CSN: Pirates spoil Garza's return to Cubs rotation

PITTSBURGH -- Travis Snider took a pregame pep talk from his manager to heart. Relaxed and with a clear head, he delivered a crucial sixth-inning home run for the second time in five games.

Snider hit a pinch-hit grand slam to help the Pittsburgh Pirates spoil a strong return to the mound for Matt Garza with a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.

Garza allowed one hit over five shutout innings in his first outing in 10 months, but the Pirates pounced on a Chicago bullpen that is 10th in the National League in ERA by sending 11 men to the plate in the sixth.

Snider, who homered for the first time in nine months in a win over Milwaukee on Thursday, hit his first career home run with the bases loaded. It was the first Pirates pinch-hit grand slam in five years.

"Tonight was probably the most calm pinch-hit at bat I've had," Snider said. "(Manager Clint) Hurdle gave a good speech before the game just talking about situations that come up, whether it's in the sixth inning, the first inning, eighth inning, ninth inning -- the game's the game. And over-thinking those situations isn't going to make it any easier for you if you don't get a hit. So I just tried to go up there and be patient.

"I got ahead of the count and was able to sit back on a changeup."

Wandy Rodriguez (5-2) allowed three runs on six hits over six innings for the Pirates, who have won nine of 11.

Darwin Barney went 4 for 4 for the Cubs, who have lost three of four.

Snider's second homer was the first pinch-hit grand slam by a Pirates player since Jason Michaels on June 2, 2008, at St. Louis. It came off of Shawn Camp after Hector Rondon and James Russell (1-1) had combined to load the bases. Pedro Alvarez walked to drive in a run.

The Pirates did not have a hit against Garza until Clint Barmes singled to right with one out in the fifth.

Garza had been sidelined since July 21 because of a stress reaction in his right elbow and, later, a strained upper back muscle.

"He was really good," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "He had a really good slider. His command, for it being his first time back, was outstanding. Even when he missed, he didn't miss by much. His velocity was good, too, consistently at 93-94. He was just outstanding."

Limited by a pitch count, Garza threw 82 pitches.

"I felt great out there," Garza said. "I had some butterflies and the first couple of innings flew by. I had to kind of stop myself at one point and just slow down but it was fun. It was a long, long time and it's nice to not only come back but pitch well. You don't want to spend that much time working to get back and then pitch poorly."

Or, apparently, to hit poorly either. The lone inning in which Rodriguez allowed a runner to progress past first base was the second, when Barney had an RBI single and Garza hit a two-run double.

Cubs pitchers have 13 RBIs in May -- the most for the franchise in any month since September 1971. They also have a major league leading six doubles.

But after that, Rodriguez retired 13 of the final 15 he faced.

"At the beginning, I didn't have good stuff," Rodriguez said through a translator. "Then I started using the breaking ball and hitting spots and I was successful at that."

Justin Wilson worked around two hits in the seventh and Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless eighth.

The Cubs scored once in the ninth on a single by Starlin Castro, but Jason Grilli stuck out Anthony Rizzo swinging with two on to end the game and earn his majors-leading 18th save. Rizzo finished 0 for 5.

After sitting out Pittsburgh's previous game Sunday due to knee soreness, Andrew McCutchen went 0 for 4. He made two of the Pirates' three outs during the sixth, leaving the bases loaded to end the inning.

Game notes
To make room for Garza on the roster, the Cubs earlier Tuesday designated RHP Michael Bowden for assignment. Also Tuesday, Chicago claimed RHP Eduardo Sanchez off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals and assigned him to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. ... The Pirates reinstated RHP Jose Contreras from the bereavement list before the game and returned RHP Jared Hughes to Triple-A Indianapolis. ... LHP Francisco Liriano will make his third start for the Pirates when the series continues Wednesday. He has faced the Cubs once in his eight-year career. RHP Jeff Samardzija, who has a 0.92 ERA in 39 career innings vs. Pittsburgh, starts for the Cubs.

Source: http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs-talk/bullpen-blows-garzas-strong-start

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Microsoft launches Xbox One, calls it the console for all-in ... - Firstpost

Redmond, Washington: Microsoft thinks it has the one.

The company unveiled the Xbox One, an entertainment console that wants to be the one system households will need for games, television, movies and other entertainment. It will go on sale later this year, for an undisclosed price.

For the past two years, Microsoft has led the gaming industry in console sales with the Xbox 360. But it?s been eight years since that machine came out, and Microsoft is the last of the three major console makers to unveil a new system. In those eight years, Apple launched the iPhone and the iPad, ?FarmVille? rose and fell and tablets began to threaten desktop computers, changing how people interact with games and beyond.

Now, the stakes are high as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are all using their latest machines to not only draw gamers but also command the living room. The goal is to extend their reach beyond loyal legions of hardcore gamers and to become as important to our lives at home as smartphones have become to our lives on the go.

Don Mattrick, Microsoft?s president of interactive entertainment business, said the company has spent the past four years working on the ?all-in-one home entertainment system.?

Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft?s interactive entertainment business, talks about the next-generation Xbox One entertainment and gaming console system?s capabilities for viewing live sports. AP

At an hour-long presentation at the company?s Redmond, Washington, headquarters on Tuesday, Microsoft executives used voice controls to seamlessly switch back and forth between watching live TV, listening to music, playing a movie and browsing the Internet ? all while running apps for fantasy football and Skype chats. It showed how users could watch live sports on TV while getting updates on their fantasy leagues on a split screen.

?It really extends the home entertainment experience,? Gartner analyst Brian Blau said.

He said the console seems to appeal to ?more than just a core gamer in the family? and should be of interest to all types of audiences, from sports players to TV viewers to those who are ?social and want to share things.?

Xbox One is the third entry in the latest round of the ?console wars.? It follows Nintendo Co.?s launch of the Wii U in November and Sony Corp.?s tease in February for the upcoming PlayStation 4. Each of the next-generation consoles have shifted away from simply serving as gaming machines, as they incorporate streaming media apps and social networking features.

With the Xbox One, people will be able to connect their cable or satellite set-top box and watch TV through the game machine. The Xbox One has its own guide and lets people change channels by voice command.

Senior Vice President Yusuf Mehdi demonstrated how the console switched quickly between channels after saying show names such as ?Mary and Martha? or commands like ?watch MTV.? His voice command of ?What?s on HBO?? brought up the channel guide for HBO.

?No more memorizing channels or hunting for the remote control,? Mehdi said.

The interface for the TV goes well beyond the functionality in the Wii U, which still requires users to press buttons to change the input source on the TV. Xbox One seamlessly switched between games, movies and TV shows with a single voice command.

