বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৮ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩

Solidoodle 3D printing stores set to bring 'upscale fashion shopping' to Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan

Looking for an "upscale fashion shopping experience" in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan or Belarus? Solidoodle's got your back. The company is set to launch 3D printing stores in those areas, featuring its low cost 3D printers and "lifestyle" items created on said devices. The Russian store is set to be the first to open this summer. The company also used its press conference today to announce plans to sell printers in Brazil, Canada, Korea and Japan, as well as a join initiative with Georgia Institute of Technology's Mars Society to test the devices in "harsh environments like Mars" (places like Utah, apparently). More info on the announcements can be found in an exceedingly enthusiastic press release after the break.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/28/solidoodle/

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Tweets, pics give real-time peek into North Korea

In this Feb. 16, 2013 photo taken with an iPhone and posted to Instagram on Feb. 16 , 2013, North Korean school boys play with an Associated Press photographer's professional camera in front of statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea. On Jan. 18, 2013, foreigners were allowed for the first time to bring mobile phones into North Korea. And this week the local service provider, Koryolink, is allowing foreigners to access the Internet on a data capable 3G connection on mobile phones.(AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

In this Feb. 16, 2013 photo taken with an iPhone and posted to Instagram on Feb. 16 , 2013, North Korean school boys play with an Associated Press photographer's professional camera in front of statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea. On Jan. 18, 2013, foreigners were allowed for the first time to bring mobile phones into North Korea. And this week the local service provider, Koryolink, is allowing foreigners to access the Internet on a data capable 3G connection on mobile phones.(AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

In this Feb. 20, 2013 photo taken with an iPhone and posted to Instagram on Feb. 21, 2013, North Korean nurses care for infants in cribs inside a maternity hospital, in Pyongyang, North Korea. On Jan. 18, 2013, foreigners were allowed for the first time to bring mobile phones into North Korea. And this week the local service provider, Koryolink, is allowing foreigners to access the Internet on a data capable 3G connection on mobile phones. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

In this Jan. 8, 2013 photo taken with an iPod Touch and posted to instagram on Jan. 8, 2013, North Koreans walk along a Pyongyang street and seen through a coffee shop window curtain. On Jan. 18, 2013, foreigners were allowed for the first time to bring mobile phones into North Korea. And this week the local service provider, Koryolink, is allowing foreigners to access the Internet on a data capable 3G connection on mobile phones. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

In this Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 photo posted to Instagram on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, a North Korean guide uses a pointer at the start of a tour of an historic site in Pyongyang. On Jan. 18, 2013, foreigners were allowed for the first time to bring mobile phones into North Korea. And this week the local service provider, Koryolink, is allowing foreigners to access the Internet on a data capable 3G connection on mobile phones. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

In this photo posted on Instagram, a man walks in Pyongyang, North Korea, under a new roadside banner referring to North Korea's controversial Feb. 12 nuclear test Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Tweeting and uploading to Instagram is pretty ordinary stuff in the world of social media, but revolutionary for North Korea. (AP Photo/Jean H. Lee)

"Hello world from comms center in (hash)Pyongyang."

That Twitter missive, sent Monday from Koryolink's main service center in downtown Pyongyang using my iPhone, marked a milestone for North Korea: It was believed to be the first tweet sent from a cellphone using the country's new 3G mobile data service.

Later, as we were driving through Pyongyang, I used my iPhone to snap a photo of a new roadside banner referring to North Korea's controversial Feb. 12 nuclear test while AP's Chief Asia Photographer David Guttenfelder uploaded an image to Instagram of a tour guide at a mountain temple, geotagged to Pyongyang.

Pretty ordinary stuff in the world of social media, but revolutionary for North Korea, a country with intricate rules to stage manage the flow of images and information both inside and beyond its borders.

In the past, rules were strict for tourists visiting North Korea. On a bus journey across the Demilitarized Zone into the border city of Kaesong in 2008, we were told: No cellphones, no long camera lenses, no shooting photos without permission. The curtains were drawn to prevent us from looking outside as we drove through the countryside, and through the cracks we could see soldiers stationed along the road with red flags. We were warned they'd raise those flags and stop the bus for inspection if they spotted a camera pointed out the window. As we left North Korea, immigration officials went through our cameras, clicking through the photos to make sure we weren't taking home any images that were objectionable.

In 2009, I did not offer up my iPhone as we went through customs. But to no avail. The eagle-eyed officer dug deep into the pocket where I'd tucked the phone away, wagged his finger and slipped the phone into a little black bag. No phone, no address book, no music: It was as though I'd left the modern world behind at Sunan airport and stepped back in time to a seemingly prehistoric analog era.

Eventually, Guttenfelder and I settled into a working routine. We'd leave our cellphones at the airport but use locally purchased phones with SIM cards provided by Koryolink, the joint Egyptian-North Korean cellphone venture that established a 3G network in 2008, but without data. We brought iPod Touches and connected to the world, including Twitter, using broadband Internet that may be installed on request at our hotel, which is for international visitors.

We knew in January that change was afoot. "Bring your own phone next time," a Koryolink saleswoman told me at the airport as we were departing. The next day, the longstanding rule of requiring visitors to relinquish their phones was gone.

But we were waiting for the day when Koryolink would begin offering mobile Internet, and hounded the Egyptians posted to North Korea from Orascom Telecom Media and Technology for news.

"Soon," they kept telling us.

Last week, they called with good news: 3G mobile Internet would be available within a week ? only for foreigners.

All we had to do when we arrived in February was show our passports, fill out a registration form, provide our phones' IMEI numbers and pop in our Koryolink SIM cards. It's a costly luxury: SIM cards are 50 euros, or about $70, and while calls to Switzerland are an inexplicably cheap 38 euro cents a minute, calls to the U.S. cost about $8 a minute.

After reporting last week on the imminent availability of 3G mobile Internet, we turned up at the Koryolink offices Monday to be among the first ones to activate the service.

After paying a steep 75-euro fee and sending a text to activate the service, we waited for the 3G symbol to pop up on our phones.

Moments later, I sent the inaugural tweet, which was queued up and ready to go. There was a little celebration that morning in the Koryolink office among the Egyptians who labored to set up the service and their North Korean partners.

Our North Korean colleagues watched with surprise as we showed them we could surf the Internet from our phones.

Koreans, North and South, love gadgets.

Not all North Koreans have local cellphones. Those who do use them to call colleagues to arrange work meetings, phone and text friends to set up dinner dates and ring home to check in on their babies. They snap photos with their phones and swap MP3s. They read North Korean books and the Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, on their phones.

But they cannot surf the "international" Internet, as they call it. The World Wide Web remains strictly off limits for most North Koreans. North Korean universities have their own fairly sophisticated Intranet system, though the material posted to it is closely vetted by authorities and hews to propaganda. Students say they can email one another, but they can't send emails outside the country.

Leader Kim Jong Un has pushed science and technology as major policy directives, and we're starting to see more laptops in North Korean offices. The new Samjiyon tablet computer, made in China for the North Korean market, was sold out when I last checked at a local computer shop.

Even during the days when no mobile data were available, Guttenfelder figured out a way to activate Wi-Fi sharing among his laptop, iPod touch and iPhone, and began posting geotagged pictures to Instagram. Using Loopcam, I began uploading small GIF videos that have the feel of an old-fashioned flipbook, giving movement and life to the scene on the street.

