Joe Kirk Fulton, Texas Tech?s first Masked Rider, died Thursday at 81, the school confirmed.
In the 1954 Gator Bowl against Auburn, Fulton led the Red Raiders onto the field aboard a horse named Blackie. Loud cheers followed a few moments of stunned silence, according to accounts at the time. Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday in Lubbock at the Legacy Center, 1500 14th St.
?When I think of Joe Kirk Fulton, I think of one of the greatest traditions in all of college football,? former Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said. ?I don?t think anybody realized when he made that ride in 1954, how important of a tradition the Masked Rider and horse would become for Texas Tech.?
Google announced on Wednesday that it would soon offer free Wi-Fi connections to all 7,000 Starbucks stores in the US.
Beginning in August, Google's Wi-Fi network will roll out in Starbucks stores over the next 18 months. Google said you would be able to browse the web 10x faster than before, while those who live in a Google Fiber city will get 100x faster speeds.
In a bid to make Internet more accessible, Google said it has long invested in making the web widely available, such as launching Google Fiber in certain areas, and the company will clearly continue this trend by providing Wi-Fi at Starbucks.
Read: Google Fiber's awesome Internet speeds coming to Austin, Texas next
The Wall Street Journal reported that Google is partnering with Level 3 Communications to offer the service, which is more robust than the T1 connections previously provided at Starbucks stores by AT&T. AT&T will supply Starbucks with other services, but customers can only access the Web through Google and Level 3.
"The free Internet connection at Starbucks has become an important part of many communities over the years, such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, or for students without Internet at home who do their homework at Starbucks," wrote Google on its blog. "We appreciate your patience if it?s still a little while before we get to your favorite Starbucks?you?ll know your new network is ready to go when you can log in to the 'Google Starbucks' SSID.
Read: Starbucks now taking contactless payments
Starbucks has offered free Wi-Fi in the US since July 2010, although it originally allowed customers to web surf if they paid $3.99 for two hours of access.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? The Columbus police department says it has closed the case against Ohio State running back and leading-scorer Carlos Hyde because the alleged female assault victim did not wish to pursue charges.
Hyde had been suspended from all team activities in the wake of the incident, which occurred July 20 at a downtown bar. Ohio State did not immediately offer comment on whether he will be reinstated to the team.
Spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner said as far as the police department is concerned, the case is officially closed. He said the alleged victim was interviewed on Saturday and said she did not want to continue with the case against the senior from Naples, Fla., who led the Buckeyes with 17 touchdowns and 102 points as the Buckeyes went 12-0 last season.
If you hate knowing the end of the story before you even begin, then I apologize for the title of this post. But I?m so excited to report that our 10 year old Caleb won our latest game of?Risk Legacy that I just had to put it in the title.
Now, on to the fun?
After a few weeks of scout camps and weekends away, my boys and I were finally able to get Risk Legacy back to the table last night.
As a refresher, the victors from our first 3 games have gone in birth order ? though not by any planning on our part ? Dad, Trevor, and Jaden. And although I?ve tried to help Caleb get in a win by trying to work together, he always turns the tables and attacks me. (Always fun to go after dad.) I had even told Trevor and Jaden that since this game will live on, we need to make sure Caleb wins a game and gets a chance to sign the board.
But what happened last night didn?t occur because of ?letting him win?.
As much as Caleb planned what faction he?d pick to play the roll of the dice left him choosing his faction and starting location last. The only saving grace for him was that because he had yet to win a game, he?d start with a victory point token while the rest of us would start with a missile token. As a reminder, each Headquarters (HQ) you control is also a victory point ? so Caleb would start with 2 victory points ? half way to victory already.
The game/battle begins Jaden got to pick first and chose the Enclave of the Bear faction and placed his HQ in Eastern Australia. Trevor selected next and picked the Die Mechaniker faction and started again in South Africa but this time it was in a city he had founded previously ? Shelvax. I then chose the Saharan Republic faction and started in Limonada in Central America ? the first major city founded in our game. Caleb was left with 2 factions to choose from and picked Khan Industries and started in Iceland.
Jaden took his time coming out of Australia and slowing growing into Asia while the rest of us battled elsewhere.
Trevor moves North to go after Caleb.
On his first turn, Trevor placed a Mercenary scar in his HQ territory ? giving him an additional troop in that territory at the end of every turn. He then quickly took control of the Africa continent/region for even more troops on following turns.
And even though I was once again planning to work with Caleb to move in on his older brothers, Caleb turns and takes me out of Greenland just so I wouldn?t take control of North America for extra troops. So right from the start again I was asking if he really wanted to win because we could team up and take out the others. So much for that plan.
And before you know it, Caleb gets spread thin and Trevor comes from below and takes out his HQ which bumps Caleb down to just 1 victory point and Trevor up to 2.
Battles rage on Like in most games of Risk, region bonuses are battled fiercely. There?s also plenty?of temporary alliances being called out to go after whoever is in the apparent lead ? trying to get folks to gang up.
After taking Caleb?s HQ, on his next turn Trevor?turned in a number of resource cards to get a ton of troops and?took over Borganzii (South America region named by Jaden after his victory last time). But I wasn?t interested in seeing Trevor get even more troops every turn by controlling 2 regions, so I had to fight South and move in on him to take control of the region. Not that I was sad to do so.
Meanwhile Caleb fought back in Iceland and took his HQ back from Trevor ? getting him back to 2 VP and 3 resource cards. With 4 resource cards he could simply buy another VP and get close to winning.
Trevor was then getting attacked on both sides ? from me on the West and Jaden on the East ? and didn?t know which way to attack out. He tried to make a deal with Caleb to go after Jaden, but Caleb declined.
Soon Trevor?s down to 6 countries, Caleb?s down to 7, Jaden is one territory shy of controlling Asia, and I had control of 1 region and am just shy of controlling 2 more.
Trevor tried to battle back into North Africa, but instead ended up losing 6 troops and called off the attack. While he looked pretty dejected, he wasn?t about to give up.
