Liberty Newspost Mar-18-2012

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- 18/03/12

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Gunmen kill American teacher in Yemen
(USATODAY.com Feed)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:39:26 PM

SANAA, Yemen (AP) – Two gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead early Sunday an American teacher working at a language institute in a central Yemeni city, the region's provincial governor said. By Anees Mayhoub, AP Yemenis gather around a damaged vehicle purported to belong to an American teacher shot by gunmen Sunday in Taiz. Hamoud al-Sufi said the teacher was shot in his car in Taez city. He did not have details on who the killers might be, and said an investigation is ongoing. More than 2,000 people have been killed in a year of political turmoil that led to the resignation of Yemen's longtime president, the government disclosed Sunday. The figure is much higher than human rights groups estimated. The government released its first casualty figures on a day when crowds of protesters were marking one year since a particularly bloody day, when dozens were killed.

Yemen's Ministry of Human Rights said the figure of at least 2,000 includes both unarmed protesters and military defectors, as well as more than 120 children. It said 22,000 people were wounded over the past year. The London-based human rights group Amnesty International estimated earlier this year that 200 protesters had been killed in the uprising. The government of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who stepped down as president last month after more than three decades in power, never released casualty figures. For nearly a year, armed men in plain clothes loyal to Saleh attacked anti-government protesters, while security forces did little to stop them. Yemenis protested across the country on Sunday to mark the killing of more than 50 protesters last year by snipers loyal to the former regime. Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets in at least 18 provinces to demand that Saleh be tried for the deaths of protesters killed a year ago on "Friday of Dignity," when snipers

fired from rooftops at protesters in Sanaa's Change Square. As part of an internationally backed deal, Saleh was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for handing over powers to his vice president. Saleh's successor, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, visited Sanaa's Change Square on Sunday and prayed at a cemetery where protesters were buried. He told youth demonstrators that he would fulfill the goals of their movement and decreed that families who lost relatives in the uprising would be given a monthly stipend. The internal turmoil has led to a collapse of security in many parts of Yemen. The head of security in Taiz, Ali Saidi, said the slain American, identified as Joel Wesley, was killed in his car when the assailants sped up next to him and opened fire. Wesley worked for two years at the Swiss Language Institute, financed by the International Training and Development Center. The center, established in Yemen in the 1970s, is one of the oldest foreign

language institutes in the impoverished Arab country. Further south, security officials said a naval bombardment on Sunday killed more than 16 alQaeda fighters in Aden's provincial capital of Zinjibar. Militants affiliated with al-Qaeda have taken advantage of the chaos in Yemen to seize control of cities and town in that area. In another attack Sunday, medical officials said an aerial assault killed at least eight militants in Jaar, just north of Zinjibar. Both cities have been under al-Qaeda control since last spring. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information. Residents said a civilian was wounded when an airstrike hit a post office used as a hospital in Jaar. The city's main hospital was destroyed in a government bombardment last year. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For more information about reprints &

permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to [email protected]. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com. USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Alternate juror disagrees with Rutgers spycam verdict
(USATODAY.com Feed)

IMF Calls for China Reforms Wall Street Journal
(china - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:47:21 AM

As an alternate, the Woodbridge Township resident heard all the Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:17:36 PM testimony but did not participate NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) – in deliberations. The jury, which An alternate juror in the trial of a returned its verdict Friday, was former Rutgers University student unanimous in finding Ravi guilty convicted in a webcam spying of all 15 charges, including episode that ended in his gay invasion of privacy and anti-gay roommate's suicide said he intimidation. disagrees with the verdict. Ravi wasn't charged with causing • By Mel Evans, AP Dharun or contributing to his roommate's Ravi, left, is helped by his father, d e a t h . C l e m e n t i c o m m i t t e d Ravi Pazhani, right, as they leave suicide by jumping off the George court Friday in New Brunswick, Washington Bridge days after his N.J. intimate encounter with the other man. The case stirred a national By Mel Evans, AP conversation about anti-gay Dharun Ravi, left, is helped by bullying and teen suicide and his father, Ravi Pazhani, right, as i l l u s t r a t e d t h e d a n g e r s o f they leave court Friday in New technology in the hands of people Brunswick, N.J. who have grown up with the likes James Downey told The Record of Twitter and Facebook. newspaper on Saturday that he "Whatever (Ravi) did was stupid, wouldn't have voted to convict but I don't think he ever had any Dharun Ravi on any charges i n t e n t i o n o f i n t i m i d a t i n g related to allegations that his (Clementi)," Downey said. "I actions were motivated by anti- think that scenario could have gay bias. happened 100 different ways, Prosecutors said Ravi set up his w h e t h e r h e h a d a s t r a i g h t webcam in his dorm room and roommate who had a girlfriend watched Tyler Clementi kissing over … there are 100 scenarios another man on Sept. 19, 2010, where he could have been goofing t h e n t w e e t e d a b o u t i t a n d around and turning the camera on excitedly tried to catch Clementi and it had nothing to do with in the act again two days later. A somebody being gay." half dozen students were believed Downey said he was "kind of up to have seen the live video of the in the air" on the other charges, kissing; no video was taken the saying he likely would have voted second time. to convict Ravi on charges of

Ravi's lawyers have vowed to appeal the verdict. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To hindering apprehension and r e p o r t c o r r e c t i o n s a n d tampering with witnesses and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For evidence. Downey said he wasn't upset publication consideration in the about being named an alternate newspaper, send comments to juror at the close of Ravi's trial [email protected]. Include because deliberating the case name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our would have been difficult. go to "The fact that I was picked as an c o r r e c t i o n s , alternate was almost relieving to corrections.usatoday.com. USA me, especially considering the TODAY is now using Facebook verdict they came back with," he Comments on our stories and blog said. "I don't really want to carry posts to provide an enhanced user t h a t a r o u n d a s f a r a s t h e experience. To post a comment, r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f s e n d i n g log into Facebook and then "Add" somebody, especially a young your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper man, to prison." Ravi could face five to 10 years right corner of the comment box. in prison on the bias intimidation To find out more, read the FAQ charges alone when he's sentenced and Conversation Guidelines. May 21 and could be deported to This entry passed through the his native India even though he Full-Text RSS service — if this is has lived legally in the U.S. since your content and you're reading it he was little. Several months ago, on someone else's site, please read Ravi and his lawyers rejected a the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentplea bargain that would have only/faq.php#publishers. Five spared him from prison, and Filters recommends: Donate to prosecutors would have helped Wikileaks. him avoid deportation.

Moneycontrol.com IMF Calls for China Reforms Wall Street Journal By AARON BACK And W I L L I A M K A Z E R BEIJING—International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said Sunday that weak global economic conditions have put more focus on the need for China to fundamentally change its growth model. IMF Chief Urges More Global Reforms, Praises China's Business Voice of America China yuan could be reserve currency with reform: IMF Reuters IMF'S Lagarde Encourages China Financial Reform Including Yuan Bloomberg Wall Street Journal (India) all 994 news articles » [unable to retrieve full-text content] [unable to retrieve full-text content] [unable to retrieve full-text content]

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3

Obama team plays defense Militia and Gaddafi loyalists clash on gas prices
(USATODAY.com Feed)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 10:02:00 AM

David Axelrod, one of President Obama's top political strategists, found himself fielding Republican attacks Sunday on the campaign issue of the day: high gas prices. Attacks such as Newt Gingrich's claim that his plan would get pump prices down to $2.50 per gallon. "That's not oil talk -- that's snake oil talk," Axelrod said on CBS' Face the Nation. And how about Mitt Romney's claim that Obama wants high gas prices in order to promote his alternative energy plans? "Nonsense," Axelrod said. Instead, Axelrod promoted Obama's comprehensive plan for fuel-efficiency standards, alternative energy sources and increased domestic oil and gas

noticed that gas prices will be a long-term campaign issue, and that Obama is at fault: When he ran for office, he said he wanted to see gasoline price go up. He said that energy prices would skyrocket under his views, and he has selected three people to help him implement that program. The secretary of Energy, production in order to stabilize the secretary of Interior and EPA administrator. gas prices for the long run. "We need an all-of-the-above And this gas hike trio has been strategy so we can break this doing the job over the last three dependence on foreign oil," and a half years, and gas prices are up. Axelrod said. With his approval ratings falling This entry passed through the in the face of higher gas prices, Full-Text RSS service — if this is Obama has spoken frequently of your content and you're reading it energy policy in recent weeks. He on someone else's site, please read will promote his strategy again the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentduring a two-day. four-state swing only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to later this week. Meanwhile, Romney, appearing Wikileaks. on Fox News Sunday, served

outside Tripoli
RT (News RSS : Today)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 9:38:00 AM

Seductively Stranded Shoots - The Calypso Heart Photo Series Stars Cast Away Marianne Fonseca (TrendHunter.com)
(TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends)

looked as good as it does in the Calypso Heart photo series. First of all, model Marianne Fonseca is Submitted at 3/18/2012 7:23:10 AM far from ravaged by whatever ( T r e n d H u n t e r . c o m ) B e i n g shipwreck landed her in this... stranded on a desert island never

On Friday, the cradle of the antiGaddafi uprising, Benghazi, witnessed clashes between proStill frame from a video uploaded federalism supporters and its to Twitter by user Libynprincess o p p o n e n t s . H u n d r e d s featuring clashes in Abu Salim on demonstrated in favor of splitting March 18, 2012 the country into three selfAt least one person was killed governing regions, which sparked outside Tripoli in a fight between fury with the supporters of the a powerful militia group from ruling National Transitional Zintan and local residents loyal to Council. Conflicting reports slain leader Muammar Gaddafi, suggest at least one person was reports the Associated Press. killed in the clashes, as the sides -The two sides are continuing to took up guns, knives and rocks exchange automatic rifle fire in against each other. the Tripoli neighborhood of Abu The new wave of protests comes Salim, a pro-Gaddafi stronghold, after Cyrenaica, the eastern region says Zintan militia commander of Libya, elected a regional Mohammed el-Rebay. The one congress and declared semiperson reported dead was a autonomy from the capital of member of his group. Tripoli on March 6. This The well-equipped fighters from prompted concerns the country Zintan, a province in Libya’s might break up. western mountains, took over a This entry passed through the school in the capital and turned it Full-Text RSS service — if this is into a military base after Tripoli your content and you're reading it fell in August 2011. The Zintan on someone else's site, please read m i l i t i a r e m a i n s o n e o f t h e the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentn u m e r o u s L i b y a n g r o u p s only/faq.php#publishers. Five operating outside of the new Filters recommends: Donate to government’s control. Wikileaks. Post-revolutionary Libya is still striving for peace.

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Romney, Santorum trade jabs ahead of Illinois Republican primary - Chicago Tribune
(Top Stories - Google News)

economy by reading about it… I learned about the economy by Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:17:02 PM living in it." M O L I N E - - R e p u b l i c a n Romney then leveled a similar p r e s i d e n t i a l c a n d i d a t e M i t t charge against rival Republican R o m n e y b e g a n a S u n d a y candidate Rick Santorum. campaign blitz by criticizing "Sen. Santorum I think has the President Barack Obama for s a m e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a s t h e administration policies that he p r e s i d e n t i n t e r m s o f h i s said boosted gas prices and said background," Romney said. "He he backed more drilling for spent his life in government. domestic oil and the Keystone Nothing wrong with that. But pipeline. right now we need somebody who Before taking the stage at a u n d e r s t a n d s t h e e c o n o m y pancake breakfast at the American f u n d a m e n t a l l y . Legion Post 246 in Moline, "Where this country needs to go Romney shook hands and signed and where it's headed now could autographs as he greeted a crowd not be more different," Romney of more than 200 people. said. "This president is Romney placed the blame for comfortable with trillion dollar rising gas prices on Obama, deficits. That will put us on a road saying the president has opposed to becoming Greece. And no one's drilling in the Gulf and failed to big enough to pull us out. If I am extend the Canadian pipeline. president, I will cut spending, I Romney said Obama appointed will cap federal spending as a cabinet members who were percentage of the economy and I complicit. He called Secretary of will finally balance the U.S. Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of budget. the Interior Ken Salazar and "I understand the economy. I want Environmental Protection Agency to go to work to make sure we get Administrator Lisa Jackson "the energy prices where they are gas hike trio." affordable. Where people can He said Obama has no plan to have rising incomes again. I want rescue the economy, saying the to go to work getting people back president "learned about the to work," he said.

Appearing onABC's"This Week,"Santorum rebutted Romney attacks that accused the former senator of being an "economic lightweight." "If Mitt Romney’s an economic heavyweight, we're in trouble," Santorum said, citing Romney's tenure as governor. And he attacked Romney's economicoriented message to Illinois voters. "For Mitt Romney to say he's the economic heavyweight — this is a man who doesn't understand conservative principles. Conservatives don't go out there and say, 'I'm going to create jobs and I'm going to change the economy, I'm going to manage the economy. Just the opposite. What we believe in is getting government out of the way, creating opportunity and let the private sector do these things," said Santorum, who was campaigning Sunday in Louisiana, which holds its primary Saturday. "This is Mitt Romney again, you know, the CEO trying to go in and manage something," he said. "We don't need a manager." Also appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," Santorum said

Romney's failure to sew up the nomination reflects a weakness in the former Massachusetts governor's ability to govern. "The real question you should ask … is Gov. Romney, why with tens and hundreds of millions of dollars hasn't he been able to do anything to get this nomination even close to cemented away," Santorum said on CNN'."When you have this amount of resources and this amount of advantage, you can't manage and deliver the main and win this nomination, that shows a real weakness in his ability to be able to govern," the former Pennsylvania senator said. Santorum, who is returning to Illinois to campaign on the eve of the state's Tuesday primary, said the failure to file delegate slates in four of the state's 18 congressional districts did not reflect a personal failure in his management skills. "We had to use volunteer efforts in some states where they required a lot of petition signatures and you know what? We did an amazing job with — except for the small handful of states where we came up a little short in some delegates. Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep.

Ron Paul filed full slates of delegates, totaling 54, that will be elected by Illinois voters on Tuesday. Santorum filed only 44 delegate candidates. Not predicting victory in Illinois, Santorum said on ABC that despite more than $3 million spent by Romney and his super political action committee in the state, "we're hanging in there, we're fighting, we're climbing, because we have got the best message, the best contrast with President Obama and the best vision for our country." Santorum and his Super PAC have spent about $500,000 in Illinois. [email protected] and [email protected] Twitter:@ChicagoBreaking This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Afghan massacre suspect recalled as 'solid' soldier - New York Daily News
Janon Fisher (Top Stories Google News)

N. Korea Rejects Rocket Launch Criticism as China Cautions Ally BusinessWeek
(china - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:39:50 AM

Capt. Chris Alexander, who served with Bales for 15 months in Iraq, remembered him as a Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:11:38 PM “very solid” soldier. The American soldier suspected Alexander recalled how Bales o f s l a u g h t e r i n g 1 6 A f g h a n shot a man in Mosul, Iraq who c i v i l i a n s l a s t w e e k w a s a was aiming a rocket-propelled battlefield hero but had struggled grenade at his platoon’s vehicle. recently with life in the states, “There’s no doubt he saved lives according to records and people that day,” Alexander said. he served with. The massacre in Afghanistan is Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 38, who “100 per cent out of character for sits in solitary confinement in a him,” he said. maximum security prison in But back in the Tacoma, Wash., Leavenworth, Kan., is expected to base where Bales’s 3rd Stryker be charged in the massacre this Brigade was stationed, he had run week. into difficulties. He is believed to have sneaked In October 2009, the 11-year vet off the small base in Kandahar flipped his car in the Tacoma where he was stationed after a suburb of Sumner. Witnesses night of drinking March 11 and reported seeing a man with a shot nine children and seven shaved head in military uniform adults. Eleven of the victims were fleeing into the woods, according from the same family, according to court records. to military officials. When police found Bales later, The killing spree has badly huddled in the woods, he said that strained U.S.-Afghan relations he had fallen asleep at the wheel. a n d u p e n d e d t h e A m e r i c a n He paid $1,000 in fines and the mission there. case was dismissed. It is unclear if

alcohol was involved. Bales, a married father of two young children, tried to put down roots twice near Joint Base LewisMcChord in Washington. But two years ago, the family abandoned a house they owned in Auburn, said local homeowners association president Bob Baggett. “They were not dependable. When they left there were vehicle parts left on the front yard ... We’d given up on the owner,” Baggett said. The Bales were also struggling to make payments on the Tapps Lake home where they currently live. His wife, Karilyn, put the house up for sale a few days after the killings, real estate agent Philip Rodocker said. “She told him she was behind in our payments,” he told The New York Times. “She said he was on his fourth tour and it was getting kind of old and they needed to stabilize their finances.”

In Norwood, Ohio, where Robert Bales grew up as the youngest of five boys, folks thought of him as “a local hero.” “This is some crazy stuff if it’s true,” said Steve Berling, a former high school chum. “I remember him going back and forth on something like talking about the details of the Battle of Bunker Hill. He knew the history of all the wars.” After high school, Bales studied business at Ohio State University, but dropped out after three years, Berling said. News Wire Services This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Bloomberg N. Korea Rejects Rocket Launch Criticism as China Cautions Ally BusinessWeek By Andy Sharp on March 18, 2012 North Korea rejected international criticism of its planned satellite launch next month as China cautioned its ally in the first sign of tension since Kim Jong Un succeeded his father as head of the totalitarian state. China Presses N. Korea on Rocket Launch as Japan Weighs Options Bloomberg China exerts rare public pressure on North Korea over missile plan Reuters China voices concern to North Korean ambassador over planned long-range rocket... Washington Post all 2,715 news articles »

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Romney: Fire Obama's 'gas hike trio' - CBS News
(Top Stories - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:17:02 PM

Critical review: Documentary sparks protest and arrests in Moscow (PHOTOS)
RT (News RSS : Today)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 10:41:00 AM

(CBS News) COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - Mitt Romney is calling on President Obama to fire his administration's "gas hike trio," three top Cabinet members whom Romney accuses of being hired to help "skyrocket" gasoline prices. Obama has mocked the idea that he wants gas prices to rise, saying at a news conference earlier this month: "Do you think the president of the United States, going into re-election, wants higher gas prices?" But Romney said on Saturday that Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson were intended to help implement then-candidate Obama's strategy to make "energy prices go up a lot." But now that "the president has endured what we might call an election-year conversion" and wants to lower energy costs, Romney continued at a town hall meeting here, "I think it's time for him to fire his gas-hike trio." Another option, the former Massachusetts governor

suggested, is for the three officials to quit. "They really ought to turn in their resignations," he told the crowd of over 300 at the Gateway Center. "They were hired to raise the cost of gasoline, now the president says he wants to lower it. Given that's the new direction, their expertise is not in lowering the price of gasoline; their expertise is in raising it. So if I were them I'd simply turn in my resignation. That's what they should do, and if they don't he should fire them." The attack signals a choice by Romney to go after what could be an enormous liability for Obama in the general election: pain at the pump. But heading into Tuesday's GOP primary in Illinois, which could play kingmaker following a messy election season marked by an increasingly split delegate count, Romney also set his sights on reassuring a Republican base wondering why he can't lock up the nomination. "There are four people running for president in our party right now," Romney said. "I will support whoever our nominee is. I happen to believe I'm the guy with by far the best chance of beating [Obama]. And you know, we got

behind John McCain last time -he lost 19 states in the primary process. But when the process was over, we got behind him, we worked for him, the various candidates did, we helped his effort, the party came together." Taking questions from the crowd, Romney faced one critic eager to swipe at his Achilles heel. Asked about having "$50 million invested in Goldman Sachs," Romney argued that he didn't have investments "anywhere near the nature you're speaking of." "And I can assure you, I am not in this race to make money; I've already made enough," he continued. "I've worked for the last 10 years ? without taking a salary. I'm not embarrassed about being successful, but I'm embarrassed for people who think there's something wrong with that." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

About 100 protesters were detained in an unsanctioned rally outside the Ostankino television and radio tower in Moscow Sunday. The protest was a response to a controversial documentary shown on the state news channel NTV. -“Protests Anatomy” tells the story of the demonstrators who have been taking to the streets of central Moscow to demand a rerun of last December’s parliamentary elections. The makers of the documentary criticized the protesters’ motives and funding, claiming some of them were only doing it for the money. The Opposition was outraged and hundreds gathered to express their anger outside the channel’s HQ. The police called on the demonstrators disperse, but the protesters remained firm and

continued shouting. Opposition leaders Boris Nemtsov and Sergey Udaltsov were among the first to be arrested. Both were released later same day. Three TV sets displaying slogans against the TV station were placed in front of the Ostankino tower. Protesters also brought a cardboard coffin that said“we will not forget.” The film jokingly said the demonstrators were out on the streets for the cookies, as they were being fed during the rallies. This time around, the protesters brought snacks to the NTV headquarters to“repay the debt.” This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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The 10 Most Popular Stories Of The Week
Dan Asadorian (Fast Company)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 9:56:23 AM

Catch up on the stories people were clicking, reading, sharing, tweeting, Facebooking, pinning, and more--from the Fast Company network. This week’s top 10 features some valuable advice on how to choose a job, and how to leave it later. Fast Company readers also went crazy for beautiful pictures, slide shows, and design this week. This is without a doubt our most visually stunning top 10 yet. Enjoy. 1. 8 Reasons To Choose A Startup Over A Corporate Job Fast Company Kerrin Sheldon outlines why choosing a startup might be better for your career and personal development. 2. Netflix Deal Reveals Apple’s Secret Sauce: iTunes Pay Channel Fast Company Kit Eaton digs deeper into the Netflix and iTunes partnership to unearth Apple’s payment revolution plans. 3. 9 Of The World’s Most Inspiring Infographics Co.Design Suzanne Labarre has compiled a veritable feast for the eyes. Enjoy. 4. Khan Academy Enters Next

8. A First Look At The High Line’s Incredible Final Phase Co.Design Suzanne Labarre gives us a glimpse into some of the fantastic design and landscape features of the final High Line phase. 9. Why Ditching The Office Could Help You Be More Creative Co.Exist Ariel Schwartz makes the case for breaking out of your cubicle. Your boss might even thank you. Era With iPad App Fast Company 10. Star Wars Portraits Ask, Khan Academy enters the iPad “What Forces Shape You?” world with a powerful new app. Co.Create Check it out to see how Khan is Check out some of the coolest innovating online education. and most outrageous Star Wars art 5. Quitting Is The New Mission around. No Jar Jar Binks. I Statement Fast Company promise. Nidhi Subbaraman presents the Video Of The Week: Why Email most intriguing quitters, both real Sabbaticals Are An Essential Part and imagined. Of danah boyd’s Work Flow. Fast 6. How To Quit Your Job Company Gracefully (If You’re Not Greg Amber Mac’s interview with Smith). Co.Design danah boyd was the most watched Amber Mac outlines how not to video this week. Check it out for leave your job. Keep it classy some email strategy/psychology. New York. Catch up on other stories and 7. With New Tool, Visual.ly never miss a beat by signing up Wants To Replace PowerPoint for Fast Company daily and With Infographics. Co.Design weekly newsletters. With the rise in infographic Read more selections from our popularity, Visual.ly aims to make Weekly 10 series. beautiful data representations accessible to all.

Total Nears China Shale Gas Deal Wall Street Journal
(china - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:37:46 PM

TheStreet.com Total Nears China Shale Gas Deal Wall Street Journal By SIMON HALL BEIJING—French oil major Total SA is in talks with state-owned Sinopec Group on a joint venture to jointly explore for and produce

shale gas in China, the company's chief executive said Sunday. "We were waiting for those announcement…we... WSJ UPDATE: Total And China Reach Shale-Gas And Refining Deals Fox Business Chinese authorities take 2 pct Total stake -WSJ Reuters Africa all 10 news articles »

Viola president sorry for five-goal loss - Fifa.com
(Andrea Rossi - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 8:37:04 AM

Goal.com India Viola president sorry for fivegoal loss Fifa.com Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle has apologised to the club's fans following yesterday's humiliating defeat to Juventus. La

Viola conceded five goals for the first time this season as they suffered a 5-0 loss in the Serie A clash in Florence. Fiorentina 'apologise' to fans Football Italia Fiorentina Vs. Juventus, 2012 Serie A: Old Lady Cruises Past Disastrous Viola SB Nation all 9 news articles »

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Loko deliver Hiddink first Russian loss
RT (News RSS : Today)

be better to assist rather than finish. On the 73rd minute, Roman Lokomotiv Moscow's Denis Pavlyuchenko avoided contact Glushakov (L) scores a goal with Caicedo’s pass, which against Anzhi Makhachkala's allowed Lokomotiv’s captain goaltender Vladimir Gabulov on Denis Glushakov to get the ball in Matchday 35 of the Russian the perfect position and score, 1Football Premier League. (RIA 0. Novosti / Anton Denisov) Anzhi played the last minutes of Lokomotiv Moscow have topped the match with three strikers as visiting Anzhi 1-0 to see H i d d i n k s e n t A l e k s a n d r Makhachkala’s star-coach, Guus Prudnikov and Jan Holenda to Hiddink, beaten for the first time help Samuel Eto’o, but there in the Russian Premier League. efforts weren’t enough to even - Lokomotiv Moscow 1-0 Anzhi salvage a draw. Makhachkala Three points earned at home Both sides were very active in h e l p e d L o k o m o t i v l e a p f r o g front of the opposition’s goals, but Dynamo into the third place in the it were Lokomotiv, who created R u s s i a n P r e m i e r L e a g u e more danger. standings. In the first half, Felipe Caicedo In his three games with Anzhi, had a great chance to give his Hiddink has got a win, a draw and team the lead, but failed to beat a loss, with all of his rivals being A n z h i ’ s k e e p e r , V l a d i m i r strong Moscow sides. Gabulov, missing the rebound. Kuban Krasnodar 1-0 Rubin After the break, the Ecuadorian’s Kazan effort rocked the crossbar, which One strike also separated the probably made him think it would sides in the other Group A game
Submitted at 3/18/2012 10:17:27 AM

on the night. Kuban’s newboy, Marcos Pizzelli, marked his debut for the club with a winning goal. It came three minutes before the break when the Armenian international slotted home after Lacian Traore won the ball for him, 1-0. The game was really tense and nearly turned into a brawl in the second half, but the ref managed to calm the players down by showing yellow cards to Alan Kasaev of Rubin and Kuban’s Zelao. In Group B, Amkar Perm and FC Tom were unable to find the winner in their all-Siberian derby, 0-0. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Cagliari shows no mercy on lowly Cesena - FOXSports.com
(Andrea Rossi - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 10:14:34 AM

FOXSports.com Cagliari shows no mercy on lowly Cesena FOXSports.com Pinilla opened the scoring in the 14th minute and added two more from the penalty spot as Cesena fell apart, losing both Giuseppe

Colucci and Marco Rossi to red cards in the second half. The win lifts the Sardinians into mid-table, leaving Cesena 14... Serie A Round 28 Results: Pinilla hat-trick for Cagliari puts Cesena on the... Goal.com India HT: Pinilla pummels Cesena Football Italia all 15 news articles »

Housing boom coming, says Key New Zealand Herald
(housing - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:04:25 PM

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Newstalk ZB Housing boom coming, says Key New Zealand Herald New Zealand's housing market is set to take off again, particularly in Auckland, as slow planning processes, lack of development finance and internal migration

forces up rents and prices, Prime Minister John Key said this morning. Auckland Council needs to ensure more low-cost housing is built, English says... Interest.co.nz English: Another housing boom unlikely Newstalk ZB all 5 news articles »

