Sunday, March 31, 2013

North Korea: Nukes are our country's 'life'

North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea. NBC's Ian Williams reports.

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

One of North Korea's top decision-making bodies is setting guidelines that call nuclear weapons "the nation's life" that won't be traded even for "billions of dollars,? The Associated Press reported.

The statement Sunday came after a plenary meeting of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party attended by leader Kim Jong Un and other officials, the AP said.

It also followed a declaration on Saturday that it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea, the latest in a string of increasingly belligerent outbursts from the isolated state.

Sunday?s statement says nuclear weapons aren't "goods for getting U.S. dollars" or a "political bargaining chip." Outside analysts have said Pyongyang raises worries over its nuclear ambitions to spur nuclear-disarmament-for-aid talks, the AP said.

David Guttenfelder / AP

As chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, David Guttenfelder has had unprecedented access to communist North Korea. Here's a rare look at daily life in the secretive country.

It said Pyongyang will also increase work to build up the economy. Kim has made fixing the moribund economy a focus.

On Thursday the U.S. sent two nuclear-capable bombers to South Korea, where they dropped inert munitions in a military exercise. The flight sparked an angry response from the North, which declared on Friday that it was preparing rockets aimed at American bases in South Korea and the Pacific.

Related:

Analysis: North Korea's threats predictable but Kim Jong Un is not

North Korea's Internet? For most, online access doesn't exist

PhotoBlog: Pyongyang marchers: 'Rip the puppet traitors to death!'

This story was originally published on

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a2ed09b/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C310C175392560Enorth0Ekorea0Enukes0Eare0Eour0Ecountrys0Elife0Dlite/story01.htm

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N.Korea claims 'a state of war' with S.Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea declared Saturday it has entered "a state of war" with South Korea in the latest of a string of threats that have raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea's government, parties and organizations said in a joint statement that all matters between the two countries will now be dealt with in a manner befitting war

The Korean Peninsula is already in a technical state of war because the Korean War ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. But Pyongyang ditched that armistice earlier this month.

South Korea's Unification Ministry quickly released a statement calling the latest threat not new and saying it is a follow-up to Kim's earlier order to put troops on a high alert in response to annual U.S-South Korean defense drills. Pyongyang sees those drills as rehearsals for an invasion.

On Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned his forces were ready "to settle accounts with the U.S." after two American B-2 bombers flew a training mission in South Korea.

Analysts say a full-scale conflict is unlikely and even suicidal for Pyongyang and the threats are aimed at drawing Washington into talks. But the threats from North Korea and rising animosity from the rivals that have followed U.N. sanctions over Pyongyang's Feb. 12 nuclear test do raise worries of a misjudgment leading to a clash.

On Friday at the main square in Pyongyang, tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for a 90-minute mass rally in support of Kim's call to arms. Small North Korean warships, including patrol boats, conducted maritime drills off both coasts of North Korea near the border with South Korea earlier this week, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a briefing Friday. He didn't provide details.

The spokesman said that South Korea's military was mindful of the possibility that North Korean drills could lead to an actual provocation. He said that the South Korean and U.S. militaries are watching closely for any signs of missile launch preparations in North Korea. He didn't elaborate.

Pyongyang uses the U.S. nuclear arsenal as a justification for its own push for nuclear weapons. It claims that U.S. nuclear firepower is a threat to its existence and provocation.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-says-state-war-skorea-014344604.html

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Sudanese rebel group releases 31 kidnapped Darfuris

CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudanese rebels have released 31 Darfuris who they had kidnapped a week ago on their way to a conference for people displaced by the region's decade-long war, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Saturday.

Conflict has raged in Darfur since 2003 when mainly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the Arab-led government, accusing it of politically and economically marginalizing the region.

Violence has subsided from its peak in 2003 and 2004, but a surge has forced more than 130,000 people to flee their homes since the start of the year, according to the United Nations.

Last week, the international peacekeeping mission UNAMID said an armed group had kidnapped 31 Darfuris who the peacekeepers had been escorting in three buses. The abductors took them to an unknown location.

On Saturday, the ICRC said a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), one of the main Darfur rebel groups, had released the men and handed them over to the Red Cross, according to a statement.

The SLA was not available for comment, and no more details were available about the incident that happened in a border area between Central Darfur State and South Darfur State.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur.

Sudan refuses to recognize the court, which it says is biased against leaders who refuse to kowtow to Western powers.

In 2008, the United Nations said about 300,000 people may have died in Darfur's war, a figure some activists say is too low. The government has put the death toll at about 10,000.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing in Cairo and Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay in Geneva; Editing by Rosalind Russell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sudanese-rebel-group-releases-31-kidnapped-darfuris-192154553.html

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Measure Your Feet and Hands to Judge Distance Accurately Without a Ruler

Measure Your Feet and Hands to Judge Distance Accurately Without a Ruler Nobody carries a ruler with them everywhere, but you can measure short distances accurately if you memorize the lengths of your feet and hand span.

Quora user Peter Baskerville suggests measuring your appendages, and committing them to memory.

Learning the actual measurement of your span and your foot will help you whenever your need to measure something but don't have access to a ruler or tape measure. You can then measure anything by number of spans or feet (toe to heel). Then multiply the spans or feet by the known measurement to estimate fairly accurately the actual length, depth or breadth of things.

For other measurements, you could use the same trick with the distance between the tip of your thumb and its first knuckle, or the distance between your nose and your thumb with your arm outstretched. If you have a poor memory, you could always store the lengths in something like Evernote too. This tip is pretty obvious in hindsight, but it's worth mentioning if you haven't done it.

Learning: What is something useful I can learn right now in 10 minutes that would be useful for the rest of my life? | Quora

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/ZT2Gwq6NHSs/measure-your-feet-and-hands-to-judge-distance-accurately-without-a-ruler

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Oracle CEO Larry Ellison Lists $28.5 Million Lake ... - AOL Real Estate


Larry Ellison home, Lake Tahoe

Billionaire Oracle chief Larry Ellison has just listed his Lake Tahoe mansion in Glenbrook, Nev., for a whopping $28.5 million. No surprise to us, really, considering that he's built another mega-mansion on the other side of the lake, which he's just about ready to move into, according to our friends at Curbed.

