Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295639778?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Sunday, March 31, 2013
FDA OKs first-of-its-kind diabetes drug from J&J
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a first-of-its-kind diabetes drug from Johnson & Johnson that uses a new method to lower blood sugar ? flushing it out in patients? urine.
The agency cleared J&J?s Invokana tablets for adults with Type 2 diabetes, which affects an estimated 26 million Americans. The once-a-day medication works by blocking the kidneys from reabsorbing sugar, which occurs at higher levels in patients with diabetes than in healthy patients. Regulators highlighted the drug as the first in a new class of medications that could help address the nation?s growing diabetes epidemic.
Analysts estimate Invokana could eventually grow into a blockbuster drug, generating more than $1 billion in sales annually for New Brunswick, N.J.-based J&J.
Invokana differs from older drugs that work by shrinking the amount of sugar absorbed from food and stored in the liver. The most common side effects of Invokana are yeast infections and urinary tract infections, due to the higher amounts of sugar passing through a patient?s urine.
The drug also can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure when a patient stands up, which can lead to dizziness or fainting, according to the FDA.
The FDA said it approved the drug based on nine studies involving more than 10,000 patients. The studies showed that Invokana, both alone and in combination with other diabetes drugs, helped control blood sugar levels.
?We continue to advance innovation with the approval of new drug classes that provide additional treatment options for chronic conditions that impact public health,? said Dr. Mary Parks, director of the FDA?s division of endocrinology products.
Regulators are requiring Johnson & Johnson to conduct five follow-up studies to assure the drug?s safety. The company will track rates of heart problems, cancer, pancreatitis and liver abnormalities, among other issues.
In recent years, the FDA has required companies developing diabetes drugs to closely monitor all heart-related side effects in patients. That?s because diabetes medicines are taken daily for many years, and one former blockbuster, GlaxoSmithKline PLC?s Avandia, was linked to higher heart attack risks. In 2010, the FDA restricted Avandia?s use to patients not helped by any other diabetes treatments, and European regulators banned sales of Avandia completely.
Last year the FDA rejected a similar experimental drug in the same class, dapagliflozin, from partners Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and AstraZeneca PLC. The FDA cited concerns about possible liver damage and elevated rates of bladder and breast cancer.
Source: http://lubbockonline.com/health/2013-03-30/fda-oks-first-its-kind-diabetes-drug-jj
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NKorean propaganda mill serves up soft side of Kim
FILE - In this July 25, 2012 file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed in Tokyo by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju, waves to the crowd as they inspect the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang. For the outside world, North Korea's message is largely doom and gloom: bombastic threats of nuclear war, fantasy videos of U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of military drills. But a domestic audience gets a parallel and decidedly softer dose of propaganda - and one with potentially higher stakes for the country's young leader. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, File)
FILE - In this July 25, 2012 file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed in Tokyo by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju, waves to the crowd as they inspect the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang. For the outside world, North Korea's message is largely doom and gloom: bombastic threats of nuclear war, fantasy videos of U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of military drills. But a domestic audience gets a parallel and decidedly softer dose of propaganda - and one with potentially higher stakes for the country's young leader. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, File)
In this March 7, 2013 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed March 8, 2013 by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, walks with military personnel as he arrives for a military unit on Mu Islet, located in the southernmost part of the southwestern sector of North Korea's border with South Korea. Seven years of U.N. sanctions against North Korea have done nothing to derail Pyongyang?s drive for a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the United States. They may have even bolstered the Kim family by giving their propaganda maestros ammunition to whip up anti-U.S. sentiment and direct attention away from government failures. (AP Photo/KCNA via KNS) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION
In this March 11, 2013 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed March 12, 2013 by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves at military officers after inspecting the Wolnae Islet Defense Detachment, North Korea, near the western sea border with South Korea. North Korea's young leader urged front-line troops to be on "maximum alert" for a potential war as a state-run newspaper said Pyongyang had carried out a threat to cancel the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War. (AP Photo/KCNA via KNS) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION
FILE - In this March 11, 2013 file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rides on a boat, heading for the Wolnae Islet Defense Detachment, North Korea, near the western sea border with South Korea. For the outside world, North Korea's message is largely doom and gloom: bombastic threats of nuclear war, amateur-looking videos showing U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of military drills. But a domestic audience gets a parallel and decidedly softer dose of propaganda - and one with potentially higher stakes for the country's young leader. (AP Photo/KCNA via KNS, File)
FILE - In this undated file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed in Tokyo by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, third from right, looks at food items as he inspects a military unit at an undisclosed location in North Korea. For the outside world, North Korea's message is largely doom and gloom: bombastic threats of nuclear war, amateur-looking videos showing U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of military drills. But a domestic audience gets a parallel and decidedly softer dose of propaganda - and one with potentially higher stakes for the country's young leader. (AP Photo/KCNA via KNS, File)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? The outside world focuses on the messages of doom and gloom from North Korea: bombastic threats of nuclear war, fantasy videos of U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of leader Kim Jong Un guiding military drills. But back home, North Koreans get a decidedly softer dose of propaganda: Kim portrayed as a young, energetic leader, a people person and family man.
