Cuba: 100 produce markets to become private coops

cuba

Marc Frank Reuters

3 hours ago

STR / AFP/Getty Images

An elderly man sells fruit and vegetables in a market of Havana, on April 20, 2012. One hundred Cuban produce markets are shifting to member-owned cooperatives.

HAVANA - One hundred state-run produce markets and 26 other establishments were scheduled to become private cooperatives on Monday as Communist-run Cuba continues to shed secondary economic activity in favor of individual initiative and markets.

The cooperatives will be the first outside of agriculture since all businesses were nationalized in 1968.

The government says many more establishments will follow, beginning in 2014, as an alternative to small and medium-sized state businesses in retail and food services, transportation, light manufacturing and construction, among other sectors.

The produce markets were supplied exclusively by the state, which also set prices and wages.

As cooperatives they will now purchase produce from any source and set their own prices, with the exception of a few state supplied staples, for example rice, chick peas and potatoes in Havana.

At one of the dozens of Havana markets set to become cooperatives this week, the mood was festive on Saturday as workers painted the dark and dingy premises, fixed broken bins and in general spruced up the place on their last day as state employees.

"We were given the choice of working as a cooperative member or being laid off," Antonio Rivera, a worker turned member, said.

"I think we will be better off so I joined," he said.

On Sunday the 100 markets took inventory and made other preparations, before their adventure into the country's growing "non-state" sector began.

President Raul Castro, who took over from his brother Fidel in 2008, has already taken steps to deregulate small private businesses in the retail sector, lease small state shops and taxis to individual employees and fallow state lands to would-be small farmers in search of improved production and efficiency.

According to the government, more than 430,000 people now work in the non-state sector which consists of private entrepreneurs, their employees and individuals who own or lease taxis and the like.

The figure does not include some 2,000 agricultural cooperatives and 400,000 small farmers.

Market economics hailed

The new cooperative markets average 15 or fewer members and will lease their premises from the state.

They will function independently of state entities and businesses, set prices in cases where they are not fixed by the state, operate on a democratic basis, divide profit as they see fit and receive better tax treatment than individually owned businesses, according to a decree law published in December.

The law allows for an unlimited number of members and use of contracted employees on a three-month basis.

The newly elected administrator of one market said that for weeks they had been making contact with farm cooperatives in preparation for Monday, and could also buy from individual farmers and state farms and wholesale markets.

"I'm sure the public will benefit. The produce will be of better quality, there will be better service and people will go where the prices are the lowest," he said, asking his name not be used because he feared he would get into trouble for talking to a foreign journalist.

"There will be more competition and the winners will be those who do the best job," he said, adding, "everything will depend on us and we will have to look for merchandise wherever because if we don't we will not make anything."

Consumers appeared to support the measure, though some fretted over a possible increase in prices.

"They should have done this long ago," Soledad Martinez said as she shopped at the market on Saturday.

"Now there will be a greater variety and we will be treated better. I just hope prices decrease a bit and do not go up," she said.

Cuban authorities began discussing three years ago how to transform bankrupt small and medium-sized state businesses - plagued by pilfering, embezzlement and general inefficiency - into cooperatives.

The Communist Party adopted a sweeping five-year plan to "update" the economy in 2011, which included moving more than 20 percent of the state labor force of 5 million people into a new "non-state" sector of private and cooperative businesses.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2e017b50/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Ccuba0E10A0A0Eproduce0Emarkets0Ebecome0Eprivate0Ecoops0E6C10A488676/story01.htm

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White Makes First Cut For World University Games

Incoming Iowa junior Aaron White was named one of 16 finalists for the U.S.A. World Men?s World University Games roster.

Tryouts continue for the 12-member squad through June 30. The team leaves for Kazan, Russia on July 1 with competition held July 7-16. Iowa guard Devyn Marble, who also tried out for the team, was not named a finalist.

White, a 6-foot-8 forward, was named third-team all-Big Ten and led Iowa in rebounding (6.2), the first Hawkeye to lead the team in rebounding as a freshman and sophomore since Michael Payne in 1981-82. He ranked second on the team in scoring (12.8) and steals (41). White made (193) and attempted (258) the most free throws of any sophomore in Iowahistory. In two seasons, White has scored 877 career points.

Four Big Ten players are listed as finalists: White, Adreian Payne (Michigan State), Yogi Ferrell (Indiana) and Will Sheehey (Indiana). Marble, Andre Hollins (Minnesota) and A.J. Hammons (Purdue) were not selected as finalists.

Other finalists include: Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado); Davante Gardner (Marquette); Treveon Graham (Virginia Commonwealth); Jerian Grant(Notre Dame); Luke Hancock (Louisville); Tyler Haws (BYU); Rodney Hood (Duke); Cory Jefferson (Baylor); Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati); Alex Kirk (New Mexico); Doug McDermott (Creighton); Chasson Randle (Stanford).

Source: http://www.kcrg.com/sports/hawkeyes/White-Makes-First-Cut-For-World-University-Games-213258201.html

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Hospitals seek high-tech help for hand hygiene

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. (AP) ? Hospitals have fretted for years over how to make sure doctors, nurses and staff keep their hands clean, but with only limited success. Now, some are turning to technology ? beepers, buzzers, lights and tracking systems that remind workers to sanitize, and chart those who don't.

Health experts say poor hand cleanliness is a factor in hospital-borne infections that kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimates that one of every 20 patients in U.S. hospitals gets a hospital-acquired infection each year.

"We've known for over 150 years that good hand hygiene prevents patients from getting infections," said Dr. John Jernigan, an epidemiologist for the CDC. "However, it's been a very chronic and difficult problem to get adherence levels up as high as we'd like them to be."

Hospitals have tried varying ways to promote better hygiene. Signs are posted in restrooms. Some even employ monitors who keep tabs and single out offenders.

Still, experts believe hospital workers wash up, at best, about 50 percent of the time. One St. Louis-area hospital believes it can approach 100 percent adherence.

Since last year, SSM St. Mary's Health Center in the St. Louis suburb of Richmond Heights, Mo., has been the test site for a system developed by Biovigil Inc., of Ann Arbor, Mich. A flashing light on a badge turns green when hands are clean, red if they're not. It also tracks each hand-cleaning opportunity ? the successes and the failures.

The failures have been few at the two units of St. Mary's where the system is being tested, the hospital said. One unit had 97 percent hand hygiene success, said Dr. Morey Gardner, the hospital's director of infection disease and prevention. The other had 99 percent success.