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Relax And Rejuvenate At One Of Europe's Best Medical Spas
Jo Foley (Business Insider)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:52:17 PM

Schloss Elmau Luxury Spa & Cultural Hideaway in Elmau, This post originally appeared at Germany Departures. Just a 90-minute drive from While the world traveled to Asia Munich and in the shadow of the and the States for pampering and Zugspitze, Germany’s highest well-being, European spas, once mountain, lies this Bavarian in the forefront of medical and hideaway, where the mind is as wellness resorts, fell out of favor important as the body. It is where and out of fashion. Their old-style hiking, biking, skiing, golf and charm looked shabby, and they yoga meet concerts, lectures, were being kept alive by the books and the body beautiful. It infirm and elderly on health has four spas (including one for insurance packages. families), two libraries, a concert Then a few years ago something hall, six restaurants—one with a stirred in the surrounding mineral- Michelin star—and the largest rich waters and muds that were hotel bookshop in the world. Take still in situ, and the resorts were tai chi classes or attend any of the given the facelift they required for 200 musical and literary events the 21st century. held all year long. Add to this all the best new Signature Treatments: The r e s e a r c h a n d i m p r o v e d Schloss Elmau Special Blend is a techniques, and the guests began massage using warm oil, hot to return. While Switzerland was stones and techniques from always the attraction, Italy Hawaii to Thailand. The antibecame the more adventurous, burnout package is conducted showcasing and embracing the under the supervision of an new. The country now is awash experienced general practitioner. with state-of-the-art spas, three of Who Goes: The cognoscenti from which are featured here. Munich, families on walking More from Departures: holidays, music lovers. Cost: Rooms start at $345, which • World's Best Designed Spas includes use of all four spas and • In Search of Thailand's Best tickets to concerts and lectures. Spa Resorts Elmau, Oberbayern; 49-88/23• New Trends in Plastic Surgery 180; schloss-elmau.de. • Top Yoga Retreats Source: Departures • 10 Stunning Hotel Penthouses Viva Mayr and F.X. Mayr &

More in Lake Wörth Austria These two clinics are independently run and within a couple miles of each other on the lakeside in southern Austria, near Klagenfurt. Both are serious detox centers based on the teachings of Franz Xaver Mayr, M.D., which concentrates on the digestive system—if the gut is healthy, so is the body. Each day begins with a dose of Epsom salts, and meals are a mix of dry rusks, broth and little else. Every mouthful must be chewed a minimum of 40 times. F.X. Mayr & More was established in 1976, while Viva opened in May 2005. The former is an old-style Austrian chalet, the latter modern with concrete and

glass; neither is beautiful, but both have their devotees who return each year. Signature Treatments: At both, it is the detox with a recommended stay of seven days. Viva Mayr is also now offering a burnout recovery program. Who Goes: At F.X. Mayr & More, you will find well-heeled Austrians and aristocratic English ladies of a certain age. At Viva Mayr, there are bankers, fund managers, entrepreneurs—mostly English and Austrian with a few Russians thrown into the mix. Cost: A seven-day package at F.X. Mayr & More starts at $1,150, including consultations. A seven-day, all-inclusive package

with consultations at Viva Mayr starts at $3,435. 11 Seepromenade, Maria Wörth; 4342/733-1117; viva-mayr.com. 2 Golfstrasse, Maria WörthDellach; 43-42/732-5110; mayrandmore.com. Source: Departures LeFay Resort & Spa in Lake Garda, Italy With spectacular views over Lake Garda, surrounded by olive and lemon groves on 27 acres of parkland, this ecoresort is where classical Chinese medicine meets the best of modern Western research. Not only does Lefay offer the usual spa treatments, it also has five types of saunas, a terrific saltwater lake for flotation therapies and a stunning swimming pool overlooking Lake Garda. The grounds also feature a running circuit, a choice of wellness paths and therapeutic gardens, where guests can go to meditate. And while many wraps, massages and facials are available, the spa excels at traditional Chinese medicine therapies, like tuina acupuncture, which involves massaging acupuncture points instead of using needles, and moxibustion, in which heat is applied to energy pathways to boost the effects of a massage. And, of course, the two RELAX page 11

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Curated News Edition

11 Of The Best Customer Service Stories Ever
Stacy Conradt (Business Insider)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:37:00 PM

This post originally appeared at Mental_Floss. When someone wants to tell you a story about a recent customer experience, it usually tends to be more Tales from the Crypt than Happily Ever After. But that’s not to say good service isn’t out there. Here are 11 companies that will restore your faith – at least temporarily. More from mental_floss… • How Mister Rogers Saved the VCR • 10 Facebook Status Updates Gone Horribly Wrong • 6 People Who Tweeted Themselves Out of a Job • Indiana Once Tried to Change Pi to 3.2 • 22 Fictional Characters Whose Names You Don’t Know 1. Morton’s Steakhouse In August, author and business consultant Peter Shankman was getting ready to board a flight that was the last leg of a long day of traveling. It just happened to occur over dinnertime, and he knew he would be starving when

he deplaned and headed home. “Hey, @Mortons – can you meet me at newark airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. :)” Imagine his surprise when he got off the plane to find a tuxedoed gentleman holding a bag that contained a 24 oz. Morton’s porterhouse, shrimp, potatoes, bread, napkins and silverware. Shankman noted that the Tweet had to be noticed, someone had to get approval for the idea, a cook had to make his food, the food had to be driven 23.5 miles away from the nearest Morton’s, and someone had to track down his flight information and figure out where he was landing to meet him at the right location. All while his stomach was grumbling on a 2.5-hour flight. Pretty impressive. 2. Sainsbury’s ainsbury’s, a grocery store in the U.K., must have been pretty amused when they received a letter from a three-year-old girl named Lily. “Why is tiger bread called tiger bread?” she asked, referring to one of their bakery items. “It should be called giraffe bread.” Lily was just being observant – the pattern on the bread does resemble a giraffe

instructions on how to return the shoes that didn’t work, explaining why she was returning so many shoes. Two days later, she received a large bouquet of flowers from Zappos, wishing her well and hoping that she recovered from her treatments soon. Two days later, the customer, her mother and her sister were all upgraded to “Zappos VIP Members,” which gives them all free expedited shipping on all orders. Not impressed? Just Google “Zappos” and “customer service” and you’re bound to find something that astounds you. See the rest of the story at Business Insider more than a tiger. To everyone’s 3. Zappos surprise, Chris King, a customer I could do an entire Quick 10 on Please follow War Room on service manager at the chain, Z a p p o s c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e Twitter and Facebook. responded. “I think renaming tiger superstars alone, but I’ve limited See Also: bread giraffe bread is a brilliant it to one of my favorites instead. • The Two Big Lessons Dairy idea – it looks much more like the A customer’s mother had recently Queen Learned About Social blotches on a giraffe than the had some medical treatment that Media And Customer Service Instead Of Marketing, stripes on a tiger, doesn’t it? It is left her feet numb and sensitive to • Businesses Should Be Using called tiger bread because the first pressure – and also rendering baker who made it a looong time most of her shoes totally useless. Social Media For Customer ago thought it looked stripey like She ordered her mother six pairs Support a tiger. Maybe they were a bit of shoes from Zappos, hoping that • The Customer Service Secret silly.” He enclosed a gift card, and at least one of them would work. To Dealing With Angry People the bread was renamed earlier this After receiving the shoes, her year. mother called Zappos to get

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11

$50 Goes To The Business Insider Reader With The Best Caption For This Image
Laura Stampler (Business Insider)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:29:00 PM

RELAX
continued from page 9

It's Sunday, which means it's time for another round of Business Insider Advertising's weekly caption contest. This week we are asking readers to come up with a caption for this ad for Nutri Balance Dog Food(click here for a larger image). In case you're new, here's the how it works: Every Sunday we post an image from a ridiculous print ad. Your job is to come up with a witty caption to accompany the shot. Entries do not have to have anything to do with advertising — this is our twist on the New Yorker's cartoon contest. Email your submissions to Lstampler @ businessinsider.com by MIDNIGHT Thursday March 22 for a chance to win the honor of being named B.I.'s wittiest reader and a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com. The winner wil lbe

restaurants offer a healthy Mediterranean diet, as well as classic Italian cuisine. Signature Treatments: The fouror seven-night Lefay SPA Method program—choose from either the antistress, slimming, antiaging or sports procedure. Who Goes: Mostly locals—fashionable Italian couples from Milan and the occasional family (fear not, they all behave perfectly). Cost: SPA Method programs start at $1,785 for a four-night stay and $2,885 for seven nights, all meals included. 118 Via Angelo Feltrinelli, Gargnano; 39-03/6524 -1800; lefayresorts.com.

Source: Departures See the rest of the story at Business Insider Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook. See Also: • 4 Fine Restaurants With Fantastic Art Collections • 10 Amazing Winter Destinations That Will Have You Praying For Cold • ROAD TRIP: 1,700 Miles To Discover The Best Wineries In Europe

selected in a blind vote and announced on Friday. Advertisers: If you would like to sponsor the caption contest please email [email protected]. Need inspiration? Click here to see last week's winners>> Please follow Advertising on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story »

See Also: • And The Winner Of Business Insider's Caption Contest Is ... • OOPS: Pepsi Let Trademark Lapse On 'Choice Of A New Generation'—Now It's Owned By An Oatmeal Company • IRISH FOG: 9 Myths About Whiskey Mogul John Jameson

Japan's Echo Boomers Giving a Lift to Housing: Mortgages - BusinessWeek
(housing - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:32:33 PM

Japan's Echo Boomers Giving a Lift to Housing: Mortgages BusinessWeek So-called echo baby boomers reaching the age to purchase their

first home will give a boost to a housing market that accounts for about 15 percent of Japan's gross domestic product at a time when the nation is struggling to recover from last year's... and more »

Wolfpack erase early deficit, hang on to top Hoyas
(Sports News Headlines Yahoo! News)

Lorenzo Brown hit three free throws in the final 10.6 seconds and North Carolina State conjured

up its glorious tradition with a 66- Regional on Sunday. 63 upset of third-seeded Georgetown in a Midwest

12

Business/ News Wire/ World News/

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Senior housing not filling up, so retirees might benefit - Sun-Sentinel
(housing - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:07:11 PM

Australia still in Karnataka BJP crisis: MLAs to the race for giant reach Delhi today, want Yeddyurappa as chief ... - NDTV radio telescope (Nation - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:19:30 PM

Senior housing not filling up, so retirees might benefit Sun-Sentinel By Diane C. Lade and Nicole

Brochu, Sun Sentinel A national recovery in the independent and assisted senior housing market has left South Florida in the dust — but retirees like Bud Frueh can benefit from the resulting sag in the local market.

Epoch Times | National, World, China, Sports, Bihar can ground national Entertainment News
(Epoch Times | National, World, China, Sports, Entertainment News)

NDTV Karnataka BJP crisis: MLAs to reach Delhi today, want Yeddyurappa as chief... NDTV Bangalore: The crisis within the BJP in Karnataka has now moved out of the state to reach New Delhi. Around 60 MLAs will reach the national capital today to demand the reinstatement of BS

Yeddyurappa as chief minister. The MLAs, led by senior leader GS... Crisis in Karnataka BJP, Yeddyurappa whisks away 55 MLAs to resort Times of India Yeddyurappa shepherds flock to resort The Hindu BSY at it again,fresh trouble in saffron party Indian Express Rediff- Deccan ChronicleIBNLive.com all 86 news articles »

Sydney Morning Herald
(Nation - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:41:13 PM

nighttime hours, and construction [...] This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is Slice of Life Navigating New your content and you're reading it York Without Sight on someone else's site, please read Learning to navigate the maze of the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentunderground tunnels connecting only/faq.php#publishers. Five t h e N e w Y o r k C i t y Filters recommends: Donate to subway—uptown, downtown, Wikileaks. Queens-bound, local, express,

capital, says Nitish Kumar - Times of India
(Nation - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:21:27 PM

was addressing a... If Biharis stop work for a day,Delhi will come to a The Hindu standstill,says Nitish Kumar Bihar can ground national capital, Indian Express says Nitish Kumar Delhi would come to a halt if Times of India Biharis stop work: Nitish NEW DELHI: Calling Biharis a H i n d u s t a n T i m e s "necessity" for the capital and not Delhi can't run without Bihar: a "burden" on it, a proud chief Nitish Deccan Herald minister of Bihar on Sunday said The Hindu- Economic Timesthat if Biharis residing here did NDTV not work for a day, the city would all 32 news articles » come to a standstill. Nitish Kumar

Brisbane Times Australia still in the race for giant radio telescope Sydney Morning Herald AUSTRALIAN telescopes have linked up with two in Korea for the first time - a result hailed as further evidence that Australia is best placed to host the world's largest radio telescope. Australia and New Zealand are in the final weeks of a... Australia And Korea Team Up To Form 8000km Gigantic Telescope Asian Scientist Magazine KAT-7 observation boost for SKA News24 Battle for the SKA nears its finale Independent Online University World NewsMemeburn- iAfrica.com all 18 news articles »

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13

Afghan Shooting Suspect Had Money, Legal Troubles
(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:36:42 PM

Aug. 23, 2011: In this Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System photo, soldiers from Blackhorse Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, including Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, left, take part in exercise at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. LAKE TAPPS, Wash. – Bypassed for a promotion and struggling to pay for his house, Robert Bales was eyeing a way out of his job at a Washington state military base months before he allegedly gunned down 16 civilians in an Afghan war zone, records and interviews showed as a deeper picture emerged Saturday of the Army sergeant's financial troubles and brushes with the law. While Bales, 38, sat in an isolated cell at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.'s military prison Saturday, classmates and neighbors from suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, remembered him as a "happy-golucky" high school football player who took care of a special needs child and watched out for troublemakers in the neighborhood. But court records and interviews

show that the 10-year veteran -with a string of commendations for good conduct after four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan-- had joined the Army after a Florida investment job went sour, had a Seattle-area home condemned, struggled to make payments on another and failed to get a promotion or a transfer a year ago. His legal troubles included charges that he assaulted a girlfriend and, in a hit-and run accident, ran bleeding in military clothes into the woods, court records show. He told police he fell asleep at the wheel and paid a fine to get the charges dismissed, the records show. Military officials say that after drinking on a southern Afghanistan base, Bales crept away on March 11 to two slumbering villages overnight, shooting his victims and setting many of them on fire. Nine of the 16 killed were children and 11 belonged to one family. "This is some crazy stuff if it's true," Steve Berling, a high school classmate, said of the revelations about the father of two known as "Bobby" in his hometown of Norwood, Ohio. Bales hasn't been charged yet in the shootings, which have endangered complicated relations between the U.S. and Afghanistan

and threatened to upend U.S. policy over the decade-old war. His former platoon leader said Saturday Bales was a model soldier inspired by 9/11 to serve who saved lives in firefights on his second of three Iraq deployments. "He's one of the best guys I ever worked with," said Army Capt. Chris Alexander, who led Bales on a 15-month deployment in Iraq. "He is not some psychopath. He's an outstanding soldier who has given a lot for this country." But pressing family troubles were hinted at by his wife, Kari, on multiple blogs posted with names like The Bales Family Adventures and BabyBales. A year ago, she wrote that Bales was hoping for a promotion or a transfer after nine years stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord outside Tacoma, Wash. "We are hoping to have as much control as possible" over the future, Kari Bales wrote last March 25. "Who knows where we will end up. I just hope that we are able to rent our house so that we can keep it. I think we are both still in shock." After Bales lost out on a promotion to E7 -- a first-class sergeant -- the family hoped to go to either Germany, Italy or Hawaii for an "adventure," she said. They

hoped to move by last summer; instead the Army redeployed his unit -- the 2nd Infantry Division of the 3rd Stryker Brigade, named after armored Stryker vehicles -to Afghanistan. It would be Bales' fourth tour in a war zone. He joined the military two months after 9/11 and spent more than three years in Iraq during three separate assignments since 2003. His attorney said he was injured twice in Iraq -- once losing part of his foot -- but his 20 or so commendations do not include the Purple Heart, given to soldiers wounded in combat. Alexander said Bales wasn't injured while he oversaw him during their deployment -- Bales' second in Iraq. He called Bales a "very solid" noncommissioned officer who didn't have more difficulty than his fellow soldiers with battlefield stress. Bales shot at a man aiming a rocketpropelled grenade at his platoon's vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, sending the grenade flying over the vehicle. "There's no doubt he saved lives that day," Alexander said. The charges he killed civilians is "100 percent out of character for him," he said. Bales always loved the military and war history, even as a teenager, said Berling, who played football with him in the

early 1990s on a team that included Marc Edwards, a future NFL player and Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots. "I remember him and the teacher just going back and forth on something like talking about the details of the Battle of Bunker Hill," he said. "He knew history, all the wars." Bales exulted in the role once he finally achieved it. Plunged into battle in Iraq, he told an interviewer for a Fort Lewis base newspaper in 2009 that he and his comrades proved "the real difference between being an American as opposed to being a bad guy." Bales joined the Army, Berling said, after studying business at Ohio State University -- he attended three years but didn't graduate -- and handled investments before the market downturn pushed him out of the business. Florida records show that Bales was a director at an inactive company called Spartina Investments Inc. in Doral, Fla.; his brother, Mark Bales, and a Mark Edwards were also listed as directors. "I guess he didn't like it when people lost money," Berling said. He was struggling to keep AFGHAN page 18

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Curated News Edition

Blast hits Aleppo; clashes and protests across Syria
(Reuters: Top News)

The explosion came a day after twin blasts killed 27 people in the capital Damascus and wounded By Erika Solomon nearly 100 others. BEIRUT| Sun Mar 18, 2012 Aleppo had seen less unrest than 3:16pm EDT much of Syria but has recently (Reuters) - A car bomb ripped been hit with more violence as through a residential area of revolt spreads and becomes Syria's second city Aleppo on increasingly bloody. The United Sunday, as activists reported Nations says more than 8,000 heavy clashes across the country have been killed and humanitarian between state forces and rebels conditions are grim. fighting to overthrow President The semi-official news channel al Bashar al-Assad. -Ikhbariya said security forces had World powers have been unable been tipped off about the bomb in to stop more than a year of Aleppo and had been moving bloodshed in Syria, a country that residents out of the area when it sits on the fault lines of several went off. It said the car had been regional and ethnic conflicts. filled with 200 kilogrammes of Recent army gains against rebel explosives. positions have shown no sign of Pictures on the SANA website quelling the violence and no showed building fronts blasted negotiated settlement is in sight. open and aid workers standing In Aleppo, Syria's commercial near piles of shattered masonry hub, state news agency SANA and bomb craters, while Syria TV said terrorists were behind the car showed a street corner splattered bomb that killed two people and in blood. wounded 30 others when it "The explosion came suddenly exploded in a central area close to and the only thing I thought to do a state security office and a was fall to the ground," a girl told church. Syria TV, her hands and face Opposition activists accused the covered in shards of glass. g o v e r n m e n t o f s t a g i n g t h e "Nothing remained. All the explosion to back up its official building fronts collapsed. God l i n e t h a t f o r e i g n - b a c k e d curse them." extremists are behind the uprising. No group claimed responsibility The government says about 2,000 for the Aleppo attack, and an members of security forces have activist from the opposition's local been killed in the unrest. Revolutionary Council said the
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:16:44 PM

government was behind the explosion. "They want to make our uprising seem like a terrorist operation to the rest of the world, but it is not," said the activist called Marwan, who spoke to Reuters by telephone. CLASHES, RAIDS ACROSS SYRIA The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 19 people, including four children, had died in rocket and gunfire during army raids and fighting with rebels across the country on Sunday. Fighting was heaviest in the northwestern province of Deir Ezzor, where activists said rebels had taken over some of the streets in the provinces main city and had torched at least two army vehicles. At least 14 soldiers and five rebels died in the fighting, which calmed by evening, the Observatory said. In the southern province of Deraa, a sniper shot dead two men in Dael, the British-based Observatory said, and thousands took to the street to mourn the deaths and protest four decades of Assad family rule. In northern Idlib, gunmen shot dead a Turkish lorry driver, Turkey's state-run Anatolian news agency said, but it did not specify when the attack took place.

Reports from Syria are difficult to verify as the government has restricted access to foreign journalists. Aid groups also have limited access but were recently allowed a joint mission between staff from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Syrian government and the United Nations. The group is now in Damascus planning the mission. The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross Jakob Kellenberger was on his way to Moscow on Sunday to ask Russia to help persuade Damascus to let more humanitarian aid into the country. PROTESTS, ARRESTS IN CAPITAL In the capital, as hundreds gathered to mourn victims of Saturday's car bombs, activists said security forces beat and arrested people at a march of more than 200 when protesters began shouting "the people want to topple the regime". The phrase has echoed through the wave of Arab uprisings that began last year and has toppled autocratic rulers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. "At first they shouted slogans against violence and the police didn't do anything, but as soon as they started to call for regime change the police rushed in and

started beating people with canes," said Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Observatory. The protest, which called for non -violent resistance to the government, had been led by moderate opposition leaders previously tolerated by the government because of their calls for dialogue and rejection of foreign intervention. Activists said the Sunday march aimed to commemorate the peaceful roots of Syria's uprising, which has been overshadowed by a growing armed insurgency against state security forces. Security forces beat and arrested Mohammed Sayyed Rassas, a leader of the National Coordinating Body for Democratic Change (NCB), an opposition group which had visited China and Russia in attempts to promote dialogue between Assad and the opposition. Most opposition groups have rejected the NCB over its insistence on non-violence and its stance against foreign intervention, arguing the government's fierce crackdown has made arming the uprising inevitable. Security forces also arrested Farzand Omar, a doctor and BLAST page 20

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Libya seeks Gaddafi spy chief handover by Mauritania
(Reuters: Top News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:25:10 AM

Abdullah al-Senussi, head of the Libyan Intelligence Service, speaks to the media in Tripoli in this August 21, 2011 file photo. Credit: Reuters/Paul Hackett/ Files By Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Vicky Buffery TRIPOLI/PARIS| Sun Mar 18, 2012 12:25pm EDT (Reuters) - Libya said on Sunday it was sending a delegation to Mauritania to press for the extradition of Muammar Gaddafi's intelligence chief Abdallah al-Senussi and Interpol called for his handover to promote rule of law in the North African state. Senussi, 62, the last significant Gaddafi associate on the run since the dictator's overthrow and death in a popular revolt last year, was arrested in the West African state after his arrival late on Friday on a flight from Morocco. Senussi was being held at the headquarters of the Mauritania's security service in the capital Nouakchott, sources there said, and diplomatic sources said he was carrying several false passports when detained. Despite support from Interpol, Libya's interim government may get embroiled in a legal tug-of-

war with France and the International Criminal Court (ICC) over Senussi as they also want to put him on trial. Senussi, who for decades inspired fear and hatred among many Libyans, is sought by the Haguebased ICC on charges of crimes against humanity over security force attacks on anti-Gaddafi protesters during the eight-month uprising. Interpol, the international police organization based in Lyon, France, said it had issued a Red Notice for Senussi at Libya's behest requesting member states to arrest him, if found on their soil, for fraud offences including embezzling public funds and misuse of power for personal benefit. A Libyan government spokesman said on Saturday Tripoli had sent a request for Senussi's handover through Interpol, while France had filed a competing extradition request, according to a presidential palace source. Interpol previously circulated a Red Notice for Senussi at the ICC's request in September 2011 for crimes against humanity. "Interpol has committed itself to supporting Libya's efforts to achieve its goal of rebuilding their country and being guided by the rule of law, and clearly their request for an Interpol Red Notice

for Senussi is a clear demonstration of their commitment to international police cooperation and justice," the agency's chief Ronald Noble said in a statement. "Targeting and arresting those involved in embezzling funds and making them accountable for their actions before the courts will help Libya achieve its goal," said Noble. The Libyan interim authorities' struggle to bring rival militias who were instrumental in Gaddafi's overthrow - and tribes under control has raised doubt about their ability to assure fair trials for old regime figures. But Tripoli has insisted Senussi would get proper justice there, while France, confirming it played a role in his arrest in Mauritania, wants to try him for the 1989 bombing of an airliner over Niger in which 54 French nationals died. LIBYAN MISSION TO MAURITANIA Libyan foreign ministry spokesman Saad Elshlmani said the ministry was in touch with its Mauritanian counterpart, adding that a delegation would head for Mauritania, possibly including the deputy prime minister. Asked when the delegation would go, Elshlmani said: "Soon". France, which led Western

backing for the insurgency that toppled Gaddafi with the help of NATO air strikes, said it had cooperated with Mauritanian authorities on the apprehension of Senussi ahead of its extradition request. A statement from President Nicolas Sarkozy's office noted Senussi had been sentenced in absentia for the UTA airliner attack, in which 170 people were killed. Families of the victims immediately demanded he face justice in France. An ICC spokesman said on Saturday an ICC arrest warrant for Senussi remained valid and requested that it be implemented. The ICC has charged Senussi and Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam, captured in the southern Libyan desert in November, as being "indirect co-perpetrators" of murder and persecution of Libyans who rose up against the veteran dictator. But the Libyan foreign ministry's Elshlmani said: "He's a Libyan ... I think they will give us the priority. He will face justice. It is very important that he is sent to Libya." Mauritania has not signed the Rome Statute governing the ICC and authorities were not immediately available to comment on what they would do with Senussi.

