Many stressors associated with fracking due to perceived lack of trust

Apr. 29, 2013 ? Pennsylvania residents living near unconventional natural gas developments using hydraulic fracturing, known by the slang term "fracking," attribute several dozen health concerns and stressors to the Marcellus Shale developments in their area, according to a long-term analysis by University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health researchers.

Reported health impacts persist and increase over time, even after the initial drilling activity subsides, they noted. The study, which will be published in the May issue of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, did not include clinical examinations of the participants' physical health or any environmental tests. Researchers surveyed those who believe their health has been affected by hydraulic fracturing activities for self-reported symptoms and stressors. The most commonly cited concern was stress, which 76 percent of participants said they'd experienced. Among the leading causes of stress reported by the participants were feelings of being taken advantage of, having their concerns and complaints ignored, and being denied information or misled.

"Many of these stressors can be addressed immediately by the gas drilling industry and by government," said senior author Bernard Goldstein, M.D., emeritus professor and former dean of Pitt Public Health.

"Scientific literature shows that if people do not trust companies doing work in their communities, or believe that the government is misleading them, there is a heightened perception of risk," said Dr. Goldstein, also a member of the National Academies' committees to investigate shale gas drilling in the U.S. and Canada. "Community disruption and psychosocial stress have been well-documented as a result of environmental issues like oil spills and superfund sites. A strong response by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to address concerns about health impacts of hydrofracturing could reduce observed stress and resulting symptoms."

From May through October 2010, members of Pitt Public Health's Center for Healthy Environments and Communities conducted in-depth interviews with 33 people concerned about fracking in their communities. Three- quarters of the residents resided in five of the seven most heavily drilled counties in Pennsylvania.

Follow-up interviews were conducted from January through April 2012 and included 20 of the initial 33 participants. The remainder could not be reached or declined to participate.

"Our study shows that perceptions of health may be affected by fracking regardless of whether this health impact is due to direct exposure to chemical and physical agents resulting from drilling or to the psychosocial stressors of living near drilling activity," said lead author Kyle Ferrar, M.P.H., a doctoral student at Pitt Public Health. "Comprehensive epidemiological studies of all potential adverse consequences of fracking need to be performed, and they should include a close look at psychosocial symptoms, including stress, which cause very real health complications."

Participants reported 59 unique health issues that they attributed to Marcellus Shale development. In addition to stress, these perceived health issues included rashes, headaches, shortness of breath, nausea and sore throats.

"Exposure-based epidemiological studies are needed to address identified health impacts and those that may develop as fracking continues," said Mr. Ferrar.

Additional co-authors include Jill Kriesky, Ph.D.; Charles Christen, Dr.P.H.; Lynne Marshall; Samantha Malone, M.P.H., C.P.H.; Ravi Sharma, Ph.D.; and Drew Michanowicz, M.P.H., C.P.H., all of Pitt Public Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Kyle J. Ferrar; Jill Kriesky; Charles L. Christen; Lynne P. Marshall; Samantha L. Malone; Ravi K. Sharma; Drew R. Michanowicz; Bernard D. Goldstein. Assessment and longitudinal analysis of health impacts and stressors perceived to result from unconventional shale gas development in the Marcellus Shale region. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, May 2013 DOI: 10.1179/2049396713Y.0000000024

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/iXV5BTzbS_E/130429130550.htm

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Google has added an option in the Canary version of Chrome to display the cached version of a page i

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

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/caMiyB116j8/google-has-added-an-option-in-the-canary-version-of-chr-478228934

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Culture Beaker: The psychology of J.C. Penney: Why shoppers like it when retailers play games with prices

The psychology of J.C. Penney: Why shoppers like it when retailers play games with prices

By Rachel Ehrenberg

Web edition: April 22, 2013

Last year, J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson put an end to ?fake prices,? the ones that customers see but rarely pay because of coupons and sales. Instead, the clothing retailer decided to sell items at cheaper everyday prices in an effort to ?stop playing games? with consumers. By June, Johnson had conceded that this strategy wasn?t working. Penney brought back coupons in September; the return of clearance racks soon followed. But it may have been too late for Johnson; he got the boot on April 8 after a mere 17 months on the job.

Johnson may have thought he was doing customers a favor by making the shopping experience a more rational exchange of goods for their hard-earned currency. But by not showing marked-down prices, Penney?s removed an element that helps shoppers feel rational. Seeing that marked-down price next to a higher original price provides an important yardstick for gauging whether we should buy something.

The original price of a sale item provides what sociologists and marketers refer to as anchoring. It brings a sense of certainty to the uncertain, giving the shopper a wisp of information for evaluating purchases. Since most of us are pretty disconnected from where our products come from and how they are made, we often use price as a major data point when it comes to evaluating whether that sweater, headset or jar of jam is worth buying. We see a $14 shirt, and conclude based on its price that it must be a low-quality garment made in a sweatshop somewhere by overworked, underpaid workers. On the other hand, seeing a red line through the $50 price tag on a shirt that?s marked down to $14 indicates to us that the shirt is of high quality and that for $14, it is a steal.?

The influence of this anchor price is comforting; it lends an air of rationality to our decision making. But in reality, there?s little that?s rational about it. (Or about much of how we decide to part with our money???just ask any casino owner, used car salesman or faux Nigerian prince.) A classic experiment demonstrating anchoring was conducted more than 30 years ago. Psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman of Hebrew University in Jerusalem asked study participants to watch a roulette wheel spin and then to estimate a particular quantity having nothing to do with roulette. In one instance, the wheel was rigged to stop on 10 for some participants, on 65 for others. Then the researchers asked the participants to estimate the percentage of African countries belonging to the United Nations.

Just seeing the roulette wheel number influenced how participants estimated the second number, the researchers reported in a paper in Science in 1974. On average, those who saw the wheel stop at 10 estimated that 25 percent of African countries were members of the United Nations at the time. Those who saw the wheel stop at 65 estimated 45 percent. (The true figure was upwards of 90 percent, depending on how you count countries. Kahneman was awarded the economics Nobel in 2002; Tversky died in 1996).

