Despite ?child porn? remark by South Dakota legislator, MMA on its way to regulation there

It turns out comparing MMA to child porn is not the best lobbying technique. After a congressman in South Dakota rallied against a bill to regulate MMA by calling it "the child porn of sports," the bill still passed through the South Dakota House 50-20.

Steve Hickey, the representative who grabbed plenty of headlines by fighting against MMA's regulation in his state, tried to add an amendment to create a commission that would oversee different disciplines of martial arts but not MMA, because that makes a ton of sense. Wait, no, it doesn't. The South Dakotan House saw the lack of sense in that amendment and defeated it.

After the bill makes a quick stop in the Senate to review the amendments that were passed, the bill will head to the desk of South Dakota governor Dennis Daugaard. He has strongly opposed MMA in the past, but the South Dakota Argus Leader says it will still likely become a law:

Daugaard could sign the bill, veto it, or let it become law without his signature. Both houses of the Legislature passed the fight commission bill with margins sufficient to override any veto.

Hickey's remarks about MMA brought back memories of governments across the country banning "no-holds barred" fighting in the late 90s, and Senator John McCain calling MMA "human cockfighting." Since then, regulation and rules have turned MMA into the sport we know today. It's now regulated in 46 states, and in 2007, McCain even praised MMA's progress.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/despite-child-porn-remark-south-dakota-legislator-mma-152037898--mma.html

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Multiple Sclerosis Blog - EverydayHealth.com

Mention of one of the original scams in a recent comment brought the topic, flooding with unexpected emotion, to me this week. I?ve touched on this subject before under the heading of MS Quackery and it?s time it was put to bed.

Mercury poisoning was first ?linked? to multiple sclerosis in the surrounds of Minamata Bay, Japan in the 1950?s. To be fair, looking at the symptoms of this massive episode which now takes on the name of the bay ? Minamata Disease, you can see why one might think of MS:

Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cases paralysis, coma, and even death were possible.

Sound familiar?

The massive pollution of the bay with mercury by a local manufacturing factory fed bacteria which converted the heavy metal into an organic compound called methylmercury which fed smaller fish that in turn fed larger fish and then further up the food chain.

?Dancing Cat Fever? was what the locals called the disorder as small felines were the first land animals to begin showing signs of the neurological destruction of methylmercury poisoning; stumbling and falling. Soon birds that ate the poisoned fish were falling from the sky and not long after that, fishermen and their families began to exhibit MS-like symptoms.

Back in the days before MRI, it can be understood why some would think that their MS symptoms might have been linkable to mercury. I?ve asked my doctor if early exposure to mercury (yes, I know of exposure beyond fillings for me) may have ?caused? my symptoms. He showed me MR images of mercury poisoning and showed me mine. They look nothing alike.

Many in the western world have been exposed to mercury in the form of dental amalgam of silver. The more the horrors of mercury poisoning became known to us (think about the tuna scares in the ?70s, etc) the more suspect we became about those fillings.

An entire business built up around removal of dental fillings at about that time. One of the big factors these captains of MS Inc touted was that fillings could cause? you guessed it, multiple sclerosis.

Truth be told, even the FDA now states that some mercury likely does ?leak? from old fillings. Number of fillings has never been correlated to MS, no particular dentist or dental practice has been linked to increased incidence and, quite frankly, people with MS seem to have less mercury in our brains than controls.

The likely exposure to mercury vapor in the removal of fillings is many times higher than the 1-3 micrograms that the FDA advises may leak from old fillings. Consumer reports has even warned, on numerous occasions, of dentists who breaks the American Dental Association?s code of ethics by recommending that a non-allergic patient have fillings removed to prevent/cure MS saying, ?if a dentist wants to remove your fillings because they contain mercury, watch your wallet?

Multiple Sclerosis has been proven on several occasions to have nothing to do with mercury. Not mercury ingested from fish, not mercury from silver amalgam dental fillings, not even from mercury played with as a child (yup, that was me). If someone is telling you that your MS is due to your fillings, tell them they have no idea what they are talking about. It?s that simple.

Wishing you and your friends the best of health.

Cheers

Trevis

You can also follow me via our Life With MS Facebook page, on Twitter, and in our group on MS Connection.org. Also, check out our bi-monthly MS blog for the United Kingdom, look for our very special new monthly blog for the National MS Society, and don?t forget to check out TrevisLGleason.com.

Source: http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/trevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms/ms-inc-the-myth-about-multiple-sclerosis-and-mercury/

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Securing your family, personal data through remote monitoring

Westport
-
There have been countless news articles about children interacting with potential predators. Parents and guardians have had to rely on web browser functions and Internet features, but new software has become more powerful to monitor web activity.
Although some parents have been criticized as being overprotective, the statistics published by the Crimes Against Children Research Center (CACRC) and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children (CMEC) are rather telling:


- One in five teenagers who regularly use the Internet say they receive unwanted sexual solicitation

- Three-quarters of children are willing to share personal information on the Internet

- 25 percent of children who have encountered sexual solicitation online don?t tell their parents

- More than three-quarters of targets for online predators are 14 years of age or older

- Another 25 percent of children have made contact with pornographic material


It is a dangerous world and potential pedophiles, owners of prostitution rings and predators utilize several websites to gain access to young demographics, such as Facebook and Twitter. This has dramatically changed from the days of predators using online chat rooms, as depicted in the hit NBC show ?To Catch a Predator.?


