Barca welcomes back coach Vilanova, Xavi and Alba

Associated Press Sports

updated 8:53 a.m. ET March 31, 2013

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -Barcelona will have midfielder Xavi Hernandez and defender Jordi Alba available for Tuesday's Champions League quarterfinal at Paris Saint-Germain, and the club says coach Tito Vilanova plans to be on the touchline.

Barcelona said on Sunday that Xavi had recovered from a right leg muscle injury, while Alba's right leg had also healed in time.

The Spanish leader also said that "it is foreseen that coach Tito Vilanova will travel to Paris."

Vilanova returned Tuesday from a 10-week medical stay in New York, where he received treatment after the removal of a throat tumor in December. Assistant Jordi Roura has been in charge in the interim.

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Art 7 Entertainment: About casino portals and gambling guides

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UCLA hires Alford away from New Mexico

UCLA hires Alford: Steve Alford succeeds UCLA basketball coach Ben Howland, who was fired last weekend after 10 years. Alford had just inked a 10-year deal with New Mexico, when UCLA snagged him.

By Beth Harris,?Associated Press / March 30, 2013

Former New Mexico head coach Steve Alford reacts to a referee's call during a game against Harvard in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City earlier this month. Alford was hired Saturday to coach UCLA.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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UCLA hired Steve Alford as basketball coach on Saturday, luring him from New Mexico days after he signed a new 10-year deal with the Lobos.

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Athletic director Dan Guerrero said Alford is "the perfect fit for UCLA" because he connects with a new generation of players and brings an up-tempo and team-oriented style of play to Westwood.

The 48-year-old coach succeeds Ben Howland, who was fired last weekend after 10 years and a 233-107 record that included three consecutive Final Four appearances and four Pac-12 titles. The Bruins were 25-10 this season, which ended with a 20-point loss to Minnesota in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Alford led New Mexico to a 29-6 record this season that included the Mountain West regular-season and tournament titles. But the Lobos were upset by Harvard in the second round of the NCAAs shortly after Alford's new deal with the school had been announced.

Alford will be introduced at UCLA on Tuesday.

"I have been so fortunate and blessed in my life, and an opportunity to lead one of the greatest programs in college basketball history is once-in-a-lifetime," he said in a statement.

Alford had a 155-52 record in six years at New Mexico, with the Lobos making three trips to the NCAA tournament. He was selected Mountain West coach of the year three times.

His other head coaching stints were at Iowa (2000-07), Missouri State (1996-99) and Manchester College (1992-95) in his native Indiana.

Alford is a legend in the Hoosier state, where he starred at Indiana University from 1984-87 under coach Bob Knight. The Hoosiers won the national championship in his senior year. He also played on the gold medal-winning 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team in Los Angeles as a college sophomore. Knight coached that team.

Alford was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1987 and played four years in the NBA before starting his head coaching career at tiny Manchester.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

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The Secret World of Home Haunters | Vancouver Weekly

The America Scream - A Netflix Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fieldrunners 2 beta invites are going out

Testers now being contacted via email for their chance to check out the Fieldrunners 2 beta

A few days ago we told you about the Fieldrunners 2 for Android closed beta and directed you to the sign-up page. If you followed through and signed up, be sure to check your inbox to see if you got in, as the invites are now rolling out. In the email you receive, you are given full instructions on installing and running the app, as well as the proper channel to submit bugs. That last part is important -- if you did get in, be sure to contact Subatomic Studios and let them know.  Also, some advice on how to uninstall in preparation for the final release product, as you may have issues with game progress data otherwise.

The beta is two of the 25 full missions that will be in the final edition, and besides testing for compatibility and bugs, you're bound to have a good time and see what the full version will offer. I've been playing Fieldrunners 2 on the PC for a while (I <3 U Steam weekend deals) and am a big fan of the original Fieldrunners game on Android. So far, I'm loving what I see here. Hopefully the testing goes smoothly, and we see a final release soon. Now if you'll excuse me, I have towers that need upgraded.

Thanks everyone who sent this in!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/IkmHxwg6444/story01.htm

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Justin Bieber Battery Case: Headed for Prosecution

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/justin-bieber-battery-case-headed-for-prosecution/

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HACKING ULTIMATE: mSpy | Software Review

mSpy | Software Review

mSpy is one of the most popular and top rated cell spy software meant for mobile phones as well as computers. This invaluable application features a portfolio of solutions for monitoring your family members, business partners as well as employees. The security feature of this software platform ensures the safety of your cell phone and the entire personal and confidential information stored in it. mSpy can compatibly work with most popular kinds of? smartphones, android, blackberry, iPhone, Symbian and Windows Mobile. Once installed in a cell phone, this program can track the mobile phone activities of the user of the phone and inform you all of that precisely. The most effective logging and reporting features of this software has made it highly popular among millions of people using mobile tracking software.

Who will require mSpy?
Those with a need of knowing the truth behind personal and business interactions can just install mSpy mobile sms spy on the target cell phone and monitor the entire range of activities happening through it. This is an invaluable tool for you to catch your cheating spouse, watch over your kids for their misbehaviors and nab your employees when they go wrong or engage in inappropriate activities.
The Wonderful Advantages of mSpy
Easy Installation: The whole process of installing this tracking software only takes about 15 minutes to complete. This can be done without giving room to any suspicions. The installation procedure is detailed in the user manual.
Protecting the Safety of the Phone: Every spying software must be able to work secretly. mSpy will not leave even a trace of information of indication for the user to discover or even doubt that it has been installed on their phone.
Remote access Capability:?After the physical installation, you need not touch the phone by hand. You can monitor it from a remote user account.
Number of Plans to Choose: Based on the monitoring needs of the buyer, there are a number of plans to choose from. Therefore, this program offers enough amount of flexibility with respect to budget and functionality. The user-friendly interface and 10 days money back guarantee are the other attractive features.