Anchoring has since been studied in numerous contexts. Its effects show up whether you are making a bid on a house, negotiating a salary or debating whether to buy a shirt. More recently, researchers have investigated where some of this decision making goes on in your brain. In one experiment, scientists gave volunteers $20 and had them look at products on a video screen while an fMRI machine scanned their brains. After seeing a product, such as a box of Godiva chocolates, they saw how much it cost and had to decide whether or not they would buy it.

When the volunteers saw something they liked, there was a burst of activity in their nucleus accumbens, a little area deep in the brain that?s associated with anticipating something good (and also linked to addiction). Their brains also betrayed the thrill of spotting a deal: There was activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, a favorite hangout of the reward chemical dopamine. During those moments, the insula, a region whose duties include the dismal task of anticipating loss and pain, was shut down.

Of course, Johnson made many other changes at J.C. Penney. No single thing can be blamed for his downfall. But the no-sales strategy removed an opportunity for shoppers to get a little dopamine kick and feel rational at the same time. Johnson should have known this???he came to J.C. Penney from Apple, a company that?s used price anchoring masterfully. When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad, he told his audience that if you listened to the pundits, an iPad would cost $999. A big $999 loomed on the screen behind him for nearly a full minute while Jobs went on about price goals. Then the reveal: The iPad would cost $499. The audience went wild.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349890/title/The_psychology_of_JC_Penney_Why_shoppers_like_it_when_retailers_play_games_with_prices

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3 Doors Down bassist charged in fatal crash in Tennessee

By Tim Ghianni

NASHVILLE (Reuters) - The bassist for rock band 3 Doors Down has been charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication after he was involved in a crash that killed another driver, Nashville police said on Saturday.

The musician, Todd Harrell, 41, of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, was driving his Cadillac CTS west on Interstate 40 at high speed late on Friday when he clipped a pickup truck, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said in a statement.

The truck went out of control, traveled down an embankment and overturned, police said.

Harrell was charged early on Saturday. Police identified the man killed in the crash as Paul Howard Shoulders Jr., 47.

3 Doors Down gained fame in 2000 with the song "Kryptonite." The band's other hit songs include "When I'm Gone" and "It's Not My Time."

The band's website said in a statement that the members were "deeply saddened" by Shoulders' death. "Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and friends at this difficult time," they said.

Police said Shoulders was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the truck.

Harrell showed signs of impairment while performing field sobriety tasks and appeared under the influence of an intoxicant, police said.

"He acknowledged consuming hard cider and taking prescription Lortab and Xanax," the police statement said.

An attorney for Harrell could not be reached for comment.

Harrell was taken to Nashville's Metro Jail, which is run by the Davidson County Sheriff's Office.

Harrell is also accused of bringing controlled substances into the jail. A search at the booking room by Davidson County Sheriff's deputies uncovered a plastic bag hidden in his sock with eight Xanax pills, 24 Oxycodone pills and four Oxymorphone pills, police said.

Harrell remained in jail in lieu of $100,000 bond, according to jail records.

(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/3-doors-down-bassist-charged-fatal-crash-tennessee-031103858.html

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Superman's 75th puts spotlight on Cleveland roots

In this Tuesday, April 2, 2013 photo shows the red "S" on a fence outside the home of Jerry Siegel in Cleveland. Superman collaborators Siegel and Joe Shuster lived several blocks apart in the Glenville neighborhood which shaped their lives, dreams for the future and their imagery of the Man of Steel. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

In this Tuesday, April 2, 2013 photo shows the red "S" on a fence outside the home of Jerry Siegel in Cleveland. Superman collaborators Siegel and Joe Shuster lived several blocks apart in the Glenville neighborhood which shaped their lives, dreams for the future and their imagery of the Man of Steel. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

In this Tuesday, April 2, 2013 photo shows Brad Ricca talking about how he uses Superman when he teaches classes at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Ricca said Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster reflected Cleveland's ethnic mix: both were sons of Jewish immigrants, struggled during the Depression and hustled to make something of themselves. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

In this Tuesday, April 2, 2013 photo shows street signs where Jerry Siegel lived in the Glenville neighborhood in Cleveland. The Siegel house has become a mini-pilgrimage site for Superman fans and it's easy to pick it out on a street with a mix of renovated and dilapidated homes. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

In this Tuesday, April 2, 2013 photo shows a superman figure on the porch where Jerry Siegel lived in Cleveland. Superman collaborators Siegel and Joe Shuster lived several blocks apart in the Glenville neighborhood which shaped their lives, dreams for the future and their imagery of the Man of Steel. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

In this Tuesday, April 2, 2013 photo shows a man riding his bicycle past the Home of Superman plaque in Cleveland. Superman collaborators Jerry Siegel and Shuster lived several blocks apart in the Glenville neighborhood which shaped their lives, dreams for the future and their imagery of the Man of Steel. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

CLEVELAND (AP) ? The tough, blue-collar roots of Superman's creators are getting a fresh look on the superhero's 75th anniversary.

Creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster lived just a few blocks apart in the Cleveland neighborhood that shaped their teenage lives, their dreams and the imagery of the Man of Steel.

In the city's Glenville neighborhood, still in the throttling grip of the Great Depression, Siegel and Shuster labored on their creation for years before finally selling Superman to a publisher.

The Man of Steel became a Depression-era bootstrap strategy for the Siegel/Shuster team, according to Brad Ricca, a professor at nearby Case Western Reserve University who uses Superman in his classes.

"They really just saw it as a way out," he said.

In his upcoming book "Super Boys," Ricca says the story of Superman's creation is mostly about their friendship: two boys dreaming of "fame, riches and girls" in a time when such dreams are all the easier to imagine because of the crushing economic misery.

Ricca said Siegel and Shuster reflected Cleveland's ethnic mix: both were sons of Jewish immigrants, struggled during the Depression and hustled to make something of themselves.

"The Depression is all about, you know, if nobody is going to give you a job, you make your own, you find your own niche and we find that's what they are doing," Ricca said.