These are snapshots captured as we go about our daily life working in North Korea: a man getting a haircut at a barber shop, traffic cops lacing up ice skates, a villager hauling a bundle of firewood on her back as she trudges through a snowy field. Some are quirky, unexpected things that catch our attention: a blinking Christmas tree in February, the cartoon "Madagascar" showing on state TV, a basket of baguettes at the supermarket.

And some are politically telling: the empty highway from Pyongyang, people piling onto trucks for transportation, postcards showing soldiers attacking Americans, banners praising the scientists who sent a rocket into space. Despite the new construction, gadgets and consumer goods, North Korea is still grappling with grave economic hardship. It's a society governed by a web of strict rules and regulations, a nation wary of the outside world.

Often, they are images, videos and details that may not make it onto the AP's products but provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a country largely hidden from view even in our globalized, interconnected world. They help give a sense of the feel, smell and look of the place away from the pomp of the orchestrated events shown by the state media. It is a way for us to share what we see, large and small, during our long stays in a nation off limits to most Western journalists and still largely a mystery, even to us.

On Monday evening, while discussing how to cover the arrival of ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman and describing his array of tattoos and nose rings, we did what wasn't possible in the past: We Googled him from a local restaurant.

Twenty-four hours later, Rodman himself appeared to be online and tweeting from North Korea.

"I come in peace. I love the people of North Korea!" he wrote.

___

Jean H. Lee is the AP's bureau chief for North Korea and South Korea, and has made more than 20 trips to North Korea since 2008. Follow (at)newsjean on Twitter, Loopcam and Instagram. Follow (at)dguttenfelder on Twitter and Instagram.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-27-Tweeting%20in%20North%20Korea/id-53d1a9f99c78429393d2e7534f2af57c

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Federal Government Makes Silo-Busting, Startup-Unleashing Healthcare Move

Unleash venturesEditor?s note:?Dave Chase?is the CEO of?Avado.com, a patient portal and relationship management company that was a?TechCrunch Disrupt finalist. For the first time, the federal government has provided large financial incentives to share one's health data between authorized healthcare providers and with patient themselves to facilitate patient engagement. In the past, there was a disincentive for providers to share information outside of their silo. This has been a central reason why healthcare has been a technology backwater.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/MUE59_42dPo/

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iTunes in the Cloud looks to be hitting more of Europe with TV series, films (update: confirmed)

iTunes in the Cloud looks to be hitting parts of Europe with TV series, films

While stateside users might complain that we get all the good stuff in Europe first, Apple's iTunes in the Cloud for movies and TV shows has finally got around to rolling in to France and other parts of Europe, eons after it came out in the US. We confirmed that the new functionality works in France, which lets you buy films and TV shows from a computer, Apple TV or iOS device, then download it for free from the cloud on another. Others have reported by Twitter that it's working in Holland and Sweden as well, making it the first big move for the service since it rolled into the UK, Australia and Canada last summer. Until now, users in those nations were only able to download books, apps and music purchased in iTunes from the cloud. There's still no word from Apple about the move, however, and the list of supported countries hasn't been updated for those features -- so we'll enjoy it for now and hope Cupertino doesn't change its mind.

Update: We've confirmed with Apple that this rollout has indeed taken place. Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden all get movies in the cloud, while France gets both movies and TV series in the cloud.

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Via: TNW

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/27/itunes-in-the-cloud-hits-europe/

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Q&A: Argentina's NY court showdown on default debt

FILE - In this July 25, 2012 photo, Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez unveils an archetype of the new 100 Argentine pesos bill bearing the profile of former late first lady Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, better known as "Evita," at the government palace in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Judgment day is approaching in an epic battle between Argentina and New York billionaire Paul Singer, who has sent lawyers around the globe trying to force the South American country to pay its defaulted debts. Three U.S. appellate judges will hear oral arguments in New York on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in the case, NML Capital Ltd. v. Argentina. The case has shaken bond markets, worried bankers, lawyers and diplomats, captivated financial analysts and generated enough ?friend of the court? briefs to kill a small forest. (AP Photo/Alberto Raggio, DyN, File)

FILE - In this July 25, 2012 photo, Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez unveils an archetype of the new 100 Argentine pesos bill bearing the profile of former late first lady Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, better known as "Evita," at the government palace in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Judgment day is approaching in an epic battle between Argentina and New York billionaire Paul Singer, who has sent lawyers around the globe trying to force the South American country to pay its defaulted debts. Three U.S. appellate judges will hear oral arguments in New York on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in the case, NML Capital Ltd. v. Argentina. The case has shaken bond markets, worried bankers, lawyers and diplomats, captivated financial analysts and generated enough ?friend of the court? briefs to kill a small forest. (AP Photo/Alberto Raggio, DyN, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2013 file photo, Argentina's naval training tall ship ARA Libertad arrives to port as planes fly overhead during a ceremony in Mar del Plata, Argentina Ghana courts ordered the ship held in October on a claim by Cayman Islands-based hedge fund NML Capital Ltd. But the U.N.'s International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ordered the ship's release after Argentina argued that warships are immune from seizure. Judgment day is approaching in an epic battle between Argentina and New York billionaire Paul Singer, who has sent lawyers around the globe trying to force the South American country to pay its defaulted debts. Three U.S. appellate judges will hear oral arguments in New York on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in the case, NML Capital Ltd. v. Argentina. The case has shaken bond markets, worried bankers, lawyers and diplomats, captivated financial analysts and generated enough ?friend of the court? briefs to kill a small forest. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

FILE - In this June 15, 2010 file photo, from left, attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies speak in San Francisco. Judgment day is approaching in an epic battle between Argentina and New York billionaire Paul Singer, who has sent lawyers around the globe trying to force the South American country to pay its defaulted debts. Three U.S. appellate judges will hear oral arguments in New York on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in the case, NML Capital Ltd. v. Argentina. The case has shaken bond markets, worried bankers, lawyers and diplomats, captivated financial analysts and generated enough ?friend of the court? briefs to kill a small forest. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

(AP) ? Judgment day is approaching in an epic battle between Argentina and New York billionaire Paul Singer, who has sent lawyers around the globe trying to force the South American country to pay its defaulted debts.

Three U.S. appellate judges hear oral arguments in New York on Wednesday in the case, NML Capital Ltd. v. Argentina. The case has shaken bond markets, worried bankers, lawyers and diplomats, captivated financial analysts and generated enough "friend of the court" briefs to kill a small forest.

Much more is at stake than the future of Argentina's shaky economy, which could collapse if President Cristina Fernandez goes into default rather than pay a judgment of more than $1.3 billion to the plaintiffs, whom she calls "vulture funds."

The U.S. Federal Reserve and the world's largest banks have warned that the smooth functioning of the global funds-transfer system is threatened by U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa's unusual proposal for forcing Argentina to pay. The same appellate judges hearing arguments Wednesday have already broadly upheld Griesa's plan but want more details on how it would work.

Argentina and the Obama administration both argued that the judge's remedy could make debt relief harder for troubled economies, dooming their citizens to more years of poverty than necessary.

"While the U.S. government does not condone Argentina's actions in the international financial arena," this ruling also could damage U.S. foreign policy, threaten U.S. assets overseas and even harm the U.S. dollar by persuading nations to take their bond business elsewhere, the administration's brief said.