Then I made my move into South Africa and took Trevor?s HQ!
I was then in control of 2 territories with mercenaries and was very happy with my prospects and could see my way to victory. After all, if Caleb wasn?t intent on winning, then I might as well go for the gold.
Home Stretch and Victory
Dad?s taking control.
Caleb then knocked Trevor out of Western Europe and even though he now controlled Europe, he was spread very thin. Jaden tried to knock Trevor out of the one territory Jaden needed for control of Asia, but just couldn?t roll well enough. On Trevor?s turn he simply built up his forces in one territory for defense and didn?t attack anywhere.
I then unleashed my forces on Trevor?s remaining spots in Africa and whittled him down to just one territory left ? almost knocking him out of the game. But he had enough troops in his remaining territory that I figured I didn?t need to press on.
After all, I now had 4 resources cards and on my next turn would turn them in for a victory point. Then I?d also get a ton of forces since I controlled so many territories, cities, and continents/regions that I could move in on Caleb?s HQ for the final victory!
Moves his HQ and heads South!
Of course, things don?t always go as hoped?
In a sudden twist of fate, Caleb turned the tables. Even though he only had a couple troops in Iceland at his HQ, he controlled the region and got extra troops. But first he turned in 4 resource cards, and gained his 3rd victory point.
Then his used his special faction ability to move his HQ to an adjacent territory he controlled ? Greenland. (I might add that this was an ability I added to that faction when I was knocked out during game #2.)
Storming through to victory!
He also used his other faction ability to add an additional troop to his HQ territory.
With all those troops, he set his sights and stormed through North America to take out my lightly guarded HQ in Central America and win the game!
What a move!
I was quite surprised.
Although I shouldn?t be surprised because he?s quite the astute gamer.
All 4 of us have now won a game. Game on!
I?ve also never been so happy to lose a game. It was a legitimate victory and he got a big high-five from me, the defeated.
He ever so proudly took the pen and signed his name to the game board as Victor #4!
Opening another packet ? Sweet!
With the end of the game also came the chance to open another secret packet!
Caleb gets the honors of opening the next packet.
But first, Caleb chose to found a major city in Iceland and called it, of all things, John.
For ?holding on? Trevor and Jaden both chose to found minor cities: Trevor founded a city he called Kyle in the Middle East (the only territory he controlled at the end) while?Jaden founded Belgizhaar in Yakutsk. With those final 2 minor cities being founded we got to open the thickest visible packet inside the Risk Legacy box lid ? the one once all 9 minor cities are founded.
And what a great packet it was!
- Minor SPOILER ALERT - There?s been a spot on the board where the resource cards go that simply says ?Events?. So we knew something cool was eventually coming. Well, this packet has it. A stack of new cards now come into play. The new cards introduced include Draft cards, Event cards, new Scar cards, and Evolution cards with new starting rules!
New rules!
While we won?t go into details of these cards, we definitely want to mention the function of Evolution cards.?The 3 Evolution cards each had stickers on them that get placed in the rule book and change the rules of play. These first 3 rule changes in this packet affect the start of each game. So from here on out the game will begin in a new way.
Cool stuff! - End SPOILER -
Wow. I know that was a long write up and a lot to read. And it sure isn?t as fun reading about a game as it is playing it. But it if sounds like fun to you, then go grab a copy of Risk Legacy for your family or friends!
Too bad I?m heading off on another business trip this week, because we?re all excited to play again.
Ben McLemore has tremendous natural talent, both physically and fundamentally. But sometimes he can't always channel it.
McLemore has to learn how to shake off misses. We've seen them snowball or cause him to get passive. When things go awry, McLemore tends to press or over-think.?
During his summer league debut, McLemore missed 19 shots on 4-of-23 shooting. Against North Carolina in the NCAA tournament, he shot 0-of-9 from the floor before getting benched.
When McLemore's confidence is intact, he could go off for 30 on any given night. But when it's shattered, he's capable of throwing up a dud or disappearing.
It will take time, but McLemore has to figure out how to stay effective when his jumper stops falling. He'll never remain consistent with "keep shooting" and "stop shooting" as his only two solutions.
And in the NBA, consistency determines your value.
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. ? The road troubles just keep on coming for the LA Galaxy.
LA dropped their third straight road match on Saturday with a 2-0 defeat to the Colorado Rapids in a plodding game at Dick?s Sporting Goods Park. The Galaxy have struggled mightily away from home this season, ironically, their last road win came at StubHub Center against Chivas USA.
The last time that LA won a road game not played in Carson? Back on May 15 against the Philadelphia Union, some two months and 12 MLS Regular Season games ago. In their defeat to Colorado, LA exhibited the traits that have plagued them this season conceding on set pieces and struggling to create chances without several key players.
Following the match defender Todd Dunivant admitted that the Galaxy simply ?lost fair and square? to the Rapids, but was quick to mention that they must get better away from home.
?I think we have to start getting a better mentality of getting points on the road. We have to be a little smarter,? said Dunivant. ?Again, we're not pushing ourselves out of position or anything like that. It's just a mentality we have to get back to of trying to get a point first and foremost.?
While late goals have been a recurring problem for LA this year, against Colorado, it was an early goal in the second half that truly did them in. Just minutes into the second half, Dillon Powers broke through the center of the Galaxy defense off a pass from Edson Buddle then nudged past Sean Franklin for a shot that beat LA ?keeper Carlo Cudicini.
Following Powers? goal, LA created little going forward as they failed to truly test the Colorado defense until a pair of chances for Gyasi Zardes in stoppage time.
?It bothers us because we knew there was a second 45 [minutes]. You talk about going out and not giving up a goal in the first fifteen and that's where we gave up another goal a few minutes into the second half. That kind of put us behind the ball,? said Franklin. ?It's frustrating knowing how well we played in the first half and they got a goal like that at the end of the first half. It's unacceptable. Our team's better than that. We've just got to bounce back when we get the chance to play again.?
As they look to fix this problem, the message is clear: LA must learn to close out halves once again.