Superman's first appearance, in Action Comics No. 1, was April 18, 1938. The first and greatest superhero has gone on to appear in nearly 1,000 Action Comics and has evolved with the times, including a 1940s radio serial, a 1950s TV series and as a reliable staple for Hollywood. Pop culture expert Charles Coletta at Bowling Green State University said Superman ranks globally with George Washington and the Super Bowl as American icons.

But it wasn't just hardscrabble circumstances that tempered the Man of Steel, Siegel's daughter said.

Laura Siegel Larson said Cleveland's public library, comic pages and high school mentors all nurtured her father's creativity.

"The encouragement that he received from his English teachers and the editors at the Glenville High School newspaper and the literary magazine gave my dad a real confidence in his talents," she said by phone from Los Angeles.

The school even allowed Siegel to mimeograph the science-fiction magazine he wrote and sold by mail subscription, she said.

The tale of Superman's first moments begins in Siegel's bedroom. He once recalled coming up with the idea while looking up at the stars and imaging a powerful hero who looked out for those in distress.

Today, Siegel's home is easy to pick out on a street with a mix of renovated and dilapidated homes: a stylized red Superman "S'' adorns the fence and a sign identifies the home as "the house where Superman was born."

And like the Man of Steel, the neighborhood is tough.

"You better have 'S' on your chest if you come out after dark," grinned Tommie Jones, 50, helping move furniture several doors away.

Hattie Gray, 61, who moved into the home nearly 30 years ago unaware of its history, has gotten used to the parade of Superman fans walking by or knocking, trying to savor a piece of comics lure.

"I get people all the time, people all the way from Japan, from Australia," she said. "It's a great joy to live here."

The top floor, where Siegel went to write, still offers the nighttime view of the sky that inspired Siegel.

Gray has heard the talk about Glenville being tough, but said crime that might merit Superman's attention can be found anywhere. "The neighborhood is not really bad, it's just the people are poor. That's all," she said.

Shuster's home has been demolished and replaced by another, but the fence has oversized Superman comic book pages displayed. The nearby commercial strip has a state historic marker detailing Superman's Cleveland roots.

But there isn't an outsized Superman profile in Cleveland like the way the city celebrates its role in the history of rock 'n' roll, including the iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

Comic store owner Markus Benn thinks hometown fans want to see the Man of Steel rendered in granite.

"I don't understand why Cleveland won't own up to owning Superman," he said. "What do I suggest for a Superman statue? He should be downtown, he should have the shield or the eagle, that classic pose where he's standing up there with the eagle on his arm."

The low Superman profile in Cleveland may be because Siegel and Shuster weren't self-promoters and sold their rights to Superman so early, according to Mike Olszewski, a longtime Cleveland broadcaster and president of the nonprofit Siegel & Shuster Society.

Last year the $412 check that DC Comics wrote in 1938 to acquire Superman and other creative works by Shuster and Siegel sold for $160,000 in an online auction.

Fans hope Thursday's 75th anniversary, including lighting city hall with Superman's colors, will raise the Siegel-Shuster profile. The city is making a start with a Superman day proclaimed by the mayor and giving out birthday cake at the airport's Superman display.

The June release of Hollywood's latest Superman tale, "Man of Steel," should renew fan interest. The film offers a fresh start for the kid from Krypton, with Henry Cavill as the boy who falls to Earth and becomes its protector.

Ricca said the image of Superman arriving from a distant planet and getting raised in America mirrors the Cleveland background of his creators. The parents of Siegel and Shuster fled Europe for a new life "and they end up on this alien world, which is Cleveland," Ricca said.

"Funky Winkerbean" creator Tom Batiuk shares roots in the Cleveland area with Superman and that inspired him.

"When I was in elementary school, I found an entry in a school encyclopedia about Jerry Siegel," Batiuk said in an email.

"The fact that he was the one of the creators of Superman immediately caught my attention, but what was even more astounding to me was the fact that he was from Cleveland. The fact that someone from my area could do something like that was revelatory and inspirational."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-04-17-Superman's%2075th/id-83b38846473a410486767ae5f922aadc

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Google Explores The Internet's Impact On African Businesses ...

Google wants to see the power of the Internet better harnessed in Africa so that the economy across the continent improves.

The company discussed this in a post on its Europe Policy blog, and in this video uploaded to the Google Africa YouTube channel:

Google Africa sponsored a study from Dalberg Global Development Advisors exploring the Internet?s impact on Africa?s economy, which among other things, found that small and medium enterprises are ?surprisingly optimistic? about the Internet?s potential. Over 80% of SME owners expect that it will help them grow their business, Google says.

?It reveals how Internet-enabled services are affecting the public and private sectors in agriculture, health, finance, education, governance, energy & transport, and SME growth,? writes Google Africa Policy and Government Relations Manager Ory Okolloh. ?The report also analyses the pre-conditions for impact, looking at both business and ICT infrastructure as well as factors that influence how and why users get online. The findings are based on a survey of 1,300 organizations in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal.?

?In addition, the report identifies big opportunities for cost savings as businesses shift to enterprise systems powered by the Internet,? Okolloh says. ?For example, in Kenya the National Health Insurance Fund reduced its administrative costs from 60% to 32% by automating its claims processing, accessing real-time data and tracking payment processes. In agriculture, access to online information is creating price transparency, improving supply chain management and providing climate and growth data which ultimately reduces costs and increases farmer incomes.?

You can access the report here.

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt recently predicted that the entire world will be on the Internet by 2020.

Source: http://www.webpronews.com/google-explores-the-internets-impact-on-african-businesses-2013-04

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Of Course Formula One Drivers Stay Fit With a Car-Shaped Exercise Machine

Professional race drivers spend hours in a car battling excessive G-forces, and so require just as much training and physical fitness as an athlete running up and down a field. But their needs are specialized, which is why Ferrari F1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa use this racecar-shaped workout machine from Technogym. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/trAGU9dl2UM/of-course-formula-one-drivers-stay-fit-with-a-car+shaped-exercise-machine

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NREL and partners demonstrate quantum dots that assemble themselves

Public release date: 16-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David Glickson
david.glickson@nrel.gov
303-275-4097
DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Surprising breakthrough could bolster quantum photonics, solar cell efficiency

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other labs have demonstrated a process whereby quantum dots can self-assemble at optimal locations in nanowires, a breakthrough that could improve solar cells, quantum computing, and lighting devices.

