BI Org Readiness | Chatsoft Chatter

Data overload from both known and dynamic sources?is becoming a huge challenge for businesses. Yet there is an enormous opportunity to harness the hidden power of data if tamed by the right organizational structures, processes, and platforms. In order to do this, a BI Organizational Readiness strategy and road-map must be developed. A crucial outcome?of this process is to establish a BI Center of Excellence (CoE).

A BI CoE is focused on enabling businesses to transform their collection and use of data through a disciplined and supportive approach, thereby improving operating efficiency by eliminating duplication and streamlining processes. To best architect a strategy on how a BI CoE should start and evolve over time in support of the increased usage of BI solutions, an organization?s culture and current dynamic must be considered. Below is an example of a BI CoE model that we created for a client. The chart shows the relationships between the business stakeholders and the BI CoE, as well as the different roles involved within and around the BI CoE team.?For a BI CoE to be effective, new roles must be added beyond a traditional Business Analyst position. The addition of BI Data Scientists within each stakeholder?department will greatly maximize the use of BI tools and help to uncover more hidden opportunities faster.

For more information visit the BI Organizational Readiness page on our website!

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Source: http://blog.chatsoft.com/2013/07/31/bi-org-readiness/

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South African stocks extend gains, Absa hammered

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African stocks closed higher for a second-straight session on Tuesday, buoyed by paper-maker Mondi Ltd, which hit a record high after it said first-half profit would be sharply higher.

Absa Group tumbled more than 7 percent, posting its biggest one-day drop in a year, after the bank's first-half earnings and dividend disappointed investors.

"The dividend is light," said Stephen Burrell, a trader at Johannesburg-based Avior Research. "Total dividend came in at about 10.58 but the market was looking at 11 rand so they are disappointing."

South Africa's benchmark Top-40 index rose 0.41 percent to 36,516.92, while the broader All-Share index was up 0.42 percent to 40,991.30.

Mondi surged 4.8 percent to 145.50 rand, the biggest gain on the blue-chip index and its highest close on record, according to Reuters data.

Mondi, which is also listed in London, said first-half profit would likely be "significantly higher", helped by one-time items.

Retailers also gained ground, as they rebounded after a recent sell-off.

"Retailers (are) finding some firm ground after their disappointing trading updates," said Avior Research's Burrell.

Shoprite, Africa's biggest retailer, rose 2.5 percent to 167.86 rand, while Truworths, South Africa's largest clothing seller by market value, gained 1.83 percent to 83.48 rand.

Woolworths, which sells clothing and groceries, climbed 1.4 percent to 66.64 rand.

Media and e-commerce group Naspers rose 3.8 percent to a record close of 830 rand, lifted by another surge in Chinese Internet firm Tencent, in which it owns a 34 percent stake.

More than 168 million shares changed hands, according to preliminary bourse data. Advancers edged out decliners, 151 to 150, with 55 stocks unchanged.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-african-stocks-extend-gains-absa-hammered-161334480.html

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Train of Thought Derailed: How an Accident Can Affect Your Brain

My cousin Guillermo Cassinello Toscano was on the train that derailed in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, last week when it went around a bend at twice the speed limit. Cassinello heard a loud vibration and then a powerful bump and then found himself surrounded by bloody bodies in wagon number nine. Shaking, he escaped the wreckage through either a door or a hole in the train?he cannot recall?then sat amid the smoke and debris next to the track and began to cry. Seventy-nine passengers died. Cassinello doesn?t remember everything that happened to him. The same mechanisms that kept his brain sharp enough to escape immediate danger may also make it harder for him both to recall the accident, and to put the trauma behind him. "The normal thing is that the person doesn't remember the moment of the accident or right after," says clinical psychologist Javier Rodriguez Escobar of trauma therapy team Grupo Isis in Seville, who helped treat and study victims of the 2004 Madrid train bombings. That's because the mind and the body enter a more alert but also more stressed state, with trade-offs that can save your life, but harm your mind?s memory-making abilities. As the train fell over, several changes would have swept through Cassinello?s body. His adrenal glands, near his kidneys, would have released adrenaline (also known as epinephrine) into his bloodstream. The adrenaline would have directed blood to the powerful muscles of his arms and legs, where it would help him escape the wreckage faster. The hormone would have raised his heart and breathing rates. It also would have stimulated his vagus nerve, which runs from his spine to his brain. Although adrenaline cannot cross the blood?brain barrier, the vagus can promote noradrenaline production in the brain. That hormone activates the amygdala, which helps form memories. Just the right amount of noradrenaline, researchers have found, can boost memory storage; too much can destroy it. Figuring out the balance could allow researchers to harness the hormone. Neuroscientist Christa McIntyre at the University of Texas at Dallas and colleagues have been studying how the chemical shapes memory-making in rats (her team is planning a human trial). When the team stimulated rats? vagus nerves the animals? memories improved. McIntyre has to keep the dose low, however, because other experiments have shown that too much noradrenaline appears to impede memory-making[OR, TO VARY: formation]. Researchers are still trying to determine whether the excess noradrenaline directly causes the memory lapses or if the hormone is associated with high stress levels that cause some other chemical system to interfere. "That's the part we don't really understand: if there's too much [noradrenaline] or if there's another system that kicks in and puts a brake on it," McIntyre says. Cassinello's memory lapses may be due to a noradrenaline overflow. But there may be other explanations for the gaps in his memory. His brain may have narrowed his attention at the time of the crash to only those things that matter for survival, such as escaping the train, leading him to ignore things that do not, such as whether the path out of the train passed through a door or a hole. Researchers have shown that humans report selective hearing during stressful events and that stressed people pay attention to different things than do unstressed people (pdf). Cassinello's uncle picked him up from the accident scene and drove him to a hospital for a checkup. Apart from a few minor scratches, he was fine. But Cassinello says he has flashbacks to the disaster. "The images of shattered people in my cabin and outside are in my head," he says. Flashbacks are a normal part of the stress response. If Cassinello is lucky, the flashbacks will fade within weeks as he learns to suppress the bad memories cued up by triggers such as the sound of a train. That process is called fear extinction. McIntyre and colleagues want to be able to influence it, so as to better help victims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Scientists could activate a trauma victim?s vagus nerve, amplifying the memory-writing process while the patient practiced healthy responses to a fear-inducing stimulus. If the process works, it could speed up recovery. Other researchers are working on drug-enhanced fear extinction using chemicals such as zeta inhibitory peptide (ZIP) or D-cycloserine. Another approach, called fear reversal, aims to provoke fear-inducing memories into a malleable state, such as all memories enter when we access them, and then changing them with the help of a different drug, propranolol, which interferes with protein formation, or even with precisely timed talk therapy aimed at blocking the reconsolidation of bad memories. One thing that is almost certain is that his memories of the event will change with time. Studies after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center found that New Yorkers' reports of their experience of the attack changed over the years. For now, survivors of traumatic experiences such as Cassinello can lean on the trauma therapists who rushed to Santiago after the crash. Some 70 to 80 percent of car accident survivors get away without PTSD, McIntyre reckons. As Rodriguez points out, however, most of those therapists are volunteers in town for a few days. It may take a few weeks or even months of therapy for patients to get past the worst of their experiences. Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
? 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/train-thought-derailed-accident-affect-brain-214500284.html

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Columbus bridge named after ex-mayor

COLUMBUS, Ind. (AP) ? An iconic bridge leading into a central Indiana city is being named in honor of the mayor who pushed for its unique design.

