Android gamer communities on the rise, attracting corporate attention (Appolicious)

Android game popularity may be decreasing in lieu of entertainment apps, but an emerging trend for mobile gaming communities may offer the best of both worlds. There?s growing expectations for Microsoft?s Xbox LIVE games and community to be made available on the Android platform, following in Sony?s footsteps with their cross-platform strategy for the PlayStation Network. Others are looking to Android as an extension for gaming communities, including Steam.

Steam launch reveals a case of corporate control?

Launched in beta last week, Steam?s official Android app delivers a gaming portal on the go. Chat with friends, browse community groups and user profiles, and stay abreast of gaming news and title sales. It?s an important development for Steam, addressing user requests for an Android app to access the game community. But with Steam?s official launch, several unofficial apps are now mysteriously absent from the Android Market.

The majority of the unofficial Steam apps have apparently been removed from the Android Market, including IBF Programs? version, launched just a couple of weeks before the official app was released. It appears to be a case of corporate influence, and is particularly unsettling given the public availability of the Steam API, which was likely leveraged for even the most well-crafted unofficial Steam app. There was a similar situation of disappearing apps when Sony first launched its Android-powered gaming phone, the Xperia PLAY. A string of game emulators, many of which supported console games for Sony and Nintendo, found they were no longer welcome in the Android Market.

AllJoyn connects local Android gamers

Despite the back door policies, it?s clear that the social side of gaming will prevail. Qualcomm is also hoping to get in on the fun as it works on a peer-to-peer proximity-based sharing technology that can be used for gaming and streaming media between Android devices. Called AllJoyn, it simplifies device-to-device communication and can be integrated into apps, including games. Using your Android device?s Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity, AllJoyn removes the barrier of manually connecting or pairing devices so you can get straight to the fun. Demoed at CES this year, AllJoyn is being continuously explored for new areas of integration.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/videogames/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles10916_android_gamer_communities_on_the_rise_attracting_corporate_attention/44364687/SIG=13mkir7hg/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/games/articles/10916-android-gamer-communities-on-the-rise-attracting-corporate-attention

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[OOC] A Candle in the Darkness

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SKorea staging artillery drills at border island (AP)

SEOUL, South Korea ? South Korea staged live-fire drills Thursday from a front-line island shelled by North Korea in 2010, the first such exercise since North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died last month.

Marines at Yeonpyeong Island and nearby Baengnyeong Island fired artillery into waters near the disputed sea border during the two-hour-long drills, a South Korean Defense Ministry official said. The drills were routine exercises and there haven't been any suspicious activities by North Korea's military, the official said on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.

South Korea last held artillery drills at the front-line islands on Dec. 12, five days before Kim Jong Il died of a heart attack, the official said. Similar drills at Yeonpyeong in November 2010 triggered a North Korean artillery bombardment that killed four South Koreans.

Ties between the two Koreas remain frosty with North Korea vowing to retaliate against South Korea over its decision to bar all of its citizens, except for two private delegations, from visiting to pay respects after Kim's death.

The two sides are still technically at war because their conflict in the early 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Tension between the countries sharply rose in 2010 in the wake of North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyeong and a deadly warship sinking blamed on Pyongyang. North Korea has flatly denied its involvement in the sinking that killed 46 sailors.

South Korean and U.S. troops regularly conduct joint military drills, drawing angry responses from North Korea, which consider them as a rehearsal for a northward invasion.

On Sunday, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency blasted South Korea and the United States over reports they plan a large-scale amphibious drills in March. A KCNA dispatch said the planned drills showed the allies' "wild design to stifle (North Korea) by force of arms."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_tension

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Senate GOP's next move awaited in nominations spat

FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2012 file photo, Richard Cordray waits for President Barack Obama to deplane at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Cordray, the first director for the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau talks with The Associated Press about what consumers can expect on payday loans, student loans and other financial products. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2012 file photo, Richard Cordray waits for President Barack Obama to deplane at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Cordray, the first director for the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau talks with The Associated Press about what consumers can expect on payday loans, student loans and other financial products. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

Director Richard Cordray of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, left, and Deputy Director Raj Date listen during a field hearing on payday lending in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/ The Birmingham News, Mark Almond)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama's appointments to two key agencies during the Senate's year-end break ensures that GOP senators will return to work Monday in an angry and fighting mood.

Less clear is what those furious Republicans will do to retaliate against Obama's "bring it on" end run around the Senate's role in confirming nominees to major jobs.

While Republicans contemplate their next step, recess appointee Richard Cordray is running a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the National Labor Relations Board, with three temporary members, is now at full strength with a Democratic majority.

Obama left more than70 other nominees in limbo, well aware that Republicans could use Senate rules to block some or all of them.

The White House justified the appointments on grounds that Republicans were holding up the nominations to paralyze the two agencies. The consumer protection agency was established under the 2010 Wall Street reform law, which requires the bureau to have a director in order to begin policing financial products such as mortgages, checking accounts, credit cards and payday loans.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the five-member NLRB must have a three-member quorum to issue regulations or decide major cases in union-employer disputes.

Several agencies contacted by The Associated Press, including banking regulators, said they were conducting their normal business despite vacancies at the top. In some cases, nominees are serving in acting capacities.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., at full strength, has five board members. The regulation of failed banks "is unaffected," said spokesman Andrew Gray. "The three-member board has been able to make decisions without a problem." Cordray's appointment gives it a fourth member.

The Comptroller of the Currency, run by an acting chief, has kept up its regular examinations of banks. The Federal Trade Commission, operating with four board members instead of five, has had no difficulties. "This agency is not a partisan combat agency," said spokesman Peter Kaplan. "Almost all the votes are unanimous and consensus driven."

Republicans have pledged retaliation for Obama's recess appointments, but haven't indicated what it might be.

"The Senate will need to take action to check and balance President Obama's blatant attempt to circumvent the Senate and the Constitution, a claim of presidential power that the Bush Administration refused to make," said Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican who is his party's top member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Grassley wouldn't go further, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky hasn't tipped his hand after charging that Obama had "arrogantly circumvented the American people." Before the Senate left for its break in December, McConnell blocked Senate approval of more than 60 pending nominees because Obama wouldn't commit to making no recess appointments.

