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Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The Air Mattress That Turns into a Boat
Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods say they're dating
In this 2013 photo provided by Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn, golfer Tiger Woods and skier Lindsey Vonn pose for a portrait. Two months after rumors began circulating in Europe, Woods and Vonn posted separate items on their Facebook pages Monday, March 18, 2013, to announce their relationship. (AP Photo/Courtesy Tiger Woods/Lindsey Vonn) MANDATORY CREDIT TO COURTESY TIGER WOODS/LINDSEY VONN
In this 2013 photo provided by Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn, golfer Tiger Woods and skier Lindsey Vonn pose for a portrait. Two months after rumors began circulating in Europe, Woods and Vonn posted separate items on their Facebook pages Monday, March 18, 2013, to announce their relationship. (AP Photo/Courtesy Tiger Woods/Lindsey Vonn) MANDATORY CREDIT TO COURTESY TIGER WOODS/LINDSEY VONN
In this 2013 photo provided by Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn, golfer Tiger Woods and skier Lindsey Vonn pose for a portrait. Two months after rumors began circulating in Europe, Woods and Vonn posted separate items on their Facebook pages Monday, March 18, 2013, to announce their relationship. (AP Photo/Courtesy Tiger Woods/Lindsey Vonn) MANDATORY CREDIT TO COURTESY TIGER WOODS/LINDSEY VONN
In this 2013 photo provided by Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn, golfer Tiger Woods and skier Lindsey Vonn pose for a portrait. Two months after rumors began circulating in Europe, Woods and Vonn posted separate items on their Facebook pages Monday, March 18, 2013, to announce their relationship. (AP Photo/Courtesy Tiger Woods/Lindsey Vonn) MANDATORY CREDIT TO COURTESY TIGER WOODS/LINDSEY VONN
In this 2013 photo provided by Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn, golfer Tiger Woods and skier Lindsey Vonn pose for a portrait. Two months after rumors began circulating in Europe, Woods and Vonn posted separate items on their Facebook pages Monday, March 18, 2013, to announce their relationship. (AP Photo/Courtesy Tiger Woods/Lindsey Vonn) MANDATORY CREDIT TO COURTESY TIGER WOODS/LINDSEY VONN
Tiger Woods holds the Gene Sarazen Cup for winning the Cadillac Championship golf tournament on Sunday, March 10, 2013, in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? Sports has a new power couple: Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn confirmed they're dating.
Two months after rumors began circulating in Europe, Woods and Vonn posted separate items on their Facebook pages Monday afternoon to announce their relationship. The posts include photos of golf's 14-time major winner and the Olympic and World Cup downhill ski champion.
"This season has been great so far and I'm happy with my wins at Torrey and Doral," Woods said. "Something nice that's happened off the course was meeting Lindsey Vonn. Lindsey and I have been friends for some time, but over the last few months we have become very close and are now dating."
Woods made a stop in Austria ? where Vonn was competing in the Alpine skiing world championships ? in January on his way to Abu Dhabi to start his season. Two weeks ago, after he won the Cadillac Championship at Doral for his second win this year, The Daily Mail published photos that showed a woman, who appeared to be Vonn, in a golf cart at the marina where Woods' yacht "Privacy" was docked.
"I guess it wasn't a well-kept secret but yes, I am dating Tiger Woods," Vonn said on her Facebook page. "Our relationship evolved from a friendship into something more over these past few months and it has made me very happy."
Both said they wanted to keep everything else private.
Woods posted four photos with Vonn on his page, while Vonn's had one of those photos.
Vonn is recovering from right knee surgery ? something familiar to Woods ? after a Feb. 5 crash that ended her season. Her divorce from Thomas Vonn after more than four years became official in January. They separated in 2011. Vonn, whose maiden name is Kildow, decided to keep Vonn as her last name after the divorce.
The announcement was one day after the World Cup season ended. Vonn hopes to return in time for the Olympics next year in Sochi.
Woods' past relationships are far more sensational.
His marriage of five years to Elin Nordegren of Sweden collapsed in 2010 after shocking revelations of multiple extramarital affairs. His infidelity was exposed the night after Thanksgiving in 2009 when he ran his car into a tree and a fire hydrant outside his Florida home.
Woods spent the summer of 2010 working out details of a divorce, which became official in August that year. They share custody of their two children.
The 37-year-old Woods rarely discusses any aspect of his private life, and it was surprising that he acknowledged a relationship with Vonn, much less post studio photos of him, in a short-sleeve Nike golf shirt, and Vonn, in a light blue warm-up jacket. But this would preclude paparazzi making big money when they are photographed together for the first time.
He is playing the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week at Bay Hill, where he is a seven-time winner and the defending champion. Woods can return to No. 1 in the world for the first time since October 2010 if he wins.
After that, Woods is not expected to play until the Masters on April 11-14.
The 28-year-old Vonn is the premier ski racer of her generation, an owner of four World Cup overall titles, along with gold and bronze medals from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics that earned her AP Female Athlete of the Year honors. She is the only skier ? male or female ? to win one of the annual AP awards that date back to 1931.
Dominant against other top female skiers, Vonn petitioned the International Ski Federation to let her compete against men in a downhill race, but the request was rejected last year. Her 59 career World Cup race victories is three shy of the record, and she recently claimed a sixth consecutive World Cup downhill title.
Vonn's season was cut short when she shredded two knee ligaments and broke a bone in her lower right leg in a crash during this year's world championships. She hopes to return at the start of the next World Cup season in November and, if healthy, she would be one of the top athletes at the Sochi Olympics next year.
During a conference call with reporters last month to discuss her recovery from the injury, Vonn declined to talk about rumors of a relationship with Woods.
Woods has gone through four surgeries on his left knee, including reconstruction after winning the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008 despite shredded ligaments and two stress fractures of his tibia.
Along with his 14 majors, Woods has won 17 times in the World Golf Championships (no one else has won more than three), and after Bay Hill he will have the record for most weeks (789) in the top 10 of the world ranking dating to 1986.
___
AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
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Monday, March 18, 2013
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Oz Powerful, Burt Not-So-Incredible
Moviegoers cared about only one magician as the blockbuster Oz the Great and Powerful easily led the North American box office for a second time while dueling magic men Steve Carell and Jim Carrey saw their new comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone get flat out rejected. Meanwhile, the Halle Berry thriller The Call overperformed and enjoyed a solid second place debut.
