Boston fraternity raises more than $16,000 for brother's sex change ...

Donnie Collins, a transgender student at Emerson College in Boston, Mass., uploaded a message to YouTube on Monday thanking his fraternity brothers for launching a campaign to raise funds for his gender confirmation surgery.

By Daniel Arkin, Staff Writer, NBC News

A fraternity at Emerson College in Boston, Mass., has raised thousands of dollars for a transgender member's sex change surgery after the procedure was denied by his student health insurance plan.

The brothers of Phi Alpha Tau have received more than $16,000 in donations for Donnie Collins, 20, a sophomore pledge seeking female-to-male gender transition surgery to remove his breasts.

"It's been an amazing experience, these last few weeks," Collins said in a video (above) uploaded to YouTube on Monday. "My life has been absolutely changed by pledging this fraternity."

After his insurance company reportedly denied his claim for gender transition surgery, Collins' fraternity brothers banded together to help. They launched a pledge campaign Feb. 9 on IndieGoGo, a crowd-funding website, setting an initial goal of $4,800 -- later boosted to $8,000 -- to cover Collins' chest reconstruction.

"We care deeply about each and everyone, and rely on the entire active brotherhood to stand behind any one individual when they are in need," the participating brothers wrote on the IndieGoGo campaign page.

The Phi Alpha Tau brothers took in $2,000 in online donations in just over a week, Collins said in his YouTube video. By Tuesday, they were at $12,000, and the campaign crossed $16,000 Wednesday.

The campaign's managers announced Wednesday morning that they plan to donate all the excess cash to the Jim Collins Foundation, a group that "raises money to fund gender-confirming surgeries for those transgender people who need surgery to live a healthy life," according to the organization's website.

Collins came out as transgender while a student at a Windsor, Conn., boarding school, he told WHDH, an NBC affiliate in Boston.

"Coming out was a huge relief to me," Collins said.

"I knew right away that I wanted a name change, hormone replacement treatment" and gender reassignment surgery, he said.

Collins told WHDH that the procedure, which is scheduled for May, marks an important step in his gender transition.

"You're the one that puts your head down on the pillow at night," Collins said. "You have to be able to look in the mirror at yourself every day for the rest of your life. So, make choices for you first and then other people second."

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17117495-boston-fraternity-raises-more-than-16000-for-brothers-sex-change-surgery

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Hibbert ejected for fight in Pacers-Warriors game

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Indiana center Roy Hibbert was ejected and four other players received technical fouls after a skirmish between the Pacers and Golden State Warriors spilled into the seats behind the baseline.

The Warriors' David Lee, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson also were called for technicals, along with Indiana forward David West.

It began when Lee and Hibbert exchanged shoves under the basket after a missed shot with 6:10 remaining in the fourth quarter. Curry tried to push Hibbert away and was shoved to the court as the fight went from the key to the foul line.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-26-BKN-Pacers-Hibbert-Ejected/id-c8a00ba1f5f346759bde2ac228fca649

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Simple method devised for determining atrial fibrillation risk in women

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm, affecting 2.5 million Americans. If left undetected or untreated, atrial fibrillation can lead to stroke. Determining who is at increased risk for atrial fibrillation has been difficult, especially among individuals without established heart disease. But now, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital have devised and tested a simple atrial fibrillation risk prediction model, based on six easily obtained factors: a woman's age, height, weight, blood pressure, alcohol consumption and smoking history.

The model is published in the online edition of the European Heart Journal on February 26, 2013.

"The real strength of this model is its simplicity," said Brendan Everett, MD, the lead author of the study and a cardiologist at BWH. "Using this tool, we can estimate an otherwise healthy woman's risk of developing atrial fibrillation over the next 10 years. The tool only requires that a patient's health care provider know some basic information about the patient. There is no need for any advanced testing or additional cost in order to use the risk tool."

The risk prediction model was derived and tested in more than 20,000 middle aged women of European ancestry. Researchers found that the new model was significantly better at identifying women at increased risk for atrial fibrillation over the next 10 years than estimating a woman's risk of atrial fibrillation using her age alone.

"Nearly one in four women were reassigned to a more accurate atrial fibrillation risk category by using the new model," said Everett. "While specific interventions to lower a woman's risk of a first atrial fibrillation episode are still in development, this personalized information can help health care providers stress the importance of heart healthy behaviors, including weight loss and moderation of alcohol consumption."

The study also examined whether recently discovered genetic markers for atrial fibrillation risk improved researchers' ability to accurately predict a woman's risk for atrial fibrillation and indeed, the researchers found that a genetic risk score has potential to improve the ability to predict atrial fribrillation. However, Everett notes that while this information is scientifically interesting, more research on genetic testing is needed before this combination model can be recommended for use in the general public. Further research is also needed to determine if the study results would apply to men or a broader population of women.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Brendan M. Everett, Nancy R. Cook, David Conen, Daniel I. Chasman, Paul M. Ridker, and Christine M. Albert. Novel genetic markers improve measures of atrial fibrillation risk prediction. European Heart Journal, February 26, 2013 DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/eht033

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/FfCPlONRynE/130226141254.htm

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Scott Weiland Responds To Stone Temple Pilots Firing

'Not sure how I can be 'terminated' from a band that I founded,' Weiland says in a statement.
By James Montgomery

Scott Weiland
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702732/scott-weiland-responds-stone-temple-pilots-terminated.jhtml

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Year after Trayvon Martin's death, ?stand your ground? survives

College student Jajuan Kelley covers his mouth with a Skittles wrapper as he rallies against stand your ground??

One year after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by an armed neighborhood watchman, setting off a national debate about race and gun laws, the campaign to change state self-defense laws in Martin's name has petered out.

George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer facing second-degree murder charges, said he shot Martin in self defense last Feb. 25 after he decided to follow him in the Sanford, Fla., gated community because Martin looked suspicious. Zimmerman called the police and then approached Martin, and they ended up in a physical fight. Zimmerman, saying he feared for his life, then shot Martin. He was not charged with a crime for several weeks, and his defense attorneys argue he's immune from prosecution under Florida's "stand your ground" law.

The incident led immediately to scrutiny of the law, which is on the books of 20 states in various forms. Basically, "stand your ground" says that people can use lethal force against an attacker without first attempting to retreat if they have reason to fear for their lives. Most states already allowed people to defend themselves in this way if they're attacked at home, but "stand your ground" went a step further to cover all public places.

A Tampa Bay Times analysis of 200 "stand your ground" cases in Florida?the law was adopted there in 2005?found that the law has been inconsistently applied, with one man escaping homicide prosecution even though he left an altercation to get his gun from his car, returned, and then shot the attacker.

After the Martin shooting and subsequent uproar, a coalition of civil rights groups and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the nation's highest-profile gun control advocate, started a campaign, called "Second Chance on Shoot First," to encourage the repeal of these laws. Soon after, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, appointed a task force to study the law. Meanwhile, lawmakers in at least five states with "stand your ground" laws introduced legislation to alter or repeal their laws.