"The holy grail of infection prevention is in our grasp," Gardner said.

The Biovigil system is among many being tried at hospitals. A method developed by Arrowsight, based in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., uses video monitoring. It is being used in intensive care units at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., and the University of California San Francisco Medical Center.

Akron, Ohio-based GOJO Industries, maker of Purell hand sanitizer, has developed an electronic compliance monitoring system using wireless technology to track when soap and hand sanitizer dispensers are used. The SmartLink system gives the hospital data on high- and low-compliance areas. The company said it has installed the system at several hospitals around the country, but didn't say how many.

HyGreen Inc.'s Hand Hygiene Reminder System was developed by two University of Florida doctors. The Gainesville, Fla., company now features two systems used in seven hospitals, including Veterans Administration hospitals in Chicago, Wilmington, Del., and Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

One is similar to Biovigil's green badge method. In HyGreen's, a wall-mounted hand wash sensor detects alcohol on the hands. The badge includes an active reminding system. Unclean hands create a warning buzz. If the buzz sounds three times, the worker is noted for noncompliance.

HyGreen spokeswoman Elena Fraser said that because some hospitals are moving away from alcohol-based sanitizers, HyGreen offers a second system. A touch of the sanitizer dispenser clears the worker to interact with a patient. If the worker shows up at the patient bed without hand-cleaning, the series of warning buzzes begins.

Fraser said hospital infections have dropped 66 percent at units of Miami Children's Hospital where the badge system has been implemented.

Nurses using the Biovigil system at St. Mary's near St. Louis wear a badge with changeable colored lights. A doorway sensor identifies when the nurse enters a patient's room, and the badge color changes to yellow.

The nurse washes his or her hands and places them close to the badge. A sensor in the badge detects chemical vapors from the alcohol-based solution. If hands are clean, the badge illuminates a bright green hand symbol.

If the nurse fails to sanitize, the badge stays yellow and chirps every 10 seconds for 40 seconds, then flashes red. Once the flashing red starts, the nurse has another 30 seconds to wash up, otherwise the badge turns solid red, denoting non-compliance. Either way, each instance is tracked by a computer. The hospital can track each individual's compliance.

Registered Nurse Theresa Gratton has helped lead the effort toward hand cleanliness at St. Mary's. She heard about the Biovigil system in early 2012 and convinced the hospital to give it a try.

Gratton said patients are aware of the risk of infection and frequently inquire about whether caregivers have washed their hands. She said the badge relieves their anxiety.

Bill Rogers, a 65-year-old retiree recuperating at St. Mary's from back surgery and a heart scare, agreed.

"The first thing I noticed up here was the badges," Rogers said. "It is comforting for me to know their hands are clean as soon as the badge beeps and it goes from yellow to green."

St. Mary's is expanding the Biovigil system later this year to other units of the hospital and to employees other than nurses, though details are still being worked out, Gardner said. Eventually, the system may be expanded to SSM's seven other St. Louis-area hospitals, he said.

Biovigil's chief client officer, Brent Nibarger, said customers won't buy the system but will pay a subscription fee of about $12 a month per badge.

The CDC's Jernigan said the high-tech systems can only help.

"For a health care worker, keeping their hands clean is the single most important thing they can do to protect their patients," Jernigan said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hospitals-seek-high-tech-help-hand-hygiene-071012525.html

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Researchers look for safer, more effective treatments for kids with mood disorders

June 28, 2013 ? Ongoing studies suggest that using a mix of omega-3 fatty acid supplements and psychotherapy may be helpful for children with depression and a variation of bipolar disorder.

"These are two very promising treatments for children with mood disorders. Previous research has shown both have positive impacts and few side effects, which is an issue with many medications currently available for kids," said Dr. Mary Fristad, a clinical child psychologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center who is the first to examine the combined effects of psychotherapy and omega-3 in this patient population. "We think the approach will yield a reduction in irritability, improvements in self-esteem and concentration, and better eating and sleeping habits."

Fristad has been working on the approach for nearly twenty years. During that time, she saw great progress made in understanding how medications, psychotherapy and diet impacted biological brain disorders, but relatively little about how these interventions worked in children.

"We were treating kids with effective medications, but their families did not have the coping strategies needed to deal with the child's mood disorder symptoms," recalled Fristad. "Without a supportive environment, you can't expect any pharmacologic or dietary interventions to succeed."

The disconnect prompted Fristad to embark on a series of studies to develop and validate a therapeutic model targeted at families of children with mood disorders. Called psycho-educational psychotherapy, or PEP, the method teaches parents and their children how to manage symptoms and regulate emotions. Families also are taught how to navigate the mental health system for support and learn communication skills to help cope with the disorder. PEP can be done in either a group or individual therapy setting.

Fristad, who is also a professor of psychiatry in Ohio State's College of Medicine, was awarded funding from both the Ohio Department of Mental Health and National Institute of Mental Health to further develop and test PEP.

In 2009, pilot funding from the Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) was given to Fristad to train the PEP method to dozens of therapists around the state. In 2011, Heather MacPherson, MA, a doctoral student supervised by Fristad, also received a T1 Research Training Fellowship from the CCTS, which allowed MacPherson to examine treatment fidelity and outcomes in the community based implementation of PEP.

Armed with evidence that PEP worked, Fristad partnered with child psychiatrists L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd (Ohio State) and Barbara Gracious, MD of Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH). The team obtained funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and resource support from the CCTS to conduct studies combining PEP with omega-3 supplementation in kids with depression or bipolar-NOS (not otherwise specified).

"There are several different types of dietary omega polyunsaturated fatty acids including omega-3, 6, and 9, but the importance of their relative ratios has had very limited testing in these patient populations," said Gracious. "While all are essential to human health, there is evidence that omega-3 fatty acids in particular play a role in brain cell function and signaling."

Gracious says that epidemiological studies show that people who have a diet rich in omega-3s -- found in seafood and flaxseed -- appear to have fewer psychiatric disorders, and that over time, US intake of omega-3 has substantially decreased.

"Cultures with diets high in omega-3 versus other fatty acid types appear to have a lower incidence of depression and mood disorders," said Gracious. "At the turn of the century, the population in this country was consuming more equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Today, that ratio is completely different, with people consuming ten to twenty times more omega-6 than omega-3."

