malaysia, barging onto AirAsia's home turf, but the pace of expansion has raised questions about whether airlines are overextending themselves.

Financiers and industry executives, however, say the party is just starting, with the region's budget carriers just beginning on the rapid growth path enjoyed by Ryanair Holdings Plc and Easyjet Plc in Europe and Southwest Airlines Co, the pioneer of the model, in the United States.

"I think it's been pretty rational in the sense that it is underpinned by economic prospects," Eric Eugene, BNP Paribas's global head of transportation banking, told Reuters in an interview in Singapore. "It's underpinned by the number of people capable of paying fares and flying."

The staggering bets being placed by both airlines rest on the dominant market shares they enjoy in their home countries and the hope that rising disposable incomes will drive Asia's growing middle class to keep flying to new destinations.

Lion Air's co-founder Rusdi Kirana placed a blockbuster order for 234 medium-haul jets with Airbus this week, just a year after ordering a record 230 Boeing planes.

Despite the projections of sharp growth, some bankers and lessors have expressed concerns that the series of record-breaking orders risks flooding Southeast Asia with too many narrowbody planes.

"The one thing that we have to consider is that the delivery span of those aircraft is over, probably, 10 years," said BNP Paribas's Eugene.

"So, if you put this number of aircraft in perspective of economic growth, and in perspective of aircraft retirement, actually our own results show that it's not irrational."

And, in a move that could reduce the risk of having too many unused planes if demand projections don't pan out, Lion Air has also set up Transportation Partners, an aircraft leasing company in Singapore, and hired senior financiers.

Establishing a base in Singapore, a growing aviation financing hub, might help Lion Air to diversify its portfolio outside Indonesia, where the country risk is much higher, and enable it to tap into a wider circle of banks for funding.

REGIONAL RIVALRY

The emergence of Lion Air presents Malaysia's AirAsia with the most serious challenge to its dominance of the region's budget flight business.

However Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group's CEO, believes tight control on costs and ties with one planemaker will help his group retain its advantage.

"One aircraft the A320. Lowest cost airline in the world. That's the key. Lowest cost always wins," Fernandes tweeted on Friday.

AirAsia operates 120 aircraft and expects 360 more to be delivered up to 2026, excluding leased aircraft.

Lion Air controls a little less than half of the market in Indonesia's booming economy, home to 240 million people spread over 17,000 islands. AirAsia has recently started operations in the archipelago, but is a very small player in the market.

Lion Air has ambitious plans to start airlines across Asia-Pacific and is breaking into AirAsia's home market with its flights between Kuala Lumpur and the East Malaysian cities of Kuching and Kota Kinabalu through a partially owned venture, Malindo Air.

"What caught on in Europe with EasyJet and Ryanair 10 years ago is happening here now," Ranga Karumbunathan, managing director of origination at leasing company Avolon, said on the sidelines of an Asia aviation financing conference organized by industry consultancy CAPA. "So, I think the pie is big enough."

ASEAN HOPES

Investors have high hopes for plans by the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) for a single market for a combined economy of $2 trillion, with free movement of goods, services, investment and skilled labor among 600 million people.

Data from CAPA shows that 52 percent of seat capacity in Southeast Asia is operated by low cost carriers, or LCCs in the industry jargon.

"In less than a decade, LCCs went from virtually nothing to a majority share. So, clearly, a new market segment has been established," said Campbell Wilson, chief executive of Scoot, the medium-to-long-haul budget carrier owned by Singapore Airlines Ltd.

Airlines and leasing companies are expected to take delivery of about 175 aircraft in Southeast Asia over the next two years, accounting for one-third of all deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region, according to aviation data provider Ascend Online Fleets. The bulk of the deliveries will be in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

"It has got all the ingredients - large population in sub-three-hour flights along with a growing middle class, very rapidly growing economies and developing infrastructure, the ability to find people who haven't flown before and get them flying," said Paul Sheridan, head of consultancy, Asia, at Ascend.

"And then airports that are very happy to see low cost airlines flying in and out."

Singapore's Changi Airport, one of the main Asian gateways for international travelers, closed its no-frills terminal this year as it could not cope with the rapid expansion of the LCC segment. The sparse budget terminal, housed in a separate facility, was a big put-off for travelers looking to catch connecting flights.

Singapore is building a fourth, larger terminal estimated to cost $1 billion and be completed by 2017.

Around one-third of travelers going through Singapore are budget travelers, up from a negligible share a decade ago.

"I think if we go back and look at Ryanair, even Southwest, there were times in their evolution when they made some brave decisions about ordering planes which people thought were nuts," John Duffy, Chief Operating Officer of Transportation Partners, Lion Air Group's leasing company, told the Singapore conference.

"And probably Emirates as well, actually. But they have continued to generate traffic, sustain load factors, sustain yield."

(Editing by Alex Richardson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skys-limit-southeast-asia-budget-airlines-bet-big-023024996--finance.html

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