If the new mansion's anything like the one that he's just thrown on the market, then we want in! It boasts 230 feet of lake frontage with its own white sand beach and private harbor. And that beachfront cabana with sundeck just sweetens the deal! Yes, owning your own Hawaiian island just isn't enough for some members of the 1 percent. Oh, you haven't forgotten that Ellison bought 98 percent of the Hawaiian island of Lanai, have you? And then bought a freakin' airline to get him to and fro?!

He'll keep that while you settle for his measly 14,192-square-foot mansion. Altogether, Ellison's just-listed Lake Tahoe property boasts 13 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. Maybe its movie theater, library and sauna will also entice you. But, yeah, it's no Hawaiian island.

See the listing for more details.

Find more homes for sale in Glenbrook, Nev., or search listings in your area.


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Larry Ellison Lists Lake Tahoe Compound For $28.5M

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/03/29/oracle-larry-ellison-home-listing/

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Reid Flair passes away

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2013 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2013 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/reid-flair-passes-away

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Editor's desk: Thank you Chris!

Editor's desk: Thank you Chris!

Chris Oldroyd joined iMore in October of 2010, coming to us from a place in the UK that looked more like old BBC dramas than the hustle-and-bustle of modern-day London. Since then he's been getting up at the break of dawn -- Eastern Time, I think that translates into sometime after elevensies, UK time -- and posting whatever interesting news, apps, or accessories had come across the wire over night. (Literally -- his internet was so bad for so long we had to string an actual wire to his castle.)

Funny, classy, and the soul of stability, Chris has made iMore a better, more enjoyable, and more memorable place ever since. And, sadly, tomorrow will be his last day with us. Chris' work and his family has gotten to the point where they need his attention more than we do, and gentleman that he is he knows where his priorities lie.

We'll miss Chris. I'll miss Chris.

For everything you've done for us, and for everything you mean to us, thank you and farewell!

Going forward, you can still follow and reach Chris via @chrisoldroyd. Be sure to tease him about his football soccer picks!



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/piel3VA__Tc/story01.htm

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Vilanova to run 1st Barca practice since return

By JOSEPH WILSON

Associated Press

Associated Press Sports

updated 4:25 p.m. ET March 29, 2013

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova led his first team practice on Friday since returning from a 10-week medical stay in New York to treat a throat tumor.

Barcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura said that Vilanova would direct the session but that he would not accompany the team to Saturday's Spanish league match at Celta Vigo. Roura says that the club hopes Vilanova can travel with the team to Paris for Tuesday's first-leg Champions League quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain.

In Vilanova's absence, the team suffered a pair of painful defeats to archrival Real Madrid, but also pulled off a historic 4-0 win to come back against AC Milan in the Champions League. Roura insisted throughout that he was carrying out Vilanova's orders.

Barcelona leads the Spanish league by 13 points with 10 games to go.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Must-win matches? Maybe

PST: It may be a little early for "must-win" matches. But four MLS clubs could really use wins this weekend, starting with the Red Bulls (3:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN).

Beckham relishing chance to play against Barcelona

??PARIS (AP) - David Beckham says he feels fit enough to start the biggest game in Paris Saint-Germain's recent history when the club takes on Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51374722/ns/sports-soccer/

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FX to launch new cable channel for younger adult audience

(Reuters) - FX Networks will launch a new cable channel aimed at young adults ages 18 to 34 with programming that includes current hit comedies "The League" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," executives said on Thursday.

The channel, called FXX, will debut September 2 and reach 74 million homes in its first year, News Corp-owned FX Networks said in a statement.

Adults aged 18 to 34 is one of the key demographic groups prized by advertisers. The FX channel is aimed at a slightly older audience, 18 to 49, while a third sister network, movie-focused FXM, is aimed at ages 25 to 54.

At its start, FXX will run four original comedies plus late-night show "Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell," which will move over from FX along with "The League" and "Always Sunny." Acquired comedies and movies will fill out the schedule. The programming will later expand to include original dramas.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fx-launch-cable-channel-younger-adult-audience-181141462--finance.html

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Investors wary of "slow panic" on growth after Cyprus rescue

By Mike Dolan

LONDON (Reuters) - World markets have reacted calmly to the twists and turns of Cyprus's financial rescue in the last fortnight but many investors fear the economic fallout is yet to come.

They have sold European assets, rather than make a global dash for safety that could signal concerns about a euro breakup.

Euro blue chip and bank equity prices, regional bank bonds and the euro exchange rate have all fallen sharply this week but Wall St stocks set a record closing high.

Mutual fund data released by fund tracker EPFR on Friday showed that European equity, bond and money market funds all saw hefty redemptions this week even as investors continued to pile into Japanese and U.S. equity funds.

Cyprus's 10 billion euro rescue averted an immediate financial meltdown that could have caused a Lehman Brothers-style shock in financial markets.

But it came with a forced shut down of the island's second largest bank and a raid on bank deposits of over 100,000 euros, that forced big depositors to become part of the rescue.

Global investors are worried that the precedents set in the messy rescue will strain bank funding, hurting businesses and the fragile regional economy and delaying any recovery.

Ben Bennett, strategist at British fund managers Legal and General Asset Management described the scenario of depositor fear, bank solvency and recession as a "slow panic".

"I don't think there's anyone who's woken up in a cold sweat at midnight wondering what assets they need to dump - this is much more of a slow grind," said Ben Bennett, strategist at British fund managers Legal & General Asset Management.

Investors are worried that the precedents set for resolving a bank's problems has pushed up the cost of lenders' funding.

If banks have to pay more to borrow they will be reluctant to lend to businesses, already grappling with a recession and difficult credit conditions.

