adria optimal: February 2013

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Cruz's tactics boil Washington, but impress Texas

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013 file photo Armed Services committee member, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, questions former Sen. Chuck Hagel (not shown), President Obama's choice for defense secretary, during Hagel's confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Weeks into his job, Texas Republicans are cheering Cruz's indelicate debut and embracing him as one of their own. The insurgent Republican elected with the tea party's blessing and bankroll, has run afoul of GOP mainstays, and prompted Democrats to compare his style to McCarthyism. Also seen from left are Sen.s Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Mike Lee, R-Utah. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2013 file photo Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, left, talks with committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., during a hearing about gun violence on Capitol Hill in Washington. Weeks into his job, Texas Republicans are cheering Cruz's indelicate debut and embracing him as one of their own. The insurgent Republican elected with the tea party's blessing and bankroll, has run afoul of GOP mainstays, prompted Democrats to compare his style to McCarthyism. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2013 file photo Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texa,s points to a life size photo of a Remington 750, a popular hunting rifle, to make a point about the proposed ban on certain kinds of guns during a Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Weeks into his job, Texas Republicans are cheering Cruz's indelicate debut and embracing him as one of their own. The insurgent Republican elected with the tea party's blessing and bankroll, has run afoul of GOP mainstays, prompted Democrats to compare his style to McCarthyism. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2013 file photo, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas is seen on a video screen as he addresses a conservative forum at the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Austin, Texas. Weeks into his job, Texas Republicans are cheering Cruz's indelicate debut and embracing him as one of their own. The insurgent Republican elected with the tea party's blessing and bankroll, has run afoul of GOP mainstays, prompted Democrats to compare his style to McCarthyism. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

HOUSTON (AP) ? Ted Cruz glanced at his black cowboy boots, beneath a silver Texas belt buckle, waiting for the admirers to stop clapping.

His arrival had turned a drop-by at a Houston lumber yard into a virtual campaign rally. At an earlier stop near Austin ?at a gun manufacturer that churns out AR-15 rifles ? cheering fans crowded next to employees, and one held a sign reading "Ted Cruz rocks!"

The new troublemaker of the U.S. Senate was home again, and savoring nothing short of a victory lap.

In just seven weeks on the job, the insurgent Republican elected with the tea party's backing and bankroll has run afoul of GOP mainstays, prompted Democrats to compare his style to McCarthyism and has voted against nearly everything of significance that came before him.

"My view is simple: Washington is a rough-and-tumble place. If folks want to attack me personally, they're welcome to it," Cruz said during a visit this week to a Houston lumber wholesaler. "Texans elected a senator to go to Washington and speak the truth."

His approach was unusual for a freshman in Washington, and its effectiveness long-term far from certain, but the reaction at home so far is effusive.

Other Texas politicians are celebrating him, and supporters have turned his constituent visits during the congressional recess into revivals. On Twitter, Texas' popular attorney general Greg Abbott, a rumored candidate for governor next year, is among those beaming about the "Cruz Missile."

"He's been a terrific partner," declared the state's senior senator, Republican John Cornyn. "What he's finding is there's a lot of critics in Washington when you try to change the status quo."

As the lone tea party candidate to win a Senate seat in last year's election, the brash 42-year-old Harvard-trained attorney has aimed to become a force the GOP ? and Democrats ? must deal with. Having beaten a heavily favored establishment candidate in the Texas primary, he's made good on promises to be combative, uncompromising and absolute in his adherence to conservative principles.

His profile as an Cuban-American in a party struggling to appeal to Hispanics, and his pedigree as a top Ivy League debater and former clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist have made him the freshman to watch in Washington.

Yet Cruz's transition from the campaign trail to the Senate has been anything but smooth.

His sharp questioning of Defense Secretary-nominee Chuck Hagel during his confirmation hearing ? and public challenges to Hagel's integrity? drew a sharp rebuke from Democrats and even a Republican. In pressing for more documents about Hagel's speechmaking in the private sector, Cruz suggested that Hagel, a former Republican senator, had received money from radical sources and possibly was hiding it.

While some Republicans attempted damage control, in Houston this week, Cruz didn't back down.

"The flurry of attacks on me has had their intended effect, which was to shift the conversation away from Chuck Hagel," Cruz said. "Away from his record, away from his refusal to provide financial disclosures, and toward the direct, nasty, personal attacks leveled at me."

Privately, some Republicans expressed surprise that Cruz was barely on the job five minutes before he was saying no to a Cabinet choice. As the latest iteration of "Senator No," he voted against Senate rule changes to modestly curb filibusters, aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy and the Violence Against Women Act.

The attention Cruz received has cast a spotlight on Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the leadership, who hasn't strayed far from Cruz on those votes as he looks ahead to his own re-election in 2014 and the possibility of a challenge from the tea party. The only votes against Sen. John Kerry to be the next secretary of state came from Cruz, Cornyn and Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma.

Cornyn called it a "phony construct" that Cruz is pulling him farther to right in an act of political self-preservation.

Not all Republicans have been as comfortable with Cruz. After Cruz's rough treatment of Hagel, Sen. John McCain defended his fellow Republican and Vietnam veteran.

"I just want to make it clear Senator Hagel is an honorable man. He served his country. And no one on this committee at any time should impugn his character or his integrity," McCain said.

At Hagel's confirmation hearing, Cruz employed charts and a scratchy tape from an Al-Jazeera interview with Hagel to challenge the nominee. But it was his guilt-by-association line of questioning that surprised several in the Senate, particularly when Cruz tried to link Hagel to Charles Freeman, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia who resigned in March 2009 as chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Freeman was undone by congressional criticism over his comments about the Israel government and alleged ties to foreign governments.

Cruz cited media reports that Hagel traveled with Freeman to China. Hagel said he had never been on a trip with Freeman and hadn't spoken with him in years.

Cruz shifted the questioning.

"Is he someone whose judgment you respect?" he asked.

Cruz's questioning raised the specter of 1950s communist-hunter Joe McCarthy, the former Wisconsin senator. He has dismissed those suggestions, and conservatives have come to his defense.

In Texas this week, those who came to meet Cruz at stops like Lodge Lumber and La Rue Tactical in Leander took no issue with his line of questioning.

At the end of a tour at Lodge Lumber, Cruz was met by a supporter who carried in his billfold several fake dollar bills bearing Obama's face, including one that read, "The People's Republic of Hollywood." He said it was the president he wanted Cruz to keep in his sights.

Owner John Lodge said he felt that for the first time in a long while, someone in Washington was on his side.