Gracious notes that in addition to having very few side effects, omega-3 fatty acids may have other health benefits, including helping to prevent cardiovascular, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. During the current studies, the research team will be analyzing participants' blood to examine the relationship between inflammatory biomarkers and mood changes.

Both studies are randomized and placebo-controlled, and researchers also intend to compare results from both studies to help provide additional perspectives on the intervention types. Although improvement is expected with both interventions, researchers predict the group receiving both psychotherapy and supplementation will fare the best.

Gracious and Fristad suggest that starting children in psychotherapy at a young age may give them the coping strategies they need as an adult. According to Fristad, early therapy may also help prevent or delay kids from "converting" over to having more serious forms of mood disorders.

Both studies are still enrolling children ages 7-14. Half of the children receive therapy and all receive capsules, either omega-3 or placebo, free of charge, along with careful monitoring and the support needed to continue their treatment.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/depression/~3/BG51l2F6PFI/130628102931.htm

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Sanofi wins diabetes drug approval in Japan

DEAR ABBY: I have been divorced for almost 15 years. In that time, my ex-husband has been self-employed and works out of his home. He rarely leaves his house, and I think he suffers from depression.At a school honors event for our daughter for which most of the attendees dressed for the occasion, he arrived in dirty shorts and a T-shirt. I sat next to him to be polite, until I realized he also smelled awful. When I tried to excuse myself saying I needed a "better seat for my camera," he got up, too! It was an unpleasant two hours. I felt bad for the others in our vicinity. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sanofi-wins-diabetes-drug-approval-japan-061321216.html

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Daughter says Mandela 'still there', raps media 'vultures'

By Siphiwe Sibeko

PRETORIA (Reuters) - Nelson Mandela's eldest daughter lambasted foreign media "vultures" for violating her father's privacy as he lay critically ill in hospital, and said the former South African president was still clinging to life on Thursday.

Makaziwe Mandela's outburst came as anxiety increased over the faltering health of the 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero, admired across the world as a symbol of resistance against injustice and oppression and then of racial reconciliation.

President Jacob Zuma canceled a scheduled trip to neighboring Mozambique on Thursday because of the gravity of Mandela's condition, but a mid-afternoon official update said his health had improved.

"He is much better today than he was when I saw him last night. The medical team continues to do a sterling job," Zuma said in a statement. Mandela remained critical but was now "stable", it added.

Makaziwe was sanguine about her father's chances after nearly three weeks of treatment in a Pretoria hospital for a lung infection.

"I won't lie, it doesn't look good," she told state broadcaster SABC. "But as I say, if we speak to him, he responds and tries to open his eyes. He's still there".

Having run the gauntlet of camera crews and reporters at the hospital, Makaziwe criticized what she said was the "bad taste" of the foreign media and intrusion into the family's privacy.

"There's sort of a racist element with many of the foreign media, where they just cross boundaries," she said.

"It's truly like vultures waiting when the lion has devoured the buffalo, waiting there for the last of the carcass. That's the image we have as a family."

Her criticism followed several sharp rebukes from Zuma's office of some foreign media reports that have given alarming details of Mandela's condition.

Spokesman Mac Maharaj declined to comment on the latest report by a major U.S. TV news network that Madiba, as he is affectionately known, is on life support. He said this was part of Mandela's confidential relationship with his doctors.

Makaziwe compared the massive media attention on Mandela, who has been in and out of hospital in the last few months with the recurring lung infection, with the coverage of the death in April of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

"We don't mind the interest but I just feel it has gone overboard. When Margaret Thatcher was sick in hospital, I didn't see this kind of media frenzy around Margaret Thatcher," she said. "It is only God who knows when the time to go is."

OBAMA: MANDELA A "PERSONAL HERO"

Mandela's fourth hospitalization in six months has led to a growing realization among South Africans that the man regarded as the father of their post-apartheid "Rainbow Nation" will not be among them forever.

"Mandela is very old and at that age, life is not good. I just pray that God takes him this time. He must go. He must rest," said Ida Mashego, a 60-year-old office cleaner in Johannesburg's Sandton financial district.

In Pretoria and the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto, the ruling African National Congress bussed in hundreds of supporters to start a nocturnal vigil for Mandela, the 101-year-old liberation movement's most famous leader.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who is due to visit South Africa this weekend, said his thoughts and prayers were with the Mandela family and South Africa's 53 million people.

Speaking in Senegal, his first stop on a three-nation African tour, Obama said Mandela was a "personal hero". "Even if he passes on, his legacy will linger on," he said.

Pretoria dismissed concerns about disruptions to Obama's schedule, saying it was "getting ready" to welcome the United States' first black president to the historic Union Buildings, where Mandela became South Africa's first black president 19 years ago.

Mandela is revered for his lifetime of opposition to the system of race-based apartheid rule imposed by the white minority government that sentenced him to 27 years in jail, more than half of them on the notorious Robben Island.

He is also respected for the way he preached reconciliation after the 1994 transition to multi-racial democracy following three centuries of white domination.

Mandela stepped down in 1999 after one five-year term in office. Since then he has played little role in public life, dividing his time in retirement between his home in the wealthy Johannesburg suburb of Houghton and Qunu, the village in the impoverished Eastern Cape province where he was born.

(Additional reporting by Pascal Fletcher and Ed Cropley in Johannesburg, Peroshni Govender in Pretoria and Jeff Mason, Bate Felix in Dakar,; Writing by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-waits-mandelas-condition-worsens-061819187.html

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iOS 7 for iPad First Impressions: Messing With the Best

Since its inception, the iPad has been the gold standard for tablets. Nothing else has come close, really. A lot of credit goes to iOS, which has ceded plenty of ground to Android on phones but remains easily the friendliest tablet software. So changing up iOS 7 means changing up the very best tablet OS there is. Here's how that's working out so far.

As usual, this comes with our standard "It's Just a Beta" forewarning. iOS 7 may be enough of an overhaul to make it fair to raise more questions than usual, but this is by no means a finished product. What Apple actually releases will almost certainly be substantively different from its current form.

That said, here's what we've noticed so far:

• The "swipe from anywhere to unlock" tweak that was a nice little change for iPhone is a massive improvement for the iPad, where there is just more space. With a tablet, your hand is not always (rarely, actually) positioned to swipe a tiny bar at the bottom of the screen. Especially if you wake up your tablet from the top power button.
• The Control Center is a spot where you'll notice Apple making the UI work for both phones and tablets. On a phone, your thumb is always within reach of the bottom. But on the iPad, you can use your thumbs to drag Control Center up from anywhere along the bottom of the screen. And doing it from the corners?where your thumbs probably are anyway?puts you right in position to change brightness or volume. It feels like it just fits.

