Modesty please! Cover up those sexy magazine covers...

2 hours ago

Co-operative Group

So-called "lad mags" are currently sold like this on the shelves of Britain's Co-op stores. The chain now threatens to drop sale of the magazines entirely if the publishers do not cover the sexy covers with a "modesty bag"

Come on, lads! Cover up the sexy mag covers, please...

One of Britain's largest magazine retailers has ordered magazines with overt sexual imagery to cover up their front covers with "modesty bags" or risk being withdrawn from sale.

So-called "lads' mags" - publications marketed primarily to men - such as Zoo, FHM, Nuts and Loaded have been a staple on supermarket shelves for years and have become synonymous with the sexual content and glamour model photos displayed on their front covers.

Supermarket chain the Co-operative gave an ultimatum to publishers on Monday, telling them to deliver the magazines in pre-sealed bags designed to obscure the front cover.

(Read More: No porn please, we're British)

If they do not comply by September 9 then the Co-operative has threatened to cease selling the magazine at the 4,000-plus stores it currently operates.

"As a community-based retailer we have listened to the concerns of our customers and members, many of whom say they object to their children being able to see overt sexual images in our stores," Steve Murrells, the chief executive of retail for The Co-operative Group, said in a press release.

"Whilst we have tried to mitigate the likelihood of young children seeing the images with a number of measures in-store, the most effective way of doing this is for these magazines to be put in individual, sealed modesty bags."

(Read more: Web-based challenges for the porn industry)

Several U.S. chains already cover up racy magazine covers. Ten years ago, Wal-Mart, halted sales of Maxim, Stuff and FHM men's magazines.

As an interim measure, the Co-operative has introduced opaque screens on shelves to reinforce its existing policy limiting the display of such material.

Jo Swinson, a junior minister at the government's equalities office, welcomed the move and hoped other retailers will follow suit.

"Many parents aren't comfortable with the way that sexualized imagery has become like wallpaper - everywhere from the bus stop to the corner shop," she said.

"Adults should be left to make their own decisions about what legal sexual images they look at, but the place for these is not next to the sweets at children's eye-level."

The decision by the retailer is in line with recommendations from a parliamentary review two years ago which recommended a clampdown on sexualized "wallpaper" surrounding children. However, the move goes against existing guidelines for retailers which say that men's lifestyle magazines should not be placed next to children's' magazines or be at a child's eye level.

(Read More: UK Bank Co-op Confirms Requires Additional Capital)

A spokesman for Bauer Media, the publisher of Zoo magazine told CNBC that it was aware of the Co-operative's request for sealed modesty bags, but supported the existing best-practice guidelines for the display of men's magazines.

"We are sensitive to the mood of the public, to that end we have responded accordingly and have changed ZOO magazine's cover imagery and phrasing," it said.

"We already have agreements in place with all major retailers, including Co-op, to ensure Zoo magazine is displayed appropriately and we work closely with all our retailers to ensure they are adhered to."

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2f4d19f2/sc/19/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Cmodesty0Eplease0Ecover0Ethose0Esexy0Emagazine0Ecovers0E6C10A783170A/story01.htm

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Spitzer: Weiner shouldn't be mayor

After weeks of refusing to criticize his so-called Tabloid twin, disgraced governor Eliot Spitzer said this afternoon that serial sexter Anthony Weiner should not be mayor.

Speaking on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews," the Luv Gov even said he'd fire any municipal workers who use their office computers to engage in the same perverted behavior as Weiner -- who resigned from Congress in 2011 amid a sexting scandal.

"We have had a number of instances over the years where, inevitably of course, municipal employees, state employees have used computers and the like for improper purposes and there's an appropriate sanction for that -- and there should be," said Spitzer, who's running for city comptroller.

AP

Anthony Weiner

It's his first bid for public office since he resigned as New York's governor amid his own sex scandal - involving high-priced hookers - in 2008.

"You're not going to vote for Anthony Weiner, can you just say that now?" Matthews pressed on the show. "You don't think he should be Mayor of New York."

Spitzer responded, "Fair point. That is correct."

Matthews then tried to clarify which of the two points Spitzer was responding to by saying, "He should not be mayor of New York?"

"That is correct," repeated Spitzer.

The criticism of a similarly disgraced politician is the latest embarrassing hit for Weiner-- who saw his Twitter scandal roar back to national media coverage last week after it was revealed that he had continued exchanging raunchy texts and images with women even after resigning from Congress.

He was forced to admit that he engaged in similar dalliances with three people.

A Quinnipiac poll released today showed Weiner in "free-fall," ranking fourth among democratic hopefuls for mayor.

Previously, he had been at the top of a number of polls for several weeks.

Source: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/spitzer_weiner_should_not_be_mayor_L3n0zgFan1yE8sZ62wVA0I?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Local

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Microsoft's Xbox One Gamescom Event Will Take Place on August 20

Microsoft announces that ti is planning a showcase event for the Xbox One home console at the upcoming Gamescom event in Germany on August 20, just one day before the floor is open to visitors.

Phil Spencer and Phil Harrison, both vice presidents at the company, will be the hosts of the event which is widely awaited because it will give gamers more information about the game development capabilities of the Xbox One, according to Polygon.

Microsoft is also expected to talk about the games that will be launched for the new console and maybe offer more information on the entertainment services that will be offered in Europe.

The company is attending both Gamescom and the Tokyo Games Show this year in order to promote the Xbox One, which is set to arrive in November.

Gamescom takes place in Cologne, Germany between August 21 and 25.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/MIcrosoft-s-Xbox-One-Gamescom-Event-Will-Take-Place-on-August-20-371651.shtml

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Lady From South Africa Could Be the World's Oldest Person

At 119 years old Johanna Mazibuko, who lives in small town south-west of Johannesburg, could be the world's oldest person.

Ms Mazibuko was born in 1894, according to her identity papers, and has outlived five of her seven children.

"God gave my life in abundance, plus a bonus. I am very old now," she told South Africa's Sowetan newspaper.

According to Guinness World Records, the oldest living person is Misao Okawa, from Japan, who is 115.

Source: http://reason.com/24-7/2013/07/26/lady-from-south-africa-could-be-the-worl

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Raytheon CFO: Too soon to mull financial consequences for failed missile test

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Raytheon Co's chief financial officer said on Thursday that it was too soon to discuss whether the company would have to take any charges for a failed U.S. missile-defense test this month, when its interceptor failed to separate from the rest of the rocket.

If government investigators determine the test, which cost $240 million, was caused by a quality control issue or manufacturing problem, that could result in financial consequences for the responsible manufacturer.

"No one knows the facts, and we need to wait for the results of the failure review board," Raytheon CFO David Wajsgras told Reuters amid growing signs that the test failure was linked to a faulty battery.

Reuters, citing an industry source familiar with the probe, reported on July 12 that a faulty battery may have prevented the interceptor's separation from the rocket.