"He gets with them. He's gotten down to business," Lodge said. "He's the man."

___

Cassata reported from Washington.

___

Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pauljweber

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-24-US-Cruz-Back-Home/id-fda16a9f680e48309cdb9334d9202cf0

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Prince to appear on Jimmy Fallon's show Friday

NEW YORK (AP) ? Prince is continuing to ramp up his public profile. This week, he'll make an appearance on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

A rep for the late-night talk show confirmed the pop legend will appear on the show Friday and will perform two songs. It's not clear whether he'll perform new material or some of his classics.

The reclusive star has been back in the spotlight recently. He presented record of the year trophy at the Grammys, released the song "Screwdriver" on his new website and is due to perform several dates in Europe this summer.

___

Online:

Prince: http://www.prince2013.com

"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon": http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/prince-appear-jimmy-fallons-show-friday-185309952.html

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

Brazil seeks to boost Nigeria energy ties Rousseff

West Australian Saturday 23rd February, 2013

ABUJA (AFP) - Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff said Saturday that her government will seek to boost energy ties with Nigeria, Africa's top oil producer, after meeting President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja.Nigeria is Brazil's main commercial partner in Africa, with bilateral trade soaring from $1.5 billion (1.1 billion euros) in 2002 to $9 billion last year.Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Nigeria's coal, oil, natural gas and alternative energy sectors."Petrobras... has its intention to further expand involvement in Nigeria," Rousseff sa...

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iWatch-y Patent Greases the Gears of Concept Designers

After revolutionizing the world of portable music with its iPod and creating the need for apps for just about everything with its iPhone, Apple could be looking to make time with an iWatch. While the device won't likely change the way people interact with the Earth's rotation, it could put numerous functions on the wearer's wrist. Or it might just be some old vaporware.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/28d8ffe5/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C773640Bhtml/story01.htm

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APNewsBreak: Govs to hear Oregon health care plan

SALEM, Ore. (AP) ? Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber will brief other state leaders this weekend on his plan to lower Medicaid costs, touting an overhaul that President Barack Obama highlighted in his State of the Union address for its potential to lower the deficit even as health care expenses climb.

The Oregon Democrat leaves for Washington, D.C., on Friday to pitch his plan that changes the way doctors and hospitals are paid and improves health care coordination for low income residents so that treatable medical problems don't grow in severity or expense.

Kitzhaber says his goal is to win over a handful of other governors from each party.

"I think the politics have been dialed down a couple of notches, and now people are willing to sit down and talk about how we can solve the problem" of rising health care costs, Kitzhaber told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

Kitzhaber introduced the plan in 2011 in the face of a severe state budget deficit, and he's been talking for two years about expanding the initiative beyond his state. Now, it seems he's found people ready to listen.

Hospital executives from Alabama visited Oregon last month to learn about the effort. And the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that it's giving Oregon a $45 million grant to help spread the changes beyond the Medicaid population and share information with other states, making it one of only six states to earn a State Innovation Model grant.

Kitzhaber will address his counterparts at a meeting of the National Governors Association. His talk isn't scheduled on the official agenda, but a spokeswoman confirmed that Kitzhaber is expected to present.

"The governors love what they call stealing from one another ? taking the good ideas and the successes of their colleagues and trying to figure out how to apply that in their home state," said Matt Salo, director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors.

There's been "huge interest" among other states in Oregon's health overhaul, Salo said, not because the concepts are brand new, but because the state managed to avoid pitfalls that often block health system changes.

Kitzhaber persuaded state lawmakers to redesign the system of delivering and paying for health care under Medicaid, creating incentives for providers to coordinate patient care and prevent avoidable emergency room visits. He has long complained that the current financial incentives encourage volume over quality, driving costs up without making people healthier.

Obama, in his State of the Union address this month, suggested that changes such as Oregon's could be part of a long-term strategy to lower the federal debt by reigning in the growing cost of federally funded health care.

"We'll bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldn't be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital ? they should be based on the quality of care that our seniors receive," Obama said.

The Obama administration has invested in the program, putting up $1.9 billion to keep Oregon's Medicaid program afloat over the next five years while providers make the transition to new business models and incorporate new staff and technology.

In exchange, though, the state has agreed to lower per-capita health care cost inflation by 2 percentage points without affecting quality.

The Medicaid system is unique in each state, and Kitzhaber isn't suggesting that other states should adopt Oregon's specific approach, said Mike Bonetto, Kitzhaber's health care policy adviser. Rather, he wants governors to buy into the broad concept that the delivery system and payment models need to change.

That's not a new theory. But Oregon has shown that under the right circumstances massive changes to deeply entrenched business models can gain wide support.

What Oregon can't yet show is proof the idea is working ? that it's lowering costs without squeezing on the quality or availability of care. The state is just finishing compiling baseline data that will be used as a basis of comparison.

One factor driving the Obama administration's interest in Oregon's success is the president's health care overhaul. Under the Affordable Care Act, millions more Americans will join the Medicaid rolls after Jan. 1, and the health care system will have to be able to absorb the influx of patients in a logistically and financially sustainable way.

The federal government will pay 100 percent of the costs for those additional patients in the first three years before scaling back to 90 percent in 2020 and beyond.

"There are a lot of governors who are facing the same challenges we're facing in Oregon," Kitzhaber said. "They recognize that the cost of health care is something they're going to have to get their arms around."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-govs-hear-oregon-health-care-plan-000905611.html

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Timberlake and Jay-Z announce summer tour

By Erin Carlson, The Hollywood Reporter

Christopher Polk / Getty Images

It's official: confirming the hype-fueled rumors, Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z have announced that they will indeed head out on tour together.

The summer stadium tour, dubbed "Legends of The Summer," kicks off a series of 12 concerts starting July 17 in Toronto and winds down Aug. 16 in Miami. The two will also play in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Detroit, Baltimore and Hershey, Pa. (See more details here.)

STORY: Justin Timberlake books 'SNL,' 'Late Night'

Tickets go on sale Feb. 28, via Live Nation, for all cities except New York.?

STORY: Keith Urban on 'Idol' season 12: 'It's a Girl's Year'

Timberlake's upcoming album, "The 20/20 Experience," will be released March 19 on RCA Records. Timberlake has already released two singles, "Suit & Tie" with Jay-Z and the eight-minute "Mirrors," and performed "Pusher Love Girl" and "That Girl" live. It was announced earlier this week that Timberlake and Jay-Z would headline London's Wireless Festival this summer.