?You can switch to your game like it?s a TV channel flip,? said Marc Whitten, Microsoft?s chief product officer of interactive entertainment business. He called it a ?lag-free instant experience.?

Microsoft also unveiled a new version of its camera-based Kinect system with better motion and voice detection, including the ability to read faces and tell whether you?re smiling or not. The Kinect will be required for Xbox One to work. The company also introduced a more ergonomic Xbox controller, with new buttons and a slightly different layout from the Xbox 360 controller. The new console will also add the ability to play Blu-ray discs, matching what Sony has in its older PlayStation 3.

Among the games previewed for Xbox One were the military shooter ?Call of Duty: Ghosts? from Activision Blizzard Inc., the soccer extravaganza ?FIFA 14? from Electronic Arts Inc. and the racing simulator ?Forza Motorsport 5? and time bender ?Quantum Break,? both from Microsoft Game Studios. Microsoft said more games will be shown at next month?s E3 video game conference in Los Angeles.

The company said there will be more than 15 games available exclusively on the Xbox One in the first year after it launches, eight of them new franchises. In recent years, the Xbox has been the exclusive home to such popular gaming franchises as ?Halo,? ?Forza? and alien shoot-?em-up ?Gears of War.?

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter noted that Tuesday?s presentation was more general than what Microsoft will likely give at E3, where games will be central as thousands of game industry insiders, bloggers and journalists gather for the annual industry conference.

?They didn?t focus on games,? he said. ?They focused on everything else.?

That everything else includes a multiyear agreement between Microsoft and the National Football League to develop new interactive viewing experiences for pro football games through such products as the Xbox One and Microsoft?s Surface tablet computer. Fans will get the ability to watch games, chat with other fans, view statistics, access highlights in real time and gather fantasy information about players and teams ? all on a single screen. For those who prefer multiple screens, fans can get an even deeper experience on mobile devices such as tablets.

Microsoft is also branching into creating original content beyond games, following the trend of other technology companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Netflix Inc. Director Steven Spielberg will produce a TV series involving Microsoft?s popular ?Halo? franchise.

Microsoft said games for the Xbox 360 won?t work on the new system, though the company said it will continue to make games for the older machine. The Xbox One won?t require a constant connection to the Internet, but having it will be useful for many of the gaming and entertainment features. The Xbox has been popular largely because of its Xbox Live service, which lets users play games online with other players for as much as $60 a year.

The original Xbox debuted in 2001, and its high-definition successor premiered in 2005. Part of the Microsoft entertainment and devices division that also includes Skype and the Windows Phone, the Xbox represents a small fraction of Microsoft?s overall revenue. In the latest quarter, revenue in that division amounted to about 12 percent, or $2.5 billion of the $20.5 billion total.

Nintendo kicked off the next generation of gaming in November with the launch of the Wii U, the successor to the popular Wii system. The Wii U features an innovative tablet-like controller, though its graphics is on par with the previous-generation Xbox 360 and Sony?s PlayStation 3. Nintendo said the console sold just 3.45 million units by the end of March, well below expectations.

Sony was next, teasing plans for its upcoming PlayStation 4 ? without showing the actual box ? at a February event in New York. The reaction to that console, which featured richer graphics and more social features, was mixed. The PS4 is expected by the holidays.

Microsoft didn?t waste any time showing off the Xbox One console, new Kinect sensor and Xbox controller at the beginning of Tuesday?s presentation.

Microsoft?s stock fell 23 cents, or less than 1 percent, to close Tuesday at $34.85.

Associated Press

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/tech/microsoft-launches-xbox-one-calls-it-the-console-for-all-in-one-entertainment-803897.html

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Yahoo's Unwatchable Live Stream Proves Its Next Acquisition Should Be A Proper Video Platform

It's easy to forget that Yahoo has had a long on-again-off-again love affair with online video. Remember Broadcast.com, which kicked off the Mark Cuban Era? But you might not remember that, because other online video platforms long ago left Yahoo in the proverbial dust. Today, as Yahoo streamed its Flickr product and Tumblr acquisition announcements, we were given a demonstration of why Yahoo has been left in the dust -- and why it's had to turn to acquisitions for help in, well, nearly every department.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/eIAnZ7GqFYk/

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IRS Inspector General, Darrell Issa Communicated Multiple Times In 2012

WASHINGTON -- For all the outcry over who in the White House knew about an inspector general report detailing instances of the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative groups, it turns out someone else was getting regular updates on the issue over the past year: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).

J. Russell George, a Treasury Department inspector general, testified Tuesday to the Senate Finance Committee that his department was in touch with Issa's office several times in 2012 and this year regarding its IRS investigation.

Here's a transcript of the exchange between George and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), a member of the committee:

MENENDEZ: Inspector General, did Chairman Issa send a letter on August 3rd of 2012 to all the inspector generals reminding them that under the Inspector Generals Act, it requires IGs to report particularly flagrant problems to Congress through the agency head within seven days, via what has been known as the seven-day letter? Did you receive that letter? And, if so, did you respond to inform Chairman Isaa of your investigation into the IRS?

GEORGE: Senator, we did receive the letter, and Chairman Issa's committee was the first to actually contact us regarding this matter. And so through the course of engaging the review, on occasion we have had communications with his staff.

MENENDEZ: In 2012?

GEORGE: And since then, yes.

Issa, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has been one of the administration's chief antagonists. He recently sparred with Attorney General Eric Holder, accusing him of regularly keeping information from Congress.

In a little-noticed interview last week, Issa indicated that he knew "approximately" what the IG would report on the IRS' selective targeting of conservative groups, but said it wasn't appropriate to "accuse the IRS until you've had a nonpartisan, deep look."

Related on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/21/irs-inspector-general-darrell-issa_n_3315370.html

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California Mortgage Tax Relief | Tax Amnesty

In the present world, keeping a roof on the head is a very costly procedure. A person cannot afford to have a home of his own easily as it requires lots of money to invest and different things to register his home.

Every person wants to get rid of mortgage policy by paying the amount with interest to bank. In this context people goes to Refinance a mortgage. It is very common that if you are willing to get your home mortgaged out of refinancing, you need to have a very sound and good credit with you. Your worthy credit is the only option that will allow your application approval. Most finance companies are having many more solutions so that people can be able to refinance a mortgage easily and in a very short span of time. But you must always think in hand that refinancing is always is always beneficial or not.

Mortgage broker is the one who is responsible to provide the facility of lowering down the rates and to repay the amount to back under the decided time limit. They have a direct link with their customers and make them. When talking regarding fixing the new mortgage loans, all you need to get the assistance from is the broker as a matter of fact mortgages are unexpected and you may require a hand for you. In short, they act as an intermediary between the bank and their clients that can be an organization or an individual. Many financing companies are having these brokers who perform the work so that the company can have good growth. Mortgage Brokers are the important functioning body of the companies.