Gov. Mike Pence signed an executive order authorizing the Indiana 46 bridge over the East Fork White River after former Columbus Mayor Robert Stewart.

City Councilman Frank Jerome tells The Republic that Stewart was at the forefront of having the bridge built in 1999 with its distinctive red steel arches and dark gray cables. It is similar to the Interstate 65 bridge at its interchange near Columbus.

Officials sought the unique bridge as an entryway to the city known for numerous buildings designed by world-renowned architects.

Source: http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/south_central/columbus-bridge-named-after-ex-mayor

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White House takes aim at Obamacare opposition's economic claims

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Monday shot back at critics who claim Obamacare is leading to higher healthcare costs, slower job growth and rising numbers of part-time workers, saying the latest economic statistics show none of those effects.

Nearly one-third of the sharp rise in part-time workers seen in employment numbers for June was due to federal employee furloughs caused by automated spending cuts, rather than employers shifting to part-time workers due to concern about President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, a senior administration official said.

The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, also predicted that July job numbers due on Friday would show a similar increase in part-time workers due largely to the furlough of 650,000 Defense Department employees.

Federal furloughs are the result of automated across-the-board spending cuts, known as the sequester, which went into effect earlier this year after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction package.

Republicans and other critics of Obamacare have cited the jump in part-time workers as evidence that employers have been cutting back on hours to avoid higher healthcare costs under Obamacare, which will require businesses with 50 or more full-time workers to provide health insurance in 2015.

The White House on Monday released data that it said shows no evidence that the law known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has accelerated healthcare costs, reduced full-time employment or punished small businesses including restaurants.

The data showed that personal expenditures on healthcare goods and services grew at 1.1 percent during the year ending in May, the lowest rate in 50 years measured by the inflation gauge known as personal consumption expenditures.

Alan Krueger, chairman of White House Council of Economic Advisers, said in a government blog posting that slower healthcare cost growth could remain for some time.

"The fact that the slowdown in cost growth reflects changes in both prices and utilization of medical care -- and that the slowdown is apparent in many different aspects of the healthcare system -- further suggests that structural changes are under way," Krueger said.

Figures released by the White House also showed slower growth in health insurance costs for small employers and a faster rate of job growth among businesses with low rates of employer healthcare coverage. Healthcare reform opponents have pointed to both groups as being hard hit by higher costs and slower job growth as a result of Obamacare.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Ken Wills)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-takes-aim-obamacare-oppositions-economic-claims-224258310.html

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Insight: Bangladesh struggles to check garment factories are safe

By Nandita Bose

DHAKA (Reuters) - In the weeks since the Rana Plaza collapse killed more than 1,100 workers, at least five different Bangladesh agencies have sent teams to begin inspecting the estimated 5,600 factories that make up the nation's $20 billion garment industry.

But there's little coordination between the agencies, and senior government officials are unable to say just how many factories have been checked. Estimates vary from just 60 to 340.

While U.S. and European retailers which buy the bulk of Bangladesh-made clothing had hoped to complete factory inspections within 9-12 months, inspectors and government officials say this will take at least 5 years.

Bangladesh has fewer than 200 qualified inspectors.

The disconnect among the various agencies conducting what are often cursory visual assessments - Bangladesh has nowhere near enough technical equipment for sophisticated inspections - means some garment factories have been visited several times, while others have had no checks at all.

"It's a big nuisance for us, and while we're being put through this, nobody's checking all the other factories in the vicinity that haven't had a single inspection," said Emdadul Islam, a director of Babylon Garments, which supplies Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Tesco Plc and Hennes & Mauritz AB's H&M stores. "Our managers are focusing on entertaining inspectors instead of their work because none of these teams are speaking to each other."

Babylon has passed six safety inspections this year. Islam showed Reuters certificates from Bureau Veritas, the firm Wal-Mart has hired to inspect suppliers, and Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA), which inspects Tesco factories. Others to have carried out checks include the Bangladesh textiles ministry and the national garment association, whose 4-person inspection crew spent 3 hours hunting for cracks that could indicate structural flaws like those at Rana Plaza - an illegally built tower where safety warnings were ignored.

A Reuters reporter followed teams of local inspectors touring more than half a dozen factories in and around the capital Dhaka this month, and spoke to factory owners, government officials and engineers to gauge progress in attempts to assure the safety of the garment industry's buildings.

'RELATIVELY COMPLIANT'

During a surprise safety check at Miami Garments, a worker unearthed a fire extinguisher from beneath a pile of shirts to show a government inspector. It was the only one in the 15,000 square foot, 4-storey factory. The building code requires one extinguisher per 550 square feet.

Inspector Abdul Latif Helaly and two colleagues from Dhaka's Capital Development Authority, responsible for urban development, noted it on a list of observations about the factory, which is in a residential building - another building code violation. There was just a single narrow exit staircase, weak floors and structural columns insufficient to support the factory's load, the inspectors found.

"This is a relatively compliant factory and no action needs to be taken here," Helaly said after the 30-minute visual inspection, made without the use of any tools. "We have asked the owners to move their factory to a new building soon and they have agreed to do it in the next 1-2 years."

After signing the factory's clean bill of health, the inspectors were each handed two shirts by the owners.

"PAINSTAKINGLY SLOW"

Bangladesh pledged to boost worker rights and recruit more safety inspectors after the European Union, which gives preferential access to Bangladeshi garments, threatened punitive measures. Last month, U.S. President Barack Obama cut off trade benefits for Bangladesh in a mostly symbolic response to conditions in the garment industry.

Bangladesh's garment exports rose 16 percent in June, showing that retailers have not turned away since the Rana Plaza tragedy.

A group of 80 mostly European retailers who signed an accord to carry out coordinated inspections in Bangladesh have started hiring and training inspectors on their own to check the around 1,000 factories that supply their brands.

"This whole process is painstakingly slow," said Jyrki Raina, general secretary of the Switzerland-based IndustriALL union that is overseeing the plan. He said the group would complete only initial safety checks within 9 months, and will take around 5 years to make repairs, conduct final inspections and declare all factories safe.

North American retailers like Wal-Mart and GAP formed their own alliance [ID:nL1N0FG0S2] and are confident of fully checking the 500 factories that supply their members by July 2014. They are hiring third-party agencies to inspect factories and not re-inspect those that have already been passed fit, said Nate Herman, vice president for international trade at the American Apparel and Footwear Association, which is part of the alliance. He said the inspections would begin from November.

WORKING IN ISOLATION

At a building safety conference in Dhaka earlier this month, government agencies, the powerful Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), reached no agreement on how to coordinate safety checks.

Reuters spoke to five officials who attended the meeting and found they had overlapped inspecting some factories and not shared their findings.

"We have to independently verify the buildings and anyway the association cannot be held responsible for the lack of co-ordination. The government needs to look at it," said Shamsul Haque, the BGMEA's additional secretary.

