New Zeland police hunt giant killer great white shark

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand man was attacked and killed by a great white shark on Wednesday in a rare fatal shark incident in the country, prompting police to open fire.

Police said they fired shots at the shark after a man was fatally bitten at Muriwai beach located around 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Auckland, one of many beaches dotted along the North Island's west coast that are known for their wild surf.

Rescue crews were quoted by local media as saying the shark was a "white pointer", commonly known as a great white, measuring roughly 4 meters (13 feet) long. Witnesses said a rescue helicopter also fired shots at the shark.

"We saw the shark fin, and the next minute, boom, the attack came. There was blood everywhere on the water," eye witness Pio Mosie was quoted by local news website Stuff.co.nz as saying.

"They fired six or seven shots to the shark, three from the police helicopter and a few shots from the lifeguard. I don't know if they killed the shark or not," he added.

The head of the local volunteer lifeguard service was quoted as saying they had confirmed that "one or two" sharks were spotted, but none had been seen since the man's body was removed from the water.

Shark attacks are rare in New Zealand, where water sports and beach holidays are a rite of summer. More than 60 shark species are known to swim in the country's waters.

Fourteen fatal attacks have been reported since records began around 1837, according to the country's Department of Conservation, which added that non-fatal shark attacks average roughly two each year.

The last attack linked with a death was in 2009, when a kayaker was mauled by a great white in the nearby Coromandel Peninsula, although whether the victim drowned before the attack has been disputed.

According to the International Shark Attack File, 11 shark fatalities were reported last year, including three in Australia and South Africa, nearly tripling the average annual number of fatalities for 2001 to 2010.

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu, editing by Elaine Lies)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zealand-man-fatally-attacked-shark-police-open-fire-111439376.html

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Sony begins exploring Firefox OS, dares Xperia E owners to experiment with new ROM

Well, that didn't take long. A mere couple of days after announcing it, too, would be jumping on the Firefox OS bandwagon, Sony's now let it be known that it's making an "experimental" ROM available to devs (or any common, daring owner) with an Xperia E device. According the company's Developer World blog post, this developmental version of Mozilla's fresh mobile software is being released in order to show the current progress of the OS project, as well as in hopes of receiving feedback that'll be beneficial toward the finished product. Folks interested in tinkering with the Firefox OS ROM can hit the source link below to see what it all entails, while those only looking for a quick peek will find just that in the video situated right after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Comments

Via: The Verge

Source: Sony Developer World

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/27/sony-firefox-os-rom-xperia-e/

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Benedict XVI Not First Pope to Resign (Voice Of America)

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SUCCESS STORIES_3_WINNERS WINNERS & WINNERS

WINNERS WINNERS & WINNERS!!!!

We are proud to present the third season of success stories. This time we have got not only winners but also a super winner who thrashed all the records of IELTS training we had and won in flying?colours.?It is the collective effort of the trainer and the trainees which resulted in such a great victory.

*********PRESENTING SUPER WINNER********

Shiva Chaitanya, Hyderabad, India,?Band 8.5 General Training, February 2013,Subscribed for Pre-Pay writing and speaking ?Exceptional?Performance?Test=?Band 9 for speaking,contact email=meetchinnishiva@gmail.com
*********PRESENTING SUPER WINNER********

The other heroes who equally fought the battle and?achieve?their goals are

• Jawahar, Hyderabad, India,?Band 7 General Training, February 2013,Subscribed for Pre-Pay writing ?Exceptional?Performance?Test=?Band 7.5 for writing
• Chitranjan Singh, Delhi, India,?Band 7 General Training, March 2012,Subscribed for Pre-Pay writing ?Exceptional?Performance?Test=?Band 7 for writing,contact email=chetan1609@gmail.com
• Prashant Upadhyay, Delhi, India,?Band 7 General Training, Oct 2012,Subscribed for Pre-Pay writing,speaking ?Exceptional?Performance?Test=?Band 7 for writing,contact email=prashant_like@hotmail.com
• Jonathan Oyerinde, Canberra, Australia,?Band 6.5 Academics, May 2012,Subscribed for Post-Pay reading,listening,writing,speaking ?Exceptional?Performance?Test=?Band 7 for speaking,contact email=checkkunle@yahoo.com
• Manisha Digar, Hyderabad, India,?Band 7 General Training, May 2012, Subscribed for Pre-Pay writing.?Exceptional Performance Test=?Band 7 for writing,Contact Email=m.digar@gmail.com
• Muthukumaran S, Hyderabad, India,?Band 6.5 General Training, Aug 2012, Subscribed for Pre-Pay writing,speaking,listening and reading.?Exceptional Performance Test=?Band 6.5 for writing,Contact Email=muthums@gmail.com

• Abhilash Gowdara, Pune, India,?Band 7 Academics, Feb 2012,Subscribed for Pre-Pay writing and speaking. Exceptional?Performance?Test=?Band 8 for speaking,contact email=abhilash.brc@gmail.com
• RamKumar Viswanathan, Hyderabad, India,?Band 8 General Training, Feb 2012, Subscribed for Pre-Pay writing,speaking,listening and reading.?Exceptional Performance Test=?Band 9 for reading,Contact Email=?rkumar.cv@gmail.com
• Vishnu Prasad, California USA,?Band 8 General Training, Feb 2012, Subscribed to Pre-Pay writing,speaking,listening and reading.?Exceptional Performance Test=?Band 8.5 for speaking,Contact Email=vispras@yahoo.com.

Some of the trainees who have benefited with this?training?program have taken some time to give their opinion through our blog.These are available at the comments section of theTRAINING?webpage of this blog.But we are uploading in this page so that people interested in this?training?program may know about the authenticity of this?training.
**********************TESTIMONIALS********************************
Anonymous said...
My name is Yusuf.I am an international student in Malaysia.I had no idea as to how IELTS works for students even as I was given the manual and questions (on CDs) to work with.I sought for help through Google where I found this blog.And only had just 2 days left before my written test; of which the Listening,Reading and Writing took place the next day.Yet, I still made 6.5 band( and i needed 5.5).Thanks to Mr Raj's tips and drills online.?
Yusuf.

June 28, 2010 3:50 PM?

