Diamond Gem Awards 2012 Awarded - With A Couple Of Surprises ...

Diamond Comic Distributors have announced their Diamond Gem Awards for 2012, voted on by comic book retailers in the direct market. The nominees are listed below, the winners highlighted in bold. In addition to the nominations, two ?Top Dollar? Awards have been added, both won by Marvel. Marvel has traditionally fared badly in the publisher category, despite usually bringing the most money into the marketplace. Could this be a way to make up for that?

Valiant are a notable win for small publisher in their first year of operation? first seven months even. And Image grabbed notable product categories with Walking Dead and Saga, though DC still dominated, as they did last year.

As for Best Magazine, it?s an honour to be nominated etc etc?

Bleeding Cool were the only website to cover the 2011 Gem awards? Maybe this year, they will get a little more coverage.

Comic Book Publisher of the Year ? Over 4%

• Dark Horse Comics
• DC Comics
• IDW Publishing
• Image Comics
• Marvel Comics

Comic Book Publisher of the Year ? Under 4%

• Archie Comics
• Avatar Press
• BOOM! Studios
• Dynamite Entertainment
• Valiant Entertainment

Top Dollar Comic Book Publisher of the Year

Marvel Comics

Best Comic Book of the Year Under ? $3.00

• Green Lantern #0 (DC)
• Hawkeye #1 (Marvel)
• Hellboy in Hell #1 (Dark Horse)
• Saga #1 (Image)

Best Comic Book of the Year ? Over $3.00

• Amazing Spider-Man #700 (Marvel)
• Batman #9 ? Night of Owls (DC)
• Mars Attacks #1 (IDW)
• The Walking Dead #100 (Image)
• X-O MANOWAR #1 (Valiant)

Top Dollar Comic Of The Year

Amazing Spider-Man #700

Best Licensed Comic of the Year

• Adventure Time #1 (BOOM! Studios)
• Hit-Girl #1 (Marvel)
• My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #1 (IDW)
• Masks #1 (Dynamite)
• Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi Force Storm #1 (Dark Horse)

Magazine of the Year

• Bleeding Cool Magazine #1 (Avatar)
• DC Nation #1 (DC)
• DC Superhero Chess Figure Collection Magazine #1 ? Batman White King (Eaglemoss
• Publications)
• Marvel Super Heroes #1 (Marvel)
• Walking Dead Magazine #1 (Titan Publishing)

Best Backlist Publisher of the Year

• DC Entertainment
• Dark Horse Comics
• IDW Publishing
• Image Comics
• Marvel Comics

Best Original Graphic Novel

• Richard Stark?s Parker: The Score (IDW)
• Batman: Earth One HC (DC)
• Blacksad: Silent Hell HC
• Superman: Earth One Vol. 2 HC (DC)
• Spider-Man Season One Premiere HC (Marvel)
• Not My Bag GN (Image)

Best Reprint Trade Paperback or Hard Cover of the Year

• Walking Dead Vol. 2 Compendium (Image)
• Saga Vol. 1 TP (Image)
• Batman: The Court of Owls Vol. 1 HC (DC)
• Justice League: Origin Vol. 1 (DC)
• Scott Pilgrim Color Edition Vol. 1 (Oni Press)
• Deadpool Kills Marvel Universe TP (Marvel)
• Adventure Time Vol. 1 TP (BOOM!)
• Daredevil by Mark Waid Vol.1 TP (Marvel)

Best Licensed Trade Paperback or Hard Cover of the Year

• Avatar: Last of the Airbenders ? The Promise, Part 1 Vol. 1 TP (Dark Horse)
• Game of Throne Vol. 1 GN (Bantam/Spectra)
• Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Vol. 1 HC (DC/Vertigo)
• The Stand HC Omnibus with Slipcase (Marvel)
• Star Trek Next Generation / Doctor Who Assimilation Vol. 1 TP (IDW)

Best Manga Trade Paperback of the Year

• Sailor Moon: Kodansha Edition Vol. 3 TP (Kodansha Comics)
• Black Butler Vol. 8 TP (Yen Press)
• Tezuka: Message to Adolf Vol. 1 GN (Vertical Inc.)
• 21st Century Boys Vol. 1 GN (Viz Media)
• Fallen Words GN (Drawn & Quarterly)
• FLCL Omnibus (Dark Horse)

Best Manga Publisher of the Year

• Yen Press
• Kodansha Comics
• Seven Seas Entertainment
• Vertical Inc.
• Viz Media
• Dark Horse Comics

Best Anthology of the Year

• Best American Comics HC 2012 ( Houghton Mifflin)
• Marvel Firsts 1970s TP VOL 01 (NOV110636)
• Best American Comics HC (Houghton Mifflin) Marvel Firsts: 1970 Vol. 1 TP (Marvel)
• Womanthology: Heroic HC (IDW)
• Dark Horse Presents #13 (Dark Horse)

Best Indie Graphic Novel of the Year

• The Underwater Welder (Top Shelf)
• Charles Burns Hive GN (Pantheon Books)
• Tower Chronicles: Geisthawk Vol. 1 GN (Legendary Comics)
• Chris Ware: Building Stories HC (Pantheon Books)
• Anomaly HC (Anomaly)
• Are You My Mother: A Comic Drama HC (Houghton Mifflin Company)

Best Trade Book of the Year

• Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Vol. 42 (Gemstone)
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Complete Comic Encyclopedia TP (Archie)
• The History of Sonic the Hedgehog HC (Udon)
• Avengers: Art of the Avengers HC with Slipcase (Marvel)
• Art of Mass Effect HC (Dark Horse)
• The Sky: The Art of Final Fantasy Boxed Set HC (Dark Horse)
• David Mazzucchelli Daredevil Born Again Artist ED HC (IDW)
• Art of Todd McFarlane Devils in the Details HC (Image)

Best Game Manufacturer of the Year

• Cryptozoic Entertainment
• Paizo Publishing
• USAopoly
• WIZKIDS/NECA
• Wizards of the Coast

Best Game Product of the Year Not Awarded.

• DC Comics Deck Building Game
• Pathfinder RPG: Advanced Race Guide
• Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition Monopoly
• Marvel Heroclix Galactic Guardians Expansion
• Magic the Gathering: Return to Ravinca Expansion

Best Toy Manufacturer of the Year

• DC Entertainment/DC Collectibles
• Diamond Select Toys
• Kotobukiya
• Bowen Designs
• Hasbro
• TMP

Best Toy Product of the Year

• Marvel Select: Avengers Movie Hulk Action Figure (Diamond Select Toys)
• Marvel Select: Amazing Spider-Man Movie AF (DST)
• Batman Arkham Asylum Play Arts ~Kai~ Arm Batman AF (Square Enix)
• Justice League Superman Action Figure DC Entertainment /DC Collectibles
• We Can Be Heroes Justice League 7 Pack Box Set DC Entertainment/DC Collectibles

Best Toy Line of the Year

• Play Arts ~Kai~ (Square Enix)
• Mass Effect 3 Action Figures (Big Fish)
• Marvel Select AF (DST)
• Walking Dead Series 2 Assortment (McFarlane Toys)
• DC Justice League New 52 Action Figures DC Entertainment/DC Collectibles
• Batman Arkham City Series 3 DC Entertainment/DC Collectibles

Best Collectible Statue of the Year

• DC Harley Quinn Bishoujo Statue (Koto)
• Red Hulk PX Mini-Bust (Gentle Giant)
• Thor Classic Action Statue (Bowen)
• Dragon Age II: Flemeth Dragon Statue (Dark Horse)
• DC Comics Cover Girls Harley Quinn Statue DC Entertainment/DC Collectibles
• Batman Black and White Statue New 52 By Jim Lee DC Entertainment/DC Collectibles

Source: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/02/27/diamond-gem-awards-2012/

rock and roll hall of fame 2012

Wall St cash bonuses seen up in 2012 - NY comptroller

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street cash bonuses are forecast to have risen in 2012 to their highest since 2010, but are still below pre-crisis levels, New York state's comptroller said on Tuesday.