"They are not obliged to give him to the ICC because they are not members, so they will probably agree on our request but we will wait and see," Elshlmani said. Senussi is also suspected in his North African homeland of having played a central role in the killing of more than 1,200 inmates at Tripoli's Abu Salim prison in 1996. It was the arrest of a lawyer for victims' relatives that sparked Libya's Arab Spring revolt in February last year. A security source in Nouakchott who spoke on condition of anonymity said Senussi was "currently on the premises of the Directorate General of Territorial Security located in the centre of Nouakchott, in the government district". Diplomatic sources said Senussi had several passports in his possession including a false Malian passport with which he was arrested. They said the passports were under several aliases and some pictures showed Senussi with a beard. The Mauritanian government has made no comment beyond a report by its official news agency which said Senussi was arrested at Nouakchott airport on a regular flight from Casablanca, carrying LIBYA page 18

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Curated News Edition

Soldier suspected in Afghanistan massacre to meet with lawyers
(Reuters: Top News)

counsel, Major Thomas Hurley. "Public reports that Sergeant Bales' supervisors, family and B y B i l l R i g b y a n d P e t e r friends describe him as a levelHenderson headed, experienced soldier are TACOMA, Washington| Sun Mar consistent with information 18, 2012 3:32pm EDT gathered by the defense team," (Reuters) - A lawyer representing Browne's statement said. the U.S. soldier implicated in the "It is too early to determine what massacre of 16 villagers in factors may have played into this Afghanistan said on Saturday he incident and the defense team and other members of the defense looks forward to reviewing the team would spend several days evidence, examining all of with him in the week ahead. Sergeant Bale's medical and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert p e r s o n n e l r e c o r d s a n d Bales is in solitary confinement at i n t e r v i e w i n g w i t n e s s e s . " a military detention center at Fort An unnamed U.S. official had Leavenworth, Kansas, where he told The New York Times the arrived late on Friday. killings were a result of "a Bales, 38 and a four-tour combat combination of stress, alcohol and veteran, is suspected of walking d o m e s t i c i s s u e s - h e j u s t off his base in southern snapped." Afghanistan on Sunday and But Browne has refuted that, gunning down the 16 civilians, saying on CNN that marital including nine children and three problems were "totally bogus." He women, in a massacre that sent said his client had a "very strong American-Afghan relations into a marriage and, frankly, we're all tailspin. taking offense at that." Bales, whose military unit is FAMILY MOVED TO BASE b a s e d s o u t h o f T a c o m a , "Sergeant Bales' family is stunned Washington, had been held in in the face of this tragedy, but Kuwait after he was flown out of they stand behind the man they Afghanistan on Wednesday. He know as a devoted husband, father has not yet been charged. and dedicated member of the Bales' civilian attorney, John a r m e d s e r v i c e s , " B r o w n e ' s Henry Browne, said in a statement statement on Saturday said. he was being joined in the defense Bales' wife, Karilyn, and two effort by Emma Scanlan, also a young children have been moved civilian, and a military defense into military lodging at Joint Base
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:32:31 PM

Lewis-McChord outside of Tacoma, Browne said earlier in the week. Karilyn Bales works for a local business communications firm, a firm employee confirmed on Saturday. Jill Heron, director of marketing and client relations for the firm, known as AMAXRA Inc., told Reuters Karilyn Bales is "a valued employee who works remotely" and remained employed by the company in Redmond, Washington. Heron, visibly upset and nervous at her home in rural Carnation, outside Seattle, said she couldn't comment further. Robert Bales, who completed a two-year associate college degree in 1992, joined the Army in 2001, the Army said in a statement late on Friday when it formally identified him for the first time since Sunday's incident. His home of record was listed as Jensen Beach, Florida, although Browne has said Bales grew up in the Midwest. His military training included education in sniper skills, military leadership and a course called "combat life savers." The Army statement said Bales had spent a total of 37 months in three deployments in Iraq between 2003 and 2010. BALES' HISTORY BEGINS

TAKING SHAPE Bales has had at least one previous minor run-in with the law, records show. In 2002, he was charged with criminal assault, according to Pierce County, Washington, records. The court deferred the charge for six-months after Bales completed 20 hours of anger management, had no other law violations for six months and paid a $300 fine, the Tacoma News-Tribune said, citing court records. The court dismissed the charge in February 2003. Reuters could not verify the disposition of the charge. The News-Tribune also reported Bales was cited for a misdemeanor hit-and-run incident in October 2008 in Sumner. He received a deferred 12-month sentence, and paid a fine of $250, which led to a dismissal of the charges. Reuters could not verify the report. Records show the Bales' own two properties, both of which are underwater, meaning the mortgage balances are greater than the value of the properties. Their main home near Lake Tapps, a white house with four bedrooms about 45 minutes east of Tacoma, was recently listed for sale at $229,000, according to the online real estate service Zillow.com. But Zillow, citing

public transaction records, shows they paid for $280,000 for it in 2005. Another realty website, for John L. Scott Real Estate, promotes the property as a "short sale," which occurs when a bank is willing to allow a homeowner to sell at a price below what is owed on the mortgage, accepting the loss on the remaining balance. A smaller second property in the city of Auburn, about 10 miles to the north of their Lake Tapps home, was purchased by Karilyn Bales, then Karilyn Primeau, in 1999 for $99,500. While the property is assessed at $148,000, property records show it was remortgaged for the amount of $178,500 in 2006. That property is in poor condition and has a "Do not occupy" notice from city authorities, posted in November 2010 due to "lack of sanitary facilities, lack of water to building." Three sets of neighbors said on Saturday it has been vacant for a couple of years. Edith Bouvette, 52, a massage therapist, recalled the couple living there before they had children, describing Robert Bales as helpful and Karilyn Bales as "happy, bubbly." "What I really remember is him in SOLDIER page 18

Curated News Edition

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17

'Occupy' Anniversary Ends With NYPD Park Sweep
(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:36:42 PM

March 18, 2012: An unidentified Occupy Wall Street protester is arrested early in Zuccotti Park after a march in celebration of the protest's sixth month, on Saturday, in New York. With the city's attention focused on the huge St. Patrick's Day Parade many blocks uptown, the Occupy rally drew a far smaller crowd than the demonstrations when the movement was at its peak in the fall. NEW YORK – Protesters marking the six-month mark since the start of the Occupy movement were taken into custody by police officers who poured into the park after warning those who had gathered there that it was closed. Police said 73 people were detained. It was unclear how many were still in custody Sunday afternoon. Some demonstrators had locked arms and sat down in the middle of Zuccotti Park near Wall Street after police announced on a bullhorn at around 11:30 p.m. Saturday that the park was closed. Officers then entered the park, forcing out most of the crowd and surrounding a small group that stayed behind. Police formed a human ring around the park to keep protesters out.

An unused public transit bus was brought in to cart away about a dozen demonstrators in plastic handcuffs. One female under arrest had difficulty breathing and was taken away in an ambulance to be treated. For hours, the demonstrators had been chanting and holding impromptu meetings in the park to celebrate the anniversary of the movement that has brought attention to economic inequality, as police mainly kept their distance. But New York Police Det. Brian Sessa said the tipping point came when the protesters started breaking the park rules. "They set up tents. They had sleeping bags," he said. Electrical boxes also were tampered with and there was evidence of graffiti. Sessa said Brookfield Properties, the park owner, sent in security to advise the protesters to stop pitching tents and to leave the park. The protesters, in turn, became agitated with them. The company then asked the police to help them clear out the park, the detective said. "Most of the people, they left the park," Sessa said. "People who refused to leave and were staying were arrested." Many protesters shouted and officers took out their batons after a demonstrator threw a glass

bottle at the bus that police were using to detain protesters. Sandra Nurse, a member of Occupy's direct action working group, said police treated demonstrators roughly and made arbitrary arrests. She disputed the police assertion that demonstrators had broken park rules by putting up tents or getting out sleeping bags. "I didn't see any sleeping bags," she said. "There was a banner hung between two trees and a tarp thrown over it ... It wasn't a tent. It was an erect thing, if that's what you want to call it." Earlier in the day, with the city's attention focused on the huge St. Patrick's Day parade many blocks uptown, the Occupy rally at Zuccotti drew hundreds of people. Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, who had given a speech at a nearby university, also made an

appearance at the park, milling around with protesters. With the barricades that once blocked them from Wall Street now removed, the protesters streamed down the sidewalk and covered the steps of the Federal Hall National Memorial. There, steps from the New York Stock Exchange and standing at the feet of a statue of George Washington, they danced and chanted, "We are unstoppable." As always, the protesters focused on a variety of concerns, but for Tom Hagan, his sights were on the giants of finance. "Wall Street did some terrible things, especially Goldman Sachs, but all of them. Everyone from the banks to the rating agencies, they all knew they were doing wrong. ... But they did it anyway. Because the money was too big," he said.

Dressed in an outfit that might have been more appropriate for the St. Patrick's Day parade, the 61-year-old salesman wore a green shamrock cap and carried a sign asking for saintly intervention: "St. Patrick: Drive the snakes out of Wall Street." Stacy Hessler held up a cardboard sign that read, "Spring is coming," a reference, she said, both to the Arab Spring and to the warm weather that is returning to New York City. She said she believes the nicer weather will bring the crowds back to Occupy protests, where numbers have dwindled in recent months since the group's encampment was ousted from Zuccotti Park by authorities in November. But now, "more and more people are coming out," said the 39-yearold, who left her home in Florida in October to join the Manhattan protesters and stayed through much of the winter. "The next couple of months, things are going to start to grow, like the flowers." Some have questioned whether the group can regain its momentum. This month, the finance accounting group in New York City reported that just about $119,000 remained in Occupy's bank account -- the equivalent of 'OCCUPY' page 19

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AFGHAN
continued from page 13

SOLDIER
continued from page 16

payments on his own home in Lake Tapps, a rural reservoir community about 35 miles south of Seattle; his wife asked to put the house on the market three days before the shootings, real estate Philip Rodocker said. "She told him she was behind in our payments," Rodocker told The New York Times. "She said he was on his fourth tour and it was getting kind of old and they needed to stabilize their finances." The house was not officially put on the market until Monday; on Tuesday, Rodocker said, Bales' wife called and asked to take the house off the market, talking of a family emergency. Bales and his wife bought the Lake Tapps home in 2005, according to records, for $280,000; it was listed this week at $229,000. Overflowing boxes were piled on the front porch, and a U.S. flag leaned against the siding. The sale may have been a sign of financial troubles. Bales and his wife also own a home in Auburn, about 10 miles north, according to county records, but abandoned it

about two years ago, homeowners' association president Bob Baggett said. Now signs posted on the front door and window by the city warn against occupying the house. "It was ramshackled," Baggett said. "They were not dependable. When they left there were vehicles parts left on the front yard...we'd given up on the owners." The diverging portrait of the sergeant rippled across the country on Saturday. "It's our Bobby. He was the local hero," said Michael Blevins, who grew up down the street from him in Norwood, Ohio. The youngest of five boys respected older residents, admonished troublemakers and loved children, even helping another boy in the area who had special needs. In Washington state, court records showed a 2002 arrest for assault on a girlfriend. Bales pleaded not guilty and was required to undergo 20 hours of anger management counseling, after which the case was dismissed. A separate hit-and-run charge

was dismissed in Sumner, Wash.'s municipal court three years ago, according to records. It isn't clear from court documents what Bales hit; witnesses saw a man in a military-style uniform, with a shaved head and bleeding, running away. When deputies found him in the woods, Bales told them he fell asleep at the wheel. He paid about $1,000 in fines and restitution and the case was dismissed in October 2009. Dan Conway, a military attorney who represented one of four Lewis-McChord soldiers convicted in the deliberate killings of three Afghan civilians in 2010, said whether legal scrapes affect a soldier's career depends in part on whether they prompt the Army to issue administrative penalties. The punishments are typically recorded in official personnel files. Over the past decade, Conway said, the military has sometimes been lax in administering such punishments. As a result, soldiers who might be bad apples sometimes remain in service

longer than they otherwise might have. "It's something you want to note," Conway said. "The best predictor of future violence is past violence." Bales' lawyer, John Henry Browne of Seattle, said he didn't know if his client had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the shootings, but said it could be an issue at trial if experts believe it's relevant. He also said Friday he didn't know if his client had been drinking the night of the massacre. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

his uniform, his pants tucked inside of his boots," Bouvette said of Robert Bales. "He was crisp, clean, military and very polite military. When you talked to him it was 'Yes, Ma'am - just a really, really nice guy, and it's just a terrible shame." "I blame part of this on the military," Bouvette said. "They never should have sent him back for that fourth tour." (Additional reporting by Laura Myers; writing By Dan Burns; editing by Xavier Briand and Todd Eastham) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

LIBYA
continued from page 15

49ers look like serious player in Manning pursuit
Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
(Sports News Headlines Yahoo! News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:28:25 PM

doctored Malian travel documents. "Senussi appears to have used a false passport to get into Morocco ... It's puzzling for us but after all this is the head of intelligence of the Gaddafi regime and they had tremendous resources," a Moroccan foreign ministry source

said. Britain, along with France one of the key Western backers of the insurgency, also cited the need for Mauritania to cooperate with the ICC in a statement by Foreign Secretary William Hague. (Additional reporting by Laurent Prieur in Nouakchott, Souhail

Karam in Rabat and Roberta Cowan in Amsterdam; Editing by Mark Heinrich) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five

Jim Harbaugh coaching Peyton Manning. In the Bay Area, they're beginning to think about the possibility and believe it truly might happen.

Curated News Edition

News Wire/

19

Minnesota May Pull Pols' Get-Out-of-JailFree Card
(FOXNews.com)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:36:42 PM

The Minnesota Legislature is expected to vote this week to rescind a get-out-of-jail-free card for state lawmakers who are arrested for drunken driving. The provision, found in the state constitution, allows lawmakers "privilege from arrest" when they are pulled over by police. According to Article IV, Section 10, of the Minnesota Constitution, "the members of each house in all cases except treason, felony and breach of the peace, shall be privileged from arrest during the session of their respective houses and in going to or returning from the same." "Back in the 1800s, when our Founding Fathers wrote the constitution, there was a natural fear of political retribution for certain votes and freedoms of speech, that our Founding Fathers wrote this in our constitution for

that purpose," said Concordia University political science professor Jayne Jones. Jones, who has been leading her class through the process as it pushes the Legislature to act, first approached the topic after state Rep. Mark Buesgens was captured on a police dashcam in September 2010 taking a sobriety

test. That was three years after state Senate President Jim Metzen received a driving while impaired citation in South St. Paul hours after gaveling the session to a close. Jones told Fox News that while her class was considering the subject last year, one of her students who had been interning

when I found out about this, that there were people allowed to drink and drive, especially with all the laws that legislators recently made to make DUIs tougher in Minnesota." The legislation, being sponsored in the Minnesota Legislature by Republican Rep. John Kriesel in the House and Republican Sen. Mike Parry in the Senate, is expected to be voted on this week since the respective public safety committees reportedly pushed it through with a deadline for action of Friday. The bill would add DWI to the at the Minnesota Senate recounted list of violations that qualify as that during a legislative reception, breaching the peace, thereby not a state senator told her to catch a changing the constitution itself. ride with her since she couldn't This entry passed through the get arrested for DWI. The senator Full-Text RSS service — if this is then hit the median in the road your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read while driving away. Nate Thienes, a student in Jones' the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentclass who wants to be a police only/faq.php#publishers. Five officer, said he was "appalled Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

'OCCUPY'
continued from page 17

about two weeks' worth of expenses. But Hessler said the group has remained strong, and she pronounced herself satisfied with what the Occupy protesters have accomplished over the last half year.

"It's changed the language," she said. "It's brought out a lot of issues that people are talking about. ... And that's the start of change." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it

on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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BLAST
continued from page 14

politician from the party "Building the Syria State," when he arrived at the Damascus airport from his hometown of Aleppo. "His arrest confirms once again that Syrian authorities repress all their opponents and are dishonest in claiming that they respect and accept member of the Syrian opposition or accept dialogue," the party said in a statement. Syrian government forces have crushed a rebel stronghold in the central city of Homs and have been pounding rebel strongholds in northern Idlib. Activists reported heavy clashes and extensive security force raids in

the embattled province, which borders Turkey. "It's clear that the battle is finishing in the regime's favor overall," said a Lebanese official close to Assad's government. Rebels argue they are making tactical retreats and will continue to reappear whenever the army eases its grip, hoping to tire out Assad's forces. "On the security level there is a long and difficult struggle for the regime and it is obvious this will take a long time to finish," the Lebanese source said. "We will see many more explosions like those we saw yesterday but in

general they have finished off the military fight and they don't have much more to do." (Additional reporting by Laila Bassam; Editing by Andrew Roche) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Make optimum use of natural resources: Narendra Modi - Times of India
(Nation - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:36:42 PM

Murder Probe After Fatal Osborne faces Stabbing At Boxer's challenge to justify tax Home - Sky News
(Nation - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:19:04 PM

IBNLive.com Make optimum use of natural resources: Narendra Modi Times of India PUNE: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi raised the pitch for full utilisation of solar energy and use of rainwater for rapid growth of a state. He was speaking at a programme organized by 'Vanrai' to release

two editions of a book authored by former... Narendra Modi takes pot shots at Manmohan, Kalmadi Economic Times Muslims express dismay at Time cover story on Modi Zee News Union policies have hurt our credibility in global market Indian Express The Hindu- NDTV all 112 news articles »

Sky News Murder Probe After Fatal Stabbing At Boxer's Home Sky News A murder inquiry has been launched after a man was stabbed to death at the home of former boxing world champion Herbie Hide. Detectives believe a number of people will have witnessed the attack at the former boxer's house

in the village of Bawburgh... Partygoer stabbed to death at home of former boxing champion Herbie Hide Metro Murder probe after Herbie Hide party BBC Sport Partygoer stabbed to death at home of former heavyweight boxing champion... Daily Mail The Sun- The GuardianSuperSport.com all 115 news articles »

cut - Financial Times
(Nation - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:05:46 PM

BBC News Osborne faces challenge to justify tax cut Financial Times By George Parker George Osborne began on Sunday the complex political task of explaining how a Budget that abolishes the 50p top rate of tax for Britain's richest people will also have at its core one central

purpose: “To help low and middle earners. British budget to tackle property tax avoidance AFP Osborne: I'll target tax dodgers The Press Association Chancellor George Osborne vows attack on tax loophole The Independent BBC News- The GuardianMirror.co.uk all 712 news articles »

Kinetic Machine Cranium Portraits Bruce Holwerda Paints Mime-Like Subjects with Mechanical Heads (TrendHunter.com)
(TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 4:45:02 AM

( TrendHunter.com) These Bruce Holwerda illustrations can be enjoyed in so many ways. If you were to quickly skim his images, you’d appreciate his painterly style that uses earthy colors to render whimsical portraits....

Curated News Edition

World News/ Technology/

21

Bus driver abandons route after being told he's won EuroMillions jackpot - Metro
(Nation - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:02:27 PM

Metro Bus driver abandons route after being told he's won EuroMillions jackpot Metro Who hasn't fantasised about scooping millions on the lottery and walking out of work there and then? Well for a group of workers based at the Stagecoach bus depot

in Corby, Northamptonshire, it's no longer a dream, but a reality. Everybody off...I've won the EuroMillions The Sun Bus driver walks out mid-shift after wining EuroMillions AOL Travel UK EuroMillions Win: Corby Bus Drivers Reportedly Share £38m Jackpot Sky News Daily Mail all 17 news articles »

No cyclone as deluge soaks north Queensland - ABC Online
(Nation - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:35:15 PM

BigPond News No cyclone as deluge soaks north Queensland ABC Online A low in Queensland's Gulf is now not expected to develop into a cyclone, with the weather bureau saying it moved overland overnight. Bureau spokesman Rick Threlfall sats it will now just

bring a lot of heavy rain to north Queensland and parts of the... North Queensland deluged as cyclone looms Courier Mail Cyclone warning issued for state's north Sydney Morning Herald Warning still on for cyclone NTNews.com.au BigPond News all 25 news articles »

Libs will run $9 bn Christian World Adoption deficit: Wong Business Spectator
[email protected] (Ad ServeRSS) (AdServRSS Feed) (Nation - Google News)

estimates the deficit, based on the coalition's promises to... Govt may compromise on small BigPond News biz tax ABC Online Libs will run $9 bn deficit: Wong Costello to decide his Fund Business Spectator future: Wong The Australian Finance Minister Penny Wong Budget blue: Wong says reckons the federal coalition opposition policies are in the red would be running a $9 billion The Canberra Times deficit by the next financial year. Ninemsn Senator Wong has produced a pre all 59 news articles » -budget deficit document she says
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:39:47 PM

Christian World Adoption is one of the largest international adoption agencies in the United States. Since 1991, Christian World Adoption has placed thousands of children from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. These children now enjoy the love and security of a forever family. Christian World Adoption currently offers

adoption programs in Bulgaria, ready, call our friendly adoption China, Ethiopia, Guatemala, c o u n s e l o r , t o l l f r e e , a t Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia 1 . 8 8 8 . 9 7 A D O P T . and Ukraine. Explore our website to learn more about international adoption. Then, when you’re

22

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This is not our review of the new iPad
Victor Agreda, Jr. (TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 3:30:00 PM

There are lots of reviews of the new iPad. Lots and lots. My review? In deeply abbreviated form, here it is: The screen is amazing. You must see it before you make up your mind. It's pretty much every superlative people have thrown at it, aside from the glare and brightness all of these suffer from in direct sunlight. Everything else is nearly the same as the iPad 2, save slightly more weight and thickness, but if you're going from an iPad 1 to the new one (as I did), you won't be bothered a bit - you're still saving weight and thickness over the first-gen. Charging takes forever; it's a big mother of a battery in there, capacity-wise. 4G is flipping awesome, I watch my bandwidth like I used to count my minutes on AOL. The graphics are insane in terms of fluidity; Infinity Blade 2 wasn't as detailed as a PS3, but the polygons and texturing in such a small device are getting close fast. Battery life is great in my limited usage so far. Fingerprint magnet, as always. I don't care for the more recessed power button versus the topmost button on the iPad 1. The camera is just like my 4S: gorgeous stills and video, and that makes photo and video apps fun to use, unlike my 4S. FaceTime on this screen is really some Jetsons-age business

(but that's not new). Everything is zippy, and I feel like using gestures more often. I'm guessing the additional RAM is why apps aren't crashing left and right. If you have a first generation iPad, update. If you have an iPad 2, you're probably fine unless you feel you need the better screen or 4G. I chose the Verizon 32 GB model because I wanted plenty of room for apps and I wanted to use it as a hotspot. Still the best tablet

available at any price. Five stars. Rather than add another thousand words to the review pile, let's spend some time looking at why the iPad matters and where Apple may be going with it. I suggest Apple is working towards the invisible computer, towards a seamless integration of technology and humanity, and the iPad is one of the last abstractions of technology between man and computer. Think of it as a battery-

Why did we want to believe the haptic rumor? When I look back, it seems ridiculously gimmicky -for now. But a lot of crazy things are bandied about before an iPad announcement. The one we all knew had to be true was the Retina display screen, and it not only makes a big difference, it does an incredible job (as Apple nearly always does) of transitioning us from the less-than -real to the I-can't-believe-it's-notreal. That's why the first iPad was called "magical" and that's why this iPad is just called iPad, while Tim Cook said Apple is revolutionizing the category it created. It's also why the transition to Retina on the iPad works so well. And again, the iPad is just one slab of metal and glass between us and pervasive technology. Something that has surprised me is how good even very old apps look on the new iPad. Apple has made some stunning technology transitions. From classic Mac OS to OS X, from PowerPC to Intel powered window to the future... chips, from beige boxes to leading The Magic of Faking Reality the way in design -- so it's no real The haptic screen rumor that hit surprise that the transition from the wires just before the new iPad one resolution to another would was unveiled was just the sort of be handled well. iOS developers crazy tidbit that kicks things up to also have the example of the the next level in the preamble to iPhone 4's Retina transition to any major Apple announcement. work from. But I was struck by But it made sense because it's an the display, and I think it speaks evolutionary step towards the goal to the future where Apple will of "invisible" computers -- or, c o n t i n u e t o w o r k t o w a r d s computers which aren't called computers at all. THIS page 24

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23

The Next, Next Thing
Contributor (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:00:18 PM

thing.” And we should be doing that, too. The fundamental driver of Editor’s Note: This guest post is progress in computers is that the written by Kwindla Hultman number of transistors that can be Kramer, who is the CEO of p a c k e d i n t o a g i v e n - s i z e d Oblong Industries— the company integrated circuit keeps rising. So known for developing the gestural the cost of computing power interfaces in the film Minority keeps dropping. This trend is so Report. The company’s current important everybody knows the customers and partners include name for it: Moore’s Law. Since Boeing, SAP, GE, and others. about 1960, Moore’s Law has Computers have been getting resulted in the increase in raw s t e a d i l y “ b e t t e r ” — f a s t e r , computing power at a steady, yet smaller, cheaper — for sixty incremental rate. But, viewed years. But they get “smarter” — more generally, what we can do more capable and more broadly with computers could change that useful — in discrete leaps, the not only incrementally, but also in biggest of which don’t happen big, saltational leaps. very often. We’re overdue for our Progress isn’t just a megaflops next big leap. numbers game. There are other Working with computers is drivers and constraints in addition i n t o x i c a t i n g . T h e p r i c e / to Moore’s Law. Some of these performance curve is always are technical, some economic, and moving to the right. Every year some social. It takes time for us to one can do more: Design new user figure out how to use, and to experiences, write new kinds of adopt, additional computing programs, and develop new horsepower. hardware. In this context of There have been three saltational constant change, it’s easy to focus leaps — next, next things — that on the trees rather than the forest. stand out in the history of modern Good engineering is often about computing: Interactive, general incremental improvement. Good purpose, personal computers; business is often about finding graphical user interfaces; and the product/market fit, while good Web. In the 1970s, computers design is often about giving users evolved from batch machines an interface that is easy to designed for experts to interactive understand. machines that a much broader This is what’s involved when population could learn and use; building the “next thing.” And it’s the desktop era had begun. great, fulfilling, and indispensable By 1980, VisiCalc was turning work. But, of course, it’s also bookkeepers into computer users. possible to build the “next next By 1983 WordStar, WordPerfect,

and Microsoft Word were fighting for dominance in the exploding word processing market. In 1984, Commodore sold more than a million C64 home computers. By the time the desktop era was in full swing, though, the next next thing was already starting. Apple released the Macintosh in 1984, a desktop computer designed from the ground up around graphics rather than text. The Mac was influential right away, but it took ten years for the Graphical User Interface to take over the desktop market completely. And by that time the next next thing was starting again. Netscape brought the web to the computer-using masses, went public in 1995, and pushed Microsoft and Apple to take the internet seriously as a technology and commercial opportunity. Again, it took about a decade for this new mode of computer use to become ubiquitous and fully capable as a platform. By 2005, internet adoption had reached a tipping point at well over 10 million regular users, the term “Web 2.0 was in common use, and powerful web services with APIs (like Google Maps) were beginning to appear. This time, though, the next next thing has taken a little longer to come into focus. Or maybe it seems like that only because we’re living through it now, rather than looking back on it. Either way, though, it’s worth thinking about what’s coming, not just

incrementally but disruptively, transformationally, mindexpandingly. Phones and tablets are part of this, but we’re only just beginning to scratch the surface of what can be done on mobile devices. And mobile devices themselves are just part of the equation. So applications like Foursquare and Instagram are terrific (and important) but they’re only the tip of the tip of the iceberg. What we need is a new set of approaches that knits together the entire user experience across all our computers and screens. The GUI unified our desktop experience. The web browser standardized client-server application development for the computing environment of the early internet age. The next next thing will give us the platform for the multi-device era. We don’t have a name for this, yet. “Post-PC” gets it partly right, in that we’re expanding beyond the ideas that shaped the “personal computing” environment, in a number of ways. But post-pc is usually thought of as a move simply to new form factors. That doesn’t begin to capture the potential of what we can already build with the raw technology available to us today. And it definitely doesn’t capture the qualitative shift to a whole new way of thinking about the computing experience. The transitions to the desktop era and then the graphical user

interface were driven largely by Moore’s Law. But the arrival of the ubiquitous internet was a little different. “Web 2.0 and all the subsequent advances in content delivery, mobile experiences, and embedded applications were enabled by vastly cheaper bandwidth, which is partly driven by Moore’s Law but is, conceptually and architecturally, a new ingredient. In a similar way, the transition to more-than-post-pc will be driven by cheaper pixels. The fall in pixel cost has snuck up on us. We don’t talk about it very much. But the fact that a forty-two inch, two megapixel LCD screen costs less than $300 means that there are television-sized displays everywhere now. And a smartphone in a billion pockets is only possible because three-inch, half-megapixel displays cost $20. One way of thinking about the next next thing is that we have a new resource available, all these pixels. Now we have to figure out how to make the best use of them. Pixels getting cheaper means that lots of them are in public spaces of various kinds. We don’t have interactivity just on our desktops or in our hands. We have it in our living rooms at home, in hallways and meeting spaces at work, on retail end-caps and every wall of trade-show booths, and plastered throughout airports and train stations. NEXT, page 30

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duplicating reality as much as possible. Speaking of reality, as I said before, sometimes Apple uses familiar design cues, and sometimes it reinvents them. Take the " no home button" weirdness that swirled around Apple's invitation. Add to this the Apple TV iteration and people wound up declaring a voice-enabled iPad HDTV Apple Docking Coffee Table was on the way. Here's my point: Apple called the new iPad just "iPad" for a reason: it is everything, and it is nothing. If you were nonplussed by the design, or even "let down" that it was slightly heavier or thicker, you were missing the point. You really missed the point if you think the Retina display was a disappointment. Apple will sell a ton of these for the same reason samurai warriors went to a very few guys for their swords -because they did it exactly right. The iPad continues a relentless pursuit towards the creation of the perfect tablet, the tabula rasa, or even the Young Lady's Illustrated Primer. Either way, in the end the technology disappears. The iPad is the invisible computer, or at least a step on the way. Apple likes to use skeuomorphic, "realistically rendered" design for apps like GarageBand and your contacts, notes and calendar. Not everyone enjoys this look( some really hate it) because the apps are, like Siri, merely an abstracted simulation of reality -- and a leaky abstraction at that. Where the apps abandon real world models

(iMovie or iPhoto as examples) they help make complex tasks simple by making interfaces work for the user. Haptics will happen on Apple devices, but only when the technology creates a seamless experience, from buttons to sliders to knobs or feathers. I wrote this entire analysis/slash review on the new iPad, but I'm reminded of the old 40-column text word processor I used on my Apple II. You knew that was a computer. Despite using a Bluetooth keyboard, this new iPad feels so much less like a "computer" and more like a "word machine" or even just a quiet, brilliant typewriter. Does the Retina Display help? Yes it does, quite a bit. On the iPad 1, I could still see pixels, which reminded me of that old phosphorescent monitor. The new iPad merely presents the letters. I'm using Byword to write, so all I see are words and a word count. It's lovely. It no longer feels appropriate to compare this to a "computer," it's more like an appliance -- which was the point all along. A Computer for the Rest of Us There's a spot in Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs where, just before the Macintosh launched, Steve pulls out a prototype of a laptop using a folio, and shows it to the Mac team. "This is the computer we'll be making some day," he tells them. Of course the MacBook Air is basically what that turned out to be, but if you look at someone

using a small folio case with keyboard and an iPad... That sure seems aligned with Steve's vision. More than that, the iPad's interface, " pictures under glass" that it may be, is such a powerful illusion that the original was called "magical" but I would say the new iPad is truly magical. Interfaces look real. We wanted to believe in haptics because it makes sense to take the illusion further. As an aspiring magician myself, the struggle is to perfect an illusion in a way that what you are saying you are doing is exactly what you appear to be doing (even if it isn't). In the case of an iPad, turning a knob in GarageBand is a somewhat less than satisfactory experience versus doing the same thing in real life. There's no click, no force feedback in your fingers, etc. Simulating this on as elegant a machine as an iPad, as of today, would be clunky. So I'm glad they didn't go gimmicky. But the tech will advance, and we'll keep seeing ever more magical things. These advances will be iterations, logical and relentless and wonderful. That's the type of company and culture that exists at Apple, despite the issues people write about (us included). If people talk about the spark being gone from Apple, I would suggest that while it may have lost its greatest showman, his genius lives on in the form of the ethos and passion behind every Apple product. The climbing stock price and sales numbers are good evidence of this.