The Various Monitoring features of MSpy
1. GPS tracker: The GPS tracker feature can track the exact location of the cell phone and fix it on the maps.
2. Email reading:?The program can record all the emails sent and received by the device.
3. SMS tracking:?The complete details of all the SMS and text conversations can be recorded.
4. Call tracking: All inbound and outbound calls pertaining to the target phone can be logged with time and duration details. Subscribers can also record and listen to conversations in real time.
5. Internet history:?You can have the complete log of the websites visited through the cell phone?s browser even after the history is deleted from the target mobile.
6. Blocking Applications:?You can block some websites from being visited from the target mobile to protect the interests of your kids.
7. Accessing photos and videos and phone book:?You can enjoy an unrestricted access to the contacts, photos and videos stored on the target phone.
8. SMS commands:?From a remote location, you can issue commands to lock your phone that is stolen or lost. You can also use this feature to take a data back up or delete the informati0n stored in it.
9. SIM change Notification: if the SIm of the target mobile is changed, the program sends an SMS alert to notify you of the same.
10. Keystrokes recording:?The inbuilt key logger capability records the keystrokes of the mobile in real time.
11. Reverse phone lookup facility:?Most unique to mSpy, the reverse phone look up feature enables the subscriber track the person using the number irrespective of whether it belongs to a mobile or a fixed landline.

mSpy?s sophisticated surveillance tools can spy all the activities of a mobile phone or computer thereby offering the complete portfolio of monitoring solutions. For further information, please, visit http://www.mspy.com/.

?Via --> Hackspc

Source: http://hackingultimate.blogspot.com/2013/03/mspy-software-review.html

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Chew on this: Sexiest stars eat what you eat

By Kurt Schlosser, TODAY

If you ever wanted six-pack abs on your way to being named the Sexiest Man Alive, or if you crave the toned legs and flat belly of an international pop superstar, a trip to your nearest fast-food establishment may be in order.

Startraks, FameFlynet

Ryan Reynolds, left, gets his Burger King on during a break from filming in New York this week. Britney Spears grabs KFC to go in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on March 19.

If that doesn't make sense, than neither does Ryan Reynolds walking down the street with Burger King to go, or Britney Spears hauling a bag of KFC across a parking lot. We know stars are supposed to be "just like us," but have you seen us? We don't look like them.

Let's just assume that Reynolds and Spears ate whatever was in those bags. Instead of collapsing into a cheeseburger coma in front of "South Park," it's safe to say these two burned it off. Probably before the bags hit the trash. (In Reynolds' case, the task may have been a little easier. A publicist tied to the actor called Friday to say that's just a turkey burger and unsweetened iced tea!)

Albert Michael / startraksphoto.com

No Coke. Pepsi. Actress Denise Richards at Arby's.

Celebs with six-packs under their shirts and not in their shopping carts get that way thanks to a strict diet-and-exercise routine. And there's a good chance that both of those disciplines are maintained under the watchful eye of well-paid personal chefs and trainers. It also doesn't hurt to go the "kale and dust" route if fitting into a catsuit is in your job description.

So those of you envisioning looking like any of these people because you eat at the same drive-thru, take note. Joy Bauer, nutrition and health expert for TODAY, says "limit fast food outings to once per week, and alternate fattening fare with healthier offerings like grilled chicken salads, turkey burgers, and snack wraps."

If the thought of a snack wrap taking the place of your bacon-double sounds unappetizing, Bauer crunches some numbers for you.

She says to pay penance for a Burger King Whopper (630 calories), large fries (500 calories), and?40-ounce soda (380 calories) -- totaling 1,510 calories -- you would have to:

• run for 2 hours straight, or
• swim for 4 hours, or
• bike for 2 hours, or
• play full-court basketball for 2 hours

INFphoto.com

Rihanna hits the drive thru at a fast food joint in her native Barbados.

If you scarf down KFC's Original Recipe chicken-thigh value box (540 calories), a side of mashed potatoes with gravy (120 calories), and?30-ounce sweetened iced tea (260 calories) -- totaling 920 calories -- you'd need to:?

• spin for one hour and 10 minutes, or
• walk for 3 hours, or
• hit the dance floor and boogie down for an hour and a half, or
• do yoga for 5 hours straight!

"Celebs have cravings just like everyone else ... and when they succumb to fast food faves -- just like us mortals -- they must work hard to burn off the calorific splurges," Bauer says.

Maybe you're burning calories right now at the thought of Ryan Reynolds burning calories to work off his meal. Maybe the thought of his wife, Blake Lively, in a swimsuit is enough to motivate him to stay in shape. We know she'd never eat ... aw, forget it!

Who's making a food run?

More in TODAY Entertainment:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/03/29/17505755-chew-on-this-the-sexiest-people-alive-eat-what-you-eat?lite

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Google pledges to only use open-source related patents defensively

Google has taken to its Open Source Blog today to announce that it is creating a new pledge to never use its patents related to open-source software unless attacked first.

The new pledge, officially named the "Open Patent Non-Assertion Pledge" (or OPN Pledge for short), indicates that unless otherwise attacked by another creator of open-source software, Google will not use its patents against any other entity. The entire pledge runs a few paragraphs (and can be seen at the source link below), but the idea is that Google wants to be able to hold patents to protect itself (and software) from attack while agreeing to not attack themselves. A small excerpt from the pledge reads:

It is Google’s intent that the Pledge be legally binding, irrevocable (except as otherwise provided under “Defensive Termination” below) and enforceable against Google and entities controlled by Google, and their successors and assigns.

Meaning that not only does the pledge apply to Google's own operations, but also those of any company owned or operated by it -- such as Motorola, presumably -- as well as any company that buys or sells patents with Google. The pledge states that any company receiving patents from Google must agree to the terms of the pledge in their own use, and also have similar requirements if it were to ever transfer the patents again to a third entity.