Govi said...
Hi, When I had to start the preparation for IELTS exam, I did not have any clue about the pattern. I had bitter experience with some coaching centers who just give model tests. Then, I found Raj's blog for IELTS preparation and enrolled for the online sessions. Just with 5 sessions, I got a band score of 7.5 (listening score of 8.5 and a score of 7 in all other modules).
Rather than the model tests, what a candidate needs to know is the strategy to be applied in every test. Raj's online training was no less than Bible for me. I followed the methods properly and managed to get a good score, more than required for my visa application. I thank Raj again for all the help.
Thanks
Govi

July 30, 2010 8:01 PM?

Jalil said...
Well,let me go by giving the biggest of kudos to Onlineieltshelp conducted by Raj.It really helped in my exams.I made 8 bands in listening,6.5 in speaking,6.0 in reading and writing.It's really amazing.I live and study in Malaysia and I took the ielts training online with Raj,which seems like a new style of experience to me that many other people lack.IELTS is not all about what you know and to what extent you know them,it's just all about some hidden skills and tactics which the examiner wants to see in you.Absolutely onlineieltshelp is the place to get the required skills and tips for ielts.
Again,I say a big thank you for your rendered assistance in my exams.

Regards
Jalil
October 10, 2010 12:33 AM?

Anonymous said...
Really, this training is well designed and more professional. I have learned many tips which made my exam very easy. I ever felt that I was taking online training. Raj training style is excellent.I am very thankful to him.

Regards
Damodharan
October 12, 2011 2:58 PM?

Anonymous said...
Hi,
I am Manisha. I recently started taking training from Raj. His training is well organized and professional. We can take training according to our convenience as it is online.
November 1, 2011 8:40 PM?

Anonymous said...
Hi, This is Vishnu. Since I am a working professional, I had no time for the classroom trainings, so I had to choose online training, which I thought would never help me without the normal interactions which we get in the classroom trainings. But, not oneday I felt that I am missing anything. He is a true professional with excellent commitment. Well designed courses and flexible timings. Nominal fees. Can we expect more than this ? I would recommend this blog for any aspiring IELTS takers. Way to go Raj !
December 10, 2011 4:56 AM?

Hi ! I'm Ram.I took IELTS from India on 18-Feb'12 and got an overall band score of 8.0.
My IELTS journey will not culminate until I share a few words about Mr.Vasant Raj's IELTS online training.Trust me,the overall experience was amazing & in my opinion,the following are some of the salient features of this traning:
1] Well structured and organized curriculum.
2] Proven and coherent strategies specifically for Speaking and Writing.Listening sessions & Reading strategies were equally good and useful.
3] Professionally conducted.
4] Does perfect analysis of individuals-plus and minus and helps to fill the gap wherever required.
Eg:Initially, I was a bit confused with the punctuation marks in Writing.Raj had provided me with special notes on that and moreover, he gave a whole session on it ,which ulimately made me error free in that matter.
There were many more areas where I really got value addition from his training and in addition to that,I used to get timely & constructive feedback from him which helped me to understand my grey areas and work on the same.
5] Timely evaluations and feedback of respective tests.?
6] Online,one click away.I can see him always logged into Skype..don't know how he manages that :P
7] Nevertheless to say,reasonably flexible.
All of these helped me to attain an overall band score of 8.0.Thanks to Raj !!
I'm really delighted to know a person like him and I would like to recommend his trainings for all IELTS aspirants.

All the best Raj,May you have a lot of successful students?
like me :)
Will keep in touch...May God bless you.
Regards
Ram

I am Ravindranath from Bangalore,India. I was bit skeptical before I subscribed to the training, but later realized that how effective the online training has been. I do not have to travel all the way to any coaching institution moreover the training is conducted in flexible timing hours which was very useful for working professionals like me. Raj training was impeccable. I got constructive feedback about my pain points which has given me a lot of scope to improve. All the best Raj :)

Regards,
Ravindranath

Hi,
I am Nani from Hyderabad,India. I got to know about this training program through one of my friend. My pain point was writing. I am consistently scoring 6, 6.5 band in writing module from past two attempts.But after undergoing this training program, i scored 7.5 band in Writing. Very nice and constructive program which boosts your confidence. The best part of the program is the feedback which you get from the trainer Vasanth. Unlike others, trainer will suggest modifications to your own essay so that the same essay could be written as band 7 or band 8.

Regards,
Nani.
*************END OF TESTIMONIALS********************************

Keep on working guys for your required Band and for help and support, Onlineieltshelp team is here. Subscribe to our training and also share a word about us.

• Founder and Trainer - Vasanthraj A[Raj], B.Tech. MBA
• Trainee Relationship Manager -Resmy R, B.Tech
• Software Consultant - Sarathraj A, MCA
• Financial Advisor - M K Ayyappan Nair, LLB
• Strength and Support - All trainees and well-wishers

We are reachable now through phone at?

• 1-403-370-1005[Canada][Inquiries about the training,session allocation]
• 1-403-455-5007[Canada][Inquiries about the training,session allocation]
• 1-732-379-1233[US][Feedback and other issues]
• 91-9656041143[India][General inquiry about payment]

Also we are reachable through email at

• raj.vasanth@gmail.com [INQUIRIES?ABOUT TRAINING PROGRAM]
• tomy_nice2000@yahoo.com [FEEDBACK AND OTHER ISSUES]
• raj_vasanth-Skype [TRAINING ONLY]
• vicky_intl@hotmail.com [TRAINING ONLY]

Thanks

Onlineieltshelp team

Source: http://onlineieltshelp.blogspot.com/2013/02/success-stories3winners-winners-winners.html

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20 NYC schools starting Software Engineering Pilot program next year

Back in our day, software engineering training in junior high and high school meant a couple of Apple IIs and a game of Snake on our graphing calculators (if we were lucky). These days, it's becoming something of a necessity for students, and New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is looking to get out in front of the curve, with the launch of the city's new Software Engineering Pilot program, a curriculum set to kick off at the beginning of the next school year. The program, which will serve 1,000 students (that number jumping to 3,500 in 2016), was designed to help kids prepare for higher education and jobs in the tech sector. We've got to admit, we're feeling a bit jealous of the list of topics, which includes not only things like programming and web design, but also embedded electronics, robotics, animation and 3D printing. The full list of schools can be found in the press release after the break.