• Some gestures just don't make much sense anymore, though. The four-fingers-up to slide up the old multitasking tray, for example, is sort of confusing now. Why would sliding four fingers up make this sliding panel interface show up? It's still functional, but it loses that almost tactile feeling of sliding your fingers up and seeing a drawer pop out from the same direction.
• More concerning (and also something that can easily be fixed before the public release) is that basic navigation is, for the first time in a while, sort of muddled. For example, if you enter a folder and want to exit it and return to the home screen, all you have to do is tap anywhere outside of the folder. That makes sense, and even if you don't know that that's how it works, you'll figure it out in a hurry. That "tap anywhere to return to where you were" usage disappears, though, when you use the new multitasking. You tap outside of the multitasking panels, and nothing happens, even though you're tapping on the same wallpaper as you were when using a folder.

• iOS 7's multitasking in general makes a little less sense on a tablet than it does on a phone. For one, there is a ton of wasted space on the iPad's 4:3 display, and because the animations take longer to finish (and the panels can only move on one axis at a time), it's a little harder to manipulate.
• The whole concept of multitasking in iOS 7 is also less tablet friendly. Before, you'd just slide the drawer up, and shift over to where you're at. One full screen app to another. Now you're shot off to some intermediary environment that can be jarring visually, and if you change your mind, you can't just return to your app by tapping 90 percent of your screen; you've got to swipe back to the left (since multitasking shifts you one to the right by default) and tap the tile for where you were. Overall, it feels less restful than iPads had previously.
• Non-retina screens are not going to looks as great with iOS 7. The iPad Mini, which has a condensed but still sub-retina screen, looks mostly fine, and the thin typefaces are readable. Except, in certain instances they look sort of ugly?like in the new lighter-weight badges on apps like Mail or Newsstand. On a retina iPad or an iPhone, those look much better than the old style. But on the Mini (and presumably the iPad 2), they're pixelated and look sort of low rent. This will probably pop up in a few other places as well.
• Animations, like returning to the home screen from an app, are running very sluggishly. Everything is running sluggishly on iPad Mini and iPad 3, actually, but again, this is a beta, so wait and see. This is more slowdown than usual, though, and again, because of how big a change iOS 7 is, it bears watching.
• Parallax is there if you look for it, but it's not especially noticeable on day to day tablet use.
• Some staples of iPad gestures?five-fingered pinch, four-fingered swipe to switch apps?are slightly muddled in beta. This usually wouldn't be something to bring up about unfinished software, but seems notable given the amount of changes going on, and the importance of these gestures. By themselves, these two gestures make using an iPad a totally better than other tablets. Right now, a few of the first party apps aren't recognizing them when you're interacting with a content layer (like an email in Mail). This will hopefully be fixed, but it will a big deal if it isn't.

iOS 7 is very nice. It adds a ton of features we've wanted for a while. But there are also some drawbacks beyond the bitching you've heard about icons and color scheme. Some of those will get cleaned up, but others, especially the iPad-centric, might just be the cost of going forward.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/ios-7-for-ipad-first-impressions-messing-with-the-best-598446530

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Exclusive: Justice Department probing American, US Airways merger

By Diane Bartz and Karen Jacobs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is taking depositions as part of a probe into a planned merger of American Airlines Inc and US Airways Group Inc that would create the world's largest airline, three sources close to the discussions told Reuters.

The sticking point in talks between the Justice Department and the companies is whether the airlines will agree to sell slots, take off and landing rights, to reduce their dominance at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., according to one source.

The three sources spoke privately to protect business relationships.

US Airways announced on February 14 that it planned to merge with American, which is emerging from bankruptcy, to create an $11 billion airline. The deal requires the approval of the U.S. Justice Department and the Department of Transportation. The companies hope to wrap up the merger by the end of September.

American Airlines and US Airways declined comment.

The fact that the Justice Department is taking sworn testimony in the form of depositions indicates it has concerns that the proposed merger creates antitrust problems. Depositions will be needed if the agency approves the deal with conditions or, in rare cases, if it decides to try to stop it. The department could also decide to approve the merger without requiring asset sales.

Depositions preserve testimony if the department decides to challenge the merger, said Robert Doyle, an antitrust expert with Doyle, Barlow and Mazard PLLC.

If the deal is approved, the new airline would have 68 percent of the slots at Reagan National, far more than Delta Air Lines Inc with 12 percent, United Airlines with 9 percent and the 11 percent held by other airlines, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

The companies have pushed back hard against any suggestion that takeoff and landing slots at Reagan National be sold.

US Airways CEO Doug Parker told lawmakers in congressional testimony last week that requiring the combined company to surrender slots could mean fewer flights to small and medium-sized cities.

Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said only that the agency's investigation was ongoing.

Antitrust experts have said the Justice Department could request divestitures of some slots at Reagan National and a small number of other airports. Outside these hubs, the carriers fly different routes for the most part.

In late May, more than 100 members of Congress asked U.S. regulators to allow the new American to keep all the slots at Reagan National. The airport is used by many members of Congress to travel to and from their home districts.

The U.S. airline industry has undergone five years of rapid consolidation. Delta acquired Northwest Airlines in 2008, United merged with Continental in 2010 and Southwest Airlines Co bought discount rival AirTran in 2011.

With fewer carriers competing, ticket prices have risen. The average fare rose about 8 percent to $375 in the third quarter of 2012, compared with $346 in 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz. Editing by Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-justice-department-probing-american-us-airways-merger-234057214.html

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Obama: I don't need 'photo op' with Mandela

President Obama is heading to South Africa from Senegal as part of his African tour, where Nelson Mandela's daughter says he might visit Mandela if doctors approve. NBC's Keir Simmons reports.

By Stacey Klein and Ian Johnston, NBC News

Barack Obama said Friday that he did not need a ?photo op? with Nelson Mandela, saying the ?last thing? he wanted to do was be intrusive at a time when the anti-apartheid icon?s family are concerned about his health.

However, the president did not rule out a meeting with Mandela, whose ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said Friday had made a ?great improvement? compared to a few days ago.

On Tuesday, Mandela's daughter Zindzi said that her father ?opened his eyes and gave me a smile? when she told him Obama was coming.

