ivory nonperforming: 2013

Saturday, October 26, 2013

What To Know About The Tentative JPMorgan Deal

JPMorgan has reached a tentative $13 billion settlement with the Department of Justice over its questionable mortgage practices leading up to the U.S. financial crisis. Renee Montagne talks to NPR business correspondent Chris Arnold about what's known so far about the terms of the deal.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne. The Justice Department is on the verge of a $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan Chase. That would make it the biggest government fine involving a single company. It involves the allegedly improper sale of mortgage securities that led to the financial crisis of 2008. NPR's Chris Arnold has been following this and he joins us now. Good morning.

CHRIS ARNOLD, BYLINE: Good morning, Renee.

MONTAGNE: So tell us more about this settlement.

ARNOLD: OK. Well, the deal would clear JPMorgan of civil charges related to mortgage securities that the bank sold back during the housing bubble. It turned out those were full of bad home loans. But the deal does not protect the bank from criminal prosecution, and that's key. That's being considered a win for the government.

The Justice Department has faced some criticism for not more aggressively prosecuting the major U.S. banks or their more senior executives who were involved in the financial crisis. So here it gets a big settlement from JPMorgan and the Justice Department will continue an ongoing criminal probe as well.

MONTAGNE: Well, this deal seems like a big deal but tentative, I gather. How do we even know that this is actually coming together?

ARNOLD: Well, we know that for a while the two sides were talking. You probably remember a few weeks ago when JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon flew down to Washington and he got out of an SUV and walked right into the front door of the Justice Department and he met with Attorney General Eric Holder. There were TV cameras everywhere. That got a lot of attention. So certainly discussions were underway.

But then things came to a head going into this past weekend. And a source tells NPR that the broad terms of the deal were agreed to on Friday night in a phone call that included Jamie Dimon and Attorney General Eric Holder. That was described as a handshake deal, basically, on the major issues and the lawyers for both sides now are apparently hammering out the details. Of course, we really won't know for sure until it's actually announced.

MONTAGNE: All right. So you mentioned at the very top that this involved mortgage securities. What exactly was JPMorgan being investigated for here?

ARNOLD: Right. In a word or two it's about bad mortgages. And, again, back during the housing bubble there was a lot of shady lending and fraud in a whole class of mortgages that were referred to as liar's loans where you could just write in any amount you wanted for your income. And these investigations into JPMorgan involved the bank's role in wrapping up those loans into securities, bundling them up, and then selling them off.

Allegedly, the bank told investors, hey, look. This is a pretty good investment here. These are solid. We've done some diligence. When, in fact, allegedly, the bank knew that a lot of those loans were garbage. So the Justice Department was going after the bank for that. So was one state attorney general. And this settlement resolves those civil charges.

MONTAGNE: Let's talk some more about that $13 billion. It is, as we've just said, the largest settlement the Justice Department has ever reached with a single company. What would all - where, rather, would all that money go?

ARNOLD: That's right. And of course the $13 billion is the biggest in some perspective. British BP after the oil spill in the Gulf paid $4.5 billion. The bank HSBC agreed to pay about $2 billion in penalties over money laundering last year. In the JPMorgan settlement, reportedly $4 billion would go towards consumer relief and we're not sure exactly what that would mean.

Four billion would go towards Fannie and Freddie. They bought a lot of this stuff. And finally, there's $5 billion in other penalties.

MONTAGNE: Well, just briefly, let's talk about JPMorgan's other problems. It seems like we're hearing about some kind of settlement or allegations all the time with this bank.

ARNOLD: Yeah. There's the London Whale. There's energy trading. There's all kinds of problems. I think key here, the bank for the first time in nearly 10 years did not have a quarterly profit; it had a loss. So that might mark a turning point where all this starts to engulf the bank. We won't really know. We have to see what happens.

MONTAGNE: Chris, thanks very much.

ARNOLD: Thanks, Renee.

MONTAGNE: That's NPR's Chris Arnold.

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Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=238899520&ft=1&f=3
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Cumberbatch's 'Sherlock' returning to PBS Jan. 19

LOS ANGELES (AP) — PBS says the "Sherlock" series with Benedict Cumberbatch will return in January, paired with "Downton Abbey."

Season three of the modern Sherlock Holmes mystery series will begin Sunday, Jan. 19, PBS said Wednesday. It was previously announced that the fourth season of "Downton Abbey" will debut Sunday, Jan 5.

Although the latest edition of hit period drama "Downton" already is under way in Britain, PBS said it has scheduled "Sherlock" closer to its U.K. run. The British air date has yet to be announced.

"Downton Abbey," about the lives and loves of landed gentry and their servants, will be preceded by a Dec. 1 special, "Return to Downton Abbey." Hosted by Susan Sarandon, it will offer a look at past seasons and a peek at the one ahead.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-10-23-US-TV-PBS-Midseason/id-485eba31efe24b4c97535bd5d885bc26
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World Headlines: A Chinese Trial; The Syrian War Spills Over

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai stands before the Shandong Provincial Higher People's Court. The court upheld Bo's conviction and life sentence for corruption and abuse of power.

Xie Huanchi/AP

China, Xinhua

We begin in China where a court on Friday rejected an appeal by former politician Bo Xilai over his life sentence for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

Bo, if you remember, was a rising star in China's political system before his career collapsed in early 2012 after his wife was linked to the murder of a British businessman. (She was handed a suspended death sentence in August). Bo himself was indicted in July and was convicted last month following a high-profile trial.

Here's how his sentence was broken down: He was found guilty of accepting bribes totaling about $3.3 million, embezzling about $820,000 and of abusing power. He was sentenced to life in prison for accepting bribes, his political rights were deprived for life, and his personal assets confiscated.

Also, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for embezzlement and had personal assets of about $165,000 confiscated. Bo was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for abuse of power.

Xinhua reported Friday on how Bo's appeals process worked:

"Bo submitted an appeal after the verdict was handed down. The Shandong Higher People's Court filed Bo's appeal and formed a collegial panel for the second trial.

"The collegial panel reviewed all the case files and video footage of the first trial, examined Bo's appeal documents and defence lawyers' opinions.

"The panel interrogated Bo several times and heard opinions of his lawyers, verified all evidence, comprehensively examined the facts confirmed during the first trial and legal applications to fully safeguard the litigation rights of Bo and the defence lawyers.

