Iterations: Calendar Frenzy, Google Now, and Apple's ?Anticipatory Computing? Problem

Now that the Mailbox sale to Dropbox is complete, let?s move on to the next native iOS app that everyone wants to replace: The Calendar. Yes, the calendar. Nearly every other conversation I had this past week included some chatter about all the new calendar apps (see the screenshot of my iPhone). Peeling back the layers on all these calendar apps and the herd-like interest in the space, however, reveals both challenges and opportunities that go much deeper than comparing mobile apps based on product features. For those among us who use Android, Google Now is the type of anticipatory computing, powered by data and algorithmic learning, that enables a machine to guide us in life almost like an assistant would. On Apple?s iOS, however, there is no such thing like ?Apple Now,? and as a result, savvy entrepreneurs are seeking to build that service as a third-party application. And, curiously, they?re using the mobile calendar on Apple to kickstart this game and using calendar "intent" to infer what to send to the user.

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All Quiet On The Western Front: Gaming M&A May Be In A Lull As A New Generation Grows Up

When you step off the elevator into Kixeye’s new downtown San Francisco office, a guy in military fatigues has you sign an NDA. After you do (I didn’t), a receptionist with a lot of piercings takes your name, while The White Panda’s “Foolish Monsters” blares in the background. Kixeye has whale harpoons stapled to its office walls, bad oil paintings (see left), ceiling-to-floor drawings of fire-breathing dragons and jacked unicorns, a 3-D printer of questionable purpose and little desire to answer to anyone else. All while remaining profitable, the midcore social gaming company has quintupled its headcount over the last year to more than 450 employees. The company says it has “several” times the $19 million in capital they raised stowed away in the bank. Too expensive for acquirers and still too small and unproven for public markets, privately-held gaming companies like Kixeye are chugging along profitably and doing things their own way. “We don’t talk about exit scenarios here. The employees are not here for that,” said Brandon Barber, who is Kixeye’s chief marketing officer. “Most people are here because they love making games and that’s what they want to do. Focusing on that stuff at this point in our trajectory is super distracting.” (If you want to know what Kixeye really thinks of everyone else in the industry, watch this video.) Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, other privately-held gaming companies such as Finland’s Rovio and Supercell, the U.K.’s King and Germany’s Wooga are also growing profitable businesses. Buyers Beware That feeling is mutual on the buyers’ side too. Warner Bros said last week that it would be opening a gaming studio in San Francisco. In other words, it is choosing to build, not buy. “Every time we looked at a company that was really interesting, we found that the price tag was more money than we thought was reasonable to pay,” said Greg Ballard, who is Warner Bros. senior vice president of digital games. Similarly, EA is holding off after some big ticket deals in the last few years to buy Seattle’s PopCap for up to $1.3 billion. “With regards to a large acquisition, we’re probably OK for the time being,” said Nick Earl, who oversees most of EA’s free-to-play games as a senior vice president there. “If the right deal presents itself, we would make that deal. But we’re not actively seeking it.” He said his arm of

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The Secret World of Home Haunters | Vancouver Weekly

The America Scream - A Netflix Review

Halloween has always been one of my favourite holidays. As a child, my sister and I would join forces with the girl across the street, and the three of us, with our fathers in tow, would traverse the dark and chilled neighbourhood. Pumpkin smoke, dressing up, spooky noises, candy overloads, I loved it all. But the thing I loved the most was being terrified of the brown house halfway down the block. This house went to town adding black lights, cobwebs and to top it off, a figure that would haunt my nightmares for years to come: an enormous Frankenstein?s monster figurine that stood guard by the door. It?s ghastly groans were enough to stop me from climbing the stairs; all I could do was look in horror, deciding that the candy wasn?t worth it. Looking back, this house wasn?t anything like some of the haunted houses I?ve seen since, but it went above and beyond what was in my neighbourhood, and made an impact such that I can remember it now, over 20 years later. Evidently people like this are known as ?home haunters?, a term I recently picked up watching The American Scream. Directed by Michael Paul Stephenson, infamous for his lead role in the film Troll 2, The American Scream is a documentary that follows three families of home haunters as they prepare for Halloween in the suburb of Fairhaven, Massachusetts. All three groups have their own different family dynamics and ideas of what makes a scary Halloween display. Their bonds with family and community, and their passions for their craft make this film a very enjoyable experience.

We are first introduced to Victor Bariteau, a systems administrator whose favourite holiday is Halloween. He spends the entire year building new props for his haunted house and dreams of going pro. Although his family supports his ambitions, his oldest daughter is the only one who comes close to her father?s passion. Tina, Victor?s wife, pitches in to make costumes and help with preparations, but she seems exasperated with his hobby, which is slowly growing to consume all available space in their small home. Victor?s dedication to his work is notable, and he is always trying to outdo himself, building up his props each year. He looks to expand his knowledge by listening to Hauntcast (?radio for haunters and Halloween fanatics?) and going to Hauntcon, a convention for home haunters who are looking to up their game by attending panels and workshops lead by pros and purchasing new props on the trade floor. In this way, Victor stands in stark contrast to the other two families featured in the film. Unlike them, Victor seems to be gaining a lot more personally by growing his passion, rather than doing it mainly to bond with his family.

We are also introduced to Manny Souza, and Rick and Matthew Broeder, all of whom live in the neighbourhood. Manny is a family man whose Halloween attraction is an intricate collection of creepy found objects. His children love helping set up, and his wife is sure to get friends and family involved. Manny admits that family is everything to him, and he?ll keep doing the haunted house for as long as he can because it gives him more time to bond with his children. This is the same for Rick and Matt Broeder, a father and son duo who spend large amounts of time with each other. Matt admits that his father is his best friend, and the two bond together building props for their haunted house. Matt, an award-winning amateur clown who proudly displays his trophies and plaques, also find home haunting an excellent artistic outlet. What Rick and Matthew may lack in artistry they make up for in ridiculous banter that gave this film a comedic edge.