Disney's big-budget Wizard of Oz prequel Oz was both great and powerful grossing an estimated $42.2M in its sophomore frame to boost the ten-day cume to $145M. The PG-rated witchfest dropped a moderate 47% which was in line with Johnny Depp's 3D fairy tale extravaganza Alice in Wonderland from three years ago which declined by 46% in its second weekend which was also in mid-March. That film amassed $209.3M in its first ten days, or 63% of its eventual $334.2M domestic final. Neither Oz nor Alice had a new competing kidpic open on that sophomore session.
Overseas, Oz hauled in another $46.6M from 55 territories boosting the international total to $136.8M and the global gross to $281.8M. With audiences generally liking the costly $215M-budgeted fantasy film, the current trajectory puts it on course for $230M-240M from North America and over $550M worldwide.
Halle Berry scored a big hit this weekend with her new kidnapping thriller The Call which exceeded expectations and landed in second place with a $17.1M opening, according to estimates. The R-rated film which finds the Oscar-winning actress playing a 911 operator who takes matters into her own hands to capture a serial killer averaged a sturdy $6,821 from 2,507 locations powered by a female audience. Studio data showed that women made up 61% of the crowd while 53% were over 30. Abigail Breslin co-starred.
Reviews were lackluster but moviegoers responded to the marketing push of this crime thriller. Berry has had little luck at the box office in recent years when not starring in a franchise film with built-in audiences. In fact, The Call delivered her third best opening ever for a non-franchise pic trailing only 2001's Swordfish and 2003's Gothika. The B+ CinemaScore indicates that audiences were generally pleased with what the Sony film had to offer so the long-term outlook seems promising. As an action hero, Berry can now say that she beat out openings this year from The Rock, Mark Wahlberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Colin Farrell.
Barely breaking double digit millions, the all-star comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone opened to dismal results in third place with an estimated $10.3M for A-list comic stars Steve Carell and Jim Carrey. The PG-13 flick about an iconic Las Vegas magician threatened by the success of a popular new street performer featured two of the biggest box office names in the world of comedy but failed to excite ticket buyers. Burt averaged a middling $3,261 from 3,160 locations and boasted a cast that also included Steve Buscemi, James Gandolfini, Alan Arkin and Olivia Wilde.
Critics slammed the Warner Bros. release and unfunny trailers and TV spots did little to change people's minds. Over the past decade, Carell has anchored many broad comedy hits while Carrey has done very few spending more time instead on big kidpics and smaller indies. Among wide releases bowing in 2,000+ theaters, Wonderstone was the worst opener ever for Carell and the third lowest for Carrey after the Majestic and Man in the Moon. Studio research showed that Burt skewed 55% male and 56% over 25. CinemaScore audiences gave a disappointing C+ grade indicating a fast fade ahead.
With nothing new for kids, the fairy tale adventure Jack the Giant Slayer held up well in its third round with an estimated $6.2M dipping 37%. The pricey Warner Bros. title has still only collected $53.9M from North America on its way to about $70M. Identity Thief, a hit with a much lower cost and much higher gross, followed in fifth place with an estimated $4.5M. Off just 29%, the Universal smash has grossed a terrific $123.7M to date.
Dwayne Johnson's Snitch has been that rare action movie with good legs slipping 31% in its fourth round to an estimated $3.5M for a $37.3M cume to date for Lionsgate. Relativity's party comedy 21 and Over fell 49% to an estimated $2.6M with $21.9M overall.
Oscar contender Silver Linings Playbook dropped 29% to an estimated $2.6M for The Weinstein Co. lifting the total to a sturdy $124.6M. Its been in the top ten for the past nine weekends. The Relativity romance Safe Haven followed close behind with an estimated $2.5M, off 34%, putting the tearjerker at a solid $67M. Rounding out the top ten was the kidpic Escape From Planet Earth which dipped only 28% to an estimated $2.3M. The total stands at $52.2M for The Weinstein Co.
Making a spectacular splash in platform release was the bikini-clad-girls-with-guns pic Spring Breakers which sold out shows with an estimated $270,000 from only three theaters (2 in New York, 1 in Los Angeles) for a jaw-dropping $90,000 average. Distributed by A24, the R-rated film stars Disney Channel gals Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens in more sexually provocative roles along with James Franco who this weekend ruled both the mainstream and specialty scenes. Reviews were generally positive and Breakers will expand nationwide this Friday.
The top ten films grossed an estimated $93.9M which was even with last year when 21 Jump Street opened at number one with $36.3M; but off 5% from 2011 when Limitless debuted in the top spot with $18.9M.
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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1927044/news/1927044/
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Trial of two Ohio students charged with rape nears conclusion
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Prosecutors and defense lawyers in the trial of two Ohio high school football players charged with raping an incapacitated 16-year-old girl rested their cases on Saturday after testimony from the accuser, and the judge said he would render his verdict the next morning.
Presiding over the non-jury trial, the judge heard closing arguments then adjourned to weigh evidence from four days of testimony, capped by the accuser tearfully acknowledging she had little memory from the night of the alleged assault.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of the Steubenville High School football team, are charged as juveniles with raping a girl by digital penetration while she was essentially unconscious from heavy drinking at a party.
If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21, and be required to register as sex offenders.
The judge said he would announce his verdict in court at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Mays and Richmond have denied raping their accuser and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
The case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after photo and video images, as well as Twitter banter, were posted online appearing to document the alleged assault and its aftermath.
Taking the stand as the final witness of the trial, the accuser recounted drinking vodka mixed with store-bought frozen slushies at a party that evening, then finding herself sitting on a curb early the next day with her hands between her legs, vomiting into the street.
She testified that she otherwise had no recollection of her own of what happened in the early hours of August 12, 2012, when witnesses in the case have said she was too drunk to move or talk.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters is not identifying the girl.
The girl testified that she only learned what had happened to her from text messages, pictures and other information posted on social media by classmates who witnessed the alleged assault. Some of those witnesses have testified.
TEARFUL REACTION
Prosecutors displayed to her some of the pictures that circulated on social media, including one that showed her naked with what prosecutors say is semen on her stomach.
The girl started crying as she looked at the photo, saying she had never seen it before.
"Who is that in the photo?" prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter asked.
"Me," the girl answered.
"How does it make you feel?" Hemmeter asked.
"Not good."
The girl also testified that when she finally went to the hospital, after seeing a video in which classmates joked about the incident, she was reluctant to identify her alleged assailants.
When Hemmeter asked her why, the girl replied: "Because honestly, I was praying that everything I heard wasn't true. I didn't want to get myself into drama because I knew everyone would just blame me."