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Free calling moves from Messenger to main Facebook iOS app

Want to call up your friends, but don?t have their cell number? Now as long as you both have the updated Facebook app it won?t matter ? you?ll be able to talk to each other through Facebook. The social network had previously been testing a feature that would let users place calls to their friends through its Messenger app, and on Friday it updated the main iOS app to support calling functionality.

Facebook Messenger call To access the calling feature, users can tap on the right-hand bar that supports messaging in the iOS app, select a person they want to call, and then check to see if that person has the ?free call? feature listed under their profile (that can be found through the ?i? information button next to their name).

Facebook?s support for placing calls over Wi-Fi is somewhat of a closed system since it?s limited to people who?ve downloaded the particular app, as my?colleague?Stacey Higgenbotham pointed out. But Facebook?s adoption of voice communication could have an impact on the current carriers if suddenly 1 billion users have a new way to talk to each other.

The company began testing the idea in Canada in January, and then added voice calling to Messenger in the United States a few weeks later.

Source: http://gigaom.com/2013/02/22/free-calling-moves-from-messenger-to-main-facebook-ios-app/

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Ronaldo: Criticism is part of football

The Portugal star admits he is unfazed when people question his form on the pitch, and admitted he would love to remain involved in football when he retires from playing

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo insists that he is not affected by criticism of his performances on the pitch, stressing that it is simply part of football.

The Spanish champions have endured a mixed campaign to date, with inconsistencies in their domestic form seeing them all-but-yield their title to rivals Barcelona, while they must negotiate a tough second leg against Manchester United to progress to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League.

Although Ronaldo himself has largely maintained his exceptional standards - scoring 37 goals in as many games so far this season - he accepts that being judged on your achievements is part of life at the top echelons of the sport.

"Real Madrid are the biggest club in the world, and people always expect us to be perfect. I think there is always room for improvement," he told GQ magazine.

"Criticism is part of our business; we have to live with it. The thing that hurts me the most is criticism about things away from the field of play. It doesn't bother me when it's about my playing form, because, I repeat, I am the first to realise it when things are going badly."

Ronaldo also dismissed notions that he has formed something of a clique with his Portuguese-speaking team-mates at the Santiago Bernabeu, stating: "I have lots of friends in the dressing room, not just my compatriots."

Real Madrid take on Manchester United on March 5 in the second leg of their Champions League tie, and the 28-year-old has once more revealed his admiration for former boss Sir Alex Ferguson as he prepares to take to the Old Trafford pitch once more.

"I have nothing but gratitude for Ferguson. He is fantastic, as a coach and as a person," Ronaldo said.

Finally, Ronaldo spoke of his hopes for the future of the Portugal national team after their strong performances in recent tournaments, and revealed his desire to stay in football once his playing days come to an end.

"It is much harder to win with the national team than with the club, although we are still a young team," he acknowledged. "We reached the [European Championship] final in 2004, the semi-finals in [World Cup] 2006 and in last year's European Championship; that's an achievement.

"Football is my life. I would love to stay in this world, even after I stop playing. But, for the moment, I'm going to concentrate on the years I have left as a player. Time will tell what will happen next."

Source: http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2013/02/22/3772357/ronaldo-criticism-is-part-of-football

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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Never-Before-Seen Video Shows Fire Raining On the Sun

"On July 19, 2012, the Sun produced a medium-size solar flare," NASA says on this new video captured by its Solar Dynamics Observatory, "what occurred with the flare was amazing." It's true. It's amazing. Fire started to fall down like rain—a hell waterfall many times the size of planet Earth. You have to watch this uncanny document for yourself. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/W5Q6dIJ1OxM/never+before+seen-video-shows-fire-raining-on-the-sun

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Via Licensing Adds China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom To Its 4G LTE Standards-Essential Patent Pool

Via Licensing Corporation today announced that China Mobile and Deutsche Telekom joined the company's LTE patent pool for standards-essential patents. The two telecom giants join AT&T, Clearwire Corporation, DTVG Licensing, HP, KDDI Corporation, NTT DOCOMO, SK Telecom, Telecom Italia, Telef?nica, and ZTE Corporation in this pool that launched last October. Give the vagaries of the patent system and the constant threat of litigation, a patent pool like Via Licensing's allows telecom companies to reduce the risk of litigations and makes it easier for them to license their own patents.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/V786UqN2lCU/

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Postal Service plans all-weather clothing line: Smart move or desperation?

Well, we can?t say we saw this one coming.

The US Postal Service, known more for its stalwart reputation ? and financial woes ? than its vanguard fashion sense, announced Tuesday it is launching a fashion line as part of an effort to generate revenue and build brand reputation. The surprise move has retail analysts impressed ? and doubtful.

The announcement certainly hasn?t left Gucci and Prada shaking in their stiletto-shearling boots. But considering the focus of the aptly-named ?Rain Heat & Snow? line ? all-weather apparel ? the venture starts to make sense. After all, who knows more about dressing for the elements than the Postal Service?s hale and hearty letter carriers, for whom ?neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night? thwarts achievement of their solemnly sworn duty. (No word yet on whether the apparel will be pit bull-resistant.)

RECOMMENDED: Crunch time at Postal Service: Five questions about post office closings.

Fortunately, the Postal Service is sparing us the baby blue button downs and navy pant-shorts. It is working with Ohio-based apparel company Wahconah Group Inc. to create a line of innovative ?functional fashion? that should hit stores in 2014.

?This agreement will put the Postal Service on the cutting edge of functional fashion,? corporate licensing manager Steven Mills said in a statement Tuesday.

?We?re talking all-weather, all-seasonal attire,? says USPS spokesman Roy Betts. ?A man?s jacket which could be wired for you to click in your iPod and listen to music, control the volume, and make selections, all from the sleeve of your jacket.?

Want your top political issues explained? Get customized DC Decoder updates.

In other words, the kind of hip athletic/tech/all-season apparel that might appeal to say, a computer-programmer-tech-enthusiast who enjoys listening to Linkin Park on his iPod while snowboarding with his buddies ? in a Postal Service-emblazoned jacket, of course.

Besides jackets, the line will include headgear, footwear, and clothing that incorporates smart technology, says Mr. Betts.

?It?s incorporating technology that originated in the military ... and is now available commercially,? he says. ?Being able to put wiring in fabric and other material that will allow you to monitor, respond, listen and connect to your devices.?

(Interestingly, this isn?t the first time the Postal Service introduced a retail line. It rolled out a line of T-shirts, mugs, and neckties in the 1980s, sold in post offices, until Congress complained that it was competing with private businesses.)