On Thursday, Loren Thompson, a defense consultant with close ties to industry, said the investigation was clearly focused on the battery, but it was unclear exactly what went wrong.

"So far, the government seems to be signaling that the problem with the test was caused by a malfunctioning battery," he told Reuters.

Thompson said the issue of corporate responsibility would be determined once the investigation was completed.

It was not immediately clear which company manufactured the battery involved, which was part of the interceptor made by Raytheon.

Wajsgras said Raytheon was supporting the Missile Defense Agency in the analysis of the July 5 test failure, but could not comment further until the analysis was complete.

Raytheon spokesman Jonathan Kasle said the company has not faced financial charges related to problems with previous missile defense tests.

Despite the test failure, U.S. defense officials affirmed their commitment last week to the ground-based missile defense system, which is integrated by Boeing Co, but called for more regular testing to get a grip on quality control issues.

James Miller, U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, said the test failure, the third consecutive failure of the rocket to intercept a dummy rocket, was surprising and involved an "unusual anomaly." He declined comment when asked about the faulty battery.

He confirmed that the Raytheon interceptor, which is designed to hit and destroy the target warhead outside the Earth's atmosphere, failed to separate from the third stage of the rocket, but gave no further details.

Republican lawmakers have seized on the test failure to argue against reductions in spending on missile defense by the Obama administration, while the failure has sharpened concerns about the program voiced over the years by Democrats.

The New York Times weighed in with an editorial on Thursday, saying "it doesn't make sense to keep throwing money at a flawed system without correcting the problems first."

A spokesman for the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency had no comment on any insights gleaned by the failure review board, saying only that such investigations often took months to complete.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/raytheon-cfo-too-soon-mull-financial-consequences-failed-235801509.html

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Treyarch threatened by fans over patch | Games Thirst ? Video ...

Multiplayer Game Balancing

• AN-94: Damage slightly reduced.
• DSR 50: Rate of fire reduced.
• Ballista: Rate of fire slightly reduced.

Apparently, the above list is a cause for threats against David Vonderhaar, Treyarch?s lead design director.

<blockquote><p>Not sure these fractions of? seconds are worth the threats of violence. +</p>&mdash; David Vonderhaar (@DavidVonderhaar) <a href=?https://twitter.com/DavidVonderhaar/statuses/359662272500609026?>July 23, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src=?//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js? charset=?utf-8?></script>

Activision?s Dan Amrich has weighed in on the situation, asking for it to practically stop.

?This has happened with every Call of Duty game that?s come out for the last few years, and it will continue to happen ? a gun?s stats being adjusted should not be a surprise to anybody at this point. Yet [Vonderhaar] often gets told he should die in a fire or kill himself or is a horrible person. If anybody thinks for a second that this is okay, it is not. But if the loudest voices in the Call of Duty ?community? act like an angry mob instead, guess how the entire world views Call of Duty? Now consider that these Internet Tough Guy rants and demands are not unique to COD, but exist everywhere, in many gaming communities. This is why the world often does not take gaming seriously; this is why gamers are assumed to be immature, whiny assholes. Because the immature, whiny assholes are louder.?

Amrich asked the people to get into Vonderhaar?s shoes for a bit, before adding that ?if you enjoy your games, have a little respect for the people who make them ? and stop threatening them with bodily harm every time they do their job.?

While the whole situation is unacceptable, what does the community of Games Thirst think?

Source: http://www.gamesthirst.com/2013/07/24/treyarch-threatened-by-fans-over-patch/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=treyarch-threatened-by-fans-over-patch

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David Kernell, Sarah Palin Email Hacker, Finally Out of Prison, Off Probation

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/07/david-kernell-sarah-palin-email-hacker-finally-out-of-prison-off/

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HzO to Showcase Wearable Computers with WaterBlockTM ...

Wearable Technologies Conference 2013

Wearable Tech Expo

HzO, a leader in the field of thin film nano-coating for wearable technologies, will demonstrate its WaterBlock technology for commercial devices at the Wearable Technologies Conference 2013, held in San Francisco on July 22 and 23, and the Wearable Tech Expo, held in New York City on July 24 and 25.

?The wearables industry has emerged as a strong market for HzO. Consumers, soldiers, first responders and sportsmen are among those who now have HzO protecting their wearable devices against all kinds of liquids, from water to sweat to corrosive agents?

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?The wearables industry has emerged as a strong market for HzO. Consumers, soldiers, first responders and sportsmen are among those who now have HzO protecting their wearable devices against all kinds of liquids, from water to sweat to corrosive agents,? said Sergio Leveratto, vice president of global marketing and sales, at HzO. ?Original equipment manufacturers are selecting HzO for current and future products because of the superiority and reliability of our WaterBlock technology.?

HzO's proprietary WaterBlock technology is a thin film surface coating applied inside a device, creating a protective barrier. Using a chemical vapor deposition process, HzO covers vital electronic parts that are often compromised and tarnished by sudden or persistent exposure to corrosives -- including water, humidity and other liquids ? as well as contaminating particles.

HzO product demonstrations and information will be available during both conferences:

• Wearable Technologies Conference 2013: Held at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center, conference participants can find HzO in the Golden Gate Room on both days of the event.
• Wearable Tech Expo 2013: HzO is a Gold Sponsor and will be located at Table Four of the Wearable Tech Expo at New York City's Kimmel Center. The company will also participate in the Wearable Tech Demo Forum on Weds. at 4:00 p.m., as well as the Smart Materials panel on Thurs. at 2:35 p.m.

HzO works with large and small brands, design firms and manufacturers to add WaterBlock protection to products before they hit the market. Launched 18 months ago, HzO is now featured in multiple devices, including: the Tag Heuer Racer Sub Nano Luxury Android smartphone, the LaiPac S911 Bracelet Locator,?the Life Beacon Medical Alert Device and the NavELite Wrist Compass. NavELite wrist compasses with WaterBlock are purchased 9 times out of 10 over un-coated models. For more information about WaterBlock technology and its application process, visit www.hzoinside.com.

About HzO, Inc.

HzO is an industry leader in the field of thin film nano-coating technology. With its revolutionary and proprietary WaterBlock??vapor deposition process, HzO protects electronic devices from damage due to corrosives, water, and other liquids and small debris without the additional bulk, weight or change to aesthetics added by mechanical seals, gaskets, plugs, cases and covers. HzO is commercializing WaterBlock in consumer electronics, military, first responder devices, medical, industrial, automotive and other markets. Winner of the 2012 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Award and the Utah Innovation Award, HzO has been named one of the Top Ten Emerging Nano-Companies in the U.S. in each of the past two years.

Full Article

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Source: http://www.mfrtech.com/articles/52880.html

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SEC, Big 12, ACC commissioners all call for major NCAA changes

Everyone agrees, it seems: big NCAA reforms must happen. Three power-conference commissioners are hinting that enough is enough.