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were just repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their social groups or from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
After cross-examination of the accuser by defense lawyers, who sought to highlight inconsistencies between her testimony and accounts of others, the two sides rested their cases and presented their closing arguments.
Hemmeter argued that the very things that made the accuser "an imperfect witness (also) made her, in every sense of the word, a perfect victim."
"She was substantially impaired, and they treated her like a toy," the prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Walter Madison countered that among the witnesses called by prosecutors, "neither of their stories matches up."
He added: "The reality is somebody's telling a lie. ... Her friend told this court she has a reputation for telling lies."
Two former friends of the accuser - Kelsey Weaver and Gianna Anile - told the court on Saturday that she was known for fabricating stories.
Weaver, 17, testified the accuser had told her she liked Mays. Weaver also said she watched the accuser drink four shots of vodka and two beers and flirt with Richmond on the night she says the rape occurred.
Weaver said the accuser told her she thought she had been drugged as well - a conclusion Weaver said she did not believe. Asked by the defense why she had doubts, Weaver said, "Because (she) lies about things."
Weaver and Anile were with the accuser on the night of the alleged rape. Both testified that they ended their friendship with her because of the accusations.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Steve Gorman and Xavier Briand)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trial-two-ohio-students-charged-rape-nears-conclusion-025725041.html
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Sunday, March 17, 2013
Reuters Social Media Editor Accused of Helping Anonymous Has ...
News that Reuters deputy social media editor Matthew Keys had been indicted for allegedly conspiring with Anonymous shocked his colleagues in online media. Keys has always seemed like a normal guy who constantly tweets news links. But in the wake of his arrest, details about his online past have emerged that make his entanglement with Anonymous seem less out of character.
Yesterday Keys was charged with conspiring with Anonymous members to hack an ex-employer in December, 2010. Keys was suspended from Reuters today.
It turns out Keys has had a history of unusual internet behavior, as pointed out by BuzzFeed. The troll knowledgebase Encyclopedia Dramatica outlines a long list (NSFW) of his alleged internet escapades, which he carried out under a number of handles including madrigalskylark, angelofadia and sunriseagain. Encyclopedia Dramatica is far from a reliable source, but the fact that he has such a long and detailed entry suggests he was mixed up in a seedy online crowd.
In the mid-2000s, under the handle MadrigalSkylark on Livejournal, Keys was apparently a notorious troll, known for starting drama. Encyclopedia Dramatica contends that MadrigalSkylark was "known for his attention whore antics, leaving phony suicide notes, passive-aggressive bitchiness," and more. Some of the allegations on Encyclopedia Dramatic include that he was obsessed with the Los Angeles radio station KLLC, to the point that the station had to publicly declare he was not an employee. Keys was also apparently banned from Daviswiki, community-powered news and information resource on Davis, California after trolling the site with a number of sockpuppet accounts.
"I don't believe *anyone else* has ever been nominated for a ban on the wiki except for Matthew Keys who started purposefully vandalizing it and trying to get banned," wrote a poster on Davis Wiki
At the same time, it seems Keys was struggling with personal issues. In 2005 he posted to Livejournal a post post called "A Cry for Help," in which he wrote: "I'm really not deserving of anyone's love. No wonder I don't have any friends. Look at how I act! I need help. What's wrong with me?!"
Others have alleged creepy behavior on gay dating sites from the time. Gawker commenter dogmaticequation says he knew Keys online "years ago" and wrote that Keys, who is openly gay:
Would make life hell for people who refused to date him. He would stalk and use his tenuous grasp of early social networking to create shitty websites and Craigslist posts full of lies and material created to defame people he didn't like.
He did this to me, he kept trying to get me to go out with him. I refused. Instead of attacking me he went after one of my friends (who he thought was my Boyfriend). He posted fake profiles on dating sights, and posts on Craigslist with his image, with copy that stated that he had herpes, HIV and other diseases.
Juding from posts on his various blogs he seemed to have kept relatively online from 2006 until late 2010. It was then that he reached out to Anonymous hackers, in a move that ultimately led to his indictment. Keys told me at the time that he sought out an Anonymous IRC chat room, and offered to use his journalistic experience as a press liaison for them, after reading about the group's attacks on credit card companies that had cut off Wikileaks in December, 2010. He was then brought into the fold by a group of elite hackers.
Here is how he described his infiltration to me in a phone interview in December, 2010:
"The day that the decentralized group started hacking Visa's and Mastercard's websites with DDoS attacks, I went into their IRC room and wound up befriending someone who belonged to this higher ranking group called the Internet Feds. I identified myself as a former journalist, which was why they allowed me in that group. [to act as a press liaison.] It was me and about 14 people, mostly hackers."
(Keys reached out to me after Gawker was hacked by a team of hackers made up of Internet Feds members.)
But Keys said he'd always planned on exposing the group. Over the course of the next few months, he did provide Gawker with inside information and chat transcripts relating to the so-called Internet Feds, an Anonymous subgroup out of which the notorious Lulzsec gang emerged. His defense claims he was acting solely as an undercover journalist. "He's being prosecuted for that, for going to get the story," one of Keys' attorneys, told the Huffington Post.
Prosecutors say he went much further than that. Under the handle AESCracked, he allegedly gave hackers the login credentials related to his job at a radio station owned by the Tribune Company, which owns the Los Angeles Times, after he was fired. The hackers allegedly used the logins to deface a Los Angeles Times story among other hacks. Now Keys faces 25 years in prison.
Although he's suspended from Reuters, Keys has been keeping his 22,000 followers up to date on his case on Twitter. On Twitter he announced that he's tapped lawyers Jay Leiderman, who has been involved in a number of high-profile Anonymous cases, and Tor Ekelund, who defended the notorious internet troll Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer, to represent him. When a Twitter user named Rob Engelsman tweeted that he'd been discussing Keys' at the bar with friends, Keys tweeted, "where's the bar?"