This time, perhaps recognizing its place in the natural order of things, the Postal Service is staying out of the actual designing of the clothing. Wahconah Group will design, manufacture, and place clothing in retail locations, including department and specialty stores, while the Postal Service will simply license its name, and hopefully, collect royalty fees.

The move, says Betts, is as much about re-envisioning the Postal Service?s brand as bringing in revenue

?It?s brand reputation with revenue generation,? he says. ?The Postal Service is facing challenges and we are looking to be more innovative and responsive to the marketplace.?

In recent years the Postal Service has faced more than rough weather and choleric canines. The beleaguered agency reported losses nearing $16 billion last year and is scrambling to close a $20 billion budget gap in 2013. As part of that plan the Postal Service recently announced it will end Saturday mail delivery this summer, a move that will cut 22,000 jobs and save $2 billion.

The Rain Heat & Snow clothing line looks to be part of the agency?s effort to plug its yawning budget gap ? and revamp its listing reputation ? but retail analysts are divided on the venture?s potential for success.

?The Postal Service is not going to be successful with this whatsoever,? says Hitha Prabhakar, an author and retail analyst. ?The USPS is not a sexy brand ? and has been losing its brand gravitas for so long, I don?t know who would want to wear a US Postal Service shirt or pair of shorts.?

Retail expert Doug Fleener sees the clothing line as a relatively risk-free move for the Postal Service that dovetails with its image.

?What I thought was smart, what I like about it is it?s all-weather gear,? says Mr. Fleener, president and managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group, a retail and customer experience consulting firm in Lexington, Mass. ?If I think about battling the elements, there?s probably no other company or organization that stands out more than the post office. To some degree, that?s kind of smart of them.?

?The Postal Service gets so much criticism, their hands are tied and they don?t have a lot of options,? adds Fleener. ?I give them credit ? they found a way to drive risk-free revenue.?

Both Ms. Prabhakar and Fleener say the move is a form of brand extension not uncommon in the market for struggling labels.

?I think whenever you have a struggling brand ? whether it?s the USPS or a designer that was once really luminary and has since lost its luster ? I think brands [reinvent themselves] by starting alternate clothing lines,? says Prabhakar. ?It?s brand extension in the form of clothes.?

As such, says Fleener, the Postal Service is ?following the lead of a lot of brands out there that do licensing deals.?

Will the Postal Service?s latest venture reap rewards?

In fact, licensing has revived some companies, like Sharper Image, which went out of business and came back due to licensing deals, says Fleener.

Still, he doesn?t expect the agency?s new clothing line will rake in huge profits.

?It?s not going to generate a lot of revenue,? he says, ?It will give them some nice publicity around an area of strength for the Postal Service.?

His advice for the agency as it tests the fickle waters of fashion? Stick to what it does best.

?Don?t try to overextend,? he says. ?I?m not sure I want to wear Postal Service swim trunks.?

RECOMMENDED: Crunch time at Postal Service: Five questions about post office closings.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

McCready's death renews questions for Dr. Drew

FILE - This Aug. 4, 2011 file photo shows Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of the CW television series "Dr. Drew's Lifechangers," during a panel discussion on the show at the CW Showtime summer press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. Criticism of Dr. Drew Pinsky spread on the Internet almost as quickly as news of Mindy McCready's death. The country singer with the tumultuous personal life became the fifth cast member of his "Celebrity Rehab" series to die since appearing on the show and the third from Season 3. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)

FILE - In this June 5, 2008 file photo, country music artist Mindy McCready performs at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tenn. McCready, who hit the top of the country charts before personal problems sidetracked her career, died Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013. She was 37. (AP Photo/Bill Waugh, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ? The criticism of Dr. Drew Pinsky spread on the Internet almost as quickly as news of Mindy McCready's death.

The country singer with the tumultuous personal life became the fifth cast member of his "Celebrity Rehab" series to die since appearing on the show and the third from Season 3. The previous deaths stirred up rumors of a curse and a debate about the show's helpfulness. McCready's apparent suicide upped the pitch of the reaction, however.

Singer Richard Marx on Twitter compared Pinsky to Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the so-called suicide doctor: "Same results."

Marx backed off later Monday, saying the crack went too far. But he restated his thoughts in a way that summed up much of the reaction in the first 24 hours since the 37-year-old McCready's death Sunday afternoon in Heber Springs, Ark.

"It is, however, my opinion that what Dr. D does is exploitation and his TV track record is not good," Marx wrote.

VH1's "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" is not currently on the air. Pinsky switched his focus to non-celebrities in Season 6 last fall and changed the title to "Rehab." The show spawned two spinoffs, "Sober House" and "Sex Rehab."

Season 3, shot in 2009, featured McCready, former NBA star Dennis Rodman, actors Tom Sizemore and Mackenzie Phillips, former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss and a handful of lesser known celebrity types.

McCready was a sympathetic character on the show and appeared to be far less damaged than her fellow cast members, some of whom experienced fairly graphic symptoms of opiate withdrawal in front of the cameras. McCready suffered a seizure while on the show, further endearing her to Pinsky and the others.

She said in a 2010 interview with The Associated Press that she initially turned Pinsky down.

"But Dr. Drew said something to me that just mowed me over literally, just floored me," she said. "He said, 'You've been being treated for the symptoms of what's wrong with you, not the problem. And you're going to have to put your family aside for a moment, put their feelings aside for a moment and worry about you because if you don't get better, it doesn't matter what your family thinks. You're not going to be there anymore.'"

Pinsky diagnosed her with "love addiction" during the series' run and called her an "angel" in the finale. In an interview with The Associated Press several months later, he said McCready had a good shot at recovery if she remained in treatment.

"Like with anybody I treat, it's really up to them," Pinsky said. "I never know. If they do the work they're supposed to do, yes (there can be success). If she does the work it will be great. It's up to her how much of that she does, how much she feels she needs to do. It seems like she's doing rather well right now so I hope she continues to do so."

Three years later, she's dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot to the head. McCready walked away from treatment several days ago after her father asked a judge to intervene. Her body was found on the front porch of a home she shared with David Wilson, the longtime boyfriend and father of her youngest son who appears to have killed himself in the same spot last month.

Pinsky wasn't available for comment, his publicist said, but he issued a statement Sunday night that noted he'd spoken with McCready recently.

"She is a lovely woman who will be missed by many," the statement said. "Although I have not treated her for a few years, I had reached out to her recently upon hearing about the apparent suicide of her boyfriend and father of her younger (child). She was devastated. Although she was fearful of stigma and ridicule she agreed with me that she needed to make her health and safety a priority. Unfortunately it seems that Mindy did not sustain her treatment."