You Say You Want a Resolution I sort of chuckle when Tim Cook says that the iPhone and iPad's success has startled them. That's true, of course, because the transformation of consumer electronics has been sweeping. Going to CES for just a couple of years has shown me how rapidly the uptake in "pictures under glass" has become. I mean, before the iPhone, look at what Engadget was excited about at CES back in 2005! So yes, the adoption rate of touchscreen devices by consumers has been shocking. How fortuitous that Apple dropped "computer" from the company name before the iPad! Let's revisit the Pepper Pad from that dark CES many years ago. Can you imagine normal people using that as we use iPads? Of course not. It reeks of computer. It declares, "I am for people who may be inclined to read manuals, and I require a learning curve and many settings." Now, there's something to be said for not catering to the lowest common denominator if you want to make beautiful things. I have been guilty of thinking some people are just too dumb to be allowed to use an iPhone, for example. But when Apple dropped "computer" from its title, it was prescient for so many reasons. The company has allowed itself to become transformed by a revolution we all knew was coming; the integration of technology into our society, not as a compartmentalized, specialized job track or skill set,

but a pervasive use of technology to augment our minds and bodies to do amazing things. The iPad, remember, is made to disappear. Some might say that our better and better machines are like the wings of Icarus, but I like Steve's description of "bicycles for the mind." And once you step out of the "computer" paradigm, anything is possible. We're starting the post-PC era not just because we have new ways of synchronizing, hosting or sharing our data. We're starting the postPC era because "personal computers" no longer necessarily need to be traditional "computers" -- they merely need to be personal. Cloud aside: On my new iPad I'm experimenting with a hybrid cloud approach. I don't yet use iTunes Match(hundreds of mashups won't match anything), so I'm only using my 13" MacBook Air for iTunes music sync. Everything else is via iCloud or WiFi sync (apps, mostly). The biggest pain point thus far has just been waiting to download apps on my miserable Internet connection at home (my ISP is AT&T). I am careful not to download dozens of large apps on Verizon's 4G because it'll blow through that data cap in a hurry. So far it's worked well, however, as I avoid many of the weird and annoying iTunes sync issues I have had with numerous other iDevices going all the way back to my monochrome iPods. THIS page 30

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Why Highlight Wasn’t A Breakout Success At SXSW
Contributor (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:56:27 AM

[Editor’s Note: Brenden Mulligan is an entrepreneur who created Onesheet, TipList, ArtistData, MorningPics, and PhotoPile. He’s a mentor for 500 Startups and several startups. You can find him on Twitter at@mulligan.] Highlight is one of the most talked about apps out there. It was touted to be the breakout app at this year’s SXSW. But it wasn’t. In fact, almost everyone I’ve talked to who used it ended up turning it off or uninstalling it. (The same probably goes for Glancee, Sonar, etc.. but I only really tried and talked about Highlight.) I’ve had many discussions about the app and most have been really polarizing. Either people love the idea, or absolutely hate the idea. I find myself trying to have a more balanced opinion. Although I uninstalled it the first day, I think the overall concept of Highlight is interesting and with enough adoption, could be compelling for the right user. But SXSW was the wrong place for it to break. Here’s why. Battery Drain Fear Some people experienced this, some didn’t. I installed Highlight the week before SXSW and my battery drained faster than I

remember prior, so I uninstalled it. There’s a very good chance that wasn’t Highlight’s fault, but my mind was set up to think it probably was. And for SXSW, battery life is a priority. SXSW is a week when most people buy $50-100 battery extenders because everyone is out and using their phone to communicate for hours on end. The thought of installing an app that drains the battery at all is counter intuitive. I know a lot of people who didn’t even try the app just because they had heard it decreased battery life. Until there’s a Mophie for Mophie, this fear might have greatly reduced the chance of many people even giving it a try. Relevance When you release an app, you want it to feel useful from the beginning. Lots of apps will do extensive alpha testing so when people can finally sign up at random, there is content/activity already visible. Some teams keep apps invitation only for a long time so when people are invited, there’s almost a guarantee a friend already uses it. These are parts of onboarding, and they are important. Pinterest is still invite only. That’s not because they’re lazy. Once the user is in an app, it should continually feel useful. If I

install an app, and never get any kind of value from it, I forget about it. So it makes sense that Highlight decided to set the bar very low when notifiying users about potential connections. That led to more notifications sent, which in theory results in more user happiness. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works for this kind of app and led to a lot of notifications with value at the level of: “You were nearby Sarah. You both like music. Connect?” Yawn. On Instagram, the average user would rather get “10 random people liked your photo” than just “One good friend liked your photo” because it makes them feel special and gets them to create more content. But on services like Highlight, most people would rather get one extremely relevant notification about a possible connection than ten somewhat loose connections. If I walk past someone on the street and Highlight tells me they also like Sigur Ros, that’s not going to make me stop everything and connect with them. But if they like Sigur Ros, and we have 10 very solid friends in common, and are from the same town, then I get interested. Highlight just set the bar too low. They know this, and they’re working on it. But they should

have just raised it before SXSW. SXSW is already too noisy At SXSW, there are already too many people to see. Regardless of one’s social/professional status, there are probably tons of friends and acquaintances to catch up with. Meetings are serendipitous, not manufactured. This is why SXSW is wonderful. And this is also why Highlight just isn’t the right app for that environment. Sure, there are some people who go to SXSW to meet people and dont have full schedules. But Highlight isn’t the answer here. Those people will find their way into parties and make an effort in person to network with people they didn’t have access to before. This perseverance is exactly what people respect. If instead, there was some app that allowed the stranger to send a DM from his room at the La Quinta Inn by the airport, then the whole dynamic would be off. Curiosity != Need Most of the tech early adopters download apps because they’ve heard an app is cool and they’re curious about why. Then, in the case of apps like Instagram, they are pulled into a cool interaction that leads to a cool community that is already filled with their friends. But again, Highlight is different. Super early adopters (the ones

that end up tweeting about cool apps) rarely need more friends. They want cool experiences to share with their existing friends. So when these early adopters (and many people at SXSW fit this profile) download an app like this, the main value prop of the app isn’t something that’s appealing. So, if Highlight fails at SXSW, then where will it succeed? I think not breaking at SXSW is a good thing for Highlight, Glancee, etc… Because these apps have a broader appeal than a networking conference. Example: Some guy moves to Boston after graduating college. He rents into an apartment in the South End and on his first night, sits down alone in his apartment, with nothing to do. It’s not because he’s not interesting, it’s because he’s new and doesn’t know anyone. He opens Highlight, which tells him within 2 blocks is a guy that’s about his age, who is close friends with some people he went to high school with. And that guy also likes the same basketball team. And there is a game on that night. I can totally see that guy direct messaging the stranger and saying hello. At that point, why not? So it’s not that I think Highlight wont work. It’s that I don’t think it was ready for prime time, and I WHY page 27

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Why Google should merge with Goldman Sachs
Chris Matyszczyk (CNET News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:41:20 AM

Larry Page's Google profile picture. Surely he'd make a great co-CEO of Googleman Sachs. The beating of breasts could surely be heard even by penguins on melting ice caps. Perhaps the two most important names in contemporary business were, this week, being criticized by their employees for losing their ethos, for sacrificing their soul, for, dare one utter it, selling out. When Google's James Whittaker and Goldman Sachs' Greg Smith penned their respective lack-ofrespect farewells, strange shivers wafted about the world of business. Had these people lost their minds? Were they both experiencing some form of cranial trauma brought on by excessive stress? Had their lovers recently left them for, well, impoverished sculptors? Though many might have considered that these two were merely stating the obvious, for me their resignations were inspirational. For they gave me a spirited idea: Google should merge with Goldman Sachs. Consider just how efficacious and forward-thinking it would be if Larry Page and Lloyd Blankfein sat down in a dark alcove of some

discreet restaurant and held hands. Please consider the multi-faceted merits of such a union. Here are two men who enjoy winning. Each, though, has a tiny image problem. Yes, they both have a diminshed image. And, yes their companies have a tiny problem with their image.

If they got together and created Googleman Sachs, benefits would flow like wine on Christmas Eve in Provence. Google would find it far more comfortable to perform its current money-munching maneuvers like Google+ and blame it on the Goldman Sachs wing.

Indeed, the new Googleman Sachs could actually have a Department of Evil that would exist merely to make the money, while all the other employees did fine creative things--such as invent beautifully engineered, self -driving financial algorithms--and equally self-driving Toyota Prius

speedboats. One of the benefits for the existing Goldman Sachs would be that it could finally divest itself not merely of the ghost of stenchy mortgages, but of an image that has seen it become the utter WHY page 28

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User Experience Vision For Startups

WHY
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don’t think SXSW was the right venue for it to prove itself. I’m not a user, but I’m not ready to write it off. I just probably won’t use it until it provides more value and less battery drain. And even if Contributor (TechCrunch) pain for the amateur photographer b e a u t i f u l l y c a p t u r e d b y are solving for, I suggest that you I never use it again, I don’t think was the long and complicated Evernote’s perfectly crafted take time and think through it. Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:00:46 PM I’m the right target anyway. process of taking photos. As a t a g l i n e — “ R e m e m b e r Now. It will also give you a good Editor’s note: This guest post is result, he came up with the idea Everything”. So simple. So starting point for defining the Ultimately, I’m really interested written by Uzi Shmilovici, CEO that photographers should just powerful. The beauty of this UXV and help you focus on what when this app gets to people who legitimately say “I want to meet and founder of Future Simple, the focus on taking a great photo and tagline is that it touches a real is meaningful for the user. company behind Base—a simple t h a t K o d a k c a n h a n d l e t h e pain (you forget stuff), offers a • It is simple— keeping the UXV more people” instead of “What’s all this Highlight buzz about?” CRM for small businesses. printing. He captured that in this compelling vision (you will now simple is critical so you can Welcome to 1889. The field of s i n g l e p i t h y s e n t e n c e t h a t remember everything), and even communicate it effectively to your Then I think we’ll see the app in photography was just changed described the unique compelling more importantly – gives the customers, team, partners or any the hands of people who need it, forever. Up until recently, the vision of the company. Let’s call Evernote team a beautiful User other stakeholder. If it is not instead of those who are just process of taking and developing this the User Experience Vision Experience Vision to optimize simple, you probably didn’t figure curious. Appendix: Highlight Logo Rant p h o t o s w a s e x p e n s i v e a n d (UXV if you will) of the product. for. out the right UXV yet. c u m b e r s o m e . A s a r e s u l t From Paul Graham’s“Do one When Dropbox was founded, • It serves as a guiding light— a As someone who appreciates photography was available only to thing and do it well” to Steve there were probably more than s u c c e s s f u l U X V p r o v i d e s design, I just can’t get past the professional photographers or rich Jobs’“Focusing is about saying 100 companies that were offering guidance to your team as for what stupid-ass multi-color logo. the font choice is fine, and the logo people. no”, the idea of focus is one that some sort of cloud storage or to build next. It can help you think Then, a guy named George is often mentioned, and frequently backup. How did Dropbox grow t h r o u g h y o u r r o a d m a p a n d looks fine when monotone, but I Eastman comes up with a new ignored. After working with many so fast? Phenomenal virality identify whether the next feature hate hate hate the multi-colored way to take photos. He develops a startups, I came to the conclusion aside, the key to Dropbox’s you are building will be useful or version. It looks like it was thrown together by someone who special flexible, unbreakable, t h a t t h e r e ’ s n o t h i n g m o r e success was a fantastic product. not. rolled film that allows people to important for a startup than the But what did Dropbox build? • It is unique— it does not apply doesn’t give a shit if they should take photos and then send the film ability to clearly understand what When they started their message to every other startup on earth. be taken seriously and just to a factory where the photos can it builds and then relentlessly was: “Your files everywhere”. D o n ’ t h a v e a s y o u r U X V discovered the Layers tool in Photoshop. I know that’s harsh, be developed and sent back to the focus on it. Simple. Powerful. Clear. Now, as something like “Great User customer’s house. Suddenly, How can you achieve such focus they move beyond that, it changed Experience”. The more unique it but come on. photography becomes available to t h o u g h ? L e t ’ s l o o k a t t w o to “Simplify your life”. It relates is, the more meaningful it will be. everyone. Kodak is born. examples that will help explain to the Dropbox’s plan for the However, Mr. Eastman had one the concept of a User Experience future. The Ingredients of a Great It is not easy to come up with a other innovation. In 1892 he came Vision. User Experience Vision UXV. It takes time. You have to up with an advertising slogan for Evernote is a note-taking tool. It’s very hard to capture the UXV intimately understand the needs of Kodak:“You press the button, we Every computer ships today with o f y o u r p r o d u c t i n s u c h a your users. It might take weeks to do the rest”. More than an at least two or three free, pre meaningful and concise manner. come up with a good one and advertising slogan, it was really installed, note-taking applications. To make it easier, consider the e i t h e r w a y y o u w i l l k e e p the first time in history that a H o w c o m e E v e r n o t e i s s o four critical elements that make a developing and refining it. The company captured the user successful? One reason for that is great User time to start is now. experience of its product in a Phil Libin’s grand vision for the Experience Vision: Excerpt image from Smashing single clear and crisp sentence. product. He wants it to replace • It addresses a real need– If you Magazine Eastman understood that the key your brain. Seriously. This is don’t know what is the need you

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Genghis Khan of banks-something that does take a little doing. By associating itself with the rather more cuddly image of Google, it might even take on a little of Google's idealism. The new Googleman Sachs might even give its highly polished traders and, um, bankers 20 percent of each week to give back to the world--which may or may not include giving back money the world had given them in the first place. I wonder if this Lloyd Blankfein is, you know, that one. Consider, too, that if the world's most potent Valley company and the world's most potent Wall Street manipulator got together, deals could be struck via the renamed Googleman+. There would be no need for nasty power meetings and frenzied phone calls. If you weren't on Googleman+, you simply wouldn't have any chance of participating in the very hottest offerings.

If you didn't post there whom you had eaten for lunch and why you thought that "Top Gun" was one of the greatest movies of all time, then your chance at investing in, say, Facebook would be forever lost. Indeed, wouldn't this be the most beautiful way for Google to finally show Facebook who wears the sexier T-shirts? For, while Facebook still dreams of being a money-making machine, Google would--thanks to its Goldman Sachs arm--now be part of the world's biggest. Indeed, the new Googleman Sachs surely wouldn't have come a mere third in the race to lead Facebook's IPO. The Google side of things would have helped the new company learn how to deal with Facebookers. Just imagine how charming it would be for Googlies to now help Facebookers try to reap the rewards that they have so richly happened upon. True, the price would be, though, that Facebook would have to hand

over the data it has amassed in such an innocently enterprising manner, but once the IPO is done, why worry? We can be confident that putting Goldman Sachs' chillingly ruthless ways together with Google's cheery but increasingly rapacious disposition would create an entity that would not only benefit each of the participants but society as a whole. The profits from any dubious financial instruments would go toward bettering the world. Just think, the new Googleman Sachs would have the wherewithal to offer free, fast WiFi to everyone in America. And when the company got involved in some of the world's shadier deals, it could create ever more creative doodles that celebrated them and expressed their more positive side. For example, should Googleman Sachs make huge amounts of money by, say, bankrupting the Republic of Georgia, the

Googleman Sachs doodlers could create a joyous animation of migrant peoples set to "Georgia On My Mind." I would not be surprised if, even now, Larry and Lloyd are setting up a dinner date and realizing the true potential of this radical proposal. Gentlemen, I wish to take the usual 20 percent for this inspired thinking. That's 20 percent from both of you, of course. I was inspired by the old Goldman Sachs to be on both sides of the deal. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Deformed Product Art - The Errors in Production by Heike Bollig Beautifies Manufacturing Mistakes (TrendHunter.com)
(TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 7:43:13 AM

( TrendHunter.com) Manufacturing mistakes occur on a minute basis—after all, the people behind a product’s creation are just human—and the ‘Errors in Production’ art series celebrates these common albeit...

Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello 'occupies' SxSW
Duncan Geere
Submitted at 3/18/2012 10:46:00 AM

Many of the showcase gigs at South by Southwest can be disappointingly exclusive -- if you don't have a £400 badge, you're

not coming in. So Tom Morello went outside, instead. The Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave founder turned his set at the Swan Dive bar into what he described as "Occupy SxSW". After a solo acoustic-only set

under the banner of another of his musical projects -- the

Nightwatchmen -- he invited his By: Duncan Geere, Edited by: latest band, the Freedom Fighter Nate Lanxon Continue reading... Orchestra, on stage to play some louder tracks, including a cover of MC5's Kick Out The Jams, complete with a guest appearance from MC5's Wayne Kramer.

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Is FAA gadget policy about to change?
Chris Matyszczyk (CNET News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:30:52 PM

Look, no gadgets. And they seem happy on their Virgin America flight. When you get on a plane, you don't merely have to suspend your sense of time and space--you also have to place your disbelief in the overhead locker. The idea that your cell phone or your iPad can interfere with navigation systems seems a little extreme, when pilots themselves are now increasingly using iPads in their cockpits. And will he or she who has--at one time or another--not forgotten to turn off their cell phone on a flight please stand for president of the new Self-Righteous Party. There is a possibility, though, that the Federal Aviation Authority might be changing its mind on its gadget policy. The New York Times reports that having badgered the FAA to within a few inches of being buzzed overhead in their homes, the authorities have decided to enjoy a "fresh look" at the rules. This will be especially heartening for many, given that the last time the FAA tested gadgets in flight, it was 2006. This was a time when

the iPhone was merely a thought and the iPad something that Apple's Steve Jobs believed was something you'd only use while seated on the toilet. In what seems like a slight swipe at the airlines themselves, the FAA's Laura Brown told the Times: "With the advent of new and evolving electronic technology, and because the airlines have not conducted the testing necessary to approve the use of new devices, the FAA is

Would it be useful to offer a reminder of the lady who was thrown off an Amtrak train for chatting rather loudly for, um, 16 hours? Personally, the gadget rule I would most like instituted is one that limits the size of laptops that can be opened in flight. If you're in coach and the person next to you opens up one of those vast, ancient PCs that look like they're made of granite, you tend to receive vibrating elbows in your ribs for the duration. These people seem so oblivious, because of course, work--or on flights where there's Wi-Fi, Facebook--must come first. I hope that somehow a balance might be reached where the taking a fresh look at the use of these things for this total of, say, priority is less whether gadgets can be used when the plane is personal electronic devices, other one hour? than cell phones, on aircraft." Is it really so troubling to support descending to earth, but more Translation: the airlines don't what's left of the magazine whether the use of those gadgets want to spend money on this. So industry for this short period of really gets on someone else's wick. we will in order to stop your time? whining. There are surely many who are This entry passed through the Some might wonder, though, delighted that cell phones cannot Full-Text RSS service — if this is whether this whining is a little be used on flights. Can one your content and you're reading it much. Essentially, we are talking imagine what it would be like on someone else's site, please read about not being able to use your listening to someone drone on in a the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentprecious devices during takeoff loud voice (most important only/faq.php#publishers. Five and landing. Are human beings business people must speak Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks. truly incapable of doing without loudly) for five hours?

Minimum alcohol price 'illegal', claims Scotch Whisky Association
Telegraph Staff (Finance News - Business news from the UK and world)

Whisky producers have warned that proposals to impose a minimum unit price on alcohol

are likely to be challenged under European law.

30

Curated News Edition

NEXT,
continued from page 23

THIS
continued from page 24

We have to build some new toplevel interaction techniques. These pixels that are suddenly everywhere aren’t like the scarce, fixed pixels of yesterday. For me, the Minority Report interfaces are still the gold standard here. I want to be able to walk up to any screen in the world and point at it. And I want, in pointing, to actually reach through that screen into the network to get at all the content, all the programs, and all the communications channels I care about. And I want all the screens in my world — mobile or fixed, small or big, owned by me or just something I’m near — to be part of this networked ecosystem. So that dream is about the interface, but also a lot more. We’re going to have to change some fundamental assumptions about what we’re doing when we write applications (and “apps”). Making the most of the GUI required that we learn how to build new user experiences. We couldn’t just re-skin text-mode programs. Similarly, both web and mobile applications are most interesting when they leverage the “N squared” strengths of the internet — social, crowd-sourced, service-backed, able to provide

both centralized and decentralized building blocks. Our next next applications have to make similar leaps. We have to make a transition from a mindset that applications are built around one person, one screen and one task, to a new world view that’s multi-user, multi-screen, and multi-device. We’re starting to see little glimmers of this. More and more applications are using the combined infrastructure of the network, the cloud and the device to synchronize interactive state and content automatically. Users are taking the “two screen” experience into their own hands, mashing up broadcast consumption and social interaction in ways that are forcing big media companies to adjust. I can push the display from (some of my) mobile devices across to (some of my) big screens. And my phone can selectively tell other people and computational agents where I am and what information I might like to see pushed from their devices and their screens. But, again, we’re just starting down this road. We’re going to need a lot of new stuff to get to really interesting new capabilities. We’ll need new platforms and

tools, new standards, new hardware, new partnerships and business models, new coopetition and new evangelism. We’re going to have to try a lot of things that aren’t quite right to figure out what is right. In other words, the next next thing is the perfect thing for startups to work on. —- —- —The interfaces in the film Minority Report were designed by John Underkoffler, based on ten years of work he’d done at the MIT Media Lab. In 2006, John and I founded a company, Oblong Industries, to turn John’s vision of seamlessly interactive, integrated computing into commercial reality. So I’m a true believer. Oblong’s customers and partners include Boeing, GE, SAP, and other early adopters of gamechanging technology. Also, a big tip-o-the-hat to Michael Lewis’ “The New New Thing,” which is both a great book and a great phrase. I’m humbly borrowing and repurposing his title. Go read the book.

