Belgium agrees savings, asset sales to meet EU budget demands

By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium agreed to make 1.4 billion euros ($1.8 billion) of savings and to sell 1 billion euros of state-owned assets on Saturday, as it strives to meet EU budget targets and avoid being drawn into the euro zone's debt crisis.

With debt approaching 100 percent of national output (GDP), Belgium has some of the weakest public finances in the euro zone's northern "core", partially due to an almost two-year political stalemate that was only resolved in late 2011.

Its six-party government has taken steps since but, like other euro zone members, looks set to miss the targets set by the European Union due to poor economic growth.

The 1.434 billion euros, an addition to 2013 savings already announced last year, will reduce the country's structural deficit - a measure of the underlying shortfall on public finances allowing for the ebb and flow of the economic cycle - by 1 percentage point, it said.

"The government repeats its wish to bring its budget into structural balance by 2015. This is a new, important step to reach that goal," Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo told a news conference, hours after an early morning breakthrough.

Olli Rehn, EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, gave clearance in the past week for Belgium's deficit this year to be greater than the planned 2.15 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to government sources.

But Belgium still needs to reduce its structural deficit, excluding one-offs and smoothing for cyclical factors, to 1.8 percent, keep its overall debt level below 100 percent of GDP and achieve a structural budget balance by 2015.

The additional savings, a huge series of measures ranging from a reduction in support for the national railway operator to an increase in duty on tobacco, would result in an overall budget deficit of 2.46 percent of GDP.

"We have the protected the purchasing power of the citizens and our economic fabric as much as possible," Di Rupo said.

"With these budgetary measures, we will enhance the stabilization of public finances and will reinforce fundamental items necessary to exit the crisis," Di Rupo said.

Finance Minister Koen Geens declined to say what the state might sell, adding that to do so could simply depress prices.

Belgium would need to find a further 1 billion euros from asset sales to ensure national debt did not rise beyond 100 percent of GDP, he said.

Belgium holds a 10 percent stake in French bank BNP Paribas , 53.5 percent of telecom operator Belgacom and a stake in Royal Park Investments, the bad bank created during the 2008 break-up of lender Fortis.

Its headline deficit last year was around the euro zone's recommended ceiling of 3.0 percent of GDP, from 3.7 percent in 2011. However, adding a 2.915 billion euro contribution to the bailout of Franco-Belgian lender Dexia would push the 2012 gap to 3.8 percent.

Belgium did little in the way of budgetary consolidation in 2010 and 2011, due to the absence of a fully fledged government after an inconclusive election. But despite a spike in its borrowing costs at the end of 2011, economists say it now belongs firmly to the safer "core" of the euro zone.

That view was backed up on Monday when the AA-rated sovereign sold 10-year debt at the lowest ever auction yield.

($1 = 0.7788 euros)

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, editing by Ethan Bilby and Patrick Graham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/belgium-agrees-savings-asset-sales-meet-eu-budget-142041188--business.html

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Kuwait PM says two Kuwaitis among 94 accused in UAE plot trial

RIYADH (Reuters) - Two Kuwaiti citizens are among 94 suspected Muslim Brotherhood members on trial in the United Arab Emirates accused of planning to overthrow the state, Kuwait's prime minister said.

The two are "suspected of involvement in financing this cell", Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah said in an interview published by pan-Arab daily Asharaq al-Awsat on Saturday.

The UAE's attorney general was quoted in January as saying the group was linked to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and had sought to infiltrate state institutions with the aim of seizing power. The trial started early this month.

The Muslim Brotherhood is not banned in Kuwait, which has the most open political system in the Gulf, and several opposition politicians are openly affiliated with the group. Political parties are still barred in the country.

The UAE has avoided the unrest that has unseated autocratic Arab rulers elsewhere in the past two years. It has a state-sponsored cradle-to-grave welfare system and has come down hard on any sign of political dissent.

Kuwait and the UAE are both members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a six-member group of close Gulf Arab allies that also includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.

(Reporting by Angus McDowall; editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kuwait-pm-says-two-kuwaitis-among-94-accused-090550467.html

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Historic Bed and Breakfast and Luxury Boutique Hotel near CBD ...

This magnificant property is situated at the foot of the beautiful hills overlooking Nelson City to the Tasman Sea beyond and is often referred to by the locals as "The Castle".

Thirty four individual rooms, including twelve bedrooms, five lounges, eight bathrooms and two extra toilets. The original wing, currently the owners residence, could be developed into four or five additional suites. Resource consent is in place to build a self-contained apartment over the garage, which would be ideal for a manager. Alternatively, a more substantial house could be built on a vacant site on the eastern side of the property, which extends down to Seymour Avenue.

This solidly constructed, 810 square metre building was very strongly built throughout with great beams of kauri and 28 millimetre thick matai floors. All weatherboards, ceilings and most doors are heart kauri. Weatherboards on several sides were covered with a heavy stucco render in the 1950s, which gives it the distinctive castle appearance. The exterior is now painted rich Colonial cream, with burgundy timber joinery and the original 7000 tiled, high pitched Welsh slate roof.

In recognition of the huge amount of restoration work done on Warwick House, the current owners were presented with the 2009 Environmental Award, in the Heritage Site category. Over the past few years, this superb home has hosted many distinguished guests, held many charity fundraisers, hosted tours, high teas and many great musical events.

Exceptional features include the opulent ballroom with a 5.5 metre stud, the four level, 33 metre high octagonal turret, balconies, exterior staircases and ornate kauri fretwork around the large verandah and viewing decks. There are two large oriel windows, five large bay windows and a minstrel gallery, high above the main entrance hall.

Two single garages, an elegant Victorian-style street lamp and a history board flank the substantial, original cast iron gates and posts, which were brought out from England in the 1840s. There is a large sealed parking area, a large carport and a central flagstone Maltese cross.

The original wing is the current owners home which has two spacious living areas, a charming dining / conservatory , kitchen , five bedrooms and two bathrooms.

This is one of New Zealand's most attractive tourism & hospitality businesses for sale and allows the next owner to take this awesome property to the next level of development.

Price by Negotiation for Land, Building and Business including specified chattels. We invite all interested parties to contact Adrian Chisholm 021 727 888 - TourismProperties.com www.tourismproperties.com specialist real estate company helping buyers and sellers of touris, hospitality and leisure businesses and properties nationwide in New Zealand and the South pacifiic Islands.
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Source: http://www.infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?id=103419

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Stephen Baldwin due in court in NY tax case

NEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) ? Stephen Baldwin is set to appear in New York court between appearances on "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" in hopes of getting past a state tax charge.