Mixed in with the images showing Kim aboard a speeding boat on a tour of front-line islands, or handing out commemorative rifles to smartly saluting soldiers, are those of Kim and his wife clapping at a dolphin show or linking arms with weeping North Korean children.
The pictures can look odd or obviously staged to outsiders. But they're carefully crafted propaganda meant to give North Koreans an image of a country governed by a leader who is as comfortable overseeing a powerful military as he is mingling with the people.
Analysts say the images also hint at something that often gets lost amid the threatening rhetoric: North Korea's supreme commander isn't an all-powerful, isolated monarch who can govern without considering his people's approval. Kim is still busy building his reputation at home.
"Even dictatorships respond to public opinion and public pressure," said John Delury, a North Korea analyst at Seoul's Yonsei University. "He's expected to pay attention to and make improvements in the common people's standard of living. They've put that promise out in their domestic propaganda."
It's a tall order. Living standards in Pyongyang, the capital, are relatively high, with new shops and restaurants catering to a growing middle class. But U.N. officials' reports detail harsh conditions elsewhere in North Korea: up to 200,000 people estimated to be languishing in political prison camps, and two-thirds of the country's 24 million people facing regular food shortages.
When it comes to North Korean propaganda, much of the world focuses on the series of outlandish videos uploaded to the country's YouTube channel and government website, largely for foreign consumption. In one fantasy, missiles rain down on a burning American city while an instrumental version of "We Are the World" plays in the background. In another, President Barack Obama and U.S. troops burn.
But what most North Koreans see on state TV is a different propaganda message: Kim Jong Un bending down to receive flowers from children, Kim visiting families living in rustic homes on front-line islands, Kim mobbed by gushing female soldiers.
As with any propaganda or PR, the images are carefully staged. And many make foreign news headlines only when experts and photo editors discover that North Korea is digitally altering them. For instance, in a picture distributed recently by state media, troops and hovercraft land on a barren, snow-dappled beach. Experts say some of the multiple hovercraft have been copied and pasted into the image.
But North Korea's propaganda makers aren't concerned about the criticism abroad to their heavy-handed photo editing. "These efforts are aimed more at an unsophisticated domestic peasant audience than those of us who are more discerning," said Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Hawaii.
The caring domestic persona being built for Kim by his image specialists is aided by his wife, Ri Sol Ju.
She is young and glamorous, a chic and smiling presence at his side in many of the country's propaganda images. The couple is often photographed at amusement parks, nurseries, factory tours and concerts.
"It's a more complex kind of image he has as a leader," Delury said. "The basis of his legitimacy domestically has to do with these other, non-military things."
The propaganda machine in North Korea also worked to build up a caring image for Kim's father, the late Kim Jong Il. He doggedly appeared at tours of factories, farms and military posts. But while Kim Jong Un puts his wife front and center and is a relaxed presence on camera, his father was stiff in photos and secretive about his family life.
North Korea takes pains to select and sometimes alter photos so its leaders appear in the best light possible, said Seo Jeong-nam, a North Korean propaganda expert at Keimyung University in South Korea.
For example, past propaganda specialists were careful not to pick photos that showed the large lump on the back of the neck of Kim's grandfather, North Korean President Kim Il Sung, Seo said. When Kim Jong Il was alive, North Korean photographers tried to make him look taller in photos than he actually was, often positioning him slightly in front of others, Seo said.
As for Kim Jong Un, Seo said North Korea's propaganda mill chooses photos that show off his strong resemblance to his grandfather, who still is depicted on state TV as the loving father of the nation, surrounded by children and adoring citizens.
___
Associated Press writer Sam Kim contributed to this story. Follow Klug at www.twitter.com/APKlug and Kim at www.twitter.com/samkim_ap.