?We've got to get back to being satisfied with a draw even on the road. It's tough to run especially here with this altitude,? said DeLaGarza. ?We've got to have a better road mentality. It's as simple as that.?
Upon the conclusion of the Guinness International Championship Cup in two weeks, LA will continue their road swing with an away match against FC Dallas on Saturday, Aug. 11. While the cure for the road blues remains elusive, LA?s head coach was none too concerned about his club?s difficulties away from StubHub Center.
?I don?t really care,? said Bruce Arena. ?That?s not a factor at this point.?
As LA heads into final stretch of the season, they?ll need to tighten up on this issue to prevent it from becoming a factor that could hinder them come postseason time.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
Good personal finance skills are especially vital in times of economic difficulty; every dollar counts when the economy is uncertain. You will find that even though you cannot always be rich, figuring out a comfortable way to live within your means is still possible. You can get great information from the article below.
Success starts with managing money well. Profits should be protected and capital invested. Investing your current profits to grow them is a good idea, but you have to have good money management skills to make that work. Set a strict program on what profits are kept and what profits are reallocated into capital for your business.
Success in business can be directly related to money management. You should invest your capital and protect your profits. Carefully asses the risk of reinvesting profit to grow your net worth and see if it makes sense in terms of the return you want from your investment. You should always have a standard set for what you plan to keep as profit, and what you will reallocate into capital.
TIP! Honesty and trust are key attributes to look for when you are shopping for a broker. Make sure they have excellent references, and make sure they are open and honest with you.
Documenting each purchase you make daily can allow you to learn where your money is going. If you put your notes in an obscure location, though, it may be too easy to forget about it. Try to put up a whiteboard in the office or bedroom that you can list your expenses on. You will look at it every day and be reminded of what you need to do.
Keep a mini-envelope with you when you go out. Use the envelope to stash receipts, business cards, and other small pieces of paper you want to save. You?ll need these later for your records. Try comparing credit card statements to see if they contain double charges.
Be patient if you want to retain control over your personal finances. It is very commonplace for people to purchase the latest electronic gadget the first day it is released to the public. However, if you take a step back and wait for a bit, the price will likely drop. This way, you will have extra money to spend on other things.
One way to improve your finances is to refuse to pay full price for anything. Stop loyal purchasing of certain brands and buy whatever you have a coupon for. If a coupon for a brand you?ve never tried makes it less expensive than your usual brand, be both adventurous and frugal and try the new brand.
TIP! If a credit repair company guarantees a better credit score, run away screaming. A lot of agencies will make general claims about their capability in repairing your history.
When you travel by air frequently, be sure to be a member of some type of frequent flier program. Most credit cards have some sort of rewards program that allows you to redeem points for cash or gifts. Frequent flyer miles can also be redeemed for all kinds of rewards, including totally or partially discounted hotel rates.
Try using free checking accounts. You can try banks in your area or even a credit union.
The best way to avoid messing up your personal finances with dangerous credit card debt, is to stay out of the hole in the first place. If you are about to whip out the plastic, say ?Hold it!? and take a minute to rethink things. Try to figure out how much time it is going to take to pay it off. Unless it?s an essential item, don?t buy more on credit than you can afford to pay off at the end of the month.
Avoid getting into further debt to save your finances. Though certain debts are hard to avoid, including those for home and education expenses, it is important to stay away from incurring expensive, unnecessary debt such as credit card debt. The less you borrow, the more you save yourself from paying high interest and high fees.
You could still live quite comfortably without being considered as rich. You need to develop a strong will to live within your means to avoid headaches involving personal finances.
Golf Variant available with all-wheel drive 4MOTION Powerful, efficient, dynamic and secure Big cargo space, and high towing capacity
Wolfsburg, 26 July 2013 - As of now, the new Golf Variant is ordered with all-wheel drive 4MOTION. With two powerful and equally economical engines and a towing capacity of up to 2,000 kg of the Golf Variant 4Motion is the perfect vehicle for high standards.
The Golf Variant 1.6 TDI 4MOTION comes with 77 kW / 105 hp and maximum torque of 250 Nm - powerfully works (from 1500 to 2750 1/min). Here, the practical storage space specialist consumes only 4.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers and thus 18 percent less than its predecessor.
For customers who want even more power, there is now the all-wheel drive for the first time in the Golf Estate in conjunction with the 2.0 TDI with 110 kW / 150 hp. This engine is the Golf Variant 2.0 TDI 4MOTION on strong 320 Nm (1750-3000 1/min) and consumes only 4.8 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers. The power transmission between the engine and all-wheel drive is provided by a 6-speed manual transmission for both versions.
Equipped with the practical swiveling trailer hitch, pulls the 2.0 TDI 4MOTION loads of up to 2,000 kilograms (at eight and twelve percent slope). The 1.6 TDI 4MOTION moved up to 1,900 kilograms at eight percent slope (1700 kg at 12 percent slope).
The permanent all-wheel drive of the new Golf Variant is one of the most modern and efficient systems of this kind in the world. Volkswagen is the latest version of the Golf Variant 4Motion all-wheel drive with an advanced fifth-generation Haldex clutch. The intelligently controlled 4MOTION system works without an accumulator and reacts extremely quickly to all kinds of driving conditions.
The further perfected the Golf Variant 4Motion system is thus already active before slippage occurs. A loss of traction that can be virtually eliminated. The system utilizes a dependent of the particular driving condition feedforward. At low load or thrust of the propulsion is primarily on the front axle. This basic setup saves fuel. The rear axle is switched on continuously but in a split second when needed. This is done via the electro-hydraulic Haldex clutch oil pump operated.
The Golf Variant 1.6 TDI 4MOTION is available as a trend line from 24,400 euros. The Golf Estate 4Motion Comfortline 2.0 TDI starts at 29,075 euros as.
All Critics (62) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (60) | Rotten (2)
It not only delivers astonishing, suspenseful footage that makes it a legitimate thriller, but also serves up thoughtful meditations about using wild animals for our own entertainment.