Resolutionary The iPad, especially the new iPad, with a screen that will make you believe anything is real within its borders, is Apple's next step towards the future, where devices merely work to assist us, and specialized knowledge is only needed in the field where one works. In other words, the tools get out of the way. We've seen patents for haptics, 3D, advanced image and motion sensing and lots of other great ideas. I think what we can expect going forward is a refining of the tools we use, and a natural evolution of the product lines. The Apple TV of the future, for example, will be revolutionary, perhaps, but not so much in raw technology as in implementation. The new iPad is not revolutionary so much in raw technology (the screen, made by Apple's phone rival Samsung, will soon be incorporated by others) as it is in implementation. From old apps holding up well to new apps looking incredible, Apple has moved the game further down the road without being beholden to the past or leaving its customers too far behind. Eventually the screen won't be the point because the screen will be everywhere. Apple doesn't have to build a car or a refrigerator. Manufacturers already have incentives to make their devices compatible, and they have. What I look forward to is a deepening of the ecosystem, perhaps even widening it a bit, and a continuing investment in materials science, software and

hardware engineering, and more. Apple's influence goes beyond its own ecosystem, clearly impacting the consumer electronics industry, education, research, design, manufacturing and more. Look for more of that in the future as well. The iPad represents the future direction of technology, I believe, more so than any other Apple product available. It is the hightech made simple, potent and distilled into a simple slab of metal and glass, designed to become the tool you need when you need it. If you're wondering what Apple will do next, just look at what it continues to do each year and add a little magic once in a while when it knocks our socks off with a real revolution. The iPad may someday give way to wrist-based holographic "eyePads" or add scratch-andsniff capabilities, but the philosophy behind it will remain. It's that philosophy that will continue to shape our lives by integrating so seamlessly with them. This is not our review of the new iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Source| Permalink| Email this| Comments

Curated News Edition

Technology/ News Photos

31

New iPad's battery life (nearly) the same as the old iPad's
Eric Franklin (CNET News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:20:37 PM

It took the better part of my day to get to that 10 percent point. Damn long-lasting tablets. Over the last couple of days I've run CNET's tablet battery drain test on both the new iPad and the iPad 2. The iPad 2's battery life hadn't been tested since iOS 4.3, so while my focus was on evaluating the new iPad's battery, this was also an opportunity to see if iOS 5.1 brought any battery life improvements over 4.3. The results The results speak for themselves, but if you need further explanation, continue reading after the chart. iPad (2012) iPad 2 (iOS 5.1) iPad 2 (iOS 4.3) Transformer Prime Transformer Prime w/keyboard dock Movie battery life (in hours) 12.8 14.2 11.9 9.6 15.3 How we tested battery life We evaluated battery life the same way we do for all tablets: by continually running a movie file on the iPad until its battery dies. We set each tablet to Airplane

mode and adjusted its respective brightnesses to 150 candelas per square meter (cd/m2) or as close to that number as possible. For each iPad, that's a bit lower than the halfway mark on the brightness scale. We ran the 720p iPad version of "Toy Story 3." On the Transformer Prime, we ran a 720p version of "Toy Story 3." The new iPad also supports 1080p

playback of movies, but we've yet to run the battery test with a movie file at that resolution. On the iPads, we ran the movie through the Videos app; for the Prime, we used the movie player app mVideoPlayer, as it provides a much-needed repeat video function that not all native Android movie players include. Analysis While the new iPad drained faster

than the iPad 2, its 12.8 hours of battery life is still the secondhighest result we've seen on a tablet using a single battery. Even compared with the Transformer Prime with its battery-embedded keyboard, the iPad lasted only 3 hours less. Even more impressive was that it achieved this running at that incredibly impressive 2,048x1,536-pixel resolution. Looking at the iPad 2 results, we

also saw evidence that Apple made some very meaningful battery optimizations going from version 4.3 to 5.1 of its OS. And although the iPad 2 got 1.4 hours more juice when watching a movie, nearly 13 hours of continuous 720p playback is nothing to thumb your nose at. That gets you an entire season of "Game of Thrones," with enough leftover power to squeeze in a couple "The Walking Dead" episodes as well. That's a lot of good-looking entertainment you can consume on just one charge. We will follow up soon with more iPad battery life results, including Wi-Fi-, 4G, and 1080p tests. Also, check out our full tablet battery life list for more comparisons. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Photos: LA Marathon 2012 - Patch.com
(news photos - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:08:01 PM

Photos: LA Marathon 2012 Patch.com Rain is expected on the day more

than 23000 people will make their way from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica. By Patch Staff

Runners hit the 10K mark on Park Avenue in Echo Park just above Glendale Boulevard and the Echo

Park Lake. and more »

32

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Curated News Edition

Panasonic Lumix GF5 reportedly leaked early
Mark Raby (SlashGear)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:25:44 PM

It appears as though a new entry in Panasonic’s high-end Lumix camera line has been leaked on an unlikely outlet – Instagram. The site has become a popular destination for online photo sharing, but it isn’t exactly a beacon for breaking news. But as with any social platform, that possibility exists. So anyway, the leaked picture in question has a lot of signs pointing to it being fully legitimate. For starters, the product in the picture looks very similar to what

would be its brother, the GF3. In addition, the person who uploaded it is a Hong Kong celebrity who goes by the same Angelababy. And it just so happens that Angelababy is a brand ambassador for Panasonic. Color us intrigued, to say the least. There seems to be quite enough circumstantial evidence to suggest this is legit. As mentioned, the previous entry in the Lumix series was the GF3. In case you’re wondering where the GF4 is, Chinese superstition leads many to steer clear of the number four because it sounds similar to the word for “death.”

shoots 3D or simultaneous 2D/HD on Nov 7th 2011 • Panasonic LUMIX GX1 official: 16MP, Full HD, 0.09s autofocus on Nov 7th 2011 • Panasonic launches the new Lumix DMC-ZS20 digital camera on Jan 31st 2012 [ via Engadget] Panasonic Lumix GF5 reportedly leaked early is written by Mark Raby& originally posted on SlashGear. © 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Obviously, Panasonic hasn’t released anything official about the GF5, but based on this picture, it looks like a final product is pretty much a fait de compli.

Story Timeline • Panasonic Lumix GX1 with Xseries lens appears in leaked photos on Oct 29th 2011 • Panasonic LUMIX DMC-3D1

Gwen Stefani Takes in a Tennis Tournament With Kingston, Gavin, and More Stars
Lauren Turner (PopSugar)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 10:35:32 AM

Martin del Potro. Gavin Rossdale Will, and Viveca were back in the watched the same match from audience to see John Isner take another section, as did Ben Stiller home the win against Novak The 2012 BNP Paribas Open in and Christine Taylor. Ben and Djokovic. Ben and Christine also Indian Wells, CA, brought out Christine stuck around to see checked out Roger and Rafael's plenty of stars over the weekend. R a f a e l N a d a l b e a t D a v i d tennis game, which ended with Gwen Stefani and her oldest son, Nalbandian in another game, Roger in the lead. Ben tweeted, Kingston, sat in the stands next to while Will Ferrell and his wife "Tough day for my favorite Roger Federer's wife, Mirka, on Viveca Paulin checked out the and Maria Sharapova. Rafael Nadal. Amazing to watch Friday, when Roger took on Juan matchup between Ana Ivanovic On Saturday, Ben, Christine, him and the great Federer." Anna

Wintour also showed up at the tournament yesterday. The tennis continues today, with the final men's singles game between Roger Federer and John Isner taking place this afternoon. View Slideshow ›

Curated News Edition

Economy/

33

"Welfare" - The Great Delusion
Tyler Durden
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:47:56 PM

We have long argued that at its core, modern society, at least on a mathematical basis - the one which ultimately trumps hopium every single time- is fatally flawed due to the existence, and implementation, of the concept of modern "welfare" - an idea spawned by Otto von Bismarck in the 1870s, and since enveloped the globe in various forms of transfer payments which provide the illusion of a social safety net, dangles the carrot of pension, health, and retirement benefits, and in turn converts society into a collage of blank faces, calm as Hindu cows. Alas, the cows will promptly become enraged bulls once they realize that all that has been promised to them in exchange for their docility and complacency has... well... vaporized. It is at that point that the final comprehension would dawn, that instead of a Welfare State, it has been, as Bill Buckler terms it, a Hardship State all along. Below we present the latest views from the captain of The Privateer on what the insoluble dilemma of the welfare state is, and what the key problems that the status quo will face with its attempts at perpetuating this lie. From The Privateer The Great Delusion - “Welfare” For the best part of the last two decades, it has been accepted as an indisputable fact even by the

mainstream media that the two great pillars of the welfare state medicare and social security - will break the government which offers them. Today, every nation in the world makes at least some pretense of providing “welfare” to its citizens. Since the “developed” (or “rich”) nations are those where these systems are most “developed”, these are the nations most at risk of crumbling under their burdens. Welfare has many antonyms, but “hardship” is particularly apt in this context. Wikipedia’s entry on

“welfare” ends like this: “... this term replaces “charity” as it was known for thousands of years, being the act of providing for those who temporarily or permanently could not provide for themselves.” As usual, the defining characteristic is missed. Charity is voluntary. “Welfare” as practised by government is compulsory. This makes the two terms opposites. It also brings about the opposite results. Charity is a voluntary act made by those who have a surplus to assist those who do not. “Welfare” is a system

guaranteed to end up in hardship for everyone but particularly for those who are forced to be “charitable”. The insoluble dilemma of a “welfare state” is twofold. First, it results in a situation in which the majority of people who vote are partially or wholly dependent on the state for their sustenance. In every “advanced” nation today, those who vote for a living outnumber those who work for one. It is true that not everybody, or even a majority of those eligible in many cases, bothers to

vote at all. It is equally true that the “wards of the state” have much more incentive to vote than do those who are to provide for them. The second dilemma is the issue of the unfunded liabilities. The US government divides its budget into discretionary and NON discretionary items. The bulwarks of the welfare state, social security and medicare, fall into the second category. They are considered untouchable. There are "WELFARE" page 34

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only two problems here. First, the unfunded liabilities of these two programs are somewhere in the order of $US 80 - 120 TRILLION. Second, any talk of sharply lower annual deficits (let alone talk of a return to a budget balance) are puerile without MAJOR surgery being performed on medicare and social security. They are gigantic millstones around the neck of the US economy as they are on the economies of all other nations. In the hands of government “welfare” becomes its antithesis “hardship”. Today, this is being illustrated in real time in Greece. But no nation can afford a welfare state in the long run. It appears that the "Captain" is on to something here. A few short hours ago none other than Goldman Sachs was forced to come out with a report attempting to justify this most fundamental social illusion, in " Is Health Spending Unsustainable" - that only Goldman, and potentially the San Fran Fed, could put this question for serious debate when it is well known that the unfunded liabilities associated with such luxuries is in the triple trillion digit ballpark, speaks volumes. Yet, since even Goldman is now floating various "trial balloons", we can only assume that this is about to become a big issue for policy, especially ahead of the Supreme Court's hearings later this month on the constitutionality of the national health care law. From Goldman Sachs I. Is Health Spending

Unsustainable? Health spending in the US exceeds that of any other developed nation, topping the next largest spender by nearly half again as much (as a share of GDP). Spending has also tended to grow faster in the United States than elsewhere (Exhibit 1). Unchecked spending runs the risk of destabilizing public finances, reducing competitiveness with trading partners, and ultimately crowding out other productive uses of resources. This is particularly the case if health spending is inefficient (Exhibit 2). However, the case that health spending is “unsustainable” isn’t as clear cut as the debate has sometimes made it out to be. After all, dedicating a larger share of future income gains to improving health could be a more productive investment than increasing other forms of personal consumption. Moreover, while health spending within federal programs is clearly unsustainable under current policies and growth trends, whether broader health spending should also be deemed to be growing too quickly depends on whether increased spending improves outcomes and whether it affects the ability of the rest of the economy to grow. What Drives Health Spending? From 1970 through 2010, nominal health spending grew at an average annual rate of 9.7%, well in excess of nominal GDP growth of 6.8%. Excess growth was greatest in the 1970s and 1980s, declined in the 1990s, and

reaccelerated somewhat in the last decade (Exhibit 3). Continual growth in excess of GDP growth has led health spending to reach 15% of GDP (Exhibit 4). Notably, this has occurred while the out of pocket costs to patients and consumers have declined, replaced by indirect costs such as insurance premiums and taxes that fund public programs, as well as federal borrowing. There is no single cause for excess growth in health spending, but a large body of research has focused on the drivers of growth and has reached qualitatively similar conclusions, as shown in Exhibit 5: Technology. Advancement in the state of technology typically increases cost over existing products or procedures, though it may produce savings in other areas. Academic work has typically attributed residual spending growth to technology, after accounting for other measurable factors. More recent work has tended to find a slightly smaller though still large contribution from technology to total health spending.The exact magnitude is necessarily imprecise in any case, given substantial interaction between the availability of new technology and willingness to pay for it due to rising incomes and greater insurance. Income. Differences in income explain a good deal of international variation in the health spending to GDP ratio (Exhibit 6). This implies that as

societies become richer, they devote a greater share of additional income gains to health rather than other forms of consumption. We find that regressing excess cost growth through 2010 against real GDP growth with a one year lag produces a statistically significant coefficient similar to the estimates shown in Exhibit 5. Insurance. The RAND Health Insurance Experiment conducted in the late 1970s found an insurance elasticity of 0.2, which implies that around 10% of the increase in real per capita spending growth since 1960 is attributable to increased insurance coverage. A more recent study examining the effect of coverage in Medicare found a much greater effect, suggesting increased insurance coverage could be responsible for as much as half of the increase in per capita spending. (See Amy Finkelstein, “The Aggregate Effects of Health Insurance: Evidence from the Introduction of Medicare,” 2006.) Demographics. The contribution of aging of the population to spending growth is more certain but even here there are differences in estimated magnitude. Clearly, aging will become a more important source of health spending growth over the next two decades, but as spending on the “baby boomer” generation peaks, income growth and technology are likely to be more important factors over the long run. What do official projections

assume? Despite chronic health spending growth in excess of GDP growth (an average of 2.1 percentage points on a real per capita basis since 1975) official estimates of Medicare solvency had until about ten years ago assumed a longrange growth rate essentially equivalent to GDP. This was eventually increased to GDP plus one percentage point, where it remained until passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Following enactment of that law, the official Medicare projections reported annually by program trustees are now based on growth of GDP minus 0.1 percent. The ACA permanently reduced annual payment increases for Medicare providers and sets in motion a number of payment policy reforms that could lower utilization, so a reduction in future Medicare cost growth of this magnitude seems reasonable. However, these new lower projections have upside risk given that some of the reduction in growth stems from sizeable payment reductions that might eventually be reversed. Moreover, while the ACA improved Medicare finances, these savings as well as new taxes go to finance insurance expansion, which will raise total health spending in the medium term (Exhibit 7). When Does Health Spending Become Unsustainable? One of the difficulties in determining how long health "WELFARE" page 35

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spending is likely to grow as a share of the economy is that the US health care system has not existed for all that long in its current form. Commercial insurance companies only began to offer health insurance on a large scale around World War II (partly due to the employer response to wage controls), and federal health insurance programs (Medicare and Medicaid)were not established until the 1960’s. That said, some trends would likely prompt a reduction in health spending growth: Public finances become strained. Since health spending totals about 15% of GDP but 23% of federal outlays, when health spending grows in excess of GDP, government spending as a share of GDP will necessarily expand. The demographic mix of publicly vs. privately insured individuals will add to fiscal pressures. Exhibit 8 shows the trajectory of spending assuming that historical excess cost growth gradually slows to zero and that certain cost containment policies are not maintained over the long term. Whereas the private sector can gradually respond to increased health spending, the public sector—and particularly the federal—reaction is apt to be much slower, leading to deficit spending until changes are adopted. As shown in Exhibit 8, health spending if left unchecked would not only crowd out other spending but would also eventually exhaust all federal revenues.

Of course, we would expect the situation to be addressed long before this happens. Health spending begins to crowd out real non-health consumption. This is not such a hard test to meet over the medium term, mainly because of the “low” base from which health spending as a share of GDP starts. Real per capita spending growth of around GDP+1.5% would slow but probably not reverse nonhealth consumption growth over the next 75 years, though this depends greatly on real growth and demographic assumptions (Exhibit 9). Increased health spending begins to weigh on growth, creating a vicious circle. This appears quite distant, if it ever occurs. The main concern here would be that rising health spending crowds out other productive activities (for instance, fixed investment or education), reducing potential output and further increasing relative health spending. Alternatively, higher taxes (to pay for public programs) or insurance premiums (to pay for private insurance) would reduce workers’ take-home pay, with potentially adverse incentive effects at a certain level. Finally, there is some evidence from businesses that excess health costs reduce employment and output.(Sood et al, find that a 10% increase in excess cost growth (i.e., about 20bps) leads to 121,000 fewer more jobs and $14bn in lost value added. See Neeraj Sood, Arkadipta Ghosh and Jose Escarce (2009) “Health

Care Cost Growth, Employer Provided Insurance and the Economic Performance of U.S. Industries,” Health Services Research, Vol 44.) When the Time Finally Comes… If costs are ultimately deemed too great (or projected growth too fast) what can be done? The decision before policymakers, employers, and individuals falls along two lines: first, what share of total output should be devoted to health care instead of other goods and services, and second, what is the optimal mix of public vs. private payment for whatever share is decided. This leaves three options: 1. Limit growth in health care costs regardless of payor, because activities that would otherwise be crowded out by health spending are deemed more important. Reaction to rapid growth in the 1980s— health spending consumed around 25% of overall per capita real income growth—led to Medicare payment reductions and broader use of managed care. This, along with strong growth elsewhere in the economy,stabilized the health share of GDP temporarily. Future restraint in health spending is likely to come from elsewhere, particularly given that Medicare cuts were already used to finance new spending under the ACA, so those savings have already been captured. A reduction in the geographic disparity of health spending is one option for future savings—patients in some areas of the country receive much

greater intensity of treatment at greater cost than patients in other parts of the country, but show little medical benefit.(See for instance “Health Care Spending, Quality, and Outcomes; More Isn’t Always Better,” Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, 2009) Use of information technology to increase medical and administrative efficiency is another. 2. Allow health spending to rise, but reallocate payment responsibility from the public sector to the private sector, in order to avoid the fiscal consequences that would follow, i.e., tax increases or spending cuts elsewhere in the budget. Since most of the public policy discussion regarding the rise in health spending relates to Medicare, and to a lesser extent Medicaid, it is quite possible that policymakers will find it sufficient to shift the financing burden for health costs away from the federal budget. This could mean an increase in the burden on state governments (they already face growth in Medicaid spending under the ACA), and would almost certainly imply increased cost-sharing for Medicare enrollees, thus shifting some of financing burden back to the private sector in the form of higher out of pocket spending. Under some proposals, such as that offered by House Budget Committee Paul Ryan, Medicare spending would be capped at GDP+1. The Bowles-Simpson

proposal would apply the limitation more broadly, limiting federal health spending and the tax exclusion for employer sponsored benefits to GDP+1, though it is not specific on how this would be accomplished. 3. Allow public health spending to rise and reallocate resources to pay for it. While it is unlikely that public-sector health spending growth would go completely unchecked, it is possible that additional health spending restraint could be modest, with a greater focus on reallocating resources to cover increasing state and federal health costs. The result would likely be higher taxes in this scenario, since in 2011 Congress already capped discretionary spending (annual appropriations by Congress) and automatic cuts set to take effect next year would reduce this segment further (we assume these will be pushed back past 2013). We estimate that the primary budget deficit (i.e., excluding interest) will average around 2% of GDP over the next ten years and it is politically unrealistic to imagine that such a large amount of savings can be found in the 13% of the budget that excludes appropriations, health, and Social Security. The upshot under this scenario would most likely be a tax increase of a magnitude similar to our estimated primary deficit of around 2% of GDP (roughly the size of the 2001/2003 tax cuts set to expire at year end). "WELFARE" page 40

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Curated News Edition

Morgan Stanley, Italy, Swaps And Misplaced Outrage
Tyler Durden

were wrong on direction. So over the course of time the mark to market value of these trades grew From Peter Tchir of TF Market to $3.4 billion. That mark to Advisors market valuation would show up Morgan Stanley, Italy, Swaps on the reports of Morgan Stanley And Misplaced Outrage (buried too deep for anyone to One of the big stories of the week f i n d e a s i l y , b u t t h e r e w a s t h a t M o r g a n S t a n l e y nonetheless). The mark to market “reduced” its exposures to Italy loss would not appear anywhere by $3.4 billion mostly by in the Italian government unwinding some swaps they had budgets. That should be a big on with Italy. Morgan Stanley concern for investors – the booked profit of $600 million on derivative trades that the country the unwind. The timing couldn’t enters into aren’t marked to have been worse coming on the m a r k e t b y t h e m f o r t h e i r heels of the “Darth Vader” accounting purposes. Maybe that resignation at Goldman Sachs, is why they have such an affinity attracting more attention to profits for swaps and swaptions – they on derivatives trades was the last can hide problems. thing the investment banks need. But anyways, back to Morgan Much of the outrage seems Stanley. At some point during the misplaced though. In this case, course of the year, it looks like don’t blame Morgan Stanley, MS took a “credit reserve” of blame Italy, and be very afraid of approximately $600 million what else Italy has done. because of concerns that Italy From what I can tell, Italy wouldn’t be able to pay. That is entered into some interest rate what credit hedging desks and swap or swaption contracts with risk management are supposed to Morgan Stanley, a long time ago do. Simplistically, let’s say they in a galaxy far away. Since the a s s i g n e d a 2 5 % d e f a u l t purpose of the trades were to probability to Italy with an “reduce” the interest expense that expected “recovery” of 30% (in Italy was paying, I assume the l i n e w i t h w h e r e C D S w a s contracts were more likely trading). They $3.4 billion * 25% swaptions than straight interest (default probability) * 70% (loss rate swaps – selling volatility in event of default) = $595 would reduce your payments up million. So MS would have take front, but would be costly if you a charge of that amount against
Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:53:01 AM

that position. It was dripped in over time as Italian CDS spreads blew out. All reasonable, but they would never tell Italy that they are carrying the “risk” there. When Italy unwound the swap and fully paid what was owed, MS was able to release that reserve as profit. Whatever money MS made on the Italian trade, it was all likely booked at the time of the trade. Since then MS has been managing the risk, including the counterparty risk. This $600 million was taken as losses due to potential for counterparties not to pay, that did in fact pay. Morgan Stanley did nothing wrong here and from what I can tell, has been prudent in their exposure management. Italy on the other hand has done a lot wrong. Letting a counterparty have documentation that cancels allows termination based on ratings is horrible practice. The termination almost always comes at the worst time (AIG’s problems weren’t actual defaults, it was that their own rating downgrade forced them to collateralize all their bad trades). What was Italy doing with these swaps in the first place? If they were pure and simple interest rate swaps, why didn’t they just issue floating rate bonds in the first place? That is an easier way for them to manage that exposure.

More likely the trades were funky and either involved some games with maturities or optionality, that gave them short term benefits but with increased longer term risk. This should be fully disclosed, and more importantly, the mark to market changes should hit the budget in the year the mark to market changes occur. Everyone seems to be acting surprised by the size of the Italian’s derivative book and the fact that it is massively underwater – why? The book is big because they can do trades that hide losses from the annual budget. Investors should demand to know all the derivative trades sovereigns have on and how they are accounted for. Will investors demand that? Probably not, the market is frothy right now, and just like investors don’t seem to care how many guarantees a sovereign nation has issued – whether to banks, the ECB, EFSF, ESM, the EIB, or to municipalities, they don’t seem to care about the derivative exposure. They will only care if it is too late, like in Greece, but it will make the losses far bigger than anyone really expected because the derivative losses and guarantees are real. Why couldn’t these trades be done on an exchange? Why does Italy really need to face each dealer? Why should Italy be able

to enter into deals with collateral provisions that are unique to each counterparty rather than through a standardized central clearing system? And if you don’t think it matters, then ask yourself what MS was doing with their exposure? Do you think MS was taking the write-downs and just hoping things would get better, or were they out there buying CDS on Italy? In the ever circular world of OTC derivatives, MS was likely buying CDS on Italy in an effort to contain potential losses. That of course was driving the CDS on Italy wider. MS, being prudent, was then probably buying CDS on the banks that had sold them CDS on Italy to hedge that exposure. What a vicious cycle. Of course that became a virtuous circle once Italy terminated the deal and paid them. Then MS could sell the CDS they bought on Italy. Then MS would sell the CDS on the banks that they had bought protection on to hedge their Italian hedge. So Italian CDS and bank CDS could all go tighter. This high degree of correlation and opaqueness should be ended. There is no reason it can’t be done on a central clearing system. Would collateral requirements be MORGAN page 41

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A Revolt, the Quiet Japanese Way
testosteronepit
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:36:44 PM

W o l f R i c h t e r www.testosteronepit.com New revelations seeped out about the control Japan’s nuclear industry had over its regulators. In early 2006, five years before the apparently preventable meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), an "independent" agency, began studying the enlargement of disaster-mitigation zones around nuclear power plants—from Japan’s standard 8-10 km to the International Atomic Energy Agency's standard of a 5-km “top priority zone” and a 30-km “priority zone.” But the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), which is under the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI), demanded the study be shelved, claiming in emails that were just released that the expansion ''could cause social unrest and increase popular anxiety.” It worked. But if the expansion of the zones had been implemented, it could have prevented the chaos of the evacuations from the areas around the Fukushima plant—and the deaths that occurred during it.

Another revelation seeped out Saturday. In 2005, the IAEA proposed that emergency food regulations should be prepared for a zone with a radius of 300 km around nuclear power plants—a relatively large area on the narrow Japanese islands. But members of the NISA, the NSC, and the METI requested the removal of any reference to the “300 km.” They were worried about "negative publicity and other factors." It worked again. However, the validity of the 300-km food regulation zone has been confirmed: "Radioactive cesium exceeded the safety standard in tea leaves from Shizuoka Prefecture, more than 300 km from the Fukushima plant," said Hideaki Tsuzuku, a director at the NSC, which is currently rereviewing the guidelines. Continuous revelations of how much Japan Inc. had conspired to accomplish its goals at the expense of the people have an impact: the people, known for their patience, have become impatient with the nuclear industry and its regulators—stirred up further by the daily drumbeat of the insidious spread of nuclear contamination: - High levels of radioactive

cesium were detected in condos built last July in Fukushima Prefecture. Turns out, the crushed stones in the concrete were radioactive. And, according to the METI, radioactive stones from the same quarry were used in over 80 other buildings, a street in front of a school, and an irrigation canal. - ARCO, an independent French lab, tested children living 220 km from Fukushima Daiichi and found that 77% of them were contaminated with cesium 134 and cesium 137, probably from food. - House dust collected from vacuum cleaners in the prefectures of Miyagi and Fukushima was contaminated with high levels of radioactive cesium. Of the sample, 22% exceeded 8000 Bq/kg—thus, radioactive waste that, under Japanese regulations, cannot be put in the garbage. - Water contaminated with radioactive cesium is still leaking into the sea at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, researchers said, further contributing to the contamination of fish, though TEPCO, the bailed-out utility that owns the plant, true to itself, believed that that wasn’t the case. And so people are opposing the almighty nuclear industry at a

local level. Every time a nuclear power plant shuts down for scheduled maintenance, people in the area come out against restarting it. Thus, of Japan’s 54 reactors, only two are still generating electricity. And both are scheduled to be off line by April. With harsh consequences for industry and manufacturers. And another setback for Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, the sixth ineffectual prime minister in six years. Like his predecessors, he is stumbling down a steep slope in approval ratings. When they drop into the low twenties, he will be axed, and a new sacrificial lamb will be stuffed into that slot. For the fiasco that is sending Noda to replacement hell while the economic and fiscal fundamentals are falling apart, read.... Unpopularity Contest at the Edge of the Abyss. Under pressure from Japan Inc., Noda suggested that some of the reactors should be restarted. And the arm-twisting with the resisting public got a little tougher on Friday, when METI Minister Yukio Edano predicted that Japan would face a power shortage this summer of 9.3%. Last summer, power shortages were largely limited to the Tokyo area and northwestern Japan. This summer,

they would hit Kansai, the huge and highly industrialized Osaka area, where shortfalls could peak at 20%. Industry and households would have to cut back drastically—a Third-World problem that will send more manufacturers overseas. So Edano, in his efforts to overcome local resistance, promised that stress tests would be conducted at all reactors before they would be restarted. But it remains doubtful that a new whitewash will re-inspire blind confidence in the nuclear industry. But on the Japanese internet, there has been something ... lighter. And utterly cynical. It shows just how much trust the people have left in TEPCO and the government. Read: Nuclear Contamination As Seen By Japanese Humor (mostly pics). Average: Your rating: None Average: 5( 4 votes) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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A Quick Guide To Everything Going On In The Eurozone Right Now
Simone Foxman (Money Game)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 7:56:00 AM