But not much has happened since then on the state level. And last Friday, the Florida task force released its final recommendations on the law, concluding that it works and should not be repealed. (The task force did recommend that prosecutors and law enforcement officers should receive increased training on the law to make sure it is applied consistently.)

In addition, none of the bills to repeal or change "stand your ground" in other states passed.

However, the conversation started by Martin's death may have served to stop state and federal legislators from passing more permissive gun laws that were in the works, says Adam Winkler, a constitutional law expert at UCLA. For example, a federal bill to allow people with concealed weapons to take them to other states that allow concealed carry died out after passing in the House.

"Trayvon Martin really stalled the move for more permissive gun laws," Winkler said. "Newtown ended it."

Since the Dec. 14 mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., Bloomberg and other high-profile gun control advocates have moved away from concealed carry and self-defense issues, and instead focused on encouraging specific reforms on the national level. Lawmakers are focusing on closing loopholes that allow some to avoid background checks before purchasing a weapon, banning high-capacity magazines, and banning some semi-automatic weapons.

Allie L. Braswell, the president and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League, which has worked to encourage the repeal of "stand your ground," said he was "disappointed" that the task force did not release stronger recommendations.

"This law gives people more leeway than I had on the battlefield as a United States Marine," Braswell, a veteran of the Gulf War, said. "When I was engaged in Iraq ... we could not fire until fired upon."

He acknowledged that the issue of repealing "stand your ground" has faded into the background.

"I think it's lost some of its support, unfortunately," Braswell said.

A judge will decide whether Zimmerman is immune from prosecution under "stand your ground" at a special hearing April 22.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/stand-ground-laws-survive-debate-one-trayvon-martin-120048105.html

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Jose Aldo-Anthony Pettis featherweight championship fight back on

Over the weekend, UFC president Dana White said featherweight champion Jose Aldo was refusing to take a fight with Anthony Pettis, the lightweight who was scheduled to fight Aldo in August. As Kevin Iole wrote, Aldo told White he didn't think Pettis had earned the title shot.

The fight is back on. Andre Pederneias, Aldo's manager, told SporTV in Brazil (with translation from our friends at Yahoo! Brazil) that Aldo will take the fight, with one condition:

?I had a meeting today (Monday) with Jos? Aldo, who said: ?I?m going to end with this clownery. People are saying that I?m running, so they are going to see who will run from who when the time comes. If you enjoy a brawl, you can buy the pay-per-view of august 3th and that what you are going to watch because heads will roll?. At that moment I called Dana White to agree with the fight, but on one condition: after that fight, the winner gets a title shot at LW?.

White confirmed that the fight is on.

Yes Aldo vs Pettis and it's for Aldo's UFC 145lb title

? Dana White (@danawhite) February 26, 2013

ESPN is reporting that Aldo will get his wish, and that if he beats Pettis on Aug. 3, he will get a shot at the UFC lightweight belt. Benson Henderson is currently the title holder, and will fight Gilbert Melendez in April.

This means the UFC lightweight belt has a clear path for 2013. Pettis was supposed to be the next lightweight contender, but pushed for the Aldo fight because he didn't want to wait until the Henderson and Melendez fight was over.

Are you looking forward to seeing Aldo possibly fight for the lightweight belt? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jose-aldo-anthony-pettis-featherweight-championship-fight-back-163108872--mma.html

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Narisawa in Tokyo tops Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list

Yoshihiro Narisawa of two Michelin-starred Narisawa in Tokyo

Announced in Singapore yesterday, Yoshihiro Narisawa?s two Michelin-starred Tokyo venture was also named the Best Restaurant in Japan at the awards.

Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo came second, followed by Nahm in Bangkok in third place; Amber in Hong Kong in fourth; and Restaurant Andre in Singapore in fifth.

A champion of sustainably sourced ingredients, Narisawa impressed judges with its ?unfettered imagination? and ?sense of drama?.

Passionate about the natural world, among Narisawa?s signature dishes are ?Soil? soup, ?Water? salad and ?Bread of the Forest.?

Narisawa has featured on the World?s 50 Best Restaurants list for the last four years, ranking at number 12 in 2011 and winning the Best Restaurant in Asia award for three consecutive years.

China dominated proceedings at the awards with 16 entries in the top 50 and the aforementioned Amber named The Best Restaurant in China.

Duongporn Songvisava was voted Asia?s Best Female Chef

Hot on China?s heels was Singapore with 10 entries in the top 50, including Andre at number five, which was voted the Best Restaurant in Singapore.

Japan came third in terms of entries, with nine restaurants in the top 50.

Meanwhile, Paul Pairet of Mr & Mrs Bund (#7) and Ultraviolet (#8) in Shanghai won the lifetime achievement award, while Duongporn Songvisava of Bo.lan in Bangkok won the Veuve Clicquot Asia?s Best Female Chef award.

Restaurants in India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia also made the list, while modern French establishment Jaan in Singapore was named ?One to Watch.?

?We launched Asia?s 50 Best Restaurants to recognise the region?s growing restaurant industry and diverse gastronomic landscape.

?It?s exciting to see so many innovative and creative chefs pushing Asia?s culinary boundaries and supporting Asia?s growing influence on the global culinary stage,? said William Drew of William Reed Business Media, founder of the awards.

Asia?s 50 Best Restaurants list is created by over 900 international leaders in the restaurant industry, including food critics, chefs and restaurateurs.

Source: http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2013/02/narisawa-in-tokyo-tops-asias-50-best-restaurants-list/

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Spring break splurges spark personal finance, economy stories ...

Spring break is coming up for college students and families, and it?s an opportunity to prepare not only some interesting feature stories about the tourism, transportation and hospitality industries, but to take a look at college?student spending patterns in light of the ongoing drumbeat about the trillion-dollar student loan ?bubble? some say looms.

Travelocity says some spring break destinations buck the trend of higher airfares this year, and is out with a release noting pricing to popular destinations like Cancun, Florida?s beach resorts, Las Vegas and the Bahamas.?? And the San Francisco Chronicle offers some insight into this year?s spring break season, which overlaps a very early (March 31) Easter ? meaning families traveling for the holiday will be competing with college students for good airfares, seats on airplanes and other financial aspects of travel.? A heads-up on this potential conflict might make for a good spring travel story for general audiences.

Here?s an interesting 2011?paper from the Journal of Tourism Insights, ?Spring Break: Pulling in the student market,? which analyzes the decision-making process students go through when planning spring break, including factors such as cost, geographic destination and so on.? If you?re in a spring break destination, this paper might help you compose some good questions for executives in the tourism industry.?? And ask them about Easter too; does the overlap of the family holiday and college travel season crimp business?? Or boost it?

If you?re covering spring break from an economic or personal finance aspect, the paper also offers some good stats, though uUnfortunately, the authors decided not to pursue the source of spring break funding, that would?ve been interesting in light of the student loan debate.) They find that half of students spend less than $500 on spring break; it would be interesting to intercept a handful of students as they plan their trips and show a breakdown (maybe they could blog daily spending?) of the cost of various vacations.