It is worth noting that the OPN Pledge only applies to other entities that are also making open-source software, and makes no mention that Google's patents couldn't be used offensively against one making closed-source software. And while Motorola presumably falls under the category of "entities controlled by Google", because it is technically being run as an independent company we're unsure on how this pledge affects it.

Reiterating that it believes that open internet and open software systems are the best choice for everyone, Google is hoping that the OPN Pledge "will serve as a model for the industry". It also notes the devotion to open-source software by other entities like IBM and Red Hat, which are said to be examples for what the OPN Pledge was built on.

Source: Google Open Source Blog; OPN Pledge

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/3Gb01fYfZEA/story01.htm

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Justin Bieber Accuser: Singer Spit In My Face, Threatened My Life

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/justin-bieber-accuser-singer-spit-in-my-face-threatened-my-life/

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North Korea to cut communication channels with South

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-cut-channels-south-war-may-break-090941398.html

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Klout Users Can Now Add Bing To Their Account And Include Instagram In Their Score

Klout, the service for measuring online influence, is boosting its integration with both Bing and Instagram today. On the Bing side, the news follows last fall's announcement of a strategic investment from and partnership with Microsoft. That announcement included the unveiling of a feature in Bing that would show Klout scores for select people. (And Bing continues to surface more data on that front.)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/kj1u3pWIeSQ/

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Facebook expands targeted ads to News Feed

Alexei Oreskovic , Reuters ? ? ? 4 hrs.

Facebook is expanding the advertising system that lets marketers tailor messages to users of the No. 1 social network based on their browsing history, in the company's latest step to refine its ad business.

So far, the system has been used to target graphical display ads on the right side of a Facebook user's page, based on websites visited in the past, such as for products or potential vacation destinations.

The move announced on Tuesday will incorporate this system, called Facebook Exchange, to the ads in Facebook's News Feed.

It ties together two of the most significant innovations that Facebook has made in the past year to its advertising business, which accounts for roughly 84 percent of the company's revenue.

Marketers last year welcomed the launch of Facebook Exchange as it provided a common online advertising technique long missing on the social network.

Ads that appear directly within the Facebook News Feed are considered crucial to its future business prospects since they can be seen on mobile devices such as smartphones. About two-thirds of Facebook users accessed the site on a mobile device in December.

Facebook said the Facebook Exchange system will initially be available for newsfeed ads that appear on desktop PCs but not on mobile devices.

"Desktop is more in line with what FBX (Facebook Exchange) has been doing effectively in the right hand side. And we also find that desktop is the place where more people convert from seeing direct-response ads," said Facebook spokeswoman Elisabeth Diana.

The company is testing the new service with a limited set of partners, with plans for broader availability in the coming weeks.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

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&#39;Avengers: Endless Wartime&#39;: Marvel&#39;s new graphic novel era begins ...

Marvel will start a new shelf of original graphic novels this October with the release of?Avengers: Endless Wartime, a 110-page epic by writer Warren Ellis and artist Mark McKone that will represent a number of milestone firsts.

Endless Wartime?will be the first Marvel title released simultaneously in North America, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Brazil, Finland and Turkey. The book includes a code for accessing a digital edition?via the Marvel Comics app and online in the Marvel Digital Comics Shop.?The book?s biggest distinction, however, is the somewhat odd fact that Marvel rarely publishes major original graphic novels ? more on that in a moment. But first a quick observation on Ellis: The man who dreamed up Spider Jerusalem and Planetary?is putting together a pretty special year.

The Brit?s second prose detective novel,?Gun Machine, hit the New York Times Bestseller list in January and his comics work will echo in two major studio releases this summer. There?s?Iron Man 3?(which draws core concepts and themes from?Iron Man: Extremis, the landmark 2005 story arc that pruned and primed the character?s mythology for Hollywood) and then?RED 2?(the sequel to 2010?s?RED,?which gets its spy-versus-spy-retiree concept and its title from the old Wildstorm limited series by Ellis and Cully Hamner).

I spoke to Ellis by transatlantic call about?Endless Warfare, which began as a business tactic (Marvel ordered up a book that might catch the curious eye of moviegoers, which is why the graphic novel is described as a ?movie-length epic? by its publisher and features four Avengers from the 2012 hit film: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and Hawkeye) and the wily Ellis was smart enough to add the one visual effect that Marvel Studios can?t match on the screen ? the sight of Wolverine standing next to Thor or Iron Man. The line-up is rounded out by Captain Marvel? a name that leads me back to the rarity factor represented by the Endless Warfare.

The term ?Marvel Graphic Novel? became a boutique brand after The Death of Captain Marvel, but if you hand a copy of that trailblazing April 1982 release to a contemporary reader they would say it looks more like a collector?s edition issue of magazine than a graphic novel.

If you go by a purist definition of ?graphic novel,? there haven?t been all that many published by Marvel, which instead churns out?trade paperbacks?that conveniently compile recent multi-issue story arcs or recycle the company?s vintage classics with yet another unexpected repackaging theme (which is why the Fantastic Four now rival the Beach Boys for compilation overkill). Avengers: Endless Warfare joins a short but illustrious stack of lengthy original stories presented in a unified form that includes peers like the The Silver Surfer, the 114-page cosmic novel from 1978 that marked the return of Jack Kirby to Marvel Comics.

That?s important to Ellis, who is coming up on his silver anniversary as a published writer and now looks to comics more for offbeat challenges than routine opportunities.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I don?t know much more than the title, so forgive the vague question: When you think about this new project, what aspect has you the most excited?
WARREN ELLIS: They haven?t actually told me what I can tell you so, um, let me feel my way through this. The main reason I took it is this will be the first of Marvel?s graphic novel line. Really, it?s the first time they?ve done original graphic novels of this scale. You remember the old Marvel graphic novel line from the ?80s?

