Google invades Siri's turf with iPhone, iPad app

This undated image made available by Google shows "Google Now." Google is trying to upstage Siri, the sometimes droll assistant that answers questions and helps people manage their lives on Apple's iPhone and iPad. The duel begins Monday, April 29, 2013, with the release of a free iPhone and iPad app that features Google Now, a technology that performs many of the same functions as Siri. (AP Photo/Google)

This undated image made available by Google shows "Google Now." Google is trying to upstage Siri, the sometimes droll assistant that answers questions and helps people manage their lives on Apple's iPhone and iPad. The duel begins Monday, April 29, 2013, with the release of a free iPhone and iPad app that features Google Now, a technology that performs many of the same functions as Siri. (AP Photo/Google)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Siri may be feeling a little job insecurity. The sometimes droll assistant that answers questions and helps people manage their lives on Apple's iPhone and iPad is facing competition from an up-and-coming rival made by Google.

The duel began Monday with the release of a free iPhone and iPad app that features Google Now, a technology that performs many of the same functions as Siri.

It's the first time that Google Now has been available on smartphones and tablet computers that aren't running on the latest version of Google's Android software. The technology, which debuted nine months ago, is being included in an upgrade to Google's search application for iOS, the Apple Inc. software that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. It's up to each user to decide whether to activate Google Now within the redesigned Google Search app, which is available through Apple's app store.

Siri tried to dismiss the competitive threat. When asked for an opinion about Google Now, Siri responded: "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather Google later."

Mike Allton, a St. Charles, Mo. resident who has owned an iPhone for four years, could hardly wait to check out Google Now, even if Siri might interpret it as a betrayal.

Siri "is looking a little green with envy," Allton, 36, said with a laugh after he had installed Google's new app. "I love Apple products, but I like to see the competition because it probably will lead to even more improvements. I believe this technology is going to be even more deeply ingrained in our lives a few years from now."

Other iPhone users ?even those who have grown fond of Siri ? welcomed Google Now's arrival to iOS in mostly enthusiastic and sometimes amusing remarks posted on Twitter and Google Plus. One person joked that Google Now is so helpful that the technology prompted him to wash his hands after using the bathroom. The biggest gripe was about the possibility of Google Now's location-tracking features draining a device's battery more quickly.

Google Now's invasion of Siri's turf marks Google Inc.'s latest attempt to lure iPhone and iPad users away from a service that Apple built into its own devices.

Google quickly won over millions of iPhone users in December when it released a mapping application to replace the navigation system that Apple dumped when it redesigned iOS last fall. Apple's maps application proved to be inferior to Google's ousted service. The app's bugs and glitches made Apple the butt of jokes and fueled demand for Google to develop a new option.

Apple has been losing to Google on other fronts in a rapidly growing mobile computing market, an arena that was revolutionized with the iPhone's release in 2007. Smartphones and tablet computers running Google's free Android software have been steadily expanding their market share in recent years, partly because they tend to be less expensive than the iPhone and iPad. At the end of 2012, Android devices held about 69 percent of the smartphone market while iOS held about 19 percent, according to the research firm IDC.

Android's success has been particularly galling for Apple because its late CEO, Steve Jobs. believed Google stole many of its ideas for the software from the iPhone. That led to a series of court battles over alleged patent infringement, including a high-profile trial last year that culminated in Apple winning hundreds of millions in damages from Samsung Electronics, the top seller of Android phones. That dispute is still embroiled in appeals.

The rise of Android also is squeezing Apple's profit margins, and has contributed to a nearly 40 percent drop in the company's stock price since it peaked at $705.07 last September around the time that the iPhone 5 came out.

Android's popularity is good news for Google because the company's services are built into most versions of the operating system. That brings more traffic to Google services, creating more opportunities for the company to sell ads ? the main source of Google's revenue.

Siri is billed by Apple as an "intelligent feature." Since the technology's release in October 2011, Apple has made it a centerpiece of some marketing campaigns that depict Siri and its automated female voice as an endearing and occasionally even pithy companion.

Google believes its Siri counterpart is smarter because Google Now is designed to learn about a user's preferences and then provide helpful information before it's even asked to do so. The technology draws upon information that Google gleans from search requests other interactions with the company's other services. Knowing a person's location also helps Google Now serve up helpful information without being asked.

"This concept of predicting your needs and showing you them at the right time is unique to Google Now," said Baris Gultekin, Google Now's director of product management. "We want computers to do the hard work so our users can focus on what matters to them so they can get on with their lives."

If the technology is working right, Google Now is supposed to do things like automatically tell people what the local weather is like when they awaken to help decide what to wear and provide a report on traffic conditions for the commute to work. During the day, Google Now might provide an update on the score of a user's favorite sports team or a stock quote of a company in a user's investment portfolio. On a Friday evening, Google Now might offer suggestions for movies to see or other weekend events tailored to a user's interests. For international travelers, Google Now might provide currency conversion rates, language translations of common phrases and the time back home.

Most of this automatic information is provided in summaries that Google calls "cards." Like Siri, Google Now also is equipped with voice technology that allows it to respond to questions and interact with users, though it hasn't shown the wit that delights some of Siri's users.

The Google Now app for iOS isn't as comprehensive as the Android app, which only works on devices running on the latest version of Android ? known as "Jelly Bean." Some of the Android features missing from Google Now's iOS app include cards for showing airline boarding passes and movie tickets bought though online vendor Fandango. Both of those options are available on the iOS through Apple's built-in Passbook feature that's designed to be a digital wallet.

Google Now's expansion on to the iOS underscores Google's ambitions for the service. The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., views it as a pivotal tool in its effort to peer deeper into its users' brains. In doing so, Google believes it will be able to provide more useful services and also show more relevant ads. For Google Now to become more intuitive, it needs to widen its availability.

"The more you use Google Now, we will have a better chance of understanding what your needs are and providing you with the right information," Gultekin said. "It's a virtuous cycle."

Gultekin declined to discuss whether there are plans to make Google Now apps for mobile devices running on Microsoft's Windows system. He also refused to comment on speculation circulating in technology blogs that a Web version of Google Now will be offered as a replacement for iGoogle, a tool that allows people to encircle the Google search engine with a variety of services suited to their tastes. IGoogle is scheduled to close in November.