Filed under: Software

Comments

Source: City of New York

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/aJRAXV2qmys/

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Gas price spikes don't leave lasting damage

John W. Schoen , NBC News ? ? ? 18 hrs.

The recent run-up in gasoline prices has some economists ? including Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke ? worried about the impact on consumer spending and the economy.

It?s a perennial concern. When gas prices spike, as they have done in the past few weeks, the extra money you pay at the pump forces you to cut spending on other things. That takes a bite out of overall consumer spending, which fuels roughly 70 percent of the U.S. economy. Slower spending means slower growth.

But the longer-term impact is not as great as some forecasters would have you believe. Here?s why:

Why is Chairman Bernanke soworried?

He?s concerned mostly because the economy isn?t growing as fast as it should be this far into an economic recovery. For reasons that most economists believe are temporary, the U.S. gross domestic product ground to a screeching halt in the last three months of last year. Bernanke and his Fed policy colleagues have been doing everything they can to get the economy moving ahead. But unemployment remains stubbornly high and near-zero interest rates don?t seem to be working.

In his Congressional testimony Tuesday on the state of the economy, Bernanke worried out loud that one reason for the slow growth is that higher gasoline prices ?are hitting family budgets.?

So how hard do budgets get hit by higher gas prices?

In the short term, gas price spikes can have an bigger impact than they should, largely because gasoline is one of the few commodity prices consumers track so closely. (Quick: how much does a loaf of bread cost at your local grocery store?)

An opinion poll conducted last week by the National Association of Convenience Stores found that 44 percent of consumers said that gas prices have a "great impact" in how they feel about the economy, up from the 38 percent who felt that way in January.

See? Bernanke?s right.

In the short-run, yes, a gas price spike can slow the economy ? a little. But over the long run, the impact is not all that great. To see why, we?re going to have to do a little math.

American drivers burn through about 350 million gallons of gasoline a day this time of year, at a cost of a little over $400 billion a year. Pump prices bottomed in December (as they usually do every year) at $3.32 a gallon and then shot up by 53 cents to an average of $3.85 a gallon nationwide, according to the latest Department of Energy figures. (We're using the data for all formulas, all grades.) This year, that seasonal rise has come earlier, and quicker, than usual.

If that increase held through the rest of the year, the hit to spending would be about a half percent of GDP. With an economy that?s only growing about 2 percent a year, that?s a fairly big number.

But that math doesn?t account of the savings consumers enjoy when gas prices fall. For the past three years, prices have bounced in a range between about $2.75 and $4.00 a gallon. The three-year average has been $3.43 a gallon. If you use that price as a starting point, the recent increase ? even if sustained for a full year ? would only knock about two-tenths of a percent from GDP.

Those numbers don?t look right. I?m paying a lot more than that at the pump, and it?s taking a big bite out of my paycheck.

Again, these are averages. For some people, the impact is much more severe. California drivers are paying $4.20 a gallon on average. If you live 30 miles from the nearest grocery store, you?re going to feel the impact of every extra penny a lot more than someone who commutes to work by subway.

Lower-income households feel the impact much more than those further up the income ladder. On average, roughly 5.5 percent of American household budgets go to pay for gasoline. But gasoline bills eat up a bigger portion of the weekly budget for those in the bottom quintile that for those at the top.

But gas prices hurt more than other price increases because I can?t cut back on driving.I have to get to work. What am I supposed to do?

You?re right. For most Americans, especially outside of major cities, gas price spikes are extremely painful because it?s very difficult to cut back in the short run. But over time, drivers can ? and do ? respond.

The long-term rise in gasoline prices over the past decade ? and the pain of sudden spikes ? is one of the biggest reasons that the consumption of gasoline has been falling since August 2007. Americans have been burning through about four percent less gasoline every year since then - even as the number of cars and trucks on the road continues to increase. Thanks to improvements in engine technology, higher-mileage government mandates and strong consumer demand for fuel-efficient cars and trucks, that trend is expected to continue.

Demand for those higher-mileage vehicles has, in turn, spurred a surge in consumer spending on new cars, a category has been an important source of strength for the U.S. recovery. That improvement in the overall mileage of the U.S. fleet has, in turn, helped offset the impact of gas price spikes.

Since bottoming in the first quarter of 2010, new car sales have zoomed ahead ? up nearly 60 percent to $103 billion in the final three months of 2012. About two-thirds of that money went to domestic car makers. Light truck sales have jumped 40 percent, to more than $140 billion for the latest quarter.

The boom in sales is coming partly because drivers deferred buying during the recession. But they?re also snapping up new models with better gas mileage that will continue to reduce consumption ? and blunt the economic impact of future gas price spikes.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/gas-price-spikes-dont-leave-lasting-economic-damage-1C8564099

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The Establishment's Obama Derangement Syndrome (talking-points-memo)

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

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Make Your Desktop Go On Forever with These Endless Pattern Wallpapers

Photos can make for a somewhat distracting desktop and solid colors get a little boring. Patterns, however, are the best of both worlds. Here are some of our favorite pattern-based wallpapers, many of which will repeat infinitely (for those of you with extra large and multiple monitors).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/yZY6Myfe6OE/

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Why Did You Get Married? | Black and Married With Kids.com - A ...

Money?

Some people choose their spouse according to the amount of money they earn. That person ranks financial security at the top of their list of desired qualities in a mate. The money person may feel as long as he or she has the money to live comfortably and buy the things they want, when they want, their goal has been achieved. He or she may feel financial security is better than love because love cannot pay bills. If marrying for money is the primary goal, that person may not care if their spouse spends the majority of the time at work to provide the lifestyle they wanted in the first place. What happens when that person loses their job and can no longer provide the plush lifestyle?

Children?

Some people marry because they are about to become parents or are already parents. They may feel that marrying the other parent is the honorable and correct thing to do. Some people feel the children should live with both parents even if the parents do not love each other. Sometimes the parents can be pressured from family or even the other parent to marry. Marrying for the children can cause undue stress in the household and may prevent the parents from finding and marrying someone they truly love. What happens if depression creeps in because of the burden of marrying for the kids?