Oh yes. I distinctly remember buying The Death of Captain Marvel the day it came out.
Sure, and there were some fun books but they were short. They were largely 48- or 64-page stories, I want to say. And this one is 110. It?s much more in the mode of what we think of now as a graphic novel. This will be the first one of this new [publishing initiative] and that is what attracted me to do it in the first place.

It would seem to fit your writing style. There?s a sense of scale in your work and, more than that, you?re storytelling doesn?t seem as hurried or breathless as lots of comics.
[Laughs] Probably it depends on the form I?m writing in, because I?ve done a lot of done-in-one stuff as well. But of course, coming out the back of Gun Machine and being in the middle of a new novel right now, I?m very much in the novelistic mode. It?s nice to be able to do something in comics without having to watch the 22-page count. It?s not often I?ve done anything in comics where I wasn?t watching that count and trying to find the break for the end of the issues. I?ve done a few mini-series where I decided I just wasn?t going to pay that much attention to the break. But it?s very nice to do a comic of this size where you don?t really have to keep an eye on where you?re going to find the natural breaks.

On that topic of craft and just overall writing approach: What is a thing you would like to improve on at this stage of your career as far as the writing life? Is it a craft thing, a motivation thing? Maybe something about lifestyle or creating new patterns in your work? What is your artistic challenge?
Getting out of bed before noon. [Laughs] It?s an interesting question because it is the kind of thing that comes to you when you?re living in the second act of your career. I get to, in large part, to pick and choose what I?m going to do. And I look for things. So something like [Avengers XX], there is something of a technical challenge to get something that feels like a graphic novel out of these characters and that genre and trying to get a new sound out of it. That?s only part of what I?m doing right now. I?m testing myself in novels and I?m thinking about doing more comics work that would probably not be like a lot of the stuff I?ve done in previous years. So [the challenge]? Looking for the new things.

A huge difference between your novelist work and your comics work is collaboration; comics are an artist?s medium as surely as film is a director?s medium. That can be tricky. Do you consider yourself a natural collaborator?
It?s always an awkward area to question with the company-owned stuff because it does tend to get very separated out. I can be collaborative, for instance, in situations where I go and study the artist?s work before I start writing. Then I can at least try to write towards their style. At the top of the page I give them my email address and say,? For God?s sake, if something doesn?t work let me know.? So it?s not a classical collaboration. I?m the one starting off with a blank page but I?m not cutoff from the rest of the process; if something isn?t working for an artist they can come back to me. A big part of my job is make them look good because if the artist looks good than I look great.

When it comes to the voices of characters, do you find it a challenge to keep those voices different and distinct? And which is more difficult, finding characters that sound authentically different when they speak or getting in the head of characters who think differently than you yourself?
It?s a case of finding the characters, who they are, where they come from and what they want. That?s how I try to keep the voices straight. If I can keep those things in mind ? and it?s particularly hard with a job like this one because you are juggling seven characters ? but if you keep all of that in mind when they start to speak, you?re normally able to approximate the voices you should have. It?s always difficult with the superhero stuff because you?re working with?characters who have been written by 100 to 200 people over the past 20 years, at least, so they never sound the same or act the same. The best approach is to try to draw the best fitting line through all of the interpretations. And then find a note that sounds right to your ear.

Of the seven characters you have in this band of heroes ? is there one you have a special affinity for? Or one that irks you?
I largely got to choose the cast, but a big impetus to launching this line with these characters was largely commercial. Let?s be blunt. There?s a Thor movie and a Captain America movie coming up. So at the top of the process there was a request from the office that those two characters be front and center or at least have them be fairly integral to the plot. The rest of them I got to pick and choose, which is why the Captain Marvel character is in there, because she?s written by a friend of mine and I quite like her.. .I put Wolverine into the cast because that?s nothing you?ll see in the Avengers film, well not for 10 years at least.

Source: http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/03/27/avengers-marvel-graphic-novel-warren-ellis-endless-wartime/

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CA-BUSINESS Summary

Asian shares gain as U.S. data builds optimism

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares rose on Wednesday, comforted by positive U.S. data pointing to a moderate recovery in the economy, but worries over the implications of the Cyprus bank bailout deal, and the losses it imposed on investors, weighed on the euro. European markets were seen adding small gains, with financial spreadbetters predicting London's FTSE 100 <.ftse>, Paris's CAC-40 <.fchi> and Frankfurt's DAX <.gdaxi> likely to open around 0.3 percent higher. Benchmark indices in Spain <.ibex> and Italy <.ftmib> were seen likely to open 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent higher. <.l><.eu/>

Analysis: Citigroup looks to cut cash holdings to boost earnings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc is considering cutting its cash on hand by about $35 billion, which should help the bank buy higher yielding assets or redeem expensive debt to boost earnings. Making the change will signal that the management of the third-largest U.S. bank by assets, which had to be rescued three times by the U.S. government in the financial crisis, is increasingly confident that its worst troubles are well behind it.

Agrium wins crucial endorsement ahead of shareholder vote

TORONTO (Reuters) - Agrium Inc won another ringing endorsement just ahead of a crucial shareholder vote after influential advisory firm Glass Lewis on Tuesday advised its clients to back all 12 of Agrium's board nominees over a slate nominated by dissident investor Jana Partners. The recommendation from the well-regarded advisory firm is a big boost for Agrium ahead of a shareholder vote on April 9 and follows similar recommendations from smaller firms like U.S.-based Egan-Jones and UK-based Pensions Investment Research Consultants.

BlackBerry targeted by short sellers as market awaits results

TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry's share price has more than doubled over the last six months as buzz around its new smartphones has boosted investor confidence, but some traders are betting big that talk of a turnaround is over-hyped. Nasdaq data released on Tuesday shows that short interest in the stock is at record levels and has more than doubled over the course of the last year.

Credit Suisse buys Morgan Stanley's European private bank

ZURICH (Reuters) - Credit Suisse said on Wednesday it would buy Morgan Stanley's wealth management arm in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with total assets under management of $13 billion. "The acquisition will add scale to the bank's core growth markets in EMEA including the UK, Italy, Nordics, Russia and the Middle East," Credit Suisse said in a statement.