This would hurt growth and questions about the ability of the bloc to shake off its debt spiral and the viability of Europe's single currency would resurface.

Forcing savers to take a hits also sets a precedent that may mean depositors in other countries withdraw money more quickly in the future if they hear of troubles in the banking system.

DEPOSIT RADARS

While the principle of bail-ins for senior creditors may have been flagged for some time the impact of the depositor exposure is a wild card.

Investors are looking for any sign that savers elsewhere in Europe withdrew deposits from banks fearing they might end up losing money like the depositors in Cyprus.

But it will be at least another four weeks before Europe's central banks release data on depositor behavior post-Cyprus for March and a fuller picture will take another month.

Until there is clear evidence, investors will be nervous, being led by anecdotal evidence and market pricing.

Euro bank stocks have lost more than 10 percent since mid-March to their lowest since September and default insurance costs on senior European bank bonds have jumped about 50 basis points over the same period to six-month highs.

While these price moves are relatively contained, the impact on growth of the higher costs bank will pay to fund themselves appears to be a much bigger worry for many investors.

The world's biggest bond fund manager PIMCO said last week it was cutting exposure to the euro currency and its chief executive Mohamed El-Erian told German tabloid Bild on Thursday that after three years of euro crises, recession on the periphery was hurting the core and "the costs are rising."

John Stopford, co-head of fixed income and currency at Investec Asset Management, said the confidence bought by the European Central Bank's promise last summer to do what was necessary to save the euro hinged on growth returning and policy finding a coherent tack.

The events in Cyprus raised questions about both, he said.

"I'm increasingly pessimistic," said Stopford. "It does seem to me the goalposts are being moved quite a lot at the moment and there's a danger (investor) trust will go again if they're not careful."

"There's a slow credit crunch going on where banks are having to strengthen balance sheets and events in Cyprus can only exacerbate that."

FEWER LOANS HURT GROWTH

Any problems in the banks would make things worse for the small and medium size firms that are crucial to economic growth and are already struggling to find lenders.

"The lack of funding to SMEs is clearly at the heart of the ECB's thinking at the current juncture, as a blatant and persistent sign that policy transmission remains significantly impaired," a Deutsche Bank report said this month.

The existing credit drought and ongoing fiscal austerity on business confidence has already been clear in regional Purchasing Managers Surveys that disappointed expectations again through February and March.

And beyond the surveys, positive euro zone economic surprises have all but disappeared over the past month.

"At some point does the cumulative pressure just precipitate a decision by countries to get out of here?" asked Stopford at Investec. "If you could turn around the economic dynamics, a lot of the other problems would look less challenging."

(Editing by Anna Willard)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/investors-wary-slow-panic-growth-cyprus-rescue-012924594--sector.html

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What Amazon Really Paid For Goodreads - Business Insider

Bloomberg Businessweek just published a very strange article trying to guess how much Amazon paid for Goodreads, a social network where people share what books they're reading.

In essence, the writer, Kyle Stock, tried to find comparables in recent IPOs and private financings to arrive at a value per user for social websites, comparing Goodreads to Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram. He came up with a figure of $880 million, which he rounded up to $1 billion.

Three problems with that:

  • Amazon did not disclose a price for the acquisition. Had it been as high as $880 million, let alone $1 billion, the company would likely have had to disclose it as a material transaction. (Stock acknowledges the materiality issue in an aside, but that observation should have prompted him to rethink the entire premise of his story.)
  • Investors value different companies in different ways. Instagram, for example, was valued so highly by Facebook not because of its revenues?it had none?but because it threatened Facebook's core photo-sharing franchise. LinkedIn, by contrast, is valued highly by investors not primarily based on its number of users but how well it monetizes them through diversified revenue streams.Technology consultant Anil Dash tore Stock apart in a comment on the piece:"This valuation is preposterous, because the methodology is preposterous. There is zero evidence that either the markets or investors use some arbitrary 'multiply users by a dollar amount' calculation to determine a valuation for these companies. Using such a formula to arrive at an absurd number is especially egregious here because people will now use the authority of this publication to say 'Businessweek reports that Goodreads sold for a billion dollars,' though that's almost certainly not the case."
  • Lastly, AllThingsD's Kara Swisher actually talked to some sources and asked them how much Amazon paid for Goodreads, which raised almost $3 million from angel investors and True Ventures. They told her the real number was $150 million.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-goodreads-purchase-price-2013-3

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Navy SEAL dies in training accident

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) ? Authorities say one of two Navy SEALs injured during parachute training in southern Arizona has died while the other man remains hospitalized.

A U.S. Special Operations Command official said Friday that the SEAL died in a Tucson hospital Thursday but didn't have a condition update on the other man.

The names of the two SEALs were being withheld and the accident is under investigation.

Command spokesman Kenneth McGraw says the SEALs were practicing "routine military free-fall training" when the accident occurred about 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

Pinal County Sheriff's officials say the injured men collided in mid-air and landed in separate areas. The incident was turned over to military investigators Thursday afternoon.

McGraw says the command has a parachute testing and training facility at the Pinal Airpark northeast of Tucson.

___

Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.azstarnet.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/1-navy-seal-dead-ariz-parachuting-accident-202709095.html

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Syrian rebels capture key town near Jordan border

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian rebels on Friday captured a strategic town near the border with Jordan after a day of fierce clashes that killed at least 38 people, activists said, as opposition fighters expand their presence in the south, considered a gateway to Damascus.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 16 rebels were among the dead in the fighting in and around Dael. The town lies less than 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Jordanian border in Daraa province, where the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began two years ago.

The rebel gains have coincided with what regional officials and military experts say is a sharp increase in weapons shipments to opposition fighters by Arab governments in coordination with the U.S. in the hopes of readying a push into Assad's stronghold in the capital, Damascus.

Although rebels control wide areas in northern Syria that border Turkey, the Jordanian frontier is only about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Damascus, or a third of the distance to the Turkish border.