It's hard to imagine anyone coming out of this movie and not swearing off the next vacation trip to Orlando, San Antonio or San Diego.
Unfortunately, this feels like a ten-minute news segment blown up to theatrical proportions.
While Cowperthwaite's film opens with a simple question about the behavior of a single killer whale, it ends up mounting a persuasive ethical argument against keeping orcas in captivity.
"Blackfish" is no trumped up horror story fueled by Hollywood brand names and special effects. In this riveting documentary directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, all of the creatures are real, and all seem entitled to the serious chip on their shoulders.
The film may be depressing. But even with a terrible, watery musical score, it's also good.
Through interviews with whale scientists and several former Sea World trainers, [Cowperthwaite] paints a disturbing picture of the profit-minded climate of deceit that prevailed at the company.
Puts 'killer whales' into wildlife and humanitarian perspective while giving you all of the dangerous action sequences you could possible want. Free Willy, it ain't.
Blackfish marries biography, activism and psycho thriller into a pleasing cinematic shape, starting with a single whale and the trainers who worked with him.
Some of the archive footage is exceedingly harrowing, but the case against commercially condoned cruelty is made without sensationalism, and few will be able to watch this without a growing sense of outrage.
Cruelty begets cruelty and whales don't belong in the circus.
It is never less than gripping, and devastatingly undermines the notion of performing whales as wholesome family entertainment.
Damning and disturbing viewing.
It's a strong piece of video journalism in which images and the interviews deliver the information, and we reach our own conclusions.
A horrifying, heartbreaking eye-opener about human inhumanity to other intelligent and emotional beings who share our planet.
As horribly gripping as a serial-killer thriller, though the real villain is not the ostensible culprit, but its human captors.
An acclaimed and chastening documentary about what happens to human beings - injury, mutilation, death - when they pen orcas in sea parks.
Important, informative, imperfect.
A chilling exploration of the life of an orca in captivity, this documentary forces us to look at zoos and especially aquarium shows in a completely new light.
To analyze real-life tragedy we must understand it so we can prevent it, Cowperthwaite justly argues. Not so we can sigh and hope it doesn't happen again.
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South Sudan's oil minister said Tuesday the country would shut down its oil production by next week ahead of the deadline Sudan set for companies in its territory to stop receiving South Sudan's crude.
The stoppage ? a crippling blow to South Sudan's government budget ? will be the second shut-down of the country's only real industry since South Sudan peacefully broke away from Sudan in July 2011. The stoppages are evidence of the lingering bad blood between two countries that fought a decades-long civil war.
Sudan notified South Sudan in June of its intention to stop receiving, processing and transporting South Sudan's crude within two months. Khartoum says it will only allow Juba to transport its crude through Sudanese territory if South Sudan stops supporting rebels fighting to topple the government in Khartoum.
South Sudan has repeatedly denied supporting SPLM-North rebels and in turn accuses Khartoum of supporting rebels in South Sudan led by David Yau Yau.
South Sudan derives almost all its government budget from the oil industry, but the south's oil can only be shipped to market via Sudan's pipelines.
Dau said South Sudan was shutting down its oil industry early to avoid any equipment or environmental damage that could be caused if Khartoum implements a unilateral shut-down.
Reduction of oil production in South Sudan began July 16, Dau said. Sudan ordered its oil companies to stop receiving crude by Aug. 7.
Most of South Sudan's oil is produced in Upper Nile state, where 200,000 barrels are pumped per day. By Monday, that figure had been reduced to 100,000 barrels per day, said Mawien Makol Arik, a spokesman in South Sudan's foreign affairs ministry.
South Sudan shut down its oil industry in January 2012 after accusing Sudan of stealing some of its oil. The south didn't resume oil production until April of this year. From that April re-start until its shutdown next week the nation will have pumped 6.4 million barrels worth around $500 million, Dau said.
Experts say a potential security vulnerability has been found in some types of SIM cards, which are used in a wide variety of mobile devices.
BOSTON ? A U.N. group that advises nations on cybersecurity plans to send out an alert about significant vulnerabilities in mobile phone technology that could let hackers attack at least half a billion phones.
The bug, discovered by a German firm, lets hackers gain remote control and clone certain types of mobile SIM cards.
Hackers could use the compromised SIMs to commit financial crimes or engage in electronic espionage, according to Berlin's Security Research Labs, which will describe the vulnerabilities at the Black Hat hacking conference opening in Las Vegas on July 31.
The United Nations' Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union, which has reviewed the research, described it as "hugely significant."
"These findings show us where we could be heading in terms of cybersecurity risks," ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Tour? told Reuters.
He said the agency would notify telecommunications regulators and other government agencies in nearly 200 countries about the potential threat, and also reach out to hundreds of mobile companies, academics and other industry experts.
A spokeswoman for the GSMA, which represents nearly 800 mobile operators worldwide, said it also reviewed the research. "We have been able to consider the implications and provide guidance to those network operators and SIM vendors that may be impacted," said GSMA spokeswoman Claire Cranton.
Nicole Smith, a spokeswoman for Gemalto NV, the world's biggest maker of SIM cards, said her company supported GSMA's response.
"Our policy is to refrain from commenting on details relating to our customers' operations," she said.
Becoming the SIM Cracking SIM cards has long been a holy grail for hackers, because the tiny devices are located in phones and allow operators to identify and authenticate subscribers as they use networks.
Karsten Nohl, the chief scientist who led the research team and will reveal the details at Black Hat, said the hacking only works on SIMs that use an old encryption technology known as DES. Nohl said he conservatively estimates that at least 500 million phones are vulnerable to the attacks he will discuss at Black Hat. He added that the number could grow if other researchers start looking into the issue and find other ways to exploit the same class of vulnerabilities.
The ITU estimates that 6 billion mobile phones are in use worldwide. It plans to work with the industry to identify how to protect vulnerable devices from attack, Tour? said.
Once a hacker copies a SIM, it can be used to make calls and send text messages impersonating the owner of the phone, said Nohl, who has a doctorate in computer engineering from the University of Virginia.