The youngest of the four acting Baldwin brothers is due Friday morning in Rockland County Court. He's accused of failing to file state income tax returns in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Baldwin's lawyer has said he can avoid jail time under a tentative plea agreement. The attorney said Baldwin would have up to five years to pay back $350,000 in taxes and penalties.

When Baldwin was arrested in December, the district attorney said he could face up to four years in prison if convicted.

The 46-year-old Baldwin starred in 1995's "The Usual Suspects." He's a contestant on TV's "Apprentice" with Dennis Rodman and others.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stephen-baldwin-due-court-ny-tax-case-062533310.html

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S&P 500 closes at a record high, beating '07 mark

NEW YORK (AP) ? The stock market has reached another milestone.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed at a record high Thursday, beating the mark it set in October 2007, a year before the peak of the financial crisis.

The S&P rose six points to 1,569, a gain of 0.4 percent, beating its previous record by four points. The index is still shy of its all-time trading high of 1,576.

The Dow Jones industrial average, which beat its own 2007 record three weeks ago, rose 52 points, or 0.4 percent, to 14,578.

The Nasdaq composite rose 11, or 0.3 percent, to 3,267.

Nearly two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange.

Volume was relatively light at 3.2 billion shares. Markets will be closed for Good Friday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/p-500-closes-record-high-beating-07-mark-201022179--finance.html

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Monroe, Eisenhower letters to be auctioned

In this undated photo provided by Profile in History, a letter from U.S. Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower to his wife, Mamie, while he was stationed abroad during World War II is shown. The letter is among 58 handwritten letters penned by Eisenhower that will be offered during an online auction by Profiles in History on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Profiles in History)

In this undated photo provided by Profile in History, a letter from U.S. Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower to his wife, Mamie, while he was stationed abroad during World War II is shown. The letter is among 58 handwritten letters penned by Eisenhower that will be offered during an online auction by Profiles in History on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Profiles in History)

In this undated photo provided by Profile in History, a letter from U.S. Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower to his wife, Mamie, while he was stationed abroad during World War II is shown. The letter is among 58 handwritten letters penned by Eisenhower that will be offered during an online auction by Profiles in History on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Profiles in History)

In this undated photo provided by Profile in History, the first page of a typed draft letter from John Lennon to Linda and Paul McCartney, that reflects the deep animosity between the two Beatles around the time of the foursome's breakup is shown. The letter is among a collection of historical documents to be sold at an online auction by Profiles in History on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Profiles in History)

In this undated photo provided by Profile in History, the second page of a typed draft letter from John Lennon to Linda and Paul McCartney, that reflects the deep animosity between the two Beatles around the time of the foursome's breakup is shown. The letter is among a collection of historical documents to be sold at an online auction by Profiles in History on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Profiles in History)

In this undated photo provided by Profile in History, the first page of a handwritten letter from Marilyn Monroe which expresses suicidal thoughts to her mentor, Lee Strasberg, is shown. The letter is among a collection of historical documents to be sold at an online auction by Profiles in History on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Profiles in History)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Marilyn Monroe's letter of despair to mentor Lee Strasberg, and Dwight D. Eisenhower's heartfelt missives to his wife during World War II are among hundreds of historical documents being offered in an online auction.

Monroe's handwritten, undated letter to the famed acting teacher is expected to fetch $30,000 to $50,000 in the May 30 sale.

"My will is weak but I can't stand anything. I sound crazy but I think I'm going crazy," Monroe wrote on Hotel Bel-Air letterhead stationery. "It's just that I get before a camera and my concentration and everything I'm trying to learn leaves me. Then I feel like I'm not existing in the human race at all."

The 58 Eisenhower letters, handwritten between 1942 and 1945, range from news of the war to the Allied commander's devotion to his wife, Mamie. They are believed to be among the largest group of Eisenhower letters to survive intact and could bring up to $120,000, said Joseph Maddalena, whose Profiles in History is auctioning the items.

They are among 250 letters and documents being sold by an anonymous American collector. Selected items will be exhibited April 8-16 at Douglas Elliman's Madison Avenue art gallery.

Also included is a typed, undated draft letter from John Lennon to Linda and Paul McCartney that reflects the deep animosity between the two Beatles around the time of the foursome's formal 1971 breakup. The two-page letter is unsigned and contains corrections. A photographic logo on the stationery shows Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono within a circle with their lips almost touching.

"Do you really think most of today's art came about because of the Beatles? I don't believe you're that insane ? Paul ? do you believe that? When you stop believing it you might wake up!" Lennon writes. It's expected to fetch $40,000 to $60,000.

Other highlights include two large photo albums that Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini exchanged prior to War World II.

"When Mussolini and Hitler visited each other before the war, they would each have their photographers document their trips," Maddalena said. "They really documented the regalia, the flags, the uniforms, tanks and all the pomp and circumstance, and them speaking and reviewing the troops."

The leather-bound albums, containing hundreds of images, have a pre-sale estimate of up to $50,000.

The sale is the second of several planned online auctions of the anonymous collector's artifacts. The entire collection contains 3,000 items.

____

Online: www.profilesinhistory.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-29-Historical%20Documents-Auction/id-bd49b2813f4d46a0ac5a2edf4b8b9978

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Business Advertising - Making Choices for Boat, Dog or Auto ...

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Everyone is looking for ways to limit expenses today on everything that they need. Shipping items is no different and the rates continue to rise as the cost of gas and other fuels rise. By finding a way to get a better rate for this type of thing, you will be able to reduce your expenses and save money.

This option is available for people for just about any type of shipment that they may need to make. Whether you are looking for someone to transport your pet to a new location or you need a big truck to help you move all of your belongings, you can take bids and select the one that fits your needs the best.

This helps you to accomplish the task that needs to be done as well as helping you save money too.

Auto shipping or boat shipping will require some special handling to make sure they arrive safely. Whether you need to move them across land or across water, there are organizations that offer these services. When you need a great deal on the cost, you can use sites such as Citizen Shipper to help you get the job done at a good price.

Dog shipping may be a bit easier to find someone to do the job at a lower price. As long as the animal is going to be contained, many people will be happy to take on the task of driving your pup across the state or across the country. When hiring for this, make sure you are looking at references so you can be sure your animal will arrive safely.

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Source: http://business-advertising.s-article.com/making-choices-for-boat-dog-or-auto-shipping-today.html

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Study Links Early Baldness to Prostate Cancer in African Americans (Voice Of America)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295238055?client_source=feed&format=rss

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BRICS plan development bank to fund infrastructure

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) ? Leaders of five of the world's emerging economic powers agreed Wednesday to create a development bank to help fund their $4.5 trillion infrastructure plans ? a direct challenge to the World Bank that they accuse of Western bias.