"After review by the collegial panel and deliberation of a judgment committee, Shandong Higher People's Court gave its decision."

Lebanon, Daily Star

Syria's civil war has sent refugees flooding into Lebanon. The war has also contributed to violence in the neighboring state.

At least seven people were killed in the Lebanese city of Tripoli in overnight fighting between gunmen loyal to Syria's president and those opposed to Bashar Assad. Twelve people were also wounded, raising the number of people injured in the fifth consecutive day of fighting to more than 70.

Lebanese security sources told the newspaper the overnight battles were the fiercest since the fighting began Sunday.

"Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city, has seen recurrent clashes linked to the crisis in neighboring Syria, namely between Jabal Mohsen, which backs Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Bab al-Tabbaneh, which supports his opponents," the newspaper reported.

Tripoli, the BBC reports, has a small Alawite community living amid a Sunni majority. Syria's Assad is Alawite; his opponents in the civil war are mainly Sunni.

Nigeria, Vanguard

More than half of all Nigerians live on $1 a day. That may be one reason why there's anger over a government minister's purchase of two bulletproof BMWs for $1.4 million for her ministry.

Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority says it ordered the two BMW 760Li cars at the request of Aviation Minister Stella Oduah. The revelations, which were first made in Sahara Reporters, a U.S.-based website that covers the region, sparked outrage in Nigeria.

The country's House of Representatives is holding an inquiry into the purchases. Oduah did not attend Thursday's hearing before the House Committee on Aviation, prompting members of the panel to demand that she appear at the next hearing Tuesday or face sanctions.

Australia, Sydney Morning Herald

Australia won't make fridges after 2016: Swedish manufacturer Electrolux announced that it would close its plant in Orange, New South Wales, by 2016.

Some 500 people will lose their jobs, severely affecting the economy of the city in a rural part of the state in eastern Australia. The plant has operated in Orange for more than 70 years.

Here's more from the newspaper:

"The refrigeration plant in Orange has been under the microscope since February, when Electrolux announced a six-month investment study to see if Orange is globally competitive enough to make a new range of refrigerators and freezers. Reconfiguring the factory to build the new range would have cost more than $45 million.

"John Brown, managing director of Electrolux Home Products Australia and New Zealand, said the company understood the sensitivity of its decision, but the company's investment study concluded it could manufacture refrigerators more cheaply in other factories in Asia and Eastern Europe. He said the company had spoken to all levels of government before reaching its decision."

Europe

We didn't mean to leave out the fallout in Europe over the U.S. National Security Agency's reported surveillance in France and Germany. The controversy has pushed Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande to call for talks with the U.S. (You can read those stories by clicking on the links — or you can find NPR's coverage here.)

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/25/240707389/world-headlines-a-chinese-trial-the-syrian-war-spills-over?ft=1&f=1004
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TiVo to Roamio Users: Roam if You Want To

Ultimately, more devices will support out-of-home streaming, suggested Greg Scoblete, analyst for set-top box devices at Digital Tech Consulting. Still, "I think this is merely an interim step to a truly cloud-based solution -- think Netflix -- that doesn't rely on the vagaries of consumer hardware, apps or the kinds of networks you're streaming over," he said.

TiVo was one of the first to enable consumers to time-shift their TV viewing via DVRs, and now the company is targeting place-shifting capabilities as well with out-of-home streaming via the TiVo Roamio Pro and TiVo Roamio Plus DVRs.

The two Roamio devices were launched earlier this year, but on Thursday the company announced that the functionality to record content to the living room and stream to a mobile device -- including smartphone and tablet -- is now available thanks to a new version of the TiVo iOS app.

"Until now, your shows have been locked up in your set-top box at home," said Jim Denney, TiVo's vice president of product marketing. "Now, with a TiVo Roamio DVR, whether it's a hotel in Denmark, the waiting room at the dentist office, when you're stuck at the airport, or at the gym, out-of-home streaming gives you the level of choice, control and freedom that consumers have come to expect."

Out-of-home streaming requires an Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch device running iOS 5.1 or higher; streaming is supported to only one device at a time. Support for streaming over 4G/LTE and to Android devices is scheduled for 2014.

TiVo declined to provide further details.

Three Models

The TiVo Roamio combines the functionality of a DVR with that of a Slingbox as well as Apple TV or a Roku set top box, allowing users to watch live or recorded content remotely anywhere a user has WiFi. Users can also download the content to an iOS device anywhere so that low bandwidth or lack of WiFi is not an issue.

The Roamio devices also include TiVo's second screen dashboard that provides instantaneous personalized recommendations, remote scheduling and even mobile search and discovery.

The TiVo Roamio DVR Series is available in three models including the TiVo Roamio for US$199.99; TiVo Roamio Plus for $399.99; and the TiVo Roamio Pro for $599.99. These Roamio models feature four or six tuners and range from 75 hours to 450 hours of recording space for HD content.

'Playing Catch-Up'

While TiVo was among the first DVR devices on the market back in 1999, today most cable and satellite providers also include DVR and on-demand options. Moreover, the new Roamio functionality is merely catching up to what Sling has already offered.

"That's how I take it," said Greg Ireland, research manager for multiscreen video at IDC. "It is basically playing catch-up with Sling."

TiVo was "pushed to the side when cable boxes added DVRs," Ireland told TechNewsWorld. "TiVo added Web content into the boxes to differentiate what it did, but this is the next step. This is necessary catch up to be able to position the TiVo box as an enabler for your content when you want and where you want."

Place Shifting

While there has been the ability to time-shift content since the early days of the VCR, it is the DVR that really revolutionized viewing with the notion that coming in a few minutes late didn't mean you couldn't start watching the program from the beginning.

The next logical step was the ability to place-shift the content and take it with you. Such capabilities are already offered by Slingbox devices, which Dish Networks offers, as well as by cable networks and channels offering such as Comcast's Xfinity service and HBO Go.

"What we're seeing is a kind of ad-hoc technological solution to what really is a business model break-down: Consumers want their 'TV everywhere' -- on any device, over any kind of network no matter where they are," Greg Scoblete, analyst for set-top box devices at Digital Tech Consulting, told TechNewsWorld. "Unfortunately, the way content license deals work, not every piece of content can be viewed out of the home on devices that aren't TVs."