The organization that works to provide all the facilities right from providing a refinance to that of lowering down the prices, everything is named under a single term Mortgage Companies. These companies are having a short name of mortgage banks and have all the support facilities for their clients. These companies are having their team members as the brokers and they provide training to their personnel so that they can perform their work efficiently. They use secondary market to sell the loan. These mortgage companies charge their fees which is different for different companies as servicing charges.

Most of the people living in the city of California are having their burden of mortgage. California Mortgage is having their own association that works to provide support to the people of the state so that they can payback their amount to bank that they need to do. In this case, there are many departments or companies are functioning so that a person can go to them and get their solution easily. California Mortgage is the problem through every third citizen of that state is getting terrible effects.

These companies also provide mortgage lending to the person who needs it. This means that the company offers an amount to that person who is not able to repay his debt to the bank on time. Thus, a person can get full support from these companies in all the ways so that he may able to payback his loan on time and can secure his home for the future. Money lending is getting popularity in most of the countries and people are getting benefit of them.

Source: http://sumgait.net/uncategorized/california-mortgage-tax-relief/

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Bikes, Cancer, Blogs, Photos. | MetaFilter

That was wonderful. I thought for a moment that the final message was implying that Ezra had passed ("In November of 2012, Ezra was diagnosed with recurrent stage IV cancer... He was given six to eight months to live"), but thankfully he's still here.
posted by mokin at 10:10 PM on May 19 [1 favorite] Brutal to read the Photographic Journal interview to the end. Talented, cool guy doing his best to find his way through with dignity and love.
posted by letitrain at 10:23 PM on May 19 Oh man. What an incredible interview, what an incredible individual. I was really blown away by the ending of the Photographic Journal interview. Brutal indeed.
posted by dubold at 3:22 AM on May 20 [1 favorite] I love hearing how people navigated through their own life stories, but it hit like a ton of bricks, that final paragraph in the Photographic Journal piece.
posted by xingcat at 6:43 AM on May 20 The Photographic Journal interview is terrific. And sad. I love the short video with Ezra and his dog at the end.

His bike artistry is awesome too. I love his own assless bike, but also the one for the person in Wisconsin that has the wood fenders and the wood basket on front and the wood handle bar.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:09 AM on May 20

Source: http://www.metafilter.com/128238/Bikes-Cancer-Blogs-Photos

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Phoenix police officer dies in fatal hit-and-run

PHOENIX (AP) ? A Phoenix police officer and firefighter both died Sunday after suffering critical injuries in separate accidents on the job, officials said.

Police said Officer Daryl Raetz, 29, was conducting a DUI stop on a vehicle in west Phoenix when another vehicle struck him at about 3:30 a.m. and then fled the scene. Raetz, an Iraq war veteran who became a Phoenix police officer six years ago, was taken to a hospital where he later died.

A day earlier, 23-year-old Phoenix Firefighter Bradley Harper was critically injured while fighting a mulch fire. The Arizona Republic cited Sgt. Tommy Thompson in reporting that Harper was moving equipment at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday when he was pinned between two emergency vehicles. He died Sunday of his injuries.

Mayor Greg Stanton said Sunday would go down in history as a "tragic day" for Phoenix.

"It's incredibly important that this community show its full support, not only for the families of our deceased heroes so they understand how important the service (was) of these two men dedicated to the safety of the city," he said, "but it's also important that the living officers and the living firefighters see the community pull together so that they know that when they go out every day and risk their lives, they do so with the full support of the citizens of this city."

The hit-and-run collision that killed Raetz happened as he was standing in the roadway and was wrapping up the DUI stop. He is survived by a wife and young daughter.

Authorities said late Sunday afternoon that police in Surprise located the SUV that hit him and are working to identify the driver.

"When our officers are out there, part of the danger we face is just processing the scene," Thompson said, "particularly in a DUI scene such as this, and then (to) have another individual strike one of our officers who's out there doing his job."

Police Chief Daniel V. Garcia described the loss as "gut-wrenching."

"This is every officer's nightmare," he said. "I honestly don't have the words to describe the sorrow in my heart for Daryl Raetz and his family. He was one of Phoenix's finest, one of our heroes who was out there every day (serving) the community."

The police and fire unions planned to organize fundraisers for Raetz's and Harper's families, said Joe Clure, representative for the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association.

___

Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/phoenix-police-officer-dies-fatal-hit-run-011114212.html

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Obama Pivots to Jobs Tour at End of Scandal Filled Week

After a week filled with political scandals, President Obama turned to promoting his jobs tour in his weekly address Saturday.

"That's why I like getting out of the Washington echo chamber whenever I can - because too often, our politics aren't focused on the same things you are. Working hard. Supporting your family and your community. Making sure your kids have every chance in life," Obama said in his weekly address Saturday.

obama

"I'm going to keep trying to work with both parties in Washington to make progress on your priorities. Because I know that if we come together around creating more jobs, educating more of our kids, and building new ladders of opportunity for everyone who's willing to climb them - we'll all prosper, together," he said.

The president traveled to Baltimore, Md. Friday on his second stop for the "Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tour." He spoke at a dredging company, visited with children at an elementary school, and stopped at a community center focused on helping fathers and families.

Obama's trip came as he tried to pivot attention back to his second term agenda as a series of political scandals involving the IRS, Benghazi, and the Department of Justice dominated much of the week.

But while the president attempted to divert attention from the political scandals of the week, Republicans used the incidents as a rallying call to repeal the healthcare law.

RELATED: IRS Planted Question About Tax Exempt Groups

"Now: just think about the fact that it's the IRS that will be responsible for enforcing many of these regulations. If we've learned anything this week, it's that the IRS needs less power, not more'" Rep. Andy Harris, R-MD, said in the GOP weekly address, "As a matter of fact, it turns out that the IRS official who oversaw the operation that's under scrutiny for targeting conservatives is now in charge of the IRS's ObamaCare office. You can't make this stuff up."

"Well here's the problem: the train wreck is already here. ObamaCare is knocking Americans off the ladder of opportunity, and the sooner we repeal it, the sooner we can start fixing health care for working families," he said.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-pivots-jobs-tour-end-scandal-filled-week-122158573--abc-news-politics.html

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Page Not Found - Yahoo!

Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Yahoo!, try visiting the Yahoo! homepage or look through a list of Yahoo!'s online services.

Please try Yahoo Help Central if you need more assistance.