___

Online:

http://www.google.com/landing/now/

Associated Press

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OpenMobile ACL for webOS resurrected on Kickstarter, hopes to bring Android apps to HP Touchpad

The promise of OpenMobile's Application Compatibility Layer is inciting: seamlessly run Android apps on another operating system as if it was meant to be there. Unfortunately for fans of Palm's last hurrah, the project's webOS port died with the HP Touchpad. That won't stop dedicated fans, however -- Phoenix International Communications plans to resurrect webOS ACL. Taking the project to Kickstarter, the team has showed an early build of the project on an HP Touchpad, seamlessly running Android apps in cards alongside native webOS applications. Phoenix hopes that a functional ACL will reduce Touchpad owner's reliance on dual-booting Android, giving them the freedom to enjoy webOS without sacrificing functionality. The team is promising a relatively short development time, thanks to OpenMobile's early work, and hopes to deliver a consumer ready build in July. But first the Kickstarter campaign will need to meet its $35,000 goal. Interested in pitching in? Check out the Kickstarter link at the source.

Filed under: Tablets, HP

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Germ-zapping 'robots': Hospitals combat superbugs

Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Michael Claes, 62, who contracted a superbug while in the hospital, poses for a photograph while recovering at home in New York, Monday, April 8, 2013. Claes caught a bad case of a diarrheal illness caused by Clostridium dificile, while he was a kidney patient last fall at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Michael Claes, 62, who contracted a superbug while in the hospital, shows a bottle of one of his daily medications on Monday, April 8, 2013 as he recovers at home in New York. Claes caught a bad case of a diarrheal illness caused by Clostridium dificile, while he was a kidney patient at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital in fall 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) ? They sweep. They swab. They sterilize. And still the germs persist.

In U.S. hospitals, an estimated 1 in 20 patients pick up infections they didn't have when they arrived, some caused by dangerous 'superbugs' that are hard to treat.

The rise of these superbugs, along with increased pressure from the government and insurers, is driving hospitals to try all sorts of new approaches to stop their spread:

Machines that resemble "Star Wars" robots and emit ultraviolet light or hydrogen peroxide vapors. Germ-resistant copper bed rails, call buttons and IV poles. Antimicrobial linens, curtains and wall paint.

While these products can help get a room clean, their true impact is still debatable. There is no widely-accepted evidence that these inventions have prevented infections or deaths.

Meanwhile, insurers are pushing hospitals to do a better job and the government's Medicare program has moved to stop paying bills for certain infections caught in the hospital.

"We're seeing a culture change" in hospitals, said Jennie Mayfield, who tracks infections at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

Those hospital infections are tied to an estimated 100,000 deaths each year and add as much as $30 billion a year in medical costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency last month sounded an alarm about a "nightmare bacteria" resistant to one class of antibiotics. That kind is still rare but it showed up last year in at least 200 hospitals.

Hospitals started paying attention to infection control in the late 1880s, when mounting evidence showed unsanitary conditions were hurting patients. Hospital hygiene has been a concern ever since, with a renewed emphasis triggered by the emergence a decade ago of a nasty strain of intestinal bug called Clostridium difficile, or C-diff.

The diarrhea-causing C-diff is now linked to 14,000 U.S. deaths annually. That's been the catalyst for the growing focus on infection control, said Mayfield, who is also president-elect of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

C-diff is easier to treat than some other hospital superbugs, like methicillin-resistant staph, or MRSA, but it's particularly difficult to clean away. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don't work and C-diff can persist on hospital room surfaces for days. The CDC recommends hospital staff clean their hands rigorously with soap and water ? or better yet, wear gloves. And rooms should be cleaned intensively with bleach, the CDC says.

Michael Claes developed a bad case of C-diff while he was a kidney patient last fall at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital. He and his doctor believe he caught it at the hospital. Claes praised his overall care, but felt the hospital's room cleaning and infection control was less than perfect.

"I would use the word 'perfunctory,'" he said.

Lenox Hill spokeswoman Ann Silverman disputed that characterization, noting hospital workers are making efforts that patients often can't see, like using hand cleansers dispensers in hallways. She ticked off a list of measure used to prevent the spread of germs, ranging from educating patients' family members to isolation and other protective steps with each C-diff patient.

The hospital's C-diff infection rate is lower than the state average, she said.

Westchester Medical Center, a 643-bed hospital in the suburbs of New York City has also been hit by cases of C-diff and the other superbugs.

Complicating matters is the fact that larger proportions of hospital patients today are sicker and more susceptible to the ravages of infections, said Dr. Marisa Montecalvo, a contagious diseases specialist at Westchester.

There's a growing recognition that it's not only surgical knives and operating rooms that need a thorough cleaning but also spots like bed rails and even television remote controls, she said. Now there's more attention to making sure "that all the nooks and crannies are clean, and that it's done in as perfect a manner as can be done," Montecalvo said.

Enter companies like Xenex Healthcare Services, a San Antonio company that makes a portable, $125,000 machine that's rolled into rooms to zap C-diff and other bacteria and viruses dead with ultraviolet light. Xenex has sold or leased devices to more than 100 U.S. hospitals, including Westchester Medical Center.

The market niche is expected to grow from $30 million to $80 million in the next three years, according to Frost & Sullivan, a market research firm.

Mark Stibich, Xenex's chief scientific officer, said client hospitals sometimes call them robots and report improved satisfaction scores from patients who seem impressed that the medical center is trotting out that kind of technology.

At Westchester, workers still clean rooms, but the staff appreciates the high-tech backup, said housekeeping manager Carolyn Bevans.

"We all like it," she said of the Xenex.

At Cooley Dickinson Hospital, a 140-bed facility in Northampton, Mass., the staff calls their machines Thing One, Thing Two, Thing Three and Thing Four, borrowing from the children's book "The Cat in the Hat."

But while the things in the Dr. Seuss tale were house-wrecking imps, Cooley Dickinson officials said the ultraviolet has done a terrific job at cleaning their hospital of the difficult C-diff.

"We did all the recommended things. We used bleach. We monitored the quality of cleaning," but C-diff rates wouldn't budge, said nurse Linda Riley, who's in charge of infection prevention at Cooley Dickinson.

A small observational study at the hospital showed C-diff infection rates fell by half and C-diff deaths fell from 14 to 2 during the last two years, compared to the two years before the machines.

Some experts say there's not enough evidence to show the machines are worth it. No national study has shown that these products have led to reduced deaths or infection rates, noted Dr. L. Clifford McDonald of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

His point: It only takes a minute for a nurse or visitor with dirty hands to walk into a room, touch a vulnerable patient with germy hands, and undo the benefits of a recent space-age cleaning.

"Environments get dirty again," McDonald said, and thorough cleaning with conventional disinfectants ought to do the job.