A lack of continued treatment also appears to have led to the deaths of McCready's Season 3 castmates Mike Starr, bassist for Alice in Chains, and Joey Kovar, a "Real World" participant. Los Angeles riots spark Rodney King and actor Jeff Conaway also have passed away. Starr and Kovar overdosed and King was found dead in his pool with alcohol and marijuana in his system. Conaway was initially thought to have overdosed, but died of pneumonia and an infection.

Bob Forrest, a chemical dependency counselor who appeared on Season 3 of "Celebrity Rehab" and continues to work with Pinsky, said a discussion about mental health and substance abuse issues is important. But attacking Pinsky has only distracted from the real issues.

"Regardless of your feelings about how we do it with the TV show, calling Dr. Drew 'Dr. Kevorkian,' what kind of dialogue is that?" he said. "It's a good headline. We're going through a growth spurt in regards to who we are as a country. I really feel there's something going on in America beyond Mindy McCready's death."

The most recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 38,364 suicides in the U.S. in 2010 ? an average of 105 a day. Thirty-three percent of suicides tested positive for alcohol in 2009 and 20 percent for opiates, including heroin and prescription painkillers.

There were no immediate numbers available for suicides or overdoses post-rehab, but a patient with substance abuse problems is a higher risk for an attempt.

Dr. Sharon Hirsch, an associate professor in the University of Chicago's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, says patients can get trapped in the yin and yang of addiction. She was not familiar with McCready's case, but noted people abusing alcohol or drugs have a lower impulse control. And their lows when they're off drugs become more difficult to overcome, also lowering their resolve.

Dealing with loss, as McCready was, also increases risk, especially around anniversaries.

Hirsch said mental health and addiction issues have to be taken as seriously as a heart attack.

"Depression and substance dependence are all very malignant disorders and I think people forget that," Hirsch said. "They think of cancer, strokes and heart attacks killing people, but depression, substance abuse and eating disorders, too, all kill people. There are very, very high rates of deaths in those illnesses."

Pinsky's shows drew attention to the struggle. But did they help patients? Pinsky has taken an interest in cast members after the shows end and referred them to continuing treatment. But ultimately Hirsch wonders who was on call the last time McCready pondered killing herself.

"One of the key components of any treatment is to talk confidentially with your treatment provider about every aspect of what is going on with you, to be able to get the best care you can," she said. "I just don't know how that could occur in the context of an internationally televised show. And so it would be difficult for me to envision it as a complete treatment program. ... It just really strikes me as entertainment and not as treatment."

___

Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-19-US-Mindy-McCready-Dr-Drew/id-faa27ac96728466c8e4705520c33392d

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Chris Brown Confirms 2013 Album Release

Brown enlists Timbaland, Danja and Diplo for yet-untitled project.
By Jocelyn Vena

Chris Brown
Photo: Lester Cohen/ WireImage

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702218/chris-brown-confirms-new-album.jhtml

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Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 7 gaming headset pushes the EQ side, adds virtual 7.1 sound

Mad Catz launched the F.R.E.Q. 5 gaming headset just over a year ago, and it's already skipping two model numbers ahead to the F.R.E.Q. 7. What justifies the out-of-order sequencing? The Dolby Pro Logic IIx processing, mostly. The pseudo-surround effect widens stereo and 5.1-channel signals to 7.1 channels for gamers who want the greater audio precision. Appropriately enough for its name, the F.R.E.Q. 7 also brings software-driven EQ to emphasize voice or music in computer games, as well as separate volume adjustment for chat and the main action. Pre-orders for the USB- and 3.5mm-friendly headset are available in red, white and two styles of black at $200, although you'll have to wait until the start of Mad Catz's fiscal 2014 -- after March, for non-accountants -- before it reaches your door.

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Mad Catz(R) Announces the F.R.E.Q.7 Surround Sound Gaming Headset for Windows(R) PC and Smart Devices

GameSmart[TM] Headset Features Dolby(R) Headphone 7.1 Surround Sound and Multiple EQ Settings

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz") (NYSE MKT: MCZ) announced that the F.R.E.Q.7 Surround Sound Gaming Headset featuring Dolby(R) Headphone Technology is now available for pre-order. Part of the Company's range of GameSmart products, the F.R.E.Q.7is compatible with a wide variety of devices and is expected to ship in the first quarter of fiscal 2014.

Ideal for use with gaming, movies, music and more, the F.R.E.Q.7 features Dolby Headphone Technology and Dolby(R) Pro Logic(R) IIx technology, expanding stereo and 5.1 audio to rich 7.1 surround sound, perfect for empowering gamers with a competitive edge. In addition, PC gamers can instantly toggle between surround sound and stereo to ensure they have the right audio for their game or music.

Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. stated, "Part of our GameSmart initiative, we believe the F.R.E.Q.7 offers uncompromising levels of performance and versatility which will resonate with the passionate gamer."

The F.R.E.Q.7 features software driven EQ, providing multiple settings for gaming, voice and music as well as the ability to separately adjust chat and game volume levels. The detachable in-line cable allows for easy conversion from USB to 3.5mm to support stereo audio on iPhone(R), tablets and most Smart Devices.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/dwF_BW-LIMw/

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'A Good Day To Die Hard' Tops Box Office ... Barely

Fifth entry in Bruce Willis action series takes the #1 spot from Melissa McCarthy's 'Identity Thief.'
By Ryan J. Downey

Bruce Willis in "A Good Day to Die Hard"
Photo: Fox

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702172/a-good-day-to-die-hard-box-office.jhtml

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In fight against cancer, a closer look at nuclear blebbing

Feb. 18, 2013 ? Misshapen cell nuclei are frequently observed in the cells of people with cancer and other diseases, but what causes the abnormality -- and why it is associated with certain disorders -- has remained unclear.

Researchers at Northwestern University have recently developed a mathematical model that sheds light on the defect by clarifying the mechanisms that cause bulges known as "blebs" in cells' nuclear membranes. The research -- a collaboration between experts at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Feinberg School of Medicine -- could be a step toward bleb prevention, which may ultimately provide potential therapies for related diseases.

A paper describing the research, titled "Mechanical Model of Blebbing in Nuclear Lamin Meshworks," was published Feb. 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS).

"Changes in the shape of the nucleus are indicative of a range of pathologies, including the premature aging disorder Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and some cancers," said Monica Olvera de la Cruz, the corresponding author of the paper. "Our research suggests that blebbing may be the result of an imbalance between the various proteins that constitute the nuclear lamina."

She is a Lawyer Taylor Professor, professor of materials science and engineering in the McCormick School and professor of chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.