The American Scream is wonderfully constructed. We meet not just the haunters but their families too. The film relies on interviews with family members to open a window into personal histories and of course, everyone?s opinion about their haunted house. The film is very entertaining but at other times it?s sad. Neither Manny nor Rick is in very good health, though thankfully they both have their family to support them. Victor too seems to be so focused on his dreams that he ignores all else around him, losing himself in his craft and burning himself out. His family is very understanding, but the film portrays them as ignoring their own needs and desires.

Many people write off Halloween as a children?s holiday, but these home haunters believe that it?s a time to bring people together. I felt all warm and fuzzy watching this movie, something that?s perhaps unexpected for a film titled The American Scream. This is a documentary with heart that peers into its subject?s successes, failures, troubles and most importantly their connections with their family and the greater community.

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Source: http://www.vancouverweekly.com/the-secret-world-of-home-haunters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-secret-world-of-home-haunters

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The military's sexual assault epidemic

The Pentagon is struggling to quell an epidemic of sexual abuse in the armed services' hierarchical culture

How rife is sexual crime in the services??
It has become a grave concern, particularly as uniformed women take on more roles. Military sexual trauma, which encompasses everything from sexual harassment to rape, is now the leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder among women in the U.S. military. Female soldiers today are 180 times more likely to be sexually assaulted by a fellow soldier than killed by an enemy. Sufferers often spiral downward into alcohol and substance abuse, depression, and homelessness. "It just pulls the skin off you," said one former Army Reserve officer, who retreated to a mobile home deep in the woods after she was assaulted. But sexual abuse often goes unreported. In 2011, there were around 3,000 official cases of military sexual assault, but a report commissioned by then Defense Secretary Leon?Panetta?put the actual annual number at 19,000 or more. An anonymous survey of more than 1,100 women who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, conducted last year by the Department of Veterans Affairs, found that almost half said they had been sexually harassed, and nearly one quarter said they'd been sexually assaulted.

Why is abuse so rarely reported??
Victims tend to be young, of low rank, and too intimidated to speak out. Often, the superior a soldier reports to is a friend of the perpetrator, or even the perpetrator himself. "How am I supposed to go about reporting something when the person I'm supposed to report to is the person who raped me?" said Virginia?Messick, one of 62 trainees assaulted by instructors at?Lackland?Air Force Base in San Antonio between 2009 and 2012. Victims often figure that any investigation is likely to turn into a he-said-she-said battle that the senior soldier is bound to win. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, who was arraigned by a military court earlier this year on charges of forcible sodomy and sexual misconduct, was initially unconcerned when subordinates questioned his conduct. "I'm a general," he reportedly said. "I'll do whatever the f--- I want."?

What happens when an incident is reported?
Too often, nothing at all. A shocking 92 percent of reported assaults never come before a military court. First responders frequently fail to collect forensic evidence of an assault within the 72-hour deadline stipulated by current guidelines, and more often than not, the victim's superior decides against proceeding to court-martial anyway. Last year, two thirds of all reported cases were either summarily dismissed as unfounded, or resolved by the perpetrators simply being given extra duties or having their pay docked. Of the few defendants referred to court-martial, a tenth opt to resign instead: By admitting their guilt and accepting the perceived punishment of leaving the military, they can avoid prosecution ? civilian or military ? altogether. And before any case goes to trial, a military judge can issue a summary verdict of "consensual sex" that ends the proceedings. That's what happened to Army Reserve Pfc. Sascha Garner, who waited three hours in a courthouse in?Bagram, Afghanistan, before she was informed of the decision. "I just started bawling my eyes out," said Garner. "How can they rule it consensual without even hearing my side of the story?"?

What's being done to change things??
Last year, days after watching?The Invisible War ? an Oscar-nominated documentary on sexual assault in the military ? Defense Secretary?Panetta?announced the creation of a Special Victims Unit in each branch of the military. He implemented new procedures that allow soldiers who report an assault to be transferred out of their units, so they're not subject to pressure or further harassment.?Panetta?also announced that higher-ranking colonels, rather than unit commanders, would decide whether to prosecute cases of sexual assault.?

Why not handle that outside the command structure?
Some have suggested that the U.S. follow the practice of other countries, such as the U.K., by forming an independent military judiciary to rule on sexual assault cases. Such an administrative structure would prevent troubling cases like that of Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, an Air Force pilot who was convicted last year of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to a year in military prison. In February, Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin summarily dismissed Wilkerson's conviction as "without merit" and reinstated him to the Air Force ? as he is allowed to do "for any reason or no reason" under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Defense Secretary Chuck?Hagel?said last month that the case raises "a significant question" about whether commanders should have that power and ordered a review.?

Would women be at greater risk in combat??
Some conservatives contend that they would, but the Pentagon says having females on the front line would more likely reduce the military's sexual assault rates. Currently, said Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "you have one part of the population that's designated as warriors, and another part designated as something else." Giving the sexes equal roles would dispel that disparity and the dangerous "psychology" it fosters, Dempsey suggested, prompting a real change in military culture. For Jenny?McClendon, a Navy officer raped by her superior, that can't come soon enough. "I don't want another generation to feel like they're alone," she said. "Those serving today, I don't want them betrayed."