If you?re doing any student loan packages, this might be the time to ask recent grads to look back at how they spent the funds they now are paying back.? No doubt many were prudent, but there?s no denying that some people use loan money for fun and travel ? this TIME column on the matter of student spending?raised a lot of umbrage in its comments area ? why not ask loan-repayers to pull up their credit-card statements or bank statements from past spring-break season, tote up the spending, account for which funds were used (loan money, earnings, etc.) and ask how they feel in hindsight about the expenditures??? Whether or not they feel the splurges were worthwhile, the reality check will be interesting food for thought as current students plan spring break.

Don?t forget about pre-trip spending too, and what opportunities that makes for local merchants from fashion and apparel outlets to tanning salons.?? And check out what merchants, attractions such as museums, spas, pubs, cinemas and other businesses may be doing to attract the staycation crowd, both the college and family demographic.

And finally, if you?re in a storm-struck area, you might want to see if curtailed mid-winter breaks for K-12 students?(making up for earlier snow days) is causing pain to any businesses; here?s a CBS News story that says indoor venues like bowling alleys suffer when kids don?t get expected school vacations.

Source: http://businessjournalism.org/2013/02/26/spring-break-personal-finance-economy-stories/

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Idaho braces for battle over legalizing medical marijuana

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Idaho, a state known more for growing potatoes than marijuana, is bracing for a battle to legalize medical marijuana, as a growing number of U.S. states permit pot for both health and recreational use.

The Idaho Senate on Monday made its position clear with a 29-5 vote against allowing marijuana for even medical uses in the conservative state. The resolution, which will now go to the state House of Representatives, is only a political gesture. Marijuana is already illegal under both state and federal law.

Proponents of liberalized pot laws - spearheaded by a group called Compassionate Idaho - told senators last week they were working on a medical marijuana initiative they hope to place on the state ballot next year.

Eighteen states, plus the District of Columbia, have legalized marijuana for medical use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In November, Washington state and Colorado went a step further and voters approved legalizing pot for recreational use.

Chuck Winder, assistant majority leader of the Republican-led Senate, told lawmakers on Monday that the anti-marijuana measure he crafted was vital to ensuring the safety of Idaho residents, especially children.

Republicans also hold a majority in the state House.

While the majority of Idaho senators on Monday expressed staunch opposition to legalization of marijuana in the state, some local officials and political leaders in the more liberal-leaning Sun Valley area have pushed to relax marijuana laws.

"It chases ghosts that haven't appeared yet in anticipation that they might," Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett of the affluent resort community of Ketchum said of the resolution. She said the measure was dismissive of those who rely on marijuana to provide relief from pain and other chronic health conditions.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Steve Gorman and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/idaho-braces-battle-over-legalizing-medical-marijuana-043516458.html

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PFT: Mathieu ready to get back on field

AP

If you watch offensive lineman Garrett Gilkey working out at the Scouting Combine, you?d never believe he ever got bullied: He?s 6-foot-6 and 318 pounds and bench presses 225 pounds 28 times. But Gilkey says there was a time when he was a scrawny kid who didn?t belong on the football field ? and it was a former NFL player who helped him turn it all around.

Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange has a good profile of Gilkey, who is starting to draw attention from NFL teams after playing at a small school, Chadron State College. Gilkey got there after having a tough time at his first high school, then blossoming after transferring to a different high school ? which just happened to have a football team coached by former Bills receiver Don Beebe.

?I was undersized and I was actually bullied and ostracized by my entire school,? Gilkey said. ?Going into my freshman year, I had a heart operation ? very simple, but it prevented me from playing in any sports and doing anything. So, I excelled academically. With that, some of the guys ? especially on the football team and the upper cliques ? distanced [themselves] from me because I wasn?t able to do the running in the summer and the workouts. . . . I was constantly bullied, constantly picked on. It was a very hard year. Really, I like to tell people that I was just the little redheaded, gingery, skinny-looking [kid]. I was pear-shaped. I had these wide hips and this skinny-looking upper body. I was just a prime target for many of the cruel kids.?

But transferring and working both with Don Beebe and his brother, Dave Beebe, made Gilkey realize he had a passion for football. It also helped that a growth spurt had him up to 240 pounds. By his senior year he was good enough that small colleges wanted him, and Dave Beebe told him he?d eventually be good enough to play in the NFL.

Now Gilkey is showing that his high school coaches had a reason to believe in him, and he says he wants to use his status as a pro athlete to reach out to bullied kids.

?I?m starting an anti-bullying campaign,? Gilkey said. ?I have such a great opportunity to be proactive and be encouraging and be a strong force within the community of the west suburbs of Chicago. I plan on being proactive with schools and junior highs and YMCAs, and talking about bullying. I think I have a great position, being my size, and standing up and talking about my experience being bullied, being ostracized and being made fun of. People see me now and think, ?How could this person ever be bullied?? I have a great voice and great platform to share those experiences and share my faith, as well.?

Gilkey is viewed as a likely late-round pick. It remains to be seen whether he can make the transition from Chadron State to the NFL, but the team that drafts him will be getting an impressive young man.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/24/mathieu-my-best-friend-right-now-is-honesty/related/

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Analysis: China central bank takes lead in economic reform push

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's readiness to bend retirement rules to keep arch-reformer Zhou Xiaochuan at the helm of the central bank signals clearly that new Communist Party chiefs want to speed economic reform in the country's most critical development phase in three decades.

Central bank insiders interviewed by Reuters say the People's Bank of China (PBOC) is the country's most potent force for reform in the face of powerful vested interests, echoing sources with leadership ties who last week said Zhou would keep his job despite reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65.

Keeping Zhou ensures that the PBOC will remain a trusted instrument through which China's leaders can enact financial reforms designed to boost free markets and private enterprise, rebalance the economy, reinvigorate growth and ultimately heal a socially divisive rift between the country's rich and poor.

"Governor Zhou has been rather bold in spearheading market reforms and sometimes does not care about the possible repercussions," said a PBOC official who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. "They really need someone who can sustain the reform momentum."

The reform agenda espoused by Party leaders Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang is not always popular with the local government officials, state-backed business and cosseted national lenders who would find their power bases fundamentally weakened.

Liberalizing interest rates, for example, would hit fat lending margins at state banks.

Expanding capital markets would end subsidized access to funds for state-owned enterprises and cut private sector finance costs while creating investment options beyond real estate -- cooling the property speculation that lays at the heart of local government corruption and debt risks.

The PBOC has a track record of getting the job done in the face of entrenched opposition.

It has modernized domestic bond and money markets, laid the groundwork for short-term market instruments to manage bank liquidity and credit, while simultaneously creating mechanisms that allow the PBOC to resist pressure from growth-obsessed local officials to constantly tweak interest rates.

Indeed, the last 12 months have produced the most important package of interest rate, currency and capital market reforms since the landmark July 2005 break of the yuan's peg to the dollar -- and all in a year when political change at the top of the Party was supposed to stall change elsewhere.

That's despite a clear clash with the China Banking Regulatory Commission on the liberalization of interest rates.