The BGMEA, which has 10 inspectors, said it has checked 400 factories and shut 20 of them. The plan is to complete visual inspections of all 2,500 member factories by December - an ambitious average of 12 inspections a day based on teams of 3-4 inspectors taking at least 3 hours to finish each check.

Results of initial visual inspections that raise a red flag are passed on to BUET, the country's premier engineering university, for closer scrutiny.

PAINTING OVER THE CRACKS

While BUET has the expertise to carry out structural inspections, it lacks both the manpower and the gear.

"We need more sophisticated equipment and if we double our staff strength from 30 we can aim to finish a thorough preliminary assessment on all factories in 18 months," said Mohammad Mujibur Rahman, head of the university's civil engineering department - which is in talks with the government for permission to hire more people.

On a recent tour of the Bengal Indigo factory, cracks on the walls had been covered with fresh paint and plaster before BUET Professors Mehedi Ahmed Ansary and Raquib Ahsan arrived. "It looks like the owners have tried to cover the cracks, but it's still visible," said Ahsan, who like other professors conducts inspections in addition to his full-time teaching job.

The two professors raised concerns about the weight of machines and clothing on the top floor, and noted the building deviated from design blueprints. They asked the company to submit to a voluntary secondary assessment, which will take more than two months as engineers check the plant's column strength and study steel, concrete and cement samples.

Full inspections on all factories will take up to 7 years, and plans for that are being discussed with the government and the International Labour Organization, said BUET's Rahman.

"The post-collapse impetus to inspect factories has slowed and it's definitely proving to be a challenge to make sure this whole effort doesn't fizzle out," he said.

(Editing by Emily Kaiser and Ian Geoghegan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-bangladesh-struggles-check-garment-factories-safe-210921771.html

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Sony VAIO VPCCB LED Screen Blown Fuse?

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Source: forum.notebookreview.com --- Sunday, July 28, 2013
I liquid damaged my LED screen and it was pretty bad but it eventually dried. It was working but I was annoyed by the stains and I ordered a new one. I figured since I ordered a new one why not open the current screen up and see 'LG's technology'. Prior to opening it up I swapped this screen with several others to no avail it, has to be a specific LP156WF1 (TL)(C1) specific for Sony or it won't work) I did this with battery, power plugged and even with the laptop on and nothing happened (as I was watching it dry) the others didn't work but the original stained one displayed. Figured I had a new one coming let me tinker with it. After totally diassembling the LED screen and fully letting it dry (there were 3 sheets of plastic inside it) I put it back together and turned on the laptop to only notice the screen no longer had a back light. After investigating I realize if I put a flashlight on the back (rear side) of the screen I can faintly see the desktop otherwise it is pitch dark. I am now finding out there is a fuse attached to blow on most laptops containing LED screens. Did I blow the fuse or just damage the original screen when I opened up the screen? My new screen will be here in about a week or so. ...

Source: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/726705-sony-vaio-vpccb-led-screen-blown-fuse.html

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Morsi backers defiant in face of Egypt govt threat

A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi holds a placard depicting the former leader during a protest near Cairo University in Giza, Egypt, Sunday, July 28, 2013. Setting the stage for more confrontation, the military-installed interim president, Adly Mansour, gave Prime Minister Hazem el-Biblawi the power to grant the military the right to arrest civilians in what government officials said could be a prelude to a major crackdown on Morsi's supporters or Islamic militants who have stepped up attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi holds a placard depicting the former leader during a protest near Cairo University in Giza, Egypt, Sunday, July 28, 2013. Setting the stage for more confrontation, the military-installed interim president, Adly Mansour, gave Prime Minister Hazem el-Biblawi the power to grant the military the right to arrest civilians in what government officials said could be a prelude to a major crackdown on Morsi's supporters or Islamic militants who have stepped up attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans supporting the former leader during a protest near Cairo University in Giza, Egypt, Sunday, July 28, 2013. Setting the stage for more confrontation, the military-installed interim president, Adly Mansour, gave Prime Minister Hazem el-Biblawi the power to grant the military the right to arrest civilians in what government officials said could be a prelude to a major crackdown on Morsi's supporters or Islamic militants who have stepped up attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

Egypt's interim President Adly Mansour, right, shakes hands with one of the new graduates during their graduation ceremony at the national police academy in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, July 28, 2013. Egypt's interior minister on Sunday pledged to deal decisively with any attempts to destabilize the country, a thinly veiled warning to supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi occupying two squares in Cairo in a month-long stand-off with the security forces. (AP Photo/Egypt Presidency)

Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi pray during a protest near Cairo University in Giza, Egypt, Sunday, July 28, 2013. Setting the stage for more confrontation, the military-installed interim president, Adly Mansour, gave Prime Minister Hazem el-Biblawi the power to grant the military the right to arrest civilians in what government officials said could be a prelude to a major crackdown on Morsi's supporters or Islamic militants who have stepped up attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

CAIRO (AP) ? Escalating the confrontation after clashes that left 83 supporters of Egypt's ousted Islamist president dead, the interim government moved Sunday toward dismantling two pro-Mohammed Morsi sit-in camps, accusing protesters of "terrorism" and vowing to deal with them decisively.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood denounced Saturday's bloodshed as evidence of the brutality of the military-backed regime. But many accused the group's leaders of trying to capitalize on the loss of life to win sympathy after millions took to the streets in a show of support for the military chief who ousted Morsi in a coup.

Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said he would take the popular support as a mandate to deal with violence and "potential terrorism" ? a thinly veiled reference to a widely expected crackdown on Morsi supporters in the sit-in camps in Cairo and against radical Islamists in the Sinai peninsula who have been waging deadly attacks against security forces since Morsi was ousted in a July 3 military coup.

The coup followed days of mass protests by millions of Egyptians demanding that Morsi step down after a year in office as Egypt's first elected president. The monthlong sit-ins have been the launch pad of street protests that often ended violently when Morsi's supporters clashed with opponents or security forces.

Islamists led by the Brotherhood staunchly reject the new post-Morsi leadership and insist the only possible solution to the crisis is to reinstate him. Meanwhile, the interim leadership is pushing ahead with a fast-track transition plan to return to a democratically elected government by early next year.

The Brotherhood, accused by critics of trying to monopolize power during Morsi's year in office, routinely claims its supporters are killed in cold blood by army troops, police or thugs sponsored by the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police. However, witnesses and videos posted on social networking sites show that Morsi's supporters consistently use rocks, firebombs and firearms against opponents, who behave similarly.

The Brotherhood's tactic is clearly designed to win sympathy at home and abroad by portraying itself as a victimized party pitted against an army and a police force armed to the teeth.

"We urge the United Nations, the international human community ... to come down and rescue the hundreds of thousands from the massacre by the live ammunition in the hands of the criminals," senior Brotherhood leader Mohammed el-Beltagi shouted from the stage at the larger of the two Cairo sit-ins.

"We want intervention by the international organizations ... to rescue the people. We urge the Egyptian people to come to our rescue. ... The people are slaughtered like sheep",'' declared el-Beltagi, who has an arrest warrant issued against him for inciting violence.

Mohammed Badie, the Brotherhood's supreme leader, launched a stinging attack on el-Sissi over the latest violence, saying the military chief was leading a "bloody regime" and urging his followers to stand fast.