The battle for Dael came as authorities ordered an investigation into a mortar attack on Damascus University that killed at least 10 students on Thursday, state media said. The attack was the deadliest since a wave of mortar shells began hitting the capital last month, puncturing the sense of normalcy the regime has tried to cultivate in the city.

It was unclear who fired the mortar rounds. The government blamed "terrorists," its blanket term for those fighting Assad's regime. Anti-regime activists accused the regime of staging the attack to turn civilians ? many of whom in Damascus are already wary of the opposition fighters ? against the rebels.

"Rebels now control wide areas in the Daraa countryside,'" said Rami Abdul-Rahman who heads the Observatory. "Every area that goes out of government control is important."

Syrian activist Maher Jamous, who is from Dael but currently lives in the United Arab Emirates, said that despite the steady advances and the latest rebel victory in Dael, the regime still maintains a strong presence in the strategic province that leads to the capital.

Jamous said the capture of Dael increases the pressure on the regime.

The regime is known to have posted elite troops in Daraa province, which separates Damascus from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that the Jewish state captured in 1967 and annexed in 1981.

Jamous said Dael has a population of 40,000, making it one of the bigger towns in the primarily agricultural region, which is dotted with small family farms. He added that the town fell briefly into the opposition's hands in the early days of the uprising, but was quickly retaken by regime forces in May 2011.

Amateur videos posted online by activists, showed rebels in the streets of Dael and the bodies of dead soldiers lying on the ground. The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.

In other areas, the Observatory said heavy clashes were taking place between regime forces and fighters renewing their attempts to storm a strategic military facility, known as the 17th Division base, north of the city of Raqqa that was captured by rebels earlier this month.

The division is considered one of the most important remaining regime strongholds in the northern province that borders Turkey, the Observatory said. It added that warplanes carried out several air raids in the area.

The Observatory said regime forces bombarded the Damascus suburb of Adra, while the government al Al-Ikhbariya TV said troops killed "many terrorists" in the area which is close to one of the main jails in the country.

The Aleppo Media Center and the Observatory reported clashes, shelling and attacks by helicopter gunships near the international airport of the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's largest and commercial center.

Syria's crisis began in March 2011 with protests demanding Assad's ouster. Following a harsh government crackdown, the uprising steadily grew more violent until it became a full-fledged civil war. The U.N. says more than 70,000 people have been killed since.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-capture-key-town-near-jordan-border-093516668.html

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Watch out, Harry Potter: New invisibility cloak (mostly) works

Jealous of Harry Potter's invisibility cloak? Yours could be coming soon. A new cloaking device doesn't work on visible light yet, but it makes objects invisible to microwave light.

By Clara Moskowitz,?Live Science / March 26, 2013

Physicists have created a real-life prototype of an invisibility cloak like the one featured in the "Harry Potter" books and films.

Warner Brothers / LiveScience.com

Enlarge

A miniature version of Harry Potter's invisibility cloak now exists, though it works only in microwave light, and not visible light, so far.

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Still, it's a nifty trick, and the physicists who've created the new cloak say it's a step closer to realizing the kind of invisibility cloak that could hide a person in broad daylight.

The invention is made of a new kind of material called a metascreen, created from strips of copper tape attached to a flexible polycarbonate film. The copper strips are only 66 micrometers (66 millionths of a meter) thick, while the polycarbonate film is 100 micrometers thick, and the two are combined in a diagonal fishnet pattern.

The creation is a departure from previous attempts to create invisibility cloaks, which have aimed to bend light rays around an object so that they don't scatter, or reflect off it, a technique that relies on so-called bulk metamaterials. Instead, the new cloak uses a technique called mantle cloaking to cancel out light waves that bounce off the shielded object so that none survive to reach an observer's eye.?

"When the scattered fields from the cloak and the object interfere, they cancel each other out and the overall effect is transparency and invisibility at all angles of observation," study co-author Andrea Alu, a physicist at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a statement.

In lab tests, Alu and his colleagues successfully hid a 7-inch-long (18 centimeters) cylindrical rod from view in microwave light. They said the same technology should be able to cloak oddly shaped and asymmetrical objects, too.
?
?"The advantages of the mantle cloaking over existing techniques are its conformability, ease of manufacturing and improved bandwidth," Alu said. "We have shown that you don't need a bulk metamaterial to cancel the scattering from an object ? a simple patterned surface that is conformal to the object may be sufficient and, in many regards, even better than a bulk metamaterial."

In principle, the same kind of cloak could be used to hide objects in the visible range of light, as well, though it may work only for teensy-tiny objects, at least at first.
?
?"In fact, metascreens are easier to realize at visible frequencies than bulk metamaterials and this concept could put us closer to a practical realization," Alu said. "However, the size of the objects that can be efficiently cloaked with this method scales with the wavelength of operation, so when applied to optical frequencies we may be able to efficiently stop the scattering of micrometer-sized objects."

The invention isn't just a novelty to thrill Harry Potter fans and aspiring spies. The researchers say it could have practical applications down the line, such as in noninvasive sensing devices or in biomedical instruments. They described their device in a paper published in the March 26 issue of the New Journal of Physics.

Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitterand Google+. Follow us?@livescience,?Facebook?&?Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.

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

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/eSi6RUBsR4E/Watch-out-Harry-Potter-New-invisibility-cloak-mostly-works

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Adam Lanza's Arsenal: Guns, Ammo, Knives, Swords, and NRA Certificates (Little green footballs)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295322523?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Kissing Brad Pitt Disgusting? Kirsten Dunst Thought So!

Kissing Brad Pitt Disgusting? Kirsten Dunst Thought So!

Kirsten Dunst and Brad Pitt picsMost women would be extremely jealous to hear actress Kirsten Dunst’s first kiss was with Brad Pitt. But, the actress said she found it “disgusting”. Dunst, who was only 12-years-old when she starred alongside Brad Pitt in “Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles”, has an on-screen kiss with the then-31-year-old heartthrob. Dunst told Bullet ...