The securities industry's bonus pool was expected to total $20 billion, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said at a press conference on Tuesday, up 8 percent from 2011 but below levels seen in 2006 and 2007, before the financial crisis.

The estimate is based on income tax withholdings and would include bonuses that were deferred from earlier years. The comptroller's office compiles estimates on Wall Street bonuses because of their importance to state and city tax revenues.

The rise in bonuses comes as profits for broker-dealer operations on New York Stock Exchange member firms was $23.9 billion in 2012, three times the $7.7 billion earned in 2011, and one of the most profitable years on record, the report said.

"As we all know and acknowledge the securities industry in New York City is a major driver of the city and state economy," said DiNapoli. "It's no secret that if Wall Street is strong all New Yorkers benefit."

The securities industry on Wall Street and beyond is still going through a period of major change after the 2007-2008 financial crisis, with increased oversight from regulators. The industry has far fewer employees and is changing it compensation practices to include more deferred bonuses.

Morgan Stanley is taking three years to pay out 2012 bonuses to high-earning employees, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters in January, a step that will better align incentives with shareholder interests and make it harder for employees to leave.

DiNapoli said he expects Wall Street to continue to cut jobs in 2013. Employment totaled 169,700 in December 2012, 1,000 fewer than the year before, according to the report. The securities industry in New York has regained only about 30 percent of the 28,300 jobs it lost during the crisis.

"I think we're still in a recovery mode," said Joe Sorrentino, a managing director at Steven Hall & Partners, a compensation consultant to Wall Street firms. "In essence, all they are saying is that things are better than in 2011. That doesn't sound too confident to me."

Still, the report was another sign the industry is stabilizing after the ravages of the crisis.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said earlier that the banking industry's full-year earnings were the second-highest on record at $141.3 billion, an increase over 2011 of $22.9 billion, or 19.3 percent. Bank earnings peaked in 2006 at $145.2 billion.

Much of the earnings growth in 2012 came from banks reducing the amount they set aside for losses on loans, the FDIC said. Banks also saw gains on loan sales and higher servicing income.

The average cash bonus rose an estimated 9 percent to almost $121,900 in 2012, the comptroller said. The average bonus rose more than the overall pool because the pool was shared among fewer workers than in 2011.

"The industry is still adjusting to the current economic and regulatory environment, working through the fall out of the financial crisis," said DiNapoli. "The industry continues to announce layoffs and will likely continue to restructure."

In 2012, about 14 percent of New York State tax revenue came from Wall Street, down from 20 percent before the financial crisis, while the industry's contribution to New York City's tax fell from a peak of more than 12 percent to less than 7 percent.

The comptroller's estimate does not include stock options or other forms of deferred compensation.

(Additional reporting by Jed Horowitz; Editing by Maureen Bavdek and Nick Zieminski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-st-cash-bonuses-seen-2012-ny-comptroller-190042008--finance.html

checkers imbibe msg network ray j anthony shadid gary carter

Why most Americans are yawning over 'sequester' ? and why that matters

Only 1 in 4 Americans is following the debate over 'the sequester,' and even fewer say they understand it, a new poll shows. If the spending cuts take effect and more people pay attention, Obama's public support could slip.

By Linda Feldmann,?Staff writer / February 26, 2013

President Obama runs to greet well-wishers upon his arrival in Newport News, Va., on Tuesday. Obama is visiting Newport News Shipbuilding to highlight the effect the 'sequester' will have on jobs and middle-class families.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Enlarge

President Obama is working hard to ramp up public agitation over the looming ?sequester? ? big, across-the-board spending cuts that, if fully implemented, could send the US economy back into recession. If the sequester goes into effect and starts doing damage, blame the Republicans, Mr. Obama says.

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On Tuesday, the president holds his latest campaign-style event focused on what the cuts would mean for real people. Obama is speaking at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va., a coastal city whose economic health depends on Navy contracts. ??

Workers in Newport News are understandably anxious. But to much of the country, ?sequester? is just a weird word that doesn?t mean much or affect them personally. Only 1 in 4 Americans is following the debate over the $85 billion in federal spending cuts scheduled to kick in on Friday, according to a new poll by the Washington Post and the Pew Research Center. Even fewer people ? 18 percent ? say they understand the issue ?very well.?

Part of the problem could be the lexicon. Who knows what ?sequester? means? That, despite valiant efforts by the media to explain it. It?s actually a verb that means to isolate or cut. The noun form is ?sequestration,? but that?s even more awkward (an extra syllable, after all) and hardly fodder for water-cooler chat ? unless, of course, it?s your job that?s possibly on the line, in which case you are keenly interested.

But unless you work in certain industries ? such as defense, which is slated to take half of the cuts ? it?s just the latest food fight in the dysfunction known as Washington politics. Fiscal crisis fatigue among the public appears to have set in. Just two months ago, Washington was on the edge of its seat over the ?fiscal cliff,? the tax increases and spending cuts due to take effect on Jan. 1 as required by law, and aimed at setting the nation on a sounder fiscal path.

The sequester was due to take effect then, but in the last-minute agreement was delayed until March 1. ??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/-5yu3jV8DWY/Why-most-Americans-are-yawning-over-sequester-and-why-that-matters

the Rumble 2012

Why do Republicans so hate Michelle Obama? (Americablog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287602005?client_source=feed&format=rss

ron paul

Qualcomm bolsters AllJoyn functionality, demos LTE carrier aggregation with 150Mbps peak transfers

Peak transfers of 150Mbps, you say? We're listening. Here at Mobile World Congress, Qualcomm's newest Gobi chipsets (the MDM9225 and MDM9625) are the first to support LTE carrier aggregation and LTE Category 4 with peak data rates of up to 150Mbps. The reveal marks the introduction of the outfit's third-generation 4G LTE embedded chip, and if all goes well, we should see the hardware slipping into phones, tablets and potentially laptops in the second half of 2013. To make it all seem more realistic, it partnered with Sierra Wireless and Ericsson here in Barcelona in order to prove the figures. For those unaware, LTE carrier aggregation combines radio channels within and across bands to increase user data rates and reduce latency -- in other words, it allows LTE to be even faster.

In related news, Qually also announced that it'll be extending the AllJoyn software development project with "new core interoperable services." As of now, we're simply told that the new services will be available on devices with different operating systems and from different vendors, theoretically enabling an "Internet of Everything" by the time they're upstreamed into the AllJoyn open source project by May 2013. We'll be swinging by the company's booth to see what exactly there is to visualize -- for now, feel free to pursue the press releases linked below.