"Don't be sad and don't despair," he said in a message that heavily quoted from the Quran, Islam's holy book. Posted on the Brotherhood's website, Badie said those killed in the latest violence were martyrs who will be rewarded with a place in heaven.

The international community, meanwhile, urged restraint.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a strongly worded statement telling Egyptian authorities it was "essential" they respect the right to peaceful protest and calling on all sides to enter a "meaningful political dialogue.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also asked security forces to "act with full respect for human rights" and demonstrators to "exercise restraint."

Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, arrived in Cairo on Sunday for her second visit to Egypt this month, a sign of the alarm felt in the West over the continuing bloodshed. She was to meet Egyptian leaders on Monday.

The U.N.'s human rights chief, Navi Pillay, also condemned the violence and called for a "credible, independent investigation" into the killings.

"I fear for the future of Egypt if the military and other security forces, as well as some demonstrators, continue to take such a confrontational and aggressive approach. Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood have the right to protest peacefully like anyone else," Pillay said.

The violence continued Sunday, when deadly clashes during funerals for two of the slain Morsi supporters left two men dead and scores injured in two cities north of Cairo, Port Said and Kafr el-Zayat.

Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim warned security forces would deal decisively with any attempts to destabilize the country. Ibrahim accused the pro-Morsi side of provoking bloodshed to win sympathy and suggested authorities would move against the two pro-Morsi protest camps outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque in eastern Cairo and in Nahda Square, near the main campus of Cairo University.

"I assure the glorious people of Egypt that the police are determined and capable to maintain security and safety to their nation with the support of the sincere sons of the country," Ibrahim said during a graduation ceremony at the national police academy. "We will very strongly and decisively deal with anyone who attempts to undermine stability."

He depicted the two encampments as a danger to the public, pointing to nine bodies found nearby in recent days. Some had been tortured to death, police said, apparently by sit-in participants who believed they were spies. "Soon we will deal with both sit-ins," he said.

Setting the stage for more confrontation, the military-installed interim president gave the prime minister the power to grant the military the right to arrest civilians in what government officials suggested was a prelude to a major crackdown on Morsi's supporters or Islamic militants who have stepped up attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.

At least 20 members of the security forces have been killed in Sinai by suspected militants and nearly 250 in the rest of the country, including the 83 killed in Cairo on Saturday.

"The more bloodshed there, the more it is impossible to reach a compromise or middle ground," said Kamal Habib, a prominent scholar in Islamic movements and a former Islamist himself.

The two sides, he said, were gearing toward more confrontations.

A senior aide to interim President Adly Masnour, meanwhile, sought to prepare the public for possible action to dismantle the sit-in camps, telling reporters that Morsi's supporters were armed, terrorizing residents in the area.

"It has now become inevitable for the state to take measures necessary to protect society," he said.

The nation's highest security body ? the National Defense Council ? issued a statement saying the pro-Morsi sit-in camps violated Egypt's national security and warning that "decisive and firm" action would be taken. It also urged the protesters to renounce violence and stop "violence and terrorism and verbal and physical assaults on citizens."

The council, chaired by the interim president and including the prime minister, defense and foreign ministers, said it deeply regretted the loss of life, but did not blame any party for it.

Saturday's clashes ? the deadliest since more than 50 Morsi supporters were killed by troops on July 8 ? took place before dawn when police and armed men in civilian clothes opened fire on supporters of the former president as they tried to expand their sit-in camp outside Rabaah al-Adawiya by moving onto a nearby main boulevard.

Civilians, sometimes with weapons, frequently join police in Cairo demonstrations. In some cases, they appear to be plainclothes police, in others residents who back the security forces.

Videos posted Sunday on social networking sites showed the Morsi supporters approaching a police line backed by armored vehicles at the entrance of the ramp to a key bridge that runs across the heart of the city. They also showed police and men in civilian clothes pointing their rifles at the protesters, many of whom wore industrial helmets and homemade body armor and stood behind makeshift barricades.

Mohamed Wasfi, a children's book publicist who videotaped the clashes from his apartment balcony, said the protesters attempted to spill oil on the street to stop cars from approaching the bridge, a tactic used by Morsi supporters last week on an overpass that leads to Cairo's international airport. Shortly afterward, another group of protesters approached the police line and tore down metal barricades, prompting police to fire tear gas, he told The Associated Press.

He said some protesters fired birdshot at the police, who responded with birdshot and tear gas.

Another video, posted by the Interior Ministry, showed protesters hurling stones and firebombs at the security forces from behind their barricades. One masked man was shown shooting at the police with what appeared to be a large silver-plated pistol. The authenticity of the videos could not be independently verified, but they generally conformed with AP reporting.

No army troops were on the scene, but the international community and human rights groups expressed concern the military had allowed the carnage to occur.

Human Rights Watch said many of those killed were shot in the head or chest and the killings took place over several hours. The New York-based group said it spoke to witnesses and reviewed extensive video footage of the events. It said medical staff said some of the deaths appeared to be targeted killings because the position of the shots would likely result in death.

____

Associated Press reporters Aya Batrawy in Cairo and Frank Jordans in Berlin, Germany, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-07-28-Egypt/id-822a343d6b9a41d792014f8659171b32

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Violence deepens Egypt turmoil, deposed leader probed for murder

By Yasmine Saleh and Matt Robinson

CAIRO (Reuters) - At least nine people were killed in heavy fighting in Egypt during rival mass rallies for and against the army overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi, who was placed under investigation for murder in an escalating showdown with his Islamist backers.

The bloodshed deepened the turmoil convulsing the Arab world's most populous country, and may trigger a decisive move by the military against Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood three weeks after it was shunted from power.

In the sprawling capital, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians heeded a call by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to hit the streets and give him a popular mandate to confront violence unleashed by his July 3 overthrow of Egypt's first freely elected president.

The Brotherhood mounted counter-demonstrations, swelling a month-long vigil in northern Cairo before violence erupted. A Reuters reporter saw heavy exchanges of gunfire in the early hours of Saturday between security forces and Mursi supporters, who tore up pavement concrete to lob at police.

Clouds of teargas filled the air.

Quoting an unnamed security official, the MENA state news agency reported nine people killed in violence nationwide and at least 200 wounded. A spokeswoman for the pro-Mursi camp said eight Brotherhood supporters had died in the clash near the north Cairo vigil alone, and another said rooftop snipers had opened fire. Reuters could not independently verify the accounts.

Of the official death toll, most occurred in Egypt's second city of Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast, where hundreds of people fought pitched battles, with birdshot fired and men on rooftops throwing stones at crowds below.

Several of those killed were stabbed, hospital officials said, and at least one was shot in the head.

Following Sisi's summoning of protests, news of the investigation against Mursi over his 2011 escape from jail signaled a clear escalation in the military's confrontation with the deposed leader and his Islamist movement.

MENA said Mursi, who has been held incommunicado at an undisclosed military facility since his overthrow, had been ordered detained for 15 days pending the inquiry.

Egypt's army-installed interior minister, Mohamed Ibrahim, said month-old Cairo vigils by Mursi supporters would be "brought to an end, soon and in a legal manner," state-run al Ahram news website reported.

On Facebook, the Brotherhood said the army had stormed its vigil overnight, triggering the violence. An army official, who declined to be named, denied this. He said the clashes were "near the Brotherhood's sit-in area, but not at it. There is and will not be any attempt to attack the sit-in or evacuate it tonight."