Here are some questions and answers on how so much could be at stake in what seems to be a simple contract dispute:

Q. What was Griesa's ruling?

A. The judge wants U.S. financial institutions to become his enforcers, diverting the payments that Argentina makes to other bondholders if it doesn't first pay an equal amount to the plaintiffs. The Bank of New York, which normally processes the payments, would have to redirect the money to the plaintiffs, and banks say such interventions could threaten the automatic nature of the U.S. electronic funds transfer system, which is vital to the global economy.

Q. Who are the bondholders already being repaid?

A. More than 92 percent of the debt from Argentina's world-record $100 billion default in 2001 was restructured in 2005 and 2010. Argentina gave them new bonds initially worth less than 30 cents on the dollar. These "exchange bondholders" are slowly regaining their original investments: Most already have been paid 71 cents for each dollar invested. This slow recuperation is what debt relief looks like for troubled economies ? it has been key to Argentina's recovery.

Q. Who are the bondholders who went to court?

A. A small group refused the debt swaps and filed suit instead. Griesa ruled in their favor, and ordered the Bank of New York to reroute any payments that Argentina makes to other bondholders until the plaintiffs get paid in full, plus interest.

Q. Why go to such extremes?

A. Argentina has ignored a number of court judgments, and Griesa is determined to get satisfaction after many years of litigation. Argentina still hasn't made payments on $10 billion in defaulted debt dating from its 2001 economic collapse. Adding other unpaid judgments, loans and other claims, including $10.5 billion sought by Grupo Repsol for the YPF oil company expropriated last year, Argentina owes as much as $61 billion.

Q. What about NML Capital's position that Argentina's central bank holds enough currency reserves to easily pay the $1.3 billion sought by the plaintiffs?

A. Argentina's dollar reserves dropped to $41 billion this week as uncertainty fueled capital flight. More than half of that is already loaned out or otherwise committed, and Argentina says the reserves can't withstand the demands of creditors for immediate payment of $43 billion that would be triggered if it was forced to pay Singer's group. Graham Fisher analyst Joshua Rosen, however, says: "Argentina is a $450 billion, G-20 economy, and the government has numerous other sources of liquidity" if it decides to negotiate a deal.

Q. What are the arguments over Griesa basing his ruling on the "equal treatment" clause in Argentina's 1990s-era bond contracts?

A. NML Capital says getting paid immediately in full, plus interest, is more than fair, because the plaintiffs spent millions litigating while the holders of swap bonds were getting regular payments. A group of the latter bondholders counters that there's nothing fair about taking other people's property, or getting as much as a 1,500 percent return on debt bought for pennies on the dollar.

Q. What about Argentina's suggestion that "equal treatment" could be provided through a new debt swap giving holdouts the same terms others accepted?

A. Anna Gelpern, an American University law professor who has closely followed the case, says Argentina is arguing for a bankruptcy concept of fairness ? that when debtors can't pay, all creditors must suffer, accepting less so that recovery can happen more quickly. Sovereign debt relief depends on this concept, and many of the legal briefs reflect a desire that the courts invoke it while engineering a comprehensive solution to Argentina's debt problems. But Gelpern says the appeals panel is more likely to base its ruling in simple contract terms, as in, "they owe the money, and they need to pay."

Q. What's the end game?

A. Expect the appellate ruling in two to four months. Most analysts predict Argentina will lose and further appeals will be turned down, giving this panel the final word. Since Argentina appears unwilling to settle out of court, J.P. Morgan analyst Vladimir Werning says, "This boils down to a blueprint for an end game where Argentina snuffs N.Y. law, its courts and its payment system and it offers restructured bondholders the option of getting paid fully in Buenos Aires."

Q. Would Argentina really pull out of the U.S. financial system?

A. Economist Rodolfo Rossi, Argentina's central bank president in the 1990s, says ending up "completely isolated and refusing to pay its debts" would only bring more trouble for the country. Like many Argentines who have backed Fernandez's fight against the holdouts, he says she can't show weakness now, but has to settle eventually in order to refinance all of Argentina's debts and bring back investment.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-27-Argentina-Debt%20Showdown-QandA/id-a6f59d34b9d64d449fc75e543eb05d9f

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Pope recalls 'joy,' difficulties in final audience

Pope Benedict XVI greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 for the final time before retiring, waving to tens of thousands of people who have gathered to bid him farewell Benedict was driven around the square in an open-sided vehicle, surrounded by bodyguards. At one point he stopped to kiss a baby handed up to him by his secretary. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Pope Benedict XVI greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 for the final time before retiring, waving to tens of thousands of people who have gathered to bid him farewell Benedict was driven around the square in an open-sided vehicle, surrounded by bodyguards. At one point he stopped to kiss a baby handed up to him by his secretary. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives for his last general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Tens of thousands of people toting banners saying "Thank you!" jammed St. Peter's Square on Wednesday to bid farewell to Pope Benedict XVI at his final general audience, the appointment he kept each week to teach the world about the Catholic faith. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Benedict XVI greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI greeted the Catholic masses in St. Peter's Square Wednesday for the last time before retiring, making several rounds of the square as crowds cheered wildly and stopping to kiss a half-dozen children brought up to him by his secretary. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

A Vatican Swiss guard stands in front of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI is preparing for his final general audience, the weekly appointment he kept with the faithful and tourists to teach them about the Catholic faith. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

A man holds a cross as he stands in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI is preparing for his final general audience, the weekly appointment he kept with the faithful and tourists to teach them about the Catholic faith. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

(AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI basked in an emotional send-off Wednesday from an estimated 150,000 people at his final general audience in St. Peter's Square, recalling moments of "joy and light" during his papacy and also times of difficulty when "it seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

The crowd, many toting banners saying "Grazie!" ("Thank you!"), jammed the piazza to bid Benedict farewell and hear his final speech as pontiff. In this appointment, which he has kept each week for eight years to teach the world about the Catholic faith, Benedict thanked his flock for respecting his retirement, which takes effect Thursday.

Benedict clearly enjoyed the occasion, taking a long victory lap around the square in an open-sided car and stopping to kiss and bless half a dozen children handed to him by his secretary. Seventy cardinals, some tearful, sat in solemn attendance ? then gave him a standing ovation at the end of his speech.

Benedict made a quick exit, foregoing the typical meet-and-greet session that follows the audience as if to not prolong the goodbye.

Given the historic moment, Benedict also changed course and didn't produce his typical professorial Wednesday catechism lesson. Rather, he made his final public appearance in St. Peter's a personal one, explaining once again why he was becoming the first pope in 600 years to resign and urging the faithful to pray for his successor.

"To love the church means also to have the courage to take difficult, painful decisions, always keeping the good of the church in mind, not oneself," Benedict said to thundering applause.

He noted that a pope has no privacy: "He belongs always and forever to everyone, to the whole church." But he promised that in retirement he would not be returning to private life ? instead taking on a new experience of service to the church through prayer.

He recalled that when he was elected pope on April 19, 2005, he questioned if God truly wanted it.

"'It's a great burden that you've placed on my shoulders,'" he recalled telling God.

During his eight years as pope, Benedict said he had had "moments of joy and light, but also moments that haven't been easy ... moments of turbulent seas and rough winds, as has occurred in the history of the church when it seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

But he said he never felt alone, that God always guided him, and he thanked his cardinals and colleagues for their support and for "understanding and respecting this important decision."

The pope's eight-year tenure has been beset by the clerical sex abuse scandal, discord over everything from priestly celibacy to women's ordination, and most recently the betrayal by his own butler who stole his private papers and leaked them to a journalist.