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Girl tells of accuser's behavior in Ohio rape case
Trent Mays, 17, left, talks with one of his defense lawyers, Brian Duncan before the start for the fourth day of his and co-defendant 16-year-old Ma'lik Richmond's trial on rape charges in juvenile court on Saturday, March 16, 2013 in Steubenville, Ohio. Mays and Richmond are accused of raping a 16-year-old West Virginia girl in August, 2012. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, Pool)
Trent Mays, 17, left, talks with one of his defense lawyers, Brian Duncan before the start for the fourth day of his and co-defendant 16-year-old Ma'lik Richmond's trial on rape charges in juvenile court on Saturday, March 16, 2013 in Steubenville, Ohio. Mays and Richmond are accused of raping a 16-year-old West Virginia girl in August, 2012. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, Pool)
Trent Mays, 17, enters court for the fourth day of his and co-defendent defendant 16-year-old Ma'lik Richmond 's trial on rape charges in juvenile court on Saturday, March 16, 2013 in Steubenville, Ohio. Mays and Richmond are accused of raping a 16-year-old West Virginia girl in August, 2012. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, Pool)
MaysMa'lik Richmond, 16, enters court for the fourth day of his and co-defendent, 17-year-old Trent Mays trial on rape charges in juvenile court on Saturday, March 16, 2013 in Steubenville, Ohio. Mays and Richmond are accused of raping a 16-year-old West Virginia girl in August, 2012. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, Pool)
MaysMa'lik Richmond, 16, right, talks with hsia attorner Walter madison as they enter court for the fourth day of his and co-defendant, 17-year-old Trent Mays trial on rape charges in juvenile court on Saturday, March 16, 2013 in Steubenville, Ohio. Mays and Richmond are accused of raping a 16-year-old West Virginia girl in August, 2012. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, Pool)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) ? A friend of the accuser in the rape trial of two Ohio high school football players testified Saturday that she argued with the 16-year-old girl about her behavior at a party before the alleged attack.
Gianna Anile, an 11th-grader from across the state line in West Virginia, said she was upset at her friend's drinking and also tried unsuccessfully to get her friend to stay at the party last summer rather than leave with others, including the two defendants.
"When I told her not to leave, I was trying to, like, pull her back into the party. She was trying to shrug me off," Anile said in court. "She kind of hit me."
Football players Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'Lik Richmond, 16, are charged with digitally penetrating the accuser early Aug. 12, first in a car and then in the basement of a house. Mays also is charged with illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material. The two maintain their innocence.
The case has riveted the small city of Steubenville amid allegations that more students should have been charged and led to questions about the influence of the local football team, a source of a pride in a community that suffered massive job losses with the collapse of the steel industry.
Anile, whose lawyer was present during her testimony Saturday, appeared, like all of the trial's teen witnesses, reluctant to be there.
The day after the party, when Anile and another friend picked up the accuser from the house where she'd stayed, the accuser said she had no memory of the night before, Anile testified under questioning by defense attorney Walter Madison.
"'We didn't have sex, I swear,'" Anile said, describing the accuser's comment.
Anile said she'd seen the girl drink heavily in the past and that she no longer speaks to her.
The case has featured disturbing testimony from teens, both in person and in graphic text messages, and has cast an unwelcome light on what students in the community once considered private conversations. Some teenage witnesses winced at times as they were forced to read adult language from texts.
Anile repeatedly said she couldn't remember statements she made to police last September about the night of the party. Midway through her testimony, special judge Thomas Lipps agreed to let her listen to a 40-minute recording of her statement to refresh her memory.
On Friday, three teenage boys granted immunity for their testimony said the accuser was drunk and didn't seem to know what was happening to her that night.
Mark Cole, Evan Westlake and Anthony Craig spoke Friday of the West Virginia girl's behavior the night of a party and described her being digitally penetrated in a car and later on a basement floor.
Cole testified that he took a video of Mays and the girl in the car, then deleted it later that morning. Westlake testified he saw Richmond's encounter with the girl in the basement, as did Craig.
Testimony in the rape trial wrapped up late Friday as a judge, who's hearing the case without a jury, pushed to finish the case, which is continuing through the weekend. The accuser was expected to testify Saturday.
If convicted, Mays and Richmond could be held in a juvenile jail until they turn 21.
During Cole's testimony, a prosecutor asked him why he deleted the video.
"It was one of those moments when you realize you did something stupid and wrong that night, so I deleted it," Cole replied.
Cole testified he saw Mays unsuccessfully try to have the girl perform oral sex on him later in the basement of Cole's house. Cole also testified that the girl was intoxicated and slurring her words.
On cross-examination, defense attorney Walter Madison suggested that the girl was behaving no differently than anyone else the night of the party.
Westlake, the second witness granted immunity, confirmed that he filmed a 12-minute video, later passed around widely online, in which another student, Michael Nodianos, joked about the attack. Women's rights groups have demanded that Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine charge Nodianos with failure to report a crime. DeWine has so far refused to say what he'll do.
Westlake said he deeply regrets his actions that night.
Craig testified that he saw Richmond's hand in the "crotch region" of the girl, a less descriptive version than he gave last fall in another hearing.
Anile's testimony Saturday echoed that of another 16-year-old student, who testified Friday that she tried to persuade the girl to leave the party with her.
Farah Marcino said the girl brushed off her attempts. "She actually hit one of my friends and said she did not want to go," Marcino said.
The Associated Press normally doesn't identify minors charged in juvenile court, but Mays and Richmond have been widely identified in news coverage, and their names have been used in open court.
___
Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus.
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Another Best for The Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is the best selling car in the UK, and now the Fiesta adds to its ?best? list with the new Ford Fiesta ST taking the title of Ford?s ?fastest and most dynamic small production performance car ever.?
And it?s another feather in the cap of Ford Team RS, the European arm of Ford Motor Company?s Global Performance Vehicle group, who produced it, tuned the powertrain, suspension, steering and brakes to make sure that any driver experienced the optimal driving dynamics and introduced features only previously found in larger performance cars ? but more about that later.
Blessed with a 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine that brings technologies including turbocharging, high-pressure direct fuel-injection and Twin-independent Variable Cam Timing, the Ford Fiesta ST accelerates from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds with a top speed of 137mph and offers 182PS and 240Nm of torque.
It?s not just a ?track? or ?speed thrill? car despite this; with a fuel efficiency of 47.9mpg (combined) and emissions of 138 g/km CO2 ? 20% less than the previous generation Fiesta ST ? it?s there for everyday use, admittedly everyday use with almost 20% more power than the first-generation model?s 2.0-litre engine.
?The new Fiesta ST delivers remarkable levels of performance, design and quality to offer an unsurpassed driving experience,? said Juergen Gagstatter, chief programme engineer, Fiesta ST. ?Ford?s European customers are connoisseurs of the hot hatchback and the new Fiesta ST speaks directly to that passion for performance driving.?
Being a Ford, the Fiesta ST boasts both SYNC and MyKey, but as stated before there are a few features that you would only expect in larger performance cars.