The nucleus -- the control center of the cell, the keeper of genetic material and overseer of cell growth and reproduction -- is covered by a nuclear envelope consisting of a double membrane and an underlying structure called the nuclear lamina that surrounds the surface of the nucleus and gives it shape. In addition to its mechanical support, the lamina helps regulate cell division and organize genetic material.

In the majority of healthy cells, the nucleus appears smooth and maintains an overall spherical shape, but abnormal nuclear shapes characterized by blebs have been observed in the cells of people suffering from some forms of cancer and other diseases.

In mammals, the lamin meshworks that make up the nuclear lamina consist of mainly two types of lamin proteins, known as types A and B, which are wrapped like two nets around the nucleus. Under normal conditions, the A-type and B-type lamins co-exist throughout the sphere, creating a healthy lamina of approximately even thickness throughout.

But when one of the B-type lamins is depleted, researchers found the A-type and B-type lamins begin to segregate from one another, resulting in an uneven mesh layer with altered mechanical properties. In some regions, the lamina's fibers begin to gap and separate, giving rise to nuclear blebs, bulges in the cell's nuclear envelope.

The nuclear lamins, especially the A-type lamins, are now considered to be major building blocks of nuclear architecture and are thus involved in numerous important nuclear functions. Much of the recent information on the functions of the nuclear lamins comes from findings demonstrating that many different human diseases are caused by hundreds of mutations in the nuclear lamin A gene. Many of these diseases are accompanied by changes in nuclear shape and altered lamin organization.

"This study helps us to begin to understand how these abnormal shapes are formed," said Robert D. Goldman, the Stephen Walter Ranson Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology, chair of the department of cell and molecular biology at the Feinberg School, and one of the paper's authors. "Collaborations between physicists and cell biologists are beginning to reveal new insights into these normal and abnormal cells."

Enabling some of those new insights, the Northwestern researchers designed an energy-minimizing continuum elastic model that enabled them to produce structures with comparable shapes and patterns as those found in naturally occurring pathological nuclei.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Northwestern University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

Journal Reference:

C. M. Funkhouser, R. Sknepnek, T. Shimi, A. E. Goldman, R. D. Goldman, M. Olvera de la Cruz. Mechanical model of blebbing in nuclear lamin meshworks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1300215110

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/SLr8Cc3HrUc/130219121606.htm

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Hacker takes over Burger King Twitter account

Unknown hacker uses Burger King Twitter account to tweet that the chain was sold to McDonalds and putting a McDonalds logo on the account's background picture. Hacking of Burger King account follows several cybersecurity breaches at corporations. ?

By Candice Choi and Joshua Freed,?AP Business Writers / February 18, 2013

This frame grab taken Monday, Feb. 18, 2013, shows Burger King's Twitter account after it was hacked, changing the fast-foot company's Twitter picture to a McDonald's logo and tweeting (falsely) that that it had been sold to rival McDonald's.

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Somebody hacked?Burger?King's?Twitter account on Monday, posting obscene messages and changing its profile picture to a McDonald's logo.

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The tweets stopped after a little more than an hour, and?Burger?King?said it had reached out to Twitter to suspend the account. A Twitter spokesman did not immediately respond to a phone message left on Monday.

Burger?King, which usually tweets several times a week, said it was working to get the account back up. Typical tweets promoted sales on chicken sandwiches, or asked how many bites it takes to eat a chicken nugget.

But just after noon EST (1700 GMT) on Monday, someone tweeted via?Burger?King's?account, "We just got sold to McDonalds!" They also changed the icon to rival McDonald Corp.'s golden arches and the account's background picture to McDonald's new Fish McBites.

About 55 tweets and retweets followed over the next hour and a quarter, including some that contained racial epithets, references to drug use and obscenities. The account tweeted: "if I catch you at a wendys, we're fightin!"

Monday's appropriation of?Burger?King's?Twitter account was a relatively mild example of cybersecurity problems, which are causing increasing concern in Washington and for industry. Media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have all said this year that their computer systems were breached, while several NBC websites were briefly hacked in November. White House officials and some lawmakers are pursuing legislation that would make it easier for the government and industry to share information on how to defend against hacking.

Burger?King?didn't know who hacked the account, and no other social media accounts were affected, said Bryson Thornton, a spokesman for Miami-based?Burger?King?Worldwide Inc. Its social media team and an outside agency manage the Twitter account, but Thornton declined to say how many people knew the account's password. He said they hope to have it working again soon, and will post a statement on Facebook later Monday apologizing for the tweets.

Twitter acknowledged on Feb. 1 that cyber attackers may have stolen user names and passwords of 250,000 users. It said at the time that it notified users of the breach.

Competitors were sympathetic.

McDonald's responded on Twitter that it empathized with its?Burger?King?counterparts. "Rest assured, we had nothing to do with the hacking."

"My real life nightmare is playing out" on?Burger?King's?twitter feed, wrote Wendy's social media worker Amy Rose Brown.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/9pHPJRVwgN8/Hacker-takes-over-Burger-King-Twitter-account

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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A Night of Drinking Colheita | Life at a Great Wine Store

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Source: http://blog.67wine.com/2013/02/a-night-of-drinking-colheita.html

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Monday, February 18, 2013

Huge asteroid won't strike Earth on Friday. But what about the next time?

There's no chance that the 150-foot-wide?asteroid 2012 DA14 will strike our planet, but it's only a matter of time before a large space rock does, say scientists.?

By Mike Wall,?SPACE.com / February 15, 2013

A simulation of asteroid 2012 DA14 approaching from the south as it passes through the Earth-moon system on Friday. The 150-foot object will pass within 17,000 miles of the Earth.

JPL-Caltech/NASA/AP

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Today's super-close asteroid flyby should be a wakeup call, spurring humanity to keep better track of the millions of space rocks whizzing through Earth's neighborhood, some scientists say.

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There's no chance the 150-foot-wide (45 meters)?asteroid 2012 DA14?will hit Earth on its closest approach today (Feb. 15) at 2:24 p.m. EST (1924 GMT). But it will cruise within 17,200 miles (27,000 kilometers) of our planet, marking the closest encounter with such a large space rock that researchers have ever known about in advance.

Some scientists hope the flyby serves as a warning shot, reminding folks that Earth sits in a cosmic shooting gallery and that it's just a matter of time before we suffer a major impact ? unless we take action.

"This close approach could just as easily have been an impact," Dan Durda, of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo.,?wrote in a blog post?Wednesday (Feb. 13).