Source: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/oddlyenough

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Frolicking With The Grove Nymph - Bleeding Cool Comic Book ...

Cameron Hatheway writes;

Unfortunately whenever I see the word ?nymph? nowadays, I automatically think ?nympho? or ?nymphomaniac,? forgetting that it used to stand for something magical and pure. For too long has our society corrupted the word, turning it into a label for people like my psycho ex.

Then again, putting a naked woman on the cover of The Grove Nymph #1 certainly could be perceived in a more erotic light than intended. But fear not! This series is nothing more but a simple fantasy genre, and nowhere near the Zenescope kind.

Focusing on a nymph named Mira, she grows bored of sitting idly by the springs and groves in the forest with her sister nymph Mari. Mira longs for adventure, for they?ve been doing the exact same routine for the past century. Deciding to finally go exploring, Mira immediately finds herself rescuing a Pom Sprite who was about to get eaten by a nasty Root Goblin, and that?s when things start to really get interesting. The Pom Sprite is on a mission to rescue its sisters from a monster who kidnapped them beyond the grove, and Mira decides to embark on this quest and help out anyway she can.

There is lots of nudity in this first issue, but all of it is tasteful. Nymphs are beings of the elements, so to find one with clothes in nature would look truly out of place. Jecaro?s style for the nymphs and Pom Sprites are simple yet incredibly well detailed, while the more bizarre creatures like the Root Goblin and eye-kneed guy are creepy yet intriguing. I especially enjoyed the color choices, and laughed at first when I saw that Mira?s carpet did in fact match the drapes.

With only two issues left, I highly recommend tracking down this first issue and give it a read. For 99 cents on ComiXology, do you really have an excuse to pass it up? I thought not.

The Grove Nymph #1 by Jecaro
55 Pages, FC
Ages 17+

Cameron Hatheway is the host of Cammy?s Comic Corner and Arts & Entertainment Editor of the Sonoma State STAR. You can sell him a Root Goblin on Twitter @CamComicCorner.

Source: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/05/18/frolicking-with-the-grove-nymph/

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PSIO prototype loads PlayStation 1 ISOs on the console, no burned CD necessary (video)

Project PlayStation Input Output has been trying to load PlayStation 1 game images through the game system's parallel I/O port since 2010, and now it's ready to show off the first prototype. If piracy is your aim, then modchips that let users play burned discs and emulators that have been available through the console's 19-year history should suffice, but this project aims to bypass those methods. The potential benefits include easier homebrew support and playing of ripped discs on the original hardware without worrying about wearing out an aging console's laser. Eventually the team wants to load games and saves from an SD card, but in this demo video it's playing Klonoa: Door to Phantomile from an attached PC. As seen in the nearly ten minute video it does work, albeit slowly. As the video notes, optimizations for the USB controller and CD sectors that should speed things up have not been implemented yet. According to its FAQ, the PSIO team aims to have a final version done this year, you can check out the fruits of their labor after the break.

Filed under: Gaming, Sony

Comments

Source: PSIO, PSIO (YouTube)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/17/playstation-1-psx-psio-loader/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Mo'Nique lost 80 pounds after 'tipping 300'

Celebs

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper TODAY

19 hours ago

Add Oscar-winning actress and comedian Mo'Nique to the list of Hollywood stars who've recently dropped a great deal of weight. The actress told a radio station this week that she once weighed close to 300 pounds, has lost 80, and is continuing to drop weight.

AFP-Getty Images, @MoWorldWide/

Mo?Nique at the 2010 Oscars, left, and in 2013.

She told New York's Hot 97 FM on Monday that she has been tweeting her progress in hopes of inspiring others. "Because I want women to see ? especially us big women ? that you don?t have to let them cut you and suck it out," she said. "You don?t have to let them staple you up. You don?t have to let them give you a pill. You don?t have to let them put a band around your organs."

A tweet from Wednesday read, "Got in steps and 50 sit-ups. Did you give you, your best self today? Don't you deserve the BEST YOU. Love yall."

And other tweets shared her desire to lose the weight through diet and exercise and encouraged her fans to do the same.

The 5-foot-9-inch Mo'Nique said on the radio program that after "tipping 300" pounds, she now weighs 218 and has a goal of between 190 and 200 pounds.

She won the Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2009 for her role as an abusive mother in "Precious."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/monique-lost-80-pounds-after-tipping-300-1C9965346

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Google?s new Hangouts app will soon support SMS

BERLIN (Reuters) - Women's rights protesters disrupted the opening of a giant pink doll's house in Berlin on Thursday, saying the Barbie "Dreamhouse Experience" objectified women. Promoting the doll made by Mattel Inc, the house allows paying visitors to try on Barbie's clothes, play in her kitchen and have a go on her pink piano. The exhibition will be open until August 25. A handful of protesters gathered outside the shocking pink house that has been erected in one of central Berlin's greyest areas. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-hangouts-app-soon-support-sms-231506937.html

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Leadership Institute Participants Announced | The Wildlife Society ...

On 13 May, TWS released the list of participants who have been chosen to attend the 2013 TWS Leadership Institute. These promising early-career wildlife professionals, selected from a competitive pool of applicants, will participate in a variety of distance learning projects over the coming summer. The program culminates in October, with intensive hands-on mentoring activities and leadership workshops during the 2013 TWS Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

A committee of TWS members and staff selected participants based on the applicants? academic record, demonstrated leadership capability, and demonstrated level of excellence either in their current position or in their position as a leader of a Chapter or Section of The Wildlife Society.

This year?s participants are:

• Matt Bahm, Lecturer, Gonzaga University, Washington
• Sarah Bullock, Wildlife Biologist, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska
• Amy Carrozzino-Lyon, Research Associate and Instructor, Virginia Tech
• Sarah Hamer, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University
• Agn?s Pelletier, Research Associate, Trent University, Ontario
• Stephanie Ferrero, Wildlife Biologist, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
• Rachael Urbanek, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Science, Arkansas Tech University
• Jonathan Wiens, Habitat Biologist, Government of Manitoba
• Rachel Williams, Regional Landowner Relations Specialist, Arizona Game and Fish Department
• Krysten Zummo, Wildlife Technician, SUNY Cobleskill, New York

Many young wildlife professionals entering leadership positions have not necessarily been trained in the skills needed for successful management of large groups or complicated programs. The Leadership Institute introduces these exceptional young people to the management, mentoring, and organizational skills they need to become exceptional leaders.

From May through September, participants will complete a wide variety of exercises, which include reading and reflection on leadership topics, presenting to peer groups, leading seminars, and developing summary documents regarding their professional leadership goals. During TWS? Annual Conference in Milwaukee, the participants will meet for focused analytical discussions, serve as mentors for students, be mentored by Institute alumni and Council members, and attend Council meetings.