John Whitaker, special agent in charge of Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, told USA Today that ?there is no real way for parents to monitor it all.? With innovations in technology, parents, children, businesses, public departments and other individuals and entities no longer have to be victims of Internet breaches. WebWatcher, found in 2002, is the latest company that has been recognized as one of the top remote monitoring software on the Internet and can be used by anyone. Its features allow users to see messages, keystrokes, screenshots, visited websites and a lot more in real-time from anywhere in the world. It offers real-time alerts and triggers of questionable activity directly to your email, which is available for Microsoft Windows and Apple MAC OS X. WebWatcher, based in Westport, Connecticut, also maintains software for smartphones. WebWatcher Mobile employs the same type of online security and user interface and permits account holders access to emails, phone calls, text messages and other aspects available for Android and BlackBerry devices. For those who store important and sensitive data on laptops, another top feature is its Laptop Cop. This capability protects owners if the laptop is lost or stolen. It gives users the advantage of retrieving, restoring, locking down and geolocating the laptop. All of these functions can be accessed by any web browser in the world. The entire process takes five minutes to complete: download and install, record and transmit and access and review. WebWatcher is invisible on the monitored devices and all of the activity, whether it be screenshots, call logs or instant messages (IMS), is sent to the online account and can be accessed at any place and any time. PCMag.com awarded WebWatcher an Editors? Choice, while it also was an About.com winner, a top pick of Well Research Reviews and Inc. 500?s 2011 fastest growing companies in the United States. It has been featured on Fox News and NBC and in Forbes magazine. In a world where personal data has been public and hacking has become the norm, Internet security has become the forefront of Internet and computer innovations.

Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/344398

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Calif. female lawmakers condemn Oscar host

Host Seth MacFarlane, right, and actress Kristin Chenoweth perform a song dedicated to the "losers" during the finale of the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Host Seth MacFarlane, right, and actress Kristin Chenoweth perform a song dedicated to the "losers" during the finale of the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? Two female California state lawmakers have condemned Oscar host Seth MacFarlane's comments during Sunday's awards presentation as degrading toward women and asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to use better judgment in the future.

Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal and Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, both Democrats who lead the Legislature's women's caucus, sent a letter to Academy President Hawk Koch on Tuesday, requesting that the organization disavow MacFarlane's behavior.

They objected to the comedian's focus on the physical appearance of several actresses and quips about nude scenes.

"Furthermore, there was a disturbing theme about violence against women being acceptable and funny," the lawmakers wrote. "From topical jabs about domestic violence to singing about 'boobs' during a film's rape scene, Seth MacFarlane crossed the line from humor to misogyny."

MacFarlane's performance has drawn multiple critics since Sunday's show. Blogs compiled highlights of his punch lines, which included a song that referenced leading ladies who have bared their breasts on film that were accompanied by reaction shots from those actresses.

He also made light of a domestic violence incident between rapper Chris Brown and singer Rihanna, and joked about the heavy accents of several Latina actresses.

"On Oscar night, when Hollywood seeks to honor its best, Seth MacFarlane's monologue reduced our finest female actresses to caricatures and stereotypes, degrading women as a whole and the filmmaking industry itself," the letter stated.

Lowenthal and Jackson, both Democrats, asked Koch to respond. Academy spokeswoman Toni Thompson had no immediate comment.

In their letter, the lawmakers noted the Violence Against Women Act currently under debate in Congress and a resolution that the Legislature passed supporting the act's reauthorization. Better judgment is needed in the academy's future decisions regarding its awards show hosts and their material, they said.

"This should be a celebration of artists in the filmmaking industry, not an offensive display of disrespect toward women that sets the fight for gender equality, dignity, and respect back decades," they wrote.

A repeat hosting performance by MacFarlane doesn't look likely. Asked Tuesday on Twitter if he would host the Oscars again, he replied, "No way. Lotta fun to have done it, though."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-27-Oscars-Female%20Lawmakers/id-b430058479694daa9aed51687affa3e5

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Sony Mobile has 'an ambition' to launch Firefox OS device in 2014

Despite what your feelings may be about Firefox OS, various OEMs and carriers are clearly content with having more options to explore. The latest outfit appears to be Sony's Mobile entity, which, earlier today, announced it had reached multi-year deal with Telefónica which will "explore the development" of a device running Mozilla's novel operating system. What's more, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Head of Products Business Group, Bob Ishida, says Sony Mobile engineers are already working on a project with the new mobile OS on the block, adding that the eventual goal is to "bring a product to market in 2014." Now, whether we'll see higher-end slabs than some of the ones we've experienced thus far, well, dear readers, that remains to be seen.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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Ron Johnson: John Boehner Would Lose Speakership If He Caves On Taxes To Avert Sequester

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) would lose his speakership if he agrees to new tax revenues to avert the across-the-board spending cuts that are set to kick in on March 1.

"I don't quite honestly think that Speaker Boehner would be speaker if that happens," Johnson told Fox News of Boehner caving on taxes as part of a sequester replacement package. "I think he would lose his speakership."

Johnson's comments raise questions about Boehner's leadership post for the second time in as many months. Similar claims made during fiscal cliff talks in December, when some accused Boehner of being more concerned with protecting his job as speaker than with brokering a deal. The pressure on Boehner intensified after his proposal to avoid the fiscal cliff was rejected by members of his own party.

It's unlikely his speakership is in jeopardy. Boehner retained his position, despite reports of friction, with just 10 House Republicans voting against him in his Jan 3. reelection.

In the battle over the sequester, Boehner has maintained his pledge not to entertain any new tax revenues. President Barack Obama and Democrats have called for a resolution that consists of both spending cuts and increased revenue, such as closing corporate tax loopholes and implementing the Buffet rule to raise taxes on billionaires.

During a news conference Monday, Boehner showed no signs of hedging.

"The president says we have to have another tax increase in order to avoid the sequester,? he said. "Well, Mr. President, you got your tax increase. It?s time to cut spending here in Washington."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/ron-johnson-john-boehner_n_2762693.html

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Divas fight malaria in Rwanda with Nothing But Nets

WWE Divas Alicia Fox and Natalya will visit refugee camps in Rwanda this week as part of their alliance with the United Nations Foundation?s Nothing But Nets campaign to help raise awareness and funds to fight malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. WWE?s Divas will help distribute life-saving bed nets to help protect refugee families, who are fleeing conflict in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, from malaria. They will also meet with officials from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNCHR) to learn about the humanitarian situation there.