Toyota to sell in 2015 vehicles built through parts-sharing

TOYOTA, Japan (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp will start selling in 2015 the first vehicles built under its parts-sharing and platform framework, the company said on Wednesday, as rivals led by Volkswagen pursue similar strategies to cut costs. The framework, called the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), shares parts among vehicles using the same platform in order to save costs and manpower.

F-35 fighter transforming defense industry says retiring chief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The retiring chief of the trouble-plagued F-35 Joint Strike Fighter says he remains bullish about the hi-tech war plane, with costs soon to be further reduced as production takes off, and believes the program will transform the aerospace industry. Tom Burbage, a former Navy test pilot and general manager of the F-35 program since its inception 12 years ago, said the $396 billion weapons program, which will create a supersonic, single-engine fighter jet for use by the United States and its allies, still made strategic sense.

Prosecutors examining JPMorgan's actions in Madoff fraud case: NYT

(Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors are examining whether JPMorgan Chase & Co fully alerted authorities to suspicions about fraudster Bernard Madoff, the New York Times reported, citing several people with direct knowledge of the matter. The prosecutors suspect JPMorgan may have violated a federal law that requires banks to alert authorities to suspicious transactions, the newspaper reported.

Boeing 787 faces new risk: limits on extended range: sources

WASHINGTON/TOKYO (Reuters) - As Boeing works to regain permission for its 787 Dreamliner to resume flights, the company faces what could be a costly new challenge: a temporary ban on some of the long-distance, trans-ocean journeys that the jet was intended to fly. Aviation experts and government officials say the Federal Aviation Administration may shorten the permitted flying time of the 787 on certain routes when it approves a revamped battery system. The plane was grounded worldwide two months ago after lithium-ion batteries overheated on two separate aircraft.

Cyprus readies capital controls to avert bank run

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus is expected to complete capital control measures on Wednesday to prevent a run on the banks by depositors anxious about their savings after the country agreed a painful rescue package with international lenders. Cypriots have taken to the streets of Nicosia in their thousands to protest at a bailout deal that they fear will push their country into an economic slump and cost many their jobs. European leaders said the deal averted a chaotic national bankruptcy that might have forced Cyprus out of the euro.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-business-summary-000757996--finance.html

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Designer Sparks Racial Controversy In Brazil With Afro Wigs

ABC/ Univision:

Activists in Brazil have accused the celebrated stylist and fashion designer Ronaldo Fraga of perpetuating negative racial stereotypes during Sao Paulo's Fashion Week.

Along with makeup artist Marcos Costa, Fraga chose to complement a series of designs inspired by soccer in the 1930s by placing elaborate steel wigs that were meant to represent Afro hair on the heads of mostly white models.

Read the whole story at ABC/ Univision

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/25/controversy-afro-wigs_n_2948083.html

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To Publicize or to Privatize? - Applied Social Psychology (ASP)

Parents often have worries when it comes to the education of their children. Will they get good grades? Will they have trouble making friends in school? Do they have learning disabilities? Will they get into trouble? One of the worries I have as a parent is about the quality of the education my child receives. In my pursuit to determine what will provide a high-quality education (and what will not), I have compared private education to public education. I assumed that at the end of my search, I will have been convinced that private schooling is best. What I have found has surprised me.

?In my search, I ran across an interesting report that compares public to private educational settings (Braun, Jenkins & Grigg, 2006). In this study, researchers compared assessment scores from large samples of private and public schools and the results were as expected. In general, private school students scored higher in math and reading skills, with the gap widening as grade level increases (Braun et al., 2006). However, when student variables were controlled for, the differences were much less significant (Braun et al., 2006). These student variables include gender, race, disabilities, socioeconomic status, parental intervention, absenteeism and access to books and computers in the home.

Now, being the analytical thinker that I am, I realized that it is possible that it was not the school itself that makes a student 'smarter', but perhaps the environment surrounding the students. In the summary section of the report, I found support to my hypothesis: The variance decompositions associated with the analyses comparing all private schools to all public schools indicate that there is greater variance among students within schools than among schools (Braun et al., 2006). In addition, when student-level covariates are included in, the averages of private school means is lower than the averages of public school means (Braun et al., 2006).

?

What does this mean for my son? It means that I can stop looking for a private school to place him in. It also means that I vow to be an active participant in his learning. I now know that the quality of his education does not depend solely on the school he attends, but also upon his environment and upon himself. It is the students themselves that make the school, with a little help from their parents and their environment.

?

?

Reference:

Braun, H., Jenkins, F., and Grigg, W. (2006). Comparing Private Schools and Public Schools Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (NCES 2006-461). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Source: http://www.personal.psu.edu/bfr3/blogs/asp/2013/03/to-publicize-or-to-privatize.html

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The art of the nap: Tilda Swinton at MoMA

Actress Tilda Swinton performs the art of sleeping in her one-person piece called "The Maybe," in New York's Museum of Modern Art, Monday, March 25, 2013. In "The Maybe," first performed at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1995, Swinton lies sleeping in a glass box for the day. The exhibit will move locations within the museum every time Swinton performs. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Actress Tilda Swinton performs the art of sleeping in her one-person piece called "The Maybe," in New York's Museum of Modern Art, Monday, March 25, 2013. In "The Maybe," first performed at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1995, Swinton lies sleeping in a glass box for the day. The exhibit will move locations within the museum every time Swinton performs. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Actress Tilda Swinton performs the art of sleeping in her one-person piece called "The Maybe," in New York's Museum of Modern Art, Monday, March 25, 2013. In "The Maybe," first performed at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1995, Swinton lies sleeping in a glass box for the day. The exhibit will move locations within the museum every time Swinton performs. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Actress Tilda Swinton performs the art of sleeping in her one-person piece called "The Maybe," in New York's Museum of Modern Art, Monday, March 25, 2013. In "The Maybe," first performed at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1995, Swinton lies sleeping in a glass box for the day. The exhibit will move locations within the museum every time Swinton performs. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Actress Tilda Swinton performs the art of sleeping in her one-person piece called "The Maybe," in New York's Museum of Modern Art, Monday, March 25, 2013. In "The Maybe," first performed at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1995, Swinton lies sleeping in a glass box for the day. The exhibit will move locations within the museum every time Swinton performs. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Actress Tilda Swinton performs the art of sleeping in her one-person piece called "The Maybe," in New York's Museum of Modern Art, Monday, March 25, 2013. In "The Maybe," first performed at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1995, Swinton lies sleeping in a glass box for the day. The exhibit will move locations within the museum every time Swinton performs. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? It's not the kind of performance that will win her another Academy Award, but Tilda Swinton certainly has them buzzing at the Museum of Modern Art.