Learn more about the Leadership Institute.

Source: http://news.wildlife.org/the-wildlifer/the-wildlifer-2013-may/leadership-institute-participants-announced/

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Russia sends Syria advanced anti-ship missiles: U.S. officials

By Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia has sent Syria advanced anti-ship missiles, U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, bolstering Syrian defenses despite pleas from Washington and elsewhere to stop supplying President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

One of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the latest Yakhont surface-to-air missiles were delivered recently. The transfer of the missiles was first reported by the New York Times.

There was no immediate comment from the Russian government.

The disclosure comes just over a week after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry suggested that he raised the issue of arms transfers to Syria during talks in Moscow this month.

The Russian arms transfer could intensify a push by some lawmakers in Congress for the United States to deepen its role in Syria, particularly after President Barack Obama's government acknowledged preliminary intelligence that Assad's forces likely used chemical weapons.

"We can watch from the sidelines as the scales are tipped in Assad's favor, or protect U.S. national interests by supporting the armed opposition striving to build a new Syrian future," said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez.

Menendez is the author of legislation that sanctions arms and oil sales to Assad, while providing lethal arms and training to the Syrian opposition.

But many U.S. officials fear weapons could fall into the wrong hands. Reuters on Friday reported that al Qaeda's Iraq-based wing is eclipsing the Islamist Nusra Front. Al Qaeda in Iraq includes thousands of foreign fighters whose ultimate goal is not toppling Assad but anti-Western jihad.

Obama said Thursday he would consider both diplomatic and military options to pressure Assad, but insisted that U.S. action alone would not be enough to resolve the Syrian crisis.

The 2-year-old civil war in Syria between Assad's forces and rebel fighters has killed an estimated 80,000 people and forced more than 1.5 million to flee the fighting.

The United States and Russia have agreed to convene a conference to try to stop the war, but no date has been set.

HARD TO DETECT

The anti-ship missiles supplied by Russia are designed to keep hostile ships away from Syrian waters. They fly at just over 2.5 times the speed of sound, have a range of about 300 kilometers (185 miles) and pack a huge punch from their 200 kg (440 pound) warhead, according to Nick Brown, editor in chief of IHS Jane's International Defense Review.

"They are hard to detect and even harder to shoot down or decoy away, so they're a powerful tool for keeping warships a long way off the Syrian shore," Brown said.

A spokesman for Russia's state arms exporting monopoly, Rosoboronexport, would not comment when asked about the shipment of a new batch of Yakhont missiles to Syria.

Russia previously delivered Yakhont missiles in 2011 in a deal estimated at $300 million at the time.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has defended Russia's arms sales to Syria by saying that Moscow is only fulfilling previously sealed contracts and did not want to lose its reputation as a reliable supplier.

Russia, which has protected Assad from three consecutive U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at pressuring him to end violence, has been a large supplier of arms to Syria.

Moscow sold nearly $1 billion worth of arms to Damascus in 2011 though its sales fell significantly last year, according to data released by Moscow-based defense think tank CAST.

U.S. officials also confirmed a report that Russia has deployed a dozen or more warships to patrol waters near its naval base in Syria.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Patricia Zengerle in Washington and Thomas Grove in Moscow; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-sends-syria-advanced-anti-ship-missiles-u-153624473.html

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Star Trek Into Darkness Review: Thoughts From a Star Trek Virgin

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/star-trek-into-darknes-review-thoughts-from-a-star-trek-virgin/

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7 Egyptian security personnel abducted in Sinai

CAIRO (AP) ? Suspected militants in Egypt's Sinai abducted seven security personnel as they headed to Cairo for holidays early Thursday, security officials said. It was the first such kidnapping of security forces in the lawless peninsula.

The officials said masked gunmen ambushed two taxis at gunpoint outside the city of el-Arish, the capital of North Sinai governorate, fleeing with five policemen and one border guard captive. None of those abducted were in uniform, officials said, and one of the policemen was on holiday.

The taxi drivers reported that a seventh member of the security forces was also kidnapped, but authorities said they are still trying to identify him.

Four of the policemen work in the Rafah border terminal leading to the Gaza Strip, and one was in a riot police unit deployed in Sinai. The border guard was a member of the military.

Criminals and Islamic militant groups have exploited a security vacuum that developed in the Sinai since the 2011 uprising against longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Security officials say the kidnapping was carried out by militant groups known to the authorities who are hiding in North Sinai's rugged mountains. Two officials said the kidnapping came after the mother of an imprisoned militant said that her son was tortured in detention, causing his eyesight to fail. The imprisoned militant is held on charges of attacking a police station in the early days after Mubarak's ouster.

The officials said authorities were sending the family to visit their son in prison again and provide him with necessary medical attention in a bid to defuse anger over his treatment, and secure the safety of the captive security personnel. The officials said contact was established with the kidnappers, but refused to elaborate further. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the new instructions with the media.

Egypt's state news agency MENA reported that negotiations with the kidnappers were underway through mediators, but also didn't elaborate.

MENA said President Mohammed Morsi held an emergency meeting with the defense and interior ministers to discuss the kidnapping. In a statement, his office said the presidency was closely following the developments in the case.

The security officials said forces in the Sinai were on high alert, particularly along the border with the Gaza Strip. Movement was restricted for the multinational forces stationed in Sinai since the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was signed in 1979, the officials added.

The volatile northern Sinai, where militants often target police stations and security forces, borders Hamas-ruled Gaza as well as Israel. In August 2012, militants attacked soldiers near the border with Gaza, killing 16 of them in what was the most brazen militant attack on Egypt's military by in modern history. The perpetrators remain unidentified.

Complicating the situation is a longtime resentment by local tribes toward the central government, which they accuse of discrimination, neglect, and police brutality. Tribal Bedouins have briefly kidnapped foreigners to use them as bargaining chips with authorities, urging them to release imprisoned relatives. Drugs, immigrants and arms are smuggled through the mountainous terrain.

Morsi had pledged to restore security to the peninsula. Officials from the presidency at one point negotiated with locals to ease off on the crackdown and the pursuit of fugitives. In exchange, locals were to refrain from attacks on authorities or cross-border raids on Israel.

The U.S. has repeatedly discussed the situation in Sinai with Egyptian authorities and offered security and border control advice.