Speaking about her ex-husband Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela says, 'From what he was a few days ago, there is great improvement' in the former South African president's condition.

Speaking on Air Force One as he flew to South Africa from Senegal, Obama said that ?we?ll see what the situation is when we land.?

?I don't need photo op," he said. "The last thing I want to do is be intrusive at a time when the family is concerned? with Mandela?s condition.

He said the main message he wanted to deliver was ?profound gratitude? for Mandela?s leadership and to say that ?the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with him, his family and his country.?

This message could be delivered to his family and not directly to Mandela, the president said.

On Thursday, Obama said he had already had the "privilege of meeting Madiba [Mandela's clan name] and speaking to him."

"And he's a personal hero, but I don't think I'm unique in that regard," Obama added. "If and when he passes from this place, one thing I think we'll all know is that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages."

Madikizela-Mandela, speaking outside Mandela's former home in the Johannesburg township of Soweto, said her ex-husband seemed to be getting better.

?I?m not a doctor but I can say that from what he was a few days ago there is great improvement," she said.

When asked by NBC News Special Correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault?whether the family would welcome a visit by Obama, Zindzi Mandela said Thursday she wasn't aware of any formal request. However, she added that decision would be left with doctors treating the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Ahead of his arrival in Johannesburg on Friday, an anti-Obama protest was held not far from the hospital where Mandela is being treated with one demonstrator claiming the U.S. president had been a ?disappointment.?

Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters

Protesters protest the visit of President Barack Obama in Pretoria Friday. One said he viewed Obama as a "disappointment" and thought Nelson Mandela would too.

Reuters reported that nearly 1,000 trade unionists, Muslim activists, South African Communist Party members and others marched to the U.S. Embassy where they burned a U.S. flag, calling Obama's foreign policy ?arrogant and oppressive.?

"We had expectations of America's first black president. Knowing Africa's history, we expected more,? Khomotso Makola, a 19-year-old law student, told Reuters. He said Obama was a ?disappointment, I think Mandela too would be disappointed and feel let down.?

South African critics of Obama have focused in particular on his support for U.S. drone strikes overseas, which they say have killed hundreds of innocent civilians, and his failure to deliver on a pledge to close the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba housing terrorism suspects.

However, Nigerian painter Sanusi Olatunji, 31, had brought portraits of both Mandela and Obama to add to a growing number of flowers, tribute notes and gifts outside the hospital.

?These are the two great men of my lifetime,? he told Reuters. ?To me, Mandela is a prophet who brought peace and opportunity. He made it possible for a black man like me to live in a country that was only for whites.?

/

View images of civil rights leader Nelson Mandela, who went from anti-apartheid activist to prisoner to South Africa's first black president.

In the latest statement on Mandela?s condition, South African President Jacob Zuma said the 94-year-old was ?much better? on Thursday than he had been the previous night. "The medical team continues to do a sterling job," he added.

A statement issued by Zuma?s office said he and Obama would hold ?crucial bilateral talks that will take forward relations between the two countries? on Saturday.

?South Africa values its warm and mutually beneficial relationship with the United States immensely. This is a significant visit which will take political, economic and people to people relations between the two countries to a higher level, while also enhancing cooperation between U.S. and the African continent at large,? it said.

The statement noted Obama?s visit was being made as South Africa prepares to celebrate ?20 years of freedom? ? 1994 saw the first elections in the country in which all its citizens were eligible to vote. Mandela voted for the first time in his life in that year and was elected the country?s first black president, serving until 1999.

?South Africa greatly appreciates the solidarity provided by the Anti-Apartheid Movement in the United States during the struggle for liberation,? the statement said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

This story was originally published on Fri Jun 28, 2013 5:05 AM EDT

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Take our Apps Survey for a chance to win a $100 Best Buy Gift Card!

We're fans of numbers and quantifiable data here at Mobile Nations, and so following after the second week of Talk Mobile 2013, we're turning to our good friend the survey to help compile some data. Week two was focused on apps, apps, apps and developers, developers, developers. If you missed any of the content, be sure to click over to our Talk Mobile hub and check it out.

The mobile apps survey will only take a minute or two to complete, and as an extra incentive (not that you guys and gals need it, but we like to give things away), by completing the survey you'll be entered for a chance to win a $100 Best Buy Gift Card. Hit the link below to take the survey!

Click here to take the Talk Mobile State of Mobile Apps Survey!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/sLMnbO-AFE4/story01.htm

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Stages of Business Growth ? Stage 6 ? Visionary - Catalist Consulting

Preface ? these articles on stages of business growth are guidelines ? so use them with some flexibility. They are also based on number of employees and not annual revenue because different industries will generate different levels of revenue based on employee count. If you are looking for sales by paid employee for your industry, contact me I have a complete list. We will cover the following stages:

• Stage 1: 1 ? 10 employees ? The One Person Show
• Stage 2: 11-30 employees ? The Ramp Up
• Stage 3: 31 ? 50 employees ? Delegation
• Stage 4: 51 ? 70 employees ? People Crunch
• Stage 5: 71 ? 125 employees ? Professional
• Stage 6: 126 + employees ? Visionary

Stage 6 ? Visionary

The visionary. Patterns of behavior have been established, processes are in place and the feel of the company is good and comfortable. Your confidence in your staff is strong. There are good managers in place and employees are responding well to their direction and leadership. The culture is good and strong and it is a good place to work.

Management/Organizational

As the CEO of a stage 6 company, you are engaged in a unique blend of managerial and visionary styles. You believe strongly in the power of effective and consistent communication. Your leadership style is creating synergy by connecting people to each other, healing rifts in a team and motivating during stressful times.

There are more people and more complications. The impact is felt by the CEO on the hiring practices of the first 4 stages. The CEO is spending time in two distinct areas: people and processes. The CEO is now managing through people and evaluating if the hires through the last 4 stages are working and spending more time with the management team to build their confidence as a group and each individually; it is now a people business and it takes about 70% of the CEO?s time. The second focus is making sure internal processes are running smooth and flawlessly.

One of the biggest challenges may be employee turn-over, this is one indication that the department managers are not as strong and experienced as you need. People stay with a company because they respect their manager. If you are beginning to provide your employees with managers who are already trained and hardwired to grow the business and manage the people, your company will feel less frustrating, become more productive and make more money.

Marketing/Sales

The marketing person is tuned in and working effectively. They are integrated with the sales department and customer service. They understand the needs of the market and are looking for innovative and unique ways to get the message to their highest value prospects. Management is provided with monthly marketing graphs showing what is/is not working, market penetration and return on marketing dollars.