?Refugees already face unimaginable hardships,? said Chris Helfrich, Director of Nothing But Nets. ?A simple bed net can stop mothers and children from worrying about a deadly mosquito bite. We?re proud to show the WWE Divas?and WWE fans everywhere?how malaria prevention tools like bed nets keep families safe. With more than 140 million social media fans, WWE and its Divas have an incredible opportunity to spread the buzz about stopping malaria.?

Nothing But Nets has partnered with UNHCR since 2008, working together to provide vulnerable refugee families fleeing conflict or natural disasters with insecticide-treated mosquito nets that can keep them safe from malaria. The partners have provided more than 1 million bed nets to refugees living in camps across Africa; as a result, malaria dropped from the leading killer of refugees to the number five cause of death.

?WWE is proud to partner with Nothing But Nets to raise awareness and funds to protect families from deadly malaria,? said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Executive Vice President, Creative. ?Through our partnership, WWE will continue to reach out to our passionate fan base to spread the message about preventing this disease. It is our hope that when WWE fans learn that a child dies from malaria every 60 seconds, they will be inspired to send a net and save a life.? WWE aims to send 20,000 bed nets to refugees.

The trip is part of Nothing But Nets? alliance with WWE, announced at the 2012 Social Good Summit. There, UN Foundation Resident Entrepreneur Elizabeth Gore appeared with McMahon and WWE Divas Layla and Alicia Fox, who urged their fans to support Nothing But Nets online and offline.

Since 2006, Nothing But Nets has raised more than $45 million from hundreds of thousands of grassroots supporters, and sent more than 7 million bed nets to families across Africa. Anyone?from students to CEOs?can help protect families in Africa from malaria. To learn more and to donate, visit NothingButNets.net.

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Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/nothing-but-nets-divas-announcement

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Janet Jackson Is Married to Wissam Al Mana! - UsMagazine.com

Janet Jackson is a master of deception! The "Rhythm Nation" singer, 46, denied reports she recently wed Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana, 37 -- because according to Jackson, they've been secretly married for months.

"The rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year we were married in a quiet, private and beautiful ceremony," the couple told Entertainment Tonight in a statement on Monday, Feb. 25. "Our wedding gifts to one another were contributions to our respective favorite children's charities. We would appreciate that our privacy is respected and that we are allowed this time for celebration and joy."

PHOTOS: Stars and their soulmates

Us Weekly broke the news of the pair's engagement in December 2012. Jackson hasn't worn her ring publicly, a source explained, because "she's afraid it will get lost, so she keeps it locked up!"

PHOTOS: Hollywood's biggest engagement rings

This is the third marriage for Jackson, who split from longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri in 2009. She was previously wed to James DeBarge and Rene Elizondo. Similarly, Jackson attempted to keep those relationships hidden from the public.

PHOTOS: Michael Jackson's musical legacy

A Jackson source recently revealed the multiplatinum star is eager to start a family with Al Mana, whom she began dating in the summer of 2010. "She wants kids," the source told Us. "If she can't have them, she will adopt."

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/janet-jackson-is-married-to-wissam-al-mana-2013252

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Top NFL draft prospect from Utah has heart ailment

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Top draft prospect Star Lotulelei will undergo more extensive heart tests when he returns to Utah.

Doctors at the NFL's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis found the star defensive tackle and likely high pick has a heart condition, Lotulelei's agent, Bruce Tollner, confirmed in a series of emails with The Associated Press on Monday.

Tollner said Lotulelei would not take questions regarding the diagnosis yet. But the 6-foot-2, 311-pound defensive tackle still plans to do a full workout in front of scouts at his regularly scheduled Pro Day on March 20. The Tonga native was scheduled to fly to Utah on Monday night, Tollner said.

ESPN first reported Lotulelei has a left ventricle that is not operating at maximum capacity.

Lotulelei's professional future could depend heavily on what doctors find.

The Utah standout is considered one of the best prospects in this year's draft. He is trying to join Alex Smith as the only players from the University of Utah to go No. 1 overall; San Francisco took Smith with the top pick in 2005.

"You're going to have to get all kinds of second and third opinions," Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said.

When asked whether the Cardinals would remove Lotulelei from their draft board if those doctors confirmed the diagnosis, Arians said: "That's exactly what would happen."

Uncovering information like this is the reason the combine actually began in the late 1980s. Coaches and general managers have said for years that medical checks are a crucial component of the combine, perhaps the most important data they get all week so they can make informed decisions on draft weekend.

"The No. 1 reason that this started was for medical reasons, and you bring everybody here and have a chance to look at 300-plus guys, X-rays, MRIs, and get your hands on those guys," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Thursday. "Each step along the way it added a little bit more, whether it was physical testing, or mental testing, or interview process. Nothing stands alone. You're not going to draft a guy based on a 15-minute interview at the combine, or based on one attempt at a broad jump at the combine. It's all just part of the big picture."

This is not the first time a big-name player has been diagnosed with an illness or injury at the combine.

In 2009, doctors found a small stress fracture in the left foot of receiver Michael Crabtree. Crabtree was still chosen No. 10 overall by San Francisco and had a breakout season in 2012.

It's also not unusual for doctors to send players with medical questions from Lucas Oil Stadium, where the combine is held, to a nearby hospital for more extensive examination. The shuttles certainly have been full this week.

Among those hoping to prove they will be healthy enough to play this season are running back Marcus Lattimore, trying to return from last fall's gruesome knee injury, and top-rated cornerback Dee Milliner, who said he will undergo surgery next month for a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

The NFL future of three players ? defensive lineman Walter Stewart, linebacker Jarvis Jones and defensive back D.J. Hayden ? will depend heavily on what doctors tell teams. Stewart and Jones were both diagnosed with congenital spinal conditions and were told to give up football. Both were later cleared to return to the sport. Hayden said he tore the main artery to his heart in a practice collision in November.

But teams already knew about those conditions before coming to the combine. Lotulelei's situation came as a major surprise.

Arians said he was "shocked" that the problem had not been detected before now.