________

Associated Press Writer Ashraf Sweilam contributed to this report from southern Sinai.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/7-egyptian-security-personnel-abducted-sinai-142304724.html

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Movie Review: Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's | Swa-Rai

On Monday, I was invited to the exclusive advance Chicago screening of Scatter?my Ashes at Bergdorf?s.?If you know anything about fashion then you already know that Bergdorf?s is considered the ?Ultimate Shopping Destination?, when it comes to luxury department stores.?Scatter?my Ashes at Bergdorf?s,?explored the history of Bergdorf Goodman and why it is considered the place to shop by any and all celebrities, socialites and.

Viewers also got a chance see Bergdorf?s process when it comes to creating those infamous holiday window displays. I had no clue all the work that goes into making those beautiful, yet immaculate displays millions of people flock to each and every season. And if that wasn?t enough fabulousness, the documentary also followed Linda Fargo, Bergdorf?s Fashion Director. Linda considered by many as one of the most ?powerful? women in fashion,?ultimately?holds the lock and key to which designers get to sell their collections at Bergdorf?s. This movie is truly a must see for those of us who love a good fashion movie.?

?Check out the movie trailer below?

If fashion is your thing, you should?definitely?check this movie out; with all these icons in one movie, how can one not love it!?Scatter?my Ashes at Bergdorf?s?hit theaters this Friday and is a must see for all my fashion lovers.

P.S. This hands down was one of the best advanced screenings I had ever been invited too, I?m talking open bar, Garrett popcorn and a candy bar from Candyality! It doesn?t get any better than that!

If you go see the movie, make sure to stop back and let me know what you think!

Source: http://www.swa-rai.com/2013/05/movie-review-scatter-my-ashes-at-bergdorfs.html

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Daily Kos: Open thread for night owls: Frances Moore Lapp? on ...

Frances Moore Lapp?

Scary news might "sell," but we can also feel so bombarded with the negative that our "why bother?" reflex kicks in. Fear stimuli go straight to the brain's amygdala, Harvard Medical School's Srinivasan Pillay explains. But, he adds, "because hope seems to travel in the same dungeons [parts of the brain] as fear, it might be a good soldier to employ if we want to meet fear."

So let's get better at using hope. It's a free energy source.

Hope isn't blind optimism. It's a sense of possibility?delight in the new and joy in creativity that characterizes our species. So let's break the good-news ban and become storytellers about real breakthroughs. [?] After all, it's only in changing the small stories that we change the big, dangerous story?the myth of our own powerlessness. Remember, what we do and say doesn't just influence our friends, but also our friends' friends and our friends' friends' friends.

[Here are seven environmentally oriented stories that Lapp? sees as helpful in breaking us out of the powerlessness mindset:]

? Renewables ramping up [?]
? Wind wows [?]
? Cities, states, countries pledge to go clean [?]
? Citizens clobber coal [?]
? Forests forever [?]

Close to home: Four years ago in Magnolia Springs, Ala., the conservative town government passed the toughest land regulation in the south. It's spending a quarter million dollars on a comprehensive plan to restore and protect its charming river from agricultural chemical runoff. "I'm a tree-hugging, liberal?I mean a tree-hugging conservative Republican! Which I know some people may say is an oxymoron," said Mayor Charlie Houser of this small town near Mobile. Brown pelicans are showing up again, says Houser, and he adds: "Cormorants up in the treetops ... Beautiful sight!"

Around the world: Three-fourths of Niger is desert, and news headlines focus on hunger there. But over two decades, poor farmers in the country's south have "regreened" 12.5 milliondesolate acres. In all, Niger farmers have nurtured the growth of some 200 million trees?discovering that trees and crops are not competitors but are complementary. The trees protect the soil, bringing big crop-yield increases, and they provide fruit, nutritious leaves, fodder, and firewood. Now young people are returning to villages in Niger, and school kids are learning to care for the trees, too.

Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/14/1209155/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-Frances-Moore-Lapp-on-generating-political-energy-with-good-news

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Thinglist: A Note-Taking App That Keeps Track of Your Every Wish

Apple's proprietary note-taking app is mediocre at best. You can make new notes, write things on them, and that's about it. So if you're one of those people who uses his or her phone to jot down pretty much anything that strikes your fancy, you're going to need something a little different. Thinglist carries the same minimalist looks as the stock note-taking app but packs way more of a punch.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ltFYBTplxxo/thinglist-a-note-taking-app-that-keeps-track-of-your-e-505945816

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University of Chicago launches Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud to analyze cancer data

Public release date: 15-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lisa-Joy Zgorski
lisajoy@nsf.gov
703-292-8311
National Science Foundation

Medical advances facilitated by NSF-funded foundational research provides alternative to large, costly and cumbersome storage infrastructure

The University of Chicago launched the first secure cloud-based computing system that enables researchers to access and analyze human genomic cancer information without the costly and cumbersome infrastructure normally needed to download and store massive amounts of data.

The Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud, as it is called, enables researchers who are authorized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to access and analyze data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) without having to set up secure, compliant computing environments capable of managing and analyzing terabytes of data, download the data--which can take weeks--and then install the appropriate tools needed to perform the desired analyses.

Using technology that was developed in part by the Open Science Data Cloud, a National Science Foundation-supported project that is developing cloud infrastructure for large scientific datasets, the Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud provides researchers with a more cost- and time-effective mechanism to extract knowledge from massive amounts of data. Drawing insights from big data is imperative for addressing some of today's most vexing environmental, health and safety challenges.

"The open source technology underlying the Open Science Data Cloud enables researchers to manage and analyze the large data sets that are essential to tackling some of today's greatest challenges: from environmental monitoring to cancer genomics," said Robert L. Grossman, the director of the Open Science Data Cloud Project and a professor at the University of Chicago.

Today, as the only NIH-approved cloud-based system for TCGA data, the Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud allows researchers to focus on the analysis of large-scale cancer genome sequencing, which experts believe can unlock paths to early detection, appropriate treatment and prevention of cancer.

"We are excited that the Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud is now used for cancer genomics data so that researchers can more easily work with large datasets to understand genomic variations that seem to be one of the keys to the precise diagnosis and treatment of cancer," continued Grossman.

"With funding provided by NSF's Partnerships for International Research and Education [PIRE] program, NSF has sought to narrow the gap between the capability of modern scientific instruments to produce data and the ability of researchers to access, manage, analyze and share those data in a reliable and timely manner," said NSF Program Director Harold Stolberg.

"By embracing cloud computing as a global issue, this PIRE project brings together the expertise of many researchers, not only in the United States, but worldwide. Its success in helping researchers to access and analyze important human genomic cancer information is an exciting indicator of future developments with these technologies," he said.

Megan McNerney, an instructor of pathology at the University of Chicago, used Bionimbus to analyze data that led to her discovery that gene CUX1, which acts as a tumor suppressor, is frequently inactivated in acute myeloid leukemia.