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IRS knowingly sends Billions in Fraudulent Refunds to Illegal ...
A WTHR-TV Indianapolis investigative report exposes a fraudulent scheme wherein the IRS is sending $4.2 billion per year to illegal immigrants as an "additional child tax credit" for children who don't even live in the U.S.
Further, the IRS and Congress have been ignoring the scheme for years. ?The Inspector General's office has repeatedly identified the problem in audit after audit.? The IG, Russell George says, "The magnitude of the problem has grown exponentially," but the IRS is doing nothing to stop it.
"It's so easy it's ridiculous," the tax preparer whistleblower who exposed the fraud admits.? Names are simply listed on the IRS form. "The more you put on there, the more you get back." No questions asked?the check's in the mail.
Below is the video of the shocking report.
The whistleblower notified the IRS of dozens of returns that were "fraudulent, 100% fraudulent tax returns." But, no response was ever received from the IRS. Out of frustration he went to WTHR investigative reporter Bob Segall.
"If the opportunity is there, and they can give it to me, why not take advantage of it?" admits one of the undocumented perpetrators to Segall on camera.
Segall found that there are "2 million?undocumented workers right now who are getting tax refunds because of this loophole."
Meanwhile, American school kids hoping for the opportunity of a lifetime to see the inside of the White House find the doors are closed supposedly because we can no longer afford to let them in.?
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Seven killed in northern Mexican bar shooting
CIUDAD JUAREZ (Reuters) - Seven people were killed when a gunman opened fire in the early hours of Friday in a bar in northern Mexico, which has seen a resurgence in drug-related violence in recent weeks.
The man, armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, killed four men who were clients in the bar in Chihuahua state as well as three women who worked there, said a spokesman for the state attorney general's office.
"It has not been determined whether the attack is connected to drug trafficking, but by the type of weapon involved, it is to be assumed," said spokesman Carlos Gonzalez.
The attack occurred in the city of Chihuahua, the capital of the state that is also home to Ciudad Juarez, considered one of the most violent cities in the world until recently.
The attacker entered the bar with his face covered by a bandana, said the spokesman.
Chihuahua has seen heavy fighting between the local Juarez cartel and the Sinaloa cartel, led by Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, who is seeking to control the city that is one of the main routes for trafficking drugs into the United States.
In spite of a change of government in December and a new strategy that avoids direct confrontation with the powerful cartels, violence in Mexico has picked up in recent weeks with fighting along the border, in the western state of Michoacan and the tourist destination of Cancun.
Nearly 3,200 people have been killed in drug-related violence during the first three months of President Enrique Pena Nieto's government, according to Mexican government data.
During the government of his predecessor Felipe Calderon (2006-2012), almost 70,000 people died as a result of the drug trade and 27,000 disappeared in one of the most violent periods in Mexico's history.
(Reporting by Julian Cardona; editing by Christopher Wilson)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seven-killed-northern-mexican-bar-shooting-194443659.html
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Saturday, March 30, 2013
Haunted Hollow makes spooking competitive
Firaxis, best known for their work on the popular XCOM and Civilization games, are jumping into mobile with their first iPad title, Haunted Hollow. We checked it out at GDC 2013 with their publisher 2K, and it's shaping up to be really interesting. Two players face off at opposite ends of an unsuspecting village in large haunted mansions. Each player takes turns summoning monsters, sending them to the town, and scaring its hapless inhabitants. In the process, players gather fear points which are used to expand their mansion and create bigger baddies, and in turn control new neighborhoods of the village. Players also have to create some more aggressive monsters to fend off the opposing player's and the town's angry mob which invariably rises up against the haunted houses. The player which controls the whole town with fear wins.
Haunted Hollow is free to play, but players can pay to unlock new families of haunted houses, each with their own unique flavor and abilities. That set-up, along with the asynchronous multiplayer, reminded me an awful lot of Hero Academy, and that's generally a good thing. It helps that the game is very family-friendly, so you can pass-and-play in the living room.
Haunted Hollow is currently enjoying a soft launch in Canada, and expanding internationally this spring. Any takers?
Free - Download Now
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/uQ_IkOIhKJs/story01.htm
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Friday, March 29, 2013
Feminist Explorations of Knowledge: Present and ... - sociology@sau
Sociology Seminar Series 2013 Presents
Panel
DiscussionFeminist Explorations of Knowledge: Present and Future of Engendered Anthropology
Through the historical trajectories vis--?a--?vis waves of women?s movements, the feminist inquiries have made it possible to recon with a host of issues, categories and political possibilities of change. Meanwhile, regional varieties of feminism have also emerged adding novel dimensions to anthropological attempts at knowledge production. This panel debates the conventional and recent orientations in feminist approaches in anthropological studies.