Republicans have to consider whether their actions, especially any decision to block all nominees, might play into Obama's hands.

Obama has adopted an election-year theme of "we can't wait" for Republicans to act on nominations and major proposals like his latest jobs plan. Republicans have to consider how their argument that the president is violating Constitutional checks and balances plays against Obama's stump speeches characterizing them as obstructionists.

Senate historian Donald Ritchie said the minority party has retaliated in the past for recess appointments by holding up specific nominees. "I'm not aware of any situations where no nominations were accepted," he said. The normal practice is for the two party leaders to negotiate which nominations get votes.

During the break, Republicans forced the Senate to convene for usually less than a minute once every few days to argue that there was no recess and that Obama therefore couldn't bypass the Senate's authority to confirm top officials. The administration said this was a sham, and has released a Justice Department opinion backing up the legality of the appointments.

Obama considers the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau a signature achievement of his first term. Republicans have been vehemently opposed to the bureau's setup. They argued the agency needed a bipartisan board instead of a director and should have to justify its budget to Congress instead of drawing its funding from the independent Federal Reserve.

Cordray is expected to get several sharp questions from Republicans when he testifies Tuesday before a House Oversight and Government Reform panel.

The NLRB has been a target of Republicans and business groups. Last year, the agency accused Boeing of illegally retaliating against union workers who had struck its plants in Washington state by opening a new production line at its non-union plant in South Carolina. Boeing denied the charge and the case has since been settled, but Republican anger over it and a string of union-friendly decisions from the board last year hasn't abated.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-22-Nominations%20Spat/id-ff94c4880d3745209453686d4445f391

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Tavares wants golf cart crossings on state roads

Tavares city manager John Drury drives an electric car on Main Street in Tavares Tuesday. The city is trying to encourage residents to drive electric or golf carts around downtown. Tom Benitez/Orlando Sentinel (Tom Benitez, Orlando Sentinel / February 5, 2008)

TAVARES ? City Council members will discuss today whether to OK an engineering study aimed at gaining approval for two golf-cart crossings on state roads. The $6,500 study would go to the state Department of Transportation, which created the statewide golf-cart crossing rules in October in response to rising public use of the miniature vehicles. If approved, golf-cart drivers could cross State Road 19 at Dead River Road and U.S. Highway 441 at St. Clair Abrams Avenue. Tavares already has an ordinance that permits golf carts on city streets with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less. Many Central Florida communities passed ordinances allowing golf carts on streets and installed electric-charging stations for the environmentally-minded driver. Nowhere are they more popular than in The Villages retirement community, where an estimated 50,000 golf carts cruise the streets.

Joseph Freeman

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/orlandosentinel/news/local/lake/~3/1RGsAiay1EE/os-lk-tavares-golf-cart-crossings-20120118,0,190877.story

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Solutions for a nitrogen-soaked world

ScienceDaily (Jan. 17, 2012) ? Nitrogen is both an essential nutrient and a pollutant, a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion and a fertilizer that feeds billions, a benefit and a hazard, depending on form, location, and quantity. Agriculture, industry and transportation have spread nitrogen liberally around the planet, say sixteen scientists in the latest edition of ESA's Issues in Ecology series, "Excess Nitrogen in the U.S. Environment: Trends, Risks, and Solutions," with complex and interrelated consequences for ecological communities and our dependence upon the resources they provide, as well as human health.

Pulling from a broad pool of expertise in air quality, agronomy, ecology, epidemiology and groundwater geochemistry, the sixteen authors track nitrogen through its different chemical forms and biological incarnations as it progresses across economic, environmental and regulatory bounds. They argue for a systematic, rather than piecemeal, approach to managing the resource and its consequences. "We're really trying to identify solutions," said lead author Eric Davidson, a soil ecologist and executive director of the Woods Hole Research Center. "This is a paper about how much we do know, not about what we don't know. We know about nitrogen cycles, and sources, and we know problems can be addressed in economically viable ways."

Once a critical limiting element of agricultural production, excess nitrogen now overflows from fields and stockyards, typically in the forms of ammonia and nitrate, contaminating drinking water and air, and altering the chemistry and constituency of ecological communities. "Nitrogen is readily mobile, and very efficiently distributed through wind and water," said author James Galloway, a biogeochemist at the University of Virginia. Airborne nitrogen from agricultural fields, manure piles, automobile tailpipes, and smokestacks travels with the wind to settle over distant forests and coastal areas.

Though extra fertilizer sounds like a good thing, it does not benefit all species equally, leading, in more extreme cases, to sudden changes like algal blooms, which smother competing species and can create health hazards. Nitrogen also acidifies soil, leaching away other important nutrients. Interventions to control nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants and gasoline-fueled engines have made encouraging progress. Mitigating agricultural sources of excess nitrogen is more complicated.

"We know how to reduce nitrogen oxides from fossil fuel combustion to a very small amount. We know the science, we have the engineering, and we have the regulatory tools," said Galloway, setting emissions aside as a political, rather than a scientific, hurdle. "On the food side, that's where it gets interesting," he said. "How can you still produce the food the society demands, needs, yet use less nitrogen to produce it?"

The report tabulates strategies to help farmers maximize efficient use of fertilizer, rather than just maximize crop yield, including buffer strips and wetlands, manure management, and ideal patterns of fertilizer application. It also considers the cost of implementing them, and programs for buffering farmers against losses in bad years.

"There are a variety of impacts due to the human use of nitrogen," said Galloway. "The biggest is a positive one, in that it allows us to grow food for Americans and people in other countries, and we don't want to lose sight of that." Balancing inexpensive abundant food against the damage done by nitrogen escaping into the environment is a conversation the authors would like to hear more prominently in policy arenas.

"Yes, we have to feed people, but we also need clean drinking water, clean air, and fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico," said Davidson. "The science helps to show those tradeoffs, and where we most stand to gain from improved nutrient management in agriculture."