But the rulers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa ?known as the BRICS group ?were unable to agree on some basic issues. Foreign Minister Pravin Gordhan of South Africa told reporters that there were "different views" about how much capital such a bank would need.

He said $50 billion had been mentioned, an amount conference officials said would be seed capital shared equally between the five countries.

Finance ministers had discussed basing contributions on a country's wealth, but then felt it would leave economic giant China, with the world's No. 2 economy, in an untenably dominant position, according to conference officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to reporters.

Analysts said there was little doubt that China, with the world's largest reserves of foreign exchange, inevitably would be dominant, perhaps in much the same way that the United States and Europe dominate the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The development bank would be the first institution of the informal BRICS forum which was started in 2009 amid the economic meltdown to chart a new and more equitable world economic order. South Africa joined two years ago.

"Russia supports the creation of this financial institution," President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, but he cautioned "we believe that, if it is created, then it must work on market principles only and support the businesses of all our countries."

But his deputy foreign minister, Sergey A. Ryabkov, implied the announcement was premature: "We are not contesting the idea, we support it, we favor it, but we are urging everyone to be serious enough to make further efforts in order to create the right foundation." They were at a stage where "the devil is in the details," he added.

Inability to agree on fine points about the bank, first mooted a year ago when finance ministers were tasked with exploring its feasibility, highlighted the differences between the bloc that is made up of democracies and autocracies, diverse foreign policies and structurally different economies.

But at the fifth BRICS summit, its first in South Africa at the coastal resort of Durban, leaders pointed to their shared histories and aims: South Africa, very much the junior partner with a much smaller economy, has a decades-old relationship with China and Russia since they funded and armed anti-apartheid liberation movements; it shares a history of colonization with Brazil, a country that was the destination for more African slaves than any other; and with India as Mahatma Gandhi lived in South Africa for more than 20 years and developed his political activism here as he faced discrimination from a white minority government.

South African President Jacob Zuma, whose country is lobbying to be home to the BRICS development bank, said the formal negotiations to establish the institution were "based on our own considerable infrastructure needs, which amount to about $4.5 trillion U.S. dollars over the next five years." The bank will also cooperate with other emerging market countries and developing economies.

Zuma said the bank also will establish a "BRICS contingent reserve arrangement," a pool of money to cushion member states against any future economic shocks and further lessen their dependence on Western institutions.

Both those aims challenge the traditional roles of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, institutions that in their 50-year life have been dominated by the United States and Europe.

"As cooperation between the BRICS becomes more increasingly institutionalized, it will begin to challenge the economic architecture set out by the Bretton Woods institutions, regarded by many policy-makers within the BRICS as obsolete and biased toward the developed world, " analyst Martyn Davies of Frontier Advisory wrote this week. "The underlying motivation within the BRICSs is to assert their own collective interests, hard though they are to define, and do so against established Western ones."

While BRICS nations emphasize their equal partnership there is no doubt about the dominant role in trade and investment played by China, the world's most populous nation and its second largest economy which recently overtook the United States as the biggest importer of oil. China also has the world's largest foreign exchange reserves.

This BRICS summit has been dedicated to supporting development in Africa ? Zuma invited 15 other African leaders to the meeting ? and analysts note that some BRICS nations are rivals in the scramble for Africa's resources.

China long as overtaken traditional former European colonizers as Africa's biggest trading partner. Recently there have been rumbles about the nature of China's investment in Africa.

Botswana's President Ian Khama last month lambasted China for shoddy work in his country, saying "We have had some bad experiences with Chinese companies." In an interview with South Africa's BusinessDay newspaper, Khama blamed Chinese companies for a spate of power cuts he blamed on Chinese construction of a power plant that is months behind schedule.

Khama also expressed concern about the rate of Chinese migration to Africa, saying "We accept China's goods. But they don't have to export their population to sell us those goods."

And in a recent opinion piece the governor of Nigeria's central bank, Lamido Sanusi, accused China of being "a significant contributor to Africa's de-industrialization and underdevelopment," with its cheap manufactured goods competing with African goods on the continent and its huge appetite for raw materials preventing Africans from adding value to their natural resources. Sanusi suggested there was a "whiff of colonialism" about China's Africa policy.

China's new leader Xi Jinping, in a keynote speech before attending his first international summit at the BRICS, said China would "intensify, not weaken" its relationship with Africa. On Wednesday he told the summit China will "support Africa's efforts for stronger growth."

He said China would continue to make its own and international development priorities as it works to achieve a "grand goal" of doubling China's gross domestic product and the per capita income of its population of 3 billion by 2020.

Other leaders at the summit gushed about the possibilities opened by their fledgling BRICS forum, which represents nearly half of the world's population and more than a quarter of world trade.

India's trade minister Anand Sharma said BRICS will "have a defining influence on the global order of this century."

He warned against trade protectionism, which has played out within BRICS with South Africa accusing Brazil of dumping poultry products.

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff said BRICS has confounded its critics. "Even the most skeptical voices do recognize the contribution the BRICS bloc of countries has provided in the field of international economics," she said. Even the World Bank has said that global growth over the past few years and for the foreseeable future is being driven by the bloc.

Rousseff said it is time multilateral institutions like the IMF and World Bank become more democratic to clearly reflect the growing influence of developing countries.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brics-plan-development-bank-fund-infrastructure-095122874.html

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Fewer children mean longer life?

Mar. 27, 2013 ? New research into ageing processes, based on modern genetic techniques, confirms theoretical expectations about the correlation between reproduction and lifespan. Studies of birds reveal that those that have offspring later in life and have fewer broods live longer. And the decisive factor is telomeres, shows research from The University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of chromosomes. The length of telomeres influences how long an individual lives. Telomeres start off at a certain length, become shorter each time a cell divides, decline as the years pass by until the telomeres can no longer protect the chromosomes, and the cell dies. But the length of telomeres varies significantly among individuals of the same age. This is partly due to the length of the telomeres that has been inherited from the parents, and partly due to the amount of stress an individual is exposed to.

?This is important, not least for our own species, as we are all having to deal with increased stress,? says Angela Pauliny, Researcher from the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg.

Researchers have studied barnacle geese, which are long-lived birds, the oldest in the study being 22 years old. The results show that geese, compared to short-lived bird species, have a better ability to preserve the length of their telomeres. The explanation is probably that species with a longer lifespan invest more in maintaining bodily functions than, for example, reproduction.

?There is a clear correlation between reproduction and ageing in the animal world. Take elephants, which have a long lifespan but few offspring, while mice, for example, live for a short time but produce a lot of offspring each time they try,? says Angela Pauliny.