"Big banks were definitely against interest rate reform, but they could not openly oppose it," Zhao Qingming, senior economist at China Construction Bank, one of the so-called "Big Four" state banks.

When the PBOC proposed doubling the yuan's trading band to 1 percent last year, it worked hard to soothe fears of the Commerce Ministry that it would not harm the export sector, according to sources familiar with the situation.

"We were persuaded that further sharp appreciation was very unlikely," said a senior researcher with the Ministry.

Arguably it was Zhou's 2005 success in engineering a break of the yuan's dollar peg in the face of staunch opposition from the Commerce Ministry that most clearly states his credentials.

PRAGMATIC REFORMER

Yu Yongding, a respected economist and leading advocate of major currency reform, recalls the wrangling required to make the decision on a PBOC monetary policy committee stacked with senior officials from a variety of government departments.

Yu, an economist at the top government think-tank, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), sat on the policy panel from 2004 to 2006, as the PBOC went head-to-head with critics of revaluation who complained that exporters could not withstand any rise in the value of the yuan.

"Their views had to reflect the stance of their respective departments," Yu told Reuters, recalling the logjam as pro-export officials railed against the suggestion of some other committee members of a revaluation of as much as 10 percent.

Yu says Zhou's pragmatic approach defused the row, agreeing to a small initial rise of 2.1 percent in the yuan's value against the dollar, while forging a top-level consensus on the incremental annual pace of currency strengthening that has seen it gain around 33 percent in nominal terms since.

Despite the stronger yuan, China has become the world's single biggest exporting economy while its companies have been forced to make productivity and quality improvements to stay competitive.

Xi and Li, due to take over in March as President and Premier, respectively, need to engineer an even more widespread move up the value chain to deliver enough growth to support China's next stage of economic development -- and the transfer of about 400 million people into cities from the countryside.

That's no mean feat given the general conclusion that China's export-oriented, state-driven economic model that delivered three decades of breakneck double-digit expansion, has reached the outer limits of its effectiveness.

Growth in the world's second-biggest economy slowed in 2012 to a 13-year low, albeit at a 7.8 percent rate that is the envy of other major economies.

Many analysts believe China's growth will be nearer 5 percent than 10 by the end of this decade without far-reaching economic reform -- a worry for a government that has pledged to double household income over the coming decade in a bid to close a wealth gap so wide it threatens social stability.

About 13 percent of China's 1.3 billion people still live on less than $1.25 per day according to the United Nations Development Programme and average urban disposable income is just 21,810 yuan ($3,500) a year.

Meanwhile China has 2.7 million dollar millionaires and 251 billionaires, according to the Hurun Report.

STALKING HORSE

Using the PBOC as a catalyst for reforms is a smart move, provided the anticipated domino-effect works as expected and relatively straightforward liberalization efforts trigger more fundamental evolution in China's economic structure.

The PBOC must make bank borrowing costs more market-driven to improve resource allocation and wean the economy off its reliance on state-led investment, analysts say.

But the financial system is dominated by big state-owned banks that channel the bulk of loans to state projects and state-owned enterprises, starving private enterprise of cash.

All of which conspires against the creation of additional investment options for Chinese households, lumbered mainly with low-yielding bank deposits that constrain consumption.

Optimists say that even if it doesn't deliver entirely as anticipated, the PBOC is likely to be more effective in the short-term than trying more politically-charged reforms, such as China's strict system of household registration, or Hukou.

A further advantage of using the PBOC as the instrument for change is that the most important decisions it disseminates are essentially edicts approved by the State Council - China's cabinet - or by the Communist Party's ruling Politburo.

Keeping a reform-oriented Zhou in the top PBOC job ensures the leadership is dealing with a like-mind.

"If we get someone who is tepid and does everything on an even keel, the reform process could be slowed," said Xu Hongcai, a former PBOC staffer and now a senior economist at China Centre for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), a Beijing-based think-tank. "We must ensure policy continuity while injecting a new air into reforms."

(Editing by Nick Edwards and)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-central-bank-takes-lead-economic-reform-push-211049320--business.html

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A new Jelly Bean release is being tested for the Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX

We've received a few reports that emails are going out to invite Motorola Feedback Network members to try a new release of Jelly Bean for the Droid RAZR and the Droid RAZR MAXX.

Thanks for joining the Motorola Feedback Network. We are inviting owners of the Droid RAZR or Droid RAZR Maxx on Verizon to participate in an early preview of a new Jelly Bean software release, and provide feedback.  If you are not currently using a Droid RAZR or Droid RAZR Maxx on Verizon, please excuse and ignore this email.

Plenty of folks using these phones are anxious to get Jelly Bean on their devices. Hopefully this soak test is successful, and we see a software update roll out shortly after. Keep your eyes on Android Central, and jump into the forums to discuss!

More: Droid RAZR MAXX forums

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/9cCZdEhvyHw/story01.htm

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Top NFL draft prospect from Utah has heart ailment

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Defensive tackle Star Lotulelei will be heading home from the NFL's combine Monday night after doctors discovered he had a heart condition.

His agent, Bruce Tollner, confirmed the diagnosis in an email to The Associated Press on Monday. ESPN first reported the story Sunday night.

Lotulelei is one of the top prospects in April's draft. Some mock drafts even had the Utah star going No. 1 overall. He is expected to see a specialist.

A heart condition could have a significant impact on his draft stock as he tries to become the second Utes player chosen No. 1 overall. Alex Smith was taken first in the 2005 draft.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/top-nfl-draft-prospect-utah-heart-ailment-170622480--nfl.html

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SHOW BITS: With work done, time to go play

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Show Bits brings you the 85th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

___

QUICKQUOTE: OCTAVIA SPENCER

"I'm good now. Now I can go play!" ? Octavia Spencer, backstage after presenting the night's first Oscar.

? Sandy Cohen ? http://www.twitter.com/APSandy

___

BASSEY HITS IT OUTTA THE PARK

For all the sparkling young starlets and the edgy new host, it was none other than Dame Shirley Bassey who truly set the joint on fire early in the Oscar telecast.

The 76-year-old singer's rendition of the theme from "Goldfinger" ? or, as she sang so memorably, "GoldfinGAH" ? was a feel-good moment that won what was at the time the biggest ovation of the night.

Bassey, who recorded the song in the '60s to great acclaim, reprised it as part of the Academy's 50th anniversary tribute to the James Bond franchise.

On social networks, as people were debating vigorously how the telecast was going, there was no question as to how Bassey did: She was an unqualified hit.

Minutes after the performance, the singer and her song were trending on Twitter.

Adele, who was to perform her "Skyfall" theme later in the show, had her work cut out for her.

? Jocelyn Noveck ? Twitter http://twitter.com/JocelynNoveckAP

___

WALTZ PULLS OSCAR UPSET

It didn't take long for the first big upset of Oscar night.

Christoph Waltz claimed the first statuette, winning best supporting actor for his role as a refined bounty hunter in "Django Unchained."