Under a bright sun and blue skies, the square was overflowing with pilgrims and curiosity-seekers. Those who couldn't get in picked spots along the main boulevard leading to the square to watch the event on giant TV screens. About 50,000 tickets were requested for Benedict's final master class. In the end, the Vatican estimated that 150,000 people flocked to the farewell.

"It's difficult ? the emotion is so big," said Jan Marie, a 53-year-old Roman in his first years as a seminarian. "We came to support the pope's decision."

With chants of "Benedetto!" erupting often, the mood was far more buoyant than during the pope's final Sunday blessing. It recalled the jubilant turnouts that often accompanied him at World Youth Days and events involving his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

Benedict has said he decided to retire after realizing that, at 85, he simply didn't have the "strength of mind or body" to carry on.

"I have taken this step with the full understanding of the seriousness and also novelty of the decision, but with a profound serenity in my soul," Benedict told the crowd.

Benedict will meet Thursday morning with cardinals for a final time, then fly by helicopter to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome.

There, at 8 p.m., the doors of the palazzo will close and the Swiss Guards in attendance will go off duty, their service protecting the head of the Catholic Church over ? for now.

Many of the cardinals who will choose Benedict's successor were in St. Peter's Square for his final audience. Those included retired Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, the object of a grass-roots campaign in the U.S. to persuade him to recuse himself for having covered up for sexually abusive priests. Mahony has said he will be among the 115 cardinals voting on who the next pope should be.

"God bless you," Mahony said when asked by television crews about the campaign.

Also in attendance Wednesday were cardinals over 80, who can't participate in the conclave but will participate in meetings next week to discuss the problems facing the church and the qualities needed in a new pope.

"I am joining the entire church in praying that the cardinal electors will have the help of the Holy Spirit," Spanish Cardinal Julian Herranz, 82, said.

Herranz has been authorized by the pope to brief voting-age cardinals on his investigation into the leaks of papal documents that exposed corruption in the Vatican administration.

Vatican officials say cardinals will begin meeting Monday to decide when to set the date for the conclave.

But the rank-and-file faithful in the crowd weren't so concerned with the future; they wanted to savor the final moments with the pope they have known for years.

"I came to thank him for the testimony that he has given the church," said Maria Cristina Chiarini, a 52-year-old homemaker who traveled by train from Lugo in central Italy with about 60 members of her parish. "There's nostalgia, human nostalgia, but also comfort, because as a Christian we have hope. The Lord won't leave us without a guide."

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-27-EU-Vatican-Pope/id-14d520a525704aaeb9f748d37b591102

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The Bachelorette Announcement, Premiere Dates Revealed!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/the-bachelorette-announcement-premiere-dates-revealed/

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Self help books and websites can benefit severely depressed patients

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Patients with severe depression show at least as good clinical benefit from 'low-intensity' interventions, such as self help books and interactive websites, as less severely ill patients, according to new research by The University of Manchester.

Depression is a major cause of disability worldwide and effective management of this is a key challenge for health care systems.

The study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), confirmed evidence that 'low-intensity' interventions provide significant clinical benefit. Initial severity of depression is one of the key variables determining who gets 'low' or 'high' intensity treatment, but this is largely based on epidemiological studies and clinical experience rather than high quality evidence.

Researchers from an international collaboration carrid out a meta-analysis of several studies involving 2470 patients with depression, all treated in a non-hospital setting. All studies were from the year 2000 or later with a sample size of more than 50 patients. The mean age in all studies was 35-45, and studies included patients with lower levels of depressive symptoms, as well as those with quite severe depression.

'Low-intensity' treatment was defined as interventions designed to help patients manage depressive symptoms such as self-help books or interactive websites, often with limited guidance and support from a health professional. Self-help groups were excluded.

The researchers found that patients with more severe depression at baseline derive "at least as good clinical benefit from 'low-intensity' interventions as less severely ill patients." They recommend including 'low-intensity' interventions in the first step of treating severely ill patients and encouraging the majority of patients to use them as the initial treatment option.

Professor Peter Bower, from The University of Manchester who led the research, said: "To better manage depression in the community, many services seek to provide simple forms of psychological therapy (so called 'low intensity' interventions) to depressed patients. We assessed whether more severely ill patients demonstrated better or worse treatment effects from 'low-intensity' treatments. We found no clinically meaningful differences in treatment effects between more and less severely ill patients receiving 'low-intensity' interventions. Patients with more severe depression can be offered 'low-intensity' treatments as part of a stepped care model."

The researchers also say that an important research question for the future is whether low-intensity treatments are cost-effective and if "initial experience with low intensity interventions could act as a barrier to further treatment."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Manchester.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Peter Bower et al. Influence of initial severity of depression on effectiveness of low intensity interventions: meta-analysis of individual patient data. BMJ, 2013; 346 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.f540

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/EpZw92v9ku4/130226194010.htm

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Mike Ragogna: Starlight: A Conversation with Joan Armatrading , Plus a Mika Newton Exclusive, and Bill Levenson revisits Duane Allman's Legacy

MIKA NEWTON'S "COME OUT AND PLAY"

The Ukraine's Mika Newton, signed to American Idol judge & Grammy Award-winning producer Randy Jackson's label earlier this year, has a new Paul Oakenfold remix for her latest single, "Come Out And Play." FYI, she's already been featured in The New York Post, MTV, AOL, etc., and her social media stats are 120,000+ on Twitter; 38,000+ on Facebook, racking up millions of combined views on YouTube. Mika's debut single, "Don't Dumb Me Down," was released last summer to rave reviews. The song is co-written by Rune Westberg who's worked with Rebecca Black, Adam Lambert, etc., and BC Jean, who's responsible for the smash hit by Beyonc?, "If I Were A Boy." The music video premiered on MTV's Buzzworthy and was one of the site's Top 10 Most Viewed Videos with over 1.3 million views on YouTube/Vevo.

"I'm so happy that I have a chance to work with Paul," says Mika. "He is not just a great DJ , he is a musician and deep person with a light inside. And our combinations of music, love and lights is what you can hear in this remix."

2013-02-27-51bL8sAKvwL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

A Conversation with Joan Armatrading

Mike Ragogna: Joan, tell us everything about yourself, and don't leave anything out.

Joan Armatrading: [laughs] That's just not going to happen, is it. That's not an interview!

MR: Fine. Then let's try this. Can you tell us what went into your new album Starlight?

JA: All right, that's a much easier question to answer. [laughs] In 2003, I made a CD called Lovers Speak and when I was making that CD, I decided that I wanted it to have a certain sound...like an acoustic sound, so it's got that kind of flavor to it. Then I thought when I was making it that it would be great to stick with a genre, because usually when I write, I kind of flip about; I do it with a rock song and a jazz song and a blues song and pop song, you know, all these different genres mixed up on the album. So I thought it would be good to do one genre and stay with that and I hit on coming up with a trilogy, and the trilogy would be blues, rock, jazz. Then in 2007, I wrote Into The Blues, which was very successful. It made me the first female UK artist to go to number one in the Billboard charts and I was nominated for a Grammy again. Then I did This Charming Life in 2010, which was the rock CD, all of the songs were kind of rock songs, then this one, Starlight, is jazz. So that's the trilogy: blues, rock, jazz, and this is the last of those three.

MR: Which begs the question, "What's next?"