The sales manager is seasoned, effective in leading, hiring, mentoring and monitoring the sales organization. The sales manager is spending 60% ? 70% of their time in the field with each of the sales people, nurturing them to improve their trade. There should be individual sales evaluations in place for each sales person on at least a quarterly basis on customer acquisition and product or market growth.

Human Resources

The HR manager is clearly comfortable with the job, the company and providing the guidance the company needs in the personnel area. They are on top of their primary functions and are keeping up the ?culture? of the company and making the organization a place to look forward to work in.

Product and/or Service

The VP of operations is comfortable in their job, driving performance forward and managing the day-to-day functions and people effectively. There are regular (weekly) production management meetings with the production management team where opportunities are evaluated, performance is measured and issues are discussed and resolved. KPI?s are a routine and the employees in this area are comfortable with reporting key indicators on a daily basis.

Finance

The company has a very qualified controller. Someone who has an accounting degree, has 5+ year controller experience and understands the big picture. They work closely with the CEO and the balance of the management team, giving the financial perspective of new opportunities and threats to the company. As the company grows, more money is changing hands more frequently and a good person at the controls of the money system is critical. These functions are just an extension of other responsibilities defined in previous stages of growth articles. If they don?t have a controller that understands the big picture, the company will benefit from someone giving them that insight.

The company has a profit target that is supported with a revenue and expense budget for the year, by month. The controller and the key management staff: sales, operations, CEO and controller review performance on a monthly basis and evaluate, standardize and improve the overall performance of the business. The company should have a projected cash flow forecast in place that is updated on (at least) a monthly basis to insure that the company will have adequate cash to operate and that the line of credit and financing is adequate to support growth.

Challenges in this stage

Revenue and profit
Weak project management
Difficulty diagnosing/forecasting problems
Employee turnover
Not getting systems in place
Your organization is uninformed about company growth

What to do to get to the next stage

Continue to focus on revenue and profit and weakness in your company including people and systems. The goal of the company is to function as a well oiled machine with improved systems, better people and a powerful culture.

Connect with Dan Lacy:

Dan Lacy at PO Box 2900 Anderson, Indiana 46018.

?

27
Jun

posted in: Business Coaching, Business Growth, Business Planning, Business Profit, Business Tools, Company Blog, Dan Lacy, Financial Planning, Funding, Hiring, Human Resources, Systems by admin | tags :business coach, Business Coaching, business growth, coaching, Consulting, Dan Lacy, executive coaching, Human Resources, Management, Marketing, organizational alignment, People, Professional, Sales

Source: http://www.catalistconsulting.com/stages-of-business-growth-stage-6-visionary/

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Kristen Bell proposes to Dax Shepard via Twitter

Celebs

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

7 hours ago

Christopher Polk / Getty Images file

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell.

That didn't take long. Just a short time after the Supreme Court struck down a key portion of the Defense of Marriage Act, which will change the ability of same-sex couples to marry in much of the United States, one straight couple appears to have decided to make it official.

"Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell immediately jumped on Twitter after the decision came down and asked the father of her child, "Parenthood" star Dax Shepard, to marry her.

The two have been public about their decision to wait to wed until same-sex couples in the United States can marry, and appear to not want to wait even a day longer than they have to. They have been engaged since late 2009, and their daughter Lincoln arrived in March.

Very shortly thereafter, Dax accepted the proposal (well, he accepted it in a now-deleted Tweet that read "F--- yes!!!!!!" but then put up a slightly tempered version (below).

There's been no official confirmation that the two are now making wedding plans, but for now it appears both are on the same page: Celebrating the end of DOMA and looking forward to their new united lives together.

Other straight couples in Hollywood have taken the same stance over the years, so it's possible there may be a small flood of these unions in the coming months -- most notably, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Though the pair have hinted at marriage plans in the years since, Pitt told Esquire in 2006 that "Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/kristen-bell-proposes-twitter-dax-shepard-6C10467522

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Supreme Court agrees to review Oklahoma abortion pill case

At issue is whether an Oklahoma law requires women and their doctors to follow a protocol that effectively limits access to chemically induced abortions. But first, the Supreme Court wants clarification on what, exactly, the state law outlaws.

By Warren Richey,?Staff writer / June 27, 2013

The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Wednesday, June 26. The high court on Thursday agreed to review Oklahoma abortion pill case.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Enlarge

The US Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to wade into a dispute over an Oklahoma regulation of the abortion-inducing drug RU-486.

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In a brief order, the justices agreed to take up the case, and then asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to determine whether the disputed state law bars the application of certain drugs used in chemically induced abortions.

The court said that further proceedings in the case would be reserved pending receipt of a response from the Supreme Court of Oklahoma.

The action came in an appeal filed on behalf of the Oklahoma attorney general asking the justices to reinstate an Oklahoma law regulating RU-486 abortions that was struck down by the state high court in December.

The law sought to limit chemically induced abortions to a protocol of procedures that critics said were outdated and would effectively ban the procedure.

In his brief to the court, Oklahoma Solicitor General Patrick Wyrick asked the justices to examine whether the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled correctly when it invalidated the 2011 state law that had mandated that all drug-induced abortions in the state follow a specific protocol.

Under the law, abortion providers were required to follow instructions approved by the Food and Drug Administration back in 2000 when chemically induced abortions were first approved.

The Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice challenged the law, arguing that the 2000 protocol had since become obsolete and had been replaced by newer time-tested procedures and doses that were safer, more effective, and less expensive.

The new procedures allow a woman to self-administer a second drug at home rather than in a clinic. They also extended the effective use of the chemically induced abortion process from 49 days into the pregnancy to 63 days.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/eppAhFUUmT4/Supreme-Court-agrees-to-review-Oklahoma-abortion-pill-case

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Imgur Now Has a Meme Generator

The internet's (aka Reddit's) favorite online image hosting service now has a built-in meme generator. This is the greatest thing to ever happen to Imgur or the worst. Either way, the workflow is fairly straightforward and even the dopiest of luddites can make their own memes now. Great. Grand. Wonderful!

Not everyone is happy about this.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/imgur-now-has-a-meme-generator-597123554

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Alaska volcano spews five-mile-high ash plume

Alaska volcano: Located almost 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, Pavlof Volcano let loose its most powerful eruption since becoming active in mid-May.?