Beyond products to disinfect a room, there are tools to make sure doctors, nurses and other hospital staff are properly cleaning their hands when they come into a patient's room. Among them are scanners that monitor how many times a health care worker uses a sink or hand sanitizer dispenser.

Still, "technology only takes us so far," said Christian Lillis, who runs a small foundation named after his mother who died from a C-diff infection.

Lillis said the hospitals he is most impressed with include Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, where thorough cleanings are confirmed with spot checks. Fluorescent powder is dabbed around a room before it's cleaned and a special light shows if the powder was removed. That strategy was followed by a 28 percent decline in C-diff, he said.

He also cites Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., where the focus is on elbow grease and bleach wipes. What's different, he said, is the merger of the housekeeping and infection prevention staff. That emphasizes that cleaning is less about being a maid's service than about saving patients from superbugs.

"If your hospital's not clean, you're creating more problems than you're solving," Lillis said.

___

Online:

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/hai/

Associated Press

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Perry demands apology over newspaper's plant blast cartoon (CNN)

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4 killed in Pakistan bombings of political parties

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) ? Police say four people were killed and dozens were injured in two separate bombings of political targets in the southern city of Karachi.

The blasts come as Pakistan is preparing for country-wide elections on May 11.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Taliban have threatened three political parties perceived as being more liberal and secular, including two targeted Saturday night.

Police officer Azam Baloch says three people were killed and 21 were injured when a bomb planted on a motorbike exploded during a political meeting. That blast targeted supporters of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Police official Zahid Hussain says the other bomb targeted an office of the Muttahida Quami Movement. One person died and 21 were wounded in that explosion.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/4-killed-pakistan-bombings-political-parties-204339584.html

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Body is that of missing Texas cheerleader

Clint Dunn / AP File

Thirteen-year-old Hailey Dunn (left) poses for a photo with her mother Billie Jean Dunn and her mother's boyfriend Shawn Adkins on Dec. 25, 2010, in Colorado City, Texas. Authorities in West Texas on Friday confirmed the remains found in a remote part of Scurry County in March are those of Hailey Dunn, who has been missing for more than two years.

By The Associated Press

SNYDER, Texas???Remains found in a remote West Texas location last month are those of a 13-year-old middle school cheerleader missing since December 2010, authorities announced Friday.

Hailey Darlene Dunn's remains were found near Lake J.B. Thomas in Scurry County on March 16, more than two years after her mother reported her missing.

The girl's disappearance and the cause of her death remain under investigation, Scurry County Sheriff Trey Wilson said at a news conference Friday. The Scurry County District Attorney's Office received written confirmation of the identity of the remains on Friday, he said.

---

Texas Rangers informed the girl's mother, Billie Jean Dunn, on Friday afternoon at her Austin home, said her attorney, John Young. Dunn will be driving to West Texas to arrange her daughter's funeral, he said.

The body was found about 20 miles northwest of the girl's hometown of Colorado City. The girl had been the subject of months of intensive searches in and around Colorado City and surrounding fields and landfills after her mother reported her missing on Dec. 28, 2010. More than 100 billboards featuring her picture and information about the case were set up along interstates in Texas and other states.

The mother's boyfriend, Shawn Adkins, has said he last saw Hailey a day before she was reported missing. He said the girl told him she was going to her father's home nearby and then on to spend the night at a friend's home. She did neither.

Authorities had named Adkins as a person of interest in the girl's disappearance, but he was never charged. At one point, authorities accused the girl's mother of lying about the whereabouts of Adkins, who was found at her home. Billie Dunn pleaded no contest in June 2011 to making a false report to law enforcement and received a suspended 90-day jail term with probation.

The mother and Adkins have denied involvement in Hailey's disappearance.

Hailey's paternal grandfather, Bill Dunn, died in 2011, six months after the girl went missing. His widow, Spicy Dunn of Ponca City, Okla., said her husband spent much of the last months of his life trying to learn what became of his granddaughter.

"He was very, very hurt, and was on the computer all the time looking and trying to find anything that had to do with Hailey," she said Friday. "Anything."

She said family members made a point not to change their phone numbers so that law enforcement officials could reach them in case of any developments, even years later.

"It is a relief to know that she's at peace," Spicy Dunn said. "She doesn't have any more suffering."

She later added, "I hope the family comes to a closure. I know it's very hard."

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3D Systems Cube 3D Printer

Despite all the press that 3D printing has garnered in the past few years, this emerging technology has largely remained the domain of hobbyists, DIYers, and professionals such as architects, product designers, and artists. The Cube 3D Printer ($1,299) is a product that attempts to bring 3D printing to the consumer market by focusing on quick setup, a user-friendly experience, and appealing results. In this, it partly succeeds.

We did get the Cube up and printing out objects of decent quality in not much more than half an hour, but printing with the Cube still requires considerably more attention, care, and work (and, at times, troubleshooting) than typical consumer products. Still, it's a laudable effort, though at its price, it's not for the light of wallet.

Let's start by being clear on what the Cube does, and doesn't do. You've perhaps seen articles describing all sorts of exotic real and potential applications for 3D printing, everything from guns to houses to living cells to titanium implants to space bases to confections to dental crowns.

The Cube 3D Printer is limited to printing relatively small plastic objects, but within that domain it can print a huge variety of things. Some objects have interior detail that couldn't be added using traditional injection molding; for example, our first test object, a chess rook, has within it a spiral staircase and a double strand representing DNA.

It's fascinating to watch 3D objects being printed out layer by layer with the Cube. It is a head turner; in testing it, I've probably had more people drop by to watch it than all the hundreds of other products I've tested combined. While 3D printing is hot, in, and sexy, but it remains to be seen if it's a fad largely confined to hobbyists, the revolutionary game-changer that some pundits claim it is, or a product destined to be a regular addition to average households (which is what products like the Cube are aiming for). But let's set aside the hype and speculation and examine this product on its merits.

Anatomy of a Cube
First, the Cube isn't really a cube?though the build area, the maximum size of your 3D-printed objects, is cubical, 140mm (~5.5 inches) on a side. This printer is rather an open frame, 10 by 10 b y 13 inches (HWD) and weighing 9.5 pounds, consisting of a base with a monochrome touch screen, an arch-like tower, and an arm. Our test unit is silver, though the Cube is also available in white, blue, magenta, or green.