Kissing Brad Pitt Disgusting? Kirsten Dunst Thought So! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/kissing-brad-pitt-disgusting-kirsten-dunst-thinks-so/

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Lunar cycle determines hunting behavior of nocturnal gulls

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Zooplankton, small fish and squid spend hardly any time at the surface when there's a full moon. To protect themselves from their natural enemies, they hide deeper down in the water on bright nights, coming up to the surface under cover of darkness when there's a new moon instead. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell discovered that this also influences the behaviour of swallow-tailed gulls (Creagrus furcatus), a unique nocturnal species of gull from the Galapagos Islands.

They fitted the birds with loggers and wet/dry sensors which enabled them to see how much time the animals spent at sea at night. Their findings show that the birds' activity was greatest at new moon, in other words the time when the most prey was gathered at the surface of the water. The cycle of the moon therefore also influences the behaviour of seabirds.

The lunar cycle controls the behaviour of various animal species: owls, swallows and bats, for example, align their activity with the phase of the moon to maximise their hunting success. However, marine life is also affected by the moon. Many species of fish hide from their enemies in the depths of the sea during the daytime and only come up to the water's surface in the dark. Known as vertical migration, this phenomenon is additionally influenced by the lunar cycle. The fish thereby avoid swimming on the water's surface at full moon where they would be easy prey. Vertical migration is thus restricted on brighter nights and the animals remain at greater depths. At new moon, on the other hand, the organisms become active and migrate to the surface.

Yet also in the dark of night hunters lie in wait for them -- for instance the swallow-tailed gull Creagrus furcatus from the Galapagos Islands. With eyes that are well adapted to the dark, the gull can see fish below the water's surface even in low light conditions and so does not need the moon as a source of light. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology therefore wanted to find out what effect the lunar cycle had on the hunting behaviour of the gulls.

To this effect, they attached loggers with sensors to 37 birds, which enabled the scientists to measure where, when and how long the animals were in the water. "The gulls fly off to hunt on the open sea and plunge down to the water's surface to snatch squid or small fish," explains Martin Wikelski from the Max Planck Institute in Radolfzell. "From the contact time of the sensors with the water, we were able to conclude in which nights of the month the gulls were particularly active." The behaviour of each bird was recorded for 120 days on average in order to take in several moon phases.

The birds followed the lunar cycles strictly: at new moon the gulls were in the water particularly often. When the nights were very bright, the birds tended to stay on dry land instead. "For the swallow-tailed gulls it makes sense to be guided by the lunar cycle in their hunting, because, with a diving depth of no more than one metre, the prey is quickly beyond their reach on nights with a full moon," says Wikelski.

To facilitate their night-time hunting, swallow-tailed gulls have evolved light-sensitive eyes that are particularly well adapted to the dark nights at sea. They have also lost their melatonin rhythm -- an important clock that regulates sleep -- enabling the swallow-tailed gulls to occupy a new and unique ecological niche.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Sebastian M. Cruz, Mevin Hooten, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Carolina B. Proa?o, David J. Anderson, Vsevolod Afanasyev, Martin Wikelski. At?Sea Behavior Varies with Lunar Phase in a Nocturnal Pelagic Seabird, the Swallow-Tailed Gull. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (2): e56889 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056889

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/KtplcqEW5C8/130327103048.htm

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Yoga And Mental Health | Better Innovations Blog

Yoga tones the body and improves flexibility. Those results aren?t a (wait for it?) stretch, when you?re tucking your legs behind your head and balancing on one foot for minutes on end. But did you know that yoga also benefits mental health and has lasting positive effects on brain chemistry and emotional balance? Read on to find out how every ?Ohm? brings you closer to clarity.

One of the tenets of yoga (including hatha, vinyasa, and any type in between) is focused breathing. Yoga practitioners believe that controlled breathing can calm the mind and prepare the body to explore its capabilities. The rhythm of inhale and exhale creates a meter by which your body can regulate itself, and a constant to focus on as you strain to reach difficult poses. The simple act of breathing can slow down a racing brain and bring you into the present moment. Placing yourself in that quiet place of non-stress on a regular basis promotes mental health on and off the mat.

The constant flow of movement involved in yoga promotes circulation, bringing more oxygen to the brain and increasing the production of endorphins. This has very positive minimizing effects on symptoms of depression and anxiety. Not only that ? short-term memory, mental acuity, multi-tasking, and concentration all show an upswing thanks to downward-facing dog.

Sleep quality will also improve as well with regular yoga practice. As we all know, a good night?s sleep is one of our most potent weapons in fighting stress, health issues, aging, and even weight loss. Studies have shown marked benefits to length and quality of sleep thanks to yoga, and as a result, better alertness during the day.

Even more serious mental health issues can be addressed in yoga. Many studies, particularly a recent one at Harvard, have proven that amateur yogis have a decreased overall response to stress and are less prone to stress-based symptoms and illnesses. Soldiers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are likely to find relief from yoga; by encouraging reflection, control, and healing in a non-stigmatized environment, they can find coping mechanisms for their trauma and become better equipped to deal with stimuli in the outside world.

Additionally, it has been found that adults suffering from schizophrenia were able to better handle their illness with yoga skills. The meditative aspect helps to decrease aggressive tendencies, promote willingness to take medication, and supply sufferers with the focus to manage their various symptoms. Binge-eating and other self-destructive eating behaviors also decrease when paired with yoga, a probable side effect of strengthening the healthy body and finding more mental peace.

Best of all, clearing the mind has positive secondary effects on the body as well. Twisting your body requires muscle relaxation and focus, which can lower your blood pressure and improve your heart health. Your improved posture and breathing will have lasting good effects on your bone health. And finding that special ?me? time, an oasis of quiet in your busy life helps to center you and help define personal goals ? even beyond clearing your body and mind.

Ref:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter/2009/April/Yoga-for-anxiety-and-depression
http://m.thepostgame.com/blog/list/201302/5-surprising-yoga-cures
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/yoga/CM00004

?