A double betrayal of trust
Petty Officer Rebecca?Blumer?awoke on Feb. 13, 2010, to find her body bruised and swollen, her insides sore, and a burning pain in her buttocks. She was certain she'd been?"roofied"?and raped, but she soon found the Navy's response almost as distressing as the attack itself: The basic assumption was that it had somehow been her fault. After three days of medical leave,?Blumer?was transferred from intelligence analysis to janitorial duties. "I was a problem, and they wanted to be rid of the problem," said?Blumer. She was shunned and disparaged, and military officials eventually ruled there was no rape. "Maybe it was just heavy petting, or you imagined it?" they suggested. Discharged from the Navy,?Blumer?spiraled into depression and homelessness. She still has regular nightmares. "I loved everything about the Navy," she said. "Now I hate it."

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/militarys-sexual-assault-epidemic-093000297.html

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Mate choice in mice is heavily influenced by paternal cues

Friday, March 29, 2013

Mate choice is a key factor in the evolution of new animal species. The choice of a specific mate can decisively influence the evolutionary development of a species. In mice, the attractiveness of a potential mate is conveyed by scent cues and ultrasonic vocalizations. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Pl?n investigated whether house mice (Mus musculus) would mate with each other even if they were from two populations which had been separated from each other for a long time period. To do this, the researchers brought together mice from a German population and mice from a French population. Although to begin with all the mice mated with one another randomly, the hybrid offspring of French and German parents were distinctly more choosy: they showed a definite preference for mating with individuals from their father's original population. According to the researchers, this paternal imprinting accelerates the divergence of two house mouse populations and thus promotes speciation.

In allopatric speciation, individuals of a species become geographically isolated from each other by external factors such as mountains or estuaries. Over time, this geographic separation leads to the sub-populations undergoing various mutations, and thus diverging genetically. Animals from the two different sub-populations can no longer successfully reproduce, so two new species evolve.

To find out what role partner selection plays in such speciation processes, Diethard Tautz from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology and his colleagues conducted a comprehensive study on house mice ? the classic model organisms of biology. "To investigate whether there are differences in the mating behaviour of the mice in the early stages of speciation, we caught wild house mice in southern France and western Germany. The two populations have been geographically separate for around 3,000 years, which equates to some 18,000 generations," says Diethard Tautz. Due to this geographical separation, the French and German mice were genetically different.

The Pl?n-based researchers created a semi-natural environment for their investigations ? a sort of "Playboy Mansion" for mice. The research enclosure was several square meters in size and was divided up using wooden walls, "nests" made out of plastic cylinders, and plastic tubes. It also featured an escape tube with several entrances, which led into a cage system nearby. "We constructed the enclosure in such a way that all animals had unimpeded access to all areas, but thanks to the structural divisions were also able to create their own territories or retreat into nests," explains Tautz. "The escape tube was a control element. If the mice retreated to it only very seldom ? as was the case in our experiment ? then we could be sure there was no overpopulation in the central enclosure."

In this central enclosure, the French and German mice had both time and space to mate with each other and reproduce. "At first, all the mice mated with each other quite randomly. But with the first-generation offspring, a surprising pattern emerged," says Tautz. When the first-generation hybrid offspring of mixed French and German parentage mated, they showed a specific preference for pure-bred mates whose "nationality" was that of their father only. "There must be some kind of paternal influence that prompts the hybrid mice to choose a mate from a specific population, namely that of their father," concludes the biologist, based on the results of his study. "This imprinting must be learned, however, meaning that the animals must grow up in the presence of their fathers. This was not the case for the original mice, which were kept in cages for a time after being caught."

"We know that mice use ultrasonic vocalizations to communicate with each other and that particularly in the case of male mice these vocalizations can reveal signals of individuality and kinship. We believe that, like birdsong, the vocalizations of the males have a learned component and a genetic component," says Tautz. Therefore, French and German mice really could "speak" different languages, partly learned from their fathers, partly inherited from them. Individual mice thus have a mating preference for mice that speak the same language as they do.

The French and German mouse populations had evidently been geographically separated long enough for preliminary signs of species differentiation to be apparent as regards mating preferences. In addition, another aspect of mating behavior also sped up the speciation process.

Although mice have multiple mates, the researchers found evidence of partner fidelity and inbreeding. The tendency to mate with relatives fosters the creation of genetically uniform groups. When both occur together, this accelerates the speciation process.

In a next step, Diethard Tautz wants to find out whether the vocalizations of the mice play the decisive role in paternal imprinting, or if scent cues are also involved. Furthermore, the biologist wants to identify the genes that are involved in mate selection.

###

Inka Montero, Meike Tesche and Diethard Tautz: "Paternal imprinting of mating preferences between natural populations of house mice (Mus musculus domesticus)", Molecular Ecology (2013), doi: 10.111/mec.122271;

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: http://www.mpg.de

Thanks to Max-Planck-Gesellschaft for this article.

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CDC: 24 E. coli illnesses linked to frozen foods

NEW YORK (AP) ? Health officials say at least 24 people have become sick from an outbreak of E. coli infections linked to frozen snack foods marketed to children.

No one has died, but eight people, mostly kids or teens, were hospitalized.

An investigation detected E. coli in an open package of Farm Rich brand frozen chicken quesadillas at an ill person's home.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported illnesses in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

The Buffalo, N.Y.-based Rich Products Corp. has recalled quesadillas, mozzarella bites and other frozen products made in November.