"Bionimbus was critical for my work, as it was used for all aspects of the project, including secure storage of protected data, quality control of next-generation sequencing results, alignments, expression analysis, and algorithm development," she said. "The strength of Bionimbus, however, is the support that is provided for end users, which enabled both expert and non-expert team members to use the cloud."

###

-NSF-

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 15-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lisa-Joy Zgorski
lisajoy@nsf.gov
703-292-8311
National Science Foundation

Medical advances facilitated by NSF-funded foundational research provides alternative to large, costly and cumbersome storage infrastructure

The University of Chicago launched the first secure cloud-based computing system that enables researchers to access and analyze human genomic cancer information without the costly and cumbersome infrastructure normally needed to download and store massive amounts of data.

The Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud, as it is called, enables researchers who are authorized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to access and analyze data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) without having to set up secure, compliant computing environments capable of managing and analyzing terabytes of data, download the data--which can take weeks--and then install the appropriate tools needed to perform the desired analyses.

Using technology that was developed in part by the Open Science Data Cloud, a National Science Foundation-supported project that is developing cloud infrastructure for large scientific datasets, the Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud provides researchers with a more cost- and time-effective mechanism to extract knowledge from massive amounts of data. Drawing insights from big data is imperative for addressing some of today's most vexing environmental, health and safety challenges.

"The open source technology underlying the Open Science Data Cloud enables researchers to manage and analyze the large data sets that are essential to tackling some of today's greatest challenges: from environmental monitoring to cancer genomics," said Robert L. Grossman, the director of the Open Science Data Cloud Project and a professor at the University of Chicago.

Today, as the only NIH-approved cloud-based system for TCGA data, the Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud allows researchers to focus on the analysis of large-scale cancer genome sequencing, which experts believe can unlock paths to early detection, appropriate treatment and prevention of cancer.

"We are excited that the Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud is now used for cancer genomics data so that researchers can more easily work with large datasets to understand genomic variations that seem to be one of the keys to the precise diagnosis and treatment of cancer," continued Grossman.

"With funding provided by NSF's Partnerships for International Research and Education [PIRE] program, NSF has sought to narrow the gap between the capability of modern scientific instruments to produce data and the ability of researchers to access, manage, analyze and share those data in a reliable and timely manner," said NSF Program Director Harold Stolberg.

"By embracing cloud computing as a global issue, this PIRE project brings together the expertise of many researchers, not only in the United States, but worldwide. Its success in helping researchers to access and analyze important human genomic cancer information is an exciting indicator of future developments with these technologies," he said.

Megan McNerney, an instructor of pathology at the University of Chicago, used Bionimbus to analyze data that led to her discovery that gene CUX1, which acts as a tumor suppressor, is frequently inactivated in acute myeloid leukemia.

"Bionimbus was critical for my work, as it was used for all aspects of the project, including secure storage of protected data, quality control of next-generation sequencing results, alignments, expression analysis, and algorithm development," she said. "The strength of Bionimbus, however, is the support that is provided for end users, which enabled both expert and non-expert team members to use the cloud."

###

-NSF-

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/nsf-uoc051513.php

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NEC announces LaVie L laptop, touts Haswell internals

The only phrase that's guaranteed to put a smile on a laptop lover's face is "fourth-generation Intel core," which is why we're beaming at NEC's LaVie L. The company has announced details of its first Haswell-powered laptop well ahead of Intel's June press event -- a tease for those with early-adopter bloodlust. The unit will come with a 15.6-inch touchscreen, 8GB of RAM, 802.11.ac WiFi, a BDXL drive and a hybrid SSD. While there aren't any firm details on pricing or availability, we'd expect to see firmer details at this year's Computex.

Filed under: Laptops, Intel

Comments

Via: PC Watch (Translated), CNET

Source: NEC (Translated)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/14/nec-lavie-l-haswell-tease/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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For Local Businesses, the Internet Threat Isn't Just the Sales Tax ...

I am a third-generation retailer. My father and grandfather owned a ?dime store? (Google it), and working there gave me a foundation that would allow me to become a successful entrepreneur.

Because my father was unable to teach me anything about management (only one nonfamily employee), marketing (didn?t do any) or finance, I learned most of what I know about business through trial and error. But I did learn something more valuable, something more basic from my father. What I learned has since been termed customer service, but it is something I have been giving since I was 7 years old.

My father was good at it. But in the end, it couldn?t make up for the competition from bigger stores that slowly put him, and thousands like him, out of business. All of these years later, I wonder whether specialty stores like mine ? picture framing, art, a furniture store ? will be put out of business by the latest version of bigger stores, the Internet retailers.

Small retailers have been under attack for 40 years. The number of local hardware stores, shoe stores and clothing stores has fallen drastically. Other small businesses ? privately owned drugstores, office supply shops and small electronics stores ? have all but disappeared. But some small businesses are at least holding their own, and some are even doing well. The local bakery, locksmith, jewelry store, shoe repair store, bike shop, frame shop, cleaners, hair salon, pizza parlor, tailor and florist still occupy space in strip centers across America.

Many of these businesses have a strong service component, which means they don?t really have Internet competitors. But some do. In particular, I think of the local shoe store. Customers can come into the store, try on numerous pairs of shoes and walk out empty-handed ? only to go home and order online, perhaps saving sales tax and maybe a few dollars more. Great customer service may help the local retailers, but nothing is going to stop some people from stealing their time.

A recent You?re the Boss blog post on this topic got quite a response, with many people agreeing that ?showrooming? is wrong. But the responses also reminded me that many people do not understand what happens on the other side of the counter. There are many misconceptions about why there are cost savings from buying on the Internet, with some of them stemming from the phrase ?bricks and mortar.? There is a common assumption that local retailers charge more because they have to pay more in rent. But that generally is not the case. As a retailer who sells both on the Web and off, I can assure you that competing on the Web is not free. The cost of building and maintaining a Web site can easily eat up whatever savings you enjoy paying warehouse rent instead of retail rent.

So what are the differences? Well, the big Internet businesses are going to have lower costs because of their economies of scale. And labor can be a huge savings. Web retailers don?t have to pay commissions, and they don?t pay people to stand around and wait for the opportunity to serve customers. But much of this cost advantage can disappear if the site offers free shipping.

On the other hand, the advantage Internet retailers have enjoyed by not having to collect sales tax has been greater than many realize. If you have bought from Zappos, you may have noticed that its prices are often the same as the local shoe store?s ? until the local store charges for sales tax. Forcing Internet retailers to collect this tax will do much to level the playing field. But there is another reason that some of these big companies charge less, or more accurately choose to charge less, and it is one that is poorly understood. They charge less because they are O.K. with not making a profit. Most small businesses can?t afford to do that.