Finding a potential ailment in a player with aspirations of going No. 1 is certainly not the norm, though it is not unprecedented. In 2011, defensive end Da'Quan Bowers came to the combine projected to go No. 1, but during a medical recheck, doctors found signs of potential long-term arthritis and some weakness in his surgically repaired right knee. Bowers wound up sliding out of the first round and wasn't selected until No. 51 overall by Tampa Bay.

This time, though, it's different.

"We're talking about a heart," Arians said. "That's huge. We're not talking about a knee or a shoulder."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/top-nfl-draft-prospect-utah-heart-ailment-170622480--nfl.html

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET

Two in a row, that was a good run, but it's over as once again we are off our regularly scheduled time for the Engadget HD podcast. Hopefully this later time still works for you, as we don't know how we can go on recording without you at at 8:30PM tonight. If it does still work for you go ahead and get ready by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then you'll be ready to participate in the live chat.

Filed under: HD

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/join-the-engadget-hd-podcast-live-on-ustream-at-8-30pm-et/

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Novatel MiFi 2 interface and housing refresh hands-on

With Bell Canada's announcement yesterday of MiFi 2's imminent launch in the great white north comes an update from Novatel for both the device's skin and radio. While we couldn't get any pictures of the updates to support LTE in Canada, we did capture a good pile of the tweaked housing and the skin updates in the touch UI. Physically the device remains exactly the same as far as its dimensions are concerned, though the metal trim has lightened up a wee bit and battery life is still a monstrous 11 hours or so on LTE. Launch price and an exact date aren't available yet form Bell but we expect those any time soon.

Gallery: Novatel MiFi2 hands-on

Terrence O'Brien contributed to this report

Filed under: Wireless, Internet

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/novatel-mifi-2-interface-refresh-hands-on/

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Liquipel announces new licensees, will offer their water resistant coating worldwide

Liquipel kicks off their presence at Mobile World Congress 2013 with the announcement that they have expanded things, and with new licensees they will be able to offer their water-resistance services around the world. New license holders in Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Namibia and South Africa will expand the use of the Liquipel in 2013.

Liquipel is one of those cool things that just hasn't caught on in a big way yet. It's a hydrophobic nano-coating that is applied to your phone or tablet that makes water less cohesive. As you see in the video, this means your stuff can stand a bit of liquid thrown at it, or possibly even a bit of a dunk. It's billed as water resistant, and comes in several tiers. The basic protection would cost about $60 US for a Galaxy Nexus, and that protects against splashes and accidental spills. You box up your phone, send it to Liquipel, and they return it coated with the technology. 

As you can tell, that's why it is important to have as many licensees as possible to perform the coating. If you're interested in what Liquipel has to offer, visit their website at www.liquipel.com for more information. The full press release is after the break.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/LTYZZpgRaZY/story01.htm

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Italians head to polls in crucial vote for Europe

Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images

Supporters cheer comedian-turned-political agitator, Beppe Grillo, as he arrives for his final rally in Rome's Piazza San Giovanni on Friday. Italians are fed up, and no one is tapping that emotional vein better than comic-turned-political agitator Grillo and his anti-establishment 5 Star Movement.

By Catherine Hornby, Reuters

?
ROME - Italians began voting on Sunday in one of the most closely watched elections in years, with markets nervous about whether it will produce a strong government to pull Italy out of recession and help resolve the euro zone debt crisis.?

A huge final rally by anti-establishment-comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo on Friday before a campaigning ban kicked in has highlighted public anger at traditional parties and added to uncertainty about the election outcome.?

Voters started casting their ballots at 7 a.m. (1 a.m. ET). Polling booths will remain open until 9 p.m. (4 p.m. ET) on Sunday and between?6 a.m. and 2 p.m.?(midnight and 10 a.m. ET) on Monday. Exit polls will come out soon after voting ends and official results are expected by early Tuesday.?

Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images

Comedian-turned-political agitator, Beppe Grillo, speaks during his final rally in Rome's Piazza San Giovanni on Friday.

The election is being followed closely by financial markets with memories still fresh of the potentially catastrophic debt crisis that brought technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti to power more than a year ago.?

Italy, the euro zone's third-largest economy, is stuck in deep recession, struggling under a public debt burden second only to Greece's in the 17-member currency bloc and with a public weary of more than a year of harsh austerity policies.?

Economic austerity has fueled anger among Italians grappling with rising unemployment and shrinking disposable incomes, encouraging many to turn to Grillo, who has tapped into a national mood of disenchantment.?

Final polls published two weeks ago showed center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani with a 5-point lead, but analysts disagree about whether he will be able to form a stable majority that can push though the economic reforms Italy needs.?

Bersani is now thought to be just a few points ahead of center-right rival Silvio Berlusconi, the four-times prime minister who has promised tax refunds and staged a media blitz in an attempt to win back voters.?

Berlusconi criticism?
Berlusconi hogged the headlines on Sunday after he broke the campaign silence the previous evening attack magistrates, saying they were "more dangerous than the Sicilian mafia" and had invented allegations he held sex parties to discredit him.?

The 76-year-old billionaire, who faces several trials on charges ranging from fraud to sex with an underage prostitute, was criticized by his election rivals for making the comments after the campaigning ban had come into force.?

Ciro De Luca / Reuters

Silvio Berlusconi, leader of People of Freedom party, appears on a screen during his political rally in Naples Friday.

While the center left is still expected to gain control of the lower house, thanks to rules that guarantee a strong majority to whichever party wins the most votes nationally, a much closer battle will be fought in the Senate, which any government also needs to control to be able to pass laws.?

Seats in the upper house are awarded on a region-by-region basis, meaning that support in key regions can decisively influence the overall result.?

Pollsters still believe the most likely outcome is a center-left government headed by Bersani and possibly backed by Monti, who is leading a centrist coalition.?

But strong campaigning by Berlusconi and the fiery Grillo, who has drawn tens of thousands to his election rallies, have thrown the election wide open, causing concern that there may be no clear winner.?