___

Online:

CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2013/O121-03-13/index.html

Company: http://www.farmrich.com/

Associated Press

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Bespoke Post Raises $850K From Great Oaks, 500 Startups & Others For Its Subscription-Based ?Box Of Awesome? For Men

Bespoke Post, a subscription-based e-commerce startup offering a hilariously titled "Box of Awesome" (no, not that one?- Bespoke Post is for grown-ups), is today announcing having closed on $850,000 in seed funding, led by Warby Parker and Bonobos investor, Great Oaks VC. Also participating in the round, which actually closed last fall, were 500 Startups, Brad Harrison Ventures, 1-800 Flowers' strategic investing arm, and several angel investors. And, as of Monday, the company is expanding into Canada.

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If Steve King Runs for the Senate, His Opponents Will Have a Lot to Work With

Earlier this month Rep. Steve King said there was a better than 50 percent chance he would run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa. A staunch conservative with a history of saying inflammatory things, is a divisive political figure by any calculation. To take the state, he?d have to overcome money from a Karl Rove organization aimed at preventing fringe GOP candidates from winning primaries, and win over districts far less conservative than his own. But his biggest obstacle may be overcoming 10-plus years of giving his opponents sound bites to use against him. Here are a few that you?ll likely hear on repeat if he runs.

Compared Immigrants to Dogs.?During last year?s campaign, King made news when his comment at a town hall seemed to paint a parallel between immigrants and canines. In talking about which immigrants should be allowed to come into this country, King drew from his hunting experience for a metaphor: ?You want a good bird dog?? he told the crowd in Pocahontas, Iowa. ?You want one that?s going to be aggressive? Pick the one that?s the friskiest ? not the one that?s over there sleeping in the corner.? King went on to say that the United States should have ?the pick of the litter.?

Later, King would tell reporters that he meant no harm by the comment and that it was being blown out of proportion.

"It was a compliment.... They knew it was a compliment; they turned it into an insult because they're professional hyperventilators,? he said.

Waded into Legitimate Rape Debate.?Former Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri is the poster child for why Karl Rove feels the need to fight fringe GOP candidates. His comment about ?legitimate rape? became all anyone could talk about during the last election, and very well could have kept Missouri in Democratic hands.

And King just couldn?t stop himself from becoming part of the conversation. As a cosponsor of a bill called the ?No Taxpayers Funding for Abortion Act,? King was asked whether exemptions should be made for victims of statutory rape or incest, such as a 12-year-old girl who gets pregnant.

"Well I just haven't heard of that being a circumstance that's been brought to me in any personal way,? he said. ?I'd be open to discussion about that subject matter.?

Various media outlets picked up this comment as a sign that King may have partially agreed with Akin?s stance. And while his statement wasn't nearly as controversial as Akin?s comments at the time, it is likely to become part of the conversation in a senatorial election.

Called Joe McCarthy a Hero.?Sen. Joseph McCarthy?s name has become synonymous with witch hunts. And yet, in 2005, King called the former chairman of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, or HUAC, a ?hero.?

?His tactics were relentless, his personality invidious, and his habits sometimes excessive,? King said. ?Nonetheless, he was a central figure in the movement to remove communist spies and sympathizers from our most sensitive government positions.?

And that was not just a one-time declaration. For years, King has been pushing the sentiment, saying?in 2010 that he supported the reestablishment of HUAC, ?"but I would support a different committee name so that we don't have to deal with the history, and move forward."

Is Not a Fan of Gay Marriage.?When the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples could marry in the state, King warned that the Hawkeye State could become the ?mecca? for gay marriage.? Anyone who didn?t already know how he felt about the issue needn?t look any further than a 2003 press release King issued after a Sioux City judge granted a divorce to a lesbian couple.

?Unicorns, leprechauns, gay marriages in Iowa ? these are all things you will never find, because they just don?t exist,? he said.

But, if you want to look beyond that view, check out King?claimiing that?same-sex marriage is really just a push for socialism.

Says He Might Start His Own Country, Anyway.?Democrats don't want King to become senator, and Rove and other Republicans worry he may hurt their chances at picking up the seat. They might prefer that he start his own country somewhere and stay out of Iowa. Who knows, maybe he will. After the House passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, King told a crowd of tea-party activists he was thinking about it.?

"If I could start a country with a bunch of people, they?d be the folks who were standing with us the last few days," he told the crowd. "Let?s hope we don?t have to do that!?Let?s beat that other side to a pulp! Let?s take them out. Let?s chase them down. There?s going to be a reckoning!"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/steve-king-runs-senate-opponents-lot-135044973--politics.html

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Corporate Limo Party Is A Classy Service To Make An Impact

By: Ronald Arny Corporate Limo Party Is A Classy Service To Make An Impact

Drive in a limousine is immersion in the world of leisure. For corporate limo party there are models of upscale road transport that accommodate different numbers of people. The reason could be any to hire this service but the end is one and it is the comfort of the riders and their exposure to ultimate luxury. It is very common now to have such corporate events in order to celebrate success of a company or an organization. Sense of participation is given to the employees and they become more responsible in their work towards the company. The ride to the venue is very short but it has a significant importance and makes the day.

The best possible transport of the road is available now in state of US. It is a luxurious service that is for the executive class. During the ride they enjoy the features of the vehicles and the expertise of the chauffeurs. Sometimes they are entertained with the complimentary drink on the way to the destination. The riders enjoy the skills of the drivers and the luxury of the cars. They get to the venue of party or meeting in a style and in a fresh mood. Stretched limo and normal limo are present their in the catalogue of the limo service providers. The customers have the liberty to select the car of their choice for the purpose of transportation. The service is used for many other objectives and the customers feel pride to hire it.