Why would a company choose to operate without a profit? Because it wants to provide great value? Check. Because it wants everyone to love the brand? Check. Because it wants to gain market share? Check. Because it wants to put everyone else out of business, so that it can one day flick a switch to raise prices and make a fortune? CHECK!

Don?t believe me? Well, here is Jeff Bezos of Amazon, explaining why making a profit isn?t important. Of course, he doesn?t say he?s planning to raise prices after he puts a lot of people out of business, but let me translate something for you: Gaining market share by not taking a profit makes the most sense if you are planning to raise prices later when you have less competition.

If this competition with giant Internet companies seems like some kind of Brave New World, it?s really not. It?s pretty much the same strategy the robber barons employed in the 19th century. Today?s combination of tax avoidance and profit delay enjoyed by the Web retailers has made it very difficult for some local retailers. But is the end near?

Well, the Internet?s free ride on sales tax may be. And I believe that if that ends, the game will change. It may be too late for some, but it will make it easier for local companies to compete. Of course, there will continue to be some casualties because of inventory levels, buying power, and maybe even service. And make no mistake: not all local retailers learned the customer-service lessons my father taught. Meanwhile, some Web retailers do give great service, including Zappos.

But here is some sobering math ? and perhaps the ultimate misconception. When a local store loses 10 percent of its business to Internet competition (or for any other reason), it doesn?t sound devastating. But that 10 percent decline in revenue can easily mean a 100 percent decline in profit. Here is the (simplified) math. Let?s say a store has $1 million a year in revenue and a 5 percent profit at the end of the year, or $50,000. If sales fall 10 percent, to $900,000, and the business?s cost of goods sold is 50 percent, the $100,000 drop in revenue will wipe out the entire $50,000 in profit. And if sales should fall 20 percent, the store will post a $50,000 loss. That can?t last long.

People are often surprised when a local store or restaurant that seemed busy closes down. But would an outsider even notice a 10 percent drop in business? Of course, the person paying the bills ? or not paying the bills, in this case ? will always notice.

So what is the moral of this story? If you are a retailer facing Internet competition, the new sales tax law ? if it passes ? should help, but it may not solve all of your problems. And if you are a customer, please think twice before you use the services of a local retailer without any intention of buying. We all may pay a hefty price for your ?savings.? Empty storefronts don?t help a neighborhood.

Jay Goltz owns five small businesses in Chicago.

Source: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/for-local-businesses-the-internet-threat-isnt-just-the-sales-tax/

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Governor signs bill, gay marriage now legal in Minn.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) ? Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday signed a bill making gay marriage legal in Minnesota, the 12th state to take the step, as thousands of onlookers cheered.

"What a day for Minnesota!" Dayton, a Democrat, declared moments before putting his signature on a bill. "And what a difference a year and an election can make in our state."

Rainbow and American flags flapped in a sweltering breeze during the ceremony, held on the Capitol's south steps. The crowd, estimated by the State Patrol at 6,000, spilled down the steps and across the lawn toward downtown St. Paul.

Dayton thanked legislators for "political courage" before signing the bill just a day after it passed the state Senate. It passed the House last week.

The push for gay marriage was a rapid turnabout from just six months ago, when gay marriage supporters had to mobilize to turn back a proposed constitutional amendment that would have banned gay marriage. Minnesota already had such a law, but an amendment would have been harder to undo.

But voters rejected the amendment, and the forces that organized to defeat it soon turned their attention to legalizing gay marriage. Democrats' takeover of the Legislature in the November election aided their cause.

The two main sponsors of the bill, Rep. Karen Clark and Sen. Scott Dibble, were among the onlookers as Dayton signed, capping their long and often discouraging struggle to advance gay rights.

Clark, 67, was first elected to the Legislature in 1980, a decade after she came out of the closet to her parents. In 1993, her by-then elderly parents marched with her in the Minneapolis gay pride parade a few weeks after she led the effort to extend Minnesota's civil rights protections to gay people.

But by 1997, the same Legislature passed the "Defense of Marriage Act," which restricted marriage to only opposite-sex couples. A year later, Clark introduced a bill to repeal it and allow gay marriage.

It took 16 years to get to this week, which comes two years after the 2011 Legislature ? then controlled by Republicans ? put an amendment on the statewide ballot asking voters to cement the existing gay marriage ban in the state constitution.

"I thought it would happen someday, but I didn't know I would be able to be here to be part of it," Clark said hours before the ceremony.

While on the House floor last week defending her quest to legalize gay marriage, she won plaudits even from Republicans opposed to the bill.

"I don't know of a kinder, more gentle woman on this floor that has a bigger heart for the environment, the underprivileged, the downtrodden, the American Indian, especially the women. I admire you," said Tony Cornish, a longtime Republican representative from rural southern Minnesota.

"It was hard because it was very personal," Dibble said of the 2011 vote. "People whom I had counted as very, very good friends voted for it."

Dibble, 47, graduated from high school in the Minneapolis suburb of Apple Valley and came out in college. He cut his teeth politically in the late 1980s as a member of the Minnesota chapter of ACT UP, a gay civil rights group that engaged in civil disobedience out of anger toward government neglect of AIDS and HIV sufferers. He got an early chance to join the establishment from Clark, who tapped him to run one of her re-election campaigns.

"I pulled him from street politics," she said. Dibble was elected to the House in 2000, and in 2002 to the state Senate. He holds the southwest Minneapolis seat once occupied by the late Allan Spear, who in 1974 became one of the very first U.S. elected officials to come out of the closet.

While Dibble's district includes many of the city's trendiest neighborhoods, Clark's just to the east is marked by public housing towers and large populations of new immigrants.

"She is a huge, huge voice for the poor and the disenfranchised and the dispossessed," Dibble said. But she continued through her career to make a mark for gay rights: During former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's 2006 State of the State speech, Clark stood up on the House floor and turned her back to the governor as he endorsed a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Not long after that, the first stirrings of legal same sex marriage started to surface around the country. In 2008, Dibble and his husband, Richard Levya, were married in California, where Levya is still a part-time resident. While a judge later struck down gay marriage in that state, marriages that already occurred were not nullified.

Dibble said they won't remarry in Minnesota, but will have an affirming ceremony.

But Clark and Jacquelyn Zita, her partner of 24 years, plan to make it official in Minnesota. They haven't picked a date, but Clark envisioned a wedding on the farm they own north of Minneapolis.

"It will be small, probably just friends and family," Clark said. "We're actually very private people."

___

Follow Patrick Condon on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pcondonap .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/minnesota-gov-dayton-signs-gay-marriage-bill-221037512.html

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