"We become the SIM card. We can do anything the normal phone users can do," Nohl said in a phone interview. "If you have a MasterCard number or PayPal data on the phone, we get that too," if it is stored on the SIM.
The newly identified attack method only grants access to data stored on the SIM, which means payment applications that store their secrets outside of the SIM card are not vulnerable to this particular hacking approach. Yet Nohl warned that when data is stored outside of a SIM card it could fall victim to a large range of other already known vulnerabilities, which is what has prompted the industry to put payment information on SIMs in the first place.
All types of phones vulnerable The mobile industry has spent several decades defining common identification and security standards for SIMs to protect data for mobile payment systems and credit card numbers. SIMs are also capable of running apps.
Nohl said Security Research Labs found mobile operators in many countries whose phones were vulnerable, but declined to identify them. He said mobile phone users in Africa could be among the most vulnerable because banking is widely done via mobile payment systems with credentials stored on SIMs.
All types of phones are vulnerable, including iPhones from Apple, phones that run Google's Android software and BlackBerry smartphones, he said.
BlackBerry's director of security response and threat analysis, Adrian Stone, said in a statement that his company proposed new SIM card standards last year to protect against the types of attacks described by Nohl, which the GSMA has adopted and advised members to implement.
Apple and Google declined comment.
CTIA, a U.S. mobile industry trade group based in Washington, said the new research likely posed no immediate threat. "We understand the vulnerability and are working on it," said CTIA Vice President John Marinho. "This is not what hackers are focused on. This does not seem to be something they are exploiting."
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Rapid tooth replacement by sauropods, the largest dinosaurs in the fossil record, likely contributed to their evolutionary success, according to a new article. The study also hypothesizes that differences in tooth replacement rates among the giant herbivores likely meant their diets varied, an important factor that allowed multiple species to share the same ecosystems for several million years.
SOWITEC is active as a project developer for renewable energy in the Mexican market since 2008. In the same year, the Mexican subsidiary SOWITEC de Mexico was founded, which now counts more than 50 employees.
Through a 1,000 MW project development arrangement with Italian Energy Utility Enel in 2009 and the 2011 cooperation agreement with Banco Santander for the joint development of a 740 MW wind project portfolio, SOWITEC has occupied a strong position as project developer in the market with a pipeline in access of 6,000 MW in total.
Beginning of 2013, development completion of the first 200 MW project had been reached and transferred to the investing partner. The construction will commence later this year.
The running year's further achievements include the finalisation of the critical environmental and social impact assessment process which leads to the granting of the necessary permissions for four projects in the regions Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Zacatecas totalling a future capacity of more than 1,000 MW.
The wind farms are planned to go operational as early as by the end of 2016.
This particular development step is known as one of the most critical stages in the development process and has been completely conducted internally by SOWITEC's expert teams.
So far SOWITEC Mexico has successfully obtained a total of nine environmental studies for which the Mexican Ministry of Environment SEMARNAT (Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) has issued the corresponding permits.
As Mexico has doubled its installed wind capacity up to 1,290 MW in 2012 and Mexico's Wind Energy Association AMDEE has set a target of 15 GW until 2020, the market provides a sustainable potential for renewable energies in the upcoming years.
SOWITEC's activities in Mexico are promoting the company's aim remaining one of the leading project developers in Latin America.
Besides Mexico, SOWITEC is active in seven Latin American countries as well as Russia, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia with a total pipeline of some 50,000 MW of wind projects and additional 2,500 MW of solar projects.
SOWITEC is a truly vertically integrated solution provider covering all areas of wind and solar project realisation and operation: Planning and design, permitting, OEM and EPC contracting, financial structuring, EPC and operations management as well as the complete CDM value chain and corresponding commercialisation of certificates.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks ended modestly higher on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the timeline for winding down the U.S. central bank's stimulus program was not set in stone.
Shares of Bank of America and Yahoo rose after both banking companies reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results. Both ranked among the names giving the biggest boost to the S&P 500.
The three major U.S. stock indexes bounced back from Tuesday's lower close, which broke the S&P 500's eight-day string of gains.
Bernanke said the U.S. central bank still expects to start scaling back its massive bond-buying program later this year, but he said the timeline depended on the economic outlook. He made the comments on Wednesday before the House Financial Services Committee as part of his twice-yearly report to Congress on monetary policy. On Thursday, he will appear before the Senate Banking Committee.
"He's still being quite vague in describing exactly what to expect next, and I think that serves his purposes. He's trying to minimize the impact of policy change on the markets," said Lawrence Creatura, portfolio manager at Federated Investors in Rochester, New York.
Bernanke's comments on May 22 triggered a drop of nearly 6 percent in the S&P 500 in the month that followed. But remarks from Bernanke and other Fed officials since then have calmed the market and erased those declines. The S&P 500 is just several points away from the all-time intraday high of 1,687.18 it reached on May 22. For the year, the S&P 500 is up 17.9 percent.
Yahoo shares shot up 10.3 percent to close at $29.66, its highest since May 2008. While Yahoo's results were mostly lackluster, news of its stake in the fast-growing Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba and its product development efforts lifted the stock. Yahoo hit an intraday high at $29.73.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> rose 18.67 points, or 0.12 percent, to end at 15,470.52. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> gained 4.65 points, or 0.28 percent, to finish at 1,680.91. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> advanced 11.50 points, or 0.32 percent, to close at 3,610.00.
Bank of America Corp shares gained 2.8 percent to $14.31, while BNY Mellon Corp shares rose 1.9 percent at $30.92. Both led the financial sector higher after the banks reported quarterly earnings.
Shares of DuPont
jumped 5.3 percent to $57.25 after Trian Fund Management's Nelson Peltz said he has amassed a "big stake" in the chemicals maker. The stock was the Dow's top percentage gainer.
On the flip side, shares of American Express fell 1.9 percent to $76.80 after the European Commission said it would propose limits on fees that banks can charge to process debit-card and credit-card transactions. After the bell, its shares slid 0.9 percent to $76.10 after it reported results. During the regular session, American Express was the Dow's biggest percentage decliner.