By Yereth Rosen,?Reuters / June 26, 2013

Space station astronauts captured this picture of Pavlof Volcano on Saturday.

Courtesy of the ISS Expedition 36 crew / NASA

Enlarge

An Alaska volcano spewing ash and lava for the past six weeks erupted with new intensity early on Tuesday, belching a plume of cinders 5 miles (8 km) into sky and onto a nearby town and disrupting local flights, officials said.

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The eruptions from Pavlof Volcano, on the Alaska Peninsula 590 miles (950 km) southwest of Anchorage, were its most powerful since its current eruptive phase began with low-level rumblings in mid-May, according to scientists at the federal-state Alaska Volcano Observatory.

The latest series of more powerful ash-producing blasts from the crater of the 8,261-foot (2,518-meter) volcano started late on Monday and continued overnight into Tuesday, scientists said.

"For some reason we can't explain, it picked up in intensity and vigor," said Tina Neal, an observatory geologist.

While the ash plume has so far remained too low in the sky to affect jetliner traffic, topping out at an altitude of 28,000 feet, smaller planes had to fly around it, officials said. Anchorage-based PenAir canceled one flight and re-routed others, said Missy Roberts, a company vice president.

Ash has dusted King Cove, a town of about 900 people located 30 miles southwest of Pavlof, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported.

The National Weather Service issued an ash advisory for the region, warning of breathing problems for people with respiratory ailments and potential damage to exposed electronic equipment.

A second Alaska Peninsula volcano continued a low-intensity eruption, the observatory said. Ash from Veniaminof Volcano, 485 miles (780 km) southwest of Anchorage, has been limited to the area around its 8,225-foot (2,507-meter) summit, the observatory said.

The eruptions at Pavlof and Veniaminof are unrelated, scientists say.

A third, more remote, Alaska volcano remained restless but was not currently spouting lava or ash, the observatory said. Cleveland Volcano, 940 miles (1,512 km) southwest of Anchorage, began an on-and-off eruptive phase in mid-2011 but has not produced an explosive eruption since May 6, according to the observatory.

(Editing by Steve Gorman and David Brunnstrom)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/BcqHONaCNTU/Alaska-volcano-spews-five-mile-high-ash-plume

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Favorite Four: Apps & Games To Enjoy Wimbledon ? 148Apps ...

Four apps and games to enhance one's enjoyment of tennis.

With tennis season in full swing, thanks to Wimbledon?s arrival this week and the US Open in the near future, tennis fans will be understandably keen to try out a variety of great apps and games related to the subject. So, we?ve taken a look at what?s out there and rounded up our four favorites, comprising of a mixture of gaming and factual experiences.

Stickman Tennis
Starting on a light hearted note, don?t expect realism here. Do expect fun, though. Stickman Tennis is a simple yet enjoyable tennis game, offering an almighty battle between stickmen people. Despite the cartoonish looks, it?s still possible to hit top spins, slices, lobs and all the other correct shots. The complete season offers 64 tournaments so there?s plenty to do, too!

$0.99

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2013-05-22 :: Category: Games

The Championships, Wimbledon 2013
Official apps aren?t always that great, but this one certainly bucks the trend. Besides offering the usual supply of live scores, results, statistics and a schedule of events, The Championships, Wimbledon 2013 also includes on demand video previews, daily radio coverage, and time-lapse photography from the grounds. For those who want to see everything to Wimbledon, it?s even possible to check out 360 degree photos and videos of the grounds.

FREE!

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2013-06-20 :: Category: Sports

The Tennis App
Inspired to take up tennis or improve your skills? The Tennis App has it covered. Detailed instructions are offered for every stroke here, from topspin to volleys and overhead shots. A video overview of each stroke is included, along with an animation sequence and focus on key components of the move. It works just as well for left-handed players as it does right-handed, too.

FREE!

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-03-20 :: Category: Sports

TouchSports Tennis
Offering a more realistic look to Stickman Tennis, TouchSports Tennis is a fun 3D interpretation of the sport. 3 courts are available to choose from, as well as 6 different players. It?s easy to learn to play, thanks to a combination of touch and tilt controls keeping things intuitive throughout. More importantly, it?s really rather fun.

$1.99

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2008-11-14 :: Category: Sports Posted in: Blog, Favorite 4

Tagged with: favorite 4, favorite four, Favourite 4, favourite four, Stickman Tennis, tennis, The Championships Wimbledon 2013, The Tennis App, TouchSports Tennis, Wimbledon

Review disclosure: note that the product reviewed on this page may have been provided to us by the developer for the purposes of this review. Note that if the developer provides the product or not, this does not impact the review or score.

Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/favorite-apps-games-enjoy-wimbledon/

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Senators: Student loan interest rates to double

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Interest rates on new student loans are going to double because the Senate does not plan a vote before Monday's deadline.

The chairman of the Education Committee and other Democrats said Thursday that the Senate would vote on July 10 on a one-year extension of the current interest rates. Without congressional action, rates on subsidized Stafford loans are set to go from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1.

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin says lawmakers could pass a bill that retroactively lowers rates after they double on Monday.

A previous attempt in the Senate to extend rates for two years failed to overcome a procedural hurdle.

The House has already passed a student loan proposal.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senators-student-loan-interest-rates-double-184951507.html

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Portrait of a filibusterer: Who is Wendy Davis?

Wendy Davis, the Democratic state senator from Fort Worth, Texas, is in the final hours of a 13-hour filibuster to defeat an anti-abortion bill. Wendy Davis was a single mom by the age of 19 but put herself through school and graduated from Harvard Law School with honors.

By Jim Vertuno,?Associated Press / June 25, 2013

Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis (D) of Fort Worth, waits for a ruling on a rules violation during her filibusters of an abortion bill, Tuesday, June 25, in Austin, Texas. Senator Davis was given a second warning for breaking filibuster rules by receiving help with a back brace from Sen. Rodney Ellis (D) of Houston.

Eric Gay/AP

Enlarge

To lead their nearly 13-hour?filibuster?aimed at blocking a contentious abortion bill, Texas Democrats turned Tuesday to a 50-year-old lawmaker who pulled herself up from a tough background as a teenage mother to graduate from Harvard law school.

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Once dismissed by Gov. Rick Perry as a "show horse," Sen. Wendy Davis has earned a reputation for being willing to spar with the state dominant political party and its leaders.

"She's a total fighter," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund and daughter of the late former Texas governor Ann Richards. "And the thing about Senator Davis, she says he's going to do something, she gets it done."