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/jqZZm4CvUE8/120117145109.htm

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Wells Fargo net rises on deposits, lending growth (AP)

NEW YORK ? A steadier mortgage business, higher commercial lending and an increase in deposits lifted Wells Fargo & Co.'s fourth-quarter profit by 20 percent.

The San Francisco-based bank reported Tuesday that the amount of mortgages it wrote in the last three months of 2011 jumped 35 percent compared with the third quarter, to $120 billion.

Overall loan balances rose to $769.6 billion, up 2 percent from a year ago. Wells Fargo, which is the largest consumer lender in the U.S., reported a 2 percent increase in commercial loans, to $5.6 billion, reflecting both direct lending and the purchase of portfolios from other lenders.

Most of that growth came from new business, Chief Financial Officer Tim Sloan said in an interview. "We've been seeing good opportunities to grow the commercial loan business for a long time," he said. "We think there's a lot of opportunity there, and we think it will continue."

Commercial loans now make up 40 percent of Wells' overall portfolio, helping to balance out its income and spread its risk.

The bank also benefited as more of its customers paid their bills on time. Wells Fargo wrote off $2.6 billion in loans as uncollectible, including $2.17 billion in consumer loans. That was down from $3.84 billion last year, but did represent a slight increase from the third quarter.

"That's something we're going to watch," said Paul Miller, an analyst with FBR Capital Markets. While the figure shows gains from a year ago, he said, the improvements in overall credit quality slowed down considerably toward the end of the year, he said.

Loans considered past due and likely to default ended the year at $25.6 billion, compared with $32.4 billion last year.

The improvement in Wells Fargo's loan portfolio allowed the bank to release $600 million from its reserves to cover uncollected loans. That money flowed directly to the bank's bottom line.

Wells Fargo's net income for the quarter rose to $4.11 billion, or 73 cents per share, compared with $3.41 billion, or 61 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

Revenue slipped 4 percent to $20.61 billion from $21.49 billion a year earlier.

Analysts, on average, were expecting profit of 72 cents per share, on total revenue of $20 billion, according to data provided by FactSet.

The results contrasted with other major banks, particularly Citigroup Inc., which posted disappointing results early Tuesday. Citi and other large banks depend more heavily on Wall Street trading operations and overseas business, and were stung during the quarter by market volatility and the European debt crisis. Wells, whose business is concentrated in the U.S., benefited from the slowly improving domestic economy and a brighter consumer outlook.

CFO Sloan said that Wells Fargo has minimal exposure to Europe ? about $14 billion, very little of which is sovereign debt. "We just have a different kind of risk picture relative to our peers," Sloan said.

"As we think about Europe, what we worry about is the impact that a European recession, which seems like it's going to happen, has on the US economy, because Europe is our biggest trading partner," Sloan said.

Wells thinks that most of the risk of a European recession is already factored into growth projections for the U.S. He said Wells Fargo expects to see opportunities to acquire certain U.S.-based assets from faltering European banks in the months ahead.

Wells Fargo's stock gained 38 cents, more than 1 percent, to $29.99 in midday trading.

Wells said its average deposits rose 9 percent to $864.9 billion. That reflected a 3.2 percent jump in consumer checking accounts and a 12 percent rise in checking and savings deposits from last year.

The growth in deposits at Wells Fargo came as the bank's customers set aside more money as a precaution against uncertainty in the economy.

In another bright spot, the bank reported an improvement in its net interest margin, or the difference between the money Wells earns on interest and that which it pays out. The measure improved to 3.89 percent, from 3.84 percent in the third quarter, an increase during a period when many banks are seeing their net interest margin narrow because of low interest rates. Wells said the increase reflected lower deposit costs, less long-term debt and positive results from short-term investments.

FBR's Miller said the strong increase in net interest margin was surprising. "We would expect it to continue to feel pressure in this interest rate environment," he said.

Noninterest income, or earnings from fees and charges, fell 7 percent to $9.7 billion. Card fees dropped 28 percent from last year, largely because of a new law limiting the fees banks can charge merchants for processing debit card transactions.

For the full year, Wells Fargo posted net income of $15.87 billion, or $2.82 per share, up from $12.36 billion, or $2.21 per share, for 2010.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personalfinance/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_wells_fargo

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Gaming Everything ? Blog Archive ? THQ staffer comments on ...

January 15th, 2012 Posted in General Gaming News, News Posted By: Valay

Update 3: THQ just sent out a lengthy statement, which can be found below:

?THQ has not cancelled its 2014 line-up, and has not made any decisions regarding the planned MMO. As part of the ongoing review of our business, we have made decisions to ensure that the company is strategically addressing the most attractive markets. As we have previously announced, we have dramatically reduced our commitment to the kids? boxed games sector which leads to a significantly more focused release schedule moving forward. Our slate for calendar 2012 and beyond is focused on high-quality core games and continues to build our digital platform and business. We are excited for our pipeline of original and high-quality content along with our relationships with some of the best talent in the industry.

?Additionally, we are thrilled with the great performance of Saints Row: The Third, which on a like for like period in North America has tripled in sell-through from Saints Row 2. In addition, WWE ?12?s worldwide sell-through sales are up almost 40% year-over-year for the same sales period with fewer platforms. According to NPD, for the month of December and the 2011 year, THQ was the #5 publisher overall, #4 third party, with reported sell through growing over 18% in a market that was down almost 6%. And coming up next, we have two great titles for the first half of the year including UFC Undisputed 3 and Darksiders 2.?

Update 2: Another THQ comment via Gamasutra?s Twitter:

?THQ has not cancelled its 2014 lineup and has not made any decisions regarding the planned MMO.?

Update: Mathew Everett has confirmed to Gaming Everything that the image below is fake and the conversation never happened. Officially, THQ PR said ?no comment?, but have also noted that they aren?t aware of any title cancellations.

In other news, GamesIndustry.biz sources say (registration required) that Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online is being offered for sale to other companies.