Love?

Some people marry their spouse because they love them and want to build a life together. They may feel that as long as they love each other, all will be well. The mates that marry for love may feel that marriage is the next logical step in their relationship. Once married, the couple may want to start growing their family by having children, some may chose not to have any children at all. When someone marries for love, they may believe that their spouse is their soul mate and there is no one else they want to spend their life with. What happens when the love is no longer felt?

No matter what your reason for getting married, keep God first. If you want the marriage to work despite the circumstances, it is going to take prayer and commitment. To the one who married for money; the bible says that God gives the ability to obtain wealth, and that He will supply all of your needs according to His riches and glory. To the one who married for the kids; the bible says to keep your mind stayed on Jesus and He will keep you in perfect peace. To the one who married for love; the bible says not to get weary in your well doing, because in due season, you will obtain what you want if you don?t give up. The bible has many ?apps? for different issues you may face in your marriage. Do not give up and do not condemn yourself for your reasons for getting married. God is for marriage and no matter the circumstances surrounding it, remember with God all things are possible.

BMWK ? Money, kids, and love are only a few examples of reasons for getting married; what was yours?

About the author

Latoya Irving is a former Air Force brat who loves writing about
relationships, and family. She believes God should be the center of both.
She is married with two kids and currently live in Texas.

Source: http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/2013/02/why-did-you-get-married/

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Time to step in? U.S. weighs direct aid to Syrian rebels

PARIS (AP) ? The Obama administration, in coordination with some European allies, is for the first time considering supplying direct assistance to elements of the Free Syrian Army as they seek to ramp up pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and end nearly two years of brutal and increasingly deadly violence.

Officials in the United States and Europe said Tuesday the administration is nearing a decision on whether to provide non-lethal assistance to carefully vetted fighters opposed to the Assad regime in addition to what it is already supplying to the political opposition. A decision is expected by Thursday when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will attend an international conference on Syria in Rome that leaders of the opposition Syrian National Coalition have been persuaded to attend, the officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the shift in strategy has not yet been finalized and still needs to be coordinated with European nations, notably Britain. They are eager to vastly increase the size and scope of assistance for Assad's foes.

Kerry, who was a cautious proponent of supplying arms to the rebels while he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been consulting with European leaders on how to step up pressure on Assad to leave power. The effort has been as a major focus of his first official trip abroad as America's top diplomat. On the first two stops on his hectic nine-nation tour of Europe and the Middle East, in London and Berlin, he has sought to assure the Syrian opposition that more help is on the way.

In London on Monday, he made a public appeal to opposition coalition leader Mouaz al-Khatib not to boycott the Rome meeting as had been threatened and to attend the conference despite concerns among Assad foes that international community is not doing enough. Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden made private telephone calls to al-Khatib to make the same case.

"We are determined that the Syrian opposition is not going to be dangling in the wind, wondering where the support is, if it is coming," Kerry told reporters after meeting British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Hague said that the deteriorating conditions in Syria, especially recent scud missile attacks on the city of Aleppo, were unacceptable and that the West's current position could not be sustained while an "appalling injustice" is being done to Syrian citizens.

"In the face of such murder and threat of instability, our policy cannot stay static as the weeks go by," Hague told reporters, standing beside Kerry. "We must significantly increase support for the Syrian opposition. We are preparing to do just that."

The officials in Washington and European capitals said the British are pushing proposals to provide military training, body armor and other technical support to members of the Free Syrian Army who have been determined not to have links to extremists. The officials said, however, that the U.S. was not yet ready to consider such action although Washington would not object if the Europeans moved ahead with the plans.

The Obama administration has been deeply concerned about military equipment falling into the hands of radical Islamists who have become a significant factor in the Syrian conflict and could then use that materiel for terrorist attacks or strikes on Israel.

The Italian government, which is hosting Thursday's conference, said on Monday that the Europeans would use the meeting "to urge the United States' greater flexibility on measures in favor of the opposition to the Assad regime."

"They will be asking, in particular, that 'non-lethal' aid be extended to include technical assistance and training so as to consolidate the coalition's efforts in the light of what emerged at the latest meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council," the foreign ministry said in a statement. In a recent meeting, European Union foreign ministers agreed that support to the rebels needed to be boosted.

Officials in Washington said the United States was leaning toward providing tens of millions of dollars more in non-lethal assistance to the opposition, including vetted members of the Free Syrian Army who had not been receiving direct U.S. assistance. So far, assistance has been limited to funding for communications and other logistical equipment, a formalized liaison office and an invitation to al-Khatib to visit the United States in the coming weeks.

The officials stressed, however, that the administration did not envision American military training for the rebels nor U.S. provision of combat items such as body armor that the British are advocating.

The officials said the U.S. is also looking at stepping up its civilian technical assistance devoted to rule of law, civil society and good governance, in order to prepare an eventual transition government to run the country once Assad leaves.

In Europe, meanwhile, Kerry on Tuesday visited Berlin where he met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, for the first time in his new post, spending more than an hour discussing the Syria conflict. Russia has been a strong supporter of Assad and has, along with China, repeatedly blocked efforts at the United Nations to impose global sanctions against the regime unless it stops the violence that has killed nearly 70,000 people.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the two met for an hour and 45 minutes, spending more than half that time on Syria in what she called a "really serious and hardworking session."

Kerry and Lavrov discussed how they could implement the so-called Geneva Agreement, which is designed to get the Syrian government and rebels to plan a transitional government for the time after Assad leaves office, Nuland said.

Lavrov told Russian news agencies that his talks with Kerry were "quite constructive." On Syria, he said the two reaffirmed their "intention to do all Russia and the U.S. can do. It's not that everything depends on us, but we shall do all we can to create conditions for the soonest start of a dialogue between the government and the opposition."

Syria's foreign minister was in Moscow on Monday and while there expressed a willingness to meet with opposition leaders.

The Syrian National Coalition is skeptical about outside help from the West and threatened to boycott the Rome meeting until a series of phone calls and meetings between Kerry and his ambassadors and Syrian opposition leaders repaired the schism. The council now says it will attend the meeting, but is hoping for more concrete offers of help, including military assistance.