Let?s have a look at the enhanced Torque Vectoring Control (eTVC) and 3-mode Electronic Stability Control (ESC), six-speed manual transmission and rear disc brakes.
Electronically-optimised enhanced chassis
What eTVC does is apply brake force to the inside front wheel of the Fiesta ST when the driver corners, and this improves the car?s holding on the road reduces understeering without affecting speed. It uses new software to control the balance in response to the steering inputs and then the ESC offers full system intervention; wide-slip mode with limited intervention; and full ESC de-activation.
Electronic Power Assisted Steering gives the Fiesta ST a sharper steering ratio of 13.69:1 and a shorter steering arm that means that the car responds quicker due to the direct input. Obviously this is helped by the rear disc brakes and the larger tandem brake master cylinder, both of which boost braking performance.
?This car can put a smile on your face corner-after-corner and delivers absolute precision in power delivery and handling,? said Tyrone Johnson, Ford Team RS engineering manager.
The ST character
The list of equipment in and out of the ST is extensive: Headlights with LED day-time running lamp technology, new paint options include Race Red, Molten Orange and Spirit Blue, carbon fibre dashboard inserts, alloy-metal pedals and gearshifter, an ST steering wheel, MyKey and the voice-activated in-car connectivity system Ford SYNC.
The Ford Fiesta ST is for the urbanite and the hot hatch fan. Ford have fully tested the new Fiesta to 850,000 kilometres of durability testing, 7,500km of race track testing and 5,000km of high speed testing, as well as a ?torture test? at the Nardo Technical Centre proving grounds, Italy, where the tests are aimed around heat with the car being driven flat-out in temperatures in excess of 40 C.
?Many hot hatch fans will want to give the Fiesta ST the chance to shine on the track and we have made sure the Fiesta ST?s engine, transmission, chassis and body can handle the extreme use that its performance invites,? said Tyrone Johnson.
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Source: http://www.nationwidevehiclecontracts.co.uk/blog/ford-fiesta-2/57523/
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Saturday, March 16, 2013
Dow's winning streak ends; dollar falls
By Richard Leong
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street stocks fell on Friday as a drop in JPMorgan Chase led to the end of Dow Jones industrial average's 10-day rally, while the dollar retreated from a seven-month high despite more signs the U.S. economy is strengthening.
With the pullback in U.S. stock prices, the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index failed to make another run to break its all-time closing high, while European shares retreated from 4-1/2-year highs.
Investors shifted some money into safe-haven gold and U.S. and German government debt ahead of the weekend.
Evidence of an improving U.S. economy, together with supply concerns from the Middle East, boosted oil prices in London briefly back above $110 a barrel.
As the U.S. jobs picture brightens despite tax increases and government spending cuts, some analysts remain upbeat about the longer-term prospects for stocks.
"I don't think that one or two days' movement is really going to change the underlying momentum of this market, which I still think is pretty strong at this point," said Cam Albright, director of asset allocation at Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors in Wilmington, Delaware.
In addition to signs of the labour market picking up steam, data on Friday showed continued growth in U.S. manufacturing, although optimism was muted by news of a stronger-than-expected 0.7 percent rise in consumer inflation in February and a surprise deterioration in consumer confidence.
The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 25.03 points, or 0.17 percent, at 14,514.11. The S&P 500 lost 2.53 points, or 0.16 percent, at 1,560.70. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 9.86 points, or 0.30 percent, to 3,249.07.
The S&P 500 came within about 4 points of its record closing high on Thursday before falling on Friday due to weakness in JPMorgan, a Dow and S&P component.
Shares of the largest U.S. bank by assets fell on news the Federal Reserve told it and Goldman Sachs they must fix flaws in how they set capital payouts to stockholders. In addition, a Senate report alleged JPMorgan had ignored risks, misled investors, fought with regulators and tried to work around rules as it dealt with mushrooming losses in a derivatives portfolio.
JPMorgan's stock sagged 1.9 percent at $50.02 a share. But other U.S. bank stocks rebounded from initial losses, with the S&P Financial index edging up 0.27 percent.
Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index closed 0.4 percent lower at 1,203.01. But it recorded its fifth weekly rise and is hovering near its highest levels since mid-2008.
Earlier, Tokyo's Nikkei index ended up 1.45 percent on the day, rising for a five weeks in a row.
MSCI's all-world index, which tracks 9,000 stocks in 45 countries, was up 0.17 percent at 362.47, rising for a second straight week.
Weaker stock prices increased the appeal of bonds and gold. Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes were up 13/32 in price to yield 1.991 percent, a one-week low, while German Bund futures were 0.22 percent higher at 143.45.
Gold inched up 0.1 percent to $1,591.04 an ounce, on its way to a weekly gain of 1 percent.
DOLLAR RECEDES
The dollar took a breather from its recent sprint higher, losing 0.56 percent to a one-week low against a basket of major currencies. But it did reach the seven-month high touched on Thursday.
The euro rose 0.52 percent to $1.3071, recovering from Thursday's three-month low of $1.2911, and was on course for a second consecutive weekly gain against the dollar.
Perceptions that U.S. inflation remains mild despite a spike in gasoline prices earlier this year have eased fears the Federal Reserve would need to consider an early exit from its aggressive quantitative easing policy that has helped support asset prices around the world.
"It looks like we still have some scope to continue with QE," said Andrew Dilz, foreign currency trader at Tempus Consulting in Washington.
In the oil market, crude prices drew strength from the better U.S. economic outlook and concerns over supply from the Middle East.
U.S. crude oil settled up 42 cents or 0.45 percent at $93.45 a barrel, while Brent rose $1.07 or 0.98 percent at $110.03.
Supply worries resurfaced when President Barack Obama, ahead of a visit to Israel next week, said military force remained an option if sanctions and diplomacy failed to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions.
(Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak, Wanfeng Zhou in New York; Richard Hubbard, Clara Denina, Marc Jones and Marius Zaharia in London; Editing by Peter Graff, Giles Elgood and Dan Grebler)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dows-winning-streak-ends-dollar-falls-005858049--finance.html
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ESA, Roscosmos sign deal on Mars exploration
BERLIN (AP) ? The European Space Agency says it has signed an agreement with its Russian counterpart to work together toward two missions to Mars.
The partnership comes after NASA pulled out of the ExoMars program with ESA last year due to budget cuts.
ESA said in a statement Thursday that it and Roscomos aim to launch missions in 2016 and 2018 to try to establish whether life ever existed on Mars.