Earlier today, gaming industry insider Kevin Dent tweeted that THQ will cancel all projects scheduled for 2014. Dent also claimed that the company was looking for a buyer.

Community manager Mathew Everett, under the Steam alias THQSledgehammer, has commented on the speculation. Everett has been involved with the Space Marine franchise, Devil?s Third, Darksiders, and more.

If he?s to be believed, THQ is still up and running. Everett said that the rumors aren?t true, adding that a contract was just signed with more coming this week.

He said:

?Something this big would have to have been told to us weeks ago and we just signed another contract. I doubt that we would sign more contracts this week if we are selling.?

Everett?s full response can be found in the image above.

THQ has yet to offer an official comment on the rumors.

Via

Source: http://gamingeverything.com/13920/thq-staffer-comments-on-shutdown-rumors/

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Clippers outlast Heat 95-89 in overtime (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? The Los Angeles Clippers couldn't hit a basket in the final four minutes of regulation. The Miami Heat could barely make free throws. Two tired teams coming off road losses the night before staggered into overtime.

Then the Clippers took over.

They outscored Miami 9-3 in the extra session and earned the biggest win of their young season, 95-89 Wednesday night.

"It's good to get a win and get it by grinding it out," said Blake Griffin, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Their next test against one of the league's power teams comes Saturday against the Lakers.

Chris Paul had 27 points, 11 assists and one turnover in nearly 45 minutes, Caron Butler added 20 points, and Chauncey Billups had 12 for the Clippers, 9-2 against Miami at home since 2001-02. DeAndre Jordan had 11 rebounds and six blocked shots to set the tone defensively.

"They didn't surprise us," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who got ejected with 5 seconds left. "We have great respect for them.

"That was great compelling playoff basketball in early January."

LeBron James had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the 200th double-double of his career, Mario Chalmers added 18 points, Dwyane Wade 17 and Chris Bosh had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who have lost their last four games against the Clippers at Staples Center.

"They are a good team, they are a really good team," Bosh said. "They are going to have some battles and adversity is going to come. We'll see how they handle it and just keep playing."

The Heat were coming off an overtime loss to Golden State, while the Clippers had lost at Portland a night earlier.

In overtime, James, Bosh and Wade missed on a combined seven shots. Miami's Big Three struggled in the fourth quarter, as well, combining to go 3 for 8.

James missed three consecutive baskets in overtime and he was 6 of 10 from the line in the final 5:49 of regulation. Chalmers hit a 3-pointer for Miami's only points in the extra session.

The Heat were 20 of 34 from the line, with James accounting for eight of their 14 misses.

"I've been shooting the ball particularly well from the free throw line, but tonight I didn't make enough. So I put our free throw shooting on me," he said. "It's kind of a rhythm when it trickles down to everybody else, so I've got to concentrate a little more and knock them down when I get fouled."

Wade added, "We haven't missed this many free throws on this team, probably ever."

The Clippers' shooting nearly let them down in the final 4 minutes of regulation when they missed on seven straight possessions, but were bailed out by Miami's own problems.

The Clippers led by two with 27 seconds left in regulation before James tied it 86 on a free throw. The Clippers called their final timeout and Paul dribbled around with James hounding him before putting up a shot that missed as time expired, forcing the Heat to the third overtime of their trip.

"We defended and gave ourselves a chance to win, and that's all you can ask for," James said. "So we can be satisfied. I mean, you don't like to lose, but we're not going to hang our heads about this one."

With the Clippers trailing 84-83, Billups got fouled by James on a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in regulation and made all three free throws. The Clippers finished 17 of 23 from the line.

The Heat won two video reviews in the final 16 seconds of regulation, but they failed to make a field goal in the final 7:32.

"A lot of times we were able to get LeBron to the rim and that's what we wanted," Wade said. "It's not always going to go in, but we can leave here with our heads up high, knowing that we stuck to our game plan. We just didn't get the win."

Neither team led by more than three points in a physical fourth quarter that featured Wade knocking Paul to the court and Norris Cole and Mo Williams colliding.

"There's a lot of guys out there that, if you look at them, they like to lift a lot of weights, so it is going to be physical," James said. "These are two teams that have high hopes, so when that kind of clash happens, it's going to be physical."

Notes: The Clippers went 1-1 in their first back-to-back of the shortened season. ... The Heat are 5-3 in four back-to-back sets. ... Paul evened his career rivalry with good friend James at six wins apiece. "We hate to lose to each other," Paul said. ... The game drew a standing room only crowd of 19,341. The Clippers have sold out all five of their home games and 17 straight dating to last season. ... Celebs attending included Rihanna, Chris Rock, Billy Crystal, Sinbad, Gabrielle Union, and former Los Angeles Angels teammates Jered Weaver and John Lackey. Union is Wade's girlfriend.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120112/ap_on_sp_bk_ga_su/bkn_heat_clippers_folo

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Group says it found first Haiti cholera case

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti?? A mentally ill man who bathed in and drank from a contaminated river most likely was the first person to be infected in the Caribbean country's deadly cholera outbreak, a Boston humanitarian group said Monday.

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Partners in Health, which works in Haiti, reported the case Monday in a study it did on the outbreak and published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Officials say the cholera outbreak that began in 2010 has killed 7,000 people and sickened nearly 500,000. The disease surfaced in Haiti months after a powerful earthquake struck the country two years ago this week.

The humanitarian group's Dr. David Walton, who co-authored the study with Dr. Louise Ivers, said information points to a 28-year-old mentally ill man from the central town of Mirebalais as the first person infected with the waterborne disease.

He said the man's family had access to clean drinking water but his auditory hallucinations and paranoia went without treatment and he bathed in and drank frequently from a river into which the Meye River fed. The Meye has been identified as the likely source of the epidemic.

"It's a striking example of how mental health, infectious disease and community health affects overall well-being," Walton, an internist, said by telephone.

The case serves as a reminder of how mental health services are often an afterthought in health services planning, he added.

The mentally ill man developed acute diarrhea on Oct. 12, 2010, and died at his home without seeking medical attention less than 24 hours later.