The geese studied by researchers varied in age, from very young birds to extremely old ones. Each bird was measured twice, two years apart. One striking result was that the change in telomere length varied according to gender.

?The study revealed that telomeres were best-preserved in males. Among barnacle geese, the telomeres thus shorten more quickly in females, which in birds is the sex with two different gender chromosomes. Interestingly, it is the exactl opposite in humans,? says Angela Pauliny.

The journal BMC Evolutionary Biology has classified the research article ?Telomere dynamics in a long-lived bird, the barnacle goose? as ?Highly Accessed?.

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Journal Reference:

1. Angela Pauliny, Kjell Larsson, Donald Blomqvist. Telomere dynamics in a long-lived bird, the barnacle goose. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2012; 12 (1): 257 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-257

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/wo_0G9jQGjg/130327103045.htm

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An Easter treat: Spring's first full moon

Greg Diesel Walck

The 2013 March full moon hangs bright over the Bodie Island Lighthouse in Outer Banks, N.C., in this photo from Greg Diesel Walck.

By Joe Rao
Space.com

The first full moon of the new spring season comes Wednesday night (March 27), and it plays a surprisingly important role for the upcoming Easter Sunday.

The moon officially turned full at 5:27 a.m. EDT (2:27 a.m. PDT), but your first view of the full moon at night will likely come later this evening. Traditionally, the March full moon is known as "Worm Moon," supposedly because when the ground softens, the earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of the robins. But because of its association with Easter, it's also known as the Paschal Moon.?

Other lunar monikers for this month include "Crow Moon," (when the cawing of crows signals the end of winter), "Crust Moon," (because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night) and "Sap Moon," (marking the time of tapping maple trees).

Traditional names for the full moons of the year are found in some publications such as The Farmers' Almanac. We also published the full list of full moon names?here on Space.com earlier this year. The origins of these names have been traced back to Native Americans, though they may also have evolved from old England or, as Guy Ottewell, editor of the annual publication "Astronomical Calendar" suggests, "writer's fancy." [10 Suprising Moon Facts You May Not Know]

The first full moon of spring is also sometimes referred to as the Paschal Full Moon, because it is the moon used to set the date of Easter in a given year. This year, if you have not already noticed, Easter will arrive a bit on the early side, on March 31. The earliest Easter in our lifetimes came five years ago, on March 23 (the last time that Easter fell this early in the calendar was 1913, and before that, in 1856).

Which leads us to ask the question, exactly just how is the date of Easter determined?

Equinox and the full moon
Traditionally, Easter is observed on the Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon. If the Paschal Moon occurs on a Sunday, Easter is the following Sunday.

Following these rules, we find that Easter can fall as early as March 22 and as late as April 25 in any given year. Pope Gregory XIII decreed this in 1582 as part of the Gregorian calendar.

This year the Paschal Full Moon falls Wednesday, so according to the current ecclesiastical rules, Easter is to be celebrated four days later, on Sunday.

Interestingly however, these rules also state that the vernal equinox is fixed on March 21, even though at European longitudes from the years 2008 through 2101 it actually will occur no later than March 20.

Hence, there can sometimes be discrepancies between the ecclesiastical and astronomical rules for dating Easter. In the year 2038, for instance, the equinox falls on March 20, with a full moon the next day, so astronomically speaking, Easter should fall on March 28 of that year. In reality, however, as mandated by the rules of the Church, Easter in 2038 will be observed as late as it can possibly come, on April 25!

Adding additional confusion is that there is also an "ecclesiastical" full moon, determined from ecclesiastical tables and whose date does not necessarily coincide with the "astronomical" full moon, which is based solely on astronomical calculations. In 1981, for example, the full moon occurred on Sunday, April 19, so Easter should have occurred on the following Sunday, April 26. But based on the ecclesiastical full moon, Easter occurred on the same day of the full moon, April 19.

So in practice, the date of Easter is determined not from astronomical computations, but rather from other religious formulas such as Epachs and Golden Numbers. In 2013, we are in Epach 17 and the Golden Number is 19. [Who Observes Easter? (Infographic)]

Since the beginning of the 20th century, a proposal to change Easter to a fixed holiday rather than a movable one has been widely circulated, and in 1963 the Second Vatican Council agreed, provided a consensus could be reached among Christian churches. The second Sunday in April has been suggested as the most likely date.

Changeable weather too
Interestingly, the fact that Easter occurs at a time of the year when weather patterns are transitioning from winter to spring, means a wide variation in the type of weather that can be expected, depending upon just when the holiday falls in a given year. Ask somebody what type of weather immediately comes to mind when Christmas is mentioned, and likely the answer will be cold and snowy. For the Fourth of July, it's probably sunny and hot.?

Yet Easter can feature both of these extremes!?

In 1970, Easter fell on March 29. In that year, a snowstorm hit the northeastern United States. In New York City, the famous Easter Parade had to be canceled, as four inches of snow fell, with as much as a foot of it?in the northern suburbs.

And yet, just six years later, in 1976, Easter fell on April 18, which ended up going down in New York weather annals as the hottest Easter on record. Not only was the 96-degree Fahrenheit reading that day the hottest temperature recorded in Central Park that year, it was also the very first (and only time) that New York held the distinction of being the hottest location in the United States!??

Editor's note:?If you have an amazing picture of the full moon or any other night sky view that?you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send photos, comments and your name and location to Managing Editor Tariq Malik at?spacephotos@space.com.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The?New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, N.Y.?Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook?and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Copyright 2013 Space.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Iraq to ship crude oil to Egypt next April

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Iraq's top energy official says his country will sell crude oil to Egypt starting from next April.

Deputy Prime Minister Hussain al-Shahristani told The Associated Press on Tuesday that 4 million barrels will be shipped to Egypt per month.

Al-Shahristani declined to state whether Iraq will sell its crude at preferential prices, as it does with neighboring Jordan.

Egypt is short of funds to purchase fuel. A shortage of diesel in particular is adding to its economic woes and feeding anti-government sentiment.

Iraq sits atop of 143.1 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. Its daily oil production has increased remarkably since 2009, to over 3 million barrels a day from around 2.4 million barrels a day, with the help of the handful of international oil companies working there.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-26-Iraq-Egypt-Oil/id-4f04b7895543441a9b638a8ad50d1224

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Creationist offers $10,000 to anyone willing to challenge literal interpretation of Genesis in court

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/creationist-offers-10-000-anyone-willing-challenge-literal-164018499.html

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Coupon clipping declines as shoppers get saavier

Nati Harnik / AP file

Margery Gibbs uses coupons at a store in Omaha, Neb., in 2009. Coupon use fell in 2012 after several strong years.