A paper on the new technology, "Self-assembled Quantum Dots in a Nanowire System for Quantum Photonics," appears in the current issue of the scientific journal Nature Materials.

Quantum dots are tiny crystals of semiconductor a few billionths of a meter in diameter. At that size they exhibit beneficial behaviors of quantum physics such as forming electron-hole pairs and harvesting excess energy.

The scientists demonstrated how quantum dots can self-assemble at the apex of the gallium arsenide/aluminum gallium arsenide core/shell nanowire interface. Crucially, the quantum dots, besides being highly stable, can be positioned precisely relative to the nanowire's center. That precision, combined with the materials' ability to provide quantum confinement for both the electrons and the holes, makes the approach a potential game-changer.

Electrons and holes typically locate in the lowest energy position within the confines of high-energy materials in the nanostructures. But in the new demonstration, the electron and hole, overlapping in a near-ideal way, are confined in the quantum dot itself at high energy rather than located at the lowest energy states. In this case, that's the gallium-arsenide core. It's like hitting the bulls-eye rather than the periphery.

The quantum dots, as a result, are very bright, spectrally narrow and highly anti-bunched, displaying excellent optical properties even when they are located just a few nanometers from the surface a feature that even surprised the scientists.

"Some Swiss scientists announced that they had achieved this, but scientists at the conference had a hard time believing it," said NREL senior scientist Jun-Wei Luo, one of the co-authors of the study. Luo got to work constructing a quantum-dot-in-nanowire system using NREL's supercomputer and was able to demonstrate that despite the fact that the overall band edges are formed by the gallium Arsenide core, the thin aluminum-rich barriers provide quantum confinement both for the electrons and the holes inside the aluminum-poor quantum dot. That explains the origin of the highly unusual optical transitions.

Several practical applications are possible. The fact that stable quantum dots can be placed very close to the surface of the nanometers raises a huge potential for their use in detecting local electric and magnetic fields. The quantum dots also could be used to charge converters for better light-harvesting, as in the case of photovoltaic cells.

The team of scientists working on the project came from universities and laboratories in Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, and the United States.

###

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

Visit NREL online at http://www.nrel.gov

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 16-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David Glickson
david.glickson@nrel.gov
303-275-4097
DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Surprising breakthrough could bolster quantum photonics, solar cell efficiency

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other labs have demonstrated a process whereby quantum dots can self-assemble at optimal locations in nanowires, a breakthrough that could improve solar cells, quantum computing, and lighting devices.

A paper on the new technology, "Self-assembled Quantum Dots in a Nanowire System for Quantum Photonics," appears in the current issue of the scientific journal Nature Materials.

Quantum dots are tiny crystals of semiconductor a few billionths of a meter in diameter. At that size they exhibit beneficial behaviors of quantum physics such as forming electron-hole pairs and harvesting excess energy.

The scientists demonstrated how quantum dots can self-assemble at the apex of the gallium arsenide/aluminum gallium arsenide core/shell nanowire interface. Crucially, the quantum dots, besides being highly stable, can be positioned precisely relative to the nanowire's center. That precision, combined with the materials' ability to provide quantum confinement for both the electrons and the holes, makes the approach a potential game-changer.

Electrons and holes typically locate in the lowest energy position within the confines of high-energy materials in the nanostructures. But in the new demonstration, the electron and hole, overlapping in a near-ideal way, are confined in the quantum dot itself at high energy rather than located at the lowest energy states. In this case, that's the gallium-arsenide core. It's like hitting the bulls-eye rather than the periphery.

The quantum dots, as a result, are very bright, spectrally narrow and highly anti-bunched, displaying excellent optical properties even when they are located just a few nanometers from the surface a feature that even surprised the scientists.

"Some Swiss scientists announced that they had achieved this, but scientists at the conference had a hard time believing it," said NREL senior scientist Jun-Wei Luo, one of the co-authors of the study. Luo got to work constructing a quantum-dot-in-nanowire system using NREL's supercomputer and was able to demonstrate that despite the fact that the overall band edges are formed by the gallium Arsenide core, the thin aluminum-rich barriers provide quantum confinement both for the electrons and the holes inside the aluminum-poor quantum dot. That explains the origin of the highly unusual optical transitions.

Several practical applications are possible. The fact that stable quantum dots can be placed very close to the surface of the nanometers raises a huge potential for their use in detecting local electric and magnetic fields. The quantum dots also could be used to charge converters for better light-harvesting, as in the case of photovoltaic cells.

The team of scientists working on the project came from universities and laboratories in Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, and the United States.

###

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

Visit NREL online at http://www.nrel.gov

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/drel-nap041613.php

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Fox removes 'Family Guy' episode from websites

Apr 15 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $4,139,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,137,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,442,389 4. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,100,469 5. Steve Stricker $1,935,340 6. Phil Mickelson $1,764,680 7. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 8. Jason Day $1,659,565 9. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 10. Keegan Bradley $1,430,347 11. Charles Howell III $1,393,806 12. John Merrick $1,375,757 13. Russell Henley $1,331,434 14. Michael Thompson $1,310,709 15. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 16. Bill Haas $1,271,553 17. Billy Horschel $1,254,224 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fox-removes-family-guy-episode-websites-223204853.html

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Ethiopian, Kenyan prevail in Boston Marathon

BOSTON (AP) ? Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia took the title in the 117th edition of the Boston Marathon on Monday, winning a three-way sprint down Boylston Street to finish in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 22 seconds.

In just his second race at the 26.2-mile distance, Desisa finished 5 seconds ahead of Kenya's Micah Kogo to earn $150,000 and the traditional olive wreath. Gebregziabher Gebremariam of Ethiopia was another second behind him, in third place, with American Jason Hartmann matching his 2012 finish by coming in fourth.

Rita Jeptoo won the women's race earlier for her second Boston victory. Jeptoo, who also won in 2006, finished in 2:26:25 for her first win in a major race since taking two years off after having a baby.