The service is a blessing to enjoy the high class that a vehicle could offer in the road transport. The variety of the vehicles and their maintenance is compulsory to attract the customers. In addition to the availability of the resources the dealing of the booking staff and that of the chauffeurs with the guests also play a vital role. The mode of the party sets the theme of the ride and the service providers strictly follow it. For a meeting or a conference a corporate limo service is rather sophisticated and serious in outlook as compare tot that of the celebration of the success.

The interior and exterior of the vehicles are very well maintained to give one hundred percent to the clients and never let them down with the service quality. The drivers are also well aware of the needs of the customers so they act accordingly. The vehicles in the lot have different per hour charges and that are mentioned on the websites of the service providers. The customers can ask for the charges of a particular limo on a specific day and time on the website as well as on the phone.

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About the Author:
Ronald Arny is the Junior marketing executive at Washington DC Limo Services. You can find more information or ask him any question about Corporate Limo Party or Washington DC Limo Services

Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com

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Kleiner-Backed Fisker Mulls Bankruptcy as Investor Search Persists ...

NEW YORK/DETROIT, March 28 (Reuters) ? Fisker Automotive, the U.S.-backed maker of luxury plug-in hybrid sports cars, has hired law firm Kirkland & Ellis to advise it on a possible bankruptcy filing, a source said on Thursday, while executives continue their search for a strategic investor.

The company, based in Anaheim, California, furloughed its U.S. work force this week to preserve cash.

Fisker, founded in 2007, has raised more than $1 billion in venture capital, according to Thomson Reuters (publisher of peHUB).?Most recently, the company raised $103.67 million in September 2012 from Advanced Equities Inc., Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, New Enterprise Associates and one undisclosed firm, Thomson Reuters reports. KP has participated in all but one of the company?s 14 financing rounds, while NEA has participated in seven, according to Thomson Reuters.

Anup Sathy, a bankruptcy lawyer at Kirkland who handled the Chapter 11 filings of General Growth Properties and Innkeepers USA Trust, is advising Fisker, the source said.

On Wednesday, two sources said the company was considering bankruptcy while it pursued alternatives.

All of the sources declined to be named because the matter is not public.

A Fisker spokesman declined to comment. Neither Kirkland & Ellis nor Sathy were immediately available to comment.

Fisker, which makes the $100,000-plus Karma plug-in hybrid, has not produced a car since July and is seeking a financial backer to help finish the development of a second plug-in hybrid, the Atlantic, and produce it at a Delaware plant.

The company?s cash crunch comes less than a month before it must make a payment on a U.S. Department of Energy loan that Fisker received in 2009. Fisker declined to divulge the amount of the payment, which is due April 22.

Fisker has faced many challenges this month, including the abrupt resignation of its founder, Henrik Fisker, over ?several major disagreements? with top management.

Its efforts to find an investor in China also stalled. The company had been in talks with Chinese automakers Dongfeng Motor Group and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to gauge their interest in acquiring a majority stake in Fisker.

Both Geely and Dongfeng balked at the terms of Fisker?s loan agreement with the DOE. Fisker?s chief executive, Tony Posawatz, visited China this week to try to rekindle those deals, sources said this week.

?OVERLY AMBITIOUS? PLAN

Fisker was founded by Henrik Fisker and his partner Barny Koehler in 2007 shortly before a deep recession in the United States sapped consumer demand for vehicles.

Fisker has raised $1.2 billion since it was founded and has the backing of Ray Lane, a managing partner at venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers who is also a Fisker director.

The Karma quickly won accolades for its styling and cache with celebrities, including pop star Justin Bieber and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who is also an investor in the company.

In 2009, the DOE awarded Fisker a $529 million loan as part of an Obama administration program to finance advanced vehicle development. Fisker used $193 million of the loan and earmarked the bulk of the funding for the Atlantic.

But the DOE froze its credit line partly due to Fisker?s delays in launching the Karma. The last payment from the DOE came in May 2011, government records show.

The resulting cash crunch made it tough for Fisker to meet what Posawatz described last year as an ?overly ambitious and aggressive? business plan.

Fisker has been flagging its interest in a strategic partner since at least April 2012, when then-CEO Tom LaSorda unveiled a concept version of the Atlantic at the New York auto show. LaSorda later left the company and was succeeded by Posawatz.

Sources said this week that Fisker now is open to selling off pieces of the company, including intellectual property rights for its plug-in electric hybrid technology.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the hiring of Kirkland & Ellis.

By Nick Brown and Deepa Seetharaman, Reuters

Additional reporting and editing by Lawrence Aragon, peHUB

Photo: The Fisker automotive electric Atlantic sedan is seen during its unveiling ahead of the 2012 International Auto Show in New York April 3, 2012. Photographed by??by?Allison Joyce, Reuters.?

Source: http://www.pehub.com/193799/kleiner-backed-fisker-mulls-bankruptcy-investor-search-persists/

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Lawmakers tighten belts amid automatic budget cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are contending with long lines to get inside their offices and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the men and women who brought the country $85 billion in government spending cuts this month.

There probably won't be much sympathy for a senator or congressman making $174,000 a year who is in no danger of being furloughed or laid off, at least until the next election. Still, there has been an effort, especially in the Republican-led House, to show that no one should be exempt from sacrifice.

"As those who are charged with the care of taxpayers' dollars, we need to lead by example," Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., who chairs the House Administration Committee, said last week in promoting a bill to slash the budgets of House committees by 11 percent.

Earlier in March ? after Congress and the White House failed to come up with an alternative to across-the-board cuts in most federal programs ? the House imposed an 8.2 percent reduction in lawmakers' personal office budgets. That came on top of 11 percent cuts to members' office budgets during 2011-2012.