Markets have been buoyed by cheap cash and positive U.S. economic data recently, and Europe has been confident since Greece finally secured its second bailout. Thus investors have shifted their immediate focus back to oil prices and economic policy. But while Europe may look a lot healthier now that banks have plenty of capital and Greece is no longer on the verge of collapse, this doesn't mean the eurozone is any closer to actually solving its problems. The biggest issue right now remains the size of the European bailout funds--the European Financial Stability Facility and the European Stability Mechanism. While leaders agreed to move up the implementation of the latter from next year to this summer, Germany has in the past opposed measures to run both funds simultaneously. Recently, German leadership has appeared to have given ground on this issue, it is unlikely to support any measures to increase the availability of bailout funds significantly. Here is a quick look at what's been going on in the eurozone's most troubled economies in the past week, and what this means for the future of the European

economy: Portugal The Portuguese government is no doubt happy to be out of the limelight while economic contraction threatens its efforts to cut back debts. According to the Financial Post, €31 billion ($40.8 billion) in corporate debt falls due this year, and companies struggling to stay afloat in the economic decline will be hardpressed not to default on their debts. Citi estimates that GDP will contract -5.7%, versus Portugal's own estimates of just 3.3%. This week, former ECB member Lorenzo Bini-Smaghi said that EU leaders need to allocate funds to support Portugal immediately, since the country is likely not to meet its funding needs of €100 billion by 2016. Bini-Smaghi stressed that this second bailout would need to be talked about immediately so as to avert a liquidity crisis when confidence fades. While yields on its government bonds are no longer over 20%, Portuguese debt is still trading at distressed levels. Why Everyone's Freaking Out About Portugal In One Huge Slide > Greece With Greece's second bailout finally in place, investors are looking ahead to the country's

government is working to push through yet another round of economic reforms in an attempt to get the country's fiscal house in order, this time negotiating with business and union leaders. It is expected to an unveil a new agreement with them by the end of the month, and perhaps even as soon as next week. Labor market reform has been a paramount concern of Monti's as restrictions on hiring and firing practices are incredibly strict. His government's commitment to reforms has generated renewed confidence in Italy, and yields on Italian bonds have sunk below 5% and below the yields on Spanish next round of national elections, bailed out economies in the bonds, suggesting investor belief which will probably topple the eurozone, Ireland still awaits a in the fact that risks from Italy technocratic leadership of George r e f e r e n d u m o n t h e " f i s c a l have been materially minimized Papademos--the country's interim compact" that EU leaders agreed in the last few months. leader since early November. on back in December. The fact Spain C u r r e n t f i n a n c e m i n i s t e r that Greece no longer has to pay Spain is once again in the hot seat Evangelos Venizelos is expected back completely the debts it owed compared with Italy, with yields to tender his resignation Monday the ECB have led Irish leaders to on 10 year bonds rising back to start gearing up for the continue pushing for better terms above those of its counterpart and elections as PASOK's candidate. to their own bailout deal--lower above 5%. Its public debt hit a On a brighter note, this week i n t e r e s t r a t e s w i t h l o n g e r new high at 68.5% of GDP, both the IMF and the European maturities on current loans. according to WSJ, and EU finance Commission agreed to pay out the Negotiations with EU leaders on ministers agreed with Spanish funds Greece has been awarded as this point are still ongoing, but Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy part of its second bailout. Greek doubts are beginning to mount that Spain would not be able to newspaper Kathimerini reports about whether Ireland will be able meet its budget deficit goal for the that the first $7.8 billion of those to successfully change the terms year, raising expectations for that from 4.4% to 5.8%. funds will be paid out Monday. of their loans this month. Ireland Italy QUICK page 41 Regarded as the strongest of the Mario Monti's technocrat

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39

Stress Test Farce Shows Bank Shares Still Are Not Cheap
[email protected] (Mike Mish Shedlock) (Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)

the Fed said. The exercise opened the door for some of the most capital-flush banks to immediately announce Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:19:00 PM Last week the Fed conducted yet new or higher dividend payments a n o t h e r " S t r e s s - F r e e " t e s t to shareholders, after the Fed purposely designed to conclude prevented or limited such payouts banks are in better shape than they by a number of the banks last year really are. The parameters seemed following a similar examination. strict. JPMorgan Chase announced a 20 percent dividend hike and a $15 • US recession marked by a 50 billion share buyback program, percent drop in stock prices while Wells Fargo also sharply • 21 percent drop in housing boosted its planned dividend. prices Bank with Negative Tangible • Joblessness soaring to 13 Equity Passes Stress Test percent Anyone who can think knew in • An even worse recession in advance the stress test would be a Europe farce, but Jonathan Weil dug up the real dirt in his Bloomberg 15 out of 19 banks passed based report Class Dunce Passes Fed’s on a measure of "regulatory Stress Test Without a Sweat. capital". The four stress test The most important thing to failures are Citigroup, Ally, understand about the Federal Suntrust and MetLife. Reserve’s latest stress tests is "In fact, despite the significant what they were not intended to projected capital declines, 15 of do. Their purpose wasn’t to test the 19 bank holding companies whether the nation’s biggest were estimated to maintain capital banks could survive a financial ratios above all four of the blowup like that of 2008 without regulatory minimum levels under government assistance. the hypothetical stress scenario," Rather, the Fed designed its tests

to measure the effects a hypothetical crisis would have on banks’ regulatory capital. Capital is the financial cushion a company has available to absorb future losses. While the Fed would like for us to believe that regulatory capital is the same thing, it’s quite different. And too often it bears little resemblance to reality. Citigroup Inc. (C) was deemed well capitalized under the government’s methodology when it got bailed out in 2008. So was CIT Group Inc. when it filed for bankruptcy in 2009. How stressful were the Fed’s tests? One anecdote stands apart: Regions Financial Corp. (RF), which still hasn’t paid back its bailout money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, passed. The footnotes to the company’s latest financial statements tell the story. There, the Birmingham, Alabama-based lender disclosed that the loans on its books were worth $8.1 billion less than what its balance sheet said, as of Dec. 31. By comparison, the company’s tangible common

equity, a bare-bones measure of net worth, was $7.6 billion. Weil went through Regions’ balance sheet, using the company's own footnotes as to fair-market values of their financial assets and liabilities and concluded "Regions’ tangible common equity was negative $525 million as of Dec. 31." In short, the test was a joke, although it had its intended effect. Shares of Regions and other large banks soared, and Regions raised $900 million selling common shares on Wednesday. The company, which hasn’t reported an annual profit since 2007, plans to use the money to help repay the $3.5 billion it got from the Treasury Department in 2008. Regions probably would have failed years ago if not for its federal backstop. Instead, it now has a stock-market value of $9.1 billion. Clearly the Fed wanted it to attract new investors, and those who put fresh capital into Regions this week believe the government won’t let it die. That about sums up the company’s value proposition. In other words, we’re

all still on the hook. Bank shares may look "cheap" but they aren't. The latest "stress-free" test by the Fed proves as much. How much longer the market lets the Fed get away with this nonsense is anyone's guess. I would have thought silly season would have been over long ago. Mike "Mish" Shedlock h t t p : / / globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http:// www.sitkapacific.com/ account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.

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Curated News Edition

Barron's Calls For A Bottom In Housing...AGAIN

"WELFARE"
continued from page 35

However, this would be the minimum under such a scenario, for two reasons: first, health spending would continue to rise, requiring additional tax hikes later on. Second, eliminating the Sam Ro (Money Game) Yet, such pessimism appears primary deficit over the medium overdone, based on much recent Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:34:54 AM term is the minimum—a primary data. Sales of existing homes are surplus is needed to bring down Barron's is boldly calling for a showing tentative signs of the ratio of debt to GDP. bottom in U.S. home prices in the increasing, while the plunge in The ultimate outcome is likely to cover story of this week's print prices likely is nearing an end. be a combination of all three edition. Let's take a look at Laing's recent scenarios, though we suspect Jonathan Laing writes: call one more time: public policy will focus on the Yet as grim as these year-end Yet as grim as these year-end second and third options since readings appear to be, there are readings appear to be, there are they have less ability to influence signs that the long nightmare for signs that the long nightmare for the growth of privately financed American homeowners is in its American homeowners is in its health spending. It is also worth terminal stage, and that, maybe, terminal stage, and that, maybe, noting that health spending may just maybe, home prices will just maybe, home prices will naturally slow as its ratio to GDP bottom and begin to turn by the bottom and begin to turn by the rises; a simple regression of spring of 2013—if not before. spring of 2013—if not before. excess cost growth against the Laing's article cites numerous Anyways, time will tell if Laing lagged ratio of health spending to economists and points to many is right this time. GDP shows a coefficient of metrics that seem to signal an Read Laing's whole article at around -0.25, implying a gradual imminent bottom. Barrons.com. been listed for sale. 2005). slowing in the growth rate even as Of course, he also offers some Laing reminds us that Barron's "It's amazing how on target that Please follow Money Game on the level of health spending warnings. has been prescient in calling prediction was, since nationally Twitter and Facebook. continues to increase. Average: The biggest impediment to a turn inflection points in the housing the market is already down 40% Join the conversation about this Your rating: None Average: 4( 4 in the home market remains the so market: in real terms," Shiller said in a story » votes) -called shadow inventory of some See Also: This confidence index, Shiller recent telephone interview. This entry passed through the 3.671 million homes, according to notes, topped out almost seven However, he conveniently leaves • Here Comes The 2012 Tidal Full-Text RSS service — if this is estimates by Mark Zandi of years ago, in the very month that out a previous failed call for a Wave Of Foreclosures your content and you're reading it Moody's Analytics: those that he boldly predicted in a Barron's housing market bottom. Barry • JP MORGAN: CHINA'S on someone else's site, please read remain somewhere in the article that the U.S. home market Ritholtz points to the "terribly ECONOMY IS EXPERIENCING the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentforeclosure pipeline. Payments on was on the verge of a monumental wrong, and many years too early" A HARD LANDING only/faq.php#publishers. Five some are 90-plus days delinquent; collapse that would see prices fall call in his The Big Picture blog. • Lakshman Achuthan On ECRI's Filters recommends: Donate to others are already lender-owned an inflation-adjusted 50% (" The Here's an excerpt from Laing's Recession Call: I HAVE NO Wikileaks. properties, known as REOs (real OTHER CHOICE Bubble's New Home," June 20, 2008 Barron's cover story: estate owned), that haven't yet

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41

10 States Where You Can Get Incredible Deals On Foreclosed Homes
Mamta Badkar (Money Game)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 9:46:00 AM

MORGAN
continued from page 36

There's a tidal wave of foreclosures coming in 2012, which is sure to push more foreclosed homes onto the auction block. These foreclosed homes sell at pretty impressive discounts to similar homes that weren't foreclosed on. RealtyTrac is out with its latest foreclosure report and has identified the 10 states that offer the highest foreclosure savings. These savings were measured by comparing average sales prices with average foreclosure sales price. Here is a quick guide to the 10 states with the highest foreclosure savings for the month of February. Ohio Foreclosure savings: 34% Avg. foreclosure sales price: $68,658 1 in every 543 housing units received a foreclosure filing in February 2012 Source: RealtyTrac California Foreclosure savings:

34% Avg. foreclosure sales price: $230,058 1 in every 283 housing units received a foreclosure filing in February 2012 Source: RealtyTrac Georgia Foreclosure savings: 35% Avg. foreclosure sales price: $100,294 1 in every 331 housing units received a foreclosure filing in

February 2012 Source: RealtyTrac See the rest of the story at Business Insider Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook. See Also: • 20 Cities Where Foreclosures Are A Huge Problem • Here Comes The 2012 Tidal Wave Of Foreclosures • February PPI Rises 0.4% Pushed By Energy Costs

higher? YES, but so what, this isn’t about what banks want, it is about what the financial system needs. If the collateral requirements mean a trade isn’t worth doing, then it probably wasn’t worth doing in the first place. Rarely do collateral requirements trump conviction. If a trade is important, and the belief is strong, a few percentage points difference in collateral won’t stop it from getting done. Then MS wouldn’t be managing their counterparty exposure, because they wouldn’t have any. Neither would the other banks that all seem to be sitting on similar trades. It is time to make the derivatives market less dangerous to the system. To get the counterparty risk down to a minimum, and all controlled in one place. It is far more standardized than many believe, and the risks of not having it centralized means it becomes systematic and self-fulfilling each and every time we get a hiccup in the global markets. The systematic risk of derivatives and the counterparty risk needs to

be addressed. It creates too much unnecessary volatility. With capital requirements for “mark to market” positions less stringent than for accrual accounting positions, and so many credit hedge funds, and so much leverage in the credit space (including LTRO) that volatility feeds on itself. In any case, the outrage shouldn’t be focused on MS, it should be focused on the governments that do the trades, and the regulators who let this system continue to exist in all its opaque glory. Average: Your rating: None Average: 4.3( 9 votes) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

QUICK
continued from page 38

Meanwhile, the country is seeing little recovery from a housing bubble and high unemployment. On Thursday, Spain's statistics agency announced that home prices had fallen at an annual rate of 11.2% in the last year and 9.6% in the quarter. Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story » See Also: • BTW: The Euro Has Been Tanking All Day • EX-ECB MEMBER: If EU Leaders Don't Do Two More Bailouts Soon, Europe Is Screwed QUICK page 42

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Culture/ Featured/

Curated News Edition

QUICK
continued from page 41

• ECONOMIST: Calls For Greece To Leave The Euro Are Shortsighted

Top Saudi Religious Official Calls for 'Destruction of All Churches'
(Christianpost.com > Most Popular)

As Obamacare Anniversary Approaches, Debate on Romneycare Heats Up
Daniel Halper (The Weekly Standard)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:02:00 AM

The anniversary of Obamacare's passage is later this week, and the debate over health care and mandates (both regarding Obamacare and Romneycare) continues to carry on. Here's Jeff Jacoby, writing about Mitt Romney's health care plan--and the former Massachusetts governor's commitment to it--in the Boston Globe:

Kuwait and impose Islamic law, according to Catholic News Service. Party officials said later the legislation would not remove • ( P h o t o : W i k i m e d i a the churches but prohibit further Commons)'Abd al-'Aziz ibn construction of Christian churches 'Abdillah l ash-Shaikh, the Grand a n d n o n - M u s l i m p l a c e s o f Mufti of Saudi Arabia. worship in the country. Saudi Arabia is a country that is March 15, 2012| 4:56 pm officially 100 percent Muslim, Al-Asheikh made the statement and other religions are forbidden. Monday during a meeting with a Nevertheless, a small minority of delegation of a Kuwait-based Christians is known to worship NGO, Society of the Revival of there, unofficially. According to Islamic Heritage, in response to a one 2008 estimate, there were question of what Shariah law says 800,000 Catholics living in Saudi about building churches, reported Arabia at the time. Although there an Arabic Christian publication, are no official church buildings, Linga.org. Christians are allowed to worship The question was a reference to a a t h o m e s a n d s o m e o t h e r recent controversial statement by d e s i g n a t e d b u i l d i n g s . a Kuwaiti member of parliament Saudi Christians often include who reportedly called for the foreign immigrants. Recently, a "removal" of churches. The MP Christian watchdog organization reportedly specified later that he informed The Christian Post that a merely meant that no churches group of Christians from Ethiopia should be built in Kuwait. In had been imprisoned in the Saudi February, a legislation was kingdom for holding a prayer introduced in the parliament to meeting in a private apartment. remove Christian churches from In Kuwait, however, there are

church buildings. Like us on Facebook The Kuwaiti delegation reportedly wanted to confirm with the Grand Mufti what Islamic law says concerning the building of churches, and Al-Asheikh stressed that Kuwait was part of the Arabian Peninsula, and therefore it is necessary to destroy all churches in it. He referred to one of the phrases believed to have been uttered by the prophet Muhammad in which the prophet said that there are "not to be two religions in the [Arabian] Peninsula," which has always been interpreted to mean that only Islam can be practiced in the region. The Grand Mufti's words evoked some heated reactions. Raymond Ibrahim of Jihad Watch, a blog critical of Islamic laws considered extremist or intolerant, said that if a similar event took place in the Western world, its religious leaders would surely be shunned. "Considering the hysteria that besets the West whenever non-

authoritative individuals offend Islam -- for instance, a fringe, unknown pastor -- imagine what would happen if a Christian counterpart to the Grand Mufti, say the Pope, were to declare that all mosques in Italy must be destroyed; imagine the nonstop Western media frenzy that would erupt, all the shrill screams of 'intolerance' and 'bigot,' demands for apologies if not resignation, nonstop handwringing by sensitive politicians, and worse," Ibrahim, a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum, wrote. [email protected];@Lui za_CP This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Build-a-lot 2:Town of the Year
(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)

It?s time to get busy again building, buying and selling houses in Build-a-lot 2: Town of the Year! There are new towns to

explore, new Mayors to meet and lots of money to be made as you cast your vote for the ?Town of the Year?. Use your keen eye to pick the right locations to build parks and shops. Pick your paint

colors, upgrades and landscaping to create the ultimate curb appeal and earn outstanding profits. How about a latte from the new coffee shop? Some new flower boxes from the garden center? It?s all

waiting for you in Build-a-lot 2 ...welcome to the neighborhood! This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read

the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Culture/

43

Megachurch Pastors Offer Advice on Preaching Better Sermons
(Christianpost.com > Most Popular)

• (Photo: Preaching Rockets via The Christian Post) Perry Noble (right), pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina, speaks on preaching better sermons, March 2012. • (Photo: Preaching Rockets via The Christian Post) Charles Stanley (left) of In Touch Ministries speaks on preaching better sermons as Jeff Henderson of North Point Ministries looks on during a webcast March, 15, 2012. March 16, 2012| 5:32 pm Those are some of the questions that a group of well-known pastors responded to during a webcast Thursday that was designed to help pastors across the country preach better sermons. According to Casey Graham, founder of PreachingRocket.com, which led the event, 90 percent of unchurched people choose a church based on the pastor or preaching. And 92 percent of people return to a church because of a sermon. With that, the preachbettersermons.com event was launched to provide insights into the way some of the country's most influential pastors do what

they do and to provide a community in the lonely world of preparing and preaching sermons. Ideas and Sermon Preparation NewSpring Church Pastor Perry Noble advised the thousands of pastors watching online to begin with the Word of God and not a VH1 video or popular song. Like us on Facebook "Let the text, the Bible drive the sermon. Don't say I saw a video on VH1 and I want to establish a sermon around that," the South Carolina megachurch pastor exhorted. "The Word of God has to be where it starts. I'm so passionate about that." Noble, whose church is getting ready to launch its eighth campus, said nearly every idea that he has preached on for the past five years came out of his quiet time. He made it clear, however, that his quiet time with the Lord is not sermon prep time. "But while I'm reading the Bible to try my best to hear the voice of God, if something pops in my mind, I write it down," he explained. "A preacher preaches best when he preaches out of the overflow of his heart. I really want to try my best to communicate that idea that God set my heart on fire with." Already, he has enough thoughts written down that he can create sermons for the next year and a

half, he said. For Charles Stanley, who has been preaching for 55 years, his ideas come from asking "What's the need of the people who are going to be listening?" The veteran pastor, whose sermons are broadcast around the world through In Touch Ministries, developed a little saying that some, including his son Andy Stanley, cite: "Until a preacher has as burden for the message, he's not ready to preach." "I realized I needed to have on my shoulder – spiritually – the weight of what God has in mind. What does He want to accomplish in this message? ... I'm preaching for an impact, not to impress anybody but just impact. I want to see their life change," he explained. Essentially, the feeling a pastor should have is: "I must preach this message, I have to preach it, I can't wait to preach it," he described. While Stanley typically begins preparing for his sermon a week ahead and makes sure that is the only thing on his mind between Saturday and Sunday, Noble likes to plan much farther ahead – by several months. With his sermons consisting not only of preaching but also of videos, illustrations and other elements, Noble likes to give his

Creative Team time to prepare. "One of the things I've discovered about preaching is ... preaching is relatively easy if all I've got to do is read a text and apply it. But today ... there's so many creative elements around it," he said during the "Preach Better Sermons" webcast. "We all serve each other. The way I serve our Creative Team, Worship Team, and Video Team, is try my best to plan as far ahead as possible ... Then everybody can give their best effort possible. They don't serve me, we serve each other." Andy Stanley, lead pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga., also chooses to prepare his sermons more than a week in advance. "I can't live that way," he said of last-minute preparations. Do Megachurch Pastors Get Nervous? When it comes to getting up in front of thousands of people on a large stage every week, Stanley of North Point doesn't believe nerves should be in play. "When a preacher or teacher is nervous, it's all about them," he stated. "I can't be concerned about me... and be concerned about them. I'm going to walk out there concerned about that group ... or about me. [It] can't be both." "If you're nervous ... you're really

not ready," he stressed. Rather than evaluating success based on how well the congregation applies what is preached, the pastor who is concerned and nervous ends up basing success on how well he or she did, Stanley noted. "Don't get up there so you can feel like you did a good job ... don't just cover the material," he advised. "Walk out there with that person in mind." That person may be a teen who's giving church a try one last time or (for Stanley) a middle-aged man who was dragged to church by his wife. "Make sure it's about them and not about you," he exhorted. The elder Stanley, Charles, also said he never gets nervous on Sunday morning. Rather, he's more excited to preach what God wants him to say. Dealing With Criticism Citing Seattle pastor Mark Driscoll, Noble said pastors have many foes, fans and then very few friends. "He said you've got people that think you're worse than you really are, [those who think] you're better than you really are, and some people who will tell you the truth." Noble chooses not to listen to the MEGACHURCH page 44

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Curated News Edition

Should I Divorce If I'm Miserable?
(Christianpost.com > Most Popular)

March 16, 2012| 10:37 am My wife and I are at an impasse. There's been no abandonment, no sexual immorality, and no abuse. We just don't get along. We shouldn't have married. We should have known we are incompatible. I know God hates divorce but I don't have any other option. My pastor and some Christian counselors have told me that while God hates divorce, this is the lesser of two evils because God doesn't want me to be miserable. What do you think? Married but Miserable Dear Miserable, Here's what I think (and I'm paraphrasing a pastor friend of mine here). With "Christian" pastors and counselors like these, who needs demons? Divorce isn't about you, and it's not just about your marriage. Divorce is the repudiation of a covenant. It doesn't start anything over again. It instead defaces the icon God has embedded in the creation of the union between Christ and his church (Eph. 5:2231) . Like us on Facebook I do believe that there are exceptions to Jesus' prohibition against divorce: namely

unrepentant sexual immorality or abandonment by a gospelrepudiating spouse. Neither of these, according to you, are present here and so you do not have reason to leave. I plead with you to reconsider this and to understand that when you give account before the Judgment Seat of Christ, these "counselors" you have around you will not be present, and their cowardly justifications for sin will ring quite hollow. Does God want you to be miserable? Long-term, no. And that's why God has designed marriage as a life-long covenant signaling the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the long-term, God wants you to be deliriously happy. But by long-term, I mean the next trillion years, and beyond. In the short-term, one often must bear difficulty and, yes, even misery. Remaining faithful to a wife you wish you hadn't married might seem miserable to you, but taking up a cross and following Jesus is "miserable," in the short-run. That's why the Book of Hebrews presents the life of faith in terms of not receiving what was promised (Heb. 11:39), but seeing it and embracing it from afar. If you take the nuclear option of divorce off the table, you might find that you and your wife have

more reason to seek help with your problems and make this work. But even if your marriage never becomes what you thought it might be, it is worth it to stand by your words and maintain fidelity to the wife of your youth. What God has joined together, let no man separate (Mk. 10:9). And that includes the "shepherds" whose craven counsel leads to simply more chewable mutton for the wolves. Adapted from Russell D. Moore's weblog at russellmoore.com. Dr. Russell D. Moore is the Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He also serves as a preaching pastor at Highview Baptist Church, where he ministers weekly at the congregation's Fegenbush location. Dr. Moore is the author of The Kingdom of Christ and Adopted for Life. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Video:Car Maintenance Videos
(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)

,"people","recipes","science","trav el","www","reference","maps","vi Playlist | Car Maintenance deos","history","geography","ani Videos Check out all 13 car m a l s " ) ; v a r maintenance videos in this subDomain=document.domain.spl playlist. There are 13 videos it(".")[0]; if (subDomain) { var tagged "Car Maintenance"' + ''; x; for (var x = 0; x $('#googleAdRightRail').html(rt); This entry passed through the } function getValidChannel() { Full-Text RSS service — if this is var getChannel = your content and you're reading it function(subDomain) { return on someone else's site, please read subDomain; } var validChannels the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content= n e w A r r a y ( " a d v e n t u r e " , only/faq.php#publishers. Five "auto","computer","electronics"," Filters recommends: Donate to entertainment","food","health","h Wikileaks. ome","mobiltravelguide","money"

MEGACHURCH
continued from page 43

"foes." He also doesn't listen to the "fans" – who will always tell the pastor "great job." Instead, he listens to friends – who love Jesus first, the church second and the pastor third. "They're willing to speak the truth to you so ... ultimately it'll edify the church," he noted. Other speakers featured in the webcast included Louie Giglio of the Passion movement, Judd Wilhite of Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Dan Cathy, president and COO of Chick-fil-

A, and Pastor Vanable H. Moody II of The Worship Center Christian Church in Birmingham, Ala. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Curated News Edition

Culture/

45

8 training tips for your social media marketing staff
(Holy Kaw!)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:02:00 PM

If your company has decided to take the plunge and dive into the deep end of social media marketing, part of the challenge is making sure the team you have in place is in sync with the message your company wants to send. Jim Belosic of Social Media Examiner has collected eight pieces of advice to ensure your efforts get off to a good start, and hopefully open up the world of business opportunity that is social media. #1: Create a Social Style Guide

A chair for those who can’t sit still
(Holy Kaw!)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:41:00 PM

We’ve been hearing plenty lately about how our desk jobs are killing us, but even if you did want to get your groove on while sitting at the ‘puter, chances are you’ll end up falling over

you looking for from your presence on Facebook? - Do you want to get users talking? - Do you want their feedback so you can build a better product? - Do you want them to advertise your brand for you by sharing your content? Once you establish your goals, you can amend your style guide accordingly… Agreeing on a style for outward- same page. Perhaps the biggest Full story at Social Media facing content helps solidify your hurdle in creating astyle guide is Examiner. company’s identity and character, to define your company’s voice… Social media marketing. and is the starting point of good #2: Define Social Goals Lauren Turner (PopSugar) Photo credit: Fotolia social media employee training, When creating your style guide, Permalink| Leave a comment » Submitted at 3/18/2012 9:52:40 AM because it puts all agents on the keep your goals in mind. What are Kristen Stewart was up early to catch a flight out of LAX this morning. She's back on the go after spending the last week near LA. Yesterday, Kristen headed to eventually. to redo the office décor. Enter the Osca Task Chair, a Now, if only we could get a chair A n a h e i m , C A , t o a t t e n d concept design by Jessica Cassar made for the stubborn sloucher, WonderCon with her Snow White and the Huntsman costar Charlize that allows even the worst life would be perfect. wigglers to rest easy thanks to a F u l l s t o r y a t c o r o f l o t v i a Theron and the film's director Rupert Sanders. The trio sat on a specially designed rest on the Technabob. panel to chat about the fairy tale bottom that helps prevent the Practical design. adaptation, which hits theaters chair from tipping while you rock upholstery styles can even be Permalink| Leave a comment » this Summer. Kristen also has On that last minute project. New snapped into place if you decide the Road coming out this year, and we got to see the first trailer for the movie when it was released on Tuesday. View Slideshow ›

Kristen Stewart Throws on Her Leather Jacket For an Early Flight

46

Culture/

Curated News Edition

Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson Brave the Rain to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Green
Lauren Turner (PopSugar)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 9:40:39 AM

Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson grabbed lunch at Hals in Venice, CA, yesterday. They got into the St. Patrick's Day spirit in green gear, with Jessica carrying an emerald Hermès bag and sporting Hunter boots in the same hue. Eric went all out in green pants, a bright shirt, a hat, and a plaid umbrella for the occasion. A palm tree branch fell on the sidewalk right in front of Jessica as they walked on Abbot Kinney, though Eric held onto her arm to avoid a spill. Jessica and Eric were joined by family and friends for the festivities, which came after a Friday date night for the

duo at Mr. Chow in LA. Jessica and Eric are prepping for the arrival of their first child, with rumors swirling that they plan to name the baby girl Maxwell, which is Eric's middle name. View Slideshow ›

Five Best NoniPod Digital Music Players [Hive Five]
Alan Henry (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 8:00:00 AM

Blend a Whole Lemon Into Lemonade [Video]
David Galloway (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:00:00 PM

Streaming music is great, but if you're somewhere without a data connection, like a flight or underground on the subway, some of our favorite cloud services won't do you much good. For times like those, or when you need a device that's loaded up

with all of your favorite tunes and tons of playlists, it's better to have something with your music stored right on it so you can listen on the go. This week we're going to look at five of the best digital music players (that aren't the iPod, since it's clearly the king of the market) based on your nominations. More »

One of summer's favorite tastes is homemade freshly squeezed lemonade. You can make an easy and quick lemonade by cutting a lemon into eight slices, removing the seeds, and then add the lemon slices, some water, and the sweetener of your choice and blend on high for one minute. You'll get a simple fresh lemonade that only requires one lemon. More »

Ultimate KenKen Quiz
(HowStuffWorks Daily Feed)

Do you slaughter the daily sudoku grid? Turn crossword puzzles into carnage? See how

much you know about one of the newest strategy-based brain teaser games called KenKen. Earn a point for every right answer! Save your score at the

end of the quiz.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-

only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Curated News Edition

Culture/ TV/ Sports/ Featured/ Politics-Left/

47

Combine 3 Ikea Parts Into a Rolling Kitchen Island [Ikea Hacks]
David Galloway (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:00:00 AM

Final Season For Original Cast Of 'Teen Mom'
Jaimie Etkin (TV on HuffingtonPost.com)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:58:50 PM

UPDATE 1-Golf -Quesne equals course record to win Andalucia Open
(Sports News Headlines Yahoo! News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:20:24 PM

Many rolling kitchen islands are designed for larger kitchens that have lots of unused space. By combining Ikea Effektiv cabinets, Rill locking casters, and a Vika Amon table top you can build a smaller island inexpensively. More »

Explosion rocks Syrian city of Aleppo
(AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE))
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:05:21 PM

Pinterest deconstructed [infographic]
(Holy Kaw!)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:52:00 PM

It's out with the old and in with the new for MTV's " Teen Mom" franchise. The original "Teen Mom" cast is getting the boot, according to a new report. " Season 4 will be the final season of 'Teen Mom' with Maci, Catelynn, Amber and Farrah," MTV exclusively told Us Weekly. A premiere date for the fourth and finale season of "Teen Mom" has not yet been announced, but is expected to air this summer. Maci Bookout, Amber Portwood, Farrah Abraham and Catelynn Lowell were all part of the first season of MTV's " 16 and Pregnant" in 2009, and moved on to appear in the first installment of its spin-off "Teen Mom." On the MTV hit reality docudrama,

viewers have watched the four women deal with break-ups, adoptions, proposals, abuse, arrests and other struggles over three seasons of the original installment of "Teen Mom." The series spawned a second generation, " Teen Mom 2" with more former cast members of later seasons of "16 and Pregnant.""Teen Mom 2" just finished its second season. There will also soon be a " Teen Mom 3," MTV announced in February. Though Maci, Amber, Farrah and Catelynn have yet to comment on their show coming to an end, Maci did retweet a couple fan comments on Twitter: @ macibookoutmtv so sad to hear there will be no more teen mom from you. Thank you for sharing your life it has really inspired me â

(Adds details) MADRID, March 18 (Reuters) - Frenchman Julien Quesne matchedthe Aloha course record with an eight-under-par 64 to win hismaiden title at the Andalucia Open on Sunday. The 31-year-old, ranked 322 in the world, stormed through topass the overnight leader Eduardo De La Riva and finish with atotal of 271 for 17 under par. Teenage Italian Matteo Manassero was two strokes behind himin second after a round of 68, while Spaniard De La Riva cardeda 70 to finish third, three strokes off the pace. "It's the best day of my life," Quesne said on the EuropeanTour's website (www.europeantour. ...