Part of the day's upbeat tone came from the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, which said the U.S. economy continued to grow at a modest to moderate pace in June and early July, with manufacturing expanding in most areas of the country.
Volume was roughly 5.7 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the NYSE MKT, below the average daily closing volume of about 6.4 billion this year. On Monday, volume hit its lowest for any full trading day this year.
In Wednesday's session, advancers outpaced decliners on the NYSE by a ratio of nearly 2 to 1. On the Nasdaq, three stocks rose for every two that fell.
Angry Birds: Star Wars was updated recently to add new levels, a character and more.
New in Update:
NEW LEVELS ? 20 extra Cloud City levels with all-new flying steam vents!
NEW CHARACTER ? Play as Lando Bird, firing three devastating lasers at once!
NEW BOSS FIGHT ? Use logic and skill to take on the evil Lard Vader!
NEW BONUS LEVELS ? Find a golden droid and collect stars to unlock more awesome levels!
Explore Cloud City in an all new episode and battle your way through 20 new levels!
Unlock the new Boba Fett Missions by collecting all hidden rocket packs!
Try for Free ? $0.99 to Buy? ( Windows Phone 8 )
App Info: JOIN THE ANGRY BIRDS IN THEIR BIGGEST ADVENTURE YET!
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away? a group of desperate rebel birds faced off against a galactic menace: the Empire?s evil Pigtroopers!
Rebel birds, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Imperial Pigs. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire?s ultimate weapon, the PIG STAR, and are racing to deliver the plans to the rebel birds. Now they need your help!
Join an epic adventure with the Angry Birds in the legendary Star Wars universe! Use the Force, wield your lightsaber, and blast away Pigtroopers on an intergalactic journey from the deserts of Tatooine to the depths of the Pig Star ? where you?ll face off against the terrifying Darth Vader! Can you become a Jedi master and restore freedom to the galaxy?
Time to grab your lightsaber and join the adventure! May the birds be with you!
Written by: Hyde13 on July 16, 2013.Tags: Angry Birds, Angry Birds Star Wars, Windows Phone, WP8Games
I am wondering if there is any good logging stuff(almost like elmah but for windows phone) for windows phone 7/8 apps.
So far I found 2 potential options
http://www.mtiks.com/
http://www.bugsense.com/
both seem to log exceptions and even analytics(what is a nice bonus). The first one seems to be mostly free and supports wp7(8???), Andriod, Ios, blackberry.
same witht he other one but bugsense has a free and paid accounts. I find there free account a bit lacking with the 7 day retention period and 500 error per month.
LONDON (Reuters) - European shares took a break from their recent climb on Tuesday and safe-haven German Bunds rose, as a surprise dip in German confidence fed mild profit-taking while markets awaited fresh clues on U.S. monetary stimulus.
German analyst and investor sentiment unexpectedly fell in June as a slew of negative data on Europe's largest economy and renewed signs of tension in the euro zone hit confidence.
Having jumped almost 8 percent in the last few weeks on renewed promises of support from major central banks, European shares were already in profit-taking mode ahead the data, which also hit the euro and sent safe-haven Bunds higher.
The broad FTSEurofirst 300 <.fteu3> index was down 0.3 percent by 1100 GMT though it had clawed back some ground as the larger falls on Frankfurt's DAX <.gdaxi> and Paris's CAC 40 <.fchi> were offset by focus on the Federal Reserve's stimulus plans.
Rate strategist Piet Lammens at KBC played down the potential impact of the fall in German sentiment on the European Central Bank, which is widely expected to keep rates on hold throughout this year and next.
"The ECB might cut rates, but rather than on sentiment indicators I think it will depend on conditions in the financial markets," Lammens said.
London's FTSE <.ftse> outperformed and sterling hit a session low of $1.5046 after UK inflation data came in slightly below consensus keeping alive chances that the Bank of England will keep monetary policy easy.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's twice-yearly monetary policy report to Congress on Wednesday and Thursday was set to offer more clues on the U.S. central bank's policy as it looks to wind down its stimulus program.
Markets went into mild panic in mid-June after the Fed laid out a rough timetable for phasing out its $85 billion-a-month stimulus program, but stock markets in particular have bounced back strongly as the Fed has softened its tone.
"The recent mixed data shows how difficult it is for the Fed, and also consequently for the markets, to read when the first tapering will be." said Rabobank economist Philip Marey.
"If he (Bernanke) seems more or less satisfied with how things are going then that would be taken as an indication that we are going to see something in September."
RECORD WALL STREET
U.S. stock futures, pointed to a steady for Wall Street after Citigroup's strong results on Monday had helped the S&P 500 <.spx> end higher for an eighth day, the longest such streak since mid-January.
In debt markets, benchmark German Bunds moved into positive territory as investors went in search of safe-haven paper after the ZEW data and U.S. Treasuries recovered after some selling in Asia.
Periphery euro zone bonds remained choppy, however, as political turmoil continued to rumble in the background.
Italian and Spanish bonds swayed to and fro, while Portuguese bonds firmed as the bailed-out country's political parties agreed to talks, though investors doubted a deal would be reached soon.
DOLLAR DIPS
With Monday's mixed U.S. data adding to the U.S. policy debate ahead Bernanke's testimony on Wednesday the dollar edged down 0.35 <.dxy> and 0.5 against the yen to 99.32 yen, well below last week's high of 101.21.
Commodities including oil, gold and copper all inched higher as the dollar eased, the main currency for raw material trading.
Brent oil has risen nearly $9 in the last three weeks and U.S. crude more than $13, lifted by tumbling U.S. crude oil stocks, an improving economic outlook and supply disruption after turmoil in Middle East countries such as Egypt.
"Global demand has picked up strongly. There are huge supply problems at a time when refineries are increasing output," said Amrita Sen, analyst at Energy Aspects.