___

Klapper contributed to this report from Washington.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-sources-us-weighs-direct-aid-syrian-rebels-014311467--politics.html

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Hagel confirmed as defense secretary

Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel testifies at his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Jan.??The Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense, overcoming a fierce campaign by some GOP lawmakers to block President Barack Obama's nominee.

Hagel's nomination, which required support from just a majority of the chamber, passed 58-41.

Four Republicans voted to approve Hagel's nomination: Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska and Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.

In a statement, Obama praised the Senate for passing the confirmation.

"With the bipartisan confirmation of Chuck Hagel as our next Secretary of Defense, we will have the defense secretary our nation needs and the leader our troops deserve," Obama's statement read.? "From the moment he volunteered for military service in Vietnam, Chuck has devoted his life to keeping America secure and our armed forces strong.? An American patriot who fought and bled for our country, he understands our sacred obligations to our service members, military families and veterans."

Tuesday's vote ended a tumultuous confirmation process that began the moment Obama announced Hagel as his choice to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Despite Hagel's tenure in the Senate, many of his former colleagues refused to endorse him for the defense post, pointing to his past comments about the U.S. relationship to Israel and Iran's nuclear program. Even some Democrats showed hesitancy about confirming Hagel at first. It was not until he made a series of personal visits to key members of the party that he was able to secure their support.

During Hagel's? confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, he faced a grilling from senators on the panel who pressed him on a wide rang of topics. Hagel's performance was disappointing, but the White House stood by its choice.

The first attempt in the Senate to end debate fell short in the face of an unprecedented GOP filibuster two weeks ago, with Democrats just one vote shy of the 60 needed to proceed to confirm Hagel. (The tally showed 58 votes in favor, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid changed his vote to ?no? as it was needed to secure the right under parliamentary rules to bring up Tuesday?s vote.)

Last week 15 Republicans sent a letter to Obama urging him to withdraw Hagel's nomination, citing his record and comments he made in the past about Iran's nuclear weapons program. The White House dismissed the request.

Now that he has been confirmed, it remains unclear clear how the sustained battering will affect Hagel's tenure at the Pentagon. But the rough handling he got from his fellow Republicans and former colleagues shows one thing for sure: The former lawmaker cannot count on getting the benefit of the doubt from Congress as he moves to deal with spending cuts that start coming into force on Friday, or takes on challenges overseas like the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In an effort to dispel any lingering concerns over Israel, Michael Oren, Israel's Ambassador to the United States, released a statement of confidence in the new nominee. "Israel looks forward to working closely with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. Under the Obama Administration, security ties between the United States and Israel have been superb," Orien wrote in a message on his Facebook page. "We are fully confident that those bonds will grow stronger still as our countries continue to meet common challenges to our security."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/defense-secretary-nominee-hagel-faces-big-step-confirmation-114702931--politics.html

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'Twilight,' Rihanna Dominate The Anti-Oscars, The Razzie Awards

'Twilight' won an armload of trophies, and Kristen Stewart was named 'Worst Actress' at the 33rd Razzies.
By James Montgomery

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in "Breaking Dawn" part 2
Photo: Summit

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702554/twilight-rihanna-anti-oscars-razzie-awards.jhtml

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NRA uses Justice Dept. memo to accuse Obama on guns

The National Rifle Association is using a Justice Department memo it obtained to argue in ads that the Obama administration believes its gun control plans won't work unless the government seizes firearms and requires national gun registration ? ideas the White House has not proposed and does not support.

The NRA's assertion and its obtaining of the memo in the first place underscore the no-holds-barred battle under way as Washington's fight over gun restrictions heats up.

The memo, under the name of one of the Justice Department's leading crime researchers, critiques the effectiveness of gun control proposals, including some of President Barack Obama's. A Justice Department official called the memo an unfinished review of gun violence research and said it does not represent administration policy.

The memo says requiring background checks for more gun purchases could help, but also could lead to more illicit weapons sales. It says banning assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines produced in the future but exempting those already owned by the public, as Obama has proposed, would have limited impact because people now own so many of those items.

It also says that even total elimination of assault weapons would have little overall effect on gun killings because assault weapons account for a limited proportion of those crimes.

The nine-page document says the success of universal background checks would depend in part on "requiring gun registration," and says gun buybacks would not be effective "unless massive and coupled with a ban."

The administration has not proposed gun registration, buybacks or banning all firearms. But gun registration and ownership curbs are hot-button issues for the NRA and other gun-rights groups, which strenuously oppose the ideas.

Justice Department and White House officials declined to provide much information about the memo or answer questions about it on the record.

The memo has the look of a preliminary document and calls itself "a cursory summary" and assessment of gun curb initiatives. The administration has not release it officially.

But the NRA has posted the memo on one of its websites and cites it in advertising aimed at whipping up opposition to Obama's efforts to contain gun violence. The ad says the paper shows that the administration "believes that a gun ban will not work without mandatory gun confiscation" and thinks universal background checks "won't work without requiring national gun registration" ? ideas the president has not proposed or expressed support for.

"Still think President Obama's proposals sound reasonable?" Chris W. Cox, the NRA's chief Washington lobbyist, says in the ad.

Last month, White House spokesman Jay Carney said none of Obama's proposals "would take away a gun from a single law-abiding American." Other administration officials have said their plans would not result in gun seizures or a national gun registry.

A Justice Department official who would only discuss the issue on condition of anonymity said the NRA ad misrepresents Obama's gun proposals and that the administration has never backed a gun registry or gun confiscation.

While the memo's analysis of gun curb proposals presents no new findings, it is unusual for a federal agency document to surface that raises questions about a president's plans during debate on a high-profile issue such as restricting firearms.

Obama wants to ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines exceeding 10 rounds that are produced in the future. He wants universal background checks for nearly all gun purchases. Today, checks are only mandatory on sales by federally licensed gun dealers, not transactions at gun shows or other private sales.

His plan also includes tougher federal laws against gun trafficking and straw purchases, which occur when a person legally buys a firearm but sells it to a criminal or someone else barred from owning a weapon.

Interest in the gun issue has intensified since the December shootings in Newtown, Conn., that killed 20 first-graders and six staffers at an elementary school. The Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee plans to write legislation addressing some of Obama's proposals in the next week or two.