But keep it down, please. She's trying to sleep.

The "Moonrise Kingdom star has been engaging in a different kind of performance art. She's presenting a one-person piece called "The Maybe," in which she lies sleeping in a glass box for the day. The first performance was over the weekend, and the museum won't say if there's a schedule for when exactly it will come back for six other performances.

On Monday, the display drew a line of spectators that wound through a whole second-floor gallery into a museum hallway.

Erwin Aschenbrenner, a bemused German tourist, said it "just what you'd expect to see at MoMA."

The actress "is so pale and not moving in there that she looks like she's dead," said Robbie von Kampen, 20, a philosophy major at Bard College, north of New York City.

But after about seven hours a day of the shuteye pose on a white mattress in the glass box ? with only a carafe of water and a glass to get her through ? Swinton can stretch and walk off into the Manhattan night. But only when spectators leave.

So what's the point?

"This makes me think about myself, looking at her," said Quinn Moreland, 20, also a Bard student, majoring in art history.

"You don't usually get to stare at somebody like this; it makes me self-conscious," she explained.

Added von Kampen, "Yeah, it's socially unacceptable ? it's kinda creepy."

No one, not even museum curators, could say whether the thin, mostly immobile Swinton is actually getting some sleep while people stare at her.

At least Swinton was comfortable. She wore a pair of grubby sneakers, dark sporty slacks and a checkered shirt. Her glasses lay on the mattress.

But no snacks were in sight. And none could be offered in the closed chamber.

Swinton also starred in a glass box in 1995 at London's Serpentine Gallery ? seven days, eight hours a day ? in an exhibition seen by 22,000 people.

The next year, she repeated the spectacle at the Museo Barracco in Rome.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-25-People-Swinton/id-c3a30c9d1f514e848a4bece6236ff406

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Kerry, Karzai bury hatchet in Kabul meeting

Secretary of State John Kerry, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham, left, meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Monday, March 25, 2013. Kerry embarked on talks Monday with Karzai amid concerns Karzai may be jeopardizing progress in the war against extremism with his anti-American rhetoric. The session came shortly after the U.S. military ceded control of its last detention facility in Afghanistan, ending a longstanding irritant in relations. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

Secretary of State John Kerry, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham, left, meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Monday, March 25, 2013. Kerry embarked on talks Monday with Karzai amid concerns Karzai may be jeopardizing progress in the war against extremism with his anti-American rhetoric. The session came shortly after the U.S. military ceded control of its last detention facility in Afghanistan, ending a longstanding irritant in relations. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

Secretary of State John Kerry reaches to shakes hands with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the end of their joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Monday, March 25, 2013. Kerry and Karzai made a show of unity Monday, shortly after the U.S. military ceded control of its last detention facility in Afghanistan, ending a longstanding irritant in relations between the two countries. Kerry, in Afghanistan for an unannounced visit, said he and Karzai were "on the same page" when it comes to peace talks with the Taliban. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Monday, March 25, 2013. Kerry embarked on talks Monday with Karzai amid concerns Karzai may be jeopardizing progress in the war against extremism with his anti-American rhetoric. The session came shortly after the U.S. military ceded control of its last detention facility in Afghanistan, ending a longstanding irritant in relations. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

Secretary of State John Kerry gestures towards Afghan President Hamid Karzai during their joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Monday, March 25, 2013. Kerry and Karzai made a show of unity Monday, shortly after the U.S. military ceded control of its last detention facility in Afghanistan, ending a longstanding irritant in relations between the two countries. Kerry, in Afghanistan for an unannounced visit, said he and Karzai were "on the same page" when it comes to peace talks with the Taliban. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

KABUL (AP) ? Eager to overcome a bout of bickering, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Afghan President Hamid Karzai made a show of unusual unity between their two nations on Monday. The friendly display came as the U.S. military ceded control of its last detention facility in Afghanistan, ending a longstanding irritant in relations.

Kerry arrived in the Afghan capital of Kabul on an unannounced visit amid concerns that Karzai may be jeopardizing progress in the war against extremism with anti-American rhetoric. After a private meeting, Kerry said he and Karzai were "on the same page" on security and reconciliation issues and brushed aside suggestions that relations were in peril.

Karzai infuriated U.S. officials earlier this month by accusing Washington of colluding with Taliban insurgents to keep Afghanistan weak even as the Obama administration pressed ahead with plans to hand off security responsibility to Afghan forces and end NATO's combat mission by the end of next year.

At a joint news conference after their talks, Karzai told reporters that his comments in a nationally televised speech had been misinterpreted by the media. Kerry demurred on that point but said people sometimes say things in public that reflect ideas they have heard from others but don't necessarily agree with.

"I am confident the president (Karzai) does not believe the U.S. has any interest except to see the Taliban come to the table to make peace and that we are completely cooperative with the government of Afghanistan with respect to the protection of their efforts and their people," Kerry said. He noted that he had specifically raised the comment in question with Karzai and was satisfied with the response.