In Asian trading, shares had firmed as Japan's Nikkei <.n225> added 0.64 percent to its recent 18 percent rally.
The yen, a key driver in the jump in the Nikkei, could face more pressure as the week progresses.
The ruling party of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to post a big win in Sunday's upper house election, clearing the way for him to pursue his aggressively reflationary policies.
Further south, the Australian dollar surged half a U.S. cent after minutes from this month's Reserve Bank of Australia meeting gave little hint of a near-term rate cut.
(Corrects day in first paragraph to Tuesday, not Wednesday)
(Additional Reporting by Simon Falush; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Source: he-www2.heraldstandard.com --- Sunday, July 14, 2013 NOTICE Estate of, JOSEPH V. KOVACH, late of North Union Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, deceased. Letters of Administration c.t.a. in the above estate having been granted to the undersigned. Notice is hereby given to all persons indebted to the said decedent to make payment to the undersigned without delay, and all persons having claims or demands against said estate are requested to make known the same to: Susan J. Keffer and Robert C. Kovach, Co-Administrators % WEBSTER & WEBSTER Nicholas J. Cook, Esquire Attorneys At Law 51 East South Street Uniontown, PA 15401 ...
ATLANTA (AP) -- With no immediate hope of overturning the U.S. Supreme Court's decision legalizing abortion, Republicans around the country are increasingly pushing legislation to restrict the procedure, and Democrats say they'll make the GOP pay in coming elections.
From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have advanced a range of ideas: banning nearly all abortions beyond the 20th week after conception; making abortion clinics follow regulations for surgical care; mandating that clinic physicians have admitting privileges at local hospitals; requiring women to get ultrasounds before terminating a pregnancy.
The issue, which is figuring prominently in early 2016 White House race maneuvering, energizes social conservatives who influence many Republican primaries and drive GOP success in nonpresidential years when the electorate is older, whiter and more conservative. And some Republicans say more moderate voters will support their agenda in the wake of the murder conviction against Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion doctor who jurors determined killed babies who'd survived the procedure.
But Democrats and abortion-rights advocates say Republicans already have overreached ? the noticeable uptick in restrictions began with GOP gains in 2010 elections, before Gosnell's prosecution began ? and that moderate voters have other priorities.
"Defense workers are being furloughed, student loan interest rates have doubled and these Republicans insist on a relentless pursuit of more restrictions on women's freedoms," said Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democrats' national congressional campaign for 2014. "Swing voters are by their very nature moderate; they want solutions, not ideological warfare."
The House of Representatives adopted a 20-week ban in June. It has no chance of passing the Democratic-run Senate. A top anti-abortion lobbyist, National Right to Life Committee president Carol Tobias, told The Associated Press that her organization is working on a bill with the office of Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who is a high-profile possibility for the 2016 presidential race.
North Carolina's newfound legislative supermajority wants to regulate clinics more heavily. Pat McCrory, the Republican governor announced late Friday he would sign an updated abortion regulation bill if it reaches his desk, saying a legislator had addressed concerns about restricting a woman's access. Texas Gov. Rick Perry called his GOP legislature back into session to consider a 20-week ban and sweeping regulatory changes after a Democratic filibuster derailed the measure and drew national attention last month. The legislature passed the bill Friday, and it's headed to Perry's desk.
Rick Santorum, a failed 2012 presidential candidate who's considering another run, has traveled to Texas to lobby for the bill. Perry, meanwhile, is among several anti-abortion governors mulling a presidential bid. Scott Walker in Wisconsin recently signed a bill requiring ultrasounds before abortions, though a federal judge blocked the law. Louisiana's Bobby Jindal has signed several more restrictive bills, including two these year.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, which works on reproductive health issues including abortion-rights, states this year have enacted at least 43 new laws that restrict or further regulate abortion. That comes after more than 120 new laws, several held up by federal courts, the previous two years.
Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said, "There's a political price for Republicans trying to roll back the clock," and some of the legislative debates have already drawn comparisons to Republican losses in 2012, when controversial or scientifically inaccurate statements from Senate candidates Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock grew into a national liability.
Israel predicated abortion would be an issue again in the 2013-14 elections that will determine who controls Congress and dozens of statehouses during the final two years of Democratic President Barack Obama's term. He mentioned 12 Republicans who represent districts that Obama won last year and four more where Republican Mitt Romney won by less than 2 percentage points. Hogue said it could matter in the North Carolina Senate race, as well, particularly if state House Speaker Thom Tillis ends up as the GOP challenger to Sen. Kay Hagan. The first-term senator took to her Twitter account recently to blast Raleigh Republicans. "Women are watching," she wrote.
Democrats need 18 more seats to run the House. Republicans must net a six-seat gain to control the Senate.
At the National Republican Congressional Committee, spokeswoman Andrea Bozek suggested the best GOP strategy would be to shift the conversation to Obama's health care law, key parts of which the president has delayed. "Let's be clear: It's the House Democrats who are extreme on women's health care," she said. "That law is something women are extremely concerned about, and that's the politically toxic issue for Democrats."
Polls on abortion have long suggested nuanced divisions in public opinion. In a May Gallup poll, 26 percent of Americans said the procedure always should be legal; 20 percent said outlaw it in all cases. Fifty-two percent, meanwhile, said it should legal under some circumstances, implying acceptance of legal restrictions. Yet fewer ? 42 percent ? feel it's morally defensible to end a pregnancy, while 49 percent said it's morally wrong.
A Pew Research Center poll in January, 41 percent said Democrats better represent their views on abortion; 36 percent opted for Republicans on the issue.
"The country is not willing yet to ban all abortions, but they do want a lot more limitations," argued Tobias, the National Right to Life chief. She said tighter clinic regulations and the "fetal-pain bills," the mid-pregnancy bans based on the presumption that a fetus can feel pain at that point, are "very reasonable ... protections for the unborn child and their mothers."