SISI'S RISING STAR

The Brotherhood is bracing for a broad crackdown by the army to wipe out a movement that emerged from decades in the shadows to take power after Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring uprising against autocrat Hosni Mubarak, only to be deposed after a year in government.

There is deepening alarm in the West over the army's move against Mursi, which has triggered weeks of violence in the influential Arab state bordering U.S. ally Israel. Close to 200 people have died.

The country of 84 million people forms a bridge between the Middle East and North Africa and receives $1.5 billion a year in mainly military aid from Washington.

Fireworks lit up the night sky over Cairo's central Tahrir Square, where army supporters rallied clutching posters of Sisi in full ceremonial uniform.

In a sign of the general's rising political star, many of the posters depicted him alongside Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat, former military officers who went on to become presidents of Egypt.

"The Brothers stole our revolution," said Salah Saleh, a horse trainer at the Cairo rally, voicing widespread criticism that Mursi refused to share power after taking office, and then failed to tackle Egypt's many problems.

"They came and sat on the throne and controlled everything."

Interior Minister Ibrahim said authorities would act on complaints filed by Cairo residents against the Brotherhood vigils. Many thousands of men, women and children joined Brotherhood supporters at the group's main round-the-clock sit-in in northeast Cairo.

"It is either victory over the coup or martyrdom," senior Brotherhood politician Mohamed El-Beltagy told the pro-Mursi rally. "Our blood and our souls for Islam!" the crowds chanted.

The Brotherhood accuses the army and hired thugs of stoking trouble to justify a move against the Islamists.

Helicopters repeatedly buzzed low over the pro-Mursi vigil before flying around Tahrir Square, scattering Egyptian flags over the packed supporters.

MURSI CHARGES

"The Muslim Brotherhood has deviated from the path of real Islam," said Gamal Khalil, a 47-year-old taxi driver. "The army is the only honest institution in the country."

The investigation into Mursi centers on accusations that he conspired with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas to escape from jail during the 2011 uprising, killing some prisoners and officers, kidnapping soldiers and torching buildings.

Mursi has said local people helped him escape during the upheavals, and the Muslim Brotherhood denounced the accusations leveled against him. Hamas challenged investigators to find "one piece of evidence" that it had meddled in Egyptian affairs.

"At the end of the day, we know all of these charges are nothing more than the fantasy of a few army generals and a military dictatorship," Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad said. "We are continuing our protests on the streets."

Convulsed by political and economic turmoil, Egypt is deeply polarized, struggling to make the transition from the autocratic rule of Mubarak to a free and open democracy.

State television screened images on Friday of the celebrations that erupted the night Sisi announced Mursi had been deposed. The narrator declared it "the day of liberation from the Brotherhood occupation."

"Egypt against terrorism," declared a slogan on the screen.

The army has appointed an interim government tasked with preparing for parliamentary elections in about six months followed by a new presidential vote. The Brotherhood says it will not join the process.

(Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla, Yasmine Saleh, Tom Perry, Noah Browning, Tom Finn, Maggie Fick, Omar Fahmy, Edmund Blair, Michael Georgy and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo, Abdel Rahman Youssef in Alexandria and Yusri Mohamed in Ismailia,; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/violence-deepens-egypt-turmoil-deposed-leader-probed-murder-020435120.html

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FSF Tries Pushing Blob-Free ?Replicant? Android OS

Do you want to know the latest news about your gadgets and software? Are you interested in knowing more about the hottest applications such as Cell Phone Tracker programs and others? If yes, then this site is certainly for you. Whether it is about android apps or laptop software, you would find what you need on this site. Continue browsing the different categories and be more informed.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Reviewlinux/~3/mvYN07ZvXCk/fsf-tries-pushing-blob-free-replicant-android-os-15424.html

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FedEx Ground to deliver 1,000 jobs, traffic to Lehigh Valley?

FedEx Ground is considering the Lehigh Valley for a massive distribution hub that could create more than 1,000 jobs and make the region a more attractive landing spot for big retail stores.

According to sources with knowledge of the plan, FedEx is in talks with the Rockefeller Group to locate two distribution centers measuring 1 million square feet each on a 254-acre parcel of Allen Township farmland owned by the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

The centers, to be a FedEx hub serving the northeastern region, would open as early as 2015 with as many as 500 drivers, warehouse workers and office staff. That number could grow to more than 1,000 within three years, according to several sources.

It would also require major roadwork, including the widening of more than a mile of Race Street and Willowbrook Road, from two lanes to four, to handle more than 14,000 additional vehicles a day.

Officials from LVIA and FedEx would not comment on the global freight giant's involvement, but airport officials cautioned that whoever develops the surplus airport property will have to clear many hurdles. Because the property is federally encumbered airport land, developers not only need approvals from Allen Township, they'll also need Federal Aviation Administration approvals and cooperation from the state Department of Transportation.

All that would take at least two years, airport officials have said. In preliminary plans delivered to Allen Township, Rockefeller does not identify FedEx Ground, but projects opening what it calls a 1 million square-foot "Regional Distribution Center" in 2015, and a second warehouse of 1 million square feet in 2017.

"We don't know all the potential users Rockefeller is talking to and we're not at liberty to discuss any of them," Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority Chairman Tony Iannelli said. "The good news is we're finding there is a tremendous amount of interest in our real estate holdings. The challenge is matching that interest with property that can be readily developed."

While FedEx Ground is a much coveted user because of its ability to attract other companies looking to reduce their shipping costs by locating nearby, the Lehigh Valley has become one of the nation's most sought-after areas for distribution center development. With its location in the Route 22 and Interstate 78 corridor, it's a prime location to serve a five-state shipping region.

FedEx has a much smaller Express shipping center in Bethlehem Township, one of hundreds of such facilities nationwide where locals can drop off packages.

The FedEx Ground hub would be one of just 33 regional shipping hubs capable of serving several states.

FedEx Ground, based outside Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of FedEx created to serve major retailers that want to get merchandise to customers in five days or less. Trucking 5.6 million packages per day from its regional hubs and pickup stations nationwide, it is designed to be direct competition for UPS Ground.

FedEx would not confirm its interest in the Lehigh Valley.

"FedEx Ground continuously evaluates opportunities that can enhance our ability to serve our customers," company spokesman David Westrick said. "But, as a matter of policy, we don't have further information on specific proposals under consideration."

Rockefeller spokesman Dwayne Doherty said the company does not discuss which companies are interested in its projects, but is optimistic with the progress it is making on the airport land.

LVIA, struggling to pay the remaining $14 million of a $26 million court judgment against it for taking a developer's land in the mid-1990s, has brought in Rockefeller to market more than 750 acres of largely farmland that straddles Lehigh and Northampton counties, just north of the main airport.

Because the land spans two counties and the townships of Hanover, East Allen and Allen, Rockefeller will need township planning approvals, even as the airport seeks FAA approval to sell. On top of that, local officials will be working to find what could be millions of dollars to make improvements to Airport Road, Race Street and Willowbrook Road.