Author Bio:

Shawn is one of the most popular personal trainers in Los Angeles with a client list that includes various celebrities and athletes. He is the founder of Perfect Body, Inc., has been a fitness spokesperson for Time Warner manages three health and fitness web sites, was featured four times on KCAL 9 news ?9 on the town?, was featured on CBS radio 97.1 numerous times, has appeared on a variety of cable shows, and runs a successful personal training practice.

Source: http://blog.betterinnovations.com/2013/03/27/yoga-and-mental-health/

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Year Walk and Ridiculous Fishing | Indie Gamer Chick

You know what I don?t understand?? Portable gaming consoles.? I get the concept, I think.? It?s a console, but you can take it anywhere.? Cool, right?? Except, when I think of situations where I use a portable gaming device, I typically only have a few minutes to play.? I?m not into gaming in car rides (even the nice Vita screen is unplayable with the sun glaring), I don?t do a lot of plane rides, and when I?m at home, I would rather play a game on a proper console.? The only times where it makes sense for me to play a portable game are when I?ve got ten minutes or less to kill.? Waiting in a line, or out having a cigarette, or with whatever time I have to spare during a lunch break.? That?s why I?m baffled at the types of portable games that are popular on Vita or 3DS these days.? Hey, I loved Persona 4 Golden as much as the next person, but I would have loved it just as much if I had played in on the PlayStation 3.? Probably more, in fact.? Why does Uncharted even need a stripped down portable version?? Why did Nintendo make a port of Ocarina of Time one of the flagship launch-window titles for 3DS?? These aren?t games designed to be portable.? These are console games that require significant time investments.? What if I just want to play something for five minutes while taking a dump?

The only valid argument I?ve heard is ?what if you have to share the television with others??? Granted, that was never a problem with me.? Only child here that had her own television from an early age.? I guess my parents weren?t keen on watching endless reruns of Barney and Sesame Street.? Still, as someone who is very fond of consoles, I?ve oddly never had the desire to carry one around with me.? Brian says I?m almost certainly in the minority on that.? I say that just proves how much smarter I am than everyone else.

And don?t say I don?t know humility.? I do.? It?s what measures moisture in the air.

The kind of portable gaming sessions I want are readily available.? They?re typically found on phones.? Most of the time.? Year Walk is a bizarre horror-adventure game based on Swedish mythology.? It seems like it could be a decent title, but this is one of those cases where the game failed to grab my interest right out of the gate and I just couldn?t get into it.? I?m not a big fan of point and click games.? This is more exploration-oriented than average, but I fucking hate games where you wander around with no clue of where to go, what your objectives are, or what the ultimate goal is.? Plus, it had features I?m not too keen on, like sound-based puzzles.? I typically play my iPhone games with the sound turned off, because I have a strong desire to not annoy those around me.? I mean, more so than usual.

I don't deny Year Walk is spooky. It really is. But I don't feel it's put to good use on iOS. I would have rather played this on a television.

I don?t deny Year Walk is spooky. It really is. But I don?t feel it?s put to good use on iOS. I would have rather played this on a television.

I didn?t finish Year Walk.? Not even close.? I spent most of the game just aimlessly shambling about.? Yea, the settings were spooky, but I would have rather played this on a console, or the Vita.? I probably should have fired this up on the iPad, where at least I could have seen things better.? But, the truth was, I didn?t want to play it anymore.? I was bored.? I think horror-adventure fans might get a lot more mileage out of this than I did.? Really, I was just disappointed that this wasn?t a game about Wicket?s first birthday.

. .

. .

. .

Get it?? Wicket was an Ewok.? Ewok sounds like Year Walk?

. .

. .

You know, Brian told me that one was no good.? I didn?t listen to him.? And now he?s gloating.? He said ?it?s too obscure a Star Wars pun and you have to make too large a logical leap to draw the connection.?? Fine.? Trying again: I thought Year Walk was boring.? Would have been better if it had starred Luke Yearwalker.

. .

. .

. .

Ridiculous Fishing has absolutely no connection to Year Walk, other than being on iPhone.? When I told someone I was reviewing this, they said ?I?ve never liked a fishing game.? Never ever ever.?? Although I can?t say the same (I was quite fond of Sega Bass Fishing when I was ten),? saying this is about fishing is like saying Punch-Out is an authentic boxing simulator.? Here, you use the tilt-controls of your phone to lower a fishing lure to the bottom of the sea.? While it?s descending,? you want to avoid touching fish.? Once you touch a fish, the descent stops and the lure starts to surface.? Any fish you touch at this point are on the hook and being reeled in.? When you reach the surface, the fish fly up in the air.? At this point, you whip out a gun and shoot them.

No, seriously.? You shoot them.? With a gun.? Okay, so it?s not the most ridiculous form of fishing I?ve ever seen.? These Lithuanians I believe have that covered.

God bless YouTube.

Fishy fishy in the brook.. I wonder if Brooks Bishop hated that rhyme as a kid?

Fishy fishy in the brook.. I wonder if Brooks Bishop hated that rhyme as a kid?

I?ve never, ever liked tilt-controls.? Ridiculous Fishing is the first game that I truly enjoyed because?of tilt-controls.? It just works.? It?s accurate, it feels natural, and it makes the game more fun.? And Ridiculous Fishing is perfectly suited for micro-gaming sessions.? Got five minutes to kill?? Cast a line, scoop up some fish, shoot those fuckers up, and get back to what you were doing.? It also has actual depth to it, with time-sinky upgrades and a decent (not spectacular) variety of fish to catch. ? In a sense, it?s the perfect mobile game.? My biggest complaints are how there?s no jelly-fish repellent among the items.? Well, that and the Game Center leaderboards are sort of limited.? Oh, and maybe the game is a teeny-tiny bit overpriced at $2.99.? A little steep for a game with no variety at all, especially on the iPhone market.? Of course, Year Walk cost $3.99 and it?s on the wrong platform.? It would probably make an excellent PC game, but at its price, it?s like paying LeBron James to play on your cricket team.