What that leads to is "the more cumbersome approach of trying to have third-party hardware, like the TiVo, distribute this content out of the home," Scoblete noted.

"Ultimately, more devices will support this kind of out-of-home streaming," he concluded, "but I think this is merely an interim step to a truly cloud-based solution -- think Netflix -- that doesn't rely on the vagaries of consumer hardware, apps or the kinds of networks you're streaming over."

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/79276.html
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Craig Venter: Life at the Speed of Light

Audio for this story from Science Friday will be available at approximately 3:00 p.m. ET.

In his new book Life at the Speed of Light: From the Double Helix to the Dawn of Digital Life, Craig Venter writes of the brave new world synthetic biology may some day deliver: from consumer devices that print out the latest flu vaccine to instruments on Mars landers that analyze Martian DNA and teleport it back to Earth to be studied�"or recreated.

Author Interviews

Craig Venter: Life at the Speed of Light

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Can Everything Change In An Instant?

Commentary

A Life In Science: From Housewife To Amazon Trailblazer

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Questions For Oscar Martinez, Author Of 'The Beast'

World Series scene shifts, Cards right at home

ST. LOUIS (AP) — From the Green Monster to the Gateway Arch. From the Charles River to the mighty Mississippi. From clam chowder to toasted ravioli.

The World Series scene is shifting, and St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright couldn't be happier.

"We love Cardinal country," he said Friday.

For good reason, too. After Boston split the first two games at Fenway Park, now Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and the rest of the Red Sox will get to see what makes this place so special.

Especially in October.

"Well, we love playing here at Busch Stadium. Like I said, it's a sea of red," pitcher Joe Kelly said.

The free-spirited Kelly was set to start Game 3 on Saturday night against Jake Peavy.

"This is what I've lived for my whole life — my whole baseball career, I should say," Peavy said. "I'm as prepared as I'll ever be — physically, mentally."

Also warmed up: A team of eight Clydesdales, ready to pull a red beer wagon around the warning track before the first pitch. It's also a tradition for fans to gather early at the Musial statue — there are two honoring Stan the Man, actually.

Red Sox closer Koji Uehara took a moment to soak it all in. As he walked onto the field for a workout, the first-time visitor looked at the gleaming Arch hovering high beyond the center-field fence.

The Cardinals rely on a lot more than pomp when they play in their own park.

They led the NL in scoring while going 54-27 at Busch, and then let pitching take over in the postseason. St. Louis is 5-1 at home in the playoffs — in those five wins, opponents scored a total of five runs.

Boston has hit just .188 so far in the Series, with David Ortiz providing the biggest bop. He's homered in both games and is 4 for 6 overall with five RBIs.

With no designated hitter in the National League park, Ortiz will switch to first base. Manager John Farrell wouldn't say whether Ortiz would start there for every game in St. Louis, but it's a good guess regular first baseman Mike Napoli will be on the bench for a while.

Farrell also said lefty-swinging Daniel Nava would start in left field instead of Jonny Gomes, who is 0 for 7 so far.

"Obviously David's bat, at all costs, needs to be in the lineup," Peavy said. "David is a game-changer. He's as clutch as anybody I can remember playing with or against."

"It just seems like he has a flair for the dramatic. When the situation is the biggest, he's at his best," he said.

Ortiz hit a two-run homer off rookie sensation Michael Wacha in Game 2 that put Boston ahead 2-1 in the sixth inning, but St. Louis rallied in the seventh for a 4-2 win.

The Red Sox will spend this weekend at the stadium a few blocks from the Mississippi River.

"I believe our ballpark is very fair. I don't think there's one thing that would make our team any more effective in this park than any other," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "It's not like there's the oddities, like a Green Monster or deep corners and gaps."

"But you can't help but buy into the atmosphere, especially when you're at home and every single thing you do gets such a positive response," he said.

Kelly is glad to be home, all the way around.

"You get to sleep in your own bed. You get to do what you normally do on a regular basis," he said. "If you get coffee in the morning, you go to your coffee shop. It's just a comfort level to know that it's your home away from your offseason home."

For the Red Sox, this is their first visit to St. Louis since Ortiz hit a home run on June 8, 2005, in a win at the previous Busch Stadium. The new park opened the next year.

Kelly also had some friendly advice for Boston's first-time visitors. It involved a local favorite, a food that many are certain started in this city.

"Find some toasted raviolis, eat some. Those are good, especially in St. Louis," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-series-scene-shifts-cards-home-204314405--spt.html
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Friday, October 25, 2013

Manager: Gabriel Gonzaga equally interested in fight with Stipe Miocic

Stipe Miocic’s manager wants Gabriel Gonzaga and he may get exactly that.

MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani reported on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight that Miocic’s manager has asked the UFC to match him against the Brazilian. MMA Fighting can exclusively confirm Gonzaga’s manager is interested in the offer.

"We are interested in any fight the UFC offers, and Stipe Miocic is a great fighter," Gonzaga’s manager and head coach, Marco Alvan, told MMAFighting.com. "He’s well ranked in the UFC, he’s coming off a great win over Roy Nelson, and that fight makes sense for Gonzaga right now. It would be a great opportunity to get Gonzaga closer to the Top 5, and that’s what he wants."

Miocic hasn’t fought since a dominant decision victory over Roy Nelson last June, and Gonzaga has scored two consecutive first-round knockouts over the last four months, finishing Dave Herman and Shawn Jordan.

"Stipe is a great fighter, we all know that, and he would be a great challenge, but Gonzaga has fought some of the best for a long time," he said. "Gonzaga believes in his striking and he would go there to try to knock him out. Gonzaga hits harder and has everything to add another knockout to his record."

Gonzaga announced his retirement from MMA after being released from the UFC in 2010, but he changed his mind a year later and took a fight at Reality Fighting. Since then, Gonzaga has gone 5-1 with five stoppage victories, but his camp still feels Travis Browne should have been disqualified for illegal elbows in his victory over the Brazilian last April.

"Gonzaga is coming off six consecutive wins," Alvan said. "We accept that loss to Browne, but we don’t agree with it. We respect UFC’s decision, we respect the athletic commission, but we don’t agree with it. Just watch the fight. Nine out of 10 people would agree that those shots were illegal. We know that.