Surveys have shown up to 5 million voters are expected to make up their minds at the last minute, adding to uncertainty.?

Italy's Interior Ministry urged some 47 million eligible voters to not let bad weather forecasts put them off, and said it was prepared to handle snowy conditions in some northern regions to ensure everyone had a chance to vote.?

Related:?

Polls: Cigar-chomping former communist will be Italy's next leader

Pope's resignation could thwart Berlusconi comeback

Italy's comeback kid Berlusconi defends Mussolini

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/24/17073574-fed-up-italians-head-to-polls-in-crucial-vote-for-europe?lite

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Earnhardt tops final practice for Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? Quiet most of Speedweeks, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a little noise Saturday.

Earnhardt topped the speed chart for the final practice session before Sunday's season-opening Daytona 500.

The 2004 Daytona 500 champion turned the fast lap by averaging 198.592 mph around the 2? -mile superspeedway. David Gilliland was second, followed by Clint Bowyer, Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola.

Pole-sitter Danica Patrick and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Tony Stewart were among 10 drivers who skipped the 1? -hour final tuneup. Patrick is trying to become the first driver win the Daytona 500 from the pole since Dale Jarrett in 2000. Only nine drivers have accomplished the feat in 54 years.

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon, 2010 Daytona 500 champ Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Terry Labonte and Joe Nemechek also sat out the session. So did Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth.

"We don't have any plans to go out," Gordon said. "We feel like this entire week we have been able to learn everything we need to get prepared for the race tomorrow. ... We've got a great race car. We are excited. We've got a great opportunity here."

Before Saturday, Earnhardt had done little during Speedweeks. He finished eighth in the Sprint Unlimited and ninth in his qualifying race. He will start 19th in the "Great American Race," his lowest opening spot in 14 years at NASCAR's premier event.

His speed in the final practice had to boost the team's confidence.

Almirola, however, posted the best 10-lap average. He averaged 196.195 mph over 10 laps on new tires. Earnhardt was sixth on that chart.

"We are excited about this weekend and feel like we have a good car and got it driving good in that last practice session," Almirola said.

The final session involved little bump-drafting and even less side-by-side action ? no doubt because teams were leery of wrecking race cars about 24 hours before the Daytona 500.

Defending Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski provided the most action when he hit a bird.

"I killed a Tweetie bird," said Keselowski, one of auto racing's top Tweeters.

Keselowski was 17th in the final practice.

"This is our 500 engine, so trying to get an idea of how it's going to perform," he said. "My car is really good. Definitely faster than what it was, so that's good, right? I'm definitely optimistic."

Of the teams that didn't practice, most of them valued keeping their car intact over incremental gains that could be found so late in Speedweeks.

Patrick, Stewart, Gordon and the Gibbs cars have been some of the fastest all week.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/earnhardt-tops-final-practice-daytona-500-175130887--spt.html

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AdvSecret.com Stay Ahead Of The Game With These Internet ...

By Robert Strong

Just about any business can really thrive if it is properly marketed. If you follow the tips below you will be able to market your business in a way that is fruitful. Knowing the right way to handle internet marketing is the key to a successful business when working online.

Change your content or headlines to find out what attracts more people. Most visitors might not be attracted by something that sound too good to be true, even if you thought this headline presented your product under a better light. Find out what works best and develop your strategies around this.

You should be using some sort of analytic tracking. If you are not sure where your customers are coming from, you won?t be targeting the right audience in future marketing pushes. Use of this kind of tracking will give you much needed geographical information and usage patterns while customers are on your site.

Distraction is the worst enemy of a good internet marketing site. If you are going to get your customer?s attention, you are going to have to do it very fast. Your descriptions and other website content have to be incredibly focused, appealing and concise. If you do this you will capture your audiences attention.

Keep track of unused ideas for your web site and revisit them periodically to see if they might be more workable. Just because something didn?t seem like a good idea six months or a year ago, doesn?t mean that it still won?t work. Things are always changing, and you need to keep up with them.

While using Twitter during an internet marketing campaign, do not use your company logo or a gimmicky avatar. Stay away from cartoon avatars as well. Try changing the avatar to a picture of a human being, that human can be yourself or someone else in your company. This may increase your chances of getting more followers.

Make sure to implement search engine optimization on whatever platform you are using to get the most out of your internet marketing experience. Remember that it will take your blog posts longer to get indexed if you aren?t getting organic traffic from your optimized website, so it?s something you should try to do early on in the process.

Communicate with your fans as often as possible through your site and different media outlets, such as MySpace and Facebook. Ask them exactly what they would like for you to do better and the products that they enjoy. This feedback could be used to innovate your product and is a useful tool for customer satisfaction.

Are your bookshelves groaning for relief? You can sell the books you no longer need on the internet. Choose two marketplaces: sell your cheaper books on the one with a lower commission, your more expensive books on the marketplace with a higher commission?but which has more customers and quicker turnover.

Ask others what they?re doing. Sometimes the competition isn?t direct competition. Ask anyone who is marketing on the internet how business is, what kinds of methods are working for them and what isn?t working. Many times they will share information because they realize that one day they?ll have a question too.

You should hire a professional to help you properly market your business. There are people who are highly trained in marketing. They will know every trick of the trade and be able to direct you toward the steps that you should take to generate the most traffic that you possibly can.

Don?t expect to see results immediately. It can take some time for results to start appearing when you try a new internet marketing method, so be patient and focus on other things. This way, you won?t stress out whether it will work out or not; if you do see results quickly, it will be a pleasant surprise.

If you properly market your Internet business you should be able to see outstanding traffic and a boom in your profit margin. Using the tips that have been provided is a great way for you to be sure that you are marketing your business in the best possible way that you can.

Find Out More On Robert Strong website to see more about this topic Click Here And ask for his ebook

---

Source: http://www.advsecret.com/stay-ahead-of-the-game-with-these-internet-marketing-tips/

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Hyderabad Mayor calls bomb blasts an ???act of cowardice???