He was buried the next day and two people who prepared the body for the wake developed severe diarrhea in less than 48 hours.

The study also points out how globalization can help spread a disease like cholera to other parts of the world. Cholera cases were also found in the neighboring Dominican Republic, Miami and Boston.

Studies suggest the cholera was likely brought to Haiti by a United Nations peacekeeping battalion from Nepal, where the disease is endemic. Haiti now has the highest cholera infection rate in the world, according to Partners in Health.

On Tuesday, Partners in Health's co-founder, Dr. Paul Farmer, and the Haitian government will "inaugurate" the near completion of a 320-bed, national referral and teaching hospital in Mirebalais, 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Port-au-Prince. It is described as one of the largest projects completed since the earthquake.

The new hospital will offer clinical facilities not previously available at any public hospital in Haiti, which include intensive care units and six operating rooms, Partners in Health said.

The center will also help train future generations of Haitian doctors, nurses and lab technicians. Located in the countryside, the hospital will bring to rural areas the medical services that have long been limited to Port-au-Prince.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45934932/ns/health-infectious_diseases/

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Tornado damages buildings in southwest Houston

by khou.com staff

khou.com

Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:26 PM

Updated yesterday at 5:46 PM

HOUSTON?Authorities say a tornado touched down along Highway 6 in southwest Houston on Monday.

According to KHOU 11 News? Shern-min Chow, the tornado reportedly damaged several businesses in the area.

One location hit particular hard was between Beechnut and Bellaire, where four mobile homes flipped over due to the high winds.

Another building containing two people was lifted at a 45-degree angle and hung there for at least 15 seconds before landing right-side up.

Automotive Sports and Imports, a local business located at 7639 Highway 6, estimates the storm did about $20,000 to $30,000 worth of damage to their shop.

No injuries were reported.

?

Source: http://www.khou.com/home/Tornado-reportedly-touches-down-in-southwest-Houston-136953318.html

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Video: World?s Loudest iPod Dock, iNuke Boom, Delivers a Ton of Sound

There's a lot of noise going on at CES, and if you want to be heard above the din, your product better make a statement (or a lot of noise). The iNuke Boom, the world's loudest iPod speaker dock, satisfies both of those needs. It knocks out 10,000 watts of power and delivers audio up to a whopping 131 decibels.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/nf5ZT9NCvQg/

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New cores from glacier in the Eastern European Alps may yield new climate clues

Public release date: 9-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Paolo Gabrielli
Gabrielli.1@osu.edu
614-292-6664
Ohio State University

COLUMBUS, Ohio Researchers are beginning their analysis of what are probably the first successful ice cores drilled to bedrock from a glacier in the eastern European Alps.

With luck, that analysis will yield a record of past climate and environmental changes in the region for several centuries, and perhaps even covering the last 1,000 years. Scientists also hope that the core contains the remnants of early human activity in the region, such as the atmospheric byproducts of smelting metals.

The project, led by a team of Ohio State University scientists and their European colleagues, retrieved four cores from a glacier high atop Mount Ortles, a 3,905-meter (12,812-feet) peak in northeastern Italy. Three were 75 meters long (246-feet) and one was 60 meters (197 feet). They are significant in two ways:

First, scientists had previously believed that the glacier was at too low an altitude to contain ice cold enough to have preserved a clear climate record.

While the top one-third of the cores do show that melt water had percolated downwards, possibly affecting the record, the remaining two-thirds of the cores contained unaltered ice from which the research team should be able to retrieve a climate history.

Secondly, since no other ice core analyses have been retrieved from the eastern side of the Alps, this work should paint a much clearer picture of climate change in this portion of Europe.

"This glacier is already changing from the top down in a very irreversible way," explained expedition leader Paolo Gabrielli, a research scientist at Ohio State's Byrd Polar Research Center. "It is changing from a 'cold' glacier where the ice is stable to a 'temperate' glacier where the ice can degrade.

"The entire glacier may transition to a temperate state within the next decade or so," he said. That probable change made the retrieval of these cores now even more important so that the ice record won't be lost for future research.

Gabrielli said that previous research has shown already that there is an increase in summer temperatures at high elevations in the region of up to 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) over the last three decades. In spite of the melting in the top parts of the cores, the researchers hope to find a record that begins in the 1980s and proceeds back several centuries, or perhaps more.

Based on weather patterns, ice in the cores that was formed during past summers will likely paint a picture of past climate in an area close to the mountain, perhaps only 10 to 100 kilometers (6.21 to 62.1 miles) away.

But ice formed during past winters should provide clues to a much wider area, Gabrielli said, perhaps as much as 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).

An analysis of the ice might also answer some important questions about the region, such as the climate change in the region during the transition between the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age.

The research team, with co-leader Lonnie Thompson, Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences at Ohio State, spent two weeks on the glacier, drilling the four cores. Along with him, Victor Zagorodnov, also from Ohio State, worked on the project.

Other team members included researchers from the University of Venice, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the University of Innsbruck, the University of Padova, the University of Pavia and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano which provided logistical support to the project.

###

Support from the project came from the National Science Foundation.

Contact: Paolo Gabrielli, (614) 292-6664; Gabrielli.1@osu.edu.
Written by Earle Holland, (614) 292-8384; Holland.8@osu.edu.

---

[ | 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: 9-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Paolo Gabrielli
Gabrielli.1@osu.edu
614-292-6664
Ohio State University

COLUMBUS, Ohio Researchers are beginning their analysis of what are probably the first successful ice cores drilled to bedrock from a glacier in the eastern European Alps.

With luck, that analysis will yield a record of past climate and environmental changes in the region for several centuries, and perhaps even covering the last 1,000 years. Scientists also hope that the core contains the remnants of early human activity in the region, such as the atmospheric byproducts of smelting metals.