The NRA's Cox declined to say how his organization obtained the memo.

He said the commercial is running online in 15 states, including many Republican-leaning states where Democrats will defend Senate seats next year, such as Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia. There are also ads in papers in five states.

The memo was written under the name of Greg Ridgeway, acting director of the National Institute of Justice, the Justice Department's research arm. It is dated Jan. 4, nearly two weeks before Obama announced his plan for restricting guns, and Ridgeway's first day as acting chief.

Justice Department officials said Ridgeway was not granting interviews. He came to the institute last July from the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research institution where he studied criminal justice issues, and has a Ph.D. in statistics.

The memo says straw purchases and gun thefts are the largest sources of firearms used in crimes, and that such transactions "would most likely become larger if background checks at gun shows and private sellers were addressed."

Gun control supporters said the NRA ad and the Justice memo don't mention that the current federal background check system blocked gun sales to 2.1 million criminals and others barred from owning guns between 1994, when the checks began, and 2010. Also ignored is that Obama has proposed cracking down on straw purchases to prevent a growth in illegal transactions, they said.

Advocates of restricting guns also said the memo omitted mention of several studies that affirm the effectiveness of firearms curbs. These include a 2010 police group analysis showing more than one-third of police departments found increased criminal use of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines since the 2004 expiration of the ban on those items.

"It doesn't appear to be a serious discussion of gun violence prevention policy, never mind an expression of administration policy," said Joshua Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

The memo says that out of 11,000 annual gun homicides, an average of 35 deaths yearly are from mass shootings, defined as those with four or more victims.

"Policies that address the larger firearm homicide issue will have a far greater impact even if they do not address the particular issues of mass shootings," it says.

It says there were an estimated 1.5 million assault weapons before the 10-year ban on those firearms began in 1994, so their sheer number would weaken a new ban exempting existing weapons. Such guns accounted for just 2 percent to 8 percent of crimes before the 1994 ban, so eliminating assault weapons "would not have a large impact on gun homicides," the memo said.

Recent data on the assault weapons ban impact is scarce because since the 1990s, Congress has blocked most federal research on the effect that firearms have on public health. As part of the gun restrictions Obama proposed last month, he ordered federal scientific agencies to research gun violence.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nra-uses-justice-memo-accuse-obama-guns-084745794.html

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Kansas rallies past Iowa State in Self's 500th win

Kansas head coach Bill Self, left, pats guard Elijah Johnson (15) on the face after Johnson scored 39 points in their 108-96 overtime win against Iowa State in an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, in Ames, Iowa. Self earned his 500th career victory with the win. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth)

Kansas head coach Bill Self, left, pats guard Elijah Johnson (15) on the face after Johnson scored 39 points in their 108-96 overtime win against Iowa State in an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, in Ames, Iowa. Self earned his 500th career victory with the win. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth)

Kansas head coach Bill Self, left, and guard Travis Releford (24) celebrate their 108-96 overtime win against Iowa State in an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, in Ames, Iowa. Self earned his 500th career victory with the win. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth)

Kansas head coach Bill Self, right, receives a technical foul early in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth)

Kansas guard Travis Releford (24) celebrates after a three pointer as Iowa State guard Tyrus McGee (25) watches during overtime of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Kansas won the game 108-96. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth)

Iowa State forward Georges Niang (31) celebrates a 3-pointer during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth)

AMES, Iowa (AP) ? Kansas coach Bill Self has 500 wins because Elijah Johnson "blacked out."

That's the only way Johnson could describe one of the great performances by a Kansas player under Self.

Johnson scored a career-high 39 points ? including eight in the final 29 seconds of regulation and 12 in overtime ? and No. 6 Kansas rallied to beat Iowa State 108-96 on Monday night for Self's milestone victory.

Travis Releford added 19 points for the Jayhawks (24-4, 12-3 Big 12), who snapped Iowa State's 22-game home winning streak and kept pace with No. 13 Kansas State atop the Big 12.

"He was unbelievable. He was the best player in the country (Monday night)," Self said. "That will go down as one of the better games that any guard has ever played at Kansas."

It's hard to remember a more clutch 5? minutes of basketball by anyone on any team this season.

Johnson hit two 3s and made two free throws with 4.9 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 90-all. He and Releford buried 3s to put Kansas ahead 100-92 with 2:03 left, and Johnson drilled a 30-footer with 54 seconds left that deflated a sellout crowd.

Johnson said that a personal conversation with Self on the bench put him in a zone that doomed the Cyclones.

"It was a locker room type of conversation. It just happened to happen during a game. I feel like that kind of set some fire through my body," Johnson said. "My teammates saw me responding."

Korie Lucious scored 23 points and Tyrus McGee had 22 for the Cyclones (19-9, 9-6), who dropped their third overtime game in Big 12 play ? and their second straight at the hands of the Jayhawks.

After the game a handful of those in the student section hurled small plastic megaphones at the Jayhawks as they ran back to their locker room.

The anger seemed to be directed at Johnson's dunk with 2 seconds left and the game well in hand. Johnson opened the post-game news conference by apologizing to Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg, saying he simply got caught up in the moment.

"I shouldn't have dunked that ball," Johnson said.

For all the talk concerning Self's quest for win No. 500, this game seemed destined to hinge upon whether Iowa State, one of the nation's best offenses, could score enough on the stingy Jayhawks, the nation's leader in field goal percentage defense entering play.

As it turned out, both teams had little trouble making shots until overtime.

That's when the Cyclones lost their touch.

Freshman Georges Niang beat the shot clock with a 3, Iowa State's 17th of the game, to give the Cyclones an 87-82 lead with 44.5 seconds left. But Johnson answered, and the Jayhawks went 6 of 7 from the field in overtime while Iowa State went 1 of 9.

"We just couldn't get stops at the end of the game," Lucious said. "It's hard. We feel like we had the game won."

For Iowa State, this loss was painfully similar to the one in Lawrence on Jan. 9.

Ben McLemore banked in a late 3 to force overtime of a game the Cyclones had controlled throughout. The Jayhawks prevailed, and though the Cyclones bounced back, they certainly didn't forget their lost night in Lawrence.