A theme spanning the major-conference media events this month is the call for significant changes to the structure of the NCAA. The commissioners from the SEC, ACC and Big 12 all have touched on the subject in some form or another, and to varying degrees.

SEC commish Mike Slive was the first to weigh in, taking shots at the NCAA's rulebook, which he considers antiquated.

"The current regulatory approach would be more at home in the era of Johann Gutenberg's printing press than in our current fast-paced technology-driven society and will no longer serve to functionally govern recruiting behaviors moving forward. As Albert Einstein once said, ?We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Slive added that he supports full cost-of-attendance scholarships -- something Steve Spurrier also stumped for last week -- for players and chided the NCAA for failing to meet the needs of student-athletes in this case. Perhaps most notably, he said that he has support from other power-conference commissioners on the issue.

That last bit is important because the talk of a potential breakaway from the NCAA by the five football power conferences has returned. The full-cost-of-attendance scholarship issue is one key sticking point with the NCAA, and if the commissioners are of like mind, it's one possible impetus for such significant structural realignment.

Even if that doesn't happen, something close to it very well could -- ACC commissioner John Swofford spoke openly Sunday about a "super division" within the NCAA for the power conferences that would allow them to create some of their own rules. It would essentially be another tier within college football's current framework, relegating about half of the FBS to some middle division between the big-money programs and FCS.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby echoed those sentiments Monday:

It's gotten to a point where it looks like the power five are working together:

Bowlsby was asked about the potential for a breakaway from the NCAA but didn't advocate anything that drastic:

"I'm very sincere when I say I haven't spoken with anyone in the business that says we should go find another organization. I don't see secession as a legitimate point of leverage except as a last resort. The leaders and rank and file believe there's a solution."

That's an opinion shared by Swofford, who cited the added complications that would come from creating a new association. For now, then, it appears these commissioners believe they can reach their goals through reforms within the NCAA. But it's also clear that these leaders are communicating with each other on the subject, and that their frustration is mounting.

We've not yet heard from Larry Scott of the Pac-12 or Jim Delany of the Big Ten -- their remarks come later in the week -- and it will be interesting to see exactly how deep the unanimity goes.

More from SB Nation:

?SB Nation?s media days coverage, live from the scene: ACC | Big 12 | SEC

? No, Johnny Manziel didn?t skip Manning Camp to party in NOLA

? Six current players taking on the NCAA

? Projecting every 2013 college football conference race

? National recruiting coverage

? Today?s college football news headlines

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/7/22/4545464/ncaa-football-conferences-commissioners

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Photos: Day One at the Electric Daisy Carnival: London 2013

Photos: ? Erik Kabik/Retna/erikkabik.com

The Electric Daisy Carnival: London 2013 is going on at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, England.?Photographer Erik Kabik shares his best photos from Friday night.

Click on the photos below to enlarge.

Like Haute Living Las Vegas? Join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. Want Haute Living Las Vegas delivered to your in box once a week? Sign up for our newsletter.

Source: http://www.hauteliving.com/2013/07/photos-day-one-at-the-electric-daisy-carnival-london-2013/377498/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=photos-day-one-at-the-electric-daisy-carnival-london-2013

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Zimmerman helps rescue family from overturned vehicle, police say

By Barbara Liston

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - George Zimmerman, who was acquitted earlier this month of murder and manslaughter in the death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, helped rescue a family from an overturned vehicle in Florida last week, authorities said on Monday.

Zimmerman, 29, helped get them out of the overturned sport utility vehicle last Wednesday, barely four days after the not-guilty verdict, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office in central Florida said.

"He did not witness the crash. He rolled up on it after the fact and assisted in getting the family out of the vehicle," sheriff's spokeswoman Kim Cannaday said.

When a deputy arrived at the scene, two men, one of whom was identified as Zimmerman, had already helped get the parents and two children out of the vehicle, Cannaday said. The two men then left.

Cannaday said no one was injured. The family's identity and race were not immediately known.

Asked if Zimmerman was being called a hero, Cannaday said, "We're not going that far."

The verdict in the racially charged Martin case sparked protests in cities across the country, as well as calls to review Florida's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law which allows persons in fear of their lives to use deadly force rather than retreat.

Zimmerman, who is part Hispanic, was the neighborhood watch captain in the Retreat at Twin Lakes community in Sanford at the time of the killing in February 2012.

Martin was a student at a Miami-area high school and a guest of one of the homeowners. He was walking back to the residence after buying snacks at a nearby convenience store when he was shot in the chest during a confrontation with Zimmerman.

Sanford police on Monday turned over all evidence in the case to the Orlando office of the FBI, including the gun used in the shooting, Sanford police said.

The U.S. Justice Department last week put a hold on the evidence pending an investigation into whether Zimmerman violated civil rights laws, requiring the evidence to be kept intact rather than returned.

Public opinion is evenly divided over the verdict, according to several recent polls. The Pew Research Center found that 39 percent of people surveyed were satisfied with the verdict and 42 percent were dissatisfied, with 19 percent having no opinion.

In the same poll published on Monday, 52 percent say race is getting more attention in the case than it merits, while 36 percent say the case raises important issues about race that need to be discussed.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/george-zimmerman-helps-rescue-family-overturned-vehicle-police-182100652.html

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Geochemical 'fingerprints' leave evidence that megafloods eroded steep gorge

[unable to retrieve full-text content]For the first time, scientists have direct geochemical evidence that the 150-mile long Tsangpo Gorge, possibly the world's deepest, was the conduit by which megafloods from glacial lakes, perhaps half the volume of Lake Erie, drained catastrophically through the Himalayas when their ice dams failed during the last 2 million years.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/bAKJzmuATCk/130722141550.htm

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David Cameron to press Google over ?complicity? in porn

David Cameron will tomorrow step up the pressure on Google, Facebook and other internet companies over online porn, suggesting they are complicit in allowing indecent images to be hosted and accessed.

In a significant change of approach by the Prime Minister, who once viewed the internet as ?ungoverned space?, Mr Cameron will say the firms are not doing enough to tackle the menace of internet pornography.

The PM last week met the families of Tia Sharp and April Jones, whose murderers had accessed indecent images online before committing their crimes. The two families showed Mr Cameron Facebook pages that were supposed to be tributes to their daughters but had been corrupted by people uploading porn.

Last month, Maria Miller, the Culture Secretary,? held a summit with Google and other tech companies to discuss steps to curb internet porn. Google offered to spend ?3.1m to remove child pornography and other harmful imagery from sites, including developing ?hashing? technology which gives each picture a web ?fingerprint? allowing it to be identified and removed. A total of ?1m of the fund went towards the Internet Watch Foundation.

But in his speech tomorrow, Mr Cameron will say search engines such as Google and Yahoo! aid people in a criminal act by allowing the images to be posted, and that the money volunteered is not enough, compared to the billions of dollars in profit the firms make.