"Rockefeller is talking about attracting significant companies that would create significant jobs, but for any of it to happen ? at least on that property ? it's going to require major road improvements," said Don Cunningham, president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., which helps bring new businesses into the region. "It's a heavy lift, but we're working on it."

Though sources did not detail precisely where the FedEx Ground facility would be, during a project scope meeting that involved township, airport, Rockefeller and PennDOT officials, Rockefeller laid out conceptual plans to place the hub along Willowbrook Road, just north of its intersection with Race. Willowbrook Road is a sleepy, two-lane stretch bracketed by airport property that has most recently been used for farming.

That would change if the hub opens. Willowbrook Road, which leads to Catasauqua High School, would have to be widened to four lanes to accommodate increased truck traffic. The plan will likely make for some heated township meetings, but 20-year Allen Township Manager Ilene Eckhart said township leaders have been expecting this for a long time.

"We always recognized that this was airport property, that it was going to be open for growth," Eckhart said. "That's part of the reason we changed the zoning to industrial in 2006. Yes, it's a big change, but we're a growing community."

Eckhart said she expects plans to come before the township board in the coming month, but nothing has been scheduled.

According to sources, FedEx is just the most immediate of several suitors interested in parts of the airport lands. The land is not only in a prime location capable of serving the Northeast, but it's also 750 undeveloped acres in the middle of a market that has few industrial and distribution center vacancies.

Just 6 percent of the Valley's class A industrial space is vacant ? the lowest of any region in the state ? with companies so eager to build more that they are doing it even before they have tenants, said Bill Wolf, vice president of CBRE, one of the nation's largest real estate brokers.

That low vacancy rate comes largely because developers are having trouble keeping up with bulging demand, growing the Valley industrial market space from 24 million square feet to 40 million in the past decade.

"The Lehigh Valley is now looked at as one of the top 10 industrial markets in North America," Wolf said. "The Lehigh Valley is viewed almost as an extension of the New York metro market."

Still, winning FedEx Ground won't be easy. Even if planners and developers can clear the many hurdles, sources say FedEx will likely also be shopping the project to locations in New Jersey, Maryland and other parts of Pennsylvania.

"There's a unique window of opportunity here that makes that airport property very important to the whole region," Cunningham said. "We've got some serious work ahead, but the payoff is worth it."

matthew.assad@mcall.com

610-820-6691

Source: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-fed-ex-allentown-airport-20130726,0,942906.story?track=rss

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Hubble eyes a mysterious old spiral

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A striking cosmic whirl is the center of galaxy NGC 524, as seen with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy is located in the constellation of Pisces, some 90 million light-years from Earth.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/9K-lN3G5xXA/130726135822.htm

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Belichick, Patriots will learn from Hernandez case

New England Patriots NFL football head coach Bill Belichick speaks to reporters in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Belichick broke his silence four weeks after former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder. Belichick says the Patriots will learn from "this terrible experience," and that it's time for New England to "move forward." (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

New England Patriots NFL football head coach Bill Belichick speaks to reporters in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Belichick broke his silence four weeks after former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder. Belichick says the Patriots will learn from "this terrible experience," and that it's time for New England to "move forward." (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

New England Patriots NFL football head coach Bill Belichick speaks to reporters in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Belichick broke his silence four weeks after former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder. Belichick says the Patriots will learn from "this terrible experience," and that it's time for New England to "move forward." (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

New England Patriots NFL football head coach Bill Belichick speaks to reporters in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Belichick broke his silence four weeks after former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder. Belichick says the Patriots will learn from "this terrible experience," and that it's time for New England to "move forward." (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

New England Patriots NFL football head coach Bill Belichick speaks to reporters in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Belichick broke his silence four weeks after former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder. Belichick says the Patriots will learn from "this terrible experience," and that it's time for New England to "move forward." (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

New England Patriots NFL football head coach Bill Belichick walks away from the podium after speaking to reporters in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Belichick broke his silence four weeks after former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder. Belichick says the Patriots will learn from "this terrible experience," and that it's time for New England to "move forward." (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) ? New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick broke his silence Wednesday on the arrest of Aaron Hernandez, saying the club will learn from "this terrible experience" and it's time to "move forward."

Four weeks after the former Patriots tight end was charged with murder and cut by the team, Belichick addressed the issue during a 22-minute news conference one day before his team opens training camp.

He expressed sympathy for the family of shooting victim Odin Lloyd, said the in-depth process of studying a player's background is "far from perfect" but wouldn't be overhauled, and took responsibility for bringing people to the team.

"The hundreds of players we've had through this program in the last 14 years, there's been a lot of good ones, a lot of real good ones," Belichick said. "We'll try to do a good job in bringing people into this organization in the future and try to learn from the mistakes that we've made along the way, of which there have been plenty."

At times, Belichick glanced down at notes and gripped both sides of the podium. He declined to answer some questions about Hernandez, saying he had been advised not to answer those about people involved in the legal case.

His relationship with team owner Robert Kraft continues to strengthen, he said.

Kraft has said he was "duped" by Hernandez. When Belichick was asked if he also had been "duped," he said he couldn't comment.

"I'm not trying to make this story disappear, but I respect the judicial process and have been advised not to comment on ongoing legal proceedings. I'm advising our players to do the same things," he said. "Ultimately, the judge or the jury will determine the accountability."

Quarterback Tom Brady and the team's other five captains are scheduled to speak with reporters on Thursday. The first practice is set for Friday.

The Patriots are eager to move on quickly from the Hernandez situation and any stain it leaves on the image of a team that has won three of its five Super Bowls in Belichick's 13 seasons as coach. Belichick usually doesn't address the media at training camp until it's begun.

"My comments are certainly not in proportion to the unfortunate and sad situation that we have here, but I've been advised to address the subject once, and it's time for the New England Patriots to move forward," he said. "Moving forward consists of what it's always been here ? to build a winning football team, to be a strong pillar in the community and be a team that our fans can be proud of."

At a court hearing that overlapped with Belichick's news conference, prosecutors asked for more time to present evidence to a grand jury. Hernandez was in court for what was supposed to be a probable cause hearing, but prosecutors said the grand jury is still considering the evidence against him.

The probable cause hearing was rescheduled for Aug. 22.

Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder in the shooting death of Lloyd, a 27-year-old Boston semi-professional football player whose body was found June 17 in an industrial park near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim and I extend my sympathy really to everyone who has been impacted," Belichick said. "A young man lost his life. His family has suffered a tragic loss and there's no way to understate that."

Belichick said he was out of the United States when he learned of the criminal investigation and was "shocked and disappointed." He didn't say, in response to a question, if he had talked with Hernandez since the player's name was linked to it.

"This case involves an individual who happened to be a New England Patriot, and we certainly do not condone unacceptable behavior and this does not in any way represent the way that the New England Patriots want to do things," he said. "As the coach of the team, I'm primarily responsible for the people that we bring into the football operation."

Hernandez dropped to the fourth round in the 2010 NFL draft because of character issues. Several teams took him off their draft board.

Belichick said "the fundamentals" of the Patriots' player evaluation process will stay the same as they've been since he became coach in 2000, but the team will work hard to do it better.

"We look at every player's history from the moment we start discussing it," he said, "going back to his family, where he grew up, what his lifestyle was like, high school, college experiences. We evaluate his performance, his intelligence, his work ethic, his motivation, his maturity, his improvement and we try to project that into our organization on a going-forward basis.