But with March just around the corner, Iowa State and the rest of the league is chasing the Jayhawks ? again.

"Our guys battled. I've been saying that all year. Hopefully we have a lot of season left," Hoiberg said. "I love our guys. They're going to continue to fight back."

Though Kansas and K-State are tied for first, the Jayhawks hold the tiebreaker because they beat the rival Wildcats twice. Kansas' remaining regular season schedule; Texas Tech and West Virginia at home, struggling Baylor on the road, doesn't appear to be all that daunting as the Jayhawks go for at least a share of its ninth straight Big 12 title.

"We've got a chance to at least play for it, get a piece of it going to Baylor," Self said.

Self, who began his head coaching career at Oral Roberts, is 293-57 at Kansas. He tied former Temple legend John Chaney by reaching 500 victories in his first 662 games.

His milestone night got off to an interesting start, though

Self was called for a rare technical foul for arguing a call less than 3 minutes into the game ? much to the delight of a raucous, sellout crowd decked out in bright gold.

Self said after the game that he wanted to draw it in order to fire up his own team.

It worked ? as have many other moves on the journey to 500.

"I don't think it really means that much to be honest. I'm glad we got it. It means I've been doing it for a while," Self said. "All I really care is if this team is having the best year possible."

___

Follow Luke Meredith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LukeMeredithAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-26-BKC-T25-Kansas-Iowa-St/id-a8747d049579448a96c4f1b2ea7c78b9

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Get your search for the perfect holiday home right - Inspiration for ...

For many people, escaping the hustle and bustle of everyday life for just a week or two isn?t enough. Sometimes visiting a particular location can melt those stresses away, which is why a holiday home can be the perfect respite from it all.

It is important to remember that buying that perfect home-away-from home for those vacation times is a big decision to make, and it needs thorough consideration. The purchase of such a home is an important financial and lifestyle investment and must be right in every way. Here are some things to keep in mind to ensure that the search for the perfect holiday home is a little easier.

Getting started is always the first step

The first step in the search for a vacation home is to select the location, which should be researched very carefully. Consult with the whole family and decide as a group where that ideal destination might be ? it could be in a big city with lots to do, an isolated beach house, or something in-between. A true getaway home should be in a destination where everyone can relax, unwind, and have a great time.

If the destination is already decided, it?s time to begin the house hunt. For destinations overseas or far away from the family?s home base, the best way to initiate the search is online ? start by doing a search for something like ?US houses for sale? and then narrowing your options. Check for villas, condos, apartments, and chalets for sale. Reach out to a local real estate agent for assistance in this process. Once a few homes have been selected, it?s time to book a trip to that destination to check out the options.

As the search for the vacation house is pursued, the available budget must always play a role. How much money is available for a down payment on a vacation home? What sort of money is available for maintenance, upkeep, and furnishings for this additional property? After purchasing a particular home, will there be funds left over to enjoy the holiday every year? Remember, making the purchase is the first expense, but like any other home, a vacation home will have ongoing costs as well.

Selecting the ideal holiday home

Remember, the whole point of buying a vacation home is to have a retreat from the frenetic life that we now all lead in our working lives, so location, design, and other factors are the overriding consideration. Because it is a home intended for fun and relaxing, it doesn?t need to be located near a good school or even a workplace. It should be conducive to things the family likes to do. For example, if a family loves the ocean but lives inland, a beach house will prove to be the perfect solution. For someone that has always wanted to try winemaking, perhaps a home in the hills of California?s wine country might do nicely.

The layout of the vacation home should also promote relaxation and a good time, so make sure everyone has plenty of space to stretch out! In most cases, a vacation home will be somewhat smaller than the family?s regular home, but it shouldn?t be cramped. For example, the kids can share a bedroom, but there should be plenty of communal living space in the property where everyone can enjoy their time together.

In essence, the perfect second home should be in a great location. It should also be designed, and equipped in such a way that the family will fully enjoy being there. Making sure that the vacation home is different enough from the normal home is essential, otherwise no one will feel like they are really on vacation.
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Source: http://www.inspirationfordecoration.com/2013/02/get-your-search-for-perfect-holiday.html

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Exurban residences impact bird communities up to 200 meters away, study finds

Feb. 25, 2013 ? According to a study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), impacts to bird communities from a single rural, "exurban" residence can extend up to 200 meters into the surrounding forest. The study also determined that sensitive bird species such as the hermit thrush and scarlet tanager prefer unbroken forests with no houses. Others, like the blue jay and black-capped chickadee, seem to like having, and often thrive with, human neighbors.

As part of the study, scientists sampled the presence of 20 species of birds both near and far from 30 rural residences in the Adirondack Park. Calculating their occurrence at increasing distances from the residences, they determined that "human-adapted" species are 36 percent more likely to occur near the homes than in the surrounding mixed hardwood-conifer forests, and that "human-sensitive" species were 26 percent less likely. Beyond 200 meters, occupancy rates were similar to the surrounding forest.

The report appears in the current online edition of the Journal of Landscape and Urban Planning. Authors of the study are Drs. Michale Glennon and Heidi Kretser of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Rural exurban development is residential development existing outside of cities and towns, and is generally characterized by larger lot sizes (5-40 acres or more) and lower density than suburban development. Exurban residences exist within an otherwise unaltered ecosystem.

Exurban homes change the environment by bringing vehicles, noise, lights, pets, people, and food sources into the forest, as well as by physically altering and fragmenting habitat. These changes can have myriad impacts, including altered species behavior and composition, increased human wildlife conflicts, new predator-prey dynamics, and decreased biotic integrity (a measure of how pristine a wildlife community is).

"Adirondackers take great pride in their surroundings and try not to unduly disturb the natural setting in which they live," said WCS Adirondack Program Science Director Michale Glennon. "A key finding of the study is that the ecological footprint of development can be much larger than its physical footprint. We found that even a small home and lawn can change bird communities some 200 meters away, which means more than 30 acres of the surrounding landscape, depending on what types of activities are occurring on the residential property. It is important that we learn how birds and other wildlife react to particular kinds of human activities, and find ways to minimize the negative impacts for wildlife in exurban areas."

The study found that species sensitive to human impacts include the black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, ovenbird, scarlet tanager and the winter wren. The presence of some species, like the scarlet tanager, are a good indicator of undisturbed forest health.