By Allison Linn, TODAY

The good, old-fashioned coupon ? which surged in popularity in recent years ? appears to be falling out of favor.

Two separate studies show that coupon use declined significantly in 2012.

One study, from coupon industry consulting firm Inmar, found that about 3 billion coupons were redeemed in 2012, a drop of about 14.3 percent from approximately 3.5 billion coupons redeemed in 2011. Another, from NCH Marketing Services, found that coupon use fell by 17 percent in 2012 over the year before.

The drop came after several good years for the coupon, which seemed to indicate that the weak economy had helped bring coupon clipping back in style. The coupon has even enjoyed its 15 minutes of pop culture fame thanks to the reality show ?Extreme Couponing,? which documents people using thousands of coupons to save hundreds of dollars stockpiling diapers, paper towels and other items.

But experts say that while frugality is still in vogue, many shoppers have gotten so savvy at saving money that they've moved past the coupon.

?It was like the training wheels ? to teach people how to save money,? Phil Lempert, the chief executive of Supermarket Guru, said of coupons.

Experts say it?s pretty common for coupon use to rise when the economy goes south, and start falling as the economy gets better.

But the economic gains in 2012 weren?t really strong enough to warrant people giving up their frugal habits. In addition, experts say they saw plenty of other reasons that coupon use has declined.

?It?s sort of a thousand cuts,? said David Mounts, the chief executive of Inmar. ?It?s little things here and there.?

For starters, there were slightly fewer coupons. The industry distributed about 310 billion coupons in 2012, down from 313 billion in 2011 and a big drop from 336 billion in 2010, according to Inmar?s research.

Last year?s batch of coupons also tended to be for smaller discounts and to expire more quickly than in the past, Mounts said.

In addition, shopping habits have changed.

Some customers have started to want more than a one-size-fits-all coupon that you clip out of a Sunday newspaper, Mounts said.??Instead, more shoppers are looking for personalized deals that more closely match their shopping habits. They also want deals that are delivered digitally so they don?t have to manage a stack of paper.

So far, though, those types of coupons aren?t that widespread. Inmar?s data shows that more than four in 10 coupons still come from the newspaper inserts.

Frugally minded shoppers also are finding even more sophisticated ways to save money, said Lempert of Supermarket Guru, which tracks customer shopping habits.

These days, he?s seeing more savvy shoppers going to multiple stores to find the best prices on food and other items. Their stops may include drugstores, dollar stores, warehouse chains like Costco and specialty grocers such as Trader Joe?s.

They?re also turning more to store brands that may be cheaper than name brands, even when there?s a coupon for the branded item, he said.

Many younger customers also are constantly changing their eating and shopping habits, he said, and may not be as interested in buying the items that are traditionally discounted with coupons. They also may be more captivated by new types of ways to save, such as a four-hour sale promoted on Twitter.

?Frankly, the coupons weren?t meeting their needs,? Lempert said.

The extreme couponing fad may not have helped either.

The trend sparked a backlash among some in the industry, who alleged that the TV show set unrealistic expectations.

Lempert thinks it also made some shoppers feel uneasy. He said he receives thousands of emails a week from shoppers, and reaction to extreme couponing was largely negative.

Despite such challenges, experts say?the coupon industry is adapting to changing customer preferences.?Inmar?s early data from the start of 2013 appears to be showing more positive trends in coupon use than last year, Mounts said, which suggests coupon clipping likely won't disappear completely any time soon.

{"contentId":"17419086","totalVotes":"17446"}

Do you use coupons?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/29fed6c8/l/0Llifeinc0Btoday0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C260C174190A860Ecoupon0Eclipping0Edeclines0Eas0Eshoppers0Eget0Esaavier0Dlite/story01.htm

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Arkansas governor vetoes voter ID bill

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arkansas-governor-vetoes-voter-id-bill-110826961.html

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Cyprus central bank to impose capital controls

From left, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble speak with each other during an emergency eurogroup meeting in Brussels on Sunday, March 24, 2013. The EU says a top official will chair a high-level meeting on Cyprus in a last-ditch effort to seal a deal before finance ministers decide whether the island nation gets a 10 billion euro bailout loan to save it from bankruptcy. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

From left, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble speak with each other during an emergency eurogroup meeting in Brussels on Sunday, March 24, 2013. The EU says a top official will chair a high-level meeting on Cyprus in a last-ditch effort to seal a deal before finance ministers decide whether the island nation gets a 10 billion euro bailout loan to save it from bankruptcy. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Protesters hold a banner that reads "Hands off Cyprus" during an anti-bailout rally outside European Union house in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Sunday, March 24, 2013. After failing for a week to find a solution to a crisis that could force their country into bankruptcy, Cypriot politicians turned to the European Union on Sunday in a last-ditch effort to help the island nation forge a viable plan to secure an international bailout. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Students hold placards the ones on the right reads in Greek "we don't sell out "during a parade for Greek independence day celebrations at the southern port city of Limassol, Cyprus,Monday, March 25, 2013. Cyprus secured what its politicians described as a ?painful? solution to avert imminent bankruptcy, agreeing early Monday to slash its oversize banking sector and make large account holders take losses to help pay to secure a last-minute euro10 billion (US$13 billion) bailout. (AP Photo/Pavlos Vrionides)

Protesters chant slogans after the end of a parade for Greek Independence Day celebrations in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, March 25, 2013. Cyprus secured what its politicians described as a ?painful? solution to avert imminent bankruptcy, agreeing early Monday to slash its oversize banking sector and make large account holders take losses to help pay to secure a last-minute euro10 billion (US$13 billion) bailout. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

An elderly woman sells Greek, Cypriot, and EU flags before the start of a parade for Greek Independence Day celebrations in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, March 25, 2013. Cyprus secured what its politicians described as a ?painful? solution to avert imminent bankruptcy, agreeing early Monday to slash its oversize banking sector and make large account holders take losses to help pay to secure a last-minute euro10 billion (US$13 billion) bailout. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? Cyprus' president says the central bank will impose some limits on bank transactions on Tuesday, when most of the country's financial institutions reopen for the first time in over a week.

All banks except the Bank of Cyprus and Laiki are due to reopen on Tuesday morning. President Nicos Anastasiades did not specify what limitations would be imposed on transactions.

He said it was a "very temporary measure, which will gradually be relaxed."

The country's banks have been closed while politicians set up a plan to secure funding for an international bailout, after lawmakers rejected an initial scheme that would have seized up to 10 percent of people's accounts.