"He tied Frank Mir’s record of most finishes (eleven) in the UFC heavyweight history," he continued, "and he wants to make history by being the first heavyweight to fight five times in a calendar year."

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/10/25/5028680/manager-gabriel-gonzaga-equally-interested-in-fight-with-stipe-miocic
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Tito Ortiz fractures his neck, Bellator cancels PPV, moves rest of Nov. 2 card to Spike TV

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said Friday during a hastily called conference call that Tito Ortiz suffered a fractured neck during training for his planned Nov. 2 bout against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, forcing the cancellation of the bout and moving the rest of the card off of pay-per-view and onto Spike TV.

The card now will be headlined by a lightweight title match between Michael Chandler against Eddie Alvarez as the main event in Long Beach, Calif. Chandler won the title from Alvarez in a spectacular 2011 fight.

Rebney said the remainder of the card will go on as planned. In addition to Chandler-Alvarez, the card will include a featherweight title bout between Pat Curran and Daniel Straus, a light heavyweight rematch between Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Emanuel Newton and the Fight Master finale between Joe Riggs and Mike Bronzoulis.

Rebney said Ortiz's injury is long-term and that he won't be able to fight for several months, at least. Rebney said Ortiz "is devastated," and said the injury was unrelated to a previous neck surgery Ortiz had while he was fighting for the UFC.

Rebney said Ortiz called him several days ago and said he was in intense pain. Rebney arranged for Ortiz to see a doctor in Orange County, Calif., two days ago. The results of the MRI were then forwarded to Dr. William Smith in Las Vegas, who had performed surgery on Ortiz's neck previously.

"All kudos to Tito [because] Tito wanted to move forward, Tito wanted to progress, Tito wanted to fight," Rebney said. "His doctor said absolutely not. His doctor went so far as to say given the fracture and where it is located, if he were slammed on his head in the wrong way or hit in the wrong way that conceivably the fracture could go as far as to cause paralysis. And Tito was still interested in trying to figure out a way to move forward.

"I wasn't in favor of it. His doctor wasn't in favor of it. Life's too important. He's got two beautiful kids and you can live to fight another day, as they say. I've only had all the substantive information for about a day now and finally got everybody on the phone to make some decisions."

Rebney said he is hopeful of being able to get Jackson a fight as quickly as possible. He said he hoped Jackson would fight on Spike TV before Thanksgiving.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/tito-ortiz-injured-bellator-cancels-ppv-moves-rest-214804022--mma.html
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Jury sought child abuse charges against Ramseys

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A grand jury that reviewed evidence in the death of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey believed her parents were involved in the crime but didn't say who killed the beauty queen, according to documents released Friday, 14 years after the grand jury made its recommendation.

At the time, the panel recommended that both her parents be charged with child abuse resulting in death and being an accessory to a crime, including murder.

However, the documents allege that both parents intended to delay or prevent the arrest of the person who killed their daughter.

The proposed charges were disclosed for the first time in the documents.

Prosecutors at the time declined to actually file charges against John and Patsy Ramsey, who have since been treated as victims in the case.

The district attorney at the time, Alex Hunter, who presented the evidence to the grand jury, said in 1999: "I and my prosecutorial team believe we do not have sufficient evidence to warrant the filing of charges against anyone who has been investigated at this time."

John Ramsey's attorney, Hal Haddon, issued a letter earlier this week opposing release of the indictments, pointing out that Hunter's successor, former district attorney Mary Lacy, cleared the Ramseys based on new DNA testing in 2008.

He also cited Lacy's apology in a letter to John Ramsey at the time, in which she said "no innocent person should have to endure such an extensive trial in the court of public opinion, especially when public officials have not had sufficient evidence to initiate a trial in a court of law."

Another Ramsey attorney, L. Lin Wood, said the indictments that were released are "nonsensical," he said.

"They reveal nothing about the evidence reviewed by the grand jury and are clearly the result of a confused and compromised process," he said.

Patsy Ramsey died in 2006.

Lurid details of the crime and striking videos of the child in adult makeup and costumes performing in pageants propelled the case into one of the highest profile mysteries in the U.S. in the mid-1990s.

The grand jury met three years after JonBenet's body was found bludgeoned and strangled in the family home in Boulder on Dec. 26, 1996.

The Ramseys maintained their innocence, offering a $100,000 reward for information about the killer and mounting a newspaper campaign seeking evidence.

Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said the case remains open but is not an active investigation. He predicted the indictment's release wouldn't change anything.

"Given the publicity that's been out there, many people have formed their opinions one way or another," he said.

Former prosecutor and law professor Karen Steinhauser said grand juries sometimes hear evidence that won't be admitted during trial that can form the basis of indictments.

But she added that prosecutors must have a good faith belief that they could prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt before pursuing charges.

"I'm not sure that the release of this indictment is going to change the fact that there has not been able to be a prosecution and probably won't be able to be a prosecution," she said.

David Lane, a defense attorney who was not involved in the case, said the indictments could have been an attempt to force the parents to turn against each other, which he said was unlikely because both were protected by laws that limit testimony of one spouse against another.

"Somebody killed JonBenet Ramsey," Lane said. "It sounds like they were accused of aiding and abetting each other, with the hope someone would crack and break. That didn't happen, and prosecutors may have decided not to go forward."

The Daily Camera reported earlier this year that the grand jury had issued the indictment. The actual documents were released Friday in response to a lawsuit by Daily Camera reporter Charlie Brennan and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett determined the release would not violate grand jury secrecy rules, and transferred the documents to Robert Lowenbach, a retired Weld County judge, for review.

Lowenbach said Wednesday that only pages signed by the grand jury foreman would be releasable as official actions of the jury. His order mentioned 18 pages in all — nine relating to each of JonBenet's parents. Four pages — two each relating to the parents — were released Friday.

John Ramsey didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

Patsy Ramsey died of cancer in 2006, the same year a globe-hopping school teacher was arrested in Thailand after falsely claiming to have killed JonBenet. Former District Attorney Mary Lacy cleared the Ramseys in 2008 based on new DNA testing that suggested the killer was a stranger, not a family member.

Lacy did not return a phone call on Friday.