After a series of close finishes in the women's race ? five consecutive years with 3 or fewer seconds separating the top two ? Jeptoo had a relatively comfortable 33-second lead over Meseret Hailu of Ethiopia, with defending champion Sharon Cherop of Kenya another 3 seconds back. American Shalane Flanagan, of nearby Marblehead, was fourth in the women's division.

This year it was the men's race with the sprint to the finish.

Desisa was among a group of nine men ? all from Kenya or Ethiopia ? who broke away from the pack in the first half of the race. There were three remaining when they came out of Kenmore Square with a mile to go.

But Desisa quickly pulled away and widened his distance in the sprint to the tape.

He is the fourth Ethiopian to win the men's race and the 24th East African to win in the past 26 years. Jeptoo is the third straight Kenyan woman to win and the 15th East African winner in the last 17 years on the women's side.

Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach, who won in 1985, is the last American champion; 1983 winner Greg Meyer was the last American man to break the tape.

A year after heat approaching 90 degrees sent record numbers of participants in search of medical help, temperatures in the high 40s greeted the field of 24,662 at the start in Hopkinton. It climbed to 54 degrees by the time the winners reached Copley Square in Boston.

Japan's Hiroyuki Yamamoto was the first winner of the day, cruising to victory in the men's wheelchair race by 39 seconds over nine-time champion Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa. Tatyana McFadden, a Russian orphan who attends the University of Illinois, won the women's race.

Race day got started with 26 seconds of silence in honor of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. A little more than 2 hours later, the lead runners will go past the Mile 26 marker, which has been decorated with the Newtown, Conn., seal and dedicated to the memory of those killed there.

The 53 wheelchair competitors left Hopkinton at 9:17 a.m., followed 15 minutes later by the 51 elite women. The men were under way at 10 a.m., followed by three waves that over the next 40 minutes would send the entire field of 27,000 on its way to Copley Square.

Last year's race came under the hottest sustained temperatures on record. About 2,300 runners took organizers up on the offer to sit that one out and run this year instead.

___

Follow Jimmy Golen on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jgolen

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ethiopias-desisa-kenyas-jeptoo-win-boston-161825495--spt.html

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EFF To Challenge Six Innovation-Stifling 3D-Printing Patents

As 3D printers become more ubiquitous, small manufacturers have two choices - build and hope for the best or cede to patent trolls who own a number of basic patents around extrusion and additive manufacturing. Sadly, more of those patents are being filed daily and many have plenty of prior art available that would make them unwelcome at the Patent Office.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/c5WQ-JWgirU/

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Dish tries to trump SoftBank with $25.5 billion Sprint offer

By Sinead Carew and Sayantani Ghosh

(Reuters) - Dish Network Corp, the No. 2 U.S. satellite television provider, offered to buy Sprint Nextel Corp for $25.5 billion in cash and stock, a move that could thwart the proposed acquisition of Sprint by Japan's SoftBank Corp.

Dish's bid is the latest development in a shakeup of the U.S. wireless business, which is undergoing a wave of consolidation. Dish was already in the midst of an unsolicited offer for Clearwire Corp, the wireless company majority-owned by Sprint.

It was also the boldest step yet by Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen, who has bought billions of dollars worth of wireless spectrum in the last few years and has been seeking some sort of deal to make use of the airwaves.

Dish said on Monday it would pay $4.76 per share in cash and about 0.05953 shares in Dish stock for each Sprint share. The offer, which works out to $7.00 per share, represents a premium of roughly 12 percent to Sprint's close on Friday.

Dish claimed its offer represented a premium of roughly 13 percent to SoftBank's existing bid. Sprint shareholders would own 32 percent of the combined company.

"The offer from Dish appears credible since it has the financing lined up and can justify a higher price than SoftBank's offer because of the synergies with its existing operations in the U.S.," said Nick Brown, a telecommunications analyst with Espirito Santo investment bank.

Sprint, the No. 3 U.S. mobile services provider, agreed in October to sell 70 percent of its shares to SoftBank for $20 billion. No date has been set yet for a vote on that deal.

Sprint declined to comment on the Dish offer. SoftBank could not immediately be reached for comment on Dish's bid.

Sprint shares were up 15.2 percent at $7.17 before the bell, above the offer price. Dish dropped fell 1.7 percent to $37 before the bell.

NEEDS HELP COMPETING

On a conference call with analysts and investors on Monday, Dish said it could offer consumers immediate benefits, like bundled pricing for video, phone and Internet, and further access to unlimited data, if it were to combine with Sprint.

Dish also said it would be willing to honor Sprint's existing merger deal with Clearwire.

A source familiar with Dish's offer said Ergen's company saw buying Sprint outright as the best solution to Dish's wireless ambitions.

While Dish had already accumulated a sizable chunk of wireless spectrum, the play for Sprint came together in the last few months as Dish started to think through all of its alternatives to gain even more spectrum, the source said.

As much as Dish wants a wireless partner, analysts said Sprint also needs a deal to compete more effectively.

"There is a realization among the smaller players in the U.S. market that they need to merge or partner to compete against Verizon and AT&T, which are both so strong commercially and in terms of network quality," said Kester Mann, telecom analyst at consultancy CCS Insight.

Mann said while any deal would likely strengthen Sprint, Dish's spectrum assets would probably help support Sprint's pricing strategy, which includes unlimited mobile data access.

Wells Fargo analyst Jennifer Fritzsche said in a note that "Ergen and his team clearly bring a better financial offer" for Sprint shareholders.

But, Fritzsche wrote, Sprint management likely prefers the SoftBank offer, given the Japanese company's deeper background in the wireless market.

READY FINANCING

Barclays is serving as financial adviser to Dish. The satellite company said it intended to fund the bid with $8.2 billion in cash from its balance sheet as well as debt financing. Earlier this month, Dish priced a debt offering of $2.3 billion, more than double what was planned.

In its letter to Sprint's board, Dish said it had received a "highly confident letter" from Barclays with regard to its financing.

In the letter, Dish suggested its offer was more compelling than the SoftBank bid because of the synergies: $11 billion in cost savings and the creation of a national provider of video, broadband and voice services.