IMG_1040

Wait, you mean we?re not going to eat them?

Year Walk was developed by Simogo and I really want to try it on a console at some point. Ouya, perhaps?

Ridiculous Fishing was developed by Vlambeer and is Chick Approved.

Seal of Approval Large

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Source: http://indiegamerchick.com/2013/03/27/year-walk-and-ridiculous-fishing/

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

College student loan interest rates set to double

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Incoming college freshmen could end up paying $5,000 more for the same student loans their older siblings have if Congress doesn't stop interest rates from doubling.

Sound familiar? The same warnings came last year. But now the presidential election is over and mandatory budget cuts are taking place, making a deal to avert a doubling of interest rates much more elusive before a July 1 deadline.

"What is definitely clear, this time around, there doesn't seem to be as much outcry," said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. "We're advising our members to tell students that the interest rates are going to double on new student loans, to 6.8 percent."

That rate hike only hits students taking out new subsidized loans. Students with outstanding subsidized loans are not expected to see their loan rates increase unless they take out a new subsidized Stafford loan. Students' non-subsidized loans are not expected to change, nor are loans taken from commercial lenders.

The difference between 3.4 percent and 6.8 percent interest rates is a $6 billion tab for taxpayers ? set against a backdrop of budget negotiations that have pitted the two parties in a standoff. President Barack Obama is expected to release his budget proposal in the coming weeks, adding another perspective to the debate.

Last year, with the presidential and congressional elections looming, students got a one-year reprieve on the doubling of interest rates. That expires July 1.

Neither party's budget proposal in Congress has money specifically set aside to keep student loans at their current rate. House Republicans' budget would double the interest rates on newly issued subsidized loans to help balance the federal budget in a decade. Senate Democrats say they want to keep the interest rates at their current levels but the budget they passed last week does not set aside money to keep the rates low.

In any event, neither side is likely to get what it wants. And that could lead to confusion for students as they receive their college admission letters and financial aid packages.

House Republicans, led by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, have outlined a spending plan that would shift the interest rates back to their pre-2008 levels. Congress in 2007 lowered the rate to 6 percent for new loans started during the 2008 academic year, then down to 5.6 percent in 2009, down to 4.5 percent in 2010 and then to the current 3.4 percent a year later.

Some two-thirds of students are graduating with loans exceeding $25,000; one in 10 borrowers owes more than $54,000 in loans. And student loan debt now tops $1 trillion. For those students, the rates make significant differences in how much they have to pay back each month.

For some, the rates seem arbitrary and have little to do with interest rates available for other purchases such as homes or cars.

"Burdening students with 6.8 percent loans when interest rates in the economy are at historic lows makes no sense," said Lauren Asher, president of the Institute for College Access and Success, a nonprofit organization.

Both House Education Committee Chairman John Kline of Minnesota and his Democratic counterpart, Rep. George Miller of California, prefer to keep rates at their current levels but have not outlined how they might accomplish that goal.

Rep. Karen Bass, a California Democrat, last week introduced a proposal that would permanently cap the interest rate at 3.4 percent.

Senate Democrats say their budget proposal would permanently keep the student rates low. But their budget document doesn't explicitly cover the $6 billion annual cost. Instead, its committee report included a window for the Senate Health Education and Pension Committee to pass a student loan rate fix down the road.

But so far, the money isn't there. And if the committee wants to keep the rates where they are, they will have to find a way to pay for them, either through cuts to programs in the budget or by adding new taxes.

"Spending is measured in numbers, not words," said Jason Delisle, a former Republican staffer on the Senate Budget Committee and now director of the New America Foundation's Federal Budget Project. "The Murray budget does not include funding for any changes to student loans."

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that of the almost $113 billion in new student loans the government made this year, more than $38 billion will be lost to defaults, even after Washington collects what it can through wage garnishments.

The net cost to taxpayers after most students pay back their loans with interest is $5.7 billion. If the rate increases, Washington will be collecting more interest from new students' loans.

But those who lobbied lawmakers a year ago said they were pessimistic before Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney both came out in support of keeping the rates low.

"We were at this point and we knew this issue was looming. But it wasn't anything we had any real traction with," said Tobin Van Ostern, deputy director of Campus Progress at the liberal Center for American Progress. "At this point, I didn't think we'd prevent them from doubling."

This time, he's looking at the July 1 deadline with the same concern.

"Having a deadline does help. It's much easier to deal with one specific date," Van Ostern said. "But if Congress can't come together ... interest rates are going to double. There tends to be a tendency for inaction."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/neither-party-cash-student-loan-rate-fix-185759359--politics.html

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General: Myanmar military staying in politics

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) ? The military that ruled Myanmar for five decades paraded its might Wednesday in front of the opposition leader it once repressed, as its commander in chief said it will remain involved in politics to help the country transform itself into a democracy.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, attending the annual Armed Forces Day celebration for the first time, sat in the front row, highlighting the support she has previously expressed for the military. Though the military handed over political leadership to an elected government in 2011, it continues to wield control over how far democracy ? and Suu Kyi herself ? could advance.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing told more than 6,300 troops gathered at the parade ground in Myanmar's isolated capital, Naypyitaw, that the military must strengthen its capabilities and regional alliances to build a "well-disciplined democratic nation."

"While the country is moving toward modern democracy, our military plays a leading role in national politics," he said. "We will keep on marching to strengthen the democratic administrative path wished by the entire people."

One of the most inscrutable questions today is how Myanmar's powerful military views the country's rapid political and economic change and what role they envision for themselves in the future, after overseeing decades of repression that included years of house arrest for Suu Kyi.

Min Aung Hlaing's answer Wednesday was that the military will continue to play a central role, both in politics and as peacekeepers in a nation that has seen a surge of ethnic and religious violence in the two years since President Thein Sein's administration began opening up the Southeast Asian country.

The Armed Forces Day celebration, which commemorates Myanmar's uprising against Japanese occupation forces in 1945, was a show of vast and precise power. For the first time in more than two decades, it put some of its hardware on public display.