Over the years, some experts have suggested that investigators botched the case so thoroughly that it might never be solved.

Earlier this week, John Ramsey asked officials to release the entire grand jury record if the unprosecuted indictment was made public.

However, Lowenbach said transcripts of grand jury proceedings and evidence presented to it are not considered official action under the law governing criminal court records. He also said releasing such information could hurt other grand juries, whose work is secret.

An attorney representing John Ramsey, L. Lin Wood, has said he's confident that no evidence in the grand jury case implicated the Ramsey family and the public should be able to see that for themselves.

_____

Associated Press writers Steven K. Paulson and Dan Elliott contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jury-sought-child-abuse-charges-against-ramseys-165942442.html
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BBM: The Messenger is already dead

Most companies would kill for 10 million app downloads, especially if it's widely believed to be on a one-way trip to the morgue. The otherwise moribund BlackBerry hit this mark last week, claiming 10 million downloads of its BBM app, which finally rolled out to iOS and Android users after last month's false start. Despite its dwindling market, BBM is understandably popular among BlackBerry users-- it's long been one of the few personal apps for the device, and it's not like other messaging options are available on the platform.

Still, the notion of a cross-platform BBM had strong emotional appeal, and it was apparently a key issue in co-founder Jim Balsillie's departure from BlackBerry earlier this year. Balsillie believed it would save the company, while CEO Thorsten Heins thought it would distract from the need to fix BlackBerry's smartphone platform. Heins won, but users didn't adopt the new BlackBerry 10 platform, despite decent reviews. Now we're back to BBM-as-savior.

[ The InfoWorld reviews: BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10. | Mobile security: iOS vs. Android vs. Windows Phone vs. BlackBerry. | For quick, smart takes on the news you'll be talking about, check out InfoWorld TechBrief -- subscribe today. ]

Unfortunately, BBM won't save BlackBerry either. Lots of cross-platform IM apps are out there, and BBM simply doesn't stand out. In fact, due to its poor setup, it stands back.

My colleague Serdar Yegulalp and I both tried BBM this week, after BlackBerry granted us early access. Although the BBM app is available for free download for Android and iOS devices, BlackBerry is rationing access to the service, presumably to ramp up the network to handle demand.

Unfortunately, it's not working. Yegulalp and I both waited for hours for our apps to register themselves once we signed in via our BlackBerry ID credentials. Our invites to each other to initiate chatting -- you must first provide your PIN to the person you want to chat with -- sat for half a day in the bowels of BlackBerry's servers before they were finally delivered to us. And the service went dead for us mere hours after we got to use it, though it came back up later.

No wonder BlackBerry was rationing access -- and it still didn't work!

Even if you chalk it up to poor capacity planning or a panicked release, the BBM app itself is awkward to set up, doesn't connect well to your contacts, and at the end of the day offers the same basic IM functionality as everyone else -- maybe even less at this rate.

The PIN requirement is awkward for several reasons. First, who's going to remember a random string of characters? Maybe BlackBerry does that to avoid name collisions, but it's still problematic. As a result, you can't easily tell people how to initiate a chat. The app can send emails to people with that PIN; they then click a link that opens a browser to a BlackBerry service and sends an invite to the BBM app to connect the two users. That's an inelegant and roundabout method.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobile-technology/bbm-the-messenger-already-dead-229433?source=rss_infoworld_blogs
Category: channing tatum Cressida Bonas Blurred Lines Lyrics Lauren Silverman megan fox

Join Us For TechCrunch Bangalore

India’s startup ecosystem is showing some promise. In the first half of 2013, for example, investors dropped $400 million into 141 deals, and startup Red Bus had a sweet $150 million exit. In other words, the time is right for our first ever event in India: TechCrunch Bangalore, which we are hosting with PlatformPlay in India’s tech hub on November 14-15.

TechCrunch Bangalore will focus on how to build companies in India that will go global — the question is how and when India’s startups will crack the code.

The event will feature a hackathon, startup pitch presentations and startup exhibits. On the second day there will be speakers, panelists and TechCrunch editors (including me!) on stage.

In the hackathon, over 400 hackers were shortlisted from over 750 entries. Picked from across the country, these hackers will work in groups to create their hack in just 24 hours. The following day, each team will get 60 seconds to speed-pitch their creation to a panel of expert judges and audience members.

The pitch presentations will showcase 50 startups selected from over 400 entries, each launching their products before a live and online audience. The judging panel for the event will include VCs, investors, seasoned entrepreneurs and tech and product experts.

The main conference keynotes will feature speakers from across the globe, including Turochas ‘T’ Fuad, CEO and Co-founder, Travelmob and Keith Nilsson, Partner, TPG Growth. In addition, Troy Malone, Evernote Corporation and Anthony Hearne, Outbrain, will join us for panels in Bangalore.

The winning teams will be awarded tickets to the TechCrunch New Delhi event, planned for August 2014, and a chance to attend TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2014. TechCrunch and PlatformPlay will host two additional India events together next year in Pune and New Delhi.

The exhibits in Startup Zone are a great place for attendees — especially investors, media and potential partners — to look over some great new entrants to the startup scene.

You can find more details on the event here.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Skt0iCTVJW0/
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Philly cops seek car seen driving on museum steps

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police are looking for a convertible seen driving down the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps made famous in the movie "Rocky."

Several people posted online videos showing the car driving down the steps in fits and starts at about midnight Thursday. The car then speeds off.

Hugh Dillon, a photographer who runs the local entertainment website PhillyChitChat, posted one of the videos. He says he lives nearby and happened on the stunt.

Police say they plan to review surveillance video to try to find the driver, who would face citations for numerous offenses, including reckless driving and driving on the sidewalk.

____

Online:

Dillon's video: http://youtu.be/ETRLkdQiQN0

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/philly-cops-seek-car-seen-driving-museum-steps-115028803.html
Tags: Healthcare.gov Lake Natron Dylan Penn 2020 Olympics Michael Ansara

New iPads likely to star in Apple's latest show

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is expected to round out its line-up of gadgets for the holiday shopping season with the Tuesday unveiling of its latest iPads.