Atop the tower is the extruder assembly, which holds the extruder and into which a plastic filament is fed. The extruder is essentially the print head; it lays down a strand of melted plastic to form the object you're building). Further down on the tower is an arm that holds the build platform, a square piece of plastic on which the object is constructed, layer by layer. The extruder assembly moves side to side, while the arm moves vertically as well as in and out, comprising the 3-dimensional motion needed to render the object.

The Cube Family
The Cube we tested is the second generation of this particular model, introduced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. It is faster than the original Cube, it uses a glass printbed rather than the original heated printbed, and can print with either ABS or PLA plastic. Also in the Cube's product line is the CubeX, with a larger (10- by 10- by 11-inch) build volume than the basic Cube. A single-extruder model sells for $2,499, a dual-extruder version goes for $2,999, and $3,999 will get you the triple-extruder version.

3D Systems is a pioneer in the 3D printing field. In the mid-1980s its founder, Charles W. Hull built what is widely considered the first 3D printer, which used a technique called stereolithography (from which the .stl 3D CAD file format gets its name). The company has traditionally made expensive commercial 3D printers for architects, engineers, and shop floors, but in recent years has ventured into the hobbyist and consumer arenas as well.

Continue Reading: Setup, Extruder, Connectivity

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Pressure mounting on US to export natural gas

As US gas supplies grow, companies are eager to export natural gas. Should US let the market operate or continue preserving natural gas for domestic use only?

By Javier E. David,?Special to CNBC.com / April 25, 2013

Workers drill into the Gypsum Hills near Medicine Lodge, Kan., using a technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", to coax out oil and natural gas. The burgeoning supply of US natural gas is sparking debate about whether the nation should allow natural gas exports or preserve the fuel for domestic consumption.

Orlin Wagner/AP/File

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As the U.S. produces more of its own energy, pressure is mounting on the federal government to move quickly to export its natural gas bounty?a move that has encountered stiff resistance from some energy market players.

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Natural gas, an abundant fuel source that is cheaper and cleaner than standard gasoline, is increasingly seen as a successor to diesel and regular gas, particularly as the world's largest economy produces more of it.

The recent surge in shale oil production has turned the U.S. from an importer of natural gas into a producer creating upwards of 2 million barrels per day, according to the Energy Information Administration.

That surplus has sparked a wide debate about how the U.S. should deploy natural gas for its economic benefit. At Bloomberg's New Energy Finance conference this week, natural gas exports was a hot topic among several participants.

"I believe very strongly in free trade and the responsible development of American energy exports, with an eye toward job creation and increased prosperity," Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy Committee, told conference participants.

At the Bloomberg conference, the head of energy giant?Hess' natural gas unit expressed hope that the Department of Energy would approve a Hess export facility soon.

The agency is finding itself fielding a growing number of requests to expedite the process, which would sanction more U.S. companies as natural gas exporters.

"The Department of Energy should move forward with timely purpose on the applications that are pending before it for the construction of LNG [liquified natural gas] export facilities," Murkowski told the conference. "We are already exporting record levels of gas to Mexico by pipeline. There's no economic reason not to expand that trade if the market conditions allow."

Yet exporting natgas is easier said than done, according to some energy market watchers. Companies active in the market are resistant to the idea of U.S. energy stocks getting shipped abroad, especially after years of hard-fought battles to spur more domestic production.

Last month, the Brookings Institution published a study showing how an increase in natural gas exports could help satisfy growing international demand for both natgas and other types of U.S.-produced fuels.

Yet opponents cite that jump in global demand as a trigger behind a potential surge in prices that could challenge natural gas's reputation as a cheap alternative energy source. Proponents, however, take a different view. (Read More:?Natural Gas Prices on the Rise, Challenging 'Cheap' Label)

"We have a situation where we're generating so much gas. All indications are that it would have a small price effect but generate more jobs, so we'll be better off," John Felmy, chief economist of the American Petroleum Institute, said in a recent interview.

"Some people think we should keep it here [but] this is a case where the market should be allowed to work," he said.

All of which suggests the DoE may find itself between a rock and a hard place in trying to quell the push to export natural gas, and the domestic forces arrayed against such a move. Supporters of natgas shipments think market demand might make it hard for the DoE to ignore the calls.

"Eventually [the U.S.] is going to have to. The economic argument is there," Allen Gilmer ,CEO of DrillingInfo, told conference's participants.

"The reality is that the cheap use of natural gas in the United States isn't going to go away, and we don't have the facilities right now to make a huge impact" on the global market, he said.

The trend is significant, given the role that natural gas has played in the U.S. energy comeback.

Natural gas is cheap and abundant, yet consumers have been slow to warm to it as an alternative to conventional gas. Additionally, its price is notoriously volatile: Earlier this year, prices had taken an unexpected drop that sent analysts scurrying to revise their forecasts.

Weather may also be playing a role in the unexpected surge. Winter has lingered longer than expected, creating more demand for gas and heating fuel.

In a recent research report, Goldman Sachs forecast natural gas prices to top out at $4.25 within 12 months.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/74d6tNnW06M/Pressure-mounting-on-US-to-export-natural-gas

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AT&T launches home security, monitoring service in U.S.

(Ends first round) NEW YORK, April 25 (Reuters) - Selections in the first roundof the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday (picknumber, NFL team, player, position, college): 1-Kansas City, Eric Fisher, offensive tackle, Central Michigan 2-Jacksonville, Luke Joeckel, offensive tackle, Texas A&M 3-Miami (from Oakland), Dion Jordan, defensive tackle, Oregon 4-Philadelphia, Lane Johnson, offensive tackle, Oklahoma 5-Detroit, Ezekiel Ansah, defensive end, Brigham Young 6-Cleveland, Barkevious Mingo, linebacker, LSU 7-Arizona, Jonathan Cooper, guard, North Carolina 8-St. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/t-launches-home-security-monitoring-u-040331743--finance.html

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Global Health: In Central Africa, Bitter Cassava Is Linked to Mental Deficits

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Children who do not show physical symptoms of konzo, a crippling disease caused by the cyanide in improperly prepared cassava, may still have mental impairments.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/health/in-central-africa-bitter-cassava-is-linked-to-mental-deficits.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Israel urges U.S. action over Syrian chemical weapons

By Dan Williams

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United States should consider military action to curb Syrian chemical weapons after Washington went public with suspicions they have been used in the country's civil war, Israel's deputy foreign minister said on Friday.

The challenge by Zev Elkin, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, underscored tension this week over the allies' assessments on Syria, as well as longer-running disputes about how aggressively to confront Iran's nuclear program.