Via Maxymiser. Like infographics? So do we. Permalink| Leave a comment »

Vienna Waits For Me
Victorino Matus (The Weekly Standard)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 9:32:00 AM

EXPLOSION page 48

Cafe Hawelka, Vienna I'm currently on assignment for THE WEEKLY STANDARD in God-awful Vienna, Austria (just

trying not to make my colleagues envious). It's been almost 20 years

since I spent a year in the old city as a student, and it's fascinating seeing what has changed (I've already stumbled across two Starbucks) and what hasn't (the grocery stores are still closed on Sundays).

48

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Curated News Edition

EXPLOSION
continued from page 47

At least three people have been killed and 25 wounded by a car bomb in Syria's second biggest city of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said, a day after two blasts rocked the capital Damascus. Residents told the UK-based rights group that they saw bodies in the streets after Sunday’s blast close to a state security office. State news channel Syria TV said the "terrorist" explosion had been between two residential buildings in the al-Suleimaniya district, behind a post office. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from neighbouring Lebanon, said it is not the first time Aleppo was hit during the now year-long uprising against the rule of President Bashar alAssad. "We have seen an explosion in Aleppo just a few weeks ago. That explosion targeted the security headquarters." The opposition also reported heavy raids by security forces and fighting with rebels in northern and southern Syrian provinces and suburbs of Damascus. In the capital, as crowds gathered for memorials to the 27 victims of Saturday's car bombs, security forces broke up an opposition march of more than 200 people when protesters began shouting "the people want to topple the regime". The phrase has echoed through the wave of Arab uprisings that began last year and has toppled autocratic rulers in Tunisia,

Egypt, Libya and Yemen. "They were walking through an area in central Damascus, near SANA (the state news agency),” Rami Abdelrahman from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "At first they shouted slogans against violence and the police didn't do anything, but as soon as they started to call for regime change the police rushed in and started beating people with canes," Abdelrahman said. The protest, which called for non -violent resistance to the government, had been led by moderate opposition leaders previously tolerated by the government because of their calls for dialogue and rejection of foreign intervention. Civilian casualties State television blamed "terrorists" for the Saturday morning explosions and reported that vehicles packed with explosives had been used. The blasts targeted buildings belonging to a customs office and air force intelligence. Most of the casualties were civilians, state television said. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Lebanon where Islamist groups support the Syrian opposition The channel broadcast interviews with Syrians who blamed the attack on the United States and Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who they said had sent "terrorists". Bassma Kodmani, a Paris-based member of the opposition Syrian National Council, said she

doubted the armed groups trying to bring Assad down by force have the capacity to carry out such attacks on security institutions in the capital. "I don't think any of the opposition forces or the Free Syrian Army has the capacity to do such an operation to target these buildings because they are fortresses," she said. "They are very well guarded. There is no way anyone can penetrate them without having strong support and complicity from inside the security apparatus." SANA said a third blast went off near a military bus at the Palestinian refugee camp Yarmouk in Damascus later in the day, killing the two suicide bombers. Growing insurgency Activists said the Sunday march in Damascus aimed to commemorate the peaceful roots of Syria's uprising, which has been overshadowed by the growing armed insurgency against state security forces. Heavy fighting also raged in the northwestern province of Deir Ezzor and military vehicles were torched, activists said. Rebels also blew up a bridge in southern Deraa, birthplace of the uprising, the UK-based rights group said. The bridge had been used to transport supplies to security forces besieging the city. The rights group said security forces raided the town of Artouz, a Damascus suburb, looking for wanted men. The Local Co-

ordination Committee, another opposition group, said residents they could hear heavy gunfire. Technical experts from the UN and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation are in Syria on a mission to assess the humanitarian impact of the bloodshed, a senior OIC official said on Sunday. "The joint OIC-UN mission entered Syria on Friday to carry out an evaluation of humanitarian aid," on a mission led by the Syrian government, its assistant secretary general, Atta al-Mannan Bakhit, told AFP news agency. He said the mission, with three OIC experts in the team, would cover 15 cities, after which a report would be submitted to the Saudi-based Islamic grouping and the UN on the humanitarian needs of the Syrian population. The United Nations estimates that more than 8,000 people have died so far in the violence following the revolt against four decades of rule by the Assad family. Authorities say they are fighting insurgents who have so far killed more than 2,000 members of the security forces. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Free Indie Games is a lot of free indie games chosen by Terry Cavanagh
Jessica Conditt (Joystiq)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:00:00 PM

Terry Cavanagh, indie-game maniac behind VVVVVV, Chat Chat and At a Distance, has started a new website with a title to make an SOE enthusiast blush: Free Indie Games. Guess what it offers? Free indie games, as chosen by Cavanagh based on their newness, goodness, freeness, indieness and gameness. Currently, Free Indie Games "highly recommends" Wither, Game Title: Lost Levels and Dys4ia, but recent titles we find intriguing include Nausea and Socially Awkward Conversationalist. But they're all free, so really, every single one is quite intriguing to begin with. Free Indie Games is a lot of free indie games chosen by Terry Cavanagh originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

Curated News Edition

Politics-Left/

49

Tributes and mourning for Coptic Pope
(AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE))
Submitted at 3/18/2012 7:14:29 AM

… people are coming from all around the country not just from Cairo and surrounding cities but Thousands of mourners have as far as Upper Egypt deep in the gathered at Cairo's St. Mark's countries south." Cathedral to pay final respects to Bishop Pachomious of the Nile Pope Shenouda III, the head of Delta province of Beheira has the Coptic Church who died on taken over papal duties for two Saturday at the age of 88. months until a council of senior Coptic bishops have started clergy meet to choose a new pope, arriving from around the world to state television said. attend ceremonies leading up to The spiritual leader of the Middle Tuesday's funeral and discuss East's largest Christian minority plans to appoint a successor to had suffered health problems for Pope Shenouda who had led the years, travelling to the United church since 1971. States frequently for treatment. Lengthy queues formed in Cairo's Shenouda died in his residence at Abbasiya district overnight and on the cathedral, and the state news Sunday morning at the cathedral agency MENA said he had been where Shenouda's body was battling liver and lung problems initially laid in a coffin and later for several years. Health issues seated on a ceremonial throne forced him to cancel his weekly wearing gold and red embroidered sermon on Wednesday. religious vestments, a golden "He died from complications in mitre on his head and holding a health and from old age," his gold-topped staff. political adviser Hany Aziz said. Al Jazeera’s Rawya Rageh, Condolences poured in from reporting from outside St. Mark’s Egypt's Muslim leaders and from in Cairo, said that the streets were politicians. “flooded with mourners dressed in "Egypt has lost one of its rare men black." at a sensitive moment when it "Thousands of people are coming most needs the wisest of its wise here to get a chance to have a last their expertise and their purity of glimpse of the pope who is seated minds," said Sheikh Ahmed elhere in full attire in the papal Tayib, grand imam of Egypt's chair in the main cathedral hall," highest Islamic authority, alRageh said. Azhar. "You could see a lot of grief here The Vatican also paid tribute to

the military for the violence. "These martyrs are our beloved children and their blood does not come cheap," he said. "I, along with all the bishops, priests and monks, will pray for them. And we know that God will forgive their sins." Shenouda worked as a journalist Shenouda and said that Pope population of around 80 million. before spending years as a monk B e n e d i c t X V I h a d o f f e r e d For Egypt's Christians, Shenouda "prayers of suffrage". was a charismatic leader, known and being elected pope. "The Catholic Church shares in for his sense of humour, whose In the 1980s, he spent more than the grief and prayers of Coptic smiling portrait was hung in many three years in exile in a desert Christians in mourning the loss of Coptic homes and shops. But monastery after former President their spiritual leader... May the in recent years, some criticised Anwar Sadat stripped him of his Lord welcome this great shepherd him for not speaking out on powers by decree. and give him the reward he Coptic rights, particularly as At the time, Shenouda had been deserves for his service," a sectarian violence seemed to pressing for more rights for the Coptic community and trying to statement said. increase. Central role The later part of his papacy was preserve his congregation from Shenouda's successor will play a marked by co-operation with escalating attacks by Muslim central role in forging the church's Mubarak and, after the revolt, the extremists. position in the country after the Supreme Council of the Armed Mubarak cancelled Sadat's decree overthrow of President Hosni Forces. When sectarian clashes in 1985, and Shenouda returned to Mubarak last year. Islamist parties began to erupt after Mubarak's lead Christmas Mass before a have since emerged as a dominant r e m o v a l , i n c l u d i n g c h u r c h crowd of thousands in St Mark's political force in parliamentary b u r n i n g s t h r o u g h o u t t h e Cathedral. elections. country, Shenouda praised the This entry passed through the S h e n o u d a l e d t h e C o p t i c military leadership for helping to Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it Orthodox Church through 40 rebuild. on someone else's site, please read y e a r s o f q u i e t e x p a n s i o n , 'Beloved children' including a strong growth in But in October, when soldiers the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentNorth America. brutally dispersed a Coptic protest only/faq.php#publishers. Five Most of the church's more than outside state media headquarters, Filters recommends: Donate to 10 million members are in Egypt, leaving at least 26 people dead, Wikileaks. where Copts are believed to make Shenouda declared that those up around 10 per cent of the killed were martyrs and blamed

50

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Curated News Edition

Villages razed in Sudan's South Kordofan
(AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE))
Submitted at 3/18/2012 6:53:45 AM

Thousands of people in the Sudanese border region of South Kordofan have fled their homes to the nearby mountains, fearing attacks by Sudanese forces that have left entire villages devastated. Al Jazeera's Peter Greste gained access to the remote region and documented evidence of villages and crops destroyed and spoke to people who said they had abandoned their homes out of fear that they would be killed if they stayed. Sudan's army has been accused of deliberately targeting civilians in South Kordofan during a monthslong military campaign that has included air raids and allegations of soldiers razing villagers. The government in Khartoum blames separatist fighters of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM) for the violence, and says the group is aligned with South Sudan, which achieved independence last year. But some South Kordofan residents accuse Sudanese forces of launching an intentional campaign to bomb and starve them, while the United Nations accuse Sudan's government of blocking food and aid deliveries to the region. Aid groups have also warned of the risk of famine there.

"The only thing I and my children can do is to stay in these caves. If we go out, we'll be killed," Halima Kuku, a villager whose family sought shelter in a cave in the Nuba mountains, told Al Jazeera. "Right now I’m hungry. I have nothing in my stomach and when I see the way my children and I are, it makes me cry," Awaida Kuwa, another villager, said. Greste, reporting from South Kordofan, said: "What is concerning is the attempts to drive a lot of the African tribes off their lands and to deprive them of resources." In Bram, which used to be an administrative centre of about 5,000 people, Al Jazeera found a ghost town. "A few months ago, the Sudanese army came through here and all the villagers fled into the mountainside," Greste reported from the town. "The army destroyed every building. They set fire to each home. They burned the crops, the grain stores. They destroyed the lot." Sudan blames SPLM Speaking to Al Jazeera on Sunday, Rabie Abdul Atti, an adviser to Sudan's information minister, denied reports that the army was attacking the region. "What is now running in southern Kordofan is actually an attack by the SPLM and now we are

taking place there. "There seems to be a growing body of international pressure on the Sudanese government," Al Jazeera's Greste said. "They still need to give way to allow a lot of the aid agencies to bring desperately needed food and medical supplies into this region. We saw people up in the hills who are absolutely starving." Sudan has given only limited access to the UN and foreign aid agencies since the fighting started, prompting the US and activists to warn of a looming famine. The UN estimates that about [retaliating by] killing the forces Sudanese government," Mukesh 300,000 people in the region of the SPLM," he said. K a p i l a , t h e f o r m e r U N might starve if they don’t get "This is actually our jurisdiction - humanitarian co-ordinator for help. It also says more than our area - and I don't think our Sudan told Al Jazeera on Sunday. 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e h a v e b e e n government is doing such things. "What do you expect if the d i s p l a c e d b y t h e o n g o i n g The attacks are by the SPLM and Khartoum government murders, v i o l e n c e . the atrocities are committed by rapes and bombs its civilians? "Until there is significant political them. These accusations and Then do you expect the people of changes and concessions it's very allegations should be directed to the region to take it and enjoy it difficult to see how any aid agencies can do the job that they them," Abdul Atti said. themselves? Fighting between Sudan's armed " I t h i n k i t i s a r i g h t i n need to do here," Greste said. forces and the Sudan People's international law, for a people This entry passed through the L i b e r a t i o n M o v e m e n t - whose government has betrayed Full-Text RSS service — if this is North began in South Kordofan them, to defend themselves," he your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read last June. said. SPLM is one of a number of Kapila said he saw evidence of the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentrebel movements in the volatile genocide and crimes against only/faq.php#publishers. Five border area between Sudan and humanity on a trip to the area this Filters recommends: Donate to South Sudan who say they are month. He said the Khartoum Wikileaks. fighting to overthrow Sudanese government had "no right to be President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. attacking women and children "Of course there is a confrontation indiscriminately" and called for between the SPLM and the further investigation into what is

Curated News Edition

Sports/

51

Syracuse's quiet confidence silences K-State - New York Post
(- Bing News)

The rest of the building? Silence. “That was the sweetest sound,’’ forward Kris Joseph said. “It’s sad PITTSBURGH — This had been that for the last week all we heard coming, this Orange explosion about was negative. They booed that shorted out the Consol us Thursday night. They booed us Energy Center and left the sellout throughout the game. Not the crowd — which booed Syracuse booing that goes with being a No. mercilessly for two days — silent. 1 seed, but the booing that they Dion Waiters was coming down had no respect for us.” the left side with less than a “That silence, that ‘shush’ ... that minute to play, leading a 4-on-1 was the sweetest sound of the break when out of the corner of weekend.’’ h i s e y e h e s p o t t e d J a m e s Sweet, as in Sweet 16. Southerland filling the middle The Orange (33-2) are headed to lane — “Big Game James,” as Boston for a showdown with they started calling him in junior Vanderbilt or Wisconsin after high school. yesterday’s 75-59 NCAA COMPLETE N C A A tournament win over No. 8 seed COVERAGE Kansas State. NCAA TOURNAMENT Syracuse says it will be a BRACKET different team than the one that VIDEO: COACH, PLAYER arrived in Pittsburgh, stunned by REACTIONS the sudden ineligibility of center Waiters flicked a pass. In one Fab Melo. The questions came m o t i o n J a m e s r o s e u p a n d hard and fast: delivered some Big Thunder, What about former assistant tomahawking the ball. The coach Bernie Fine? What about S y r a c u s e b e n c h r o s e . T h e that report about players using Syracuse section of fans rose. recreational drugs a decade ago? Getty Images What about Melo? ORANGE CRUSH: Syracuse’s “We were all bottled up,’’ junior Rakeem Christmas (25) battles guard Brandon Triche said. Kansas State’s Rodney McGruder When Southerland tomahawked for a rebound on the way to the his dunk with 53 seconds left, the Orange’s 75-59 triumph in an Orange cork exploded. East Region third-round game of “We were all like, ‘Any more the NCAA tournament yesterday questions?’ ’’ said supersub in Pittsburgh. Waiters, who led the Orange with
Submitted at 3/18/2012 7:59:48 AM

18 points in 24 minutes. “Now you can all be quiet.’’ Southerland said over the previous 24 hours, whenever the Orange players passed each other in halls of the team hotel, or at meals, or at shootaround, or at yesterday’s closed practice, they uttered phrases of determined confidence. “Let’s go, baby.’’ “Our game.’’ “Going to Boston.’’

“We expected to win,’’ Triche said. “We expect to be playing in April. We are not through.’’ The Orange are not through because they were deeper than Kansas State, especially after the Wildcats learned on Friday that starting guard Jamar Samuels had been declared ineligible. A source said K-State was working with the NCAA regarding improper benefits Samuels might have received.

Still, the ’Cats, led by 6-foot-11 junior forward Jordan Henriquez of Port Chester, battered Syracuse on the offensive boards, as they grabbed 15 rebounds and trailed 25-24 at the break. But Henriquez picked up his third foul with 16 minutes left, and finished with 14 points and 17 rebounds. With Henriquez on the bench and Rodney McGruder hampered by a sprained ankle suffered in the first half, Syracuse’s bench, which outscored K-State’s bench, 33-0, took control. Southerland (15 points, six rebounds) scored off an offensive rebound. Waiters converted a steal into a three-point play. And when Southerland drained a 3 from the top of the key with 7:02 left, Syracuse was in control at 58 -44. “We played like a No. 1 seed is supposed to play,’’ said Southerland, who hails from Queens. “We know what’s going on, what people are saying. But look around the country. No. 15 seeds are upsetting No. 2 seeds. We believed in ourselves. Today we proved it.’’ They sure did. [email protected] This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it SYRACUSE'S page 52

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QB Alex Smith visiting Dolphins ESPN
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SYRACUSE'S
continued from page 51

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Sentinel on Sunday. "I never thought a year ago (Peyton) Manning would be a free Updated: March 18, 2012, 3:21 agent either," Smith told the PM ET ESPN.com news services newspaper. "I'm never surprised MIAMI -- San Francisco 49ers by anything." free agent quarterback Alex Smith Smith's arrival Sunday morning is meeting with the Miami raised the question whether the Dolphins, which could affect the Dolphins were trying to pressure Peyton Manning sweepstakes. Flynn to sign soon. He visited the San Francisco is among three Seattle Seahawks earlier in the finalists for Manning, along with week. t h e D e n v e r B r o n c o s a n d Smith also is scheduled to visit Tennessee Titans. with the Seahawks sometime this The 49ers had been working to re w e e k , t h e S a c r a m e n t o B e e -sign Smith, the No. 1 overall r e p o r t e d S u n d a y . 2005 draft pick who enjoyed his Flynn left South Florida on best season in 2011 under first- Sunday morning, but a deal with year 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, a t h e D o l p h i n s r e m a i n e d a former NFL quarterback. Smith possibility, said his father, Alvin. and Manning have the same NFL.com reported Sunday that agent, Tom Condon. the Dolphins also will host former The San Francisco Chronicle, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback citing a league source, is reporting David Garrard for a visit this t h a t S m i t h i s c o n s i d e r i n g week. changing agents because of a Smith struggled early in his possible conflict of interest. career but threw for 3,150 yards The Dolphins' unexpected and 17 touchdowns with only five courtship of Smith came after interceptions last season as San they were spurned by Manning Francisco went 13-3 and made the and then hosted former Green Bay NFC title game after an eight-year Packers backup quarterback Matt playoff drought. He orchestrated Flynn for a weekend Saturday. six comeback wins, four on the "This is the NFL. I guess nothing road. surprises me anymore," Smith Smith has been weighing a threetold the South Florida Sun- year offer from the 49ers.
Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:41:43 AM

He landed at the Fort Lauderdale airport Sunday morning and arrived at the Dolphins complex at 11 a.m. EDT in a car driven by trainer Kevin O'Neill. New coach Joe Philbin, new offensive coordinator Mike Sherman and general manager Jeff Ireland arrived earlier. All were also on hand for Flynn's 5½-hour meeting Saturday. Flynn was a backup the past four years for Green Bay, where his offensive coordinator was Philbin. Flynn has only two career NFL starts, but in last year's regularseason finale he set franchise records with 480 yards passing and six touchdowns to help the Packers beat Detroit 45-41. The Dolphins have started 16 quarterbacks since Dan Marino retired and are looking to make another change. While incumbent Matt Moore played well last year, there are doubts he's a franchise quarterback. Chad Henne, who started 31 games for Miami over the past three seasons, signed Wednesday with the Jaguars as a backup. The 49ers emerged as a contender for Manning when the news surfaced that he worked out Tuesday for Harbaugh at Duke. The four-time NFL MVP also

worked out for the Broncos on Friday at Duke, and for the Titans on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn. Manning has been rehabbing in North Carolina following a string of neck surgeries, which led Indianapolis to release him. San Francisco running back Frank Gore, who works out each offseason in Miami, said Sunday he hadn't spoken to Smith. Gore has long supported Smith through the quarterback's up-and-down seven NFL seasons. Now, Gore and the 49ers are sitting tight to see what happens next. "It's crazy," Gore said. "I'm waiting for whatever happens. I know coach Harbaugh and (general manager) Trent Baalke feel good about what they're doing." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Obama Admin. Pushes Forward with Abortion Pill & Contraception Mandate
John McCormack (The Weekly Standard)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 9:35:00 AM

On Friday afternoon, the Obama administration released an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to announce it was proceeding as planned with its new federal mandate that abortion pills, sterilization procedures, and contraception must be provided without co-pays under virtually all health care plans.

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53

Take That, Danny Granger…Knicks Roll: A Fan’s View - YAHOO!
(- Bing News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 10:44:27 AM

So Sad: U.S. Jihadist in Somalia Fears For His Life
(The Feed)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 8:42:19 AM

By Glenn Vallach, Yahoo! Contributor Network Perhaps Danny Granger will keep his big mouth shut from now on. Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony at the NBA All Star Game in Los Angeles last year. website namePress Kit The Indiana Pacers' forward indicated earlier this week, probably rather innocently, that the back-to- back contests against the Knicks over this weekend were winnable games. Granger was only verbalizing what many in the league have been thinking for the last 10 years. Let's face it, the Knicks have been a laughingstock for all that time, a rubber stamp for most teams on their schedules, an easy victory. Unfortunately for the Knicks, their games are not only viewed as a "winnable," they are also targets for the rest of the players in the league who believe that New York receives too much attention…see Carmelo Anthony, see Jeremy Lin. It's attention they believe is undeserved, so they

elevate their performance levels against the Knicks, exacting revenge for this so-called slight. For the better part of those 10 years, the Knicks have ignored these rather consistent slaps. They don't respond when Rajon Rondo makes them look foolish, when even the bad teams rise to the occasion to beat down the New York mystique. You never feel any moment with the Knicks is a turning point, because there have been so many of those without result, credibility has been irreversibly damaged. But it sure was gratifying to watch the Knicks get ticked off, and then demonstrate that anger by beating a team senseless over a two-game period…especially if it's against a better Pacer team. Cause for concern? There's always some of that for the Knicks. Carmelo Anthony looks awful. Over the long term, if the Knicks are determined to turn the offense over to him, they better be prepared to augment that strategy with other secondary plans. Perhaps, the leg injury was more severe than he let on. Perhaps his return to the lineup was driven

Via AFP: A US-born Islamist fighter viewed as a key foreign leader within Somalia’s Shebab militia allied with Al-Qaeda says he fears his life is now in danger from fellow extremists. Omar Hamami — better known as Abu Mansoor al-Amriki — gave the warning in • · Yahoo! Sports New York an undated video posted on several Somali websites and Knicks page • · Yahoo! Sports Indiana Pacers Y o u T u b e S a t u r d a y . “ T o whomever it may reach from the page • · Yahoo! Sports Danny Granger Muslims, from Abu Mansoor alAmriki, I record this message page • · Yahoo! Sports Carmelo today because I feel that my life may be endangered by Harakat Anthony page • · Cliff Brunt, AP Sports Writer, Shebab al-Mujahideen due to more by all the success the team some differences that occurred seemed to be having without him. Lin leads Knicks past Pacers between us regarding matters of Clearly, though, he is not the s a m e p l a y e r h e o n c e w a s . Note: This article was written by the Shariah (Islamic law) and a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up matters of the strategy,” he said, AdChoices He can't separate from defenders. here to start publishing your own speaking in English. . . I guess he didn’t fully read the He can't shoot. He misses oodles sports content. This entry passed through the r e c r u i t i n g b r o c h u r e . . of foul shots. He doesn't get to the basket. He doesn't score. Other Full-Text RSS service — if this is . — G r e g P o l l o w i t z your content and you're reading it This entry passed through the than that, he's doing great. Glenn Vallach has been a New on someone else's site, please read Full-Text RSS service — if this is York Knick fan since the days of the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content- your content and you're reading it H o w i e K o m i v e s a n d W a l t only/faq.php#publishers. Five on someone else's site, please read Bellamy, when he regularly Filters recommends: Donate to the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five boarded the IRT Subway at 180th Wikileaks. Filters recommends: Donate to Street in the Bronx for a trip to the Wikileaks. Garden to see his heroes. Since the last championship in 1973, he has alternately yearned and suffered, hoped and lamented…he's waited long enough. Sources:

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Gaming/ Finance/

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Hudson: 'Your feedback has always mattered' in Mass Effect 3, even now
Jessica Conditt (Joystiq)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 3:30:00 PM

IMF chief Christine Lagarde fears oil spike poses serious threat to global recovery
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (Finance News - Business news from the UK and world)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:04:00 PM

Franchise director Casey Hudson has previously spoken out in brief defense of the Mass Effect 3 endings, but now he's made it official in a written message that explains BioWare's dedication, passion and reverence for the series and the feedback it receives from fans -- all of it. Yes, even the popular "you deserve to be skinned alive, made into jerky and eaten by rabid goats" (paraphrased) feedback. Hudson avoids spoilers, but suggests finishing the game for yourself and forming your own conclusions before reading his missive:"For us and for you, Mass Effect 3 had to live up to a lot of expectations, not only for a great gaming experience, but for a resolution to the countless storylines and decisions you've made as a player since the journey began in 2007," Hudson writes. "So we designed Mass Effect 3 to be a series of endings to key plots and storylines, each culminating in scenes that show you the consequences of your actions.