JA: I have no idea what I'm going to do next. I'll be waiting, hopefully, like everybody else, with interest. So that's it, and it was just a way of giving myself a challenge of staying within these genres for the whole album to see if I could do it. On all of these albums I just mentioned, I play everything except on this, replacing the drums that I did. But I kept the drums that I did on this one and it's just me.

MR: You said, "It was just me." As you mentioned, you recorded blues, rock, and jazz. But for your music, you probably need to subcategorize it further to be "Joan Armatrading rock, Joan Armatrading blues, Joan Armatrading jazz."

JA: I'm certain, and I'm so glad that you noticed that, because that's exactly what it is. It's my take on the genres, it's my take on what's going on. I'm not trying to be Miles Davis or any other jazz person, so it sounds like me, I think.

MR: Yeah! Okay, let's get into some of the songs starting with "Single Life." When you're single, it's like all your married friends go, "I envy your single life," but there is that tradeoff. It's kind of like, "I am kind of happy I'm single, but on the other hand, you're lucky that you're married."

JA: I know lots of people who are in this situation, so I'm looking at people that I knew, hearing them talk and say that if they want to go off wherever they go, they don't have to think about the wife or the husband or whatever, they just go. Whereas the wife or husband can't just go, they've got the children. They've got to think about all these other people before they can just decide to go off wherever. So it's just looking at people and just thinking, "What's it like?" That's what I'm looking at, I'm looking at that kind of freedom, but at the same time, people can look at somebody else's life.

MR: So this isn't autobiographical.

JA: I'm not talking about myself. I write songs, as I've always said and is always the case, that are written from observation. I write them as if they're about me because that's the best way I know of writing. Everything I tend to do is in the first person. That's how I write. This is my twentieth album. I can't be writing every song about myself. I said that to somebody and they said, "Well some artists do write everything about themselves." If somebody's written twenty albums and every single song was about them, I'd think they were quite an insular person.

MR: Well doesn't it also make sense that as you're getting older and growing as an artist that it's more like you're having observations of the world that are more accurate and coming from not only wisdom from maturing but also from collective experiences in life. Maybe it isn't all about yourself, but don't you get to "discuss" lessons in life?

JA: Well, yeah, absolutely, it's just happens that I've always written from observation. That's what writers are, they're observers. You look at stuff. Most people see a certain situation happen, but they don't think, "Oh, that's a great story, I should write it down." Most people just kind of notice, or maybe they don't even notice it. But the writer, whether a songwriter or an author or even a painter, as a creative person, you tend to notice things that make you want to express them through interpretive dance, through music, through the written word or however. You tend to want to express that thing from that observation. So that's really what happens, and as you say, as you grow older, you have more experience, you probably notice things more. But in terms of myself, I've always been this observer looking at people but writing it as if it was me because that's the way I've always written, and that's the way I tend to write best. You fall into the thing that you do best.

MR: Joan, another concept many can appreciate comes up in your recording "Back On Track." Everybody wants to get things--life, love, etc.--back on track when things go wrong, even going as far as making a deal with, well, Mother Nature, in this case.

JA: Yeah, I've written this song and I've found myself saying this when I was on tour a couple of times, "Great, we're back on track," not because I'm thinking of the song necessarily, but the song did come to mind when I would use that expression. It's because things happen and you do want to get back on track, you're right.

MR: In "Close To Me," I love the concept of "...it's not the first time that I've been in love, but I've never been in love like this before." Do you think people feel like that whenever they come into a new love?

JA: Absolutely. These are themes of mine, "Close To Me," about people falling in love and getting to know each other, "Tell Me," which is about friendship, is about realizing that friendship is very important and that it's another kind of love. I wrote a song called "More Than One Kind Of Love," which, again, is about friendship, and "Starlight," which is about positivity. It's about helping yourself want to do something, have a go, use your talents, use your personality, do whatever you have to do. I'm not saying you have to go that far, but you do owe it to yourself to try and make things happen if that's what you really, really, want. I come back to these recurring themes. "Close To Me," the first time people had been hearing it live, it was incredible how they took to that song and you saw people kind of really get into it and look at each other and sing it. People were singing it straight away. It's incredible.

MR: When you look at "Starlight"'s lyrics, it's a very wise song. For some, the ends justify the means as far as "going for it" to be a star or get famous or whatever. On the other hand, at the end, you're saying, "Don't give yourself a reason to get knocked back." My impression of that was, "You don't have to go that route, you can just use your personality. Use what you've got that are attributes."

JA: That's right absolutely.

MR: So that leads nicely to my question what advice do you have for new artists?

JA: I don't know what advice I have for new artists, but what I did do on my 2012 tour when I went around Britain was I took fifty-six local artists, fine artists, with me. So instead of taking one person around who's my support, I had fifty-six people. In each city, if they were from Birmingham, then they played the Birmingham gig. If they were from London, they played the London gig. If they were from Brighton, they played the Brighton gig. There were fifty-six people each playing a different city on the tour. I think that's what I try to do. The great thing is if you're starting out, you should be able to play to people, get them to hear your songs, get them to see you, get them to know you and your personality, just introduce yourself and, hopefully, they will become friends of yours. That's what I did, and that's actually the answer to the question. That's my advice, to get out there and try and get people to see who you are. Because I was on tour and I could kind of do it, then I did it. It was hard work.

MR: It seems like you're always performing, so will you be touring further to support the album?

JA: I toured the UK and Europe all of 2012 and will tour Australia and New Zealand in March of 2013 to finish up the tour. Unfortunately, I won't get to North America with this CD. This will the the first time in my career that I will not be touring North America in support of a CD.

Tracks:
1. Single Life
2. Close To Me
3. Tell Me
4. Back On Track
5. I Want That Love
6. The Way I Think Of You
7. Always On My Mind
8. Starlight
9. Busy With You
10. Summer Kisses

Transcribed by Galen Hawthorne


"MOST THOROUGH BOX SET EVER" AWARD GOES TO...

Ladies and gentleman, this is how you do a box set. Bill Levenson--the man who all but invented the medium with his iconic Eric Clapton and Allman Brothers projects over two decades ago--has researched and pulled tracks from virtually every musical nook and cranny Duane Allman's guitars have appeared in or on, gathering them within this fabulous 7-disc anthology, Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective. With the exception of historical "complete" sets (as in an artist's own recordings), this multi-disc retrospective nails it with tracks by The Allman Brothers, Herbie Mann, Boz Scaggs, Wilson Pikett, Laura Nyro, Delaney & Bonnie, The Grateful Dead, King Curtis, Clarence Carter, Arthur Conley, Aretha Franklin and beyond. Hopefully, Skydog resets the paradigm on how to put a proper box set together, presenting an artist--especially our most inspired instrumentalists--in a more complete light.

2013-02-27-419nqi69QSL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

?

Follow Mike Ragogna on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ragz2008

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Jade Ewen Accuses Rita Ora Of Sleeping Her Way To The Top!

Jade Ewen Accuses Rita Ora Of Sleeping Her Way To The Top!

Jade Ewen has choice words for Rita Ora (Right)Sugababes star Jade Ewen has accused Rita Ora of sleeping her way to success. Jade responded to a comment by Rita, who claimed she walked out of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 because it would have ended her career. She said she might have ended up on the celebrity diving show if she hadn’t ...