The White House said on Thursday the Syrian government had probably employed chemical arms on a small scale against rebels. The disclosure created a bind for President Barack Obama, who has declared such use a "red line" that must not be crossed.

It was also a shift from Washington's skeptical response to Tuesday's publication by the Israeli military of intelligence findings that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces had used chemical weapons repeatedly in recent months.

"The Iranians are watching, the whole world is watching too, and we should also see what happens," Elkin told Israel's Army Radio, when asked how U.S. strategy on Syria might unfold.

"There is a question here of when you set a red line, do you stand behind it?"

Israel has threatened to strike Syria, an enemy with which it previously maintained a decades-old truce, to prevent Assad's chemical arsenal falling into the hands of jihadi insurgents or of Hezbollah guerrillas in neighboring Lebanon.

There has been similar Israeli sabre-rattling against Iran. But the Jewish state, with its military and diplomatic clout limited in a volatile region, has made clear it would prefer Washington to take the lead on any major offensive.

Commenting on the shift in Washington's stance on Syria's chemical weapons, Elkin said: "If, until today, there has been an effort to ignore our opinion, to a degree ... now that the Americans' red line has apparently been crossed, there is a test.

"It is clear that if the United States wants to and the international community wants to, it could act - inter alia, militarily - to take control of the chemical weapons, and then all the fears ... will not be relevant."

He did not elaborate on what U.S. tactics he envisaged.

Wary of being drawn into another Middle East war in the name of curbing weapons of mass destruction, the Obama administration said it wanted definitive proof before intervening in Syria and was consulting with allies about possible steps.

The Assad government, shunned by much of the West as it battles an insurgency now in its third year, has denied using chemical arms - and hedged on whether it even possesses them.

Elkin said he expected world powers to clarify their position on Syria "in the coming days".

"It could be that the moment the international community understands that indeed the red lines were crossed, and indeed the weaponry was used, they will understand that there is no avoiding this action - that instead of leaving things in the fog, it is time to take control (of the arsenal)," he said.

(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by John Stonestreet)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-urges-u-action-over-syrian-chemical-weapons-064659048.html

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Higher dose of AcelRx pain drug meets trial goal

(Reuters) - AcelRx Pharmaceuticals Inc said a mid-stage trial of its experimental pain drug showed that a higher dose of the therapy met the main goal of reducing acute pain in patients, but the lower dose failed to meet the goal.

Shares of the company fell 4 percent to $5.92 on Wednesday morning on the Nasdaq. However, analysts said they viewed the trial data as positive.

"The whole point of a dose-finding trial is to find the lowest efficacious dose, and they have done that at the higher dose of 30 mcg. So, I don't read a lot into the lower dose," MLV & Co analyst Ed Arce said.

Results from the trial showed that patients receiving a 30 mcg dose of the drug, administered not more than once per hour, had significantly greater pain reduction - as measured by a standard score - than those given a placebo.

Patients receiving 20 mcg of the drug, called ARX-04, did not achieve a score that differentiated it from the placebo.

ARX-04 consists of sufentanil, an opioid, in AcelRx's NanoTab technology that enables rapid absorption when the NanoTab is placed under the tongue.

There were two serious adverse events of post-surgical infection, both of which were determined by the study investigator to be unrelated to the drug, the company said.

Two patients dropped out of the study due to adverse events, with one patient's discontinuation considered unrelated to the drug, and the other considered "probably related" to the drug.

The trial tested 101 patients following a toe surgery called bunionectomy.

The specialty pharmaceutical company focuses on developing therapies for the treatment of acute and breakthrough pain.

Its product, sufentanil NanoTab, is being tested in four trials for the treatment of post-operative pain, breakthrough pain in cancer patients, pain relief for patients undergoing procedures in a physician's office and acute pain.

The lead program ARX-01, for post-operative pain, is currently in late-stage development. The remaining, ARX-02, ARX-03 - a combination of sufentanil and triazolam - and ARX-04, are in mid-stage trials.

(Reporting by Esha Dey in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/acelrx-pain-drug-shows-mixed-results-mid-stage-120144152--finance.html

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Google joins the FIDO Alliance, supports its two-factor authentication standard

Google's already investing in two-factor authentication, but it's making a bigger commitment to the security method by joining the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance's board of directors. Founded in-part by heavyweights Lenovo and PayPal, the group envisions a future where an open standard developed by it will lead to interoperable two-step security that can log users into sites and cloud apps across the web -- not to mention replace passwords as we know them. While support for USB keys are certainly in the works, the group expects to throw its weight behind the likes of NFC, voice and facial recognition, fingerprint scanners and more. There's no telling how soon FIDO's efforts will bear fruit, but the search titan's support should help move things along.

[Image credit: Marc Falardeau, Flickr]

Filed under: Google

Comments

Via: MIT Technology Review

Source: FIDO (PDF)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/g60xluU9gvs/

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NFL group, company teaming up for brain drug test

NEW YORK (AP) ? A potential treatment for traumatic brain injuries may be tested in retired professional football players, who are the focus of concern over blows to the head.

Neuralstem, Inc., of Rockville, Md., said Wednesday it is working with the National Football League Alumni Association to study the feasibility of such a test, which would need government approval. It would involve a drug that's now in an early human trial for treating depression. In animal studies, the drug appeared to stimulate creation of brain cells.

Concern has mounted about brain injuries and disease in former NFL players, driven in part by some high-profile suicides. Thousands of former players are suing the league and its teams, saying that for years the NFL did not do enough to protect players from concussions.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nfl-group-company-teaming-brain-drug-test-135213962--spt.html

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Toronto Travel Bloggers, Who to Watch for at TBEX - The Planet D

We always tell people that Toronto has the best travel community in the world. It amazes me. So many Toronto based Travel Bloggers are at the top of their field. We feel that some of the best travel bloggers, vloggers and industry peeps are based right here in Toronto, and since the entire world travel community is coming to Toronto in June, we wanted to highlight the Toronto Travel Bloggers that you should keep an eye out for and say hello to during the upcoming TBEX conference.

We normally hate doing posts like this. Inevitably someone awesome gets left out and we feel bad. But since TBEX is coming to Toronto in June, we felt compelled to show off our community. There are other amazing Canadian Travel bloggers that we could mention too, but then this post would go on forever. So for now, enjoy our recommendations for your reading pleasure.

My Life Unteathered?- Alicia Taggio not only puts together amazing travel videos, but she also splits her time between My Life Unteathered and being the Social Media Specialist at FlightCentre.ca. Alicia co-founded the Toronto Travel Massive with Mariellen or Breathe Dream Go and together they have transformed it from a small social gathering to a major industry event. Alicia is someone who gets you excited when you talk to her. She?s filled with ideas, has major connections and knows how social media works. We always say ?This girl gets things done!?