A deal securing the bailout was reached early Monday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-25-Cyprus-Financial%20Crisis/id-61be277f856347beb8c2c131fa3a9c50

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RolePlayGateway?

Im looking to start a Medieval/Fantasy role-play that will follow the exploits of a small group of around 5-8 people. They will be brought together for various personal agendas but share a overall goal. This wont be a dungeon crawl or free form rp, but more of an interactive narrative with the role-players writing the story. I know plenty of people do this, so I know that plenty of you can easily pull off this type of rp with little effort.

---

Things I Want To See
1. Since our cast will more than likely be small i want to see very well fleshed out characters. Think of habits and mannerisms, anything that will make your character truly one of a kind. The main problem that i have seen about characters is the lack of flaws. People tend to make their characters powerful and accomplished to begin with. While its fine to do this it doesn't leave any room for character growth, and no one wants to see a character that stays the same through the whole story. The key way to avoid this is not making young inexperienced characters, but to give your character flaws. Maybe they have insomnia and cant sleep because their dreams are plagued by sights from their past, or maybe they are a mage that is slowly losing their power. Its your choice, just dont make hugo-naught characters.

2. I want to see some powerful emotion within the group, and not the normal "Im a Knight and your a Rouge I hate you." sort of emotion, but true blue feelings. I wanna see conflicting interests and jealously, the group being divided at times and unsure of how to progress. Start a love triangle that pitts two people against each other and forces the one being fought over to choose one or neither. Maybe your character has a hidden agenda at the beginning but slowly begins to care for his companions. Dont treat this like a game but as if it were real, in reality how would you act or feel if it happened to you.

3. I would like to see some good character development as well. People change, and so should our characters. They make and loss friends, fall in and out of love, or change who they are altogether. Your character should at his/her core be mortal and as a mortal they will never be perfect. When your character is tested they dont always have to persevere, maybe they break under the pressure and they doubt who they are. Force them to re-evaluate who they are, giving them a mental dilemma that can make them stronger or change them. You should never be the same at the end as you were in the beginning.

---

Setting
It took me a while to decide on the setting but i finally managed to come up with one that offered a good starting foundation but also flexibility for the role-play.

The rp will take place in the Kingdom of Renaria which was once great and prosperous, but is now on a political and economical decline. To maintain its alliances and keep itself from a depression Renaria has sold its border territories and has offered fiefs to foreign dignitaries. Due to this many of its own noble houses have succumbed to poverty and hold a grudge towards the royalty. Also due to the lack of gold in the coffers Renaria has disbanded its standing military and reduced the number of guards in its cities. Because of the lack of protection and military presence most towns and wealthy citizens have turned to hiring private security forces and mercenaries.

Renaria was also a prime advocate of peaceful relations between Human, Elf, and Dwarf society. Because of this many cities grew a large population of Non-Human citizens, as well as pure Elf or Dwarf settlements. However without the presence of the military to deter those that would do them harm, many that detest the Non-Human have spoken out against them, sometimes leading to violent riots.

---

If anyone is interested, or if you have suggestions, please let me know.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RolePlayGateway

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Study warns on location data privacy

25 March 2013 Last updated at 07:09 ET By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News

Individuals can be uniquely identified with just four points of location data, a study of mobile phone records shows.

Countless mobile applications make use of location data, and such information is increasingly used to tailor both services for users and advertisements.

But a study in Scientific Reports warns that human mobility patterns are unique identifiers, even when data are scarce.

It presents a formula to describe the trade-off between genuine anonymity and the "resolution" of location data.

The growing ubiquity of mobile phones and smartphone applications has ushered in an era in which tremendous amounts of user data have become available to the companies that operate and distribute them - sometimes released publicly as "anonymised" or aggregated data sets.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

Even if there's no name or email address it can still be personal data, so we need it to be treated accordingly?

End Quote Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye MIT

These data are of extraordinary value to advertisers and service providers, but also for example to those who plan shopping centres, allocate emergency services, and a new generation of social scientists.

Yet the spread and development of "location services" has outpaced the development of a clear understanding of how location data impact users' privacy and anonymity.

For example, sat-nav manufacturers have long been using location data from both mobile phones and sat-navs themselves to improve traffic reporting, by calculating how fast users are moving on a given stretch of road.

The data used in such calculations are "anonymised" - no actual mobile numbers or personal details are associated with the data.

But there are some glaring examples of how nominally anonymous data can be linked back to individuals, the most striking of which occurred with a tranche of data deliberately released by AOL in 2006, outlining 20 million anonymised web searches.

The New York Times did a little sleuthing in the data and was able to determine the identity of "searcher 4417749".

Trace amounts

Recent work has increasingly shown that humans' patterns of movement, however random and unpredictable they seem to be, are actually very limited in scope and can in fact act as a kind of fingerprint for who is doing the moving.

The new work details just how "low-resolution" these location data can be and still act as a unique identifier of individuals.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Catholic University of Louvain studied 15 months' worth of mobile phone records for 1.5 million individuals.

The location of a given mobile phone can be determined from antennas within each "cell" of the network. The team considered these locations as assessed hourly during that time.

They found from the "mobility traces" - the evident paths of each mobile phone - that only four locations and times were enough to identify a particular user.

"In the 1930s, it was shown that you need 12 points to uniquely identify and characterise a fingerprint," said the study's lead author Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye of MIT.

"What we did here is the exact same thing but with mobility traces. The way we move and the behaviour is so unique that four points are enough to identify 95% of people," he told BBC News.

"We think this data is more available than people think. When you think about, for instance wi-fi or any application you start on your phone, we call up the same kind of mobility data.

"When you share information, you look around you and feel like there are lots of people around - in the shopping centre or a tourist place - so you feel this isn't sensitive information."

Privacy formula

The team went on to quantify how "high-resolution" the data need to be - the precision to which a location is known - in order to more fully guarantee privacy.

Co-author Cesar Hidalgo said that the data follow a natural mathematical pattern that could be used as an analytical guide as more location services and high-resolution data become available.

"The idea here is that there is a natural trade-off between the resolution at which you are capturing this information and anonymity, and that this trade-off is just by virtue of resolution and the uniqueness of the pattern," he told BBC News.

"This is really fundamental in the sense that now we're operating at high resolution, the trade-off is how useful the data are and if the data can be anonymised at all. A traffic forecasting service wouldn't work if you had the data within a day; you need that within an hour, within minutes."

Dr Hidalgo notes that additional information would still be needed to connect a mobility trace to an individual, but that users freely give away some of that information through geo-located tweets, location "check-ins" with applications such as Foursquare and so on.

But the authors say their purpose is to provide a mathematical link - a formula applicable to all mobility data - that quantifies the anonymity/utility trade-off, and hope that the work sparks debate about the relative merits of this "Big Data" and individual privacy.