"We've drastically reduced travel both for myself and my staff," said Republican Rep. John Campbell, who must cross the country to visit his southern California district. He said he tends to stay in Washington on two-day weekends rather than return home. "I'm more productive here when I'm not rushing to get home," he added.

Campbell said other "little things" he is doing to economize include reducing the office phone bill, cutting off magazine and newspaper subscriptions and using email rather than letters to communicate with voters.

Rep. Luke Messer, a freshman Republican from Indiana, said he hired fewer people when he came to Washington because "we essentially began the term knowing there was a high possibility of a sequester"? Washington-speak for the automatic spending cuts.

So far, congressional staffers appear to have escaped the furloughs that are likely to send thousands of public servants home without pay for several workdays over the next six months and disrupt some government services. "I hope to avoid that," said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., "but we will take any steps to ensure we don't exceed our budget." Under House rules, a lawmaker must pay for excess spending out of his or her own pocket.

The fiscal pressures are weaker in the Senate, where senators have staff budgets about double the amount of the $1.3 million average in the House and where the office cuts ordered because of the sequester were limited to 5 percent.

While staffers still have their jobs, they may have a harder time getting to them. Security officials have cut costs by closing 10 entrances and several side streets around the Capitol complex, creating long lines to get through screening stations. People "have started to adjust to those changes at the entrances," although it is still a challenge on busy days, said Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer.

Gainer, who oversees nearly 1,000 security and administrative employees, said he hopes to abide by the 5 percent sequester cut without layoffs by enlisting 70 or 80 people for a voluntary retirement program.

Some House members also are feeling the pinch during the two-week Easter break, a prime time for foreign "fact-finding" tours. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced last month that members must book commercial flights rather than make use of more convenient but more expensive military aircraft.

Some Democrats have complained the GOP enthusiasm for frugality has come at too high a cost.

"At a time when most members of this body are representing newly formed congressional districts with a need to open new offices or move to new locations, we find ourselves with an 8.2 percent decrease in the very operating budgets that support constituent services," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.

Wasserman Schultz, who also is the Democratic Party's chairwoman, criticized House Republicans for cutting budgets while spending some $3 million for the legal defense of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

"We are past the point of cutting what we want, and we are now into cutting what we need ? our ability to attract and retain expert staff," said Rep. Robert Brady of Pennsylvania, the senior Democrat on the House Administration Committee.

Brad Fitch, president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to improve congressional operations, said it's still possible that House members will have to resort to furloughs or layoffs. So far, he said, they have been able to cope with the cuts of the past three years with less drastic steps, such as reducing the size of their staffs through attrition, making more use of interns and using email rather than mass mailings.

At the end of 2011, Fitch's group recommended 46 possible ways for members to cut $90,000 from their 2012 budgets, ranging from pay freezes, holding more town hall meetings by telephone, delaying purchases of new computers, eliminating Washington staffers' visits to district offices, closing district offices, eliminating bottled water from offices and reviewing spending on food and beverages for constituents.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawmakers-tighten-belts-amid-automatic-budget-cuts-165316275--politics.html

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To Hold Senate Majority, Democrats Target the Most Conservative States in the Country

When Ashley Judd announced she wasn?t running for the Senate, Republicans greeted the news with glee, sending out a list of 10 other Democratic recruits uninterested in running against Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.?But privately, leading Democratic officials were also cheering. Most viewed the liberal actress?s decision as good news for their chances in Kentucky, allowing a more-moderate candidate, such as Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, to run instead.

The efforts to woo a moderate Democrat to defeat McConnell are part of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee?s plans to compete in the most inhospitable territory for Democrats -- for open seats in Georgia, South Dakota, West Virginia, and?possibly, even?in Kentucky against the powerful and well-funded Senate minority leader. Facing a challenging political landscape in 2014, the party is close to landing credible candidates in all of those states.

The DSCC doesn?t divulge details about its recruitment strategy, arguing that many of the media reports about its preferred candidates are hogwash. But it?s clear that, in the spirit of former Chairman Chuck Schumer, it is playing an active role behind-the-scenes to ensure that electable Democrats emerge as nominees.

Already the committee is boasting that Georgia is their best pickup opportunity; the field of Republican candidates there for the seat of retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss currently looks underwhelming. Moderate Rep. John Barrow, one of the few Democrats who could put the seat in play, now sounds as open as ever to running.

In West Virginia, party officials are excited about the looming candidacy of lawyer Nick Preservati, a first-time candidate who is planning to distance himself from national Democratic positions on energy and run in the mold of popular Sen. Joe Manchin. Preservati has family ties to the coal industry, which could defang attacks from Republicans eager to tie the nominee to the White House?s environmental regulations.

And in South Dakota, party officials are working to avoid a potential primary between two well-known Democrats: U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson, the son of Sen. Tim Johnson, and former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, who proved her bipartisan appeal, winning statewide elections to the House from 2004 to 2010. The committee won?t talk about what it?s doing, but South Dakota Democratic Party Chairman Ben Nesselhuf saidhe expects the party to coalesce behind one Democrat and avoid a messy primary.

?It?s [finding] a candidate who?s in line with their state and will do what?s best for the people of their state,? said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Justin Barasky. ?The main point is that Democrats know how to win in red states.?

To be sure, Democrats start out as underdogs in all four of these red-state races and may end up struggling to compete in any of them. But given that Republicans need to net six Senate seats to take the majority, even one upset victory behind enemy lines would be crucial.