The two sides have agreed to a "balanced sharing of responsibilities" and will cooperate on scientific research.
Among ESA's contributions will be the ExoMars rover, which is being built for the 2018 mission to search the planet's surface for signs of life and able to drill to depths of two meters.
The rover will be delivered by a Russian descent module.
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Friday, March 15, 2013
Add to Wunderlist extension brings one-click web clipping to your to-do list
Wunderlist users rejoice! Your favorite to-do list just gained a major new feature with the launch of the Add to Wunderlist extension -- now available for Chrome, Firefox and Safari. The extension lets you save content from your favorite websites directly into Wunderlist with just one click. It automatically scans web pages for links, email content, prices, descriptions and ratings, clips any highlighted text, then adds it to your list of choice. Web developers also have the option to embed an Add to Wunderlist button directly into websites -- the company's already teamed up with Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Amazon, eBay, Twitter, Youtube, IMDb, Asos, Etsy, Wikipedia and Hacker News to enable this functionality. It's never been easier to be obsessive-compulsive while surfing the web -- you just have to follow the source link below.
Filed under: Internet
Source: 6Wunderkinder
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/rNDKnlsenjg/
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Stress Free Pay Day Loans In Singapore
Individual people and small services may come across a lot of instances where they have to to call on the services of a money lender. If borrowing money from such a service in Singapore, it is always recommended to use a legal money lender Singapore service.
Using a license money lender Singapore service may be a far better option that taking your chances with an unlicensed service. Singapore law strictly regulates licensed services, and this helps protect the customer from any nasty shocks. It is just common sense whenever taking a personal loan or opting for a pay day loan Singapore lender to disregard any service that is not legally based.
There are many reasons why people want to use legal money lender Singapore services. It might be because, in the past, they were frustrated with having to deal with banks. Or, it might be that they have had credit rating problems. Obtaining loans from banks is always more difficult.
Numerous people and small businesses still choose money lenders even when their credit status is not an issue. They may think dealing with banks needs too much time and needs too much paperwork. They might also dislike the amount of private information that banks ask for before authorizing loans.
Banks tend not to care very much whenever persons or businesses are unexpectedly faced with a situation where they require money immediately. Or, if a loan applicant is not a citizen of Singapore, it will be impossible to get a loan from a Singapore bank. Persons in full time employment can sometimes experience cash flow difficulties and look for a pay day loan. Pay day loans are usually not paid out by high street lenders.
In contrast to the approach banks take to loan applications, legal money lenders in Singapore are infinitely more understanding of the borrower?s circumstances. Money lenders are aware that situations will often crop up where small companies or private individuals want access to credit without hassle. While the banks will demand written loan applications and want lots of paperwork, money lenders ignore all the unwanted bureaucracy.
For related articles on legal money lender singapore or click here to learn more.
Source: http://bestfinance1.com/stress-free-pay-day-loans-in-singapore
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New monoclonal antibody developed that can target proteins inside cancer cells
Mar. 13, 2013 ? Researchers have discovered a unique monoclonal antibody that can effectively reach inside a cancer cell, a key goal for these important anticancer agents, since most proteins that cause cancer or are associated with cancer are buried inside cancer cells. Scientists from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Eureka Therapeutics have collaborated to create the new human monoclonal antibody, which targets a protein associated with many types of cancer and is of great interest to cancer researchers.
Unlike other human therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, which can target only proteins that remain on the outside of cancer cells, the new monoclonal antibody, called ESK1, targets a protein that resides on the inside of the cell.
ESK1 is directed at a protein called WT1, which is overexpressed in a range of leukemias and other cancers including myeloma and breast, ovarian, and colorectal cancers. WT1 is a high priority target for cancer drugs because it is an oncogenic protein, meaning that it supports the formation of cancer. In addition, it is found in few healthy cells, so there are less likely to be side effects from drugs that target it.
"This is a new approach for attacking WT1, an important cancer target, with an antibody therapy. This is something that was previously not possible," said David A. Scheinberg, MD, PhD, Chair of the Sloan-Kettering Institute's Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program and an inventor of the antibody. "There has not been a way to make small molecule drugs that can inhibit WT1 function. Our research shows that you can use a monoclonal antibody to recognize a cancer-associated protein inside a cell, and it will destroy the cell."
The first studies of the antibody are showing promise in preclinical research as a treatment for leukemia as reported March 13, 2013, in Science Translational Medicine.
"ESK1 represents a paradigm change for the field of human monoclonal antibody therapeutics," said Cheng Liu, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eureka Therapeutics. "This research suggests that human antibody therapy is no longer limited to targeting proteins present outside cancer cells, but can now target proteins within the cancer cell itself."
ESK1 was engineered to mimic the functions of a T cell receptor, a key component of the immune system. T cells have a receptor system that is designed to recognize proteins that are inside the cell. As proteins inside the cell get broken down as part of regular cellular processes, molecules known as HLA molecules carry fragments of those proteins -- known as peptides -- to the surface. When T cells recognize certain peptides as abnormal, the T cell kills the diseased cell.
In the current study, the investigators showed that ESK1 alone was able to recognize WT1 peptides and kill cancer cells in the test tube and also in mouse models for two different types of human leukemia. "We were surprised that the antibody worked so well on its own," said Dr. Scheinberg, senior author of the paper. "We had originally expected that we might need to use the antibody as a carrier to deliver a drug or a radioactive therapy to kill the cancer cells, but this was not necessary."
Additional studies must be done in the laboratory before ESK1 is ready to be tested in patients. But the monoclonal antibody was engineered to be fully human, which should speed the time it takes to move the drug into the clinic. Researchers expect that the first clinical trials, for leukemia, could begin in about a year.
The antibody was developed under a collaborative effort between Memorial Sloan-Kettering and Eureka, which have jointly filed for patent protection.
This work was supported by grants from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the National Cancer Institute, the Sloan-Kettering Institute's Experimental Therapeutics Center and Technology Development Fund, the Commonwealth Foundation for Cancer Research, the Tudor and Glades Foundations, the Merker Fund, the Lymphoma Foundation, and the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The original article was written by Julie Grisham.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- T. Dao, S. Yan, N. Veomett, D. Pankov, L. Zhou, T. Korontsvit, A. Scott, J. Whitten, P. Maslak, E. Casey, T. Tan, H. Liu, V. Zakhaleva, M. Curcio, E. Doubrovina, R. J. O'Reilly, C. Liu, D. A. Scheinberg. Targeting the Intracellular WT1 Oncogene Product with a Therapeutic Human Antibody. Science Translational Medicine, 2013; 5 (176): 176ra33 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3005661
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/most_popular/~3/-aEGDCLAaM8/130313160757.htm
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WWE Main Event results: Rivalries renewed!
Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show: WWE Main Event, March 13, 2013Justin Gabriel vs. Wade Barrett: WWE Main Event, March 13, 2013The Usos vs. 3MB: WWE Main Event, March 13, 2013Sin Cara vs. Jack Swagger: Raw, March 11, 2013Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez imitate Jack Swagger & Zeb Colter: SmackDown, March 8, 2013Alberto Del Rio vs. Wade Barrett: Raw, March 4, 2013"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. Jack Swagger: Raw, March 4, 2013
FORT WAYNE, Ind. ? Rivalries were renewed on WWE Main Event as World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio battled Big Show in the featured contest on ION Television. Also, The Usos battled 3MB and Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett squared off with fellow WWE NXT alum Justin Gabriel.
Big Show def. Alberto Del Rio via count-out (PHOTOS | WATCH)
On the Jan. 8, 2013, episode of SmackDown, Alberto Del Rio defeated Big Show in a brutal Last Man Standing Match to fulfill his destiny and win the World Heavyweight Championship. Del Rio defeated The World?s Largest Athlete in a second Last Man Standing contest at Royal Rumble and in a singles match at Extreme Rules. Since then, the Mexican hero has focused his attention on his WrestleMania 29 opponent, Jack Swagger, but as evidenced on ION Television, the animosity between Big Show and the World Heavyweight Champion still boils.
Although the title was not on the line, Big Show was certainly seeking revenge on a personal level against the World Champion. The World?s Largest Athlete?s rage was further stoked by an attack by The Shield during his battle with Seth Rollins on Raw. Big Show and Del Rio immediately exchanged offensive maneuvers ? highlighting the in-ring familiarity both Superstars have developed with one another.
Just as momentum swung in the World Heavyweight Champion?s favor, his WrestleMania 29 challenger, Jack Swagger ? with his founding father Zeb Colter in tow ? made his way onto the entrance ramp. The ?Real American? and Colter maintained a watchful eye on Del Rio as Big Show used the distraction to regain control of the contest. The World?s Largest Athlete focused his offense on Del Rio?s arm and shoulder ? a tactic normally used by the World Heavyweight Champion in an effort to set up his patented Cross Armbreaker.
The WWE Universe in Fort Wayne, however, was firmly in support of Del Rio. Feeding off the energy in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Del Rio battled back, executing an impressive hurricanrana on the giant, followed by a seated senton to regain full control of the bout. As the World Heavyweight Champion prepared for his Cross Armbreaker, Big Show managed to overpower him and dump him over the top rope and to the outside.
As the WWE official began his 10-count, he was distracted by Big Show, allowing Jack Swagger to attack Del Rio?s leg. Unable to regain his footing and the official unaware of the ?Real American?s? actions, the World Heavyweight Champion failed to answer the 10-count, ultimately securing the victory for Big Show.
View CommentsSource: http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwemainevent/2013-03-13/results
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Thursday, March 14, 2013
Kim Dotcom claims he will never end up in a U.S. prison
Kim DotcomDespite significant victories by the United States, accused piracy kingpin Kim Dotcom claims he will never be locked up in the United States. The founder of file-sharing service Mega, and formerly Megaupload, appeared at the South By Southwest conference in Austin this week by way of Skype to talk about his ongoing legal battles with the U.S. government, TorrentFreak reported. Dotcom said that he is confident about his upcoming trial and noted that serving?jail-time?in the U.S. is not going to happen.
[More from BGR: Samsung keeps its impossible promise]
?I will never be in a prison in the U.S., I can guarantee you that,? he said, adding that he doesn?t expect the Obama Administration to send a predator drone to his mansion either.
[More from BGR: SimCity PR nightmare escalates]
A study published last week showed that the closure of Megauplaod actually boosted movie sales, however Dotcom disputed the research. He noted that because it was funded by the MPAA, the study was just as reliable as ?a study from the tobacco lobby on the health effects of smoking.?
Dotcom also revealed that his disruptive music service, known as Megabox, will launch within six months. He firmly believes that the service will decrease music piracy in the industry and finally give artists proper compensation for their work.
This article was originally published on BGR.com
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kim-dotcom-claims-never-end-u-prison-023047634.html
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013
How to Grow Your Business with Outbound Telemarketing | the Call ...
By Amanda Ciccatelli
In today?s competitive?call center world, it is not enough to simply advertise and expect the market to come to you through an inbound phone call. Instead, existing customers need to be encouraged and enticed in order to one day become loyal, and new customers need to be searched for.
So, businesses are looking to increase their customer service levels, as retaining existing customers is far less cost intensive than attempting to win new ones. As a result, they are proactively making contact with their customer base on a regular basis to increase customer service by way of?outbound dialing.
Outbound should be a core part of any organization?s go-to-market strategy because it is a way of developing valuable customer relationships, and when done right, is a way of getting the appropriate proposition to an accurately targeted market.
Specifically, outbound telemarketing?is one of the most efficient ways to generate new business leads these days. One can reach out to endless amounts of people in a short period of time with an automated dialer, but you may be wondering, ?How exactly do call centers generate more money??? Well, Telepoint Communications Inc., a provider of all aspects of call center services including?outbound, inbound, and on-line customer care, has three tips that will help you grow your business using outbound dialer software.
Today, Telepoint combines a customer service feel with an actual sales call, making the person on the other end of the phone feel they are being provided with help and support, which creates a strong rapport and leads to sales. Providers of inbound and outbound call center services, such as lead generation and new customer acquisition, should follow these tips for positive productivity results.
Customer Satisfaction: It?s common to call a 1-800 number with questions or concerns about a product and get an automated machine answering. But, when these numbers are dialed and are able to speak with a live person, customers are more satisfied. If future clients are pleased with a company?s customer service, clients are likely to use a company?s service again in the future.
Larger Reach:?Outbound?call centers also benefit companies themselves, providing the opportunity to reach a large audience. By utilizing a call center, companies can reach thousands more people in a day than they would by going door-to-door, mailing advertisements or using manual dialers. So, automated dialers are designed to connect a call to the representative right after they get off their last call, with no wait time in between calls, which will lead to more total contacts.
Accessibility: ?Call centers offer an accessible way to contact the company without leaving home, giving customers a faster way to contact a future client to purchase products, replacements, etc. It eliminates those who forget about using the product if there is no time to visit your location.
