Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295564678?client_source=feed&format=rss
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By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prospects for a broad U.S. immigration overhaul brightened on Saturday after major U.S. business and labor groups reached an agreement on a guest-worker program, a source familiar with the deal said.
The agreement was reached on Friday night in a conference call between the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue, and the president of the AFL-CIO labor organization, Richard Trumka, with New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer acting as the mediator, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A guest-worker program has been a major stumbling block to efforts by a bipartisan group of senators known as the Gang of Eight to reach a compromise on a way to create a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, most of whom are Hispanics.
Labor unions have argued against a guest-worker program, worrying that a flood of low-wage immigrant laborers would take away jobs from Americans. The agreement covers the pay levels for low-skilled temporary workers and the types of jobs that would be included.
Schumer briefed White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on Saturday on the breakthrough, the source said.
The agreement still must be approved by the Gang of Eight senators, four Democrats and four Republicans. If they do so as expected, Senate legislation on a broad new immigration law would be advanced in the Senate in the coming weeks.
In recent days, the immigration effort had been stalled by failure to forge an agreement on the guest-worker program, although the White House insisted that progress was being made.
President Barack Obama wants to fulfill a campaign pledge by gaining passage of a law that would create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants currently in the country. He has vowed to do what he can on immigration through executive actions in the absence of legislation.
Immigration long has been a controversial issue in the United States and previous efforts to craft a comprehensive overhaul of American immigration laws have failed, with Democrats and Republicans remaining far apart.
Many Republicans previously had taken a hard position against illegal immigrants. Obama's unsuccessful Republican challenger last year, Mitt Romney, had advocated "self-deportation" of illegal immigrants. Republicans in Arizona and other states passed tough laws cracking down on illegal immigrants.
But the mood for a deal is ripe because Republicans saw Hispanic Americans vote overwhelmingly for Obama and other Democratic candidates in last November's elections and they need to woo this increasingly important voting bloc.
Many Republicans see gaining favor with the Hispanic voting bloc, which accounts for 10 percent of the U.S. electorate and is growing, as a matter of political survival.
Republicans want to ensure that security along the U.S.-Mexican border is improved before immigrants can get on a path to citizenship. Obama feels security is sufficient but this disagreement is not seen as a deal-breaker.
"We're seeing right now a good bipartisan spirit," Obama told Spanish-language network Univision on Wednesday. "I want to encourage that and hopefully we'll be able to get it done."
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Will Dunham)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/business-labor-groups-reach-immigration-deal-overhaul-advances-193136796.html
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In this March 24, 2013 photo, former Marine Corps Cpl. Marshall Archer, left, a veterans' liaison for the city of Portland, Maine, speaks to a man on a street in Portland. Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
In this March 24, 2013 photo, former Marine Corps Cpl. Marshall Archer, left, a veterans' liaison for the city of Portland, Maine, speaks to a man on a street in Portland. Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
In this March 24, 2013 photo, veterans' liaison Marshall Archer, a former Marine Corps corporal, poses for a photo in Portland, Maine. Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem. They say they've sacrificed already.
Government benefits are adjusted according to inflation, and President Barack Obama has endorsed using a slightly different measure of inflation to calculate Social Security benefits. Benefits would still grow but at a slower rate.
Advocates for the nation's 22 million veterans fear that the alternative inflation measure would also apply to disability payments to nearly 4 million veterans as well as pension payments for an additional 500,000 low-income veterans and surviving families.
"I think veterans have already paid their fair share to support this nation," said the American Legion's Louis Celli. "They've paid it in lower wages while serving, they've paid it through their wounds and sacrifices on the battlefield and they're paying it now as they try to recover from those wounds."
Economists generally agree that projected long-term debt increases stemming largely from the growth in federal health care programs pose a threat to the country's economic competitiveness. Addressing the threat means difficult decisions for lawmakers and pain for many constituents in the decades ahead.
But the veterans' groups point out that their members bore the burden of a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the past month, they've held news conferences on Capitol Hill and raised the issue in meetings with lawmakers and their staffs. They'll be closely watching the unveiling of the president's budget next month to see whether he continues to recommend the change.
Obama and others support changing the benefit calculations to a variation of the Consumer Price Index, a measure called "chained CPI." The conventional CPI measures changes in retail prices of a constant marketbasket of goods and services. Chained CPI considers changes in the quantity of goods purchased as well as the prices of those goods. If the price of steak goes up, for example, many consumers will buy more chicken, a cheaper alternative to steak, rather than buying less steak or going without meat.