Helicopters buzzed over the hills. Fighter planes let off flares. Dozens of mud-green tanks, armored personnel carriers and small artillery guns rolled by. A commander barked out orders and the clicking of row after row of boot-polished heels came back like thunder.

The military retains considerable influence. Thein Sein is a former general himself, and many top ministers and powerful parliamentarians are former military officers. The military's economic power is murkier, but it controls two sprawling conglomerates with interests that include mining, hotels and beer and rice exporting.

The constitution reserves a quarter of the seats in Parliament for the military, giving them effective veto power over major constitutional changes. The constitution would need to be changed for Suu Kyi to be allowed to run for president in 2015; her late husband was British, and the constitution bars relatives of foreign nationals from seeking the office.

Suu Kyi's party marked Armed Forces Day by calling on the military to work with the opposition to change the 2008 constitution, which it said is "not in accordance with democratic norms."

Suu Kyi, who has faced criticism from supporters for courting the military, did not speak to reporters in Naypyitaw.

The constitution also allows for the dissolution of Parliament and the transfer of power from the president to the commander in chief, in cases of national emergency.

Min Aung Hlaing emphasized the military's importance for maintaining national unity and sovereignty. He said his troops have never committed genocide and have "no hatred of any of the national races." He said his soldiers will abide by international humanitarian law and are trained to act in compliance with the Geneva Conventions.

The military been active in quashing ethnic unrest in the north, where a 17-year truce with Kachin rebels broke down in 2011. Last week, the Army was called in to contain sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims in central Myanmar, where at least 40 people have been killed in clashes that are edging closer to the main city, Yangon.

Human Rights Watch warned Tuesday of a brewing humanitarian crisis in western Rakhine state, where a monsoon is expected to soon pound camps filled with displaced Muslims who fled ethnic and religious violence. The rights group estimates that 125,000 Muslims have been displaced by violence since June 2012.

The West has been reaching out to Myanmar's armed forces, despite continuing human rights concerns. The U.S. welcomed Myanmar as an observer at its annual Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand for the first time this year, and Australia recently said it would deepen its engagement with Myanmar's military. Both countries still ban arms sales to Myanmar.

Min Aung Hlaing called for modern weaponry and training and closer alliances with neighboring countries, particularly within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

While the world talks about change in Myanmar, some at the parade ground preferred to talk of continuity.

"The military has worked for the people in the past," said Htay Oo, vice-chairman of the ruling USDP party, as he made his way to his seat. "And they will continue to work for the people."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/general-myanmar-military-staying-politics-074750346.html

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BlackBerry?s best hope said to be as a ?niche player? going forward

By Brian Homewood March 28 (Reuters) - Swiss champions FC Basel, renowned for their youth development programme, face a constant battle to stop teenage players moving to English, Spanish and Italian clubs. President Bernhard Heusler told Reuters in an interview that parents often do not listen to the club when warned against taking their sons elsewhere. "We get enormous pressure from outside, including English clubs," said Heusler before adding Basel were powerless to stop their youngsters leaving before the age of 16. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-best-hope-said-niche-player-going-forward-141730527.html

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EBay sets aggressive 2015 target, shares climb

By Alistair Barr

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - EBay Inc aims to handle $110 billion of sales on its marketplace in 2015 by expanding globally and using mobile technology to lure more shoppers, an aggressive target that drove its shares 4 percent higher on Thursday.

The forecast by eBay Marketplaces chief Devin Wenig was higher than Wall Street had expected and represents a 47 percent jump in gross merchandise volume, or GMV, from 2012's $75 billion.

GMV is a closely watched measure of eBay's performance. Doug Anmuth, an analyst at JP Morgan, had predicted 2015 GMV of $101 billion.

After bleeding market share to Amazon.com Inc for years, Chief Executive John Donahoe began a turnaround effort in 2009 that set the Internet commerce company back on track by borrowing from its larger rival's playbook.

He took what was then a muddled auctions website and made it easier for shoppers to buy new items at fixed prices and get more free shipping and returns - essentially mimicking the Amazon experience. He also embraced mobile technology, creating shopping apps for smartphones and tablets that brought in new customers.

But eBay's online marketplace is still growing less than Amazon's and some analysts are concerned its growth may struggle to keep up with the overall expansion of the online retail sector.

On Thursday, eBay's Wenig told analysts and investors that the company's core business will deliver "at least" market rates of growth.

EBay's stock rose 4.1 percent to $54.20 in the afternoon.

"They are saying they have fixed the core marketplace, and they are now positioned to drive incremental growth from local, mobile and global initiatives," said Colin Sebastian, an analyst at R.W. Baird.

CEO Donahoe said that the company would enable $300 billion of commerce in 2015, up 71 percent from $175 billion in 2012.

That forecast includes sales on eBay's online marketplace, payments processed by PayPal and other transactions touched by the company's various businesses, such as GSI Commerce.

"That's one of the ways we will measure our success," Donahoe said during eBay's investor day at its headquarters in Silicon Valley.

To get this done, eBay is focusing on three main sources of potential growth - global expansion, local commerce and mobile applications that it hopes will encourage consumers to shop more on its marketplace and use PayPal more to pay for those purchases.

EBay is aiming to increase sales in emerging markets and BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China, by four times current levels in three years, Wendy Jones, an executive overseeing the global push, said.

By the end of 2015, as much as 25 percent of eBay active users and over 12 percent of global sales will come from BRIC countries and emerging markets, she added.

EBay's top executives will give other, new three-year financial forecasts later on Thursday.

Expectations run high on Wall Street. Anmuth of J.P. Morgan, is expecting revenue of $21.16 billion in 2015 and earnings of $3.98 per share that year, versus $14 billion and $2.36 a share in 2012.

The analyst is also calling for 2015 PayPal transaction volume of $246.9 billion that year.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn, Tim Dobbyn, and Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ebay-ceo-says-company-enable-300-billion-commerce-154139664--sector.html

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