Jade Ewen Accuses Rita Ora Of Sleeping Her Way To The Top! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/02/jade-ewen-accuses-rita-ora-of-sleeping-her-way-to-the-top/

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Harry Styles: Hit in Crotch by Flying Shoe!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/harry-styles-hit-in-crotch-by-flying-shoe/

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Angelina Jolie Taps Coen Brothers To Rewrite Next Directorial Effort

Here's a collaboration we never thought we'd see: Angelina Jolie has tapped Joel and Ethan Coen to rewrite her next directorial effort, "Unbroken." That's right,

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/02/26/angelina-jolie-coen-brothers-unbroken/

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Detox Pro - Diets & Plans - Health & Fitness iPhone App (FREE ...



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Appy Monkey

[list][*]App Genre: Health & Fitness

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???Utilising the Power of iOS??? Detox Pro Brings A Unique Way Of Regenerating The MIND, BODY & SOUL. Detox Pro helps the health conscious individual, find, manage and track detox diets from start to finish.???++++ LIMITED TIME ??? Get a FREE Detox When You Download the APPOur bodies are constantly under attack from nasty toxins and free radicals. Toxins are chemicals / poisons that are proven to have harmful effects on our human bodies. Toxins are found in the food we eat, the water we drink and from the chemicals we use to grow or prepare food. There are even bad toxins in the air that we breathe.OUR BODIES CAN???T COPE!...Over millions of years, our bodies have built an advanced Toxin Processor and Waste Disposal Plant called the Liver and Kidneys. These (for the most part) work well to eliminate impurities from the body. But unfortunately, due to the ever increasing advancements in the modern world and our hectic lifestyles, our bodies have not been able to keep up. Environmental factors are one of the major causes attributed to 80 to 90% of all cancers. There is no getting away from it??? Even the healthiest of us, could benefit from a detox plan every once in a while. Today, with more toxins in the environment than ever, "it's critical to detox," says Linda Page, N.D., Ph.D., the author of Detoxification (Healthy Healing Publications).WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS????You may be wondering how detoxing your body can benefit you. Well there are many claims that detoxing can help individuals in a variety of ways. Including???* Prevent Cancer* Lose Weight Fast* Strengthen Immune System* Increase Energy Levels Substantially* Minimise Boating and IBS* Colon Cleansing* Clear Skin Complexion* Healthier Teeth and Nails* Clearer Thinking & Mental Alertness ??? Generally feeling BETTER, healthier and fitter in Body AND Mind.DETOX PRO IS DIFFERENT??? There are many detox websites, books, articles and apps that will tell you what to eat, drink and follow, but none provide the level of detail, versatility and practical functionality in their approach like Detox Pro. Our team of expert dieticians have designed a range of detailed healthy diet plans for women and men. All of the information is presented in a very structured and easy to follow manner. Helping take the stress away from the planning, tracking and managing of your entire detox. MAIN FEATURES???- A Great Selection of Effective Detox Plans & Diet Programs- Written by Nutritionists and Sporting Professionals - Only including diets that work - These aren???t fad diets like the atkins diet plan- Providing detailed instructions, day by day, meal by meal, task by task.- Create reminders and alerts to help organise your time.- Track and monitor your current status and see what???s coming next- Easily upload your detox to iCal- Includes ???What You Will Need??? Lists- Quickly add required items and ingredients to your ???Shopping List???. - Update your progress to Facebook and Twitter- Loads of Hints and Tips ??? Including quick weight loss tips, cleanse diet tips, health and fitness tips and lots more.Detox Pro includes the following detoxes=> Red Wine Detox=> Lemon Detox Diet Plan=> Natural Colon Cleanse Plan=> The Low Carb Detox=> The Acne Attack Detox=> The Simple 7 Day Detox Diet Plan=> The FREE 3 Day Detox=> The Anti-Ageing Detox=> Body Detox CleansePlus More....Before starting a Detox Diet you should consult a qualified health professional and/or your medical doctor. Pregnant women & children should not use detox diets. Those with health conditions such as liver or kidney disease should only conduct a detox whilst under the supervision of their primary care provider. Our detoxes are not intended for alcohol or drug detoxification.

? © 2013 Appy Monkey LLP

AppStore link to Detox Pro - Diets & Plans - Health & Fitness iPhone App

Detox Pro - Diets & Plans - Health & Fitness iPhone App is a free iPhone App that is now available.

How to download Detox Pro - Diets & Plans - Health & Fitness iPhone App?

You can download Detox Pro - Diets & Plans - Health & Fitness iPhone App onto your iPhone by following the link below.

Link: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/deto...5891?mt=8&uo=2

Source: http://forum.iphoneworld.ca/iphone-appstore/detox-pro-diets-plans-health-fitness-iphone-app-free-283353.html

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Toshiba Satellite C875-S7340


The Toshiba Satellite C875-S7340 ($619.99 list) is a solid entry-level Windows 8-equipped laptop that belongs to Toshiba's value-oriented Satellite C series. Entry-level systems are all about trade-offs, so while it needs to ditch perks like a touch screen or a Blu-ray player, the Satellite C875-S7340 is nevertheless capable of delivering decent performance for daily tasks and even packs a few niceties, including a large display, full-size keyboard, and 6GB of RAM.For users on a budget, it's worth checking out.


Design and Features
Measuring 1.3 by 16.2 by 10.6 inches (HWD), the Satellite C875-S7340 isn't exactly a petite laptop, but its slim profile helps reduce unnecessary bulk. Moreover, its weight of 5.49 pounds is relatively light for its size. This can be attributed to its all-plastic chassis, which is decked out in what Toshiba dubs "Mercury Silver." Its glossy lid and textured palm rest make for an interesting visual contrast.

The black keyboard and touch pad, meanwhile, complement the silver finish. Rather than sporting the island-style keys that are currently en vogue, its raised keys abut one another in a manner reminiscent of older keyboards. While the absence of backlighting is forgivable at this price point, the same can't be said of the keyboard's shallow travel and noticeable flexing. Taken together, the effect makes for a less than ideal typing experience, especially if you need to type something longer than a quick email like, say, a term paper. On the plus side, though, the keyboard is offers plenty of real estate, so much so that it even includes a dedicated numeric keypad. The touchpad sports the same textured finish as the palm rest and supports the usual pinch, swipe, and rotate functions.

The Satellite C875-S7340's 17.3-inch LED backlit display has a maximum resolution of 1,600 by 900, making it capable of supporting 720P content. All said, the display is easy on the eyes, and its glossy coating lends itself to bright colors and crisp text. Speakers housed in a horizontal grille directly above the keyboard don't go too loud, making them adequate for one to two people in small room. If you plan on listening to dialogue closely in an area with some background noise, though, you're better off using headphones. The Satellite C875-S7340 features a tray-loading DVD burner.

The I/O port selection on the Satellite C875-S7340 is on par with what you'd expect at this price. Like the Acer Aspire V5-571-6891, it only has one USB 3.0 port, which can be found on the right side of the system alongside a USB 2.0 port, VGA and HDMI outputs, an Ethernet port, and headphone and microphone jacks. The left side, meanwhile, houses another USB 2.0 port next to the system's DVD burner, and a memory card reader is housed in the front of the system.