Supporters argue that chained CPI is a truer indication of inflation because it measures changes in consumer behavior. It also tends to be less than the conventional CPI, which would impact how cost-of-living raises are computed.
Under the current inflation update, monthly disability and pension payments increased 1.7 percent this year. Under chained CPI, those payments would have increased 1.4 percent.
The Congressional Budget Office projects that moving to chained CPI would trim the deficit by nearly $340 billion over the next decade. About two-thirds of the deficit closing would come from less spending and the other third would come from additional revenue because of adjustments that tax brackets would undergo.
Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow in economic studies at The Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, said she understands why veterans, senior citizens and others have come out against the change, but she believes it's necessary.
"We are in an era where benefits are going to be reduced and revenues are going to rise. There's just no way around that. We're on an unsustainable fiscal course," Sawhill said. "Dealing with it is going to be painful, and the American public has not yet accepted that. As long as every group keeps saying, 'I need a carve-out, I need an exception,' this is not going to work."
Sawhill argued that making changes now will actually make it easier for veterans in the long run.
"The longer we wait to make these changes, the worse the hole we'll be in and the more draconian the cuts will have to be," she said.
That's not the way Sen. Bernie Sanders sees it. The chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs said he recently warned Obama that every veterans group he knows of has come out strongly against changing the benefit calculations for disability benefits and pensions by using chained CPI.
"I don't believe the American people want to see our budget balanced on the backs of disabled veterans. It's especially absurd for the White House, which has been quite generous in terms of funding for the VA," said Sanders, I-Vt. "Why they now want to do this, I just don't understand."
Sanders succeeded in getting the Senate to approve an amendment last week against changing how the cost-of-living increases are calculated, but the vote was largely symbolic. Lawmakers would still have a decision to make if moving to chained CPI were to be included as part of a bargain on taxes and spending.
Sanders' counterpart on the House side, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, appears at least open to the idea of going to chained CPI.
"My first priority is ensuring that America's more than 20 million veterans receive the care and benefits they have earned, but with a national debt fast approaching $17 trillion, Washington's fiscal irresponsibility may threaten the very provision of veterans' benefits," Miller said. "Achieving a balanced budget and reducing our national debt will help us keep the promises America has made to those who have worn the uniform, and I am committed to working with Democrats and Republicans to do just that."
Marshall Archer, 30, a former Marine Corps corporal who served two stints in Iraq, has a unique perspective about the impact of slowing the growth of veterans' benefits. He collects disability payments to compensate him for damaged knees and shoulders as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. He also works as a veterans' liaison for the city of Portland, Maine, helping some 200 low-income veterans find housing.
Archer notes that on a personal level, the reduction in future disability payments would also be accompanied down the road by a smaller Social Security check when he retires. That means he would take a double hit to his income.
"We all volunteered to serve, so we all volunteered to sacrifice," he said. "I don't believe that you should ever ask those who have already volunteered to sacrifice to then sacrifice again."
That said, Archer indicated he would be willing to "chip in" if he believes that everyone is required to give as well.
He said he's more worried about the veterans he's trying to help find a place to sleep. About a third of his clients rely on VA pension payments averaging just over $1,000 a month. He said their VA pension allows them to pay rent, heat their home and buy groceries, but that's about it.
"This policy, if it ever went into effect, would actually place those already in poverty in even more poverty," Archer said.
The changes that would occur by using the slower inflation calculation seem modest at first. For a veteran with no dependents who has a 60 percent disability rating, the use of chained CPI this year would have lowered the veteran's monthly payments by $3 a month. Instead of getting $1,026 a month, the veteran would have received $1,023.
Raymond Kelly, legislative director for Veterans of Foreign Wars, acknowledged that veterans would see little change in their income during the first few years of the change. But even a $36 hit over the course of a year is "huge" for many of the disabled veterans living on the edge, he said.
The amount lost over time becomes more substantial as the years go by. Sanders said that a veteran with a 100 percent disability rating who begins getting payments at age 30 would see their annual payments trimmed by more than $2,300 a year when they turn 55.
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By Ree Hines and Drusilla Moorhouse, TODAY contributors
HBO, AMC
Sunday night promises to be a bloody good time for fans of quality cable dramas and made-for-TV gore. The highly anticipated finale of "The Walking Dead" will dish up one final -- and staggering -- body count for the season just as the equally anticipated premiere of HBO's "Game of Thrones" launches viewers back into the world of Westeros (and beyond).