Hyderabad: Condemning the twin bomb blasts at Dilsukhnagar here Thursday evening, Hyderabad Mayor Md Majid Hussain said it was an "act of cowardice".

"Whoever has done this...It is a cowardly act. I strongly condemn it," he told reporters after visiting the scene of the blasts in which 11 people were killed.

The mayor said it was time for everyone to stand united and fight such cowardly acts. "This is a moment of deep grief and I extend my sympathy to the bereaved families," he added.

Meanwhile, some locals who were present at the scene raised slogans against the Mayor and his party Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.

BJP state president G Kishan Reddy, who reached the spot later, said communal harmony should prevail.

"Our immediate concern is to see that the injured persons get better treatment. We want communal harmony to prevail," Kishan said.

PTI

First Published: Friday, February 22, 2013, 00:05

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/hyderabad-mayor-calls-bomb-blasts-an-act-of-cowardice_830709.html

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Tim Tebow Cancels: New York Jets' Quarterback Pulls Out Of Scheduled Appearance At First Baptist Dallas Church

Travelers Today | By Antranig Dereyan

Updated: Feb 21, 2013 03:05 PM EST

With all of the negative publicity it was generating for him, it was no shocker that New York Jets' quarterback canceled his schedule appearance at the First Baptist Dallas church in April.

On Thursday, he tweeted that he would no longer honor the commitment. He didn't specifically say why he was canceling, but alluded to the controversy surrounding his appearance:

"While I was looking forward to sharing a message of hope and Christ's unconditional love with the faithful members of the historic First Baptist Church of Dallas in April, due to new information that has been brought to my attention, I have decided to cancel my upcoming appearance. I will continue to use the platform God has blessed me with to bring Faith, Hope and Love to all those needing a brighter day. Thank you for all of your love and support. God Bless!"

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First Baptist Church responded to Tebow's cancellation in a statement.

"Mr. Tebow called Dr. Jeffress Wednesday evening saying that for personal and professional reasons he needed to avoid controversy at this time, but would like to come to First Baptist Dallas to speak at a future date," the statement read, as reported by USA Today.

The adverse reaction towards Tebow speaking at the church had little to do with Tebow or his religious views, it had everything to do with Jeffress and his expressed beliefs.

Jeffress has made news for his critiques of other religions and lifestyles. The pastor said Muslims practice a religion that came from the depths of hell and "promote pedophilia." In his eyes, Mormonism is a cult that should have disqualified Mitt Romney from the 2012 election, stated USA Today

The pastor's also very much against homosexuality. "[It] is perverse, it represents a degradation of a person's mind," Jeffress has said, reported USA Today.

"As a Christian pastor, Dr. Jeffress takes a biblical approach to moral and social issues, closely following his duty to preach 'the whole counsel of God,' and not just address issues that are politically correct," First Baptist's statement said, according to USA Today.

Some of those pundits in the sports world who lashed out at Tebow for planning to do this was WFAN's Craig Carton (a man of jewish decent), on the "Boomer and Carton" show.

When speaking to one of his guests about what the guest would ask Tebow in a interview, the controversial and out-spoken Carton intervened and said.

"Why don't you ask him why do you hate the jews?"?

Though the comments were taken as a joke, what Carton said could have triggered a warning sign in Tebow's mind about what type of criticism would come or what people would perceive about him and his inner feelings, if he decided to go through with the appearance.?

Once news of his cancelation was spread throughout the sporting and non-sporting world, the main issue people had:?

Why didn't he go further and issued a strong statement against the pastor's convictions?

Only answer--it is not the Tebow way.?

Realated Stories:

Tim Tebow Anti-Gay Church: New York Jets' Quarterback Schedule to Speak During Sunday Worship At First Baptist Dallas

Tim Tebow: Arizona Cardinals and Jacksonville Jaguars Are Only Two Teams That Could Use Him Next Season

Tim Tebow Rumors: Tebow Could be Heading to Chicago Bears

Tim Tebow Trade Rumor Update: Jets Say No to Freeing Tebow

Source: http://www.travelerstoday.com/articles/4931/20130221/tim-tebow-cancels-new-york-jets-quarterback.htm

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SALE SALE SALE Shaded Blue cotton ball lantern string light patio garland deco room bedroom wedding patio party Beach balcony by cottonlight

SALE SALE SALE
Until end of this month
__________________

The product is hand made from our store in thailand. the item is made to order day by day so you will always get the new product from us.

condition: brand new and ready to use

material : the ball is made of cotton and wrap together to ball shape.

size : 6 cm diameter and the size is similar to tennis ball.

what is the item for : home decoration, party decoration, wedding decoration, bed room decoration.

what is in the package : 20 cotton balls with string light for 3 meters long.

- free converter plug that match your country plug
- the light will stay on and it will not flash.
- the bubble light can be replaced if it is not function by pull the bubble light and replace new one.

recommend to use: for home decoration, wedding decoration, bed room light , party light and outdoor garden light .

We will provide you the right adapter plug for your home country plug.

Have any questions? Contact the shop owner.

Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/95171666/sale-sale-sale-shaded-blue-cotton-ball

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Integrated Digital Marketing: The Basics | Social Media Today

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

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/fionuh/1245316/integrated-digital-marketing-basics

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Now Open: Just Salad | Park Slope Stoop

After what has seemed like a very long wait,?Just Salad has finally opened its doors! I stopped by the salad bar this morning to check it out, and, being a Just Salad newbie, I was given a tour of the process.

When you get to the bar, you can choose from one of their many chef-designed salads ($6.99-9.75), or you can craft your own ($6.99). For the custom salads, you get a choice at every step along the way, from the greens (mesclun, romaine, arugula, spinach, kale, iceberg, and red cabbage) to to the toppings (four ?essential? toppings come for free, including a wide range of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and more) to the dressings. Any salad can also be made as a wrap.