"We'll continue to evaluate the way that we do things, the way that we evaluate our players and we'll do it on a regular basis, not just at the beginning when they come in."

Asked if the Patriots will focus more on off-field issues when scouting college players, he said, "We have a process in place. Can it be improved? Can it be modified? It possibly can. We'll certainly look at it."

Belichick wouldn't answer a question about starting cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who was charged with first-offense drunken driving after being pulled over in his car on July 11 in Lincoln, Neb., while on probation. He remains on the team.

Players are evaluated on "a case-by-case basis," Belichick said. "Whatever the circumstances are on any one individual, you'll have to make the decision based on an individual basis.

"With Aaron, we did what we felt was right for the football team."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-07-24-FBN-Patriots-Belichick/id-840f9dfc2b32464a933a4e082e6a9d29

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New Google Panda Update Rolling Out Now: What Changes Are Webmasters Seeing?

Despite Google stating they would no longer confirm any of the rolling Panda updates, they seem to have gone back on that and confirmed that yes a new Panda began going live on July 18. However, unlike many of the previous Panda updates, many webmasters have noticed that it does not have as wide of an impact as previous updates.

Matt Cutts has previously stated?that Panda updates would rollout over course of 10 days each month, to soften the impact that it has on webmasters when the change happens at once. However, this does make a lot more difficult for webmasters to sometimes determine what is a normal fluctuation and what is actually a new Panda rollout.

For those who actively monitor search key phrases, there is definitely been a lot of fluctuation even on an hourly basis. Some sites will rank for a specific keyword phrase, vanishing hour later, and the return sometimes in relatively the same position other times completely different result pages even.

A lot of people in their Google Webmaster Tools data have noticed that they are getting some definite increase in the number of impressions that they are displaying, but the traffic has remained stable. This is raising the question if Google Webmaster Tools is somehow measuring impressions differently or if there is something else that would account for such an increase in impressions while the click throughs are static.

Something that is noticeable is that a lot of informational sites, both large ones and small ones are being heavily impacted with this new rollout. This includes the big names of the informational sites, such as Wikipedia, and about.com where there are definite changes happening in their rankings.

Google has previously stated that they want to give authority sites a bit more prominence in the search results. Of course, that also means that they need to update their signals in the search algorithm on how Google is determining what is authority versus what are simply spam sites mimicking the authority. This update seems to be targeting authoritative sites ? and more specifically what should be considered an authority website and what shouldn?t be.

There has also been a bit of chatter that sites that have fared better in this update are active in using Google+. Some sites that saw a decline in rankings have seen them restored or increased in this new rollout when Google+ activity for the site has been done. While this does make people a bit wary that Google is rewarding sites that are on Google+, it has been no secret that it is one of the signals that many believe have has impact on the ranking algorithm.

There is also speculation that some sites that have gotten caught in a previous Panda update, where they have received warnings for unnatural linking, that some of those impacted sites are now ranking again. The member CaptainSalad2 on WebmasterWorld?stated a site began ranking again after removing the disavow links that was submitted the same day the tool was originally released last year, which was also the only change made to that site.

While this latest the Google panda update seems to be of a much softer impact than we have seen from previous updates, it is also worth noting that these rollouts generally occur over 10 days and we are only two days into that. So we definitely could see more fluctuations in search results over the next 10 days while Google watches to see how this new update is impacting the search results, particularly spam and authority sites, and then continue to rollout the update and also tweak the algorithm accordingly.

---

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Source: http://feeds.searchenginewatch.com/~r/searchenginewatchexperts/~3/kzXZn7fJq_k/New-Google-Panda-Update-Rolling-Out-Now-What-Changes-Are-Webmasters-Seeing

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Buzz Worthy: Gala celebrates Manatee Performing Arts Center ...

Gala celebrates Manatee Performing Arts Center opening

?? After nearly five months, a couple of musicals, a movie and some private events, the Manatee Performing Arts Center is finally ready for its grand opening.


?? On Aug. 3, the Manatee Players will host a Crystal Gala to celebrate the grand opening of the center at 502 Third Ave. W. in downtown Bradenton. The gala starts at 5:30 p.m. and?will include a reception with hors d?oeuvres and an open bar, followed by entertainment from John and Alexandra Nock, who are contestants on "America's Got Talent" this season. After the performance, dinner prepared by Pier 22 will be served, followed live music and dancing.?
?? The Manatee Performing Arts Center opened in March with a production of "Miss Saigon." The Manatee Players' first full season in the center begins Aug. 8 with "Les Miserables."

Source: http://heraldbuzzworthy.blogspot.com/2013/07/gala-celebrates-manatee-performing-arts.html

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Former boss disputes Tourre's description of mortgage deal

By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fabrice Tourre's former boss at Goldman Sachs distanced himself on Thursday from the way Tourre described hedge fund Paulson & Co Inc's role in a 2007 subprime mortgage deal.

Tourre, on trial in federal court in New York, is accused of misleading investors in the deal. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has said the former Goldman Sachs bond trader told investors that Paulson & Co was investing in the deal when in fact it was betting against it.

In court on Thursday, the SEC submitted a January 2007 email sent by Tourre in which he described Paulson & Co as "transaction sponsor" of the deal, a synthetic collateralized debt obligation known as Abacus 2007-AC1.

Tourre's boss at the time, Jonathan Egol, said he normally would reserve that description for an investor in a CDO rather than use it to describe an entity, like Paulson & Co, with a short position.

"I wouldn't customarily have used the term 'transaction sponsor' in that way," said Egol, a managing director at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

On cross-examination, though, Egol conceded that "transaction sponsor" isn't a defined industry term.

The testimony came on the fourth day of the trial in the SEC's case against Tourre, 34, the sole remaining defendant in a lawsuit that Goldman Sachs settled for $550 million in 2010.

The meaning of the email could be a key issue in the case. It was sent by Tourre to an executive at ACA Capital Holdings Inc, another participant in the deal, which the SEC has said was also misled by Tourre about Paulson & Co's role.

According to the SEC's case, Goldman told investors in Abacus that ACA Capital Holdings selected the securities in the deal, while in fact the investments were mainly picked by Paulson & Co.

Tourre's lawyers, who will start calling their witnesses next week, have sought to show it was common knowledge in financial markets that Paulson & Co was betting against subprime mortgages.

Egol's statements, which seemed to bolster the SEC's case, came the day after another witness said he told the same ACA executive that Paulson planned to short Abacus.

The witness, former Paulson & Co Managing Director Paolo Pellegrini, said he believed he told Laura Schwartz, the primary ACA employee on the deal, "what we were trying to accomplish by shorting the market.

After Pellegrini's testimony, which appeared to undercut the SEC's case, the SEC reshuffled its witnesses to bump up the testimony of former Goldman saleswoman Gail Kreitman, who is expected to testify as early as Friday.

The SEC has indicated it plans to introduce a recording of Kreitman telling an ACA employee that Goldman was "placing a hundred percent of the equity" with Paulson.

In a letter sent to the judge late Wednesday, the SEC said Kreitman could testify that while she does not recall specifically who gave her that false information, "the most likely source" was Tourre.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest, though, said Thursday she did not want "the witness to guess, unless she can remember Mr. Tourre told her that."