The project, led by a team of Ohio State University scientists and their European colleagues, retrieved four cores from a glacier high atop Mount Ortles, a 3,905-meter (12,812-feet) peak in northeastern Italy. Three were 75 meters long (246-feet) and one was 60 meters (197 feet). They are significant in two ways:

First, scientists had previously believed that the glacier was at too low an altitude to contain ice cold enough to have preserved a clear climate record.

While the top one-third of the cores do show that melt water had percolated downwards, possibly affecting the record, the remaining two-thirds of the cores contained unaltered ice from which the research team should be able to retrieve a climate history.

Secondly, since no other ice core analyses have been retrieved from the eastern side of the Alps, this work should paint a much clearer picture of climate change in this portion of Europe.

"This glacier is already changing from the top down in a very irreversible way," explained expedition leader Paolo Gabrielli, a research scientist at Ohio State's Byrd Polar Research Center. "It is changing from a 'cold' glacier where the ice is stable to a 'temperate' glacier where the ice can degrade.

"The entire glacier may transition to a temperate state within the next decade or so," he said. That probable change made the retrieval of these cores now even more important so that the ice record won't be lost for future research.

Gabrielli said that previous research has shown already that there is an increase in summer temperatures at high elevations in the region of up to 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) over the last three decades. In spite of the melting in the top parts of the cores, the researchers hope to find a record that begins in the 1980s and proceeds back several centuries, or perhaps more.

Based on weather patterns, ice in the cores that was formed during past summers will likely paint a picture of past climate in an area close to the mountain, perhaps only 10 to 100 kilometers (6.21 to 62.1 miles) away.

But ice formed during past winters should provide clues to a much wider area, Gabrielli said, perhaps as much as 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).

An analysis of the ice might also answer some important questions about the region, such as the climate change in the region during the transition between the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age.

The research team, with co-leader Lonnie Thompson, Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences at Ohio State, spent two weeks on the glacier, drilling the four cores. Along with him, Victor Zagorodnov, also from Ohio State, worked on the project.

Other team members included researchers from the University of Venice, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the University of Innsbruck, the University of Padova, the University of Pavia and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano which provided logistical support to the project.

###

Support from the project came from the National Science Foundation.

Contact: Paolo Gabrielli, (614) 292-6664; Gabrielli.1@osu.edu.
Written by Earle Holland, (614) 292-8384; Holland.8@osu.edu.

---

[ | 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/2012-01/osu-ncf010912.php

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NAIAS: 2013 Ford Fusion

DETROIT, Jan. 9, 2012 ? Ford?s all-new Fusion brings alive the next generation of more expressive vehicles from Ford and is the first sedan to offer gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions ? each expected to deliver top fuel economy and an engaging driving experience.

Featuring a sleek silhouette and fresh face, the all-new Fusion is the latest in a series of vehicles from Ford ? following the 2011 Fiesta subcompact and 2012 Focus small cars ? developed to satisfy customers everywhere looking for leading fuel efficiency, helpful technologies and game-changing looks.

?Our vision for Fusion was clear ? deliver the very best of what ?One Ford? stands for,? said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of Global Product Development. ?We brought our global teams together around a blank slate with the charge to develop a midsize car with ground- breaking design and jaw-dropping fuel economy ? one that featured technologies to help make our customers safer and better drivers. This car is the result.?

Fusion is revealed in North America in S, SE and range-topping Titanium series and points to the next Ford Mondeo for world markets.

For more information on the importance of the midsize car market, please follow this link: http://youtu.be/7C2ipp5A7gQ

Triple-crown fuel efficiency
New Fusion is expected to deliver best-in-class fuel economy across customers? choice of gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid sub-segments, delivering on Ford?s commitment to be the fuel-efficiency leader ? or among the leaders ? with each new model brought to market. Fusion brings the broadest selection of fuel-efficient powertrains in the midsize car segment. It offers hybrid and plug-in hybrid alternatives, a pair of EcoBoost? four-cylinder engines, a normally aspirated four-cylinder engine, an automatic start stop system to shut off the engine at stationary idle, front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive applications, and a choice between automatic and manually shifted six-speed transmissions.

The 1.6-liter EcoBoost is expected to deliver best-in-class four-cylinder non-hybrid fuel efficiency of 26 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. The 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine ? paired with a paddle-shifted six-speed SelectShift Automatic? transmission, available 19-inch wheels and tires and all-wheel drive with the ability to send additional torque to the rear ? is the Fusion performance option.

The Fusion Hybrid ? 2010 North American Car of the Year ? continues to innovate and evolve with all-new lithium-ion batteries that save weight and generate more power than previous nickel-metal hydride batteries, while raising maximum speed under electric-only power from 47 mph to 62 mph.

Fusion Hybrid also features an all-new 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder gasoline engine, significantly downsized from the previous 2.5-liter unit while maintaining performance standards. This innovative powertrain is anticipated to deliver best-in-class fuel economy of 47 mpg in city driving and 44 mpg on the highway.

Fusion Hybrid fuel economy stands to outperform the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid by 4 mpg city and 5 mpg highway and the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid by 12 mpg and 4 mpg, respectively.

Topping the fuel-efficiency ladder is the Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, aiming to be the most fuel-efficient midsize car in the world. Arriving this fall, Fusion Energi is anticipated to deliver more than 100 MPGe, a mile per gallon equivalency metric for electrified vehicles. This is 8 MPGe more than the Chevrolet Volt and 13 MPGe more than the projected efficiency of the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid model.

The next-generation Fusion 1.6-liter is the first automatic-transmission Ford product offered with an automatic start-stop system. It shuts off engine power smoothly when the car is stopped and seamlessly restarts as the driver releases the brake pedal, helping Fusion to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by approximately 3.5 percent.

Fusion looks out for you
The all-new Fusion offers an unprecedented portfolio of driver assistance and convenience technologies based on sensors, cameras and radar that enable the car to see and respond.