The San Francisco showcase is likely to feature remodeled versions of its standard-sized iPad with a 10-inch display screen and the IPad Mini with a nearly 8-inch screen. Hewing to its usually tight-lipped ways, Apple Inc. hasn't shared details about what's on the agenda. The Cupertino, Calif. company merely sent out invitations that said, "We still have a lot to cover."

Apple's secrecy notwithstanding, glimpses of the revamped iPads have been showing up in videos posted on the Internet, including on websites that provided early — and accurate — peeks at the new iPhones Apple rolled out last month.

It will be a shock if Apple isn't taking the wraps off new iPads on Tuesday because it has been nearly a year since the previous generation came out. This would be the fifth generation of Apple's tablet computer. The original iPad debuted in early 2010 and accelerated the consumer shift away from traditional laptop and desktop computers. Tablets, including rival devices inspired by the iPad, are now outselling laptops.

If the unauthorized previews of the new iPads are correct, this year's standard-sized model is getting a more noticeable makeover than last year. It's expected to be even thinner and lighter than its predecessor and designed more like the iPad Mini with slimmer sides and tighter curves on the back. To conform with the new look, Apple is also expected to introduce new versions of its smart covers — the polyurethane shields that attach to iPads to protect the screen. The covers also can be detached and folded into a stand for the device.

Apple will probably add its high-definition "Retina Display" to the iPad Mini to stay competitive with recent upgrades to the smaller tablets sold by Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.

Both sizes of iPad almost certainly will come with iOS 7, Apple's latest mobile operating system, already installed. The new operating software has been available to download on most of the previous generations of the iPad since last month. Some iPad owners have complained that iOS 7 doesn't look as good or run as well on older tablets.

The new iPads may also come equipped with a biometric sensor that enables a user's fingerprints to serve as a password instead of typing a numeric code to unlock the device. The fingerprint technology is part of the iPhone 5S, Apple's latest high-end smartphone.

If Apple is consistent with its past practices, the prices on the new iPads won't change. Prices on the standard-sized iPad usually start at $499 and the cheapest iPad Mini goes for $329. That has left Apple's tablets more expensive than rival models, but the company has maintained the iPad is worth it.

The higher prices nevertheless have eroded the iPad's market share. The research firm Gartner Inc. estimates that tablet's running Google's Android operating system will end this year with a 50 percent share of the worldwide market versus 49 percent for the iPad. Just two years ago, the iPad commanded a 65 percent market share compared to 30 percent for Android tablets, according to Gartner.

The introduction of a new iPad could also herald the end of the line for the iPad 2, a tablet that Apple released more than two years ago. The iPad 2 currently serves as Apple's discount tablet with a $399 price tag.

It's also likely Apple will use Tuesday's event to announce the release dates for the polished version of its Mavericks operating system for Mac computers and the revamped MacBook Pro. Both the operating system and MacBook pro were previewed at an Apple conference in June.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-10-21-US-Apple-New-iPads/id-fdd1a5e1b23045e0a20314d808927de1
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10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos

IN this image taken with a fisheye lens, Boston Red Sox players take batting practice as a rainbow appears in the sky above Fenway Park Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in Boston. The Red Sox are scheduled to host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of baseball's World Series on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Guatemalan clown Tonito poses for a portrait at an international clown convention in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013. Wearing oversized shoes, wigs and rubber noses, the clowns lined up to register on the first day of the 17th International Clown Convention at a theater in Mexico City. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

An Indian boy jumps to catch a ball at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, India, Friday, Oct.18, 2013. Shivaji Park is the largest park in Mumbai and has been a training ground for several Indian cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Pakistani boys, who were displaced with their families from Pakistan's tribal areas due to fighting between the Taliban and the army, pose for a photograph, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

George Mendez, foreground, a 55-year-old recovering alcoholic, sits in front of a drunk woman in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. The area, originally agricultural until the 1870s when railroads first entered Los Angeles, has maintained a transient nature through the years from the influxes of short-term workers, migrants fleeing economic hardship during the Great Depression, military personnel during World War II and the Vietnam conflict, and low-skilled workers with limited transportation options who need to remain close to the city's core, according to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Here's your look at highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see.

This week's collection includes a portrait of a clown in Mexico City, a rainbow over Red Sox players taking batting practice at Fenway Park in Boston, children playing ball in Mumbai and a powerful punch landed during a boxing match in Leipzig, central Germany.

___

This gallery contains photos published Oct. 17-24, 2013.

Follow AP photographers on Twitter: http://apne.ws/XZy6ny

The Archive: Previous "10 Things to See" galleries: http://apne.ws/13QUFKJ

___

See other recent AP photo galleries:

A slice of life at clown convention: http://apne.ws/166dgHk

Clowning serious business at convention: http://apne.ws/1a9KaKn

30 years after Marine barracks blast: http://apne.ws/1a9KgBG

Argentines worry about agrochemicals: http://apne.ws/17LRVAq

Indigenous fashion show in Bolivia: http://apne.ws/1adApav

Georgia Bull Run draws 3,000 daredevils: http://apne.ws/1a9KsB4

Skid Row, a battle of misery and hope: http://apne.ws/19AdCqg

Yosemite reopens after shutdown: http://apne.ws/1adARW8

___

Follow AP Images on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Images

Visit AP Images online: http://www.apimages.com

___

This gallery was curated by news producer Caleb Jones. Follow him on Twitter (http://twitter.com/CalebAP) and Instagram (http://instagram.com/calebnews)

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-24-BC-10-Things-To-See/id-f915988bf9e24504b8ab39639848d3bf
Category: nascar FedEx Cup standings twin towers aaron hernandez Miley Cyrus VMA

Arcade Fire pays tribute to Haiti on new album

MIAMI (AP) — A traditional Haitian rara band loudly snaked through the crowd, its insistent drums and horns drawing the members of Arcade Fire to a small outdoor stage.

The Canadian musicians thanked the members of Rara Lakay in a smattering of Haitian Creole, and building on their beats launched into songs from a new album heavily influenced by Haiti's unique rhythms.

"We wouldn't have been able to make this album without Haiti," said Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler.

The Thursday night show at the Little Haiti Cultural Center was the second of two Miami performances this week that billed the band as "The Reflektors." Arcade Fire's new album "Reflektor" comes out next week.

Butler's wife and bandmate Regine Chassagne is Haitian, and the band has traveled to the Caribbean country in recent years, including a trip to Haiti's Carnival in Jacmel.