I decided to leave it to the pros, and ordered The California ($8.25) from the pre-designed menu. Once the ingredients are in the bowl (in my case: iceberg, grilled chicken, avocado, egg whites, tomatoes, and toasted almonds), one of the employees will chop and toss it up right in front of you, adding the dressing until you ?say when.? It?s pretty fun to watch.

And the result is delicious! The ingredients are fresh and flavorful, and the portions are generous. (I brought half of mine home.)

The eatery also offers a ?Culture Bar? which serves fresh smoothies ($4.95) and yogurt ($3.45), as well as a quick ?Grab N? Go? station by the register, with Chobani yogurts, chips, cookies, and drinks. They?ll be running monthly specials; February?s is 99-cent energy drinks.

The owner stressed the fact that today is a soft opening and that they?re ?still working out the kinks,? but if there are any kinks, they are well-hidden. Service was remarkably friendly and efficient, and the salad was fantastic. I?m looking forward to making it a regular lunch spot.

Though they are officially open now, the grand opening will be this Saturday, February 23. Make sure to stop by for some giveaways and promotions (like two-for-one salads if you bring a friend)?and?a photo booth. Make a salad and then take a picture with it! New Facebook profile picture. It?ll be great.

252 Seventh Avenue between 4th & 5th Streets, open Monday-Sunday 11:00 am-10:00 pm, (212) 244-1111

Source: http://parkslopestoop.com/blog/food/now-open-just-salad

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Young malaria parasites refuse to take their medicine, may explain emerging drug resistance

Young malaria parasites refuse to take their medicine, may explain emerging drug resistance

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

New research has revealed that immature malaria parasites are more resistant to treatment with key antimalarial drugs than older parasites, a finding that could lead to more effective treatments for a disease that kills one person every minute and is developing resistance to drugs at an alarming rate.

University of Melbourne researchers have shown for the first time that malaria parasites (Plasmodium falciparum)in the early stages of development are more than 100 times less sensitive to artemisinin-based drugs, which currently represent a last line of defense against malaria.

The study was conducted by a team led by Professor Leann Tilley and Dr Nectarios (Nick) Klonis from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Bio21 Institute, and is published in the journal PNAS.

The drug artemisinin (ART) saves millions of lives each year but it is still not clear exactly how it works. Professor Tilley's team developed a novel approach to examine how the parasite responds to drugs under the conditions it encounters in the body. This is important because the malaria parasite takes two days to reach maturity in each cycle but the drug only remains in the bloodstream for a few hours.

"We were surprised to find that juvenile parasites were up to 100 times less sensitive to the drug than mature parasites, and that in some strains the juvenile parasites showed a particularly high degree of resistance. This would result in a large number of juvenile parasites surviving against clinical treatment and helps explain how resistance to drugs develops," Professor Tilley said.

In order to survive in the human body, the parasite must inhabit red blood cells for part of its life cycle, to do this it first digests the cell contents including the haemoglobin protein which carries oxygen in blood.

"We found that the parasite is most susceptible to drug treatment when it is digesting haemoglobin, suggesting that a breakdown product, possibly the haemoglobin pigment, is activating ART to unleash its killing properties," Dr Klonis said.

The possibility of lower drug sensitivity of juvenile parasites was first suspected when the team studied the parasite's digestive system using a revolutionary 3D imaging technique called electron tomography at the Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne. This initial work was supported by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science.

"In juvenile stages the parasite's digestive system is not yet active, which explains how this stage can avoid the effects of the drug," Professor Tilley said.

"We hope that our findings will provide a guide for changing the timing of the drug treatment regime and developing longer lasting drugs, thereby killing more of the parasites and reducing the development of drug resistance."

The next steps for the team are to try and establish why certain strains are more resistant to ART drug attack than others.

"With the current political will in malaria-affected countries to combat the disease, and funding for implementation of anti-malarial strategies available from the NHMRC, Gates Foundation and other donors, the basic research being done in Australia will be quickly translated into lives saved in the field," added Professor Tilley.

###

University of Melbourne: http://www.unimelb.edu.au

Thanks to University of Melbourne for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 2 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126878/Young_malaria_parasites_refuse_to_take_their_medicine__may_explain_emerging_drug_resistance

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DirecTV 4Q earnings, revenue beat expectations

NEW YORK (AP) ? DirecTV, the country's largest provider of satellite TV services, beat Wall Street estimates for the fourth quarter, propelled by business operations as well as asset sales and one-time tax benefits.

The company on Thursday posted earnings of $942 million, or $1.55 per share, for the October to December period. That's up 31 percent from $718 million, or $1.02 in the same period last year, with revenue growing faster than costs.

Earnings per share rose 52 percent from a year ago, partly because the company has been buying back its own stock.

Analysts polled by FactSet on average expected earnings of $1.13 cents per share. Analyst Jason Bazinet at Citigroup said one-time tax effects and the sale of a stake in the Game Show Network were part of the reason DirecTV beat the Wall Street forecast by such a wide margin. Excluding those items, he put DirecTV's earnings at $1.31, still well above the average analyst estimate.

Revenue was $8.05 billion, up 8 percent from a year ago. The company's growth rate is slowing down, as most U.S. households interested in switching from cable to satellite have already done so.

Analysts estimated slightly lower revenue of $8.03 billion.

Shares rose 86 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $52.53 in morning trading as the broader market retreated. The shares are close to the all-time high of $55.17, reached in September.

The El Segundo, Calif., company added 103,000 U.S. subscribers in the quarter, below the 125,000 it added in a year ago. It ended the year with more than 20 million subscribers for the first time, maintaining its position as the second-largest provider of pay-TV signals to U.S. households, after Comcast Corp.

DirecTV's Sky Brasil and PanAmericana added 658,000 subscribers, up from 590,000 a year ago. DirecTV now has 10.3 million subscribers in Latin America. Sky Mexico, of which it owns 41 percent, has another 5.2 million.

Latin American subscribers pay less than those in the U.S. DirecTV gets 78 percent of its revenue from U.S. operations.