Waltz briefly found himself in a bizarre moment in the backstage interview room when actor David Arquette popped up and asked if he was excited about the possibility of a black man being chosen as the next pope.

"It would be an exciting thing," he said. "I'm an adamant non-racist. I don't care whether the pope is black or white or whatever color. If we are non-racists then we have to stay non-racists all the way."

? Beth Harris ? http://www.twitter.com/bethharrisap

___

QUICKQUOTE: CHRISTOPH WALTZ

"Quentin writes poetry and I like poetry." ? Supporting actor winner Christoph Waltz of "Django Unchained" about working with writer-director Quentin Tarantino.

? Beth Harris ? http://www.twitter.com/bethharrisap

___

MAYBE IT LOOKED EASY ...

Charlize Theron, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were one big bundle of nerves before they took the stage for their opening song-and-dance numbers.

Radcliffe danced by himself. Theron dabbed at her eyes and Gordon-Levitt stood silently as Oscar host Seth MacFarlane delivered the Oscar show's opening monologue.

Then it was time to hit the stage.

"Thank God!" Theron said afterward as she let out a sigh of relief.

"You stepped on my dress," she told Tatum.

Radcliffe and Gordon-Levitt bear-hugged after their dance routine.

"We did all right! We did all right," they told each other.

"It felt good! How did it look?" Gordon-Levitt asked.

"Well done," Radcliffe told him. "See you later!"

? Sandy Cohen ? http://www.twittermcom/APSandy

___

QUICKQUOTE: BEN AFFLECK

"We don't expect to depart with anything but our integrity." ? Ben Affleck, shunning the nominations his film "Argo" received.

? Beth Harris ? http://www.twitter.com/bethharrisap

___

AND THE FANS SAY ... 'ARGO'

However it fared with Academy voters, the clear fan favorite among fans in the Oscar bleachers was "Argo."

The bleacher crowd forced actor-director Ben Affleck to stop an interview with their loud chants of "Ben! Ben! Ben!"

They gave the film's producer, George Clooney, similar treatment and lavished applause on supporting actor nominee Alan Arkin.

Perhaps the strongest sign of fans' love for the CIA thriller was when the group was polled for its choice for best picture before any actors hit the red carpet.

While the chanting was spirited for "Les Miserables" and some other films, it was clearly loudest for "Argo."

? Anthony McCartney ? Twitter http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

___

JENNIFER BLEEPED

It's always fun to hear what Jennifer Lawrence has to say ? even if you have to lip read because she's being bleeped.

The bleeping started early for the charmingly blunt Lawrence, a best actress nominee for "Silver Linings Playbook," as ABC silenced her cheeky red carpet response to actress Kristin Chenoweth.

The two were bonding over "Dance Moms," the Lifetime reality series, when Lawrence asked Chenoweth if she liked it too.

Chenoweth: "Is the pope Catholic?"

Lawrence: "... ?" (We can't print her reply here, but the reference was to something a bear does in the woods.)

And the night, as they say, was still very young.

? Jocelyn Noveck ? Twitter http://twitter.com/JocelynNoveckAP

___

AMY ADAMS SITTING PRETTY

To slide, plop or shimmy?

That's the dilemma that faced Amy Adams in her flowing Oscar de la Renta gown when she approached her front-row seat inside the Dolby Theatre before the Oscars began.

After greeting fellow nominee Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the row behind her with a big hug, "The Master" co-star tilted to her right side and sort of shimmied down into her seat.

While Jennifer Aniston and Samuel L. Jackson mingled with attendees nearby, Adams held court in her fluffy dove grey fabric cloud.

Across the aisle, Bradley Cooper rushed his mother to meet Jean Dujardin, who took home the best actor Oscar last year.

? Derrik J. Lang ? Twitter http://twitter.com/derrikjlang

___

JOAQUIN PHOENIX: THE GUY CAN MOVE

Joaquin Phoenix didn't waste any time getting into the Dolby Theatre, and the Oscar-nominated actor's dash across the red carpet didn't go unnoticed.

Red carpet host Chris Connelly heckled Phoenix, who has criticized the awards show, as he rushed by, saying he was setting new speed records.

Connelly then added, "You should be at the (NFL) combine," a reference to the athletic tests NFL recruits go through.

? Anthony McCartney ? Twitter http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

___

SHOWING OSCAR FANS LOVE

Oscar bleacher fans got a wave from some stars such as Jane Fonda, and a peace sign from others, including Channing Tatum.

Then there were those who pulled out all the stops.

Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter paused on the red carpet to pose for pictures for star-struck fans.

Melissa McCarthy stopped to beam and wave at every section of the bleachers, all but ignoring the professional photographers surrounding her.

Jessica Chastain blew the crowd a kiss.

And Joseph Gordon-Levitt topped it all off with an appreciative bow to his audience.

? Anthony McCartney ? Twitter http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

___

A FOODIE FEAST FIT FOR A RED CARPET

Even the food gets the red-carpet treatment at the Academy Awards.

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck rolled a tray out onto the carpet to show off just a few of the goodies that will be served at the annual Governor's Ball following the show.

Making the scene were baked potatoes with caviar, smoked salmon, chicken pot pie with truffle, Kobe steak, sushi, sashimi and of course Puck's famous gold-dusted chocolate Oscar statuettes.

"It's going to be the greatest party ever," he said.

? Beth Harris Twitter http://twitter.com/bethharrisap

___

FROM FRONT LINE TO RED CARPET

A few months ago, Army Sgt. 1st Class Walter Talens was shooting footage in Afghanistan. On Sunday, he had a prime seat to watch the stars at the Academy Awards.

Talens was one of dozens of service members sprinkled around the fan bleachers, where he hoped to get a glimpse of actress Jennifer Lawrence from his second-row seat.

It was a new vantage point for him after working two Oscar shows filming shout-outs to troops overseas.

His boss, Maj. John Reynolds, relocated from a posting in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., a few months before last year's show and was hoping for a glimpse of Denzel Washington, Ben Affleck and Lawrence.

"I never thought I would be this close to the red carpet," said Reynolds, who had a front row seat where the stars entered the Dolby Theatre.

Talens, who noted the Oscars' longtime support of the troops, said, "I'm very happy the academy supports the military and allows us to see the glitz and glamour."

? Anthony McCartney ? Twitter http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

___

TAKE TWO FOR OSCAR RESULTS

Sometimes in Hollywood it takes more than one try to get the perfect shot.

On Sunday afternoon, that was the case for the accountants bringing in the Oscar ballot results.

The men walked calmly down the red carpet clutching briefcases as a film crew recorded their every move. But before they could enter the Dolby Theatre, they had to repeat the last leg of their walk.

This time fans in the bleachers cheered. The cameras rolled and everyone was satisfied.

Cut. The men walked into the theater.

It's Hollywood.

? Anthony McCartney ? Twitter http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/show-bits-done-time-play-032506723.html

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Urijah Faber and Court McGee take UFC 157 wins

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Urijah Faber and Court McGee got back on the winning track at UFC 157 on Saturday.