Filed under: Wireless, Mobile

Comments

Source: Qualcomm (1), (2), (3)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/9uI6KMc-Lmc/

vince young vince young

VP Forrest: U-M research funding up, but sequestration threatens budget

Public release date: 21-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Erickson
ericksn@umich.edu
734-647-1842
University of Michigan

ANN ARBOR Federal sequestration spending cuts could cost the University of Michigan research budget up to $40 million this year, harming graduate students, research scientists and others whose jobs depend on the funding, Vice President for Research Stephen Forrest told the Board of Regents Thursday.

In his annual report on research to the regents, Forrest noted that the University of Michigan once again ranked first in research and development spending among the nation's public universities in the latest National Science Foundation rankings.

"U-M is uniquely positioned to sustain both the quality and influence of its research enterprise," Forrest said. "Strategic investment in new initiatives and funding diversification will lead to long-term success."

However, if Congress and the White House fail to resolve a budgetary impasse by March 1, broad, across-the-board cuts to most categories of government spending, totaling about $85 billion for the current fiscal year and known as the sequester, will take effect.

Funding from federal agencies provides 62 percent of U-M's research budget, which totaled $1.27 billion in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2012. Sequestration cuts would seriously impact the university's ability to pay graduate-student researchers; research scientists and engineers, postdoctoral researchers and administrative staff could be vulnerable as well.

"The students working in our labs help to uncover new knowledge that leads to new applications. They're also being prepared for a lifetime of creativity and productivity as scientists, engineers, physicians, entrepreneurs, educators and artists. These are the people who shape our future. We can't short-change them, or ourselves," Forrest said recently in a video produced in support of an effort coordinated by the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and The Science Coalition to encourage Congress to avoid the sweeping budget cuts, which could total $1.2 trillion through 2021.

Draconian cuts to the federal research budget would also damage this country's ability to compete globally, Forrest said.

"We live in a global economy with a growing number of strong international competitors," he said. "If we pull back now from investing in our future, we will lose ground that will be difficult, if not impossible, to regain.

"It would be a mistake to try to save our way out of these difficult economic times," Forrest said in the video. "Never has it been more important for Congress to sustain our investment in research and even to expand it. It's the engine that drives our economy. Let's not let it run out of gas."

At the regents meeting, Forrest noted that the latest National Science Foundation rankings, issued in November, showed U-M atop the R&D expenditures list for public universities and behind only Johns Hopkins University on the list of all U.S. universities and colleges.

It was the third straight year that U-M ranked first among public universities and the 13th time in the past 27 years. U-M held that distinction every year from 1991 through 1999.

In the fiscal year that ended June 30, funding from the National Science Foundation was up by 7.9 percent, and the Department of Energy increased its support by 8.6 percent. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's investment rose by 15.3 percent, and the Department of Transportation increased its funding by 38.4 percent.

Funding from the Department of Defense grew by 9.5 percent, reversing a decline in the previous year. Support from the Department of Health and Human Services decreased 8.1 percent, in part due to a drop in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds.

Research grants and contracts from industry grew by 5.6 percent to $42.8 million, building on a 4 percent growth rate from the previous year.

Forrest cautioned the regents that no matter what happens with sequestration, the United States is entering a period of flat or declining federal funding for university research. U-M is taking steps to anticipate and adapt to the changes, in part by strengthening ties to industry, engaging globally, and working to sustain and enhance the federal investment in university research.

###

View the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P0EPhBEQYo&feature=youtu.be

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 21-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Erickson
ericksn@umich.edu
734-647-1842
University of Michigan

ANN ARBOR Federal sequestration spending cuts could cost the University of Michigan research budget up to $40 million this year, harming graduate students, research scientists and others whose jobs depend on the funding, Vice President for Research Stephen Forrest told the Board of Regents Thursday.

In his annual report on research to the regents, Forrest noted that the University of Michigan once again ranked first in research and development spending among the nation's public universities in the latest National Science Foundation rankings.

"U-M is uniquely positioned to sustain both the quality and influence of its research enterprise," Forrest said. "Strategic investment in new initiatives and funding diversification will lead to long-term success."

However, if Congress and the White House fail to resolve a budgetary impasse by March 1, broad, across-the-board cuts to most categories of government spending, totaling about $85 billion for the current fiscal year and known as the sequester, will take effect.

Funding from federal agencies provides 62 percent of U-M's research budget, which totaled $1.27 billion in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2012. Sequestration cuts would seriously impact the university's ability to pay graduate-student researchers; research scientists and engineers, postdoctoral researchers and administrative staff could be vulnerable as well.

"The students working in our labs help to uncover new knowledge that leads to new applications. They're also being prepared for a lifetime of creativity and productivity as scientists, engineers, physicians, entrepreneurs, educators and artists. These are the people who shape our future. We can't short-change them, or ourselves," Forrest said recently in a video produced in support of an effort coordinated by the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and The Science Coalition to encourage Congress to avoid the sweeping budget cuts, which could total $1.2 trillion through 2021.

Draconian cuts to the federal research budget would also damage this country's ability to compete globally, Forrest said.

"We live in a global economy with a growing number of strong international competitors," he said. "If we pull back now from investing in our future, we will lose ground that will be difficult, if not impossible, to regain.

"It would be a mistake to try to save our way out of these difficult economic times," Forrest said in the video. "Never has it been more important for Congress to sustain our investment in research and even to expand it. It's the engine that drives our economy. Let's not let it run out of gas."

At the regents meeting, Forrest noted that the latest National Science Foundation rankings, issued in November, showed U-M atop the R&D expenditures list for public universities and behind only Johns Hopkins University on the list of all U.S. universities and colleges.

It was the third straight year that U-M ranked first among public universities and the 13th time in the past 27 years. U-M held that distinction every year from 1991 through 1999.

In the fiscal year that ended June 30, funding from the National Science Foundation was up by 7.9 percent, and the Department of Energy increased its support by 8.6 percent. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's investment rose by 15.3 percent, and the Department of Transportation increased its funding by 38.4 percent.

Funding from the Department of Defense grew by 9.5 percent, reversing a decline in the previous year. Support from the Department of Health and Human Services decreased 8.1 percent, in part due to a drop in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds.

Research grants and contracts from industry grew by 5.6 percent to $42.8 million, building on a 4 percent growth rate from the previous year.

Forrest cautioned the regents that no matter what happens with sequestration, the United States is entering a period of flat or declining federal funding for university research. U-M is taking steps to anticipate and adapt to the changes, in part by strengthening ties to industry, engaging globally, and working to sustain and enhance the federal investment in university research.

###

View the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P0EPhBEQYo&feature=youtu.be

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uom-vfu022113.php

laurent robinson

UN: Occupation troops murdered fewer Afghan civilians in 2012 than 2011

Denver Post ? ?
Posted in News

"Airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition killed 126 Afghan civilians last year, a nearly 50 percent drop from the year before, the U.N. said Tuesday. The report came a day after President Hamid Karzai banned government forces from requesting foreign air support during operations in residential areas. The overall civilian death toll in 2012 also declined some 12 percent to 2,754, compared with 3,131 the previous year, according to an annual report by the United Nations Mission to Afghanistan that tracks statistics in the 11-year-old war."

http://tinyurl.com/ajz98tu ?