Downing Street aides say he thinks the money offered by Google so far is a ?pittance?. ?These images are crime scenes,? one said.

Steve Hilton, Mr Cameron?s former strategist and close friend, is married to Rachel Whetstone, a senior Google executive, and his circle has been criticised for their hands-off approach towards the firm.

Mr Cameron has become increasingly concerned, as a father as well as PM,? about the growth of indecent images.

Of the money announced by Google last month, the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children received ?655,000 ($1m), while ?1.3m ($2m) will go towards a new Child Protection Technology Fund launched by Google.

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3802/s/2ef0b9a3/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Cnews0Cuk0Cpolitics0Cdavid0Ecameron0Eto0Epress0Egoogle0Eover0Ecomplicity0Ein0Eporn0E87230A50A0Bhtml/story01.htm

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Common stem cell in heart and lung development explains adaption for life on land

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Biologists have known that the co-development of the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems is a recent evolutionary adaption to life outside of water. Researchers show that the pulmonary vasculature develops even in the absence of the lung. Mice in which lung development is inhibited still have pulmonary blood vessels, which revealed to the researchers that cardiac progenitors, or stem cells, are essential for cardiopulmonary co-development.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/uILMoFPsNVk/130721161714.htm

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microsoft surface tablet

Surface is the name of Microsoft's Windows 8/RT tablets that debuted in late October 2012. There are two versions of the tablet: Surface and Surface for Windows 8 Pro.

Surface runs Windows RT for ARM processors and is 0.36 inches thick and weighs 676 grams. Storage options include 16GB and 32GB options with support for microSD expansion and USB 2.0.? The Surface for Windows 8 Pro tablet is powered by Intel processors and is 0.53 inches thick and weighs nearly 2 pounds.

Both Surface tablets feature a magnesium enclosure, an integrated kickstand, front and rear webcams and a Gorilla Glass-fronted 10.6-inch screen with a 16:9 ratio.

Learn more about the Microsoft Surface tablet, including specifications and release details, at Datamation.

Source: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/microsoft_surface_tablet.html

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Black bears return to Missouri indicates healthy forests

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Thanks to a reintroduction program in Arkansas during the 50s and 60s, hundreds of bears amble through the forests of southern Missouri, according to a new study by biologists, who warn that although the bear population is still small, outdoor recreationists and homeowners should take precautions in the Ozark forest to avoid attracting bears.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/8IyXY0adkfU/130719140002.htm

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UKTI Turning the Games into Gold: Government announces almost ?10 billion economic boost from London 2012

X

Strictly embargoed ? not for publication or broadcast until 00.01am Friday 19^th July, 2013

Turning the Games into Gold: Government announces almost ?10 billion economic boost from London 2012

The UK economy has seen a ?9.9bn trade and investment boost from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, one year into a four-year programme of activity and events.

The boost comes from businesses securing contract wins, additional sales and new foreign investment in the last year, since UKTI?s British Business Embassy at Lancaster House hosted a Global Investment Conference and a series of 17 business events ? the largest such programme ever held in Britain.

Further evaluation reports published by the Government and Mayor of London today (19^th July) show strong progress against all the legacy commitments including:

• an increase in volunteering, halting the steady decline seen since 2005 - today an event on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will kick start a summer of ?Join In? activity to encourage people to volunteer locally;
• 1.4 million more people playing sport at least once a week than in 2005 when the bid was won;
• the legacy of all the permanent venues on the Olympic Park secured within a year of the Games ? the park has started to reopen this summer with major sports, music and cultural events;
• an independent report projects that the total benefit to the UK from hosting London 2012 could reach up to ?41 billion by 2020;
• ?4bn of investment into London, including projects outside the scope of UKTI figures;
• 70,000 workless Londoners helped into Games-related employment creating a labour market legacy.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

?This ?9.9 billion boost to the UK economy is a reminder to the world that, if you want the best, if you want professionalism, if you want jobs done on time and on budget then you should think British.

?With companies across the country we are harnessing the Olympic momentum and delivering the lasting business legacy of the Games that will help make Britain a winner in the global race.

?But that?s not where the good news ends. The games are also delivering a strong social legacy. Last summer, Games Makers changed the way Britain views volunteering. Since then, thousands of people have been inspired to get involved with their local sports clubs. Tonight in the park, Join In will launch a summer of events, which will unleash an army of 500,000 people up and down the country to turn up, take part and Join In.?

Trade and Investment

UKTI?s target is to deliver ?11bn of economic benefit from the London 2012 Games by July 2016, from additional exports, investment into the UK and successful bids for high-value international contracts in a number of sectors.

One year on the London Olympic and Paralympic Games have helped to generate:

• ?9.9bn of economic benefit so far, including:

• ?5.9bn of additional sales from Olympic-related activity such as the British Business Embassy;
• ?2.5bn of additional inward investment into the UK since the Games generating more than 31,000 new jobs, with 58% of the value invested outside London;
• ?1.5bn of Olympic-related high value opportunities won overseas.

• These figures include ?120m of contracts already won by UK companies for the Brazil 2014 World Cup and Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, plus more than 60 contracts won by UK companies for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 Russia World Cup.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

?There is no doubt that the London 2012 Games proved a success story for British business. This has created a multi-billion pound business springboard to take British expertise to the world, and UKTI is working hard to make the most of this significant opportunity.

?UKTI has embraced the challenge of delivering ?11 billion of economic benefit from the Olympics. Reaching ?9.9bn in the space of one year is an amazing achievement. I hope that companies of all sizes up and down the country follow suit and use the positive impact generated by the Games to reach out to new markets and grow their businesses."

In the coming years, UKTI will continue to work to maximise the boost to jobs, trade and investment, strengthening its sector capability with the creation of the Automotive, Offshore Wind and Financial Services Investment Organisations.

Activities including the Graduate Entrepreneur Campaign will help to attract the brightest global entrepreneurs to the UK and help UK-based companies to access high value opportunities across the world in sectors such as sustainable cities, urban renewal and sustainable design as well as major sporting events. These include future Olympic and Paralympic Games and World Cups.

Preliminary UK annual investment figures announced in May showed that in the year of the Games, the UK maintained its position as the leading destination in Europe for foreign direct investment.

In London, figures published by the Mayor of London show that major projects secured in the last year such as the investment in Royal Albert Docks and Battersea Power Station have brought ?4bn of new investment to the capital, including projects outside the scope of UKTI?s report.

Wider legacy

According to independent research from a consortium led by Grant Thornton, published by DCMS, up to ?41 billion could be realised over the fifteen year period from when London won the bid in 2005 to 2020. The report predicts continued benefits from tourism, trade and inward investment as the Games helped improve the world?s view of Britain.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller said:

?London 2012 showed the very best of Britain and hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games has delivered huge economic benefits to the country.