Faber got a first-round submission win over Ivan Menjivar. Faber and Menjivar started the fight with a rolling takedown and Faber ended up on top. He worked the top position until Menjivar got back to his feet. Faber held on, and while attached to Menjivar's back, Faber swung around and sunk in a rear naked choke. Menjivar tapped at 4:34 in the first round. The Anaheim crowd erupted for "The California Kid."

It was an important win for Faber after he lost a title fight to Renan Barao in July. The win puts him at 27-6, with five of his losses coming in title fights.

[Also: Ronda Rousey survives UFC debut, wins via first-round arm bar]

In earlier action, Court McGee punched his way to a decision win over Josh Neer. McGee used an effective strategy early on of working Josh Neer's body. Throughout the first round, Neer was hobbled by McGee's body punches. But in the second, McGee worked more on headshots. Though it wasn't as effective, McGee outstruck Neer. In the final round, McGee worked the ground game and controlled Neer while still leading on strikes. All three judges saw it 30-27 for McGee.

It was McGee's first fight at welterweight.

?I felt great at 170 lbs. This was a great move for me. I felt stronger, faster and had a lot more gas. I was told by FightMetric that I broke the record for most significant strikes ever in a welterweight fight and feel great. I could have stopped it, maybe, early with body shots but I was glad I put on a good performance.?

After the win, McGee's record is 15-3. Though he won "The Ultimate Fighter," he also lost two fights in 2012.

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Watch: Floyd Mayweather's college football betting secret
? Michael Jordan gets minor league offer
? Alex Smith on the trading block in Indy
? Wake Forest knocks off No. 2 Miami

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/urijah-faber-court-mcgee-ufc-157-wins-042110004--mma.html

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Williams' 46 points lift New Mexico

Mike Rosario scored 15 points and Patric Young added 14 on Saturday night to pace a balanced attack that helped No. 5 Florida rebound from one of its two Southeastern Conference losses with a 71-54 victory over Arkansas.

Rodney McGruder scored 20 points and No. 13 Kansas State stayed in the race for their first regular season conference championship since 1977 with an 81-69 victory over Texas on Saturday night.

Johnathan Loyd had season highs of 15 points and nine assists to lead No. 23 Oregon to a 77-64 victory over Stanford on Saturday night.

Source: http://www.fantasysp.com/news/cbb/1525167/williams-46-points-lift-new-mexico

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President to open Iskcon Vedic Cultural Centre in Pune

Bangkok News.Net - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Unlike other reptiles and mammals, alligators sport a permanently erect penis that hide inside their bodies, a new study has found. According to the study, their erect penises made of tough, ...

435 tribal dancers create world record in Tamil Nadu

Bangkok News.Net - Sunday 24th February, 2013

India's diverse and rich culture was on display recently, when 435 students and locals performed the Badaga dance for eleven minutes and created a new world record in Kotagiri, which is located in ...

Dhonis team wins opening World Superbike support race

Bangkok News.Net - Sunday 24th February, 2013

Mahi Racing Team India began their World Supersport Championship campaign in style with their lead rider Kenan Sofuoglu of Turkey winning the first race of the season at Philip Island, Australia ...

President to open Iskcon Vedic Cultural Centre in Pune

Bangkok News.Net - Sunday 24th February, 2013

President Pranab Mukherjee will undertake a one day visit to Pune on Sunday to inaugurate the Vedic Cultural Centre of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The Vedic ...

Carter covers for injured Charles as Pollard arrives

Bangkok News.Net - Sunday 24th February, 2013

Left-hander Jonathan Carter will remain with the West Indies as cover for opener Johnson Charles for Sunday's second One-Day International against Zimbabwe. Carter was originally called up as cover ...

Gayle says hectic schedule forced him to rest

Bangkok News.Net - Sunday 24th February, 2013

West Indies opening batsman Chris Gayle says he opted to skip the current One Day International series against Zimbabwe because he was drained from a hectic cricketing schedule. The former Windies ...

US Antares rocket completes ground test

Bangkok News.Net - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

A new medium-sized American rocket intended for missions to the International Space Station has successfully completed the final ground test, its developer said. Preliminary analysis of data from ...

China Reports Years Second Bird Flu Death

Bangkok News.Net - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Chinese health officials say a man in southwestern China has died of bird flu, the second fatality from the H5N1 virus this year. The Guizhou provincial health department said Saturday that ...

Tech savvy kids under age 2 could put themselves in danger

Bangkok News.Net - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

As kids now grow up in a world of mobile technology, the inevitable questions that arises is how young is too young to let them be part of it. It's a vexed question for any new parent, especially ...

Activists slam Egypt government for spending 1.7m pounds on teargas amidst financial crisis

Bangkok News.Net - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Various activists have slammed Egyptian government for purchasing 140,000 canisters of teargas worth 1.7 million pounds at a time when foreign reserves are at critically low and the International ...

Iran wins freestyle wrestling World Cup

Bangkok News.Net - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Iran claimed the freestyle title at the wrestling World Cup here. In the competitions held at Azadi Sports Complex here, Iran defeated Russia 6-1 in the gold medal match Friday, reports Xinhua. In ...

Tiger Woods injured girlfriend Lindsey Vonn on road to recovery after surgery

Bangkok News.Net - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Tiger Wood's alleged girlfriend skiing ace Lindsey Vonn, who injured herself during the Alpine World Championships in Schladming this month, has said that her right knee is healing quickly. The ...

Top seeds fall in Match Play Championship golf

Bangkok News.Net - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Bubba Watson came out the only survivor as other top 10 seeds fell in the second round of the Match Play Championship, following World No.1 Rory McIlroy and 14-time major champion Tiger Woods' ...

Kerry takes case on Syria to Europe Mideast

San Diego Union-Tribune - Sunday 24th February, 2013

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2013 file photo, Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the State Department in Washington. Kerry will make his first overseas trip next week to Europe and the Middle East, ...

At least 30 fans hurt in race crash

Belfast Telegraph - Sunday 24th February, 2013

24 February 2013 A horrifying crash on the last lap of a race at Daytona International Speedway has injured at least 30 fans and provided another stark reminder of what can happen when a car going ...

Italy set for watershed election

Belfast Telegraph - Sunday 24th February, 2013

24 February 2013 Italy is going to the polls for a watershed parliamentary election that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest ...

Italy votes in general election as Europe watches and waits

Euro News - Sunday 24th February, 2013

Italians are going to the polls on Sunday to vote in a general election that threatens to reverberate around Europe. Markets are watching nervously to see whether a government emerges that is strong ...

World gold just the start for James

BBC - Sunday 24th February, 2013

winning gold in the women's sprint will be a huge turning point in her career. Having won the world sprint title six times, I know that it is one of the hardest to win, both physically and ...

World Oscar Pistorius brother Carl too facing murder trial

Standard Digital - Sunday 24th February, 2013

Updated 47 mins ago The brother of South African athlete Oscar Pistorius - accused of murdering his girlfriend - is also facing trial over the death of a woman. Carl Pistorius was charged with ...