But Sunday night will also be bittersweet. Sure, it'll be packed with perfect programming for horror-and-fantasy-loving nerds, but only one of those shows will be back the following week. As those mama-loving dragons return, the flesh-loving Walkers will walk away. Just as we say hello to one fully witty "half-man", it'll be time to bid Daryl Dixon and his quiver adieu.
What are devoted fans to do? Why, pit their favorite shows against each other, of course! Just for fun.
Before it's a case of one or the other, take a closer both shows and pick your favorite parts from the following match-ups:
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Stanford University
A Crittercam attached to a Humboldt squid captured some amazing footage, as this screengrab shows.
By Megan Gannon
LiveScience
To see firsthand how an elusive species of jumbo squid lives, scientists have strapped video cameras to the carnivorous sea creature in the eastern Pacific.
The footage has helped reveal some remarkable secrets of the Humboldt squid: They are capable of amazing bursts of speed, up to nearly 45 mph (72 km/h); they "talk" to each other by changing their body color; and they hunt in big synchronized groups.
Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) ? which can grow to more than 6 feet (2 meters) in length and 100 pounds (45 kilograms) in weight ? have razor-sharp beaks and toothed suckers. Mass strandings?of the species and reports of aggression toward humans have spooked beachgoers for decades, but the jumbo squid are not man-eaters ? they usually feed on small fish and plankton that are no more than a few inches in length, though they sometimes cannibalize each other.
For all the squid's captivating features, scientists still have many questions about the species' behavior, so biologists at Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station turned to the National Geographic Society's Crittercam, which has been used to study animals ranging from penguins to hyenas. [Image Gallery: Humboldt Squid Stranding]
Attaching a quart-sized device with a camera and sensors to a squid presents some technical problems. The trick is to find a big enough squid and fix the Crittercam onto a child's bathing suit so that it can be slipped over the creature's fins like a spandex sleeve, Stanford biologist William Gilly explained in a video.
The resulting video footage?and data from echo-sounding studies showed that Humboldt squid can jet-propel themselves at speeds comparable to the fastest ocean fish. They hunt in tightly coordinated groups, a behavior that's usually associated with fish rather than invertebrates (animals without a backbone) like squid, the researchers found. And smaller squid tend keep their distance from the bigger ones, likely to avoid being cannibalized.
Jumbo squid are known to have pigmented cells, called chromatophores, which allow them to change color in response to neural impulses. The cameras allowed the researchers to watch the squid flashing like a strobe light in their natural habitat. Gilly said the only time the squid seem to make these red-and-white color signals is when they encounter another individual of their species.
"We don't know exactly what those discussions mean," Gilly said in a video from Stanford. For now, interpreting those interactions is like trying to decipher what two people are saying to each other just by watching their mouths move, he added.
Humboldt squid live in the eastern Pacific Ocean from the tip of South America up to Mexico, but have been moving farther north in recent years. Scientists believe the species might be migrating up the coast as warming oceans are creating larger low-oxygen zones deep below the surface, environments where the squid live.
Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+. Follow us?@OAPlanet, Facebook?or Google+.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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More responsive legislation and robust real estate laws are also expected to quell local fluctuations on services and returns across industry. Al Awar notes that there are some concerns that must be addressed in order to sustain organic growth, such as affordable housing and varying financing options for real estate customers.
Abu Dhabi
The past year saw a fluctuating 5 to 12% slide in Abu Dhabi rents due to the entrance of new units all over the emirate. Major initiatives such as new regulations on housing allowances for government employees, the announcement of key government-backed projects and an Dhs330bn local stimulus package are expected to accelerate demand and market growth in Abu Dhabi for 2013, though.
More industry consolidation has been observed in Abu Dhabi after the merger of major developers Aldar and Sorouh. Consolidation is expected to extend beyond companies and towards government entities and projects as well. Upcoming rollouts such as 200 villas in Al Reef Contemporary Village and a Mosque, Community Center and mini-market in the Mediterranean Village will further boost the market. Other projects slated for opening in the coming years, such as 'The District' retail destination in Saadiyat Island and the mixed-use Sowwah Central in Al Maryah Island will further strengthen Abu Dhabi's real estate claim.
Another trend to watch out for is Abu Dhabi's lead in sustainability integration in light of Masdar activities and Estidama