"We're on the same page," Kerry said. "I don't think there is any disagreement between us and I am very, very comfortable with the president's explanation."

For his part, Karzai said that he had been trying to make the point in his speech that if the Taliban really wanted foreign troops out of Afghanistan they should stop killing people.

In the March 9 speech, he berated the Taliban for deadly bombings in Kabul and the city of Khost that he said "showed that they are at the service of America and at the service of this phrase: 2014," ? the withdrawal date set for most international forces.

Karzai suggested in the speech that the U.S. and the Taliban were working together "trying to frighten us into thinking that if the foreigners are not in Afghanistan, we would be facing these sorts of incidents."

Standing beside Kerry on Monday, Karzai said "today was a very good day," citing the turnover of the detention facility at the U.S.-run Bagram military base north of Kabul. He also expressed gratitude for the sacrifices made for his country by Americans.

At the same time, he defended allegations he has made about American troops or their local contractors abusing Afghan civilians. He said his complaints and criticism were not meant to "offend" anyone but rather to protect his people.

"When I say something publicly, it is not meant to offend our allies but to correct the situation," he said. "I am responsible for the protection of the Afghan people. I am the president of this country. It is my job to provide all the protection I can to the people of this country."

Karzai has ordered U.S. special operations forces out of Wardak province, just outside Kabul, because of allegations that Afghans working with the commandos were involved in abusive behavior.

Kerry and Karzai's news conference came near the beginning of Kerry's 24-hour visit to the country ? his sixth since President Barack Obama took office but his first as Obama's secretary of state. Kerry referred frequently to U.S. respect for Afghan sovereignty and he said the handover of the detention facility was testament to that.

As Kerry flew to Kabul, the U.S. military ceded control of the Parwan detention facility near Bagram, a year after the two sides initially agreed on the transfer. Karzai had demanded control of Parwan as a matter of national sovereignty.

The long-running dispute over the center had thrown a pall over ongoing negotiations for a bilateral security agreement to govern the presence of U.S. forces in Afghanistan after 2014.

An initial agreement to hand over Parwan was signed a year ago, but efforts to follow through on it constantly stumbled over American concerns that the Afghan government would release prisoners that it considered dangerous. An initial deadline for the full handover passed last September; another passed earlier this month.

The U.S. concerns are not without foundation. Zakir Qayyum, a former Guantanamo detainee, was released into Afghan custody in 2007. Freed four months later, he rejoined the Taliban and reportedly has risen to become the No. 2 leader in the Taliban.

Both Kerry and Karzai lauded the transfer of the facility. Karzai said an Afghan review board would carefully consider any intelligence provided by the U.S. or others about detainees they deem to be too dangerous to free.

The pair also called on the Taliban to take advantage of the offer to open a political office in Doha, Qatar, from where they could engage in reconciliation talks with the Afghan Peace Council and potentially negotiate an end to hostilities.

Kerry said the Taliban should not ignore the opportunity because the United States is committed to Afghanistan's security beyond 2014 and will not allow gains made over the past decade to be lost. He noted that Obama has not yet decided how many U.S. troops should stay after next year and that the Taliban should not count on a complete American withdrawal.

There are about 100,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan, including about 66,000 from the United States. Although there is no decision on a residual force, U.S. officials have said as many as 12,000 U.S. and coalition forces could remain.

Karzai said that peace talks with the Taliban would require the involvement of Pakistan because any Afghan peace process without that country was doomed to failure. Pakistan, particularly its intelligence service, has close ties to members of the Taliban.

Kerry, who arrived in Kabul from Amman, Jordan, had hoped to travel to Pakistan on this trip to the region but put it off due to elections there.

Instead, he met late Sunday in Amman with Pakistani army chief for Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, U.S. officials said.

Kerry and Kayani had a private dinner at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Jordan as Pakistan continued to seethe in the aftermath of the return of former president Pervez Musharraf, himself a former army chief, from exile.

In Kabul, Kerry planned to meet again Tuesday with Karzai.He also had meetings scheduled with civic leaders and others to discuss continued U.S. assistance to the country and how to wean it from such aid as the international military operation winds down. Upcoming national elections also were on his agenda.

Kerry praised what he said was Afghanistan's commitment to "safe, secure" and transparent elections next year that will see a successor to Karzai voted into power.

_____

Patrick Quinn in Kabul and Rahim Faiez in Bagram, Afghanistan contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-25-AS-Afghanistan-Kerry/id-5990785547794678a5e674528e8c69f9

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Is There Still Hope For Google's Disappeared Android@Home And Nexus Q?

Two years ago, Google’s Vic Gundotra keynoted the company’s 2011 I/O developer conference, and one of the big surprises of the day was the launch of Android@Home, Google’s attempt to corner the home-automation market. At the keynote, Google also showed the first prototype of what would later become the Nexus Q “social streaming media player” that it gave to every I/O 2012 attendee. Fast forward to today, just a few weeks before the next I/O, and home automation is still clunky and dominated by the same players as before, with the possible exception of Nest. Google has barely mentioned Android@Home since 2011. The Nexus Q never even made it to market after Google “postponed” it just before it was scheduled to launch. Unlike other Google products, both Android@Home and the Nexus Q currently live in no-man’s land where forgotten Google products wait before they are either resurrected or put out on the curb with the rest of its failed products at the next spring cleaning. While most neglected Google products disappear sooner or later, though, the Nexus Q, which got mostly negative reviews, still lives on an unlinked page on Google Play. The Nexus Q was Google’s first attempt at designing its own hardware, and while the Q was a great hardware product, it felt like it was intentionally held back by its software, which was extremely limited. The hardware still looks great today, so maybe it will make a return at I/O this year, but hopefully as a fully featured media player with app support that’ll let you run the majority of your Android apps on a TV. I don’t have very high hopes for this, but it’s definitely a possibility, given that its internals were essentially those of a high-end Android phone. When it “postponed” its launch and gave a free Q to everybody who pre-ordered one, Google said it did so because it wanted to make the Q better – and what better time to show how much it has improved it than at I/O 2013? The Nexus Q was just one piece of Google’s larger Android@Home home-automation vision. Android@Home was supposed to revolutionize home automation and turn Android into the operating system for your home. It would let you control everything from your heating system to your washer and dryer, alarm clock, lightbulbs (Google even had a partner for this “launch”), entertainment system and every other

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/67tuLuAiY7s/

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Cyprus reaches 'painful' solution to secure rescue

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? Cyprus clinched a last-minute solution to avert imminent financial meltdown early Monday after it agreed to slash its oversized banking sector and inflict hefty losses on wealthy depositors in troubled banks to secure a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) bailout.