Tags: Afghanistan, casualties, war

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RRNDNews/~3/zzvnv6NcCBc/116480

Rio de Janeiro

Prosecution in Pistorius case admits error in testimony

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) -- The investigating officer in the Oscar Pistorius murder case made an error in his court testimony Wednesday when he identified a substance found in the athlete's bedroom as testosterone, the national prosecutor said.

Medupe Simasiku, the spokesman for South Africa's National Prosecution Agency, told The Associated Press that it was too early to identify the substance as it was still undergoing laboratory tests.

''It is not certain (what it is) until the forensics.'' Simasiku said, adding that it wasn't certain if it was ''a legal or an illegal medication for now.''

Detective Warrant Officer Hilton Botha, the investigating officer, said earlier in court during Pistorius' bail hearing that police found two boxes of testosterone and needles in the bedroom of the Olympic athlete, who is charged with premediated murder in the Feb. 14 shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

It was a mistake to identify the substance now, Simasiku said, as it was still unknown. He said the discovery of needles was in Botha's statement, however.

Pistorius denies murder, saying in an affidavit Tuesday that the Valentine's Day shooting was accidental because he thought there was an intruder in his house.

In response to Botha's claim, the defense said Wednesday, the second day of Pistorius' bail hearing at Pretoria Magistrate's Court, that the substance found was not a steroid or a banned substance but an herbal remedy.

International Paralympic Committee spokesman Craig Spence told the AP soon after the substance claims that Pistorius - the world's most famous disabled athlete - was drug tested twice in London last year by the IPC, on Aug. 25 and Sept. 8. Both test results were negative, Spence said.

The Aug. 25 test was an out-of-competition test, and the Sept. 8 one in-competition, a day before the end of the London Paralympics.

The International Olympic Committee said it didn't test Pistorius at the Olympics, but referred the AP to the IPC's negative tests. International athletics body the IAAF and the World Anti-Doping Agency would not comment because it was an ongoing legal case.

''Bearing in mind the ongoing police investigation, WADA must refrain from making any statement at present,'' WADA said.

Giving testimony, Botha said police made the discovery of testosterone in bedroom of the double-amputee runner and multiple Paralympic champion's upscale Pretoria house after the shooting of Steenkamp but offered no further details or explanation. State prosecutor Gerrie Nel also had to correct Botha when he initially called it ''steroids.''

Simasiku later told the AP that the detective, Botha, thought it was testosterone by reading the first few letters of the label.

Pistorius' lawyer, Barry Roux, said on questioning the detective - who has 16 years' experience as a detective and 24 years with the police - that it was not a banned substance and that police were trying to give the discovery a ''negative connotation.''

''It is an herbal remedy,'' Roux said. ''It is not a steroid and it is not a banned substance.''

Police ''take every piece of evidence and try to extract the most possibly negative connotation and present it to the court,'' senior defense lawyer Roux said.

The debate over the substance added another dramatic twist to a case that has already gripped the world's attention since Steenkamp's killing at Pistorius' home last Thursday.

Prosecutor Nel also had to clarify that police were not saying that Pistorius was using the substance, only that it was discovered along with the needles in his bedroom.

Pistorius said Tuesday in a written affidavit and read in court by Roux that he mistakenly killed model Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day when he fired four shots into a locked toilet door, hitting his girlfriend three times after thinking she was a dangerous intruder.

The prosecution claims Pistorius intended to kill the 29-year-old Steenkamp after they had a fight.

---

Imray reported from Johannesburg. AP Sports Writers Rob Harris in London and Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/defense-pistorius-substance-not-banned-133405477--oly.html

herniated disc

App Deals Of The Day: Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone

Today we have a bunch of awesome new Dashclock extensions for Android, Passlocker on iOS reduced from $12.99 to just $1.99, Mobi Reader HD now free on iPad, Contacts for 99c on Windows Phone, plus lots more. Deals end without warning, so be quick or miss out!

This is a hand-picked list of apps that we think are worth checking out, but we do not endorse them in any way, nor have we reviewed them.

Productivity and lifestyle apps are listed first. Games are stacked towards the bottom of each list. Otherwise, the apps are not listed in any particular order. Some apps may require in-app purchases for extra features or levels.

Android

? Masqed Crusader network optimisation tool reduced to $2.43 (normally $4.99 ? requires root)
? BaDoink Video Downloader PLUS reduced to $1.92 (normally $3.99)
? Lockscreen Android Clock HD for free (new)
? Quickly notifications for $0.99 (new)
? AnyDash ? DashClock Widget Ext for free (new ? requires Android 4.2+)
? DashClock Contact Extension for free (new ? requires Android 4.2+)
? Dashclock custom extension for free (new ? requires Android 4.2+)
? DashClock WhatsApp Extension for free (new ? requires Android 4.2+)
? Plume for DashClock for free (new ? requires Android 4.2+)
? DashClock Battery Extension for free (new ? requires Android 4.2+)

? Beats Trellis now free (requires PlayStation-certified device)
? UpLow for free (new)
? The Lords of Midnight reduced to $2.25 (normally $4.82)
? Grudger reduced to $1.45 (normally $3)
? Rap-a-Tic-Tac-Toe! now free (normally $0.99)

iOS

? Storyteller Deluxe ? Story Creation Made Easy for $0.99 (new)
? Colorstrokes reduced to $1.99 (normally $3.99)
? PassLocker ? Password Manager Simple & Safe reduced to $1.99 (normally $12.99)
? Convex converter reduced to $0.99 (normally $1.99)
? iMajiCam Pro ? Realtime video effects now free (normally $1.99)
? Weather Live reduced to $0.99 (normally $1.99)

? Infinity Blade now free (iTunes App of the Week)
? Pop Farm now free (normally $1.99)
? Bounty Racer now free (normally $2.99)
? That?s Funked Up! for free (new)
? Momonga Pinball Adventures reduced to $0.99 (normally $1.99)
? Unchain My Heart for $1.99 (new)

iPad Only

? Splashtop 2 ? Remote Desktop now free (normally $0.99)
? AgendaPad reduced to $0.99 (normally $1.99)
? HTML to PDF for iPad reduced to $0.99 (normally $5.49)
? Awesome Mails ? send rich photo emails with hyper links! reduced to $5.49 (normally $10.49)
? Mobi Reader HD ~ Google RSS Reader Client now free (normally $4.49)

? Running Sheep HD reduced to $2.99 (normally $5.49)
? Action Robot HD now free (normally $0.99)

Windows Phone

? Contacts for $0.99 (new)
? Weather Wallpaper for $0.99 (new)
? GlucoBook now free (normally $3.49)
? Bloomberg for free (new)
? Dos Phone now free (normally $0.99)

? Zuma?s Revenge! for $3.49 (new ? requires compatible Nokia device)
? Yahtzee for $3.49 (new ? requires compatible Nokia device)
? Metro Magnets now free (normally $2.49)

---

App Deals is a daily roundup of notable new, updated and discounted apps. Know of any other awesome deals? Are you a developer and want your app listed here? Leave a comment or contact us.