Panelists:
Ravinder Kaur
Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Rajni Palriwala
Professor,Department of Sociology, University of Delhi
Gitika Bapana,
Research Scholar, University of Delhi
Chair:
Mary E? John
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Women?s Development Study, Delhi
Discussant:
Mallika Shakya & Dev N Pathak,
Department of Sociology, SAU
Rapporteur:
Manoj Kumar Dhakal
MA Program in Sociology, SAU
Date and time :
3 April 2013; 02.15 pm
Venue:
FSI Hall, South Asian University, Akbar Bhawan, Chanakyapuyri, New Delhi
All are Welcome
(Please have your mobile phones switched off? during proceedings)
Source: http://sociology-sau.blogspot.com/2013/03/feminist-explorations-of-knowledge.html
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Republicans Blast Don Young, Demand an Apology
Alaska Congressman Don Young's use of racial slurs in reference to Latinos prompted a strong backlash from his fellow Republican Party members today as both House and Senate leaders demanded an apology from Young.
Young used the derogatory term "wetbacks" to refer to Latino workers on his father's ranch in an interview Thursday. His comments came only a few weeks after the Republican National Committee released a party "autopsy" report on the presidential election that outlined revitalization strategies, which included prioritizing Hispanic voter outreach.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas was the first to condemn the congressman's words:
"Migrant workers come to America looking for opportunity and a way to provide a better life for their families. They do not come to this country to hear ethnic slurs and derogatory language from elected officials. The comments used by Rep. Young do nothing to elevate our party, political discourse or the millions who come here looking for economic opportunity," Cornyn said in a statement.
House Speaker John Boehner followed quickly with a statement of his own:
"Congressman Young's remarks were offensive and beneath the dignity of the office he holds. I don't care why he said it - there's no excuse and it warrants an immediate apology."
Representative Joaquin Castro tweeted the following:
"@ castro4congress: Congressman Young, your words are disgusting. fb.me/F07xSx8T" @ repdonyoung
- Joaquin Castro(@JoaquinCastrotx) March 29, 2013
Sen. John McCain also responded online:
Don Young's comments were offensive and have no place in our Party or in our nation's discourse. He should apologize immediately
- John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) March 29, 2013
RNC Chair, Reince Priebus released this statement:
"The words used by Representative Young emphatically do not represent the beliefs of the Republican Party. As I have continued to say, everyone in this country deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Our party represents freedom and opportunity for every American and a beacon of hope to those seeking liberty throughout the world. Offensive language and ethnic slurs have no place in our public discourse."
Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi called for an apology from the congressman.
Congressman Young should fully apologize for deeply offensive comments that were not appropriate in his youth or now.
- Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) March 29, 2013
Also ReadSource: http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-blast-don-young-demand-apology-192021851--abc-news-politics.html
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Thursday, March 28, 2013
iCloud gets kicked in the Core Data sync -- totally had it coming
iCloud, specifically the part of it that covers the frameworks Apple has provided to developers to sync Core Data databases, has been getting kicked around lately, and by almost all accounts, deservedly so.Back in November, developers like Instacast's Vemedio and Steve Streza of Informal Protocol posted about its opacity and Paul Haddad expressed on similar concerns during the second episode of Debug. More even than ensuring the reliability of Siri and Game Center, it felt like proof positive that Apple faced significant challenge in a future where services were table-stakes.
As much as I think iOS 7 and iCloud are more important for Apple than next-generation hardware at this point, I think iCloud is more important than iOS 7 because, for Apple, it'll be an even bigger challenge. iCloud, more so even that Dropbox, is the future, it just doesn't work yet.
Since those initial developer posts, more have have come forward to share their experiences with iCloud Core Data sync, or in some cases document sync, and they share the same frustrations.
In a post intended to reassure users of NetNewsWire about the app's future in a post-Google Reader world, iCloud issues again reared their ugly head. Daniel Pasco of(BlackPixel](http://blackpixel.com/blog/2013/03/the-return-of-netnewswire.html) wrote:
As far as sync is concerned, we knew we would likely need an alternative to Google Reader as early as last year. At the time, the option that seemed to make the most sense was to embrace iCloud and Core Data as the new sync solution of choice. We spent a considerable amount of time on this effort, but iCloud and Core Data syncing had issues that we simply could not resolve.