"With many tens of thousands of undiscovered objects this size roaming our neighborhood, it?s only a matter of time before one of them booms through our atmosphere rather than skating through our planet-circling constellation of satellites," added Durda, who also serves on the board of directors of the B612 Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to predicting and preventing devastating asteroid strikes. [Asteroid 2012 DA14's Flyby: Complete Coverage]

Durda's point was rammed home early Friday morning when a?brilliant fireball exploded?in the skies over Russia's Chelyabinsk region, which is about 930 miles (1,500 km) east of Moscow. The blast damaged hundreds of buildings and wounded perhaps 1,000 people, according to media reports.

Scientists think the Russian fireball was caused by an object weighing about 10 tons. For comparison, 2012 DA14 tips the scales at about 140,000 tons. The two space rocks are completely unrelated, NASA researchers said.

Millions of space rocks

Earth has been pummeled by asteroids throughout its 4.5-billion-year history. Perhaps the most famous impact came 65 million years ago, when a 6-mile-wide (10 km) behemoth smashed into our planet and?wiped out the dinosaurs.

The good news is that another such catastrophic impact does not appear to be in the offing anytime soon. NASA researchers have mapped out the paths of more than 90 percent of the near-Earth asteroids at least 0.6 miles (1 km) across, which could threaten human civilization if they hit us. Not one is on a collision course with our planet in the foreseeable future.

But the numbers get worse from there. Observations by NASA's WISE space telescope suggest that about 4,700asteroidsat least 330 feet (100 m) wide come uncomfortably close to our planet at some point in their orbits.

So far, astronomers have spotted less than 30 percent of these large space rocks, which could destroy an area the size of a state if they slammed into Earth. And they've identified just 1 percent of the objects that are about the size of 2012 DA14 or bigger, B612 officials have said.

Such asteroids are capable of inflicting serious damage on a local scale, as the "Tunguska Event" illustrates. In 1908, a 130-foot-wide (40 m) asteroid exploded over the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Siberia, flattening about 825 square miles (2,137 square km) of forest.

Astronomers think, all together 1 million or more near-Earth asteroids are out there, cruising silently through the dark depths of space. About 9,600 have been discovered to date.

"It is actually difficult to look for these things," said Paul Dimotakis of Caltech in Pasadena, who is part of a team studying the feasibility of capturing and retrieving a near-Earth asteroid for future study and potential use.

Dimotakis notes that it's tough to spot asteroids between Earth and the sun, because the star's glare drowns out the relatively tiny objects from our perspective here on Earth. So researchers often point their instruments in the other direction, spotting more-distant space rocks that generally pose less of a threat. The ones that likely hold more potential risk are left in the dark of sorts.

"It's like the man who lost the keys and is looking where there is light, not where the keys were lost," Dimotakis told SPACE.com. [The 7 Strangest Asteroids in the Solar System]

New space telescope needed

Dimotakis says humanity should place an asteroid-hunting telescope near the orbit of Venus, where it could look outward and scan Earth's neighborhood without having to fight the sun's overwhelming glare.

The B612 Foundation agrees and is working to make it happen. The organization is developing a?space telescope called Sentinel, which is slated to launch in 2017 or 2018 and eventually settle into a Venus-like orbit around the sun.

In 5 1/2 years of operation, Sentinel should find about 500,000 near-Earth asteroids, including all of the remaining mountain-size space rocks that could potentially end civilization and roughly 90 percent of the asteroids big enough to wipe out an entire state, B612 officials have said.

The main goal is to spot the really dangerous asteroids decades before they may hit us, giving humanity plenty of time to mount a?deflection mission? for example, to launch a gravity-tractor probe that would fly alongside the asteroid for years, nudging it off course via a tiny gravitational tug.

"Rather than playing the odds of time, wouldn?t it be far better to be able to know, with some reasonable certainty, that we?ve cataloged the entire population of potentially hazardous asteroids?" Durda wrote. "With such a catalog in hand, we'd either know we're safe from disastrous impacts for the foreseeable future or at least be able to plan ahead for any known to be on our near-term cosmic planning calendar."

Editor's note:?If you snap a photo of asteroid 2012 DA14, or any other amazing night sky object, and you'd like to share it for a possible story or image gallery, please send images and comments to managing editor Tariq Malik at?spacephotos@space.com.

Follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter?@michaeldwall?or SPACE.com?@Spacedotcom. We're also onFacebook?and?Google+.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/7cUaa6UojgM/Huge-asteroid-won-t-strike-Earth-on-Friday.-But-what-about-the-next-time

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Sunday, February 17, 2013

Maker's Mark Execs Explain The Alcohol Content ... - Business Insider

Maker's Mark sparked a big bourbon controversy when it decided to lower the amount of alcohol in liquor.

Loyal customers spoke out and Maker's Mark ended up reversing the decision?quickly.

Geoffrey Kleinman at Drink Spirits spoke with Maker's Mark COO Rob Samuels and his father, chairman Bill Samuels, Jr., about what happened.

The pair talked about the moment when they realized they had totally screwed up.

"It was quickly," Rob explained to Drink Spirits. "After a day or two."

"Yeah, we came into the office Monday thinking that all our friends would accept our rationale for messing around with our whiskey and found that we were like a little bit wrong," said Bill.

"It takes a little while to get your head wrapped around that because our feelings were hurt and our ego was hurt. Then we actually started listening, and the folks were all saying essentially the same thing, and in reflection it made a lot of sense."

Ego is a major factor when it comes to reversing corporate decisions. Sometimes, a company will stick with a decision simply because execs think they know better than their customers and it ends up backfiring spectacularly.

This wasn't the case at Maker's and the folks at the top aren't hesitating to admit that the plan was boneheaded.

?We got the picture quickly and we are not quite as stupid as we were at this time last week,? Bill told Forbes.

It wasn't easy to get over the crushing blow, but they recovered, and it looks like this is going to be a win for Maker's Mark.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/makers-mark-alcohol-content-reversal-2013-2

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Power restored to most parts of Syrian capital

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? Electricity has been restored in most parts of the Syrian capital and power will gradually reach the south, a top Syrian government official said Sunday as fighting raged in at least three provinces between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar Assad.

The Syrian capital's 2.5 million residents have grown used to frequent power cuts as the country's nearly 2-year-old conflict has damaged infrastructure and sapped government revenue. A fuel shortage makes it hard for residents to run backup generators.

The power outage plunged Damascus into darkness late Saturday and affected much of southern Syria, mainly the provinces of Daraa and Sweida along the Jordanian border.