BreatheDreamGo?- Mariellen Ward has a passion for India. She?s been writing about it in both traditional media outlets around the world as well as at her successful travel blog. Recently she changed her niche to expand beyond India to a?meaningful adventure travel blog and has really hit her stride. An influencer and another leader in the industry who has won several awards in writing. And as mentioned above, Mariellen is the co-founder of Toronto Travel Massive with Alicia Taggio.

Travolution?- Before TBEX begins, we get to spend a week with Cristina in Italy as part of the BlogVille Campaign. A graduate of Journalism and Political Science, she turned down her dream job twice. A well rounded journalist she interviewed the likes of Justin Beiber, Tom Cruise and Raine Maida ?of Our Lady Peace?(like Cristina also, one of our favourite bands). She quit it all to become a travel blogger and if anyone can make it, she can. Cristina is also now a part of the people behind the Toronto Travel Massive with Alicia and Mariellen.

JourneyWoman - Evelyn Hannon runs the premiere online travel resource for women. She?s been featured everywhere from Time Magazine and Good Morning America to Reader?s Digest and Canada AM. We?ve known and admired Evelyn since we started travel blogging. Whenever we talk to friends or family oustide of the travel industry, they know of JourneyWoman. They may not know the rest of us, but she?s a household name with 65,000 people subscribing to her newsletter which was featured in People Magazine!

KickTheGrind - If you want to know about how to make travel videos, you want to follow Mike Corey. He has the best travel videos in the industry and it?s only a matter of time until he has his own travel show. His editing is awesome and we?re not the only ones who think so. He?s won several video competitions including the prestigious Cathay Pacific around the World in 80 Days video competition.

The Travel Society?- Our good friend Helen (And as some say, my sister, we look a lot a like) has started a new company The Travel Society. It?s a travel club for adventure travel around the world. That?s our kind of place! It?s so much so that we?re developing custom ThePlanetD tours with Helen for 2014. That will be coming soon, but in the meantime, check out everything there is to offer. We love her latest post?Misadventures in ?Antarctica, where she talks about being on a sinking ship in Antarctica. Yikes! The Travel Society is a boutique travel agency with a subscription based membership of 2000 people. Way to go Helen!

Red Hunt Travel?- Red has been everywhere. He is a travel consultant and social media consultant. He quit his job to travel the world long before it was trendy and has?become an avid travel photographer and has written more than 600 travel articles and newsletters. He?s a former journalist who now works in the world of travel marketing. All that and he still has time to share his spectacular travel stories on Red Hunt Travel.

Savoir Faire Abroad - You may know her from SpunkyGirlMonologues, but Pamela MacNaughten has rebranded and started off 2013 with some major travels through Central America.We first met her in Bangkok where she was helping refugees connect with their families. Pam has a huge heart and has made a living out of travel blogging for several years. She has been featured in Outpost, Travel and Escape and Up Magazines.

Seattles Travel - Featured on Mashable as one of the best people to follow on Instagram, Seattle Dredge has really made a name for herself. She?s been everywhere from Australia to Iceland and focuses on Adventure Travel. Her latest posts have been focusing on mountains and snow and ice and we?ve been loving following her journey. Our kind of gal indeed!

Have Baby Will Travel - Mom Bloggers have always been way ahead of travel bloggers and Corinne McDermett is definitely ahead of the game. I remember first talking to her a few years ago and was blown away with her ideas and vision. Besides her successful travel blog she?s been featured in traditional media and television such as Canada AM, Breakfast Television, Travel and Leisure and the Disney Channel. She has now started her own consulting company and ?is a family travel specialist for Thomas Cook.

Near Afar - Every time we see Natalie Taylor I just laugh and laugh. There?s something about her energy that makes me smile. A true Toronto Specialist, this is the blog to follow if you need information for the 2013 host city for TBEX ? Toronto. She?s been featured in the Sympatico Blog, Lucky Penny, National Geographic?s Intelligent Traveler and Trip Atlas just to name a few.

TheTraveller World Guide - I just love The Hogga, Aka Lindsay Hogg. Her writing is fresh and funny and this girl is busy. Not only is she the President extraordinaire at the Traveller World Guide where she has brought on two other people to work with the site, she is also?Captain Burrito?at?ChickenChunk?and?Monday Funnies Author?at?Travel and Escape. Funnies Author is a fitting title, whenever I read her stuff, I do it with a huge smile.

SoloTraveler?- Janice Waugh has taken the travel industry by storm, traveling the world speaking about how to make a business out of blogging. She started the Global Bloggers Network and founded The Traveler?s Handbook Series. Janice is always coming up with innovative ideas and is filled with wisdom when it comes to solo travel and the blogging industry. She?s a very giving and caring woman and a mentor to us all.

Professional Hobo ? ?Nora Dunn may have now settled in the Caribbean but she?s a Toronto gal. We actually have something in common, we both worked at YTV. Nora is one of the leading travel blogs on the net. She proved long before the rest of us joined the game that you can live a location independent lifestyle and make money doing it. She?s so financially savvy that she is the senior contributor for Wise Bread, a popular personal finance and frugal living website, she give regular round ups of how much money she made and how she does it and she?s just truly an inspiration.

Backpack with Brock - Brock is currently on an amazing journey through Asia with Viator as their video blogger. He came oh so close to winning $10,000 through Viator last year, but they loved him so much, they brought him back anyway! He?s now traveling Asia with them. Brock not only runs his travel blog, he is also an adventure consultant and entrepreneur who helps others plan their next world backpacking trip. Brock feels like the little brother we never had and is so much fun to be around. I hope he makes it back in time for TBEX so that he can share his adventures with everyone.

Bacon is Magic?- Ayngelina Brogan has slowed down work on her travel blog in recent years to return to her life in PR, but Bacon is Magic is still going strong and she has started working with the Navigate Media Group bringing travel bloggers together to collaborate on projects. Specializing in food, she writes engaging stories.

?A Nerd at Large - Stephanie has already made her living writing about the travel industry for over a decade. She?s now started a Nerd at Large and is a Travel and Escape featured blogger. I?ve been loving her photographs and she even was kind enough to post some right here on our website. Check out Los Angeles in Black and White. Right now Stephanie is in the process of pursuing her goal of trying 1000 new things. Now that makes for an exciting life.