What seems to make the ongoing issues so vexing for developers is that iCloud was introduced with iOS 5 back in 2011, and while iOS 6 in 2012 was an improvement, it wasn't anywhere nearly improvement enough.
Ellis Hamburger of The Verge did a brilliant job summing up much of the reaction and reasoning up, calling iCloud Core Data sync a broken promise:
Many veteran developers have learned their lesson and given up on iCloud?s Core Data syncing entirely. "Ultimately, when we looked at iCloud + Core Data for [our app], it was a total no-go as nothing would have worked," said one best-selling iPhone and Mac developer. "Some issues with iCloud Core Data are theoretically unsolvable (stemming from the fact that you?ve put an object model on top of a distributed data store) and others are just plain bugs in the implementation," he said.
One of the reasons for this is that, just like with Game Center APIs, Apple has very little skin in the Core Data sync game. They're not making massive use of it, so they're not the first ones hitting pain points and problems. Their developers are, and that's a terrible, terrible thing for everyone.
Matthew Panzarino of The Next Web also pointed out that Apple conflating several distinct services all under the iCloud banner further compounds the problem developers face:
Recent criticism of Apple?s iCloud has exposed just how fractured the brand actually is behind the scenes. Developers are having problems with some of the technologies bundled together under the name and it?s causing some confusion. The truth of the matter is that there are really two iClouds, which couldn?t be more different.
Users who get their mail, contacts, or calendars synched without issue just don't understand what developers are complaining about because, for them, iCloud works, it just doesn't work in that developer's app. Some users think the developers are actually incompetent or lying.
Glassboard developer Brent Simmons, on Inessential, pointed out that that's the risk of depending on systems you can't control:
How comfortable are you with outsourcing half your app to another company? The answer should be: not at all comfortable.
Just like services are the future for Apple, they're the future for a lot of developers. More important than hardware, arguably more important than software when that is already a core competency, iCloud is what Apple has to nail. Rather than getting kicked around, iCloud has to kick ass.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/VXIwsj-NWeU/story01.htm
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Protesters march against Chicago school closures
CHICAGO (AP) ? Hundreds of teachers, parents and other opponents marched through downtown Wednesday, vowing to fight a plan to close 54 Chicago Public Schools, despite Mayor Rahm Emanuel's comments that he's done negotiating and the closings are essentially a done deal.
Emanuel and schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett say the nation's third-largest district must close dozens of schools because CPS faces a $1 billion budget shortfall and has too many schools that are half-empty and failing academically.
At a rally before the march, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis called the closings "injustices" and said lawsuits are planned. Other speakers called for state and federal lawmakers to intervene.
"There are many ways that you can show that this is not over," Lewis told the protesters, whose march filled the street and stretched a full city block. "On the first day of school you show up at your real school. Don't let these people take your school."
Stopping in front of City Hall, the protesters chanted "Save our Schools" and called for Emanuel's ouster. More than 100 people who had planned to be arrested sat down in the middle of the street, where they continued chanting until police cleared them from the area and issued citations.
Retired teacher Gloria Warner, 62, was among those sitting arm-in-arm with other protesters in the roadway, which was blocked off to rush hour traffic.
"We need the mayor and CPS to invest in our schools, not take them away," the grandmother of two CPS students said. "We need our schools for the safety of our children."
A group of Chicago ministers also went to City Hall on Wednesday to deliver a letter asking Emanuel to halt the plan.
CPS and the mayor say the closings will save the district $560 million over 10 years in capital costs and an additional $43 million per year in operating costs. About 30,000 students ? almost all of them in Kindergarten to eighth grade ? would be affected.
At a press conference on an unrelated topic Wednesday, the mayor said he and Byrd-Bennett already are working out how to carry through on a pledge that every child who is moved ends up at a higher quality school. He said the closings already have been delayed too long.
"Keeping open a school that is falling short year-in and year-out means we haven't done what we are responsible for; not what our parents did for us and what we owe every child in the city of Chicago," Emanuel said.
Critics say the closings disproportionately affect minority neighborhoods and will uproot kids who need a stable and familiar environment in which to learn. They also worry that students will have to cross gang lines to get to a new school, and that the vacated buildings will be blight on already struggling communities.