Source: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/02/app-deals-of-the-day-android-iphone-ipad-windows-phone-46/

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Is This the New iPhone 5S?

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Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Monday, February 18, 2013
A leaked photo of the motherboard of Apple's iPhone 5s confirms rumours that the device will have an A7 quad-core CPU and GPU and 2 GB of RAM. ...

Source: http://www.ibtimes.comhttp:0//www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/436576/20130219/new-iphone-5s.htm

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Excessive TV in childhood linked to long-term antisocial behavior, New Zealand study shows

Feb. 18, 2013 ? Children and adolescents who watch a lot of television are more likely to manifest antisocial and criminal behaviour when they become adults, according to a new University of Otago, New Zealand, study published online in the journal Pediatrics.

The study followed a group of around 1,000 children born in the New Zealand city of Dunedin in 1972-73. Every two years between the ages of 5 and 15, they were asked how much television they watched. Those who watched more television were more likely to have a criminal conviction and were also more likely to have antisocial personality traits in adulthood.

Study co-author Associate Professor Bob Hancox of the University's Department of Preventive and Social Medicine says he and colleagues found that the risk of having a criminal conviction by early adulthood increased by about 30% with every hour that children spent watching TV on an average weeknight.

The study also found that watching more television in childhood was associated, in adulthood, with aggressive personality traits, an increased tendency to experience negative emotions, and an increased risk of antisocial personality disorder -- a psychiatric disorder characterised by persistent patterns of aggressive and antisocial behaviour.

The researchers found that the relationship between TV viewing and antisocial behaviour was not explained by socio-economic status, aggressive or antisocial behaviour in early childhood, or parenting factors.

A study co-author, Lindsay Robertson, says it is not that children who were already antisocial watched more television. "Rather, children who watched a lot of television were likely to go on to manifest antisocial behaviour and personality traits."

Other studies have suggested a link between television viewing and antisocial behaviour, though very few have been able to demonstrate a cause-and-effect sequence. This is the first 'real-life' study that has asked about TV viewing throughout the whole childhood period, and has looked at a range of antisocial outcomes in adulthood. As an observational study, it cannot prove that watching too much television caused the antisocial outcomes, but the findings are consistent with most of the research and provides further evidence that excessive television can have long-term consequences for behaviour.

"Antisocial behaviour is a major problem for society. While we're not saying that television causes all antisocial behaviour, our findings do suggest that reducing TV viewing could go some way towards reducing rates of antisocial behaviour in society," says Associate Professor Hancox.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should watch no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality television programming each day. The researchers say their findings support the idea that parents should try to limit their children's television use.

This research emerges from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. The Study is run by the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, which is supported by the Health Research Council of New Zealand.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Otago, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Lindsay A. Robertson, Helena M. McAnally, and Robert J. Hancox. Childhood and Adolescent Television Viewing and Antisocial Behavior in Early Adulthood. Pediatrics, February 18, 2013 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2012-1582

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/UeqRO8a0DyE/130218092711.htm

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Warmack draws praise from NFL Draft experts

Alabama guard Chance Warmack, pictured blocking for Eddie Lacy during the BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame, is expected to be taken in the first round of April's NFL Draft.

Dusty Compton | Tuscaloosa News

Published: Monday, February 18, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 10:14 p.m.

TUSCALOOSA | It will be of little consolation to Chance Warmack if he slips in the first round of the NFL Draft because of the position he plays, but the former University of Alabama offensive guard just might be the best pro prospect in the country.

ESPN draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay each heaped significant praise on Warmack last week, but McShay's description of Warmack as perhaps the best player available regardless of position was no doubt the most glowing.

?Chance Warmack may be the best player in this draft, forget positions, just in terms of grade,? McShay said. ?He graded out the highest of any player I did in the preseason. And he's still right there with the highest grade.?

Unfortunately for Warmack, offensive guard is not a premium position for NFL clubs, and that means the draft could be well into the first round before a team with a glaring-enough need for a guard sees fit to spend its first pick on one. Kiper said he has graded Warmack as the ninth-best player available in the draft but suggested his position caused him to slide.

McShay indicated the Arizona Cardinals or Buffalo Bills, with the seventh and eighth picks, respectively, might be teams with a top-10 pick compelled to draft a guard.

Another guard prospect McShaw and Kiper described as ?elite? is North Carolina's Jonathan Cooper. Both believe it's conceivable for Cooper to be the first guard drafted, but both have rated Warmack slightly ahead of Cooper at the position.

?They are different styles of players. Warmack is a dominant, power guy. Cooper is the athlete, he gets down the field making a block, can pull and trap and do lots of things,? Kiper said.

Kiper said another top prospect from the Alabama offensive line, tackle D.J. Fluker, should be a first-round pick as well.

?I would be shocked if come April 25 he's not in the first round mix. I think he's a heck of a football player. People keeping saying, ?Well, he's not a great pass-blocker,'? Kiper said. ?Well, at right tackle, if you watch some of those games, against some skilled pass-rushers, he did a heck of a job. He's got incredibly long arms, he's got good enough feet and he's certainly a dominant run-blocker.?

Kiper projects Fluker to be chosen by the Chicago Bears with the 20th pick.

Cornerback Dee Milliner is expected to be the first Alabama player drafted, most likely in the top 10 picks. Kiper projects Milliner as the Philadelphia Eagles' choice with the fourth pick.

?Not the elite skill set, but that doesn't mean he won't be a heck of a player. ... You think about where Dee Milliner is right now, as the fourth pick overall to Philadelphia. That's where I project him. Fifth pick to Detroit, sixth pick to Cleveland. That's where he's going to go,? Kiper said. ?Somewhere in that range. ... He's more fundamentally sound. He's a guy coached well technically by Nick (Saban).?

Reach Chase Goodbread at chase@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0196.

Source: http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20130218/news/130219781

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Rand Paul: Some Republicans Want Illegals 'Sent Back to Mexico'

Sunday, 17 Feb 2013 18:27 PM

Republican opponents of former Sen. Chuck Hagel's stalled bid to become defense secretary said Sunday that they'll proba?.?.?.

Sunday, 17 Feb 2013 16:04 PM

Lawmakers complained on Sunday that President Barack Obama had failed to protect Iranian dissidents from persecution by ?.?.?.

Sunday, 17 Feb 2013 15:21 PM

His arms outstretched in a symbolic embrace, Pope Benedict XVI blessed tens of thousands of cheering people on Sunday in?.?.?.

Source: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/US-Paul-Immigration/2013/02/17/id/490742

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Crazy Guy Remasters 320x240 Doom Screenshot Into Stunning 9600x7211-Pixel Photoshop

This. Is. MADNESS. Watch Deviant Art user Elemental79 converting a 320 x 240 pixel screenshot from Doom—the legendary 1993 game that made first person shooters popular—into a stunning 9,600 x 7,211 image complete with textures, lighting and 3D effects using Photoshop. It's absolutely nuts. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/e-OhkQVtF00/crazy-guy-remasters-320x240-doom-screenshot-into-a-9600x7211+pixel-photoshop-image

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Facebook gets unwelcome look at hackers' dark side

This Feb. 8, 2012 photo shows a mural at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Intruders recently infiltrated the systems running the world's largest online social network but did not steal any sensitive information about Facebook's more than 1 billion users, according to a blog posting Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, by the company's security team. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

This Feb. 8, 2012 photo shows a mural at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Intruders recently infiltrated the systems running the world's largest online social network but did not steal any sensitive information about Facebook's more than 1 billion users, according to a blog posting Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, by the company's security team. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Facebook is getting an unwelcome look at the shady side of the hacking culture that CEO Mark Zuckerberg celebrates.