?We sat squarely on the centre of the world stage and last summer allowed us to showcase our incredible country, resulting in more growth, investment and a boost for tourism. However this is just the start, we have a 10 year legacy plan and we must continue to make the very most of the opportunities the Games gave us.?

The Government and Mayor have today published a report ? ?Inspired by 2012: The legacy from the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games?. The report describes the activities since the Games they, and others, have taken to build a lasting legacy across a number of commitments including: sport and healthy living, the regeneration of east London, bringing communities together, the Paralympic legacy and economic growth. Whilst the legacy is described as a ten-year project, significant progress has been made.

The report includes a foreword by the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London, an assessment of progress and next steps by Lord Coe, the Prime Minister?s Olympic & Paralympic Legacy Ambassador, and comment from Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:

?We proved the Olympo-sceptics in error when they declared that London couldn?t lay on a world class Games. We are now set to defy the doom-mongers when it comes to securing a permanent legacy. London is succeeding where virtually no other host city has, on track to secure a solid gold payback on the taxpayers? outlay and a rosy future for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

?Since last summer, the capital has seen a surge in overseas investment totalling billions from Croydon to Battersea to the Royal Albert Docks as well as seeing an extraordinary transformation of East London. This is delivering tens of thousands of jobs not only in London but spurring growth across the UK and helping the country sprint ahead in the global race for business.?

Also today a ?Go Local? event is taking place at the Olympic Park, providing an opportunity for London 2012 volunteers and others to be inspired to volunteer in local sports clubs and community activities. The event is managed by Join In, an independent charity aimed at getting more people into sport and other volunteering; and Team London, the Mayor of London?s team promoting volunteering.

Press office contacts

UKTI / BIS Press office ? Economic legacy:

Christina Murphy / Alex Hamilton ? 0207 215 5245 / 5976

DCMS Press office ? Wider Olympic legacy:

Oliver Jackson / Jose Riera ? 0207 211 6263 / 6971

Mayor of London Press office ? London legacy and investment:

Hilary Merrett ? 0207 983 4755

Cabinet Office Press office ? Volunteering:

Elise Simpson ? 0207 276 0393

Notes to Editors

Notes to editors:

1. The Government and Mayor have established a joint legacy programme to maximise the benefits of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for London and the whole of the UK.

1. For copies of full reports under embargo, please contact press offices.

3. The report ?Inspired by 2012: The legacy from the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games? which sets out progress against the legacy programme will be published here www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=cabinet-office

1. The UKTI programme of Olympic and Paralympic-related events and activity comprised:

• The British Business Embassy, which was attended by 4,000 delegates, including 800 international business delegates from 63 countries, at events including the Global Investment Conference and 17 specialist sector and country events.
• More than 60 regional business events held around the UK to support businesses in securing export and investment opportunities during and immediately following the Games, to maximise the opportunity provided by the Games.
• Trade missions led by the Prime Minister and other members of the Government to host countries of future global sports events, including Brazil, Russia and Qatar.
• Host2Host agreements put in place with several other hosting nations to introduce global opportunities and showcase UK expertise.
• Global sports projects seminar ?Rising To The Challenge - Delivering the London 2012 Business Legacy' held on July 18^th to provide business delegates with an introduction to global sports projects, a presentation on the infrastructure work being undertaken in Qatar to deliver the 2022 World Cup and to launch a new UKTI Rio 2016 procurement toolkit.

1. The full UKTI report will be published here at 00.01 on Friday 19th July: www.ukti.gov.uk/2012

1. In the 2012 Autumn Statement, UKTI was awarded an additional ?70m for each of 2013/14 and 2014/15, enabling the recruitment of more international trade advisers around the country, expansion of existing services including the Trade Access Programme (TAP) and the Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS), and support to expand the range of assistance available to UK companies through overseas British chambers of commerce.

1. The Government's economic policy objective is to achieve 'strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.' It set four ambitions in the ?Plan for Growth? (PDF 1.7MB), published at Budget 2011:

• To create the most competitive tax system in the G20
• To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business
• To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy
• To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.

1. Work is underway across Government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the Government wants the economy to travel.

1. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the Government Department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy. We also help overseas companies bring their high quality investment to the UK?s economy ? acknowledged as Europe?s best place from which to succeed in global business. UKTI offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. We provide companies with the tools they require to be competitive on the world stage. For more information on UKTI, visit www.ukti.gov.uk or visit the online newsroom at www.ukti.gov.uk/media.

1. DCMS are publishing a report ?Meta-Evaluation of the Impacts and Legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games: Post-Games Initial Evaluation? produced by an independent consortium led by Grant Thornton. This report pulls together evidence and data to provide an assessment of impacts of the Games up to the end of 2012 across the four legacy themes of sporting legacy, economic impact, community engagement and East London regeneration along with the cross-cutting themes of disability and sustainability.

1. The report will be published as a 35 page high-level summary supported by technical reports covering the study research questions and the evidence base for each of the four themes. The summary report draws out 12 key findings, including:

I. The Games have provided a substantial boost to the UK economy, with an potential overall impact to the UK economy of up to ?41bn.

II. More of us are participating in sport because of the Games, with 1.5 million more adults participating in sport and recreational activity since 2005/06.

III. The Games inspired a generation of children and young people, with half of 11-15 yr olds and a third of 5-10yr olds saying it motivated them to do more sport.

IV. The Games were the catalyst for improved elite sporting performance in the UK, driving changes to the management of elite performance which, with increased funding, resulted in medal success.

V. The UK tourism industry is growing as a result of the Games, with a net economic impact during 2012 of ?600m and further gains to come as the UK?s image overseas has improved.

VI. The 2012 Games set new standards for sustainability, both in construction and events management.

VII. The Games improved attitudes to disability and provided new opportunities for disabled people to participate in society, with unprecedented coverage and viewership of the Paralympics and 62% of people stating that they felt the Games will reduce prejudice.

VIII. Communities across the UK engaged with the Games, including 15 million people seeing the Torch Relay and 43 million Cultural Olympiad attendances.

IX. The Games has increased enthusiasm for volunteering, as 20% of Games Makers volunteered for the first time and 45% indicated they would volunteer more in the future.

X. The Games accelerated the physical transformation of East London, delivering the Park itself and numerous catalysed investments such as Westfield.

XI. Socio-economic change in East London has been shaped by the Games, with East London closing the gap on the rest of London on a range of socio-economic indicators.

XII. The Games delivered many strategic benefits and lessons learnt across all levels of Government, particularly driving new ways of working together.

13. The Meta evaluation will be available at www.gov.uk/government/publications

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bis-news/~3/vXmABTB862o/UKTI-Turning-the-Games-into-Gold-Government-announces-almost-10-billion-economic-boost-from-Londo-6900f.aspx

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In zombies, Israelis and Arabs find common enemy

JERUSALEM (AP) ? In one of the central scenes of the summer blockbuster movie "World War Z," Israeli troops funnel Palestinian refugees to safety in Jerusalem behind a massive concrete wall. There, the Arabs and Jews embrace, dance and sing ? shortly before they are all engulfed by bloodthirsty zombies.