The International Monetary Fund has warned that surging oil costs pose a serious risk to the global economy, threatening to smother expansion before a fresh cycle of growth is safely under way.

You then carry the knowledge of these consequences with you as you complete the final moments of your journey. "We always intended that the scale of the conflict and the underlying theme of sacrifice would lead to a bittersweet ending -- to do otherwise would betray the agonizing decisions Shepard had to make along the way. Still, we wanted to give players the chance to experience an inspiring and uplifting ending; in a story

where you face a hopeless struggle for basic survival, we see the final moments and imagery as offering victory and hope in the context of sacrifice and reflection." Hudson stresses that the Mass Effect team takes fan feedback seriously and often incorporates it into the games directly, and says it is still listening to that response now. "Throughout the next year, we will support Mass Effect 3 by working on new content. And

we'll keep listening, because your insights and constructive feedback will help determine what that content should be. This is not the last you'll hear of Commander Shepard." Hudson: 'Your feedback has always mattered' in Mass Effect 3, even now originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

PIMCO chief Mohamed ElErian expects 'second Greece' in Portugal
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (Finance News - Business news from the UK and world)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:21:55 PM

The giant bond fund PIMCO said Europe has not yet tamed its debt crisis and will soon face a 'second Greece' in Portugal as the country's economy spirals downwards.

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Gaming/ Social Media/

55

Trailer for Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus’ Released [VIDEO]
Alex Fitzpatrick (Mashable!)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:36:32 PM

SoulCalibur 5's upcoming DLC has maid costumes, more swimsuits
Jordan Mallory (Joystiq)

"Maid Costumes," "Active Wear," Ancient Armor" and "Modern Costumes."No word yet on So, remember how SoulCalibur 5 pricing, or whether the costumes is getting monthly costume DLC will be sold as complete outfits or starting next month, and how we individual pieces. were absolutely positive it The above trailer also teases w o u l d n ' t b e w h a t w e w e r e costumes and accessories coming expecting? Well, turns out this in future updates, which appear to first pack is actually exactly what include fishing regalia, flight we expected, in that it's mostly attendant outfits, the equipment random goofiness and fanservice. needed to make King from The new array of costumes will Tekken, and ... a Pac Man head? be available for purchase through SoulCalibur 5's upcoming DLC the "Cepheus Store," which will h a s m a i d c o s t u m e s , m o r e presumably be added during the swimsuits originally appeared on game's March 21 system/balance Joystiq on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 update. The store is divided into 12:30:00 EST. Please see our categories, the ones listed in the terms for use of feeds. video being "Classic Headgears," Permalink| Email this| Comments "SCV Character Equipment,"
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:30:00 PM

Are you a fan of mind-blowing science fiction movies directed by the legendary Ridley Scott? Then you’re in for a treat: The latest trailer has been released for Prometheus, billed as a prequel to his 1979 classic Alien. Prometheus is being shot entirely in 3D. It’s set in the Alien universe, but it has its own separate storyline. In the film, researchers discover that all humans may owe their creation to a single entity. A team of explorers is dispatched to learn more about the origins of humanity, only to discover a malevolent being with the power to destroy life everywhere. The trailer features an almost

As part of a viral marketing campaign, the film’s creators have F i r e f l y - l o o k i n g s p a c e s h i p , opened ProjectPromethus.com, an explorers going mad and an Alien alternate reality game. -esque tentacle and other not-quite Prometheus premieres on June 8. -human lifeforms alongside other Do you think it’ll be the summer scenes meant to whet the appetites blockbuster of the year? Sound of science fiction geeks across the off in the comments below. world. More About: alien, aliens, Oh, and it’s all set to a modern Entertainment, Film, Ridley Scott, take on the same anxiety-inducing trailers music used in the trailer for the For more Entertainment original Alien. coverage: Does the new trailer tickle your • Follow Mashable Entertainment cinema bone? Director Ridley on Twitter Scott is certainly excited about the • Become a Fan on Facebook film — he’s already hinting at a • Subscribe to the Entertainment sequel, according to Wired. channel “If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll have • Download our free apps for a second part because at the end Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad of Prometheus, it does leave some questions unanswered,” said Scott at WonderCon 2012.

56

Politics-Right/

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Chart of the Week: Obama Tops Bush With More, Costlier Major Regulations
Alison Meyer (The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:40:19 PM

President Obama famously declared in this year’s State of the Union: “I’ve approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his.” Heritage’s James Gattuso and Diane Katz have run the numbers. And Obama shouldn’t be bragging. Obama’s comparison encompassed all regulations, including federal rules for such things as Medicare rates, migratory birds and fireworks safety. And on that point, he was telling the truth. This week’s chart tests Obama’s claim by looking at the number of major regulations imposed by each administration. Major regulations, as defined by the government, are regulations that cost up to $100 million or more

understated, giving agencies the benefit of the doubt. • More regulations are looming. Obamacare is imposing rules faster than the regulators can write them. In order to help the economy and put a stop to regulations, Katz and Gattuso suggest three prongs of strong oversight: approval of new major regulations by Congress, a congressional Office of Regulatory Analysis, and sunset dates for existing regulations. Katz spoke about the report at The Bloggers Briefing, which is each year. times the cost—of the major • A majority of the major available on Livestream and In his first three years of regulations issued by George W. r e g u l a t i o n s c a m e a s a BlogTalkRadio. presidency, President George W. Bush during his first three years,” consequence of the Dodd-Frank This entry passed through the B u s h i m p o s e d 2 8 m a j o r according to the report. f i n a n c i a l r e g u l a t i o n l a w , Full-Text RSS service — if this is regulations at a cost of $8.1 Gattuso and Katz’s report, Red Obamacare and the EPA’s global your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read billion. Obama imposed 106 Tape Rising, documents how the warming crusade. major regulations at a cost of $46 Obama administration has greatly • The report used information the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentbillion. increased government regulations. given by the agencies that have no only/faq.php#publishers. Five “This is almost four times the A few notable findings from the incentive to report accurately, so Filters recommends: Donate to number—and more than five report: t h e c o s t s e s t i m a t e d a r e Wikileaks.

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57

15 Weirdest ‘Awkward Stock Photos’
Amy-Mae Elliott (Mashable!)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:23:14 PM

There’s no doubt that crappy stock photos are hilarious. We asked the creator and curator of Click here to view this gallery. Awkward Stock Photos, Mark T h e p o p u l a r T u m b l r b l o g Hauge, why he thought this was. A w k w a r d S t o c k P h o t o s “I think it’s because they hilariously highlights the dismal essentially exist for themselves. detritus that litters the little- Image sourcing can be a very opened bottom drawers of online tedious process. You are looking stock photo libraries. for a specific look/feel/fit for your O n t h e b l o g y o u ’ l l f i n d project, and you may have to go amusingly inappropriate imagery, through tens or hundreds of pages brilliantly bizarre still-life shots, to find exactly what you need,” classic clichés brought to life and Hauge told Mashable. much, much more. “Then there are the completely

odd photos that stand out as something that isn’t just unusable for the project, but unusable for any project.”

submissions. In the gallery above you’ll find his highlights — share yours in the comments below. More About: features, gallery, humor, photography, stock photography, trending, tumblr For more Social Media coverage: • Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter • Become a Fan on Facebook • Subscribe to the Social Media SEE ALSO: When Parents Text: channel 15 Funniest Picks • Download our free apps for For your viewing pleasure, we Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad asked Hauge to pick his favorite

How Pinterest Can Turn Your Brand Red-Hot [INFOGRAPHIC]
Jeremy Cabalona (Mashable!)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 1:01:09 PM

the fastest growing segment of Pinterest. SEE ALSO: Pinterest’s First If your brand isn’t on Pinterest, Investor Explains the Secret to the you could be missing out on a Startup’s Success Even if your growing stream of potential brand doesn’t directly specialize customers. in these topics, there may be a While shaping your brand’s way to include them in your image on Pinterest, remember to brand’s boards to gain maximum take into account the specifics of exposure. It’s also important to the site’s userbase. A recent study remember that while Pinterest’s showed that home, arts and crafts, audience is heavily female, the style/fashion and food are the demographics of the site are most popular categories on changing. Pinterest. The food category is Take a look at this infographic

from online market research company Maxymiser, and then let us know in the comments if you’re altering your plans to take advantage of the explosive growth of Pinterest. Infographic courtesy Maxymiser

More About: branding, infographic, Marketing, pinterest For more Business coverage: • Follow Mashable Business on Twitter • Become a Fan on Facebook • Subscribe to the Business channel • Download our free apps for Andrew Cohen (Politics : The Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad Atlantic)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:42:27 PM

Federal Judges Are, in Fact, 'Job Creators'
A comment made by Senator Mitch McConnell is a reminder of how some lawmakers plainly do not understand the role of the judiciary. Reuters FEDERAL page 58

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continued from page 57

Following last week's Senate " deal" over judicial nominees -"well, that's a step in the right direction" anyway, Peter O'Toole said in Lawrence of Arabia-- I want to come back briefly to one point which is under-analyzed in the debate over the costs of political obstructionism in the face of " judicial emergencies" all over America. It is the concept that federal judges are themselves a vital form of "capital investment" in the districts and circuits in which preside; more important to their communities -and almost always more of a bargain -- than any pet project a politician is likely to scoop out of the pork barrel. It was an epic comment made last Tuesday by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), before the deal was struck, that reminded me of how little respect some lawmakers must feel for judicial nominees, how little understanding they must have of what federal judges do, and how little senators must care about who suffers when worthy nominees are blocked from adjudicating cases as quickly as practical. "This is a needless exercise and a waste of the Senate's time because I assume these 17 people already have a job," McConnell said of the 17 judicial nominees in play at the time on the floor of the Senate. "What we're worried about is all the people who don't currently have a job who might in some way benefit from a jobs package that we are by and large

in agreement on," Sen. McConnell added. The senator evidently was making a play on words about a jobs bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) had threatened to stall if Senate Republicans didn't stop blocking floor votes on the judicial nominees, 14 of whom were either unanimously endorsed by the Senate Judiciary Committee or had only one Republican Committee member vote against them. Sen. McConnell is right to worry about jobs. But last week's fight over judicial nominees wasn't a fight over the 17 nominees themselves -- it was a fight for the rights and remedies of tens of millions of potential litigants residing in the judicial districts those nominees would serve. It was a fight with real meaning to people all over the country who have grievances with one another that must be resolved in federal court. What Senate obstructionists (of both parties) ignore in their preening speeches about "job creation" is that federal judges are perennial job creators -- to the extent they bring certainty and finality to legal disputes. It's not complicated. When a federal judgeship goes vacant because of Senate intransigence, where judicial nominees with bipartisan approval are held up for no good reason, it's not typically the criminal cases which get unreasonably delayed. Criminal defendants have a speedy trial right under the Sixth Amendment.

There is no such right for civil litigants. This means those litigants have to wait, often for years, for a trial judge to make available a time for the disposition of a dispute. The problem only gets worse, like it is now, when district courts are understaffed and judges are forced to handle more than their expected case load. And who are civil litigants in our nation's federal courts? They are corporations and small business owners, investors and merchants, employees and employers, people just like you and me. Well, maybe not you and me since I didn't file a lawsuit this past year and you probably didn't either. But a lot of other people sure did. In 2010, according to federal court records, no fewer than 282,896 federal lawsuits were filed in America. In 2011, 289,252 lawsuits were filed, a 2.2 percent increase from the year before. The latest statistics reveal that there are currently 270,839 pending civil cases in our federal courts. There's more alarming news. As Mike Scarcella reported last week in the National Law Journal, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts announced last week that there was "an 11 percent increase in intellectual property cases and a 15 percent increase in consumer credit filings" last year. The total number of pending cases in the federal system, including criminal cases, now is 367,600 and, guess what? Even as the number of federal laws (and federal crimes) increases, Congress plans to cut

the budget for the federal judiciary come next January. Fewer judges. A smaller budget. Signposts on the road to thirdworld justice. So what happens to many of these cases when our benches remain empty? They languish in limbo and the litigants have to live with the financial uncertainty that pending litigation brings. If you are sued for a million dollars, for example, you might choose not to invest that million dollars in a new store, or in hiring new employees, until the lawsuit is over. And if you are suing for money, you aren't likely to spend it until you get it. What federal trial judges do for these litigants, therefore, isn't just to pick a winner and a loser in a particular. The court system provides the oil that helps run the machinery of commerce. Politicians like to decry so-called " judicial activism" and argue that the federal bench should not be populated by partisan jurists. But in the vast majority of civil cases federal trial judges aren't staking out controversial new legal precedents or otherwise making policy from the bench. Instead, they are merely applying wellsettled law to the facts of a case. When we talk about the importance of the "rule of law" this is what we mean-- someone needs to efficiently interpret the rules upon which civilized society is based. It's what separates us from nations where justice can, literally, be bought and sold. And Sen. McConnell? His long,

rich history of pork projects makes his obstruction over judicial nominees even harder to bear. For a little context, here's what Joe Conason wrote in 2009 about what Sen. McConnell has brought home to the bluegrass: Certainly nobody can say that the senior senator from Kentucky has failed to make his mark with those projects. His campaign for a sixth term last autumn might as well have been a tour of the many federally funded sites that literally bear his stamp. In Owensboro, residents can stroll through Mitch McConnell Plaza, an urban renewal project that is the pride of that riverfront town. In Lexington, students can take advantage of the wonderful Mitch McConnell Distance Learning Center at the university's law school. In Louisville, joggers can stretch their legs along the Mitch McConnell Loop Trail in the city's new $38 million park. Seems to me that if Sen. McConnell can fight for these forms of federal largesse he can fight to re-populate the nation's benches. In the end, the Senate made a deal that will see 14 of President Obama's most uncontroversial judicial nominees, including two federal appeals court nominees, head to the bench in the next few months. That's a nice down payment. But it's time for the Senate (and the White House) to push for a faster pace of investment in the nation's business affairs. Efficient court systems are FEDERAL page 59

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Romney to Obama: I’d fire that “gas hike trio” of yours ASAP if I were you
Tina Korbe (Hot Air » Top Picks)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:00:38 PM

FEDERAL
continued from page 58

posted at 3:00 pm on March 18, 2012 by Tina Korbe In his interview on “Fox News Sunday” this morning, Mitt Romney again ratcheted up his rhetoric on gas prices, calling for the president to fire what he dubbed the “gas hike trio” of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson. Here’s The Washington Post with the recap: “When [President Obama] ran for office, he said he wanted to see gasoline prices go up,” Romney said. “He said that energy prices would skyrocket under his views, and he selected three people to help him implement that program. The secretary of energy, the secretary of interior and EPA administrator. And this gas hike trio has been doing the job over the last three-and-a-half years,

and gas prices are up. The right course is they ought to be fired because the president has apparently suffered election-year conversion. He’s now decided that gasoline prices should come down.” … Romney, who first called for their firing at a town hall meeting Saturday night in Collinsville, Ill., is talking more and more about gas prices and their impact on families across the country. He said the gas prices are pinching middle class families, who now struggle to fill up their tanks. … Romney recalled meeting a woman on a recent campaign trip to Missouri. “I spoke with a teacher in St. Louis who was out of work and she’s staying on unemployment because she said, in part, the cost of getting to and from work at a temporary teaching assignment was just so expensive, given gasoline,” Romney said. “She couldn’t afford to go back to work.” Earlier this week, in an interview with Fox News’ Bill Hemmer,

Romney also said he “absolutely” blames the president’s policies for high gas prices. When Hemmer pointed out that a Fox News poll shows the majority of Americans don’t think Obama is to blame, Romney didn’t back down. He stressed instead that the president’s decisions have sent an unacceptable signal to the world that the country is not committed to developing its own resources. That’s exactly the message the GOP candidates need to send: The policies pursued by the president and his gas hike trio — from sinking subsidies into failed solar firms to slowing the pace of permitting in the Gulf to rejecting the Keystone pipeline — will ultimately exacerbate the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. Remember: The effects of these policies will take some time to be felt. Production might be up right now and imports of foreign oil might be down — but common sense tells us that a slower pace of permitting and the rejection of the pipeline won’t help to reduce

dependence. The oil and natural gas market will likely always be a global market, but the United States could wield more influence in it if the president would unleash American energy companies. Regardless of whether voters blame the president’s policies for prices or whether those policies are actually to blame for high prices, the administration has demonstrated repeatedly — by its actions, not necessarily by the president’s words — that its ultimate interest when it comes to energy is to reward preferred energy producers and punish others — and, if gas prices go up as a result, so be it. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

good for the economy. Don't believe me? Just ask anyone you know who's a civil litigant today in federal court. This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2012/03/federaljudges-are-in-fact-job-creators/ 254670/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Curated News Edition

Christie: Don’t pick members of Congress for POTUS

RNC Video: You wanna talk about the “war on women”? Let’s talk about it!
Tina Korbe (Hot Air » Top Picks)

journalist Ron Suskind released a book last fall called Confidence Men that included a quote that Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:30:10 PM suggested the Obama White Jazz Shaw (Hot Air » Top authority. They don’t know the higher office) in living memory to posted at 1:30 pm on March 18, House was a “hostile” workplace Picks) for women. Liberal critics first thing about getting things s e r v e w a s F o r d , b u t h e ’ s 2012 by Tina Korbe T h e R e p u b l i c a n N a t i o n a l dismissed the book’s conclusions done,” said Christie. “We don’t something of a wild card since he Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:00:14 AM need Ron Paul, we don’t need was never technically “elected” to Committee reverses the cry of a as extrapolative or dismissed Ron posted at 12:00 pm on March 18, Newt Gingrich , and we don’t anything except his House seat. “Republican War on Women” Suskind as unreliable. The quotes 2012 by Jazz Shaw need Rick Santorum. We need an And there aren’t many people left with a synthesis of criticisms of from Obama’s female advisers I read a lot of complaints about executive. We need Mitt Romney w h o c o u l d r e m e m b e r a n y Barack Obama and his “boys’ speak for themselves, though, and Mitt Romney every week. (Many in the White House.” Senators who moved on to the club” of senior advisers and the RNC recycles them here to of them right here!) But whether We don’t have a large sample to West Wing except for JFK and, of supporters. Yes, Obama’s Super good effect. If Obama and his pals PAC accepted a $1 million are so concerned to improve the you support him or not, Chris draw from in terms of men whose course, the current occupant. Christie clearly feels that Mitt has primary previous experience came So maybe Christie has a point. donation from serial misogynist situation for women in the United one thing going for him. Hey… at from being members of Congress, The Governor’s office is a far Bill Maher — but Obama had a “ States, they should start at 1600 least he wasn’t a congressman. t h o u g h p e o p l e f r o m m a n y more common launching point, woman problem” long before that. Pennsylvania Avenue. New Jersey Governor Chris different roles have held the office with nearly half of our presidents While Obama has always worked This entry passed through the Christie stumped on behalf of of President. We used to elect having held that office prior to assiduously to ensure that female Full-Text RSS service — if this is Mitt Romney in a Chicago suburb ambassadors to other nations on a being elected. But which governor voters will support him in his your content and you're reading it today, telling the crowd packed fairly regular basis, but that pretty is Christie really talking about upcoming reelection bid (most on someone else's site, please read into a student center at Elmhurst much ended with Buchanan. here? Massachusetts or… New recently even going so far as to the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentcall Sandra Fluke!), he apparently only/faq.php#publishers. Five College that it would be a bad ( G e o r g e H . W . B u s h w a s Jersey? i d e a t o s e n d a m e m b e r o f Ambassador to the UN, but he This entry passed through the has been less concerned about the Filters recommends: Donate to Congress to the Oval Office. also served as VP and head of the Full-Text RSS service — if this is relative contentment of his female Wikileaks. “In our Republican primary, let’s CIA, so that doesn’t really count.) your content and you're reading it staffers. You might recall that be very leery, very wary of The last cabinet member to go on someone else's site, please read sending another member of straight to the Oval Office was the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentCongress to the White House. Hoover. (Commerce) We’ve had only/faq.php#publishers. Five Now see members of Congress three generals who never held Filters recommends: Donate to they can be okay, but they don’t elected office, with mixed results. Wikileaks. know the first thing most of the The only member of the House time about using executive (who didn’t later move on to

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Politics/ Technology/

61

Did Obama Resuscitate a Corrupt Banking System?
Steve Clemons (Politics : The Atlantic)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 8:50:47 AM

The New York Times editors nail it today in a piece ridiculing the settlement between too-big-to-fail banks and states designed to assist anti-foreclosure efforts and underwater home mortgage victims. Although the Obama administration did get some financial sector reforms through, like Dodd-Frank, the result seems to have been not a rewiring of the system to change the balance of power between economic stakeholders, particularly consumers and workers, but rather a resuscitation of the old system with some fig leafs (like this $26 billion foreclosure settlement) designed to cover up the corruption. The editors write: When it comes to helping homeowners, banks are treated as if they still need to be protected from drains on their capital. But when it comes to rewarding executives and other bank shareholders, paying out capital is the name of the game. And at a time of economic weakness, using bank capital for

investor payouts leaves the banks more exposed to shocks. So homeowners are still bearing the brunt of the mortgage debacle. Taxpayers are still supporting toobig-to-fail banks. And banks are still not being held accountable. National Journal Chief Correspondent Michael Hirsh concurs, writing along these lines a few days ago, " Has Wall Street Really Changed?" as well as his " A Tale of Two Financial Heroes" which pivots off The Atlantic's Economy Summit that brought together the likes of Paul Volcker, Robert Rubin, Sheila Bair, Lawrence Lindsey, Douglas Holtz -Eakin, Lawrence Summers, Gene

Sperling, Laura Tyson, Allan Meltzer and others. photo credit: Reuters This article available online at: http://www.theatlantic.com/ politics/archive/2012/03/didobama-resuscitate-a-corruptbanking-system/254673/ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/contentonly/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Apple TV (2012) gets torn down, confirmed to have 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage
Joe Pollicino (Engadget)

word on whether it's still packing Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR like the 2010 variant (Apple's website We already knew about most of only lists 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi), but the latest Apple TV's technical MacRumors notes that aicjofs has upgrades, but a few key specs discovered what's possibly an h a v e e l u d e d u s s i n c e i t s additional WiFi antenna. A few a n n o u n c e m e n t . T h a t ' s n o w parts are still under investigation, changed, however, thanks to user but you can check out the links aicjofs over at XMBC's forum, below for more info. who ripped a fresh unit apart to Apple TV (2012) gets torn down, find out exactly what's inside of confirmed to have 512MB of i t s s h e l l . A p a r t f r o m i t s RAM, 8GB of storage originally documented single-core A5 SoC, appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 it's now confirmed that the 1080p- Mar 2012 15:12:00 EDT. Please capable streamer features 512MB see our terms for use of feeds. of Hynix-branded RAM (up from Permalink MacRumors| aicjofs 256) along with an unchanged (XMBC forum)| Email this| 8GB of storage, courtesy of Comments Toshiba. Interestingly, there's no
Submitted at 3/18/2012 3:12:00 PM

62

Technology/ News Photos

Curated News Edition

Rare Photos of Marilyn Monroe Up for Auction ABC News
(news photos - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 9:51:14 AM

New York's Chinatown Sony Tegra 3 slate benchmarked, Tablet S Fair arcade presses successor on the way? start to continue
Sean Buckley (Engadget)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 2:19:00 PM

If you're looking to benchmark tools for hints at Sony's next slate, then you're looking at a little number that calls itself the V150. According to the NenaMark Android GPU benchmarking tool, this 1.4GHz tablet rocks a 1280 x 752 display and Android 4.0.3. An Nvidia Tegra 3 helps this slate achieve a benchmark score of 59.70, which is well above the Tablet S' 42.89 average. Considering that Sony's last wedge-shaped wonder has already

seen a sizable price drop, it's looking like the firm may be gearing up to announce its replacement. We're reluctant to make the call with only a single benchmark score to go by, but we won't stop you from speculating. Sony Tegra 3 slate benchmarked, Tablet S successor on the way? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Netbook News| NenaMark| Email this| Comments

James Trew (Engadget)

Submitted at 3/18/2012 11:51:00 AM

Live in New York? Miss the familiar sound of a quarter dropping into an arcade slot? If so, then news that the Chinatown Fair arcade could be re-opening will definitely give you a powerup. It turns out that film maker Kurt Vincent headed down to the disused locale to shoot its vacant halls, only to bump into the new owner shuffling some game cabinets back in. Sadly there's

sparse little other info about how or when we might see the flicker of screens lighting up the walls once more, but at least you should be able to beat that OutRun top score in relative comfort soon. New York's Chinatown Fair arcade presses start to continue originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Joystiq| Arcade Movie| Email this| Comments

ABC News Rare Photos of Marilyn Monroe Up for Auction ABC News This photograph of Marilyn Monroe was taken by Andre de Dienes in 1953. The print is part of a collection of never-beforeseen photos of Monroe which are going to be auctioned with their accompanying copyrights. (Julien's Auctions) Rare Photos Up For... Marilyn Monroe photos go up for auction Washington Post Recommended: Never-beforeseen Marilyn Monroe photos up for auction msnbc.com Rare Marilyn Monroe photos, letters, telegrams and a money clip to be sold at... Art Daily CBS News- Chicago Sun-TimesSan Francisco Luxury News all 240 news articles »

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News Photos

63

PHOTOS: St. Patrick's Day riot 'like a war zone,' London, Ont. police chief says - Toronto Star
(news photos - Google News)
Submitted at 3/18/2012 12:15:31 PM

gallery of photos from the riot. A couch and small bush were the first objects to be ignited. By 11 Toronto Star pm, police declared the gathering PHOTOS: St. Patrick's Day riot as an unlawful assembly. “Our 'like a war zone,' London, Ont. first crew got here at 11:30 pm police chief says and tried to get in to put... Toronto Star and more » PHOTOS: Click here to see a

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