Polls open in Italian elections

Channel News Asia - Sunday 24th February, 2013

ROME - Italians fed up with austerity went to the polls on Sunday in elections likely to be won by the centre-left, as Europe held its breath for signs of fresh instability in the eurozone's ...

Blake International Pens Drilling Gig

Neftegaz - Sunday 24th February, 2013

Blake International Rigs, LLC and ANKOR Energy LLC have entered into a contract to mobilize the Blake Rig 1505 onto the Vermillion 379 D platform. The contract term is 4 wells, to commence following ...

Israeli parliamentarian Peace talks or violence

Tampa Bay Online - Sunday 24th February, 2013

Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told Israel radio Sunday that "We are on the eve of an Intifada." He said stalled talks must resume if bloodshed is to be ...

Source: http://www.bangkoknews.net/index.php/sid/212786869/scat/b8de8e630faf3631

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10 Things to Know for Monday

Palestinians throw stones during clashes with Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Hebron, following the death of Arafat Jaradat, a Palestinian prisoner held in an Israeli jail, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. The death of a 30-year-old Palestinian after interrogation by Israel's Shin Bet security service stokes new West Bank clashes, along with Israeli fears of a third Palestinian uprising. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

Palestinians throw stones during clashes with Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Hebron, following the death of Arafat Jaradat, a Palestinian prisoner held in an Israeli jail, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. The death of a 30-year-old Palestinian after interrogation by Israel's Shin Bet security service stokes new West Bank clashes, along with Israeli fears of a third Palestinian uprising. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

Host Seth MacFarlane speaks onstage during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:

1. SPREADING THE BLAME FOR BUDGET CUTS

The White House and Republicans kept up the mudslinging over who's to blame for $85 billion in budget cuts set to take effect this week.

2. 'ARGO' WINS BEST PICTURE OSCAR, 'LIFE OF PI' NETS MOST AWARDS

The CIA thriller won three Oscars, while "Life of Pi" won four trophies, including best director for Ang Lee.

3. OSCARS HOST GETS A VISIT FROM CAPT. KIRK

Seth MacFarlane's show opener included a celestial skit with Star Trek's William Shatner.

4. CONCERNS OF NEW PALESTINIAN UPRISING

The mysterious death of a Palestinian man in Israeli custody comes at a time of rising West Bank tensions.

5. AN ESCAPE CLAUSE FOR VOTING RIGHTS LAW

Obama and civil rights groups are defending the landmark law at the Supreme Court by pointing to a clause that allows reformed governments to bail out.

6. WHO'S USING CAPTURED TANKS IN NEW OFFENSIVE

Syrian rebels are employing the armor in an attempt to capture a government complex on the outskirts of Aleppo.

7. WHAT POPE BENEDICT SAID IN HIS FINAL SUNDAY BLESSING

The pontiff said God had called him to dedicate himself "even more to prayer and meditation," which he will do in a monastery.

8. HOW A FLORIDA COMMUNITY HAS CHANGED AFTER A SHOOTING

A year after Trayvon Martin was killed, leaders in Sanford have established a community relations panel to help ease racial tensions.

9. ANOTHER PISTORIUS CHARGED IN SOUTH AFRICA

The older brother of Oscar Pistorius was charged in a 2008 fatal traffic accident.

10. JIMMIE JOHNSON CRUISES TO 2ND DAYTONA 500 WIN

Danica Patrick also made history as the first woman to lead the race, but finished eighth.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-25-10-Things-to-Know-Monday/id-9fe58f14f2b14f4387e6fd498d4679ad

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There's No Place Quite As Good As The Internet To Find Out About ...

Even though not everyone is capable of running a successful home-based business, you should not let that dissuade you from giving it a try. Right now you simply need a computer to create, for a surprisingly low cost, a business that you can run from home. All it requires is a low cost, high-speed Internet access, and the motivation to spend time doing the research. A computer-based business has a global reach with limitless customers, whereas a brick and mortar business is limited to local custom and has expensive set-up expenses. Anyone, in a global context, who can connect to the Internet, can be a prospect.

If you really would like to try a business online, there are numerous ways of going about it. You could get rolling on the Internet without being a computer geek, but knowing about using a computer helps. It is often being knowledgeable about a subject or activity, like a hobby, which is important for online success, and not so much your technical abilities. To illustrate this, folks who are great at creative writing could think about a web-based copywriting business. Writing could also be done freelance, doing jobs for folks who either don't like writing or aren't any good at it. What it boils down to is pinpointing a group of individuals who have a need for something, like say, content, and providing them with it. Create a profile of your work, do some marketing, and, hey presto! you've got a business.

Online auction websites are another avenue from which a large number of people are making good money. Maybe you've one or more products that you can market internet, or you could source some from wholesalers and then profit by adding a mark-up. Online auction websites, such as eBay, do the hard work of bringing the shoppers to your offers. All you have to do, is determine a price for your product, list it on the market, and then wait until a shopper chooses your product. You will collect payment if somebody makes a purchase, and then you fulfill your side of the deal by sending the buyer their purchase.

Technological breakthroughs have made life less complicated in so many ways. Given a personal computer anyone can now start a business. Any person wanting to make money online can access the information about how to do it ,and also get products, online. The most effective way to launch a business online, is to find somebody who has a business model you prefer, and pattern yours after theirs.

You might only want to make some extra money, rather than have a full time business, and the Internet is perfect for that. Spend a little time on your computer looking for information on starting a web based business, and you will find a lot of it. The sooner you get going on your research, the sooner you are going to start seeing money come in.

Source: http://crew.valkry.com/blog/85343/there-039-s-no-place-quite-as-good-as-the-internet-to-find-out-about-home-b/

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Rapper, cabbie meet violent end together in Vegas

This April 2011 photo from the California Department of Motor Vehicles shows Kenneth Cherry Jr., also known as rapper "Kenny Clutch." The Clark County, Nev., coroner's office identified Cherry as the Maserati driver who died Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 after being peppered with gunfire from someone in a Range Rover SUV, sparking a fiery crash that killed two others in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/California DMV)

This April 2011 photo from the California Department of Motor Vehicles shows Kenneth Cherry Jr., also known as rapper "Kenny Clutch." The Clark County, Nev., coroner's office identified Cherry as the Maserati driver who died Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 after being peppered with gunfire from someone in a Range Rover SUV, sparking a fiery crash that killed two others in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/California DMV)

Tow truck drivers clean up and tow away cars involved in a drive-by shooting on Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, John Locher) LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; LAS VEGAS SUN OUT

Smoke and flames billow from a burning vehicle following a shooting and multi-car accident on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas early Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. The Las Vegas Strip became a scene of deadly violence early Thursday when, authorities say, someone in a black Range Rover opened fire on a Maserati, sending it crashing into a taxi that burst into flames, leaving three people dead and at least six injured. (AP Photo/Erik Lackey)

Tow truck drivers clean up and tow away cars involved in a drive-by shooting on Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, John Locher) LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; LAS VEGAS SUN OUT

Law enforcement personal investigate the scene of a mulit-vehicle accident on Las Vegas Blvd and Flamingo Road Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Authorities say a Range Rover opened fire on a Maserati at a stoplight, sending it crashing into a taxi that went up in flames, leaving three people dead and at least six injured. Police were checking with nearby businesses to see whether a previous altercation prompted the car-to-car attack (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jeff Scheid) LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; LAS VEGAS SUN OUT

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Kenny Cherry was an aspiring rapper who moved from the Bay Area to Las Vegas to pursue his career. His music videos online show him cruising the Strip in his Maserati.