"Dish has significant experience structuring and consummating strategic transactions and only needs to complete confirmatory due diligence, which we believe can be done quickly with your cooperation," Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen wrote to Sprint Chairman James Hance.

(Additional reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bangalore, Leila Abboud in Paris, Mari Saito in Tokyo and Liana B. Baker and Soyoung Kim in New York; Writing by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Roshni Menon and Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dish-offers-buy-sprint-25-5-billion-104127507--finance.html

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Nuggets set NBA franchise mark with 55th win

Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried, second from left, is helped off the court after spraining his ankle against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Denver on Sunday, April 14, 2013. Helping Faried are, from left, guard Andre Miller, assistant coach Melvin Hunt and forward Anthony Randolph. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried, second from left, is helped off the court after spraining his ankle against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Denver on Sunday, April 14, 2013. Helping Faried are, from left, guard Andre Miller, assistant coach Melvin Hunt and forward Anthony Randolph. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried, front, collides with Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard while driving the lane in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Denver on Sunday, April 14, 2013. Inital reports from the team say that Faried suffered a sprained ankle on the play and was forced to leave the game. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried grabs his ankle after being injured against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Denver, Sunday, April 14, 2013. Faried left the court after the injury. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Andre Iguodala (9), center, is surrounded by Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, left, center Meyers Leonard, back center, and forward Sasha Pavlovic, of Montenegro, while driving the lane for a shot in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Denver, Sunday, April 14, 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward JaVale McGee, right, pulls down a rebound in front of Portland Trail Blazers forward J.J. Hickson in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Denver, Sunday, April 14, 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

DENVER (AP) ? The Denver Nuggets are getting good at bittersweet moments.

Andre Iguodala scored 28 points and the Nuggets set an NBA franchise record with their 55th win Sunday, beating the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers 118-109 but losing another starter.

On the day Ty Lawson (right heel) returned to Denver's starting lineup for the first time since March 27 and played an encouraging 31 minutes, forward Kenneth Faried sprained his left ankle in the opening minutes while driving for a layup and didn't return.

"We're dropping like flies, man," Lawson said. "Well, it's not too serious, I heard, so he might be out for a week or so. He's a tough guy."

Although X-rays were negative, coach George Karl stressed that he didn't want to guess about Faried's availability for the playoffs that start next weekend until after his top rebounder goes for an MRI on Monday.

The Nuggets tweeted this quote from Faried two hours after the game: "Extremely scared. I never felt a pain like that a day in my life." He also said he'd be ready for the playoffs: "I know I will be out there. If I can walk, I can play."

Faried crumpled to the floor, covering his face and holding his left ankle as the Nuggets called a timeout less than three minutes into the game. The Pepsi Center crowd grew quiet ? the way it had 10 days earlier when forward Danilo Gallinari blew out his left ACL driving to the same hoop against Dallas.

In an all-too-familiar sight, Quincy Miller and Anthony Randolph helped their teammate as he gingerly walked off the court, a towel covering his face. Randolph would get some of Faried's minutes and finish with 18 points.

Faried was averaging 11.7 points and a team-best 9.3 rebounds.

"I felt like we were snakebit or bad luck had come our way, our karma had turned the wrong way," Karl said. "I kind of saw it and then when he stayed down, I was worried. I don't think anything's broken. But we'll find out much more tomorrow."

As they did when Gallinari went down, the Nuggets rallied behind their latest fallen starter, and grabbed a piece of history with their 55th win.

The Nuggets, who went 54-28 in both 1987-88 and 2008-09, also extended their franchise-best winning streak at home to 22 straight games but more importantly they moved a game ahead of the Clippers and Grizzlies in the race for the third seed in the Western Conference.

The Nuggets (55-25) can clinch home-court advantage in the first round with a win at Milwaukee on Monday night or a victory over Phoenix at home on Wednesday night.

"It's a 'wow' year for me," Karl said. "I've had a few before. I haven't had one since I was in Seattle, though. I've had the privilege to be on teams that won 60 a couple of times. That's pretty good. Fifty-five is the next-best thing.

"I do idealistic and realistic predictions and I thought the most we could squeeze out this year was 54, so we're above and beyond. I admire how much guys have stayed in this season and fought through some tough moments and continue to improve. So, it's a pretty special year."

Karl was thrilled at Lawson's return to the starting lineup. He had 12 points and 10 assists less than 48 hours after playing 20 minutes at Dallas.

"I don't think I could have asked for a better script out of Ty these last two games," Karl said.

Lawson said he's completely confident in his right heel now.

"Oh yeah, I think so. I pushed off it actually today going to the basket a couple of times, so I think I'm confident and just probably one or two more games I'll be back to regular," he said.

Iguodala also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out nine assists, blocked three shots and had three steals to go with his 28 points, marking the first time in his career he'd posted those numbers in a game.

And rookie Evan Fournier scored 24 points in his second career start, sinking a pair of crucial 3-pointers in the closing minutes after the Trail Blazers had cut a 20-point deficit to 104-101 with 3:33 left.

Portland was without three starters: LaMarcus Aldridge (right ankle), Wesley Matthews (right ankle) and Nicolas Batum (right shoulder), so coach Terry Stotts started four rookies, including Damian Lillard, who led the Trail Blazers with 30 points but also had eight of their 23 turnovers as Portland lost its 11th straight.

After Denver built a seemingly safe 83-63 lead, the Blazers made a game of it. J.J. Hickson's free throw with 3:33 left made it 104-101, but that was as close as it got. It was 106-102 when Lawson sank two free throws and Fournier swished a 3-pointer from the left corner to give Denver some breathing room. Fournier's 3-pointer from the other side made it 118-107, and their 55th win was secure.

"Ty Lawson just made some plays that we didn't have answers for," Stotts said. "But we played much better in the second half."

Karl would have preferred a blowout but said the tight game might pay dividends down the road, especially with so many backups playing key roles down the stretch.

With Gallinari done for the season and uncertainty surrounding Faried, the Nuggets' hopes of a strong playoff run will depend on what they get out of their deep lineup.