WCS Livelihoods and Conservation Coordinator Heidi Kretser said, "Some wildlife species are sensitive to exurban development and are less likely to be found near those residences than adapted species. More sensitive and less common species could ultimately be displaced from the area as a result of this kind of development."

The study was modeled after one conducted in a shrub-oak ecosystem in Colorado where scientists calculated a 180-meter ecological effect zone based on their results. Glennon and Kretser believe that the similar results in two different ecosystem types may indicate that human behaviors associated with exurban homes play a larger role in shaping avian community characteristics nearby than do habitat alterations created by construction and clearing.

While breeding bird communities were used to measure the impacts of exurban development in the study, the authors note that birds can serve as valuable indicators of overall biodiversity.

WCS Adirondack Program Director Zoe Smith said, "The Adirondack Park is one of the last large, intact, wild ecosystems in the northeastern United States, and it is becoming increasingly important as we face global threats like climate change. As we strive to find a healthy balance between conservation and the needs of humans within the park, we need to fully understand the impacts of different development patterns. This research is another step toward that understanding and can help inform decisions on development and land-use in this rural landscape."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society, via Newswise.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Michale J. Glennon, Heidi E. Kretser. Size of the ecological effect zone associated with exurban development in the Adirondack Park, NY. Landscape and Urban Planning, 2013; 112: 10 DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.12.008

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/Li8Wee4mNTQ/130225131535.htm

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Oscars Tie: Best Sound Editing Has Two Winners, But It Isn't A First

On Sunday night, something unusual happened at the 85th Annual Academy Awards -- there was a tie.

The Oscars tie had two winners for Best Sound Editing -- "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Skyfall."

Although it is rare, Oscars ties have happened before.

In 1932, Frederic March won the Best Actor award for "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and tied with Wallace Beery for "The Champ" because Beery only beat him by one single vote, Slate notes. The rules allowed for a one-vote difference to be called a tie back then, but today it must be the exact same.

The Best Documentary Short award had a tie in 1949, according to ABC News. That category also had a tie in 1986.

"Franz Kafka?s It?s a Wonderful Life" and "Trevor" tied for Best Short Film (Live Action) in 1995, Moviefone notes.

Most famously, Barbara Streisand and Katherine Hepburn tied in the heavyweight category of Best Actress, according to Moviefone. Streisand was honored for playing Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl." Hepburn won for her performance as Queen Eleanor in "The Lion in Winter."

As for the category of Best Sound Editing, it might have been difficult for the Academy to choose just one winner of such an intricate craft.

"Zero Dark Thirty" sound editing supervisor Paul N. J. Ottosson previously explained the art of his job to Entertainment Weekly:

If you looked at that scene without any picture, you just listened to it, you would see how much sound work goes in to being a lot of sound, to almost nothing, to transforming to music, to transforming to a lot of sound effects again. And then, of course, this guy comes with bombs and blows himself up as well as everyone else there. The scene is strong by itself, but the work we did made it even stronger. That?s the goal for most scenes, and the movie itself: Find these peaks and valleys to give the story the room it needs to breathe or enhance the story that you have there.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/oscars-tie-best-sound-editing-two-winners_n_2756735.html

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small business opportunity magazine website ? Yahoodiary

[unable to retrieve full-text content]small business opportunity magazine website. Initial you will need to understand some standard Marketing Sector Definitions:CPM - Expense per thousand impressions (banner ad views) CPC - Expense per Clickthrough ...

Source: http://yahoodiary.com/blog/53797/small-business-opportunity-magazine-website/

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Microsoft Does It Again? | Geoff Coupe's Blog

I see that I?ve used the phrase ?open mouth, change feet? a number of times in the life of this blog to describe the continuing ability of Microsoft to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Today I came across yet another example.

I had noticed some reports that people weren?t able to get their navigation software to interface with the GPS sensor built in to some Windows 8 tablets.

Now the thing is that until very recently, PCs did not have GPS hardware built into them. Instead, external devices such as GPS Data Loggers were used to provide GPS data, and interfaced to Windows software applications via Windows COM (communications) ports. In the old days, these were physical RS232 ports. These days, they are ?virtual? ports set up over a Bluetooth or USB connection.?

In the development of Windows 8, support for a variety of sensors, including GPS, was built into the operating system, and exposed by a new set of APIs. The point being that this means that there is a new set of interfaces for developers to use, and they are different from the traditional COM port interfaces.

So, as you might expect, traditional Windows navigation software, which has been written expecting to find GPS data coming in via traditional COM port interfaces, won?t see the new generation of GPS receivers being built directly into PC hardware running Windows 8.

And so it is. Here for example is the very latest version of Microsoft?s AutoRoute 2013. I downloaded a trial version and installed it on my Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, which has a Broadcom GNSS Gelocation Sensor in it. As you can see, AutoRoute 2013 expects to find GPS data arriving via a COM port, and complains that it can?t find the GPS receiver:

What I find truly ironic about this is that Microsoft trumpets the fact that AutoRoute 2013 now has support for the Touch features of Windows 8:

However, the AutoRoute team has completely forgotten to use the new interfaces for GPS sensors that may be present in Windows 8 devices. Open mouth, change feet.

A further irony is given by the fact that when this issue was raised in a Microsoft forum, Janet Schneider, a Microsoft employee, blithely writes that

You can use the Location API and a Location Provider Driver to get NMEA strings, instead of using a virtual COM port.

Janet, please tell that to your fellow developers in Microsoft, not us, the poor users of this stuff. The left hand of Microsoft clearly has no clue what the right hand is doing.

Now what would be really useful is for someone in Microsoft to code a software shim that would connect a virtual COM port to a Location Provider Driver. That would enable us to carry on using our legacy Windows navigation software on Windows 8 tablets with GPS receivers. It would even allow the AutoRoute 2013 software to work as advertised.

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I'm a British citizen, although I have lived and worked in the Netherlands since 1983. I came here on a three year assignment, but fell in love with the country, and one Dutchman in particular, and so have stayed here ever since. On the 13th December 2006 I also became a Dutch citizen.

Source: http://gcoupe.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/microsoft-does-it-again/

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