Hopscotch The Globe - Kristen represented us on a press trip last year and ever since this girl has been on fire. We?ve been watching her travel the world working with various tourism boards. She won the VLogger award in Puerto Rico run by our good friends at Diamond PR and her youtube video ?How to Pee Standing Up has received nearly 150,000 views! This girl has an awesome youtube channel and she?s just dynamite!

Girls Getaway - Dian Emery is the managing editor of this popular website. It?s grown to become so big that there are six regular contributors and several guest writers. We?ve had the pleasure of going to Mexico with Dian and meeting her other half. She?s such a gracious and giving lady and it?s awesome to see so much success come her way!

Excellent Vacation Ideas - Melanie is another person who when we get together we just laugh and laugh. A savvy business woman, she has developed an amazing site with Excellent Vacation Ideas. I love talking blogging and website business with her (in between laughing). And value her opinion and advice. If you?re looking for vacation ideas for your next trip, this is the site for you. Her daily questions and inspiration always pop up in my facebook feed too!

KK Adventures ? Okay, Kieren and Karen may be from Britain, but they?ve made Toronto their home and are a huge part of our travel community. They?ve kept their full time jobs while running the blog on the side and have done a great job balancing both. And we?re happy to know that they love exploring their new home?Toronto! Karin has also become a part of the Toronto Travel Massive team joining Cristina in helping Alicia and Mariellen plan events around the city.

Oneika The Traveler - We met Oneika when we ran with the bulls last year while she was a part of the uber popular ?Girls Running with Bulls? Oneika was recently named one of the Top 7 Travel Bloggers to Watch on Twitter and has been featured on National Geographic?s Radar. She?s been to 60 countries on 6 continents and is one fabulous lady. While travel blogging isn?t her full time profession, she?s a high school English Literature and French teacher at international schools, she still manages to take 10 international trips a year and if she wanted to switch to be a full time blogger, she easily could.

Travel and Escape?- Well, you may have noticed that many of the people we?ve mentioned above have been featured on Travel and Escape. Did you know Travel and Escape is based in Toronto? They?ve been a great supporter of the Toronto Travel community and even though they are a Television network, they also keep a good travel blog up and running to. .

So there you have it. That?s our list of Toronto Tavel Bloggers. I?m going to die if I missed someone. If you know me and we missed you, please send us an email. I?ll add you in, somewhere in the middle so nobody will ever know that you weren?t put on in the first place! I hope you enjoyed these Toronto Travel bloggers, you won?t regret reading any of their blogs. Seriously, we?ve got a great world class community.

Source: http://theplanetd.com/toronto-travel-bloggers-who-to-watch-for-at-tbex/

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Mid-Market to Get Much New Food & Drink In the Next Two Years - 7x7

Assuming the economy doesn't decide to tank again, we are poised for another 2010-style boom in the food-and-drink world, especially around SoMa and the quickly gentrifying Mid-Market. The last month saw the opening of 1601 Bar & Kitchen on an unproven stretch of Howard, at 12th. And a?piece in Sunday's Chronicle rounded up a few of the projects in the pipeline, including a spinoff of AQ planned for 2015 at the Twitter building called Bon March?, and a new casual spot from Coi chef Daniel Patterson. Below, we bring you the complete picture, as it stands.?

Aziza
140 New Montgomery

Chef Mourad Lahlou is looking to relocate his acclaimed modern Moroccan-inspired restaurant to the newly renovated 1925?Telephone & Telegraph Building, which will also soon be home to Yelp. ETA: Fall 2013

Beer Hall
One Polk Street

This new upscale version of City Beer Store, with a retail component and beer bar, is headed to the new residential tower at the base of Polk, at Market Street. It's the project of husband and wife team?Jennifer and Andrew Hall and follows on a slew of other beer-centric projects that have debuted citywide in the last year. ETA: Early summer.

?

Bon March?
Market & Tenth

The only confirmed project to ink a deal for one of the ground-floor spaces at the Market Square complex (a.k.a. Twitter HQ) is this enormous planned brasserie spinoff from the team behind AQ. It will be, once completed, hold 125 seats and be a very different style of restaurant than AQ, with an all-day, casual and bustling feel. As owner Matt Semmelhack tells the Chron, "At AQ, there are eight office workers above the restaurant. At Bon March?, we're anticipating 8,000." ETA: 2015

Unnamed Bourbon & Branch Project
Market & Tenth, or elsewhere

It's not yet a done deal, but rumor had it?that the guys behind Bourbon & Branch, Tradition, Local Edition, and Rickhouse were looking to lock down a possible space in the vicinity of SoMa, possibly at the Market Square building, in order to transfer a soon-to-expire liquor license that they had for Anu, which closed a couple years back on Sixth Street. If it happens, we should know about it by June.

Driftwood
1225 Folsom Street

This new lounge from one of the owners of Amnesia and a partner is taking over longtime Folsom leather bar Kok, which also went by My Place and the Ramrod back in the day. The new cocktail bar won't be gay and will take some design cues from the owners' shared love of surfing. ETA: Early summer

Unnamed Daniel Patterson Project
1420 Market Street

The Coi chef, who also owns Plum and Haven in Oakland, is aiming to open another casual concept just across from Twitter HQ. He describes it as "inexpensive, fast, very cocktail-driven, an everyday kind of place." ETA: ?Summer 2013

Southside Spirit House
575 Howard Street

The former Eve lounge, which recently closed, is becoming a new happy hour spot from the same owners called Southside Spirit House. Look for a more mellow vibe, and no bottle service or velvet ropes. ETA: May 2013

Whiteside Company
140 New Montgomery

This new restaurant-bar concept comes from Bar Agricole's Thad Vogler, a rustic and casual food menu and a cocktail program inspired by Bill Boothby, the longtime bartender at the Palace Hotel who penned the seminal book?The American Bar-Tender in 1891. ETA: Late 2013

?

Jay Barmann is the editor of Grub Street San Francisco.

Source: http://www.7x7.com/eat-drink/mid-markets-new-food-offerings

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Mark Pryor May Soon Have A Bloomberg Problem

Mayor?s Against Illegal Guns, the well-funded group co-founded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is seriously considering a months-long television, radio and direct-mail campaign against Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor, one of four Democrats who opposed expanding a background check for guns.

The goal: Make an example of him.

Senior members of Mayor?s Against Illegal Guns met at length Sunday to debate potential responses to the failure of President Obama?s gun regulation package, including a watered-down background check provision that fell five votes short.