That?s what made the prospect of the party rallying behind Judd so at odds with the committee?s strategy.?The DSCC was publicly noncommittal about her potential candidacy, even after meeting with her and without any other candidates actively looking to run.?In the run-up to the 2012 election, the committee never hesitated to telegraph its support for favored candidates, even if they faced the prospect of a primary. And only after Judd announced she wasn't running before the committee released a radio ad blasting McConnell -- a signal they expect to aggressively contest the race, but with Grimes or a moderate candidate better suited to the Kentucky electorate.

The Democratic activity in deeply conservative states stands in contrast, at least for now, to the lack of GOP movement against three Democratic senators in battleground states. Sens. Al Franken of Minnesota, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Mark Udall of Colorado have no announced Republican opponents ? even though all represent states where Obama won less than 53 percent of the vote in 2012.

"The DSCC is getting used to having tough cycles in terms of the map," Barasky said, "but if you look at the math, the path to six for [Republicans] is daunting."?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hold-senate-majority-democrats-target-most-conservative-states-103116256--politics.html

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Christian Pilgrims Observe Good Friday in Jerusalem (Voice Of America)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295419079?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Lawsuit claims Ford 'design defect' can cause sudden acceleration

Paul A. Eisenstein , The Detroit Bureau ? ? ? 7 hrs.

A new lawsuit claims that nearly a decade?s worth of vehicles produced by the Ford Motor Co. suffer from a ?design defect? that can make them susceptible to suddenly and unexpectedly racing out of control.

The lawsuit, filed in West Virginia federal court on behalf of 20 different owners in 14 states, is seeking class-action status that could, if approved, come to involve the owners of millions of Ford vehicles produced between 2002 and 2010.

"For too long, Ford has put its own financial interests ahead of its consumers' safety," said lead attorney Adam Levitt. "We hope this lawsuit sheds light on this important situation and requires Ford to correct its ways, compensate its customers and put them first."

Chevy Rolls Out New 2014 Camaro

Ford is the latest in a string of manufacturers whose vehicles have been accused of experiencing so-called ?unintended acceleration,? dating back to the late 1980s when Audi?s U.S. subsidiary became embroiled in a case involving its old Audi 5000 model. In 2009 and 2010, Toyota recalled nearly 8 million vehicles due to a variety of problems including sticky accelerators and loose floor mats that could jam gas pedals wide open.

Audi ultimately was vindicated by federal regulators who largely put the blame on driver error. The automaker eventually redesigned the layout of its pedals to make it more difficult for consumers to inadvertently hit the gas instead of the brake. And Toyota is turning to so-called brake interlock systems that automatically throttle back if a motorist hits both pedals simultaneously.

In the lawsuit, attorneys insist Ford should have used a similar override as a ?failsafe.?

Subaru Plans More Hybrids, Battery Cars ? Eventually

According to the lawsuit, a 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Transportation found that Ford products racked up 22 percent of the complaints involving unintended acceleration between 2003 and 2009. Ford not only ?concealed? the defects cited in the lawsuit, but ?could have and should have? used a brake override system, the lawsuit alleges.

In response, Ford issued a statement asserting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ?has investigated alleged unintended accelerations many times over many years and has concluded that driver error is the predominant cause of these events. NHTSA's work is far more scientific and trustworthy than work done by personal injury lawyers and their paid experts. In rare situations, vehicle factors, such as floor mats or broken mechanical components, can interfere with proper throttle operation, and manufacturers have addressed these rare events in field service actions."

Virtually every automaker has, at one point or another, fielded complaints related to unintended acceleration. While a few, notably including Toyota, have been forced to take actions to deal with defects that could cause cars to race out of control, NHTSA has largely echoed Ford?s contentions.

The federal agency authorized two separate studies, one by the National Academy of Sciences, the other by NASA, that essentially cleared Toyota of electronic problems ? though NASA researchers did note that it can be next to impossible to track some digital issues that may not be repeatable.

Mercedes Plugs In With B-Class Electric Drive

Nonetheless, Toyota recently reached a $1.1 billion settlement involving owners who claimed the unintended acceleration scandal resulted in lower trade-in values for their vehicles. And it has negotiated settlements involving some claims of wrongful death and injury.

Among the Ford models targeted in the new lawsuit are the 2008-2010 Taurus sedan, 2007-2010 Edge Crossover and 2004 to 2010 Explorer, as well as the 2006-2010 Lincoln MKZ luxury sedan. A number of models produced by the now-abandoned Mercury division, such as the 2005 to 2009 Grand Marquis, also are cited.

(Ford official wants EPA to come up with more accurate mileage numbers. Click here for that report.)

Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2a23c4ea/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Clawsuit0Eclaims0Eford0Edesign0Edefect0Ecan0Ecause0Esudden0Eacceleration0E1C9142466/story01.htm

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U.S. commandos hand over troubled area to Afghans

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? U.S. special operations forces handed over their base in a strategic district of eastern Afghanistan to local Afghan special forces on Saturday, senior U.S. commanders said. The withdrawal satisfies a demand by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that U.S. forces leave the area after allegations that the Americans' Afghan counterparts committed human rights abuses there on U.S. orders.

The transfer of authority ends a particularly rocky episode in the strained relations between the U.S. and Karzai. He had insisted that U.S. forces leave Nirkh district in Wardak province over the alleged torture, kidnapping and summary execution of militant suspects there ? charges U.S. officials firmly denied.

The incident shows the larger struggle of Karzai's government to assert its authority over security matters, even as its green security forces try to assume control of much of the country from coalition forces on a rushed timeline, ahead of the scheduled withdrawal of most of coalition forces by December 2014.

"As we pledged, our forces have transitioned Nirkh district to Afghan national security forces and they have now assumed full responsibility for security in this key district," Gen. Joseph Dunford, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement released Saturday.