Davis, 50, starting working at age 14 to help support a household of her single mother with three siblings. By 19, she was already married and divorced with a child of her own. After community college, she graduated from Texas Christian University before being accepted to Harvard Law School. According to her website, Davis graduated Harvard Law with honors.

She returned to Texas, where she became a Fort Worth city council member before staging a political upset to beat an incumbent Republican to win a seat in the state Senate.

"We knew about her on the City Council," said Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston. "And we knew her track record as someone you could count on in the heat of battle ... She's been a leader on women's health and women's issues."

Davis has clashed with Texas Republicans almost since arriving in the Capitol, earning derision and respect for her ability to dissect a complex bill and make her opponents squirm under tough questioning.

In 2011, Davis led a short?filibuster?on the final night of the regular session that torpedoed a key budget bill to allow the state to cut more than $4 billion from public education. Despite warnings that the?filibuster?would be futile because Perry would immediately call lawmakers back into special session to pass the bill again, Davis and Democrats carried on, taking the short-term victory.

Hundreds of orange-clad abortion rights activists who jammed into the Senate gallery Tuesday cheered her arrival with thunderous applause and shouts of "Go Wendy!" and "Thank you Wendy!"

Davis waived to acknowledge their support but also to urge for quiet and respect the chambers rules of decorum

"I'm rising on the floor today to humbly give voice to thousands of Texans who are being ignored," she said when her speech began, later adding: "These voices have been silenced by a governor who made blind partisanship and personal political ambition the priority of our state."

An avid runner and cyclist, Davis was in good shape for the physical challenge of standing and talking for nearly 13 hours.

Because the rules wouldn't allow her to sit down, her chair was removed when she began her marathon speech. Davis wore tennis shoes and shifted her weight from hip to hip as the hours ticked by.

To stay sharp, Davis slowly circled her desk, pausing occasionally to read from a large binder on her desk. When a solitary male protester stood in the Senate gallery and shouted, "Abortion is genocide!" Davis calmly kept talking to without interruption as the man was removed by security.

At one point, Davis fought through tears to read testimony from women who opposed the bill and described their personal stories.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DtjGSPG2zVQ/Portrait-of-a-filibusterer-Who-is-Wendy-Davis

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HTC One launches in 'glamour red', arrives in the UK next month (update: pricing)

Flush from launching in the US in a Google-heavy iteration, HTC is rewarding its UK fans with a sultry "glamour red" option of the One smartphone. It'll arrive at retailer Phones 4U in mid-July, although there's no specifics yet on storage (16 or 32GB?), or whether there will be any price difference between the new colorful hue and existing silver and black options.

Update: Phones4U has confirmed it'll be selling this boudoir of a phone starting at £33 per month on contract.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/w2639o8FyaI/

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Heads Up, Haters, 70% Of The U.S. Has A Gay Friend On Facebook

Americans are growing more open about their sexuality, and that could defeat prejudice. In honor of Gay Pride week, Facebook ran the numbers and found 70% of US users are friends with someone who lists themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual on their Timeline. That fact could remind people they're hurting someone they know when they're intolerant or use homophobic slurs.

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

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Obama?s hands-off approach to extraditing Snowden draws criticism (Washington Post)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/314969404?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Star is crowded by super-Earths

25 June 2013 Last updated at 09:18 ET By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

Scientists have identified three new planets around a star they already suspected of hosting a trio of worlds.

It means this relatively nearby star, Gliese 667C, now has three so-called super-Earths orbiting in its "habitable zone".

This is the region where temperatures ought to allow for the possibility of liquid water, although no-one can say for sure what conditions are really like on these planets.

Gliese 667C is 22 light-years away.

Astronomers can see it on the sky in the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion).

Previous studies of Gliese 667C had established there were very likely three planets around it, with its habitable zone occupied by one super-Earth - an object slightly bigger than our home world, but probably still with a rocky surface.

Now, a team of astronomers led by Guillem Anglada-Escude of the University of G?ttingen, Germany, and Mikko Tuomi, of the University of Hertfordshire, UK, has re-examined the system and raised the star's complement of planets.

The researchers used a suite of telescopes including the 3.6m telescope at the Silla Observatory in Chile. This incorporates the high-precision Harps instrument. Harps employs an indirect method of detection that infers the existence of orbiting planets from the way their gravity makes a parent star appear to twitch in its motion across the sky.

Full to bursting

The planets' presence needs to be disentangled from this complex signal but the Harps instrument is recognised as having tremendous success in identifying smaller worlds.

Gliese 667C is a low-luminosity "M-dwarf" star just over one-third the mass of our Sun.

This means its habitable zone can be much closer in before temperatures make liquid water impossible. The team is now confident that three rocky worlds occupy this region at Gilese 667C.

"Their estimated masses range from 2.7 to 3.8 that of the Earth's," Mikko Tuomi told BBC News.

"However, we can only estimate the physical sizes by assuming certain compositions that is, well, only educated guessing.

"Their orbital periods are 28, 39, and 62 days, which means that they all orbit the star closer to its surface than Mercury in our own system. Yet, the estimated surface temperatures enable the existence of liquid water on them because of the low luminosity and low mass of the star."

These planets are said to completely fill the habitable zone. There are no more stable orbits in which to fit another planet.

That said, the team has found tantalising evidence for what may be another rocky world on the inner-edge of the zone. This would be a seventh planet in the system.

Fruitful targets

The planets would need an atmosphere to sustain liquid water on their surfaces, but at a distance of more than 200 trillion km, there are no means currently to determine what the precise conditions are like or whether life would have any chance of establishing itself.

Nonetheless, Dr Tuomi believes M-dwarf stars are good candidates to go hunting for potentially habitable worlds.

They are small enough that close-in rocky planets will show up well in the Harps Doppler spectroscopy data, but they are also dim enough that those close-orbiting worlds will not be roasted.

"This discovery single-handedly demonstrates that low-mass stars can be hosts of several potentially habitable planets," explained Dr Tuomi.

"In practice, it means that we might have to double or treble our estimates for the occurrence rate of habitable-zone planets around M-dwarf stars.

"There might, in fact, be more habitable-zone planets in the Universe than there are stars, which makes it much easier for the future space missions to obtain images of these planets.

"So, although only a rather simple discovery, its implications might force us to re-think how common habitable-zone planets are in the Universe."

The research has been written up for the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23032467#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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