In addition to Pryor, three Democratic senators abandoned Obama: Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. The group discussed targeting two of those senators: Pryor and Baucus, according to a senior official involved in the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity.?

Unlike the others who face election in 2014, Heitkamp was just elected to a six-year term. Begich was considered more secure politically than Pryor and Baucus, and thus a less attractive target.?Baucus announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election.

That leaves Pryor as possibly the lone target of a campaign to convince Democrats that there is a price to pay for opposing modest gun regulations, even in a conservative-leaning state like Arkansas.

The broader goal of the Bloomberg group is to provide a political counterweight to the National Rifle Association which has had virtually unmitigated influence over Congress since 1994, when Democrats lost control of the House and blamed then-President Clinton?s assault-weapons ban.

The Bloomberg group is mulling a variety of messages and methods for Arkansas. One approach would be to target reliable Democratic voters, including African Americans, with advertising that calls out Pryor for ?opposing the president?s agenda,? the official said. Another would be to expand the campaign to suburban women and other moderates.The campaign might not be limited to the issue of guns.

?Money would not be an object,? the official said, adding that a decision on whether to target Pryor would come soon and that action against other Democrats is still possible.

The son of a popular former senator, Pryor is a brand name in Arkansas who nonetheless faces a tough re-election. The Democratic bench in Arkansas is shallow, which limits Bloomberg?s ability to impact the Democratic primary.

The risk to Democrats is that Bloomberg?s money could weaken Pryor for the general election, tipping the race to the GOP. ?It will mean electing someone who is even worse on guns and just about everything else,? wrote liberal columnist Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times.

Brantley noted in an interview that Pryor supported Obamacare. On gun control, Brantley said, ?Democrats aren?t that much different than Republicans in Arkansas.?

That will be the case for much of the 2014 midterms, when Senate elections will be fought predominantly in pro-gun territory ? Southern and Mountain West conservative states. The picture is brighter for Bloomberg and Obama in 2016, when Electoral College math favors those who back gun regulations.

Obama's political operation, Organizing for Action, is urging its activists today to tweet those who opposed Obama, including Pryor. There are no plans for an ad campaign against the four Democrats, an official said.

?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mark-pryor-may-soon-bloomberg-problem-230611229--politics.html

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Trial of Russian opposition leader Navalny resumes

SYDNEY, April 24 (Reuters) - Australia named the following squad for the Ashes test series against England in July and August. Squad: Michael Clarke (captain), Brad Haddin (vice captain), Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, Chris Rogers, Matthew Wade, Nathan Lyon, James Faulkner, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird (Compiled by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trial-russian-opposition-leader-navalny-resumes-062003191.html

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Wal-Mart pays some board members more on bribery probe work

By Jessica Wohl

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday that members of its board's audit committee were paid more for the latest year because of extra work they had to take on to handle an ongoing investigation into alleged foreign bribery.

The world's largest retailer also said in its annual proxy statement that the cash incentives for its top executives in 2014 would be partly based on meeting certain compliance objectives.

While incentives for senior executives will still be based on financial and growth targets, there will be compliance goals that executives will have to meet as part of the new plan. Executives who do not meet these goals could see their annual cash incentives reduced or eliminated, according to the regulatory filing.

Back in November 2011, Wal-Mart began its own probe into matters including alleged violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and whether such matters were appropriately handled by the company.

The issue was brought into the public spotlight one year ago, when the New York Times published a report that described how Wal-Mart had intentionally stifled an early internal probe into allegations that Wal-Mart de Mexico officials had paid bribes to help build stores in Mexico.

Wal-Mart said on Monday that it was "implementing enhancements to how we report and investigate allegations of wrongdoing worldwide."

During fiscal 2013, which ended in January, the audit committee met 15 times while other committees met five times or seven times, and the full board met six times, Wal-Mart said.

Members of the audit committee were paid an additional $60,000 fee, while the committee's chairman, Christopher Williams, received an $85,000 fee, the company said.

Wal-Mart said that because of the audit committee's extra work, it decided to double the cash portion of the annual retainer for audit committee members, and doubled the chair fee for the chair of the audit committee.

Williams earned $189,000 in fees for fiscal 2013, the most of any of the 15 board members who are not part of Wal-Mart's management team. Williams, who is chairman and CEO of investment bank Williams Capital Group, has been on Wal-Mart's board since 2004. In last year's board elections, when some shareholders voted against certain board members due to the foreign bribery allegation issue, 13.3 percent of votes were cast against him.

Wal-Mart spent $157 million last year on its probe of alleged bribery allegations in Mexico, Brazil, China and India, and on improvements to its compliance programs.

SORENSON, OTHERS LEAVING BOARD

Separately, three board members will not stand for re-election at the company's June 7 annual meeting. In addition, Chief Executive Mike Duke and some other executives were paid more last year as sales and profit grew.

The company said that James Breyer, the board's presiding director, and M. Michele Burns are each leaving the board after more than 10 years of service. Meanwhile, Arne Sorenson has decided to focus on his role as chief executive of Marriott International Inc . Sorenson is one of the members of the audit committee.

Duke earned $20.7 million last year, up from $18.1 million a year earlier, as the retailer continued to grow despite a sluggish U.S. economy and concerns over the alleged international bribery. Wal-Mart noted that Duke will earn a significant majority of his overall compensation only if the company meets certain performance goals.

Wal-Mart's total sales rose 5 percent to $466.11 billion in the fiscal year that ended in January, while earnings per share rose 10.6 percent to $5.02 per share. Sales at Walmart U.S., the company's largest unit, rose 3.9 percent to $264.19 billion.

Meanwhile, groups that often complain about Wal-Mart's business practices on Monday asked for the removal of Duke and Chairman Rob Walton, a son of deceased founder Sam Walton, from the board. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and its OUR Walmart subsidiary said that letters were sent to Wal-Mart's global ethics office calling for Wal-Mart's board to remove Duke and Rob Walton "for their failure in leadership in preventing the alleged bribery, trying to cover it up" and not taking meaningful action to fix internal problems.

The letters were dated April 22, which coincided with the anniversary of the publication of the New York Times report. The story was published online on April 21, 2012, and appeared in the April 22, 2012, print edition of the newspaper.

Shares of Wal-Mart slipped 0.4 percent to $77.97 on Monday. They had reached an all-time high of $79.28 one week ago.

(Reporting by Jessica Wohl in Chicago; Additional reporting by Liana B. Baker in New York; Editing by Gary Hill, Matthew Lewis and Chris Gallagher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wal-mart-pays-board-members-more-bribery-probe-012449888--finance.html

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