For the full year, DirecTV earned $2.95 billion, or $4.58 per share, on revenue of $29.7 billion. That was up from net income of $2.6 billion, or $3.47 per share, on revenue of $27.2 billion. It lost U.S. subscribers for the first time in the second quarter, making for a total net gain of 199,000 subscribers during the year ? a third of what it gained in 2011 and 2010.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-14-US-Earns-DirecTV/id-abe6b29543a647e68ebb1ff2ea60fffe

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Cyber Attacks Against Journalists Are On The Rise, Says Advocacy Group

More journalists are now the target of cyber attacks, said the Committee to Protect Journalists. CPJ deputy director Robert Mahoney said cyber attacks on individuals and news organizations have increased notably over the past few years and that the practice serves as easy and inexpensive censorship. In a press conference with reporters, Mahoney cited the recent attacks on The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal by Chinese hackers, but said other news organizations and journalists in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and other regions had also been subjected to cyberattacks.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/DhfXeBFEpY0/

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Meteorite hits central Russia, 400 hurt

YEKATERINBURG/CHELYABINSK, Russia (Reuters) - About 400 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky in central Russia on Friday sending fireballs crashing to Earth, smashing windows and setting off car alarms.

Residents on their way to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave, according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow.

The meteorite raced across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away in Yekaterinburg. Car alarms went off, windows shattered and mobile phones worked only intermittently.

Chelyabinsk city authorities said about 400 people sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass.

"I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it was day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains.

"I felt like I was blinded by headlights," he said.

No fatalities were reported but President Vladimir Putin, who was due to host Finance Ministry officials from the Group of 20 nations in Moscow, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev were informed.

A local ministry official said the meteor shower may have been connected with an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool that was due to pass Earth at a distance of 27,520 km (17,100 miles) but this could not be confirmed.

Windows were shattered on Chelyabinsk's central Lenin Street and some of the frames of shop fronts buckled.

A loud noise, resembling an explosion, rang out at around 9.20 a.m. (0520 GMT). The shockwave could be felt in apartment buildings in the industrial city's centre.

"I was standing at a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend," said Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name. "Then there was a flash and I saw a trail of smoke across the sky and felt a shockwave that smashed windows."

A wall was damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant but there was no environmental threat, a plant spokeswoman said.

Such incidents are rare. A meteorite is thought to have devastated an area of more than 2,000 sq km (1,250 miles) in Siberia in 1908, smashing windows as far as 200 km (125 miles) from the point of impact.

The Emergencies Ministry described Friday's events as a "meteor shower in the form of fireballs" and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic.

Chelyabinsk city authorities urged people to stay indoors unless they needed to pick up their children from schools and kindergartens. They said a blast had been heard at an altitude of 10,000 meters (32,800 feet), apparently signaling it occurred when the meteorite entered Earth's atmosphere.

The U.S. space agency NASA has said an asteroid known as 2012 DA14, about 46 meters in diameter, would have an encounter with Earth closer than any asteroid since scientists began routinely monitoring them about 15 years ago.

Television, weather and communications satellites fly about 500 miles higher. The moon is 14 times farther away.

(Writing by Alexei Anishchuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/possible-meteor-shower-reported-eastern-russia-052833588.html

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Brazil: local company has patent on iPhone brand

FILE - In this Tuesday Dec. 13, 2011, file photo, a customer uses a computer to access the Apple iTunes store at an Apple store in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Brazil's patent authority has taken a bite out of Apple with an announcement Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, of their official decision: the iPhone name in Brazil belongs to a local company called Gradiente SA, not to the global computer giant. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

FILE - In this Tuesday Dec. 13, 2011, file photo, a customer uses a computer to access the Apple iTunes store at an Apple store in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Brazil's patent authority has taken a bite out of Apple with an announcement Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, of their official decision: the iPhone name in Brazil belongs to a local company called Gradiente SA, not to the global computer giant. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? Brazil's patent authority has taken a bite out of Apple with an announcement Wednesday that the iPhone name in Brazil belongs to a local company called Gradiente SA, not to the global computer giant.

The official publication of the verdict doesn't forbid Apple from using the name in Brazil. It only makes it clear the rights belong to the Brazilian company, said Marcelo Chimento, spokesman with the national patent office.

Stopping misuse of the name is beyond the patent office's purview, and would have to be decided in court. Another option is for the two companies to reach an agreement, he said.

Apple's Brazil office said the company had no comment. Calls and emails to IGB Eletronica, Gradiente's parent company, were not immediately returned. The decision was issued on Ash Wednesday, which is observed as a holiday in Brazil.

Gradiente filed its request to use the iPhone brand in 2000, believing that "there would be a technological revolution in the world of cellphones, with the convergence of transmission and reception of voice and data via mobile Internet," it said in a press release.

The company was the first to make cellphones in Brazil, and launched the first national smartphone in 2004. Their request to use the iphone trademark was granted in 2008, and the company started making 'iphones' ? with a lowercase 'p' ? in December.

Their phones are entirely different from the Apple product. For starters, the Gradiente phones run on the Android operating system, developed by Apple rival Google Inc. They also have lower screen resolution, weigh more than the Apple phone, and sell for a fraction of the price.

The issue in Brazil is reminiscent of one that arose in the United States in 2007. Cisco Systems had owned the iPhone trademark since 2000, and had been using it for a line of Internet-connected phones.

Once Apple announced its intention to use the brand name, Cisco sued it in San Francisco federal court. The two companies settled out of court six weeks later, without disclosing the terms.

Brazil will likely see a similar solution, with Apple probably choosing to pay the Brazilian company for the right to use the iPhone brand in Latin America's largest country, a telecommunications analyst told the Associated Press in December.

This seems the best option for Apple, because it "doesn't want to stop selling its product in Brazil," Eduardo Tude, president of Brazilian telecommunications consultancy Teleco.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-13-Brazil-iPhone/id-76ffe5716096472f9338ea4871ae26f7

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