Fusion can help drivers maintain proper lane position, adjust vehicle speed to changing traffic conditions, identify suitable parking spaces and help park, even aiding drivers backing out of parking space where visibility is obstructed. Specific technologies include:

* Lane Keeping System: This class-exclusive technology consists of three elements to help a driver maintain proper lane position. Using a small, forward-facing camera behind the inside rearview mirror, the system ?looks? down the road, monitoring lane lines to determine that the car is on course. The system will alert a driver if drowsiness or erratic lane-keeping is detected. The second element warns a driver with a steering wheel vibration if the Fusion drifts too close to lane markings. Finally, lane keeping aid will actually apply pressure on the steering to help bring the car back into proper lane position.

* Adaptive cruise control: Using forward-looking radar, this system ?looks? down the road when activated, slowing the Fusion when slower traffic is detected ahead. Adaptive cruise control enables collision warning with brake support to help slow the car if the potential of a crash is detected.

* Active park assist: Employing sensors, this technology can identify a suitable parallel parking space, calculate the trajectory and steer the car to properly position it within the spot. All a driver need do is operate accelerator and brake pedals.

* Blind Spot Information System (BLIS?) with cross-traffic alert: Sensors in both Fusion rear quarter-panels are able to detect traffic in a driver?s blind spot, providing both audible and visual warnings if traffic ? unseen by the driver ? is detected. BLIS technology enables cross-traffic alert, warning the driver of oncoming traffic when backing out of a parking space with obstructed views, such as between two large vans.

* The power of voice
The all-new Fusion offers the latest iteration of Ford?s award-winning, industry-exclusive SYNC? communications and entertainment system, which enables voice-activated communication through a driver?s mobile phone and interaction with the car?s audio system.

Fusion also offers the latest version of MyFord Touch?, allowing a driver to interact with vehicle systems through voice control, a touch screen tap or a conventional button.

Both SYNC and MyFord Touch ? powered by SYNC ? help reduce the potential for driver distraction through voice-controlled functionality, allowing drivers to keep hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

Different, by design
?The previous Fusion was an easy purchase for a customer to rationalize,? said Chris Hamilton, chief exterior designer for the next-generation model. ?Our design goal for the new car was to give the mainstream sedan buyer a top-drawer visual experience, adding some emotional appeal to an already sensible choice.?

These five elements provided direction for the design team behind the all-new Fusion:

* Silhouette innovation: Fusion?s sleek profile sets it apart from the powertrain/cabin/trunk ?three-box? designs synonymous with midsize sedans.

* Perceived efficiency: Fusion character lines sweeping to the rear and thin roof pillars suggest the car is nimble and light on its feet.

* Refined surface language: Fusion demonstrates that a tasteful, well-executed design does not require add-ons or visual clutter.

* Technical graphics: Fusion?s functional design elements such as headlamps, LED taillamps and polished exhaust tips communicate enhanced technological capability.

* New face: Fusion signals the next evolution in Ford global design language for midsize cars and smaller

Inside, the new Fusion offers a sporty, driver-oriented environment with next-generation seating that brings expanded functionality. A higher center console supports the driver-centric theme and yields clever storage for items a driver wants to keep handy.

Additional passenger space was designed-in by moving the instrument panel toward the windshield, contributing to the cabin?s airy, open environment. Thinner, lighter frames support comfortable next-generation seats trimmed with fabric using recycled sustainable yarns.

Craftsmanship plus dynamics equals feel

Fusion design delivers on the promise of high visual quality, with improved materials, elevated levels of craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Interior surfaces are softer to the touch and interior and exterior gaps are minimized, while extra care has been taken to upholster or cover each edge and every surface a customer can touch. When the trunk lid is opened, for example, a spring-loaded cover automatically conceals the trunk latch hardware.

?The holistic goal of our craftsmanship process is to see that Fusion not only delivers a superior visual experience but also feels like quality to the customer,? said Adrian Whittle, Fusion chief engineer.

Key contributors to how the Fusion feels are the ride and handling components that maximize vehicle dynamics.

?This really is a driver?s car,? said John Jraiche, program manager. ?Fusion is even more fun to drive with specially tuned electric power-assisted steering (EPAS), a MacPherson strut front suspension and an all-new premium-level multilink rear suspension ? comparable to Audi and BMW configurations.?

Careful tuning by Ford?s vehicle handling and ride team has yielded a Fusion with a dynamic character that will please a well-seasoned enthusiast while increasing the confidence level of less-experienced drivers.

Fusion interior quiet reaches a new level with acoustic underbody shields and weight-saving sound-absorption material; both minimize road and powertrain noise while boosting aerodynamic efficiency to help save fuel. The all-new model adds content such as a full-perimeter hood seal to be among the midsize sedan segment leaders in giving drivers a quiet ride.

Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi models also are equipped with active noise control. This feature uses the audio system to mitigate extraneous road noise while enhancing powertrain sounds.

Strength and safety
Fusion is designed with customer safety in mind. Engineers increased its body strength by 10 percent, using more high-strength steels such as boron, and added dual first-row knee airbags and adaptive front airbags that vent and tether to conform to a specific occupant?s size, position and seatbelt usage.

The Fusion safety team targeted top-of-the-line ratings in each public domain safety benchmark, including National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ratings, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick and top ratings in world markets where the car will be sold.

The most prominent example is Fusion?s front-end architecture, as the same car must face simultaneous ? and seemingly conflictive ? standards across regions. The car?s front end is equipped to meet head-on and offset barrier standards for North America while still conforming to European standards for pedestrian protection ? thanks to hours of computer modeling and 180 validating crash tests.

Fusion will be produced at Ford?s Hermosillo, Mexico, manufacturing facility, soon adding production at AutoAlliance International Plant in Flat Rock, Mich. The car will appear in Ford showrooms in North America and South America later this year. Mondeo will be introduced next year in Asia and Europe.

Source: http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f63/naias-2013-ford-fusion-108070/

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Could Siberian volcanism have caused the Earth's largest extinction event?

ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2012) ? Around 250 million years ago, at the end of the Permian geologic period, there was a mass extinction so severe that it remains the most traumatic known species die-off in Earth's history. Although the cause of this event is a mystery, it has been speculated that the eruption of a large swath of volcanic rock in Russia called the Siberian Traps was a trigger for the extinction. New research from Carnegie's Linda Elkins-Tanton and her co-authors offers insight into how this volcanism could have contributed to drastic deterioration in the global environment of the period.