Even for such an over-the-top work of science fiction, in which billions of people come back from the dead as horrific zombies to terrorize Earth, one of the most improbable plotlines of the film is that Israelis and Palestinians are fighting on the same side.

Granted, the film assumes that a post-apocalyptic world and a supernatural common enemy are needed to achieve such harmony. But the image of an elusive Mideast peace, coupled with the film's overall positive portrayal of Israel, have not been lost among the region's war-weary moviegoers.

"It's a fantasy, and it seems ridiculous to those who live here, but it is still heartwarming to see Israelis and Palestinians coming together," said Yehuda Stav, a movie critic for the Israeli daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot.

At the core of the cinematic coexistence lies a towering barrier Israel is praised for building to keep out zombies and protect inhabitants of the Holy Land ? Jews and Arabs alike. In reality, Israel's separation barrier with the West Bank ? which Israel says is meant to keep out Palestinian suicide bombers ? is much smaller but much more contentious. Palestinians call it a symbol of occupation that steals their land, hinders their movement and damages their crops.

In the film, Israel is praised for its savvy, survival instincts and peaceful intentions. It is credited with predicting the zombie invasion and preparing proper defenses, making it one of only two nations to prevent a lethal outbreak.

The other, North Korea, adopts a more draconian solution: It extracts the teeth of all its citizen to prevent people from biting each other and spreading the deadly zombie virus.

The movie depicts the Israeli military as courageous and resourceful, the Israeli people as inviting and humane. Even Israel's often criticized system of West Bank checkpoints is portrayed as an effective tool to protect both sides.

"If it weren't for the zombies in the background, you'd think this was an engineered campaign of the Defense Ministry to strengthen Israel's status in the world," Israeli movie critic Chen Hadad wrote in City Mouse magazine. The movie opened in Israel last week.

Such a futuristic Israel in "World War Z" has sparked outrage in the real Arab world, where bloggers and moviegoers have slammed the film as a love song to Israel.

"It's free propaganda for Israel at a time when it occupies other people," complained Ramzi Taweel, a 38-year-old Palestinian cartoonist from Ramallah in the West Bank. "It portrays Israel as a moral power that protects human beings. It justifies the wall. ... The Israeli occupation army in the movie is a humane army that protects the world."

In Lebanon, it is showing in theaters, but some of the Israel scenes have been censored or edited out. It also has been widely distributed in the Gulf, where it has received some thumbs down.

"I don't think it was trying to justify Israel's occupation, but it was glorifying the Israelis by emphasizing peace and harmony of the two nations, which is far from the truth," moviegoer Aleena Khan told the Dubai-based Gulf News. "It was a very rose-tinted version of what the relationship between the Israelis and Palestinians actually is."

But even the fictional love fest comes at a cost.

(Spoiler alert: Readers who have not seen the movie may want to read no further.)

Since the zombies are drawn to noise, the raucous Israeli-Palestinian celebrations prove to be their demise. Their joint rendition of a popular Hebrew song of peace wakes the undead from their slumber, and they ultimately catapult over the wall and bite everything in sight.

Such scenes have raised philosophical debates in the blogosphere about whether the movie is actually for or against Israel's real-life separation barrier.

The setting of "World War Z" migrates to Jerusalem after its hero, Gerry Lane, played by Brad Pitt, arrives to figure out how the Israelis have created a safe zone from zombies. There he meets the chief of Israel's Mossad spy agency, who cites the experiences of the Holocaust, the 1972 massacre of Israeli Olympians in Munich and the surprise war Arabs launched on Israel the following year as lessons that taught the Jewish state to prepare for the unexpected. The spymaster tells Pitt's character that Israel envisioned the threat because officials are encouraged to play devil's advocate, with someone offering a dissenting view if everyone else agrees.

Once pandemonium breaks loose, Pitt manages to escape thanks to a cunning, courageous female soldier, played by Israeli actress Daniella Kertesz, who helps him save the world. Aside from her name, Segen, which is actually Hebrew for the rank of lieutenant, the Israeli depictions are fairly accurate. Though shot in Malta, the scenes appear authentic, as do the street signs, the uniforms and the characters' Hebrew accents.

The rare Hollywood focus on Israel has elicited local pride, with crowds cheering at the sight of the Israeli flag and giggling during Hebrew dialogue.

"It shows that we are strong, we fight to the end and don't give up, but also are willing to help others," Ohad Ben-Aharon, a 19-year-old soldier in the Israeli air force, said after a recent screening in Jerusalem. "It's fictional, but there is also an optimistic message ? that there can be peace."

Another moviegoer was Mark Regev, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman.

His takeaway?

"We hope the Palestinians indeed agree to live in peace with Israel before the zombies invade."

____

Associated Press writers Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank; Brian Murphy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed to this report.

____

Follow Aron Heller on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aronhellerap .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zombies-israelis-arabs-common-enemy-152819024.html

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Detroit files for bankruptcy, stage set for court fight

By Nick Carey

DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit filed the largest-ever municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history on Thursday, marking a new low for a city that was the cradle of the U.S. automotive industry and setting the stage for a costly court battle with creditors.

The bankruptcy, if approved by a federal judge, would force Detroit's thousands of creditors into negotiations with the city's Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr to resolve an estimated $18.5 billion in debt that has crippled Michigan's largest city.

The future of retiree pension and health benefits for thousands of city workers hangs in the balance.

Anticipating the filing, investors drove prices of Detroit bonds and notes lower, sending their yields to record highs on Thursday.

In a letter accompanying the filing, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said he had approved a request from Orr to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection noting, "Detroit simply cannot raise enough revenue to meet its current obligations, and that is a situation that is only projected to get worse absent a bankruptcy filing."

Speaking on Channel 4 Detroit after the announcement, Snyder, a Republican, said, "Let's stop the decline. Let's get to stability. Let's get things working in the right direction."

Snyder named Orr in March to tackle the city's spiraling long-term debt, which is estimated at $18.5 billion.

A White House spokeswoman said Democratic U.S. President Barack Obama and his senior team were monitoring the situation in Detroit closely.

"While leaders on the ground in Michigan and the city's creditors understand that they must find a solution to Detroit's serious financial challenge, we remain committed to continuing our strong partnership with Detroit...," White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said.

Detroit was once synonymous with U.S. manufacturing prowess. Its automotive giants switched production to planes, tanks and munitions during World War Two, earning the city the nickname of the "Arsenal of Democracy."

Now the city's name has become synonymous with decline, decay and crime. Detroit has seen its population fall to 700,000 from a peak of 1.8 million people in 1950. The city's government has been beset by corruption cases over the years. Waning investment in street lights and emergency services has left it struggling to police the streets.