Intruders recently infiltrated the systems running the world's largest online social network but did not steal any sensitive information about Facebook's more than 1 billion users, according to a blog posting Friday by the company's security team.

The unsettling revelation is the latest breach to expose the digital cracks in a society and an economy that is storing an ever-growing volume of personal and business data online.

The news didn't seem to faze investors. Facebook Inc.'s stock dipped 10 cents to $28.22 in Friday's extended trading.

The main building at Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters lists its address as 1 Hacker Way. From there, Facebook serves as the gatekeeper for billions of potentially embarrassing photos and messages that get posted each month.

This time, at least, that material didn't get swept up in the digital break-in that Facebook said it discovered last month. The company didn't say why it waited until the afternoon before a holiday weekend to inform its users about the hack.

It was a sophisticated attack that also hit other companies, according to Facebook, which didn't identify the targets.

"As part of our ongoing investigation, we are working continuously and closely with our own internal engineering teams, with security teams at other companies, and with law enforcement authorities to learn everything we can about the attack, and how to prevent similar incidents in the future," Facebook wrote on the blog.

Online short-messaging service Twitter acknowledged being hacked earlier this month. In that security breakdown, Twitter warned that the attackers may have stolen user names, email addresses and encrypted passwords belonging to 250,000 of the more than 200 million accounts set up on its service.

Late last month, both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal ? two of the three largest U.S. newspapers ? said they were hit by China-based hackers believed to be interested in monitoring media coverage of topics that the Chinese government deemed important.

Facebook didn't identify a suspected origin of its hacking incident, but provided a few details about how it apparently happened.

The security lapse was traced to a handful of employees who visited a mobile software developer's website that had been compromised, which led to malware being installed on the workers' laptops. The PCs were infected even though they were supposed to be protected by the latest anti-virus software and were equipped with other up-to-date protection.

Facebook linked part of the problem to a security hole in the Java software that triggered a safety alert from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last month. The government agency advised computer users to disable Java on their machines because of a weakness that could be exploited by hackers.

Oracle Corp., the owner of Java, has since issued a security patch that it says has fixed the problem. In its post, Facebook said it received the Java fix two weeks ago.

Facebook never mentioned the word "hack" in describing the breach. That, no doubt, was by design because hacking is a good thing in Zuckerberg's vernacular.

To most people, hacking conjures images of malevolent behavior by intruders listening to private voicemails and villains crippling websites or breaking into email accounts.

Zuckerberg provided his interpretation of the word in a manifesto titled "The Hacker Way" that he included in the documents that the company filed for its initial public offering of stock last year.

"The word 'hacker' has an unfairly negative connotation from being portrayed in the media as people who break into computers," Zuckerberg wrote. "In reality, hacking just means building something quickly or testing the boundaries of what can be done."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-15-Facebook-Hacked/id-8fe632671a5d430eba368df4ddf51b76

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On Genevieve Nnaji's Facebook Page

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

Source: http://showbiz.peacefmonline.com/news/201302/156345.php

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Butchers enjoy sales boost after horsemeat furore

LONDON (Reuters) - In one of Britain's oldest butcher's shops, staff in straw hats are rushing to cope with a surge in demand for pricey pies and sausages from customers worried about a scandal over mislabelled horsemeat and rich enough to buy peace of mind.

Founded in 1850, Lidgates in London's smart Notting Hill district retains a Dickensian atmosphere, displaying beef from grass-fed cows, organic chickens, and silver trophies won by its products.

The discovery of horsemeat in food labelled as beef has shocked the British, a nation of horse-lovers, and exposed a gap between rich shoppers who can afford top-quality meat and those forced to hunt for bargains at the other end of the market.

The current climate of economic austerity has squeezed family budgets, forcing many to choose cheap mass-produced foods containing often untraceable ingredients.

But Lidgates, where a whole beef fillet sells for more than 100 pounds and half a dozen sausages cost 6 pounds ($9), is a world away from these concerns.

"Sales on items such as minced beef, pies, sausages went up ranging 10 and 20 percent directly on day one," said Danny Lidgate, 33, the fifth generation of his family to run the shop.

The trend towards upmarket meat appears to be gathering pace elsewhere in Britain, where many people are so sentimental about horses that they find the idea of eating their meat repulsive.

According to the Q Guild, which represents high-end independent butchers, its members say sales of beefburgers and meatballs have risen by 30 per cent since the horsemeat furore started, with overall trade up by an average of 20 percent.

As the scandal deepened this week, the government played down the health risks, saying it was doing everything to ensure food sold across the country was safe enough to eat. Generally, horsemeat is not a danger to health, but the damage to public confidence has already been done.

RIB-EYE STEAK

Scrutinising a cut of rib-eye steak, Jacqueline O'Leary, a housewife from the upscale Kensington district, said the revelations about horsemeat had changed her shopping habits.

"I haven't bought lately (from supermarkets). I've just been buying more here so they've probably seen me three times a week and I buy sausages and mince from here now, it's just easier."

Upstairs in Lidgates' busy kitchen, a butcher completes a cottage pie, the traditional British dish of minced meat covered in a layer of potato.

Selling for more than 5 pounds a portion, the fresh grass-fed or organic minced beef dish is rather more expensive than the alternative from frozen food giant Findus, available for just 1 pound from one supermarket.

After finding it beef lasagne contained horsemeat, the British unit of Findus began recalling the product from supermarket shelves last week on advice from its French supplier Comigel, raising questions over the complicated nature of the European food chain.

Elsewhere in London, Mark McCartney, another shopper, said he would rather go to his local butcher than buy meat at the supermarket.

"I trust this meat more than I trust anything out of the supermarkets and you can pick and choose and give this man the money." he said. "It's cheaper, it's better quality and it's better people getting the money."

The loss of trust in supermarkets and processed food may be temporary and will probably be restored gradually after the scandal.

But the trend is still a worry for Britain's food and farming industries, which contribute 88 billion pounds to the economy every year.

Meat and meat products accounted for 1.7 billion pounds out of Britain's total food and drink exports of 18.2 billion pounds in 2011, according to farm minister Owen Paterson.

HORSEMEAT SCANDAL

Nearly half of British consumers said they would avoid buying meat from supermarkets affected by the horsemeat scandal, according to a survey this month for Retail Week magazine.

Family butchers may be experiencing a revival but it is likely to be short-lived given the attraction of supermarkets to busy shoppers.

In Britain, four supermarket chains together account for over three quarters of the grocery market, according to the Kantor research company.

Many family-run butchers have been hit hard in the past decade, with many blaming high parking charges in towns as well as increasingly time-poor customers.