Jonathan Hollingsworth III, a lunchroom manager at CPS, said he's also concerned that the plan will leave hundreds of workers jobless. He said he voted for Emanuel but won't do so again.
"He's downsizing everything in the damn city. It's take it or leave it," Hollingsworth said. "Keep this in mind: Come election time, all of these people will have the last laugh."
Opponents of the plan will get another chance to argue their case at a series of public meetings that will be scheduled in coming weeks, though the Chicago Board of Education ? whose members are all appointed by Emanuel ? is expected to approve the closings in late May.
The closings would take effect beginning at the start of the 2013-2014 school year.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/protesters-march-against-chicago-school-closures-235011077.html
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Ted Williams, Audubon Columnist, Is Reinstated
[unable to retrieve full-text content]The National Audubon Society on Tuesday reinstated Ted Williams, a longtime magazine columnist it had put on probation over an online piece in another publication.
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Massachusetts GOP Senate Debate: Candidates Spar Over Social Issues
By Scott Malone
NEEDHAM, Mass., March 27 (Reuters) - The three Republicans seeking to fill Massachusetts' open seat in the U.S. Senate sparred over social issues on Wednesday, staking out opposing views on abortion and social programs in the first debate to feature candidates from both parties.
The Republican front-runner Michael Sullivan, a former U.S. Attorney in Boston, was the sole candidate from his party to say he opposed abortion while rivals Daniel Winslow, a state representative, and Gabriel Gomez, a private equity executive, said they supported abortion rights.
"As a nation we respect life and I'll do whatever I can to protect life," said Sullivan.
On social programs and the budget, Gomez stood out, saying that the government should apply a means-testing approach to determine who draws Social Security benefits.
"Warren Buffett probably doesn't need his full benefit," Gomez said. Winslow and Sullivan expressed doubts about that proposal.
"It's not a welfare program; it's an insurance program," Winslow said of Social Security.
The hourlong debate was divided into two halves, with the Republicans going first, followed by the Democratic contenders.
Polls have shown Democratic Representative Edward Markey with an overall lead for both the April 30 primary and the June 25 special election to fill the seat formerly held by Secretary of State John Kerry.
On the Republican side, Sullivan is the frontrunner, though polls show him trailing Markey in a general-election matchup.
Markey's primary rival is fellow Congressman Stephen Lynch.
A Republican victory could boost that party's effort to take a majority in the Senate in 2014, when one-third of the chamber is up for re-election. Currently the Republicans have 45 Senate seats, the Democrats 53 and there are two independents.
Massachusetts' Democratic Governor Deval Patrick in January named his former chief of staff, William "Mo" Cowan to serve as interim senator until the election. Cowan is not running in the special election. (Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Earlier on HuffPost:
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TechCrunch's Picks: The Top 7 Startups From Y Combinator's W13 Demo Day
Y Combinator was tougher to get into than ever this season, and the quality showed on stage. 33 startups presented on the record at the incubator's Winter 2013 Demo Day today. Picking the most promising ones was no easy task. But after a team huddle and taking input from VCs and founders, TechCrunch chose seven startups that could disrupt big businesses and make the world a better place to live.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/vHcA6S9GBp8/
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
HTC to retire 'quietly brilliant' tagline as marketing strategy becomes bolder
With HTC's recent trolling of the Galaxy S4 launch event -- not to mention new features with brash names like "BoomSound" and "UltraPixel" -- it's seemed that the company's been moving away from the "quietly brilliant" tagline it adopted back in 2009.
Now newly-appointed HTC CMO Benjamin Ho has confirmed that the manufacturer will be dropping the "quietly brilliant" slogan as it looks to adopt a bolder marketing strategy. Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Ho said “we have a lot of innovations but we haven’t been loud enough.” He added that HTC would increase its digital marketing budget by 250 percent this year, and boost its "traditional media" marketing spending by 100 percent.
Ho also confirmed that camera component shortages had been behind the delayed HTC One launch, though this, he claimed, was due to its custom design rather than HTC no longer being seen as a tier-one OEM.
2013 will be a make or break year for HTC, as it attempts to reverse a downward trend in its financial performance brought on by increased competition from Samsung and Apple. The company's hopes rest on the new HTC One handset, and CEO Peter Chou is even reported to have said he'll step down if the phone isn't a success. Early indications, including our own first-hand experience with the device, suggest the new One is indeed an impressive smartphone, but HTC will have to back this up with smart marketing if it's to stage a turnaround.