The city's murder rate is at its highest in nearly 40 years; only a third of its ambulances were in service in the first quarter of 2013; and its nearly 78,000 abandoned buildings create "additional public safety problems and reduces the quality of life in the city," the governor noted in his letter.

In June, Orr presented a proposal to creditors offering them pennies on the dollar. His plan had met with resistance from some creditors, most notably Detroit's two pension funds representing retired city workers. The funds recently filed lawsuits in a state court challenging the governor's ability to authorize Orr to file for bankruptcy.

LONG ROAD AHEAD

Creditors are expected to mount a stiff challenge to the bankruptcy, which was filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Michigan.

Douglas Bernstein, a bankruptcy attorney at Plunkett Cooney in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, said he expected the case would last one-to-three years and would be very costly.

"This could run to tens-of-millions to hundreds-of-millions of dollars," he said.

Unlike corporate bankruptcies, there have been relatively few Chapter 9 cases since the Bankruptcy Act was amended in 1934 to include municipalities. This means there is little precedent and the number of creditors means a complicated road ahead.

"It's a very complex landscape and it's one that's going to be watched very closely by municipal investors," said Robert Amodeo, a portfolio manager at Western Asset in New York.

General Motors, the only major U.S. automaker headquartered in Detroit, said in a statement that the company "is proud to call Detroit home and...(this is) a day that we and others hoped would not come. We believe, however, that today also can mark a clean start for the city."

Ford Motor Co, which is based in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, said it was "optimistic that governmental leaders will be successful in strengthening the community."

But Ed McNeil, chief negotiator for a coalition of 33 unions that represent most of the service workers for the city of Detroit said the bankruptcy filing was about "busting the unions."

"I've said all along that this is a power grab," said McNeil. "This is not about fixing the city's finances. It's about the governor and his own agenda to take over the city of Detroit."

In the municipal bond market, Detroit bonds and notes traded on Thursday at record high yields, said Dominic Vonella, managing analyst at Municipal Market Data, a unit of Thomson Reuters.

The taxable June 15 2035 bonds traded at $38.5 with a yield of 16 percent. That compares with $76 and a yield of 8.39 percent in mid-May.

(Additional reporting by Bernie Woodall, Deepa Seetharaman, Joseph Lichterman, Paul Lienert, Karen Pierog and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-preparing-bankruptcy-filing-early-friday-report-191140221.html

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Meet Sara Rue?s Daughter Talulah

"Check out this headband that I made... OH, and also meet Talulah!!" the actress Tweeted

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/pW9OxkWve3w/

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Britain says Olympics have paid off with economic boost

By Keith Weir

LONDON (Reuters) - The economic benefits of hosting the Olympics in London already outweigh the nine billion pounds ($13.7 billion) of public money spent on the Games, the British government said on Friday.

A year on, the Games remain a fond memory for most Britons who recall the triumphs of runner Mo Farah and cyclist Chris Hoy but have gone back to their daily routines in a country where the economy is showing signs of life after a long stagnation.

Keen to show that the London 2012 Games had a lasting impact, the government said it calculated Britain had enjoyed a 9.9 billion pound boost to trade and investment from staging the world's biggest sporting event. Spending by foreign tourists also rose by 600 million pounds in 2012.

But while the figures show Britain well on the way to surpassing a target of 13 billion pounds in economic impact set by Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of the Games, economists had previously questioned the basis for government predictions.

They caution that it is difficult to quantify the exact economic impact of major sporting events like the Olympics and that the sums involved tend to be relatively modest.

Britain tried to use the international attention focused on the Olympics to showcase itself as a place to do business. The government ran a series of conferences in parallel with the Games to drive home its message to hundreds of executives who came to the British capital.

"We are harnessing the Olympic momentum and delivering the lasting business legacy of the Games that will help make Britain a winner in the global race," Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement.

A separate report by a consortium led by accountants Grant Thornton said the Games could generate benefits of between 28 and 41 billion pounds by 2020.

HARD TO MEASURE

UK Trade and Investment, the department who produced the government figures said they included 5.9 billion pounds of sales from conferences around the Games, 2.5 billion of additional inward investment and 1.5 billion pounds of contracts for forthcoming Olympics and World Cups with Brazil and Russia.

It included an investment in London's landmark Battersea power station by a Malaysian consortium without specifying how it was directly related to the games. Also listed were projects involving Chinese technology company Huawei, Indian software firm Infosys and U.S. architects Gensler giving no details of the nature of the investment.

Figures aside, Britain looks to be well on the way to finding new uses for the expensive facilities built for the Games in east London, although there has been some grumbling over the deals struck.

Premier League soccer club West Ham United are to move into the Olympic Stadium in 2016, ensuring that it remains a part of the city's sporting landscape but securing only an initial 15 million pounds for a stadium that will have cost taxpayers more than 500 million.

The stadium has not been used since the Paralympics ended last September but will come back to life next week when it hosts the Anniversary Games athletics meeting which is expected to feature Jamaican sprint champion Usain Bolt.

The most tangible result of the games for now is the changes wrought to a once forgotten and polluted corner of the city's industrial east. Stratford, home to the Olympics and one of the poorest parts of the capital, now boasts Europe's largest urban shopping center and excellent transport links to the rest of the capital.

(Writing by Keith Weir, editing by Patrick Graham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britain-says-olympics-paid-off-economic-boost-230540152.html

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Mining for meaning: Getting computers to understand natural ... - Phys

Programs that can understand language and can identify meaningful links between the various parts of a text is the focus of work being carried out in Saarbr?cken by researchers like Ivan Titov. The computer scientist is currently developing a procedure that will enable computers to learn to identify semantically relevant relationships within texts. This research could mean that in future we will be able to ask our computer specific questions about the content of a text. The computer would then analyse the text and supply the user with the right answers.

Every student who was ever written a homework assignment or an academic essay is familiar with the problem: before you can start to write anything yourself, you usually have to battle through numerous texts and through pages and pages of references and academic literature. A computer program that can quickly process the text, provide a meaningful summary of its content or even answer questions about it would obviously be of great practical value in such a situation.

Ivan Titov and his team of researchers, splitting their time between Saarland University and the University of Amsterdam, are currently working on this problem. Titov is interested in how computers can learn to understand the meaning and the relationships between words in sentences and within texts. 'The model that we have developed simulates how humans create texts. In order to understand texts, we get our computers to work through this process but in the reverse direction: given the text the computer will uncover its meaning or even intent of the writer' explained Dr Titov. However, Titov and his group do not themselves stipulate a fully detailed model and the rules contained within it, instead, they use millions of sentences to generate both the model and the rules. The sentences that are analysed are drawn from large collections, such as Wikipedia. Analysis of this massive dataset requires a lot of computing power, with the specially developed algorithms running on around one hundred computers.