"It's a really good team," Iguodala said. "And it's been a really good year for us. But we don't want to get satisfied. We've still got work to do. We can't just settle for 55. We've got to try to get to 57."

With 55 wins, Lawson said this team has to be considered among the best in franchise history, "so hopefully it translates to the playoffs and we try to do what no Nuggets have ever done."

Win it all.

Notes: By improving to an NBA-best 37-3 at home, they also set a record Sunday for most home wins in a season since joining the NBA 37 years ago. Denver went 36-5 at home under Larry Brown in 1976-77. ... Portland has lost nine straight and 23 of its last 25 games in Denver.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-14-BKN-Trail-Blazers-Nuggets/id-06e80feceaf04cf38de71f001c047e3a

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CA-BUSINESS Summary

TSX falls sharply as gold leads broad selloff

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index fell more than 1 percent on Friday, as weak U.S. economic data dulled hopes for the Canada's export sector, while a sharp drop in gold prices pulled mining stocks to multi-year lows. The mining-heavy TSX materials sector dropped 4.21 percent to its lowest level since 2009, fueled by a 4 percent drop in gold prices and sliding copper, while weak oil prices yanked energy stocks down by 1.95 percent.

FAA sees lessons from Boeing 787 battery woes

NEW YORK/COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are discussing whether the batteries that burned on Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner hold any lessons for other aircraft or vehicles. George Nield, associate administrator for commercial space transportation at the Federal Aviation Administration, said a dialogue is taking place about whether the overheating of two lithium-ion batteries on the 787 could have broader implications.

Exclusive: G20 to consider cutting debt to well below 90 percent/GDP: document

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Financial leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies will consider next week in Washington a proposal to cut their public debt over the longer term to well below 90 percent of gross domestic product, a document prepared for the meeting showed. The proposal, prepared by the co-chairs of the G20 Working Group on the Framework for Growth, follows agreement of the leaders of G20 countries in June last year to set ambitious debt reduction targets beyond 2016, when, under an earlier agreement from Toronto in 2010, debt was to stop growing.

Troika concludes Greek bailout review, next aid tranche soon: source

DUBLIN/ATHENS (Reuters) - An inspection team of international lenders has finished its review of Greece's austerity program, paving the way for another 10 billion euros aid payment, a source with knowledge of the talks said on Saturday. The deal reached on Friday, concludes the first review by the so-called "troika" of the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank since they unlocked fresh aid in December, staving off a chaotic bankruptcy.

Analysis: JPMorgan's lukewarm results put Dimon under more pressure

NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, who came through the financial crisis relatively unscathed, is suddenly looking a little less secure. The top U.S. bank by assets reported tepid first-quarter results on Friday. Income in its biggest businesses - investment banking and consumer lending - fell, excluding accounting adjustments. Outstanding loans grew by just 1 percent, and profit margins on lending narrowed. Stock and bond trading revenue fell.

Greek PM says deposits are safe, banks shielded: paper

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek bank deposits are safe and the country's lenders are protected due to a recapitalization scheme which will be completed by the end of April, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Saturday. In an interview with Imerisia, Samaras ruled out a tax on deposits over 100,000 euros ($131,000) allaying fears of austerity-hit Greeks that their savings may be at risk after a raid on Cyprus depositors as part of the island's bailout.

Italy's Salini eyes foreign growth after Impregilo merger: report

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian builder Salini, taking over larger rival Impregilo , expects the merged group to double revenues over the next three years helped by expansion in the Americas and Australia, its head said in a newspaper interview. Family-owned Salini, which has built a stake of 86.5 percent in Italy's biggest builder after a takeover bid ended on Friday, told Il Corriere della Sera on Saturday he may consider listing the future merged group on more stock markets.

Austria defies mounting pressure to end bank secrecy

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Austria defied growing pressure to follow Luxembourg in ending bank secrecy, after a group led by Europe's six biggest countries pledged to work together to tackle tax havens. Late on Friday, the finance ministers of Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Spain and Poland announced their desire to jointly push for more bank transparency, a message they will take to the meeting of the Group of 20 top global economies in Washington next week.

Canada says April "optimal" for naming next Bank of Canada chief

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's government would ideally like to name a new Bank of Canada governor this month to replace Mark Carney, who will step down on June 1 to take the helm at the Bank of England, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Friday. "Part of the process is my interviews of the short-listed candidates," Flaherty told reporters on a conference call during an official visit to Bermuda.

Wells Fargo profit beats, but mortgage business slows

(Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co reported a higher-than-expected 23 percent rise in first-quarter profit on Friday, but its mortgage business showed further signs of slowing and net interest margins continued to shrink. The fourth-largest U.S. bank by assets has emerged from the financial crisis as the leading U.S. home lender as other banks have pulled back from a business that burned them during the housing bust. But the bank has now seen a decline in home loans for two consecutive quarters as fewer borrowers refinance at low interest rates.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-business-summary-034500857--finance.html

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How Chuck Schumer plays the congressional chessboard

In the run-up to the November elections, Chuck Schumer worked tirelessly in attacking Republicans, from congressional conservatives to GOP frontman Mitt Romney. Since then, New York's senior Democratic senator has clocked more hours negotiating with his Republican colleagues than anyone else on his side of the aisle.

Part of this reflects the natural rhythm of politics: The year after a presidential election can often be Washington's most productive. But a man who has spent his life in Congress shifting between expert political hatchet man and tenacious dealmaker may also sense a moment when the Republicans are particularly vulnerable ? or receptive ? to cutting deals as a result of changed dynamics on the Hill.

"He's a great legislative chess player and knows intuitively when it's time to strike and when it's time to wait," says Jim Kessler, a longtime Schumer staffer and now a senior member of the Third Way, a Democratic centrist think tank.

RECOMMENDED: So you think you know Congress? Take our quiz.

Clearly, the voluble senior senator thinks it's time to strike. First, he teamed up with a crew of other Senate veterans, led by John McCain (R) of Arizona and Carl Levin (D) of Michigan, to hatch a compromise forestalling sweeping changes to the Senate's filibuster rules.