The deal, described by the country's politicians as "painful", was agreed with euro finance ministers in Brussels just in time. The European Central Bank had threatened to cut off crucial emergency assistance to the Cyprus's embattled banks after Monday if no agreement was reached.

Without that funding, Cyprus's banks would have collapsed, dragging the country's economy down with them and threatening the small Mediterranean island's membership of the 17-strong group of European Union countries that use the euro ? all of which would have sent the EU's markets spinning.

"It's not that we won a battle, but we really have avoided a disastrous exit from the eurozone," Finance Minister Michalis Sarris said in Brussels.

Markets in Europe reacted positively, opening sharply higher, and the euro was back near $1.30.

The mood in Nicosia was more somber, however.

"This decision is painful for the Cypriot people. This decision was a defeat of solidarity, of social cohesion, which are fundamental freedoms, fundamental principles of the European Union," Parliament President Yiannakis Omirou told AP.

"So as soon as possible we have to prepare our economy to go out from the mechanism and the troika," he said, referring to the bailout agreement and the three-member delegation from the European Commission, International Monetary Fund and ECB who oversee implementation of bailout measures.

Banks in Cyrpus have been closed for more than a week in Cyprus while politicians wrangled on how to raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion) to qualify for the rescue. An alternative was needed after the country's lawmakers resoundingly defeated the initial plan which would have seized up to 10 percent of funds in people's accounts in all banks.

While cash has been available through ATMs, many machines have quickly run out. Daily withdrawal limits of 100 euros were imposed on ATMs of country's two troubled lenders, Laiki and Bank of Cyprus, on Sunday. All banks are scheduled to reopen Tuesday.

Under the new plan, the bulk of the funds will be raised by forcing losses on wealthy savers in two of the country's banks, with the remainder coming from tax increases and privatizations.

Laiki, the country's second-largest bank, will be restructured, with all bond-holders and people with more than 100,000 euros in their accounts facing significant losses. The bank will be dissolved immediately into a bad bank containing its uninsured deposits and toxic assets, with the guaranteed deposits being transferred to the nation's biggest lender, Bank of Cyprus.

Deposits at Bank of Cyprus above the 100,000 euro insured level will be frozen until it becomes clear whether or to what extent they will also be forced to take losses. The money from those deposits will eventually be converted into bank shares. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said he expected a bit more than 50 percent of savings at Bank of Cyprus will be involved in the swap.

It is not yet clear how severe the losses would be to Laiki's large bank deposit holders, but the euro finance ministers noted the restructure expected to yield 4.2 billion euros overall. Analysts have estimated investors might lose up to 40 percent of their money.

The plan agreed Monday does not need extra approval from Cyprus's parliament because the losses are part of a restructuring of the island's banks ? which would come under legislation passed last week ? and not a tax.

To further secure Cyprus's economy, the size of the country's banking sector ? worth up to eight times the country's gross domestic product of about 18 billion euros? must also be drastically reduced , said Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who chairs the meetings of the eurozone's finance ministers.

The international creditors also said the country's business model of attracting foreign investors, including many Russians, with low taxes and lax financial regulation had backfired and needed to be reformed. The country would also have to cut its budget, implement structural reforms and privatize state assets.

Russia's prime minister on Monday slammed the deal, saying the agreement was tantamount to theft: "In my opinion, the stealing of what has been stolen continues there."

Moscow has been worried about the crisis in Cyprus with Russian citizens holding as much as 20 billion euros ($26 billion) in Cypriot banks.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov also expressed concerns over the impact of Monday's decision.

"Despite all the assurances that we're receiving from the European Commission we fear that this (decision) could affect the stability of the euro, the stability of the eurozone and would send shockwaves to deteriorate the situation on the whole," he said.

Germany's Schaeuble, however, rejected the idea that the deal was a defeat for European solidarity.

"Cyprus is in a serious crisis, it needs help; Cyprus is getting that help," he said. "Europe is showing solidarity, Europe continues to show solidarity, but aid only makes sense and is only responsible when it overcomes the causes that lead to such crises."

He insisted that the deal was "the best possible way for Cyprus out of this crisis ... but it still is not a comfortable way."

Several national parliaments in eurozone countries such as Germany must approve the deal, which might take another few weeks. EU officials said they expect the whole program to be approved by mid-April.

Cyprus has been shut out of international markets for almost two years. It first applied for a bailout to recapitalize its ailing lenders and keep state finances afloat last June, but negotiations stalled. The uncertainty around the tiny nation of about 800,000 had shaken the entire eurozone of 300 million people, even though Cyprus only makes up less than 0.2 percent of the eurozone's economy.

The new measures are likely to deepen the recession in Cyprus.

"Nobody doubts that the Eurogroup decision and the agreement for our country's loans from the troika is a very painful agreement," said Nicholas Papadopoulos, head of Parliament's finance committee. "The consequences for the Cypriot economy and the daily lives of all the citizens will be seen in practice."

____

Geir Moulson in Berlin, Don Melvin and Juergen Baetz in Brussels, Pan Pylas in London and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cyprus-reaches-painful-solution-secure-rescue-114238235--finance.html

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