The HTC One will become available this week in the UK, Germany and Taiwan ahead of a broader international launch in April. For more on the phone, check out our full review.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/YZ9T5HOP4Wc/story01.htm
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Should I Use Plex or XBMC for My Home Theater PC?
Dear Lifehacker,
I want to make the perfect home media center but I've come across a very tough decision: should I use Plex or XBMC? I've heard great things about both platforms, and don't know the main differences. Can you help me decide?
Sincerely,
PerPlexed
Dear PerPlexed,
Both XBMC and Plex offer great unique features and similar ones, which should come as no surprise if you know the history of these two home theater PC (HTPC) platforms. XBMC is open-source software, and Plex is mostly-open source software based on XBMC (though its mobile apps are closed). Although Plex didn't differentiate itself much in the beginning, it has grown into a feature-rich, powerful, and still easy-to-use platform that most anyone could set up with ease. XBMC, on the other hand, tends to trade ease of use for a high amount of customization. To sum up the main difference, Plex is easy but limited and XBMC is hard but almost infinitely customizable. Of course, each platform offers a variety of other advantages and problems. Let's take a look at some common considerations and figure out if you ought to use Plex, XBMC, or a combination of both.
Operating System and Device Support
You may not have to decide whether to use XBMC or Plex after all. Depending on the operating systems and devices you want to use with your HTPC, you may only have one choice. Both Plex and XBMC run on most anything, but some limitations apply for each:
- Windows: Both XBMC and Plex run without any caveats. Plex offers a Windows 8 modern-style app as well.
- OS X: Both XBMC and Plex run without any caveats.
- Linux: You can download XBMC via most repositories on most builds of Linux or install XBMCbuntu, which installs Linux and XBMC together. Plex runs on Ubuntu, Fedora, and CentOS.
- iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch: Plex runs on iOS and can be purchased from the iTunes App Store for $5. XBMC runs on iOS and doesn't cost anything, but requires your device to be jailbroken first.
- Android Smartphones and Tablets: XBMC runs on Android and can be downloaded directly from the official XBMC site for free. Plex runs on Android, costs $5, and can be installed via Google Play, the Amazon Appstore, or the Nook Store.
- Windows Phone: Plex runs on Windows Phone. XBMC does not.
- Raspberry Pi: XBMC runs on the Raspberry Pi with multiple builds that offer their own advantages. Plex has an unofficial port.
- Apple TV: XBMC runs on the Apple TV 2. Although Plex can run on the Apple TV 2, it's more work. With both platforms, the Apple TV 2 must be jailbroken.
- Google TV: Plex runs on Google TV, costs $5, and you can download it from the Google Play Market. XBMC does not run on Google TV.
- Set Top Boxes and Televisions: Plex runs on Samsung TVs, LG TVs, and Roku boxes, both for free. XBMC doesn't support any set top boxes other than the jailbroken Apple TV 2.
Note: To find downloads for all operating systems, visit either the XBMC or Plex download pages.
Setup and Configuration
Plex takes about five minutes to set up. XBMC can take five minutes, too, but can also take a lot longer if you want to configure additional features and customize your setup. If you're looking for a simple process, you'll probably prefer Plex. All you do is install the server software, tell it where to find your media, and create a Plex account that you can use to log in from the server and any client devices. When running Plex on a client computer, mobile device, television, or set top box, it'll automatically detect any servers connected to your account. From there, you can just start using Plex whether you're home or thousands of miles away.
That isn't to say you'll have a hard time setting up XBMC. You can simply download XBMC for your platform, tell it where to find your media, and call it a day. However, most users want to do more than that. If you have your media in a remote location, you'll need to set up file sharing on that system and tell XBMC how to access it. You'll also spend some time configuring XBMC's settings to work just the way you like, as it contains far more fine-grained controls than Plex. Still, if you're only installing the app on a computer the process doesn't require too much effort. When you get into customization, however, you can spend hours getting XBMC just the way you like it (which we'll discuss later). For some, this can be a plus or a minus. It really depends on how much effort you want to expend and what you want to accomplish. Finally, XBMC's setup process differs from platform to platform but we have guides to help you through many of them: any Windows, OS X, or Linux computer, small, Linux-friendly hardware, Apple TV 2, Raspberry Pi, and inexpensive, custom hardware.
The Bottom Line: If you want to get up and running in minutes, including powerful features, Plex will do the trick. If you don't mind spending more time setting things up manually and tweaking settings to get exactly what you want, XBMC's setup process won't deter you (and you might actually like it).