Then there's Senator Schumer's long-unrequited love, immigration reform, in which he leads the Democratic contingent in the bipartisan "Gang of Eight." That's the group in the Senate that many lawmakers and advocates believe will deliver the opening bill in the immigration-reform debate in early April.

Finally, there's the continuation of Schumer's legacy in the House, where his determination to pass the 1994 crime bill (containing a ban on assault weapons, among other provisions) is carrying over to President Obama's push to strengthen the nation's gun laws. Schumer went right for the "sweet spot," as he calls it, of universal background checks in negotiations with staunch pro-gun lawmakers like Sens. Joe Manchin (D) of West Virginia and Tom Coburn (R) of Oklahoma.

While prospects for a background check deal have dimmed, it is the proposal that perhaps best explains Schumer: Background checks are widely regarded as the most impactful piece of legislation gun-control advocates in Congress could dream of passing ? if someone would take on the task of finessing the details behind the scenes to bring Republicans and centrist Democrats on board.

As the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, Schumer is one of the left's premier political strategists and spokesmen. Though he clearly relishes political combat in the right venue ? he's a two-time leader of the typically thankless chairmanship of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ? he represents a particular breed of dealmaker: someone who combines policy understanding with a keen political sense and an intuitive knack for legislating. He also knows where the money is.

"Schumer has power to do this because of the stature he's earned in the party in terms of money and distribution of campaign funds," says Julian Zelizer, a congressional historian at Princeton University. "And his role in the leadership gives him a little clout and a little more flexibility to make these kinds of deals."

To be sure, Schumer is often lampooned as hurtling from one television camera to the next, someone never far from the klieg lights. But Schumer also understands how to keep politics and policy in proper perspective.

"He has very few permanent enemies," says Mr. Kessler. "If people play fair, even if they play rough and hard, he thinks, 'That's the way this is done and that's OK....' For someone with as many rough edges as a Brooklyn Democrat often has, he seeks out the genuineness of other people intuitively and will find a way to work with them."

(He's also known to harbor another intuitive talent ? finding romantic connections between his staffers. One recent New York Times profile called him the "Yenta of the Senate.")

Unlike some lawmakers on the Hill, Schumer revels in the boisterous process of legislating. It's in his DNA. In 1998, he turned down a potential run for governor of New York to enter a messy Democratic Senate primary for the right to challenge then-Sen. Al D'Amato (R).

"In Congress, I really found my m?tier," Schumer said during a campaign stop that year. "'I love to legislate. Taking an idea, often not original with me, shaping it, molding it. Building a coalition of people who might not completely agree with it. Passing it and making the country a little bit of a better place. I love doing that. The Senate desperately needs legislators. The old-time legislators are gone."

RECOMMENDED: So you think you know Congress? Take our quiz.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chuck-schumer-plays-congressional-chessboard-140926068.html

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Goat steals Maaaa-rk Zuckerberg's thunder in ad

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Suzanne Choney NBC News

8 hours ago

Facebook

It's not all about Facebook Home, Mark Zuckerberg, or chat heads in a new ad for Facebook Home. It's all about the goat.

Whether you're ready for Facebook Home on your Android phone, or whether you'd rather just ignore it, this promo (below) is not to be missed. Not because Zuckerberg is going blah-blah-blah-Facebook Home blah-blah (and doing it in a way that he makes fun of himself). Nope, it's because of this animal's (screamingly, literally) funny cameo.

Here's hoping the goat is not lunch anytime soon for Zuckerberg, who spent a year eating only the meat that he killed. Let the memes begin.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2aaf3cae/l/0L0Stoday0N0Ctech0Cgoat0Esteals0Emaaaa0Erk0Ezuckerbergs0Ethunder0Ead0E1C9338370A/story01.htm

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Minnesota House wants $250 million in property tax relief (Star Tribune)

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

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Travel Channel Layover Guide for iPhone and iPad: find pubs, attractions, and five star dining all over the world

Whether you travel frequently and need to kill time between airports or you're taking a trip abroad, the Travel Channel's Layover Guide for iPhone and iPad aims to make traveling more enjoyable and less stressful. Layover Guide features most of the more prominent airports in the world and gives you things to do in the cities around them. We aren't just talking about the main attractions everyone knows about, but local pubs, five star restaurants, and things that aren't as well known.

If you're traveling soon and would like to fill your to-do list with spots to check out, Layover Guide can help.

Once you launch Layover Guide, you'll be taken to the main menu where you can swipe between places of interest. They're all represented with airport codes such as LHR for London Heathrow, ORD for O'hare in Chicago, and so on. You can tap on any place and a guide will begin to download. There will also be an option to download all guides, which is what we'd recommend doing while you're on WiFi. Since the guides can sometimes include video and many larger files, it could take quite a while over a cellular network and eat quite a bit of data.

After you've downloaded the guide of your choice, or all of them for that matter, you can now launch it from the main menu. You'll see a video at the top that gives a brief overview of that city. Underneath that you'll have some options that will be the same for each city. The layovers section will give you a great list of places to check out. You can choose from the Travel's Channels host Tony's picks or view all spots within the navigation at the top. Tapping on a spot or transit system will give you directions, hours where applicable, price range, and other information including the phone number.

The other information provided about a city area around airports will involve getting there, do's and don'ts, and inspiration. The inspiration section is particularly interesting and includes some quotes as well as a playlist tab that will integrate iTunes to show you music that is either popular in that area or influenced by it. Tapping on any of them routes you directly to the iTunes store in order to buy.

The good

• Great information about local places you may not find elsewhere
• Nice layout that's easy to navigate
• Since everything is downloaded natively, no need to use data in order to access information when abroad
• Most major airports are covered

The bad

• Currently not sized correctly for the iPhone 5
• The do's and don'ts section is pretty skimpy, it'd be nice to see more tips added in an update

The bottom line

If you plan on traveling soon, Layover Guide by the Travel Channel will make a great companion. While most other apps just give general directions or information, The Layover takes it one step further by incorporating tips and information that only locals would typically know. That combined with the fact that it shows you distances from airports make it great for liesure and for quick stops between flights.

• Free - Download Now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/E7iR7l5NDKI/story01.htm

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