"The rest of Wardak will continue to transition over time as Afghan forces continue to grow in capability and capacity," he added.

Maj. Gen. Tony Thomas, the top U.S. special operations commander in Afghanistan, told The Associated Press in an interview that the transition of authority took place Saturday. "What it means is we brought in an Afghan special forces team to take the place of ours," Thomas said.

Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Wardak province outside Kabul, confirmed that U.S. special operations forces withdrew and were replaced by a joint Afghan security forces team.

Karzai had originally demanded the U.S. special operations forces pull out from the entire province, a gateway and staging area for Taliban and other militants for attacks on the capital Kabul. But he scaled down his demands to just the single district after negotiations with Dunford and other U.S. officials.

"President Karzai was specific, it's only for Nirkh, that was a provocative point," Thomas said. "American special operations forces are integral in the defense of Wardak from now until the foreseeable future."

U.S. commandos will also continue to visit the Afghan team in Nirkh.

"We're going to support them from a distance," Thomas said. "The reality is there was such a groundswell of support (from locals) in Wardak after the initial allegations that we're keeping several teams down there to work with the Afghan security forces for the future, with an idea that we'll transition over time."

The American special operations troops are paired with and live alongside locally recruited and trained teams known as Afghan local police. Thomas said most of the local police will be paired with Afghan security forces by the end of the summer, with the Americans making occasional visits as they will do in Nirkh, to assess whether they need logistic or other support.

One Wardak government official expressed relief that the agreement crafted with Karzai did not mean the complete pullout of U.S. forces from the province, saying that local officials were worried their new forces would not yet be able to keep hardcore insurgents out of the area.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because his comments run counter to public statements made by Karzai that the Afghan security forces are ready for complete independence in Wardak.

Meanwhile, Taliban militants attacked a police convoy Saturday morning in Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan, kicking off a fierce gunbattle, according to deputy provincial police chief Col. Mohammad Hussain.

The police requested a coalition air strike, which hit the militants' position and killed 15 fighters but also wounded nine civilians including a woman and child, Hussain said. He did not report any police casualties.

___

Associated Press writer Rahim Faiez contributed to this report.

Follow Kimberly Dozier on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KimberlyDozier

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-commandos-hand-over-troubled-area-afghans-085617778.html

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Is Facebook About to Announce a Facebook Phone Running Android?

Facebook just invited the press to an event at Facebook HQ that'll show off Facebook's "new home on Android". Is this the much talked about (and denied) Facebook phone? Will Facebook be using the Android OS to build a layer of Facebook on top of? HMM. Or is this just some new version of the Android Facebook app? We'll find out on April 4th. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/UvJixq9OHxg/facebook-is-going-to-have-a-new-home-on-android

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Kate Nash Awards: New York, Rio De Janeiro Win Big On Singer's List

MTV's Artist to Watch crowns the best cities for food, a beautiful sunset and a rockin' audience.
By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker

Kate Nash
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704616/kate-nash-girl-talk-new-york.jhtml

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Hubble observes the hidden depths of Messier 77

Friday, March 29, 2013

Messier 77 is a galaxy in the constellation of Cetus, some 45 million light-years away from us. Also known as NGC 1068, it is one of the most famous and well-studied galaxies. It is a real star among galaxies, with more papers written about it than many other galaxies put together!

Despite its current fame and striking swirling appearance, the galaxy has been a victim of mistaken identity a couple of times; when it was initially discovered in 1780, the distinction between gas clouds and galaxies was not known, causing finder Pierre Mechain to miss its true nature and label it as a nebula. It was misclassified again when it was subsequently listed in the Messier Catalogue as a star cluster.

Now, however, it is firmly categorised as a barred spiral galaxy, with loosely wound arms and a relatively small central bulge. It is the closest and brightest example of a particular class of galaxies known as Seyfert galaxies -- galaxies that are full of hot, highly ionised gas that glows brightly, emitting intense radiation.

Strong radiation like this is known to come from the heart of Messier 77 -- caused by a very active black hole that is around 15 million times the mass of our Sun. Material is dragged towards this black hole and circles around it, heating up and glowing strongly. This region of a galaxy alone, although comparatively small, can be tens of thousands of times brighter than a typical galaxy.

Although no competition for the intense centre, Messier 77's spiral arms are also very bright regions. Dotted along each arm are knotty red clumps -- a signal that new stars are forming. These baby stars shine strongly, ionising nearby gas which then glows a deep red colour as seen in the image above. The dust lanes stretching across this image appear as a rusty, brown-red colour due to a phenomenon known as reddening; the dust absorbs more blue light than red light, enhancing its apparent redness.

###

ESA/Hubble Information Centre: http://www.spacetelescope.org

Thanks to ESA/Hubble Information Centre for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127517/Hubble_observes_the_hidden_depths_of_Messier___

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Protection extended for Utah data breach victims

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Victims of a massive Utah health department data breach are getting another year of identity theft protection.

Health department ombudsman Sheila Walsh-McDonald says state lawmakers approved $1 million to extend credit monitoring for a second year. She says the department also used $300,000 to create a privacy and security office to strengthen data security procedures.

State officials announced in May that hackers broke into a government server and stole the personal information of about 780,000 people, including the Social Security numbers of about 280,000.

Utah's chief technology officer resigned in the wake of the theft.

Walsh-McDonald says about 25 percent of people with exposed Social Security numbers signed up for credit monitoring. That will be extended automatically.

Victims who haven't signed up can do so by calling the health department.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/protection-extended-utah-data-breach-170213702.html

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