"We really don't think that we should stop collecting or using this data - there's way too much to gain for all of us - companies, scientists, and users," said Mr de Montjoye.

"We've really tried hard to not frame this as a 'Big Brother' situation, as 'we know everything about you'. But we show that even if there's no name or email address it can still be personal data, so we need it to be treated accordingly."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21923360#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Cards' closer Motte likely to start season on DL

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) ? St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte probably will start the season on the disabled because of a mild muscle flexor strain in his pitching arm.

The Cardinals said Saturday that the right-hander had stopped throwing following the results of an MRI a day earlier.

Motte pitched an inning against the New York Mets on Thursday in Port St. Lucie, then told the team his forearm tightened up on the bus ride back to the Cardinals' spring training complex.

"We're certainly going to be as aggressive as we can with the rehab, but in terms of DL, I would say that's likely going to happen," general manager John Mozeliak said.

Motte was 0-0 with one save and a 5.00 ERA in nine innings during spring training.

Setup man Mitchell Boggs will move into the closer's role/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cards-closer-motte-likely-start-season-dl-170603479--mlb.html

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Facebook Hires David Weekly For Platform - Business Insider

Facebook just dropped a love bomb on the app developers who play a crucial role in the social network's health, yet whose relationship with it is often fraught with tension.

The tension reliever's name is David Weekly, who starts work on Monday on the Facebook Platform team. That group runs the tools which allows third-party developers to access the social network for their own apps ? like friends' lists and ?posts on the News Feed ? and oversees Facebook's relationships with those developers.

Weekly is a startup founder who's known for organizing coding festivals and creating Hacker Dojo, a sort of community center for developers in Mountain View, Calif.

A friendly acquire-hire deal

Weekly most recently ran a startup, Gaston Labs, whose main product was Ohana, a service for creating photo newsletters. Ohana is shutting down, and Weekly and a co-founder, Nathan Schmidt, are joining Facebook. (A third co-founder, Tamiko Rast, is not joining Facebook.)

Here's how the Ohana team described it in an email:

In the process of thinking about how best to facilitate sharing we?ended up in discussions with Facebook and we're excited to announce?we're joining Facebook starting Monday the 25th. Consequently, we'll?be winding down the service in the next few weeks.

In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed that it had hired Weekly and Schmidt: "The talent behind Gaston Labs has a long history of building great social products and a passion for working with developers We're excited for them to join Facebook and look forward to seeing what they will accomplish."

Facebook is not acquiring the company.

That makes the deal what's known in Silicon Valley as an "acquire-hire." Those transactions can take many forms but generally happen because a larger company wants to absorb some or all of a startup's employees, with or without buying their company.?

It's a bit of a letdown for fans of what Business Insider named one of the 25 hottest startups in Silicon Valley a year ago, largely on the strength of Weekly and Schmidt's resumes. The pair previously co-founded PBworks, a group-collaboration service.

Weekly, who's known for his self-deprecating wit, posted a Dilbert cartoon on Facebook just last week which made fun of acquire-hire deals. (His thought-provoking essay on why startups are dumb, and that's actually a good thing, is also a must-read.)

Why Facebook needs to restore its romance with developers

How Facebook snapped up Weekly isn't the key question, though: it's what he must do now for the social network.

While Facebook has had several talented executives running its platform efforts, not since Dave Morin, an early Facebook employee who's now CEO of Path, left the company three years ago has it had such a charismatic figure who's likely to be seen by developers as one of their own.

In its early days, the Facebook platform was seen as a level playing field for app developers. Now, many?developers are frustrated by Facebook's ever-changing policies.?

Facebook is blocking services it deems competitive from accessing features like users' lists of friends ? a trend that began with Twitter, back in 2010. More recently, Facebook?cut off a social search service from Russian search engine Yandex; Vine, a video-sharing app from Twitter; and MessageMe, a messaging app.

Facebook has also changed the frequency and prominence with which updates posted by apps appear in users' feeds and profiles. Zynga was hard-hit last year when Facebook altered its algorithms, though other makers of social games managed to ride out the changes. As a result, Zynga is pulling away from Facebook.

And Facebook has even cut back on F8, its quasi-annual conference for developers it launched along with the Facebook platform in 2007. None was held last year, and no date has been announced for a new one. (Facebook has continued to hold smaller events and attend industry events.)

As mobile-device usage grows, app developers have gained more options for distribution. On the desktop, Facebook had no real challenger which could deliver anywhere near the level of user signups and traffic it could to apps that chose its platform. But Apple's App Store and Google Play offer new channels for acquiring users.

Facebook's best hope in mobile is to court developers, pushing mobile-app installations through its App Center, a curated directory of Facebook-linked services, and ads which encourage users to download apps. Indeed, many of Facebook's own events now focus specifically on mobile developers.

Against this backdrop, Weekly has a big challenge. But the gregarious and hyper-connected Weekly seems like the perfect person to win friends for Facebook.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-david-weekly-gaston-labs-platform-2013-3

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Mobile Miscellany: week of March 18th, 2013

If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, a potential listing of T-Mobile's LTE launch markets was leaked, the FCC Chairman gave notice of upcoming spectrum auctions and Sprint issued a teaser for all you Windows Phone fans. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of March 18th, 2013.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/FCbezm-Rqvk/

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Is Fashion-Conscious Design the Future of the Stapler?

Most of the documents we send these days are digital, but when it comes to attaching the physical ones together, there's nothing quite as helpful—and satisfyingly clicky—as a good old-fashioned stapler. The New York Times has whipped up a little ode to the device, in appreciation. And the key to staplers' survival might lay in eye-catching design. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/8p0r1Dzs8tM/is-fashion+conscious-design-the-future-of-the-stapler

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Professional Business Marketing ? Risk control is goal of new Philly ...

?It?s that search for other professionals to share ideas with,? said Graham, who is president of the nonprofit group. ?We all kind of knew each other. We thought it was important to start to get together on a regular basis to start to do some comparative note-taking, some comparative education.?

Eleven of 16 board members represent diverse employers, such as Wawa, Dietz Watson, the auto-parts remanufacturer Cardone Industries, the trucking firm A. Duie Pyle, and the construction companies J.J. White and Danella.

In addition to Crozer, Jefferson Health System, Einstein Healthcare Network, and Temple University Health System are on the board from the region?s hospital sector.

An additional 15 companies have applied to join.

The group?s first public meeting last month at Temple health system?s offices at the former Budd Co. facility in Nicetown was attended by 87 people from 60 employers.