Customization
XBMC offers a remarkably high level of customization, from plug-ins to skins to additional features like watching live television. If you can think of it, chances are XBMC can do it. It may not right out of the box, but because of its customization options you can add on almost whatever you want. On top of that, XBMC is filled with little settings and tweaks. If you don't like the way something works, you can most likely change it.
Plex isn't very customizable, but unofficially works with many plug-ins designed for XBMC. We'll discuss this further in the next section, but if you want to add new features to Plex you have a means of doing so. That said, it doesn't offer anywhere near the flexibility of XBMC.
The Bottom Line: If you like to have things exactly your way, you'll want to use XBMC. If you only plan to add features via plug-ins, you could get by with Plex.
Internet Video Channels and Plug-ins
XBMC, through plug-ins, supports several internet video sites (on some platforms) like Amazon, Hulu, and YouTube. Just install the plug-in you want and you're good to go.
Plex also allows you to install plug-ins, which few users actually realize. Plex officially supports a small few that come installed automatically (Netflix, Vimeo, Revision3, Funny or Die, and more) but unofficially works with many others. Plex also offers a myPlex Queue featuring, allowing you to save internet videos for later viewing directly from Plex. This feature works well with YouTube and most online video sites except Hulu, Netflix, and other paid services.
The Bottom Line: Both XBMC and Plex support a wide variety of channels. XBMC has a better reputation for plug-ins, but Plex unofficially works with most of them and has an excellent internet video queue feature.
Remote Control
XBMC provides several remote control options. To start, you can get a ton of apps for your mobile device. The XBMC team created the Official XBMC Remote (Android, Free), which provides a standard remote and library-browsing functionality so you can easily choose TV and movies to play on your HTPC via your phone. XBMC Remote (iOS, $3) does the same thing, and Boxee, Plex, & XBMC remote (iOS, Free) offers a simple remote option. If you don't want to control XBMC using a mobile device, you can use several hardware controllers (e.g. a keyboard, mouse, or media center remote).
Plex's official mobile apps can serve as feature-rich remote controls, but require a $5 purchase. Plex Remote (Android) and Boxee, Plex, & XBMC remote (iOS) offer free alternatives. Plex also supports the Apple Remote and Logitech Harmony Remotes out of the box. Other remote options can be configured, such as a Universal Remote Control (URC) and, of course, a standard computer keyboard.
The Bottom Line: Both platforms offer great remote control support, but XBMC provides more flexibility and a cheaper (and larger) mobile app selection. If you need help choosing a remote for either, read this.
Remote Streaming
Plex handles remote streaming better than anything. Not only does it stream video reliably and in the original format whenever possible, but it'll also convert the video into a different format when necessary. If you want to stream a video from your home to your tablet while on vacation, for example, Plex will convert the video?in real time?to account for the slower connection speed. If your tablet doesn't understand the video's format, it'll convert it on the fly as well. If your tablet has a fast internet connection and understands the format, Plex will stream the file as-is. Unless you ask Plex to always handle streaming in a very specific way, it will choose intelligently on its own and rarely makes a mistake. Equally admirable is Plex's simple remote streaming configuration. Because everything runs through your Plex account you just need to log in on any device to access your media library. Everything else happens automatically. You can even stream on the web.
XBMC doesn't stream remotely. You need to forward ports on your router in order to access your media outside of your local network via XBMC. Although not a difficult task, XBMC won't convert files for you so you better have a fast connection if you plan on streaming higher quality, HD content.
The Bottom Line: If remote streaming is important to you, Plex does it best. For all intents and purposes, this just isn't a practical option with XBMC.
So, What Should I Use?
Both Plex and XBMC make great choices for your HTPC, so after reading all of this you may still find it difficult to make a decision. Here are a few more things to consider.
The vast majority of Lifehacker readers prefer XBMC. The Lifehacker staff is pretty much split down the middle. Regardless of what everyone else likes, you don't necessarily have to choose. XBMC and Plex can work in tandem. Plex provides excellent media server software that automatically organizes your media library with exceptional accuracy. XBMC understands what Plex's server software does, so you can still run it and use XBMC on some platforms but not others. For example, if you use Plex Server on a computer with all your media, your HTPC can run XBMC and connect to it. You can use either option on your mobile devices, depending on what suits you best. Don't feel as though you have to choose a single platform and stick with it. If you want to use both, you can. So, if you just can't decide?don't!
Love,
Lifehacker
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