The number of registered butcher's shops fell to around 6,800 in 2011 from more 9,000 in 2000, according to figures from the British tax authorities.

At a bustling London street market, butcher Raymond Roe said he had been in the trade for 37 years but at least eight of his local competitors had close their doors since 1976.

Even though shoppers are angry with supermarkets now, he was pessimistic about the future.

"They've lost their trust," he said. "I get a lot of people saying they're not going buy from them (supermarkets).

"But the thing is, supermarkets are convenient for everyone and most people haven't got much time. A lot of it is, people don't cook no more."

Pointing behind him on the wall to diagrams of animals with lines drawn to indicate cuts of meat, Roe described his role as butcher, teacher and chef for his customers.

"I show them the charts where the cuts come from to try and educate them because years ago, the older people - a lot of them are dead now - they knew the cuts but no one knows nothing now," he said sadly. "They don't even know how to cook."

(Editing by Maria Golovnina and Giles Elgood)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/butchers-enjoy-sales-boost-horsemeat-furore-134312886.html

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Family Organic: 10 Fantastic Winter Playdate Ideas

Last week, I talked about ways to beat cabin fever when you are stuck at home. Today, I'm thinking about what to do to get out of the house in the winter. Here in New England, we're still a long way off from playing at the playground, but I'm not interested in sitting in my house for the next 3 months either. Here are some ways to get out and enjoy your winter fun. Some might be available near you, others might not, but hopefully we can all find something entertaining for ourselves and our little people on this list. It's always more fun to meet a friend and their kids too. Everyone has more fun that way!

1. Aquarium - We received a membership to the local aquarium as a birthday gift for the twins and it's been wonderful. Anytime we want to get out, we just head over there. It's stroller friendly for those with little ones. There is always something new and entertaining. The aquarium is educational, but more importantly, it's fun. Prices range widely, but if you plan to go multiple times, family membership is usually the best way to go.

2. Bounce - There are many small businesses that offer indoor play bounce houses now. You've probably been to them for a playdate or a birthday party. Usually they are pretty reasonably priced (and may offer military or bulk price discounts) and offer a great way for kids to have fun and get exercise during the cold winter months. Prices are generally between $5-$10 per child.

3. Mall Play area - Some malls now offer a play area for kids to blow off steam during shopping trips. They often have age restrictions, so you don't have too many 'big' kids in there knocking over the 6 and under crowd. These are great because they are FREE! Check out the malls near you to see if they have this option.

4. Indoor pool - If you are a member of a YMCA?or JCC, then you most likely have this option, some also allow you to pay a small fee to drop-in without joining. If not, check and see if your local parks and rec department has indoor swim times for families. It's lovely to get to play in the water and practice our swimming skills for summer. Prices vary, but keep in mind that the YMCA will work with you if your family can't afford a membership.

5. Public Library - Say it with me now: STORYTIME! I love storytime and so do my kids. Even without it though, the library is a great place to meet a friend and let the kids play. Most libraries have a children's department with books and toys geared to the younger crowd. Ours has a train set, a dollhouse, and a puppet show set. The kids have a blast playing there and there are comfy couches for the adults to relax on as well. If your local library doesn't offer a storytime, check Barnes and Noble's website, they offer storytimes in many of their locations as well. FREE!

6. Children's Museum - My kids always have a blast at Children's Museums. They are just the best for exploration and learning. We could spend our whole day there and still not get enough. Prices vary between $10 and $25 per person. Ask about military discounts (if you qualify) and check the website for specials and memberships.

7. A certain Mouse's House - This isn't my favorite place now, but when I was a kid, nothing beat good old Chuck E Cheese. If you are going, be sure to get some coupons ahead of time, you can usually find them online or in your local coupon inserts.

8. Science/Art Museum - You might not think an art or science museum is the best place to take little kids. However, if you check the websites of science and art museums close to you, you may see that they offer special programs for children of various ages. The science center near us even has a free day for families with multiples (twins, triplets, etc) - SCORE! Prices vary, check website for specials, discounts, and memberships.

9. Play Cafe - This may be my favorite one yet. Some genius entrepreneurs finally realized that what parents really want is a place that is safe and fun for kids to play and offers coffee, healthy snacks, and lunches for kids and adults. My kids and I are in love with Stay and Play near us and I bet there's a similar place near you. Between $5 and $10 per child (adults free), check website for specials and discounts.

10. Ice Skating - I haven't attempted this with the kids yet, mostly because I'm terrified that I will fall and take them out with me (I've never been accused of being coordinated). If you don't have your own skates, you'll need to rent them as well. Where I live, public skate and skate rental comes to $10 per person. You can also get a group discount if you schedule ahead of time, so get a group together and have a blast.

Source: http://familyorganic.blogspot.com/2013/02/10-fantastic-winter-playdate-ideas.html

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Obama's Afghan plan worries India

Washington, Feb. 13: Without mentioning India even once, President Barack Obama posed a huge foreign policy challenge before New Delhi in his State of the Union address last night.

His announcement that half of America?s troops in Afghanistan will be pulled out in the next 12 months ?and by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over? has heightened the urgency of India?s focus on Kabul with its attendant national security implications.

Even before Obama took to the rostrum on Capitol Hill to fulfil his mandated constitutional duty of informing the Congress of the State of the Union, the first 50 shipping containers of American military equipment from Afghanistan left the country last weekend as part of the drawdown.

The containers, significantly from New Delhi?s perspective, entered Pakistan from Kandahar through the Chaman border crossing in Baluchistan, a spokesman for the US military said. A second lot of 25 containers followed and the process will gather speed with Obama?s time table for withdrawal announced last night.

The arrangement puts Pakistan at the front and centre of the President?s promise in his first term, reiterated in his inaugural address last month, to end the war in Afghanistan by 2014. ?Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.?

The Americans have 66,000 troops now in Afghanistan and the process of pulling them out as well as US equipment stationed over a decade there will mean Pakistan will have a whip hand over the White House and the Pentagon.

Between November 2011 and July last year, Pakistan?s chief of army staff, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, showed how he would use that whip hand by closing this route for Nato supplies after an American air attack killed 24 Pakistani troops along its border with Afghanistan.

Islamabad reopened the route only after the Americans apologised for the deaths.

Foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai said last week that the US has ?shared very candidly their own plans for the future? of Afghanistan and tried to calm concerns in India that the Taliban, with support from the army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, will either take over Kabul after the American withdrawal or run Afghanistan on their terms.

In an interview with former ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan on a Malayalam television channel, Mathai revealed that an India-US dialogue on Afghanistan would be held shortly in which several agencies of the Indian government would take part.

He appeared to challenge Obama?s matter-of-fact assertion that ?our war in Afghanistan will be over? by the end of next year when he said, obviously based on what Washington has shared with South Block, that the extent of US presence post-2014 is yet to be decided.

Based on these exchanges with the Americans, Mathai insisted that there is no reason to conclude that the American withdrawal would be destabilising for Afghanistan.

He expressed optimism over the course of an India-Afghanistan-US trilateral dialogue launched last September in New York and was confident that the capacity of Afghan national forces for self-defence was improving. However, he said: ?Gaps on the intelligence side remain.?According to the foreign secretary, a complicating factor would be elections in Afghanistan in 2014 and the need to ensure a stable transition of power. But an encouraging factor was the ?huge growth of civil society, the new forces which have been thrown up? that could stabilise the country.