Butler told Rolling Stone magazine this week that the songs on "Reflektor" explore the transformative experiences the band has had in Haiti, particularly the song "Here Comes the Night Time." It builds to a rara-inspired chaos, and Butler ad-libbed lyrics Thursday night referencing the thousands of Haitians who have attempted to flee their country's desperate conditions in boats, only to encounter hostility from U.S. authorities.

"Yeah, heaven's a place," Butler sang. "... It's behind the gate, they won't let you in, they'll send you to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, particularly if your boat seems to be coming from Port-au-Prince, Haiti."

Thursday's performance in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood was a kind of homecoming for the album. With traditional drummers banging on tall drums wrapped in reflective material, the band performed on a stage that regularly hosts popular Haitian bands for local Haitian-American crowds dancing under palm trees.

Arcade Fire didn't exactly attract a true Little Haiti crowd, but some older residents and shopkeepers gathered in doorways before the show to watch the band's fans, dressed in formal wear or costumes, line up for face painting that matched the bright, primary colors of the neighborhood's main street.

The show also served as a fundraiser for the cultural center and Partners in Health. Butler introduced "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" from the band's previous album as a song based on the Tracy Kidder biography of Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health.

As an encore, the band played its song titled "Haiti." Before beginning its opening trills, Butler pledged to support Haiti's ongoing rebuilding efforts.

"Haiti is going to come back," he said. "We believe we can build it together — the Haitians are going to build it themselves and we're going to support them, OK?"

___

Follow Jennifer Kay on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jnkay .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arcade-fire-pays-tribute-haiti-album-054150366.html
Category: chargers rosh hashanah Linda Ronstadt green bay packers Andrea Sneiderman

2 shot at Nat'l Guard armory; gunman in custody

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (AP) — A member of the National Guard opened fire at an armory outside a U.S. Navy base in Tennessee, wounding two soldiers before being subdued and disarmed by others soldiers, officials said Thursday.

Millington Police Chief Rita Stanback said the shooter was apprehended Thursday by other National Guard members, and that he did not have the small handgun used in the shooting in his possession by the time officers arrived. Stanback said two National Guard members were shot, one in the foot and one in the leg.

"I'm sure there could have been more injury if they hadn't taken him into custody," Stanback said.

The two people shot were taken to a hospital. Stanback said at a news conference that their conditions were not immediately known, though the Navy said on its official Twitter account that neither had life-threatening injuries.

The shooter was a recruiter who had been relieved of duty, said a law enforcement official briefed on the developments. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Stanback said the shooting happened inside an armory building just outside Naval Support Activity Mid-South. There are more than 7,500 military, civilian and contract personnel working on the base, according to the facility's official website. The facility is home to human resources operations and serves as headquarters to the Navy Personnel Command, Navy Recruiting Command, the Navy Manpower Analysis Center and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Finance Center.

The Navy said the base was briefly placed on lockdown as a precaution, though the lockdown was lifted in the afternoon.

On Thursday afternoon, yellow crime scene tape remained around the front of the building where the shooting happened. Law enforcement had blocked off streets with access to the armory, which is across the street from the army base.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-shot-natl-guard-armory-gunman-custody-193336356.html
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Japan Just Successfully Tested Its Asteroid-Shattering Space Cannon

You have to crawl before you can walk—be you a baby or an asteroid-blasting space cannon. Now, after a successful test-fire here on Earth, Japan's specially made cannon for its Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is ready to take its first, real steps in outer space.

Katharine McPhee "Embarrassed" by Scandal; Prince George's Christening Portraits Revealed: Today's Top Stories

Katharine McPhee is "embarrassed" by the pictures of her kissing married Smash director Michael Morris. Plus, Kate Middleton and Prince William release the official portraits from Prince George's christening: See Us Weekly's top stories from Thursday, Oct. 24, in the daily roundup.

1. Katharine McPhee Separated From Husband Months Ago, "Embarrassed" by Director Affair Scandal

If only Smash had been this consistently riveting onscreen. Katharine McPhee is "embarrassed" by the photos of her kissing married director Michael Morris, a source tells Us of the star, who separated from husband Nick Cokas at least six months ago.

2. Prince George Appears in Official Christening Portraits With Kate Middleton, Prince William, Royal Family

Picture perfect. One day after celebrating Prince George's christening at the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace in London, Kate Middleton and Prince William have released four official portraits from the happy occasion. The images, taken by celeb photographer Jason Bell, were snapped immediately following the Oct. 23 baptism in the Morning Room at Clarence House.

3. Katharine McPhee Kisses Michael Morris, Smash Director Kicked Out by Wife Mary McCormack: Report

Mary McCormack apparently didn't appreciate what she saw "in plain sight." Married to Smash director Michael Morris for ten years, the actress, 45, allegedly threw Morris out of their Los Angeles home late Sunday -- shortly before photos emerged of Morris making out with his former series star Katharine McPhee in a parking lot, Page Six reports.

4. Jamie Dornan Cast as Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey: Why He Won the Role

Welcome to the big (sexy) time, Jamie Dornan! After weeks of speculation about a crowded field of hunky, if not-so-well known, contenders, the Irish actor and model, 31, has been cast as Christian Grey in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey following Charlie Hunnam's talked-about exit, Us Weekly can confirm.

5. Miley Cyrus Spreads Legs in New Twitter Photo With Mystery Man

Miley Cyrus set tongues wagging -- again -- with a racy new Twitter photo of her sitting on a countertop with a mystery man standing between her legs. See the pic

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/katharine-mcphee-embarrassed-by-scandal-prince-georges-christening-portraits-revealed-todays-top-stories-20132410
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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Cover aims to be a smarter lock screen, is invite-only for now

Think lock screen that learns which apps you use in various locations — home, work, car and out — and floats them to the lock screen as you go about your day, much like Aviate does with your home screens. Pretty slick idea, and it actually does go beyond the lock screen and the full usage of the phone.

It's invite-only for now, so sit back and let the hype flow freely around you. Can't wait to try this, though, especially the sick transition between the lock screen and an app whose shortcut you picked.

Check out one more demo video after the break.