The Satellite C875-S7340's 640GB 5,400rpm hard drive offers ample storage space. It does, however, come with a sizable serving of preloaded software that you'll need to wade through. It ranges from useful (Microsoft Office Starter 2010, a full version of Origin) to delete-on-arrival bloatware (WildTangent Games, Microsoft Essentials, links to eBay and Netflix). There's also a large amount of proprietary software (Toshiba BookPlace, Toshiba Media Player, Toshiba Disc Creator, Toshiba Video Player, and so on) and trial software (30-day trial of Norton Online Backup and 60 days of Norton Internet Security). While this slew of included software is forgivable since it ultimately contributes to the Satellite C875-S7340's affordable price tag, be prepared to cordon off a block of time to shovel through everything if you prefer starting with a clean slate. The Satellite C875-S7340 is covered by a one-year limited warranty.

Performance
Toshiba Satellite C875-S7340

With its 2.4GHz Intel Core i3-3110M processor and 6GB RAM, the Satellite C875-S7340 churned out solid scores on our benchmark tests. Its PCMark 7 score of 2,503 points outperformed the rest of its class like the Asus U56E-BBL6 (2,255 points) and the Lenovo IdeaPad Z570-10249ZU (2,376 points). It couldn't beat the Asus VivoBook S400CA-UH51 score of 3,013 points. Its processing speed was also apparent on our Cinebench R11.5 test, where its score of 2.41 points was on equal footing with the Toshiba Satellite P845-S4200 (2.41 points) while falling short of only the Asus U56E-BBL6 (2.68 points) and the Lenovo IdeaPad Z570-10249ZU (2.71 points).

The Satellite C875-S7340 displayed surprising agility in our multimedia tests. It completed our Handbrake video-encoding test in a brisk 1 minute 28 seconds, easily outpacing the Aspire V5-571-6891 (1:57) and, to a greater extent, the Asus VivoBook X202E-DH31T (2:15) and VivoBook S400CA-UH51 (3:00). Similarly, it breezed through our Photoshop CS6 test (5 minutes 47 seconds), nearly forty seconds faster than the VivoBook S400CA-UH51 (6:28) and almost two minutes quicker than the Aspire V5-571-6891 (8:43). The Satellite C875-S7340 also did fairly well on our 3DMark 11 benchmark tests (1,102 points in Entry-level settings and 204 points in Extreme settings), pulling ahead of the Asus S400CA-UH51 (1,101 and 187 points, respectively). All said, the Satellite C875-S7340 demonstrated a moderate capacity for media creation, so while you won't necessarily be able to make a living as a graphic designer, you can still tinker with Photoshop and convert movie files.

Toshiba Satellite C875-S7340

With its integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU, it didn't come as a surprise that the Satellite C875-S7340 was unable to produce a playable frame rate in our gaming tests. Accordingly, its performance in Aliens Vs. Predator (12fps with medium-quality settings in 1,366-by-768 resolution; 5fps with maximum-quality in 1,600-by-900 resolution) landed in the same ballpark as other systems toting the same GPU, like the Aspire V5-571-6891 (10fps and 6fps, respectively) and VivoBook S400CA-UH51 (10fps and 5fps, respectively). The same can be said of its performance in our Heaven benchmark tests (11fps with medium-quality settings in 1,366-by-768 resolution; 4fps with maximum-quality in 1,600-by-900 resolution).

Without a doubt, the Satellite C875-S7340's Achilles heel is its removable 48Whr battery, which lasted for only a paltry 2 hours 39 minutes on our battery rundown test. This came nowhere near the VivoBook X202E-DH31T (3:50), the Aspire V5-571-6891 (4:07), or the VivoBook S400CA-UH51 (4:18). Forget getting through an entire day of work on a single charge ? you'll be lucky to get through more than two episodes of Homeland. In other words, be sure no to stray too far from a power outlet if you plan on getting work done.

The Toshiba Satellite C875-S7340 is a solid entry-level laptop that gives budget-conscious users an opportunity to jump into Windows 8 without having to break the bank or settle for a bare-bones system. It goes beyond merely having the capability to perform day-to-day functions by letting users also dabble in media creation. Still, it's not nearly as good a value as the Acer Aspire V5-571-6891, which offers a similar feature set for over $100 less. Nor is it as future-proofed as the Asus VivoBook S400CA-UH51, an entry-level ultrabook with a touch screen that only costs $80 more. That said, though, the Satellite C875-S7340 is still worth checking out thanks to its affordable price tag and ability to perform day-to-day functions as well as moderate media creation.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Toshiba Satellite C875-S7340 with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Toshiba Satellite C875-S7340
??? Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2
??? Dell XPS 10
??? Dell Latitude 10
??? MSI GT70 One-609US Dragon Edition
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/guli-7E0L2Y/0,2817,2415823,00.asp

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Were those the bones of Cleopatra's murdered sister?

Experts doubt that the 2,000-year-old bones, unearthed?in 1904 in what is now Turkey, belonged to?Arsinoe IV, Cleopatra's younger half-sister whom she ordered killed.?

By Stephanie Pappas,?LiveScience / February 26, 2013

The site of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, where Cleopatra had her sister Arsinoe murdered.

Adam Carr distributed by Wikimedia under a Creative Commons License

Enlarge

A Viennese archaeologist lecturing in North Carolina this week claims to have identified the bones of Cleopatra's murdered sister or half-sister. But not everyone is convinced.

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That's because the evidence linking the bones, discovered in an ancient Greek city, to?Cleopatra's sibling Arsinoe IV is largely circumstantial. A DNA test was attempted, said Hilke Thur, an archaeologist at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and a former director of excavations at the site where the bones were found. However, the 2,000-year-old bones had been moved and handled too many times to get uncontaminated results.

"It didn't bring the results we hoped to find," Thur?told the Charlotte News-Observer. She will lecture on her research March 1 at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh.

The Ptolemy's bloody history

Arsinoe IV was Cleopatra's younger half-sister or sister, both of them fathered by Ptolemy XII Auletes, though whether they shared a mother is not clear. Ptolemic family politics were tough: When Ptolemy XII died, he made Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII joint rulers, but Ptolemy soon ousted Cleopatra. Julius Caesar took Cleopatra's side in the family fight for power, while Arsinoe joined the Egyptian army resisting Caesar and the Roman forces. [Cleopatra & Olympias: Top 12 Warrior Moms in History]

Rome won out, however, and Arsinoe was taken captive. She was allowed to live in exile in Ephesus, an ancient Greek city in what is now Turkey. However, Cleopatra saw her half-sister as a threat and had her murdered in 41 B.C.

Fast forward to 1904. That year, archaeologists began excavating a ruined structure in Ephesus known as the Octagon for its shape. In 1926, they revealed a burial chamber in the Octagon, holding the bones of a young woman.

Thur argues that the date of the tomb (sometime in the second half of the first century B.C.) and the illustrious within-city location of the grave, points to the occupant being Arsinoe IV herself. Thur also believes the octagonal shape may echo that of the great Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the?Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. That would make the tomb an homage to Arsinoe's hometown, Egypt's ancient capital, Alexandria. ?

Controversial claim

The skull of the possible murdered princess disappeared in Germany during World War II, but Thur found the rest of the bones in two niches in the burial chamber in 1985. The remains have been debated every step of the way. Forensic analysis revealed them to belong to a girl of 15 or 16, which would make Arsinoe surprisingly young for someone who was supposed to have played a major leadership role in a war against Rome years before her death. Thur dismisses those criticisms.

"This academic questioning is normal," she told the News-Observer. "It happens. It's a kind of jealousy."