For the Indian American community, it was comforting to hear the President remember a huge tragedy which affected them last year when a gunman killed six Sikhs at a gurdwara in Wisconsin. A police officer, Brian Murphy, who tackled the gunman without concern for his own safety was First Lady Michelle Obama?s guest at the State of Union address.

As television cameras focused on this hero, the President said: ?We should follow the example of a police officer named Brian Murphy. When a gunman opened fire on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, and Brian was the first to arrive, he did not consider his own safety. He fought back until help arrived, and ordered his fellow officers to protect the safety of the Americans worshipping inside, even as he lay bleeding from 12 bullet wounds.?

Obama?s unhesitating embrace of these Sikhs as ?Americans? will go some way with their community which has a slew of grievances that they are often racially profiled and discriminated against by US law enforcement and security personnel.

Obama went on: ?When asked how he did that, Brian said: ?That?s just the way we are made.? We may do different jobs, and wear different uniforms, and hold different views than the person beside us. But as Americans, we all share the same proud title: We are citizens. It is a word that doesn't just describe our nationality or legal status. It describes the way we are made.?

The progressive lines which permeated Obama?s inauguration speech last month were taken forward in last night?s address. He asked Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to nine dollars an hour. Obama raised the minimum wage to $7.25 within six months of taking office in 2009.

In a turn of phrase that caught small government advocates among Republicans off guard, the President said: ?It is not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth.?

A spoiler was North Korea, which conducted a nuclear test on the morning of Obama?s speech. A paragraph was hastily added to the address at the eleventh hour. ?The regime in North Korea must know they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only further isolate them, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defense and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats.?

Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130214/jsp/foreign/story_16560701.jsp

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Piazza says Scully turned?LA fans against him

More excerpts from Mike Piazza?s new book are out. Bill Shakin has the story here: Mike Piazza criticizing Vin Scully for turning the fans against him in L.A.

Piazza talks about his contract negotiations with the Dodgers prior to the 1998 season. In an interview with Scully, Piazza says Scully asked him about the deadline Piazza set for negotiations, which was the beginning of spring training. Shaikin on what Piazza wrote:

Piazza wrote that Scully asked him about the deadline in a spring interview.??He wasn?t happy about it,? Piazza wrote. ?And Scully?s voice carried a great deal of authority in Los Angeles ??Vin Scully was crushing me.?

Scully denies it:

?I have no idea where he is coming from. I really have no idea. I can?t imagine saying something about a player and his contract. I just don?t do that, ever. I?m really flabbergasted by that reference.?

Look, I know there?s a habit these days to say that Vin Scully is some godlike figure who does no wrong, so defending Scully is not exactly a brave and bold stance. ?But can anyone recall a time when Scully truly got involved in that level of the game? Contracts and dollars are so far out of his bailiwick that he?d have to call long distance back to his bailiwick to get his messages if ever he found himself there. ?Scully is all about stuff like ?Uggla is Swedish for owl? and things.

Piazza talks about how he?s not well-liked in Los Angeles anymore. Hard to imagine why.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/13/mike-piazzas-guide-to-increasing-ones-popularity-in-los-angeles-slam-vin-scully/related/

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Three charged in rhino horn ring

13 February 2013 Last updated at 20:27 ET

Three people have been arrested in the US and accused of conspiring to smuggle endangered black rhino horns and carvings from the US into China.

Zhifei Li, 28, smuggled more than 20 raw rhino horns, while Shusen Wei, 44, is charged with trying to bribe a federal law enforcement officer to aid Mr Li, federal prosecutors said.

Qing Wang is accused of sending carved rhino cups to Mr Li in Hong Kong.

US federal law bars trafficking in endangered species.

Mr Li and Mr Wei are Chinese nationals. The investigation was carried out by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

According to prosecutors, Mr Li sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to a co-conspirator in the US to buy rhino horns, which were sent in porcelain vases to another person in Hong Kong, in an effort to evade US authorities.

'Good health'

Mr Li is also accused of trying to buy two rhino horns for $59,000 (?38,000) in a hotel room in Miami in January from an undercover fish and wildlife officer. He also asked the undercover officer to procure more horns and send them to Hong Kong.

Mr Wei, who was sharing a hotel room with Mr Li, later asked an undercover informant to take a fish and wildlife officer out for dinner and offer her money to help Mr Li, prosecutors said.

Meanwhile, prosecutors say Mr Wang bought libation cups carved from rhino horn in the US and sent them to Mr Li in Hong Kong.

Some believe drinking from intricately carved rhino horn cups brings good health, and the cups are highly prized by collectors, US authorities said.

Native to Africa, the black rhinoceros is classified as a critically endangered species, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

But demand for rhino horns and the prices paid for them on the black market have soared in recent years, US prosecutors said.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21453696#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Functions Of The Mobile Phone Monitoring ... - Communications

Right now, anybody can trace the exact position of a phone. This is possible through a cellular phone tracker. Tracking the mobile phone enables you to get back a missing as well as stolen cellular phone. It is also utilized to monitor the activities of any significant other or a family member. A cellular phone tracker uses a GPS to get the precise position of a cell phone. Let us observe how this phone tracking application functions.

Obtain a mobile phone having a Global Positioning System processor. Quite a few phones, especially old versions do not have the GPS device chip installed. You should buy the GPS navigation processor as a standalone and then add the item in your mobile in line with the manufacturer's instruction. Check with your supplier to see if they sustain a Global Positioning System.

Install a spy program on your computer. This cell phone tracking software lets you discover the exact location and the actions on the phone being monitored. Nevertheless, you must be sure the software installed on your computer is compatible with the mobile device. Almost all of the mobile phone tracking applications utilize Google Maps to see the location of the cellular phone. Using a singular click, it is possible to find the actual position of the cell phone you wish to keep track of.

There are many reasons to monitor a phone. It might be about locating the stolen phone or even the cell phone actions of one's children, to track the employee's activities and even to track the texts and phone calls of your partner suspected of dishonesty. It is possible to track the phone along with the actions on a mobile phone in several ways. They are discussed below.

It will be possible to read each text sent and received, including the texts which have been erased.

You can spy the calls of your targeted mobile phone including incoming and outgoing phone calls. You can see the name associated with the cell numbers if the suspect has the name within the directory.

By using a GPS processor installed in a mobile phone in addition to appropriate program installed in the Computer, you may track the actual location of the mobile phone you lost or has been taken.

Here you can see just what the suspect has been surfing online through the visited web addresses.

You may also spy emails received and sent and also the ones removed.

There are numerous mobile phone spying tools out there at present. Therefore, you have to be mindful in selecting the right one among many. Before you choose a cellular phone tracking software, ensure that it is appropriate for the device. With handsets evolving each passing day, don't forget that the cellular phone tracker is actually made depending on the operating system rather than the type of the cell phone device. In short, any cellular phone monitoring software should be suitable for your cellular phone's OS.

Source: http://onlinescommunication.blogspot.com/2013/02/functions-of-mobile-phone-monitoring.html

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