The idea is to develop software that enables computers to identify hidden, context-dependent relationships between words and clauses in texts, as the following example shows. Looking at the two sentences: 'John has just graduated from Saarland University. He is now working for Google.' it is clear even to a computer that John and Saarland University are linked by the relationship 'has graduated' and that John and Google are connected by the relationship "is working for". But the model developed by the Saarbr?cken computer scientists can also recognize that John studied at Saarland University; very probably in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics. Once computers can understand these patterns in human language, the next step for the researchers is to apply the method to get machines to automatically produce meaningful summaries of short texts and to answer questions about the text content.

Beside Ivan Titov Hans Uszkoreit is awarded with a Google Focused Award worth US$ 220.000. Uszkoreit is professor of Computational Linguistics at Saarland University and Scientific Director at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence. He is interested in how computers can indentify linguistic relationships in large text collections.

Through its Focused Research Award program, the search engine provider Google supports research of major interest to the company itself and to the field of informatics. Prize winners receive free access to Google tools and technologies.

Explore further: New computer-based tool measures readability for different readers

Source: http://phys.org/news/2013-07-natural-language-texts.html

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MacBook Air (2013) software update 1.0 is here to fix all your Wi-Fi dropping, photoshop flickering, audio fluctuating ills

A software update is now available for the new-as-in-2013 MacBook Air. Apple describes it as follows:

This update fixes an issue that in rare instances may cause an intermittent loss in wireless connectivity, an issue with Adobe Photoshop which may cause occasional screen flickering, and an issue which may cause audio volume to fluctuate during video playback.

If you've got the new Air, go get the new update.

Source: Apple

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/dodC7XSxzw4/story01.htm

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Woman sues Japan?s biggest yakuza boss, seeking refund of ?protection money?

By Agence France-Presse
Wednesday, July 17, 2013 6:24 EDT

?

A woman is suing the head of Japan?s biggest yakuza organised crime group, seeking a refund of protection money paid to gangsters threatening to torch her bar, reports said Wednesday.

The plaintiff is claiming that Kenichi Shinoda bears ?employer?s liability? as the don of the Yamaguchi-gumi because the mobsters were affiliated to his syndicate, broadcaster TBS said, in what is thought to be the first case of its kind.

She is demanding around 17 million yen ($170,000) in compensation and reimbursement for payments she was forced to make to protect her bar in the central city of Nagoya, the broadcaster said, citing her legal representatives.

The woman says she paid 30,000-100,000 yen per month between 1998 and 2010 to a member of Inabaji Ikka, a local yakuza group connected to the Yamaguchi-gumi, Kyodo News said.

On one occasion in 2008 when she tried to refuse to pay, she was warned that her bar could be burned down, Kyodo said.

The Yamaguchi-gumi makes up more than 40 percent of the nation?s organised criminals, with about 27,700 members, according to the National Police Agency.

The plaintiff, whose name has not been made public, argues Shinoda bears ultimate responsibility for her losses as head of the nationwide umbrella organisation of gangster groups, the reports said.

The lawsuit was encouraged by revisions to the historically weak anti-organised crime law in 2008, which pave the way for complainants to sue senior gangsters over their footsoldiers? racketeering.

Lawyers say it is the first case of someone demanding recompense for protection money from a senior yakuza figure. It comes as the owner of another bar begins legal action against Shinoda, claiming affiliated criminals burned down his business after he refused to pay protection money.

It also comes two months after the family of a man who was killed in that fire began setting out their case for compensation for the man?s death.

A local criminal court has previously found yakuza members guilty of murder in that case.

Like the Italian mafia or Chinese triads, the yakuza engages in activities ranging from gambling, drugs and prostitution to loan sharking, protection rackets, white-collar crime and business conducted through front companies.

The gangs, which are not illegal, have historically been tolerated by the authorities, although there are periodic clampdowns on some of their less savoury activities.

The yakuza are heavily mythologised in Japan, with films, television dramas and fan magazines glamorising lives of stylised violence that are governed by a code of honour handed down from the samurai of yore.

But observers say the reality of the criminal underworld is one of brutishness and thuggery, where only a very few achieve the wealth and standing to which they aspire.

It was reported earlier this month that the Yamaguchi-gumi has published a magazine for its members that includes a poetry page and fishing diaries of senior gangsters, as part of efforts to strengthen solidarity in the face of growing societal animosity.

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Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/17/woman-sues-japans-biggest-yakuza-boss-seeking-refund-of-protection-money/

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HOOVER, Alabama ? Hugh Freeze says that in his days on a high school sideline, he wore a visor because he wanted to be like former Florida and current South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.

Now the second-year Mississippi coach is trying to win like him in the Southeastern Conference.

Freeze certainly had a good debut season, reviving the Rebels' program by finishing with a 7-6 record that included a win over Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass Bowl.

It wasn't necessarily a Spurrier-level of success, but Freeze's wide-open offense has turned the Rebels into one of the trendy picks to compete in a Southeastern Conference Western Division loaded with traditional powers like Alabama and LSU.

And Freeze is already starting to get respect from his peers ? including Spurrier.

"He plays golf, he wears visors, he calls plays," Spurrier said. "How can you not like Hugh Freeze?"

Freeze spent most of his appearance at SEC Media Days on Tuesday discussing expectations, especially after Ole Miss signed one of the nation's top recruiting classes in February.

"I'm very careful," Freeze said. "I told every group that I went to this spring ? and I tell our team quite often ? that unrealistic expectations always produce frustration."

Ole Miss will certainly be more experienced than a year ago. The entire starting defense returns and so do eight starters on offense, including quarterback Bo Wallace, who threw for 2,994 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.

Wallace is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery on his throwing arm. He missed all of spring practice after the January surgery, but has resumed throwing this summer and says he expects to be at full health for the beginning of preseason practice.

"The first two months, I couldn't do anything," Wallace said. "I couldn't stretch or anything. Those were some depressing days ... But I'm very happy with the way things have turned out."

One of Wallace's favorite targets last season was Donte Moncrief, a 6-foot-3, 216-pound junior that had 66 catches for 979 yards.

Moncrief said Wallace looks better than ever during informal summer workouts, and the added expectations are a good thing for the program.

"The feeling is great ? knowing that our fans expect more of us," Moncrief said. "The big thing is just staying focused and listen to coach Freeze and stay on the same page with him because (if we do that), it will be hard to stop us."

Freeze agrees, as long as the Rebels are aware that year two will be just as difficult as year one.

"Our task in year two is to maintain the enthusiasm and energy from both our fans and our players and everyone that is involved in our program as we continue to strive to be relevant in the SEC West," Freeze said. "We have made strides."

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Follow David Brandt on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP

Source: http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/0bf413f3e83c4a38818a90319ad45e59/FBC--SEC-Mississippi/

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