More: Cover

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/ZOU1q-6JSGQ/story01.htm
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Actress: Dancing with prince 'better than sex'

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi , centre, stands with Britain's Prince Charles Camilla Duchess of Cornwall during a meeting at Clarence House, in London Wednesday Oct. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Arthur Edwards/Pool)

LONDON (AP) — Actress Emma Thompson says dancing with Prince Charles is "better than sex."

Thompson makes the comment in a Time magazine feature on the 64-year-old heir to the British throne.

Charles tells the magazine he has had a lifelong desire to "heal and make things better."

The prince, who backs a host of charitable and environmental causes, said he feels it is his "duty to worry about everybody and their lives in this country, to try to find a way of improving things if I possibly can."

He also reveals that he recently staged a rehearsal to help teach his son, Prince William, how to host an investiture ceremony in which Britons receive knighthoods and other honors.

William presided over his first investiture at Buckingham Palace last week without any problems.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/actress-dancing-prince-better-sex-190357708.html
Category: dodgers made in america Lady Gaga Applause Derek Medina Lincoln Memorial

MediaSpike Says Its Network For In-Game Product Placement Now Reaches 20M Unique Users

MediaSpike, a startup that helps mobile and social game developers make money through product placement, is reportedly growing at an impressive clip. The company announced today that its network now reaches 20 million unique users, a 20x increase in less than five months.

Founder Blake Commagere told me last year that he started MediaSpike to address one of the big challenges he faced as a developer of Facebook games — the fact that in-game product placement (like letting an advertiser determine the brand of drinks sold at an in-game bar) was both lucrative and time-consuming.

MediaSpike is supposed to take most of the work out of those placements. Developers create marketplace listings that include audience data, pricing, and the areas of the game where they’re willing to run sponsored content. After that, all the developer has to do is approve or disapprove campaign proposals that come in from advertisers.

I actually spoke to Commagere about the company more than a year ago. So why is growth, er, spiking now? The company attributes it to the recent hiring Joe O’Brien as its new director of strategic partnerships. O’Brien, who previously served as director of business development for appsavvy, has supposedly helped MediaSpike add publishers and games like Tetris Online, Big Blue Bubble, Bigpoint Games, and Meez to its network. (To be clear, the 20 million number reflects size of the publisher network — that’s the potential reach of a campaign, but the actual number of people who have seen or engaged with ads sold through MediaSpike is presumably lower.)

MediaSpike is also announcing that it has hired Calvin Wong as its chief revenue officer. (Wong has worked in sales and operations at Community Connect, appsavvy, IceLounge Media, and SnakBlox.)

And it has added two big names to its advisory board — “Godfather of AdSense” Gokul Rajaram (who helped develop AdSense at Google, served as product director of ads for Facebook, and recently took the lead for product engineering at Square) and Brandon Berger (chief digital officer at ad agency Ogilvy & Mather).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Q2FktMdTFJA/
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At least 22 people suspected of having polio in Syria - WHO

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - At least 22 people are suspected of having polio in Syria, the first outbreak of the crippling viral disease in 14 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

Most of those stricken with acute flaccid paralysis, a symptom of diseases including polio, in Deir al-Zor province are children under the age of two, WHO spokesman Oliver Rosenbauer said. More than 100,000 children under the age of five are deemed at risk of polio in the eastern province.

There is no cure for the highly infectious disease, it can only be prevented through immunization, usually three doses.

"The main concern right now is to quickly launch an immunization response," Rosenbauer said. Vaccination campaigns are being planned across Syria from November but the logistics were still being discussed, he said.

The city of Deir al-Zor is partially controlled by Syrian government forces while the countryside around it is in the hands of rebels fighting to remove President Bashar al-Assad.

"Everybody is treating this as an outbreak (of polio) and is in outbreak response mode," Rosenbauer said.

The WHO, a U.N. agency, said on Saturday that two suspected cases of polio had been detected, the first appearance of the disease in Syria since 1999.

Initial tests came back positive for polio in two of the 22 cases and final laboratory results due next week from a WHO reference laboratory in Tunisia are "very, very likely" to confirm presence of the virus, Rosenbauer said.

Most of the 22 victims are believed never to have been vaccinated or to have received only a single dose of the oral polio vaccine.

IRREVERSIBLE PARALYSIS

With about 4,000 refugees fleeing Syria's civil war daily, polio immunization campaigns are also planned in neighboring countries, where there may be gaps in coverage, he said.

Polio invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours. It is endemic in just three countries, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, but sporadic cases also occur in other countries.

Asked whether the virus may have been imported into Syria by a foreign fighter, Rosenbauer said: "The first step is virological verification that it is the polio virus. The next step is that every isolated virus gets looked at genetically to see where is the parent. Hopefully that will provide some clarity on where it would have come from."

Worldwide, cases of polio decreased from an estimated 350,000 when the campaign began in 1988 to 223 reported cases in 2012, according to the WHO. So far this year, not including the cases in Syria, there have been 296 cases worldwide.

The United Nations' Children's Agency (UNICEF) said on Thursday it had chartered a plane filled with vaccines and food to combat the rising threat of other types of disease and malnutrition among Syrian children.

The cargo, which has landed in Beirut and will be trucked into Syria, had vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella as well as 'supercereal', a fortified food for children.

"Hospitals visited by UNICEF staff are reporting an upward trend in the number of children being admitted with moderate and severe acute malnutrition compared to two years ago," a UNICEF statement said.

The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria's 2-1/2-year conflict, more than 2 million Syrians have fled the country and millions more have been displaced inside Syria. The fighting has caused a sharp deterioration in services and infrastructure and many people are trapped in areas of fighting in unsanitary conditions with little food or medical supplies.

(Additional reporting by Erika Solomon in Beirut; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suspected-polio-outbreak-syrian-province-spreads-124129793.html
Tags: Ed Sheeran Susan Bennett amanda knox nfl schedule Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 10

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Three Models

'Playing Catch-Up'

Place Shifting

More From Author Interviews

Author Interviews

Craig Venter: Life at the Speed of Light

Books

Can Everything Change In An Instant?

Commentary

A Life In Science: From Housewife To Amazon Trailblazer

Author Interviews

Questions For Oscar Martinez, Author Of 'The Beast'

Friday, October 25, 2013

Thursday, October 24, 2013