In 2009, a BBC documentary, "Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer," trumpeted the claim that the bones are Arsinoe's. At the time, the most controversial findings centered on the body's lost skull. Measurements and photographs of the incomplete skull remain in historical records and were used to?reconstruct the dead woman's face.

From the reconstruction, Thur and her colleagues concluded that Arsinoe had an African mother (the Ptolemies were an ethnically Greek dynasty). That conclusion led to splashy headlines suggesting that Cleopatra, too, was African.

But classicists say the conclusions are shaky.

"We get this skull business and having Arsinoe's ethnicity actually being determined from a reconstructed skull based on measurements taken in the 1920s?" wrote David Meadows, a Canadian classicist and teacher, on his blog?rogueclassicism.

Not only that, but Cleopatra and Arsinoe may not have shared a mother.

"In that case, the ethnic argument goes largely out of the window," Cambridge classics professor Mary Beard wrote in the?Times Literary Supplement?in 2009.

Without more testing, the bones remain in identification limbo.

"One of my colleagues on the project told me two years ago there is currently no other method to really determine more," Thur told the News-Observer. "But he thinks there may be new methods developing. There is hope."

Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter?@sipappas?or LiveScience?@livescience. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.

Copyright 2013?LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/M6-C1QiGsb0/Were-those-the-bones-of-Cleopatra-s-murdered-sister

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Officials: Iran widens use of clandestine oil tankers

Tim Chong / Reuters file

The Delvar, a Malta-flagged Iranian crude oil supertanker, is seen anchored off Singapore on March 1, 2012.

By Jonathan Saul, Reuters

LONDON - Iran is using old tankers, saved from the scrapyard by foreign middlemen, to ship out oil to China in ways that avoid Western sanctions, say officials involved with sanctions who showed Reuters corroborating documents.

The officials, from states involved in imposing sanctions to pressure Iran to curb its nuclear program, said the tankers - worth little more than scrap value - were a new way for Iran to keep its oil exports flowing by exploiting the legal limitations on Western powers' ability to make sanctions stick worldwide.

Officials showed Reuters shipping documents to support their allegation that eight ships, each of which can carry close to a day's worth of Iran's pre-sanctions exports, have loaded Iranian oil at sea. Publicly available tracking and other data are consistent with those documents and allegations.

"The tankers have been used for Iranian crude," one official said. "They are part of Iran's sanctions-busting strategy."


Dimitris Cambis, the Greek businessman who last year bought the ships - eight very large crude carriers, or VLCCs - to carry Middle East crude to Asia, flatly denied doing any business with Tehran or running clandestine shipments of its oil to China.

Cambis said he had not been involved in shipping before but had bought the tankers as part of a new venture he runs from the United Arab Emirates. He denied trading with Iran - though he has contacts there from his previous work in the oil industry.

Related story:?Skulduggery at sea: Iran uses tankers off Malaysia to evade oil embargo

He denied his vessels have loaded oil from Iran while at anchor in the Gulf. Known as ship-to-ship transfers, or STS, such movements are hard to track as crews can switch off tracking beacons or not update their recorded positions for periods to conceal that one vessel has come alongside another.

Cambis also explained a stop in Iran by one of his tankers - recorded in publicly available tracking data - as having been only for an emergency repair, not to load an oil cargo.

"There is no Iranian vessel that has done any STS with us," Cambis told Reuters in Athens in response to the officials' allegations of taking oil from Iranian tankers owned by Tehran shipping group NITC. "We have nothing to do with NITC."

The officials involved with sanctions dispute his account and showed documents detailing several ship-to-ship loadings. They said all eight of the tankers were involved in Iran trade.

In one instance in early December, according to the shipping documents shown to Reuters by the officials, an NITC tanker named Marigold loaded Iranian crude onto the Leycothea, one of Cambis's eight ships, while both were at anchor off the UAE emirate of Sharjah. Public tracking showed Cambis's tanker made a call about a month later to Zhanjiang oil terminal in China.

Loading at sea lets vessels pick up a cargo without visiting the country of origin of the crude. Officials allege the tankers are also used as offshore storage for Iranian oil which can then be transferred onward to other ships, concealing its origins.

Officials in Iran, which rejects Western allegations it is seeking nuclear weapons, did not respond to requests for comment.

Muddying waters
Experts on sanctions law said that by operating outside the European Union, ship-owners had no clear obligation to observe rules barring EU companies from buying Iranian oil, though banks and insurers with EU or U.S. business ties are giving a wide berth to firms they suspect of dealing with Iran, given U.S. and EU efforts to penalize such firms within their own jurisdiction.?

"Such ships would be used to delete traces of a trade taking place," a London-based ship broker said.

While Iran has its own substantial tanker fleet, capable of carrying over 72 million barrels, the 2 million barrels that each of the eight tankers can move would be a useful addition to its capacity, analysts said - particularly as their foreign ownership and management could help conceal the Iranian origin of the oil, making it easier to obtain insurance, finance and other ship services that are affected by EU and U.S. sanctions.

Cambis said that between August and November he bought the eight ships: Leycothea, Glaros, Nereyda, Ocean Nymph, Seagull, Zap, Ocean Performer and Ulysses I. The first five are now managed by his firm, Sambouk Shipping, in Sharjah and he is in the process of transferring management of the remaining three.

In other movements indicated by the shipping documents, the Nereyda was also involved in a separate ship-to-ship transfer with NITC's Rainbow in the Gulf in November, while the Glaros took an offshore transfer from the Marigold there in December.

The Nereyda was later recorded arriving at a terminal in China in December. The Glaros appears to have remained in the Gulf since that December transfer, according to tracking data.

Asked about publicly available ship tracking data showing that the Glaros stopped at Iran's Larak Island oil terminal on October 20 last year, Cambis provided what he said was an affidavit by the ship's master describing an emergency repair carried out by Iranian divers when the tanker was headed to Saudi Arabia.

The master, named as I. Bonoutas, could not be reached for comment. Cambis denied loading any oil in Iran. After its stop at Larak, Glaros's next recorded visits, according to ship tracking data, were at Chinese ports between November 24 to December 1.

The eight tankers, built up to 20 years ago, can carry about 16 million barrels of oil among them, shipping databases show.

Iranian crude exports declined to an average of 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2012, down about 1 million bpd from 2011 levels, data from the International Energy Agency showed.

NITC blacklisted
The eight tankers were bought last year for a total of about $204 million, ship trading sources said - reflecting prices only 3-4 percent above their worth as raw metal. The purchases have been the object of considerable discussion among ship brokers - not least because they would more typically have been broken up.

A ship dealer based in London said, however: "They can carry on trading for as long as people are willing to employ them.

"There's really not much that any authorities can do."?

NITC has been blacklisted by the West and the EU has imposed an outright ban on providing ship insurance that would benefit Iran. The exit from Iran of top providers of ship certification, vital for port access, and the removal of Iranian vessels from international registries have added to operational challenges.

While NITC has expanded its fleet in recent months, experts say access to additional foreign tankers would give Tehran more flexibility in maintaining exports.

"The key word for the Iranians is resistance as in the Supreme Leader's declaration of a resistance economy," said Scott Lucas, a specialist on Iran at Birmingham University.

"This is not an economy which is going to produce growth but it is one which is going to try and avoid a domestic collapse."

More related stories

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17105999-iran-widens-use-of-clandestine-tanker-fleet-to-bust-oil-sanctions-international-officials-say?lite

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