We are call center strategy and software experts.? Call us today at 1-877-499-7012 or fill out the contact form on the right for more information!
Edited by Allison Boccamazzo
This article was originally posted on dialer-software.tmcnet.com/articles/329440-how-grow-business-with-outbound-telemarketing.htm
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Source: http://thecallcentercorp.com/2013/03/how-to-grow-your-business-with-outbound-telemarketing/
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Gov't fiscal outlook improving _ but only for now
FILE - In this Tuesday, March 5, 2013, file photo, specialist Christian Sanfillippo, right, smiles as he works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The Dow's new all-time high and better economic data from the United States propelled world stock markets higher Wednesday March 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, March 5, 2013, file photo, specialist Christian Sanfillippo, right, smiles as he works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The Dow's new all-time high and better economic data from the United States propelled world stock markets higher Wednesday March 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2013 file photo, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio , left, pauses to talk on Capitol Hill in Washington. Enveloped by political gridlock, President Barack Obama is reaching out to rank-and-file Republicans, hosting GOP senators for dinner at the White House Wednesday night and then visiting Capitol Hill next week for separate meetings with Senate and House Republicans. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Despite constant budget wrangling and finger-pointing by the nation's policy-makers, the government's short-term fiscal outlook isn't all that bad. It's actually getting better ? at least for now.
Washington is borrowing about 25 cents for every dollar it spends, down from over 40 cents just a few years ago.
The federal budget deficit will drop to $845 billion this year after topping $1 trillion for four straight years, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects. Even if Congress does nothing further to cut spending or raise tax revenues, deficits will continue to shrink ? to $430 billion by fiscal 2015, the CBO said.
But, barring a major fix by the president and Congress, the government's finances will start to worsen again as the three major entitlement programs ? Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid ? become more and more expensive and unmanageable under the increasing weight of retiring baby boomers.
Recent budget improvements were helped along by increasing tax revenues as corporate America and many better-off Americans snapped back from the economic downturn and paid more in taxes. Stocks are setting new multi-year levels and corporate profits are soaring.
Yet the recent improvements on corporate and government ledgers haven't been shared by millions of working-class Americans. It's almost as if there were separate side-by-side economies.
Unemployment is still a high 7.7 percent nearly four years after the worst recession since the Great Depression officially ended, still far above the pre-recession levels of around 5 percent. Companies feel little pressure to raise wages since the pool of job seekers is large. Those with jobs are pressed to work harder, increasing productivity for corporations.
Companies also have benefited from the Federal Reserve's easy-money policies over the past four-plus years.
In keeping interest rates near zero and flooding financial markets with newly printed dollars, the Fed has helped drive up stock prices ? partly at the expense of many retired people and other savers who've seen interest earnings on their bank accounts dwindle.
"The private economy is doing very well and is steadily improving," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "Earnings are at record levels, profit margins have never been wider. That's particularly true for large companies whose stock is traded."
Looking ahead, Zandi said: "I'm hopeful things will simmer down in Washington, and that the deficit will stabilize by the end of the decade and into the next decade. After that, it will start rising again."
Even before the $85 billion in automatic cuts started kicking in on March 1, government spending was shrinking because of the expiration of federal stimulus and other recession-fighting programs of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Steven Rattner, Obama's former "car czar," has criticized Obama for exaggerating in depicting the $85 billion sequester cuts as a disaster imperiling the nation. Obama has since toned down his rhetoric and reached out to congressional Republicans. That pleased Rattner.
"I said he should stop just saying the sky is falling, which he's done," Rattner tweeted.
Legislation passed by Congress over the past two years will reduce deficits by roughly $2.3 trillion over the next decade ? two-thirds of it from spending cuts and one-third from more tax revenues.
The increased flow of cash to the government includes higher marginal income taxes on wealthy Americans from the New Year's "fiscal cliff" deal and the ending of the tax break for all workers on Social Security payroll taxes.
The $2.3 trillion less that Washington will be borrowing over the next decade takes the government much of the way toward the $4 trillion, 10-year goal set by Obama and the co-chairmen of his deficit commission, former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and former Democratic White House staff chief Erskine Bowles.
"I don't know why the president doesn't talk more about that," said James Thurber, a political scientist at American University. Thurber said he thinks the immediate outlook is "that we're going to lurch, unfortunately" from one self-imposed crisis to another.
The budget deficit is the difference between what the government spends in a given year and the revenues it collects. The government makes up the difference by borrowing, just as a family may put excess spending on a credit card.
In the government's case, it borrows money by selling Treasury bonds, here and around the world.
The national debt ? $16.66 trillion today ? is the sum of everything the government owes, the accumulation of past deficits. It's the federal equivalent of a family's total outstanding debt.
Without higher taxes, changes in the big benefit programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, cuts in other government services or a combination of the three, deficits by the end of the decade will again be in the $800 billion range, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
"The fiscal problems worsen after the next 10 years under all scenarios," economists William Gale and Alan J. Auerbach wrote in a new analysis for the Brookings Institution, a think tank.
"We are letting the legacy programs of the past ? the mandatory spending programs ? crowd out our ability to do discretionary spending, which is all about the next generation," said economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former CBO director and economic adviser to 2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain. "So we are building a trap to really do a disservice to the next generation."
"Because the baby boom's now retiring, the debt is very high," Holtz-Eakin said. "We've given up our cushion and our lead time and we have to move more quickly."
___
Follow Tom Raum on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tomraum
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Dropbox's redesigned desktop client brings more notifications, faster sharing and a fresher look
In a world that's becoming increasingly swamped with cloud storage options, it's good to see a true, original gangster innovating like the pressure is on. In a matter of moments, Dropbox is going to launch a re-imagined desktop client -- one that promises "more visibility into activity in one's Dropbox, faster access to your files, and a brand new look and feel." The changes here are fairly subtle, but they're ones that power users are bound to appreciate. You'll be able to accept invitations with less friction, see links or albums that people have shared with you, and keep tabs on what's changed in your Dropbox. There's also a newfangled way to share your stuff with a link, right from the Dropbox menu.
Over on the mobile side, notifications for shared folders will also show up on the latest versions of Dropbox's iOS and Android apps (and on the web at dropbox.com/events). Keep an eye on the source link; the new download links should be live any minute.
Filed under: Storage, Internet
Source: Dropbox
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/12/dropbox-redesign-desktop-client-notifications-sharing/
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