Their work is published January 9 in Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

The end-Permian mass extinction saw the sudden loss of more than 90 percent of marine species and more than 70 percent of terrestrial species. The fossil record suggests that ecological diversity did not fully recover until several million years after the main pulse of the extinction. This suggests that environmental conditions remained inhospitable for an extended period of time.

Volcanic activity in the Siberian Traps has been proposed as one of the mechanisms that may have triggered the mass extinction. Gases released as a result of Siberian magmatism could have caused environmental damage. For example, perhaps sulfur particles in the atmosphere reflected the sun's heat back into space, cooling the planet; or maybe chlorine and other chemically similar nonmetal elements called halogens significantly damaged the ozone layer in the stratosphere.

The team designed experiments to examine these possibilities.

Led by Benjamin Black of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the group included Elkins-Tanton, formerly of MIT and now director of Carnegie's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Michael C. Rowe of Washington State University, and Ingrid Ukstins Peate of the University of Iowa.

The geology of the Siberian Traps is composed of flood basalts, which form when giant lava eruptions coat large swaths of land or ocean floor with basaltic lava. This lava hardens into rock formations. The team investigated concentrations of sulfur, chlorine and fluorine (another halogen) that were dissolved in tiny samples of ancient magma found within basalt samples from the Siberian Traps. These small frozen droplets, which preserve a record of volcanic gases from the time of the eruption 250 million years ago, are called melt inclusions.

Sulfur, chlorine, and fluorine gasses could have been released into the atmosphere from eruptions spewing out of large fissures, which is common in basalt flood formation. Plumes escaping from these cracks could have reached the stratosphere. If sulfur, chlorine, and fluorine made it to the upper atmosphere, these gasses could have cause a wide array of adverse climate events, including temperature change and acid rain.

Based on their findings, the team estimated that between 6,300 and 7,800 gigatonnes of sulfur, between 3,400 and 8,700 gigatonnes of chlorine, and between 7,100 and 13,700 gigatonnes of fluorine were released from magma in the Siberian Traps during the end of the Permian period.

They say more research on atmospheric chemistry and climate modeling is urgently needed to determine whether these gasses could have been responsible for the mass extinction.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Carnegie Institution.

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109132746.htm

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Bill_George: Counterpoint to my article on Germany's economic miracle: Japan's surprising success (http://t.co/vpXAx718). Germany is far more impressive

Counterpoint to my article on Germany's economic miracle: Japan's surprising success (). Germany is far more impressive Il y a environ 9 heures via web

Source: http://twitter.com/Bill_George/statuses/156099161442369536

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Stratfor warns of fake emails sent to subscribers (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Two weeks after disclosing that its website had been hacked, a private intelligence analysis firm on Friday warned subscribers that hackers were now circulating false emails offering the company's services for free.

Strategic Forecasting Inc, also known as Stratfor, urged subscribers not to open attachments to the fraudulent emails, which offered subscribers free access to the company's premium content as compensation while it tried to secure its website.

In an email, Stratfor Chief Executive George Friedman told subscribers that the email address being used was not his, and the company would never ask customers to provide personal information through an attachment.

"This email, and all similar ones, are false and attempt to prey on the privacy concerns of customers and friends," Friedman said in an email sent by the company to subscribers.

Friedman's email included a link to a YouTube video in which Fred Burton, the company's vice president of intelligence, asked people to monitor Stratfor's Facebook site and Twitter feed for company-approved communications.

Friedman said he deeply regretted any inconvenience caused by the latest incident and said the company was still working to reestablish its data systems and web presence.

Stratfor said it expects to reestablish its website soon after completion of "a thorough review and adjustment by outside experts." On December 28, it said it expected the process to be completed in about a week, but said it might take longer.

The fake email invited clients to provide feedback about the "recent intrusion by those deranged, sexually deviant criminal hacker terrorist masterminds," and provided both mobile and home phone numbers for Friedman.

While not offering free content, Stratfor has offered paying subscribers a year of free identity protection services by Austin-based CSID, which monitors websites and forums on which stolen information is exchanged or sold.

Late last month Stratfor disclosed that its website had been hacked and that some information about its corporate subscribers had been made public.

The hacking group known as Antisec has claimed responsibility for the attack and published what it claims are the names of thousands of corporate and government customers of Stratfor, as well as email addresses, passwords and credit card numbers of individual subscribers to Stratfor services. Customers on the list published by Antisec include Bank of America, Exxon Mobil Corp, Goldman Sachs & Co, Interpol, Thomson Reuters, the U.S. military and the United Nations.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa in Washington; Editing by John Wallace, Gary Hill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/security/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120106/wr_nm/us_cyberattack_stratfor

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11 Syria troops killed in clashes with deserters

Heavy clashes broke out before dawn on Sunday between the Syrian army and deserters, leaving 11 of its soldiers dead, human rights activists said.

AFP is using pictures from alternative sources and cannot be responsible for any alterations which cannot be independently verified. An image grab from YouTube shows Syrian army defectors reportedly pledging allegiance to the opposition in Idlib on January 2. Heavy clashes broke out before dawn on Sunday between the Syrian army and deserters, leaving 11 of its soldiers dead, activists said.

Another 20 soldiers were wounded in the fighting in Daraa province, south of the capital, while nine soldiers defected to join the rebel troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

In addition to the deadly clashes in the village of Basr al-Harir, the Britain-based watchdog also reported heavy machinegun exchanges between the army and deserters in the Daraa town of Dael. There was no immediate word on any casualties.

Cradle of the protests against President Bashar al-Assad that erupted in March, Daraa has been one of the provinces hardest hit by the deadly crackdown unleashed by his regime.

The latest deaths came as Arab League foreign ministers prepared to meet in Cairo to review the record of a widely criticised observer mission to Syria, in the face of growing calls for the bloc to cede to the United Nations the lead role in trying to end the bloodshed.

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