Electricity Minister Imad Khamis told the state news agency, SANA, that technical teams were working around the clock to restore power in the south. He blamed the blackout on an unspecified fault in high-tension lines.

A similar blackout struck the same areas on Jan. 20. The government blamed that outage on a rebel attack, and power was restored to most areas the following day.

Also on Sunday, a Britain-based rights group reported that at least six rebel field fighters were killed in clashes with Assad's army in the suburbs of the capital, the northern province of Hama and the southern restive town of Daraa.

In Hama's suburbs, rebels with the Free Syrian Army took over a police checkpoint and destroyed an army tank, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The U.N. says nearly 70,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict since the revolt began in March 2011.

In a related development, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay pressed for international action to help stem the bloodshed, but acknowledged that achieving that won't be easy. She alleged that Assad's regime had committed crimes against humanity and should be referred to the International Criminal Court.

"It's an intergovernmental decision on what kind of action ? intervention, peacekeeping, military intervention or a referral to the International Criminal Court," Pillay told British television Channel 4 in an interview broadcast Saturday night.

"We urge that action be taken immediately," she said. "If there is doubt and hesitation, it's because people are assessing the value of military intervention in places like Libya, Syria and Afghanistan ? that it could become a long, drawn-out war with no guarantees that civilians will not be harmed in that process."

___

Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Germany, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/power-restored-most-parts-syrian-capital-102159686.html

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THE PROSPECT PART 9: Chiefs get Cup crazy | Local Hockey ...

As knockout punches go, they don?t come much bigger than a six-foot-three forward with a knack for scoring under pressure.

Lawson Crouse returned with a bang from a four-game absence this week to lift the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs minor midget AAA team to a 9-3 drubbing that finished off Kitchener and sent the Chiefs to the Alliance league final.

?He was ready to go,? Chiefs coach Darren Kelly said of Crouse. ?I knew he?d come up big. He?s got a great shot; he?s a big body and he?s a really, really good hockey player.?

Kitchener, which upset a strong London Junior Knights Gold team one round earlier, nearly stole Game?1 against the Chiefs, but dropped it 1-0.

The Chiefs, even with star centre Travis Konecny off the ice for nearly half the game because of a wonky skate blade, broke the dam midway through Game?2, turning a 2-2 tie into a 6-2 win.

Win Game 3, and the Chiefs would be in the league final and the all-important OHL Cup, a showcase tournament for minor midget players eligible for April?s Ontario Hockey League draft.

It was clear Crouse had no interest in letting Kitchener up off the ice.

Fresh off a four-game suspension (automatic after a five-minute major), Crouse was buzzing early and put up three goals and two assists to lead the lopsided win.

His line with Konecny and Drew Worrad combined for 12?points in the decisive win over Kitchener.

Konecny has long been touted as a likely top pick in April?s OHL draft, but performances like in Game 3 also have Crouse in the conversation as a possible Top?10 selection, too.

So the Chiefs, a squad whose core of players has been together several years, are one stride closer to winning a title. And parting ways for good.

?I?ve grown up with these guys and it?s going to be tough watching them go at the end of the year because we?re all going to split up,? Konecny said.

?But it would be nice to hopefully (win) an Alliance championship with these guys.?

patrick.maloney@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/patatLFPress

Source: http://www.lfpress.com/2013/02/15/the-prospect-part-9-nothing-to-crouse-about

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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Green Blog: Gas Pipeline Draws Last-Minute Protests

In a last-ditch effort to block construction of a controversial natural gas pipeline in northeastern Pennsylvania, campaigners urged an interstate regulator on Friday to review the project?s environmental impact.

The 44-mile section of pipeline, the Northeast Upgrade, would become part of a longer pipeline moving natural gas extracted from the Marcellus Shale in northern Pennsylvania to a terminal in Mahwah, N.J. In a letter, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, an environmental group, urged the Delaware River Basin Commission to study the potential impacts, arguing that the project will result in the loss of forest and the degradation of wetlands if construction is allowed to begin.

Opponents argue that in approving the project, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission did not conduct a thorough environmental review. Last week they suffered a setback when the federal Court of Appeals in Washington denied an emergency motion by Delaware Riverkeeper and others for an injunction to rescind FERC?s approval of the plan.

While a court challenge to the legality of FERC?s approval for the Northeast Upgrade is still pending, the outcome may only apply to future pipelines once construction of the new segment gets going, said Maya K. van Rossum, who heads the environmental group.

Ms. Van Rossum said the Delaware River Basin Commission, controlled by the governors of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware and the federal Army Corps of Engineers, was therefore the group?s last hope. The commission is charged with maintaining water quality and managing water resources in the 330-mile long basin.

?Exercise of this jurisdiction? could ?avoid and minimize the incredible level of harm the traditional method of pipeline construction used in our watershed to date has inflicted,? Ms. Van Rossum wrote in the letter. The commission, which had refused to exercise its authority, recently revrsed itself, saying that it would review the TGP300 pipeline, of which the Northeast Upgrade is a part, but not the Upgrade itself.

Unless the commission steps in, tree-cutting for the section of the upgrade that falls into the Delaware watershed on the Pennsylvania and New Jersey sides of the river could begin as soon as next week, Ms. Van Rossum said.

On Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved tree-cutting for a section of the Upgrade that falls within the Delaware River basin. A spokesman for the commission did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Critics of the project also accuse the operator of the company Tennessee Gas Pipeline of avoiding a thorough review of the project under the National Environmental Policy Act by seeking permits for separate sections of the pipeline rather than for the line as a whole. In court documents, they argue that the company ?evaded? a comprehensive environmental review and that FERC ?unlawfully? segmented the analysis required under the National Environmental Polcy Act.

FERC maintains that it was legally entitled to conduct a segmented analysis of the project.

Richard Wheatley, a spokesman for Kinder Morgan, the parent company of Tennessee Gas Pipeline, said the upgrade project was proceeding despite legal challenges because FERC has rejected them, mostly recently on Jan. 11, as have federal courts in Pennsylvania and Washington.

?The January 11 order is reflective of a diligent review of claims dealing with environmental issues, right-of-way routing, late filings by numerous individuals and entities? and other issues, Mr. Wheatley wrote in an e-mail.

In Milford in northeastern Pennsylvania, opposition is focused on plans to clear a seven-mile swath of forest where the pipeline would be built rather than using an existing right of way that would not require cutting trees.

Senator Bob Casey, Democrat of Pennsylvania, has meanwhile urged the Army Corps of Engineers, which must approve any projects that cross wetlands or waterways, to consider alternative routes.

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/gas-pipeline-draws-last-minute-protests/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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