"I don't see any basis for her to connect the dots the jury should connect," Forrest said.

During cross-examination Thursday, Egol said Goldman Sachs actually lost money on Abacus.

Goldman earned $15 million in fees on the Abacus deal, the SEC says. But Egol said by the end of 2007 the firm had lost $80 million to $90 million due to exposure it had to Abacus.

The case is SEC v. Tourre, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 10-03229.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond; Editing by Eddie Evans and Douglas Royalty)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-boss-disputes-tourres-description-mortgage-deal-202238632.html

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Bernanke comments keep markets firm

LONDON (AP) ? Stocks continued to rise Thursday on the Federal Reserve's promise to extend its stimulus policies if necessary and upbeat U.S. economic and corporate earnings reports.

In prepared remarks to lawmakers in Congress, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday that the Fed's timetable for reducing its bond purchases was not decided and that the central bank could even boost them if the economy fails to meet expectations.

The Fed wants to see substantial progress in the job market before scaling back its $85 billion a month in purchase of government bonds and other financial assets, he said.

Expectations the Fed might start tapering off its stimulus in September caused market jitters last month. So his clarification this week that he was not pre-committed to a schedule encouraged investors.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of British shares was up 0.9 percent to 6,632.39 while Germany's DAX rose 0.5 percent to 8,295.44. The CAC-40 in France gained 0.9 percent to 3,904.89.

Wall Street opened higher, with the S&P 500 up 0.3 percent at 1,686.56 and the Dow 0.5 percent higher at 15,544.42.

Also supporting markets was news that U.S. jobless claims fell 24,000 last week to 334,000, a sign of steady job gains.

Corporate earnings were mixed. Morgan Stanley shares rose 3.7 percent, boosting financial stocks, after its second-quarter profits beat expectations. But Nokia shares slid 4 percent as its sales continued to drop sharply.

Google and Microsoft are due to announce results later. The focus will also return to Bernanke, who will continue his testimony to the Senate.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.3 percent to 14,808.50, its highest close in two months, but gains elsewhere in the region were much more modest. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2 percent to 4,993.40. Shares in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Singapore were also higher.

China-related shares were mostly lower, reflecting gloom over news earlier in the week that the world's second-largest economy posted its second straight quarter of slower economic growth in April-June.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed early gains to fall into negative territory, losing 0.1 percent to 21,345.22. Benchmarks in mainland China and Taiwan also were lower. The Shanghai Composite dropped 1.1 percent to 2,023.40.

"The slowdown of growth in China is still the main concern," said Linus Yip, a strategist at First Shanghai Securities in Hong Kong.

In other markets, the benchmark crude contract for August delivery was up 64 cents at $107.12 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 48 cents on Wednesday.

The euro fell to $1.3076 from $1.3117 late Wednesday. The dollar rose to 100.46 yen from 99.62 yen.

___

Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bernanke-comments-keep-markets-firm-104810392.html

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Ron Zook, former Illinois head coach, is currently a banker in Florida

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Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ron_zook_former_illinois_head_coach_is_currently_a_banker_in_florida/14065058

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Build Windows 8 Apps With Microsoft Visual C++ Step By Step (Microsoft Press)

Teach yourself how to build Windows 8 applications using the Visual C++ language-one step at a time. Intended for those with intermediate to advanced C++ development skills, this tutorial provides practical, learn-by-doing exercises for creating apps that can adapt to different screen sizes-including desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and slates.

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Source: http://www.i-programmer.info/book-watch-archive/6105-build-windows-8-apps-with-microsoft-visual-c-step-by-step-microsoft-press.html

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NYU Faculty Demand Martin Lipton's Resignation As Board Of Trustees Chairman

A group of New York University faculty are demanding in an open letter released Tuesday that Martin Lipton, chairman of the institution's board of trustees, resign from the position he's held for 14 years.

NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan, a group of more than 400 faculty members, has vocally opposed the university's expansion effort, and on Tuesday issued a lengthy letter laying out their grievances with Lipton and NYU president John Sexton, touching on a slew of controversies from the past few years.

"This is not a step that we take lightly," the group wrote. "We are well aware of your long dedication to NYU's betterment, and your many services on its behalf. It is because, as faculty, we share your dedication to the university that we feel obliged to take this step -- and to explain, precisely, why we are now taking it."

Sexton already received a vote of no confidence from five schools at NYU, but the board has responded with nothing but support for the embattled president. The faculty group writing the letter said they are not optimistic that anything will change under Lipton's leadership, due to his "closeness" to Sexton, and because Lipton has "ignored us just as Pres. Sexton has done all along."

The letter complains about the growth of non-tenured faculty, that NYU's acceptance rate is five to six times higher than that of Ivy League universities like Harvard and Columbia, and that class sizes at the institution are comparable to state universities. "While this trend makes money ... it also makes us less selective than a first-rate university must be," they wrote, suggesting that NYU was being run more like a corporation rather than a university.

"This maldistribution, and the lowering of academic standards, are consequences of the corporate style of management imposed on NYU aggressively since 2002," the group said, adding that "NYU's richest stars' overcompensation is more heinous, as its source is not the profit from essential goods (software; oil and gas) but NYU's exorbitant tuition, and the crippling debt that often pays for it."

NYU spokesman John Beckman was dismayed the group had issued the letter "attacking" Lipton.

"At a time when the Trustees and John Sexton have made improving dialogue with the faculty such a priority and have taken concrete and productive new steps to ensure greater faculty participation in decision-making, it is perplexing that this group would send such a letter," Beckman said. "The Trustees hope that all the faculty choose to join in the constructive efforts underway to enhance University governance rather than attacking individual members of the NYU community."

The majority of the NYU Board of Trustees have worked in real estate, finance, health insurance and pharmaceuticals, as attorneys or company executives. Lipton is a founding partner at a law firm specializing in corporate policy and acquisitions.

Andrew Ross, president of the American Association of University Professors NYU chapter, told HuffPost in June he believes the business practices from Wall Street are influencing the trustees' decision making.

"NYU is the closest large university [to Wall Street]. It's clear a lot of those practices have spilled over," Ross said. "A lot of the contagion from Wall Street is clear -- vacation homes, compensation packages -- that's the kind of thing that's standard in that world."

According to the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, more than half of governing board members nationwide have a background in business, compared to one-eighth who come from education.

"Private colleges and universities also need to do a lot of fundraising, and usually they're looking for at least some of the board members to make major gifts or be able to help the institution connect to major donors," Merrill Schwartz, vice president for AGB Consulting, told HuffPost. "I'm sure that's a major consideration for NYU as well."

Schwartz also noted governing boards are "definitely concerned" about the rate of change in the world, and the pace of change in technology. "Academic decision-making is something that's not well known for speed," Schwartz said.

These kinds of disputes could continue due to "a growing disconnect between faculty senates and boards of trustees," the Chronicle of Higher Education notes. Ted Magder, departing chair of the NYU Faculty Senators Council, suggested, "As power becomes more centralized, the disconnect between faculty and those with decision-making authority is likely to grow."

This post has been updated with comment from NYU.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/17/nyu-faculty-martin-lipton_n_3612003.html

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