Stephen J. Fireoved, director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers? Compensation, said he spoke about the state?s Workers? Compensation Automated Information System, which is going live Sept. 9.

?Art Boyle, vice president of enterprise risk management at Radian Group Inc., a Philadelphia mortgage insurer, is on the board as an expert in risk management rather than for Radian as an employer.

Boyle said the claims council?s focus was on managing claims rather than overall risk management. For example, developing a program for modified or light-duty work to get injured employees back to work is a way to mitigate cost of claims, Boyle said.

Obesity and the overall fitness of the aging workforce are among the top concerns at the group.

As an obese person, ?you?re more likely to get hurt at work,? Graham said, ?and if you do happen to get hurt, the co-morbidities you have are going to increase the time it takes to recover. Because of that, you are going to have additional costs.?

?

---

Contact Harold Brubaker

at 215-854-4651 or hbrubaker@phillynews.com.

?

Source: http://lowbrowse.org/risk-control-is-goal-of-new-philly-business-group-2.html

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Harvard upsets New Mexico 68-62 in NCAA tourney

Harvard players celebrate on the bench after beating New Mexico during a second round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. Harvard beat New Mexico 68-62. (AP Photo/George Frey)

Harvard players celebrate on the bench after beating New Mexico during a second round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. Harvard beat New Mexico 68-62. (AP Photo/George Frey)

Harvard's Siyani Chambers (1) celebrates with teammate Christian Webster, right, after defeating New Mexico 68-62 during a second-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Harvard's Wesley Saunders (23) drives around New Mexico's Tony Snell (21) in the first half during a second-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City, Thursday, March 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

New Mexico players react on the bench as they were losing to Harvard in the second half during a second round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. Harvard beat New Mexico 68-62. (AP Photo/George Frey)

New Mexico's Alex Kirk, right, tries to block the shot of Harvard's Wesley Saunders in the first half during a second-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City, Thursday, March 21, 2013. (AP Photo/George Frey)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) ? Give those Harvard kids an A-plus in another subject: Bracketbusting 101.

The school known for producing U.S. presidents, Supreme Court justices and Nobel Prize winners earned its first NCAA tournament victory Thursday night ? a 68-62 upset of No. 3 seed New Mexico ? and it didn't feel like a fluke.

Wesley Saunders scored 18 points and Laurent Rivard made five 3-pointers to help the 14th-seeded Crimson pull the biggest surprise of March Madness so far.

Reaction came quickly, and from various corners.

"America, we are sorry for messing up your brackets and also your financial system and everything else," tweeted the jokesters at the Harvard Lampoon.

And this from Harvard's most famous hoops alum, Jeremy Lin: "YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!! HARVARD winssss!!! hahahahhah i told you," he tweeted shortly after the victory.

Everybody ready for Crimsonsanity?

Next up for Harvard (20-9), a meeting with sixth-seeded Arizona, which beat Belmont 81-64 earlier in the West Region.

"This is the No. 1 moment in my career," said Harvard senior Christian Webster, who finished with 11 points. "The thought came to mind that this could be the last game. We showed a lot of toughness, just persevering."

Indeed.

The Ivy Leaguers put the clamps down on New Mexico's Tony Snell, holding him to nine points on 4-for-12 shooting after he dominated in the Mountain West Conference tournament. They banged inside with Lobos big men Cameron Bairstow and Alex Kirk, whose 22 points provided New Mexico's only consistent offense.

Mostly, they showed none of the jitters that marked their trip to the tournament last year, a 79-70 loss to Vanderbilt in the Crimson's first NCAA appearance since 1946.

Rivard went 6 of 7 from 3 in that one ? played on New Mexico's home court in The Pit ? and was clearly pumped for an encore against the Lobos themselves. He was 5 of 9 this time, with three of them coming in the first half, while Harvard was holding a small lead and, more importantly, answering every surge the Lobos (29-6) could muster. Rivard finished with 17 points.

"I hit my first one, and you know, you hit the shot and then you keep shooting after that, and then I hit another one, so I knew it was going to be a good game after that," Rivard said.

Coach Tommy Amaker called Rivard the best 3-point shooter in Boston this side of former Celtic Ray Allen.

Webster can also shoot the 3. He was more of a role player last year, but jumped to the fore in 2013; he made three 3s and gestured after each one of them, even pointing to his forehead after swishing one from the corner in the first half.

Yep, these smart kids really can play.

"We battled a really good basketball team in a tough environment," Amaker said. "I'm very proud of our guys."

Amaker outcoached his contemporary, Steve Alford, exacting revenge of sorts for the time Alford's Indiana team beat Amaker and Duke back in the 1987 regional semifinals.

"I've got all the respect in the world for Tommy. He does it the right way," Alford said. "His staff was very well prepared. They had a good game plan and they executed it well."

Based on their regular-season and conference tournament victories, the Lobos were a popular pick to head to the Final Four this season. The school even gave Alford a new, 10-year contract Wednesday that called for a $125,000 bonus for a Final Four trip.

They'll save the money but feel the pain.

The Mountain West Conference, judged one of the top two leagues in college basketball all season, fell to 1-3 so far this week.

Meanwhile, the Ivy League moves on for the first time since Cornell made the regional semifinals in 2010. This year's standard-bearer is Harvard ? that school we've all heard of, but not usually this time of year.

Still, this season's Harvard story is not all about the warm-and-fuzzies.

The team lost its two co-captains before the season began because of an academic scandal that involved more than 100 students.

Amaker, who had plenty of experience in rebuilding projects when he coached a Michigan team recovering from NCAA violations, didn't wave the white flag. He simply asked his team for more.

In stepped freshman point guard Siyani Chambers, who played like a veteran. He wasn't great against the Lobos, finishing with five points and seven assists, but he kept his team under control, poised and found open players.

The Crimson shot 52 percent for the game ? that's almost 15 percent better than New Mexico's stingy defense normally allows. New Mexico, meanwhile, shot only 37 percent.

"We can't shoot for them," Alford said. "We've had games like that, several games where we haven't shot the ball well. It's a glaring weakness on this basketball team."

It allowed Harvard to take a lead for good with about 6 minutes left. When Kenyatta Smith made an 8-foot, left-handed shot to put the Crimson up 59-53 with 4:40 left, Alford called timeout and Amaker ran onto the court to calm his kids down.

They acted like they belonged down the stretch, making five free throws and hanging onto the ball. The buzzer sounded and they stormed the court like any 14 would after beating a 3. But just as quickly, it was over.

"We mentioned to our kids coming into the tournament, we talked about how meaningful this season has been, how they adjusted and adapted and believed," Amaker said. "This adds to that."

Associated Press

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