The Supreme Court holds that states can ban most abortions at the point a fetus could survive once born. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has opposed fetal-pain proposals. The group notes that medical professionals date pregnancy from a woman's last menstrual period, not conception or fertilization. The Congress says viability occurs about 24 weeks from the start of a pregnancy and that the most comprehensive study of fetal pain "concluded that fetal perception of pain is unlikely before the third trimester," which begins with week 28.
Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead predicted Gosnell trial and conviction will prove a turning point. "The other side just talks about the rights of a woman to do what she wants with her body, but they never about the child within that body," Armistead said. "The middle ground will yield to the conservative side the more hard evidence we see that we're dealing with a life inside the woman's body."
Yet voters' ambiguity leaves at least a few Republicans wincing at making abortion a top issue. "Everyone already knows the Republican Party is the pro-life party," said New Hampshire's Steve Duprey, an RNC member who supports abortion rights.
The national party's analysis of the 2012 election loss, released in March with considerable fanfare, didn't mention abortion. But it acknowledged characterizations of the GOP as "narrow minded," ''out of touch" and a party of "stuffy old men" ? labels used in focus groups of former Republican voters. Abortion, Duprey said, fits into that critique: "The more strident we sound, the more difficult it becomes" to expand.
But Tobias promised the issue won't go away any time soon. If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid does what's expected and doesn't bring an abortion bill to the floor, she said, "We'll just ask the House to vote on it again in 2014."
___
AP Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta in Washington and Associated Press writer Gary Robertson in Raleigh, N.C., contributed to this report.
___
Follow Barrow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP
Jimmy Kimmel?s days of bedtime canoodling with Ben Affleck may be over ? the late night host is married!
Jimmy, 45, wed Molly McNearney, 35, on Saturday in Ojai, Calif., his rep told People.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Matt Damon & Hollywood?s A-list take over Jimmy Kimmel Live!
A host of the couple?s famous friends attended the weekend festivities (which included a rehearsal dinner on Friday), including Emily Blunt and husband John Krasinski, Matt Damon and wife Luciana, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Aniston and fianc? Justin Theroux, and Howard Stern.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hot xhots of Ben Affleck
Molly, a co-head writer on ?Jimmy Kimmel Live,? wore a strapless white gown with her blond hair down in loose waves for the big day. Jimmy wore a traditional black tuxedo and bow tie.
The newlyweds, who began dating in 2009, got engaged in August 2012 while on vacation in South Africa.
This is Molly?s first marriage and Jimmy?s second (he has two kids with ex-wife Gina).
BEIJING: China has abruptly cancelled plans to build its largest uranium processing plant in a southern Chinese city, a day after hundreds of protesters took to the streets demanding the project be scrapped, a local government website said on Saturday.
The proposed 230-hectare complex in the heart of China's Pearl River delta industrial heartland in Guangdong province had also sparked unease in neighbouring Hong Kong and Macau.
Authorities in the gambling enclave had formally raised the issue with their Guangdong counterparts, the South China Morning Post reported.
A one-line statement published on the Heshan city government's website said that "to respect people's desire, the Heshan government will not propose the CNNC project".
State-run China National Nuclear Corporation and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp (CGNPC) had planned to build the 37 billion yuan ($6 billion) project.
Officials from both companies could not be reached for comment.
A Beijing-based nuclear power expert said he was surprised local authorities had taken the decision as the project designed to produce 1,000 tonnes of uranium fuel annually by 2020 was hotly contested by local governments.
"Compared to a nuclear power plant, a uranium processing facility is way more safer, as there is no fusion or reaction taking place in the production process," said the official with close knowledge of the project. He declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the press.
The surprisingly swift decision to cancel the project came after hundreds marched to city offices on Friday that forced officials to pledge an extension of public consultation by 10 days. Locals had planned more protests on Sunday.
Chinese authorities are becoming increasingly sensitive to local protests over environmental issues, having cancelled, postponed or relocated several major petrochemical and metals plants.
The planned conversion and enrichment plant had been meant to supply fuel for China's expanding nuclear power capacity, likely to reach 60-70 gigawatts by 2020 from the current 12.6 GW.
China currently produces 800 tonnes of uranium fuel at its plants in southwestern Sichuan province and north China's Inner Mongolia. China sources uranium both from domestic mines and imports from Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia, said the expert.
Guangdong is one of the country's largest nuclear power bases, already running five nuclear reactors and building another dozen, incorporating technologies from companies like French Areva and Westinghouse, a unit of Japan's Toshiba Corp.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Demonstrators took to the streets of four California cities to denounce the acquittal of George Zimmerman, and there were reports of protesters breaking windows and damaging cars in Oakland, officials said early Sunday.
Dozens of people turned out Saturday night in each city to protest the verdict in the Florida courtroom over the death of Trayvon Martin, and police said some of the demonstrations continued into the early hours Sunday.
The Oakland police dispatch office said about 100 people protested and police were forced to deal with acts of vandalism. The office said it had no word of any arrests.
Local media reports said some Oakland marchers vandalized a police squad car and police formed a line to block the protesters' path.
The Oakland Tribune said some windows on the newspaper's downtown offices were broken, and footage from a television helicopter show people attempting to start fires in the street and spray painting anti-police graffiti.
Protesters also reportedly burned an American and a California state flag and spray painted Alameda County's Davidson courthouse.
The Oakland demonstration followed a raucous but largely peaceful one in San Francisco. Police say officers escorted demonstrators as they marched on the city's Mission District. The group was dispersed by 10 p.m.
The verdict also sparked protests in Los Angeles, where demonstrators gathered in Leimert Park, the city's historically black neighborhood.
City News Service reported that hundreds of protesters ? including some affiliated with Occupy LA ? gathered for what police termed a peaceful vigil.
At one point a smaller group stopped an Expo Line train as police urged them to return to the nearby park. Service on a section of the line was temporarily suspended.
Officials said police called in officers from around the city to keep a watch on demonstrators.
More than 40 people gathered at Sacramento City Hall, and the Sacramento Bee reported that protesters chanted: "What do we want? Justice. When do you we want it? Now. For who? Trayvon."
A banner behind speakers read, "No justice, no peace!"