Michael Boldon was a family man and taxi driver who hailed from Michigan and loved fast cars.

The two men's lives ? along with that of an unidentified passenger in Boldon's cab ? ended in violence normally seen only in movies: gunfire, a fiery crash and an explosion before dawn Thursday on the neon-lit Las Vegas Strip.

As investigators Friday tried to find the gunman in a black Range Rover SUV who triggered the shocking chain of events, families and friends tried to grasp the blink-of-an-eye finality of it all.

"Right now my heart is breaking," said Cherry's great aunt, Patricia Sims, of Oakland, Calif. "This has really been a tragedy. Kenny was just a delightful kid."

Sims, 75, said Cherry moved to Las Vegas from Northern California, though she didn't know her nephew was a rapper using the name Kenny Clutch.

Cherry's parents were traveling to Las Vegas on Friday to claim his body. The 27-year-old, whose full name is Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr., was driving a Maserati that was peppered by gunfire before it sped through a red light and smashed into Boldon's taxi.

The taxi exploded into flames, killing Boldon and female passenger Sandra Sutton-Wasmund, as four other vehicles crashed like pinballs at an intersection overlooked by some of Las Vegas' most famous hotel-casinos: Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Bally's and the Flamingo.

Police think an argument at the valet area of the upscale Aria resort-casino led to the shooting, but they haven't shared details. The shooting happened the same night that Morocco-born rapper French Montana was playing at Aria's signature nightclub, Haze.

"What the original disagreement was is crucial to the ongoing investigation and the identification of the suspects," said Las Vegas police officer Bill Cassell.

He said investigators were examining surveillance video and enlisting help from federal authorities and agencies in neighboring states to look for the distinctive Range Rover. It had blackout windows and custom black rims and was last seen speeding away from the fiery scene around 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

Police said a passenger in the Maserati was wounded in the arm but was treated at a hospital and released. He was reported to be cooperating with investigators, and his name wasn't made public.

Cherry's father, Kenneth Cherry Sr., of Emeryville, Calif., said he was struggling to handle his grief.

He said his son started a music career in Oakland after attending two Catholic high schools. According to his father, Cherry was recognized by other rappers within a West Coast hip-hop strain called hyphy.

Cherry was not well-known in wider music circles, according to Chuck Creekmur, CEO of AllHipHop.com.

"I had never heard his name before," Creekmur said.

Kenny Clutch's YouTube music video, "Stay Schemin," shows scenes of hotels along the Strip as he sings about paying $120,000 for his Maserati.

"One mistake change lives all in one night," he raps in one verse.

Cherry Sr. said he didn't know how his son made money or if he had any other jobs.

"I want to make it clear that my son was no gangster or nothing like that," he told The Associated Press. "He moved to Vegas about six year ago and he was writing music and rap."

Court records show Cherry had no criminal cases or convictions in Las Vegas, and Cassell said there was no record of arrests.

The police spokesman wouldn't say whether investigators determined if Cherry owned, rented or borrowed the Maserati. Cassell called that information "integral to the investigation."

Meanwhile, Boldon's family struggled to cope with his death.

"It's very devastating for us, for my family," said Tehran Boldon, 50, younger brother of the 62-year-old taxi driver. "Our family has no history of violence or gang membership that would predict losing a family member to such an event."

Boldon's sister, Carolyn Jean Trimble, said Boldon was a father, a grandfather and a car enthusiast. He was one of five children born and raised in Michigan, where he took care of his ailing father, who fought cancer, before moving to Las Vegas to be with his 93-year-old mother.

Bolden had owned a clothing store in Detroit and worked at a car dealership, his sister said. He began driving taxis after moving to Las Vegas about 1 1/2 years ago.

Boldon loved watching IndyCar and NASCAR races and drove a Mercedes when he wasn't in a cab. An avid car enthusiast, he tried to persuade Trimble to buy a Bentley, she said.

"Everybody just loved him," the older sister said. "When that car hit that cab, Mike had to be in there talking and laughing."

The irony that a man with a taste for beautiful cars was killed by a sports car wasn't lost on Trimble.

"He would be tickled to death: 'Damn, of all things, a Maserati hit me, took me out like that,'" she said. "I'm happy he didn't suffer."

The county medical examiner said both Boldon and his passenger, Sutton-Wasmund, died of blunt force injuries and that their deaths were being treated as homicides. The 48-year-old woman was from Maple Valley, Wash.

Besides Cherry's passenger, police said five people were treated for injuries after the six-vehicle crash. No one was said to face life-threatening injuries.

Jogger Eric Lackey snapped a cellphone photo of the blazing scene moments after the crash. Black smoke billowed from the flaming taxi, amid popping sounds from the fire.

The famously glowing, always-open Las Vegas Strip was closed for some 15 hours before reopening Thursday night. One Nevada Highway Patrol sergeant recalled a similarly long closure after the 1996 drive-by slaying of rapper Tupac Shakur.

That shooting ? involving assailants opening fire on Shakur's luxury sedan from a vehicle on Flamingo Road ? happened about a block away from Thursday's crash.

The Shakur killing has never been solved.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writer Garance Burke in San Francisco; AP Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu in New York; and researchers Judith Ausuebel, Jennifer Farrar and Lynn Dombek in New York.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-23-Vegas%20Gun%20Battle/id-acc29a5f89cb496c8daf013c2914a3aa

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U.S. Is Sending More Troops to Niger

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Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323864304578320792821555994.html?mod=rss_US_News

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Italian polling stations open in key vote for euro zone

ROME (Reuters) - Polling stations opened for the first day of voting on Sunday in an election to choose a successor to the technocrat government of Mario Monti, appointed just over a year ago to save Italy from financial crisis.

Voting began at 8 a.m. and will go on to 10 p.m. (2100 GMT)Polls will re-open on Monday at 7 a.m. and remain open until 3 p.m. (1400 GMT), with the first exit polls for both the lower house and Senate expected soon afterwards.

The election, in the middle of a deep recession, is being closely watched by financial markets amid concern that it may fail to produce a clear winner capable of continuing the broad course of budget discipline and economic reform begun by Monti and backed by Italy's European partners.

The last opinion polls published before a pre-election blackout two weeks ago put a center-left coalition led by Pier Luigi Bersani in the lead although former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi had been closing the gap.

Uncertainty over the result has been increased by a surge in support for the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement of comedian Beppe Grillo who has ridden a wave of public anger against corruption and privilege in Italy's political elite.

(Reporting by Catherine Hornby; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italians-head-polls-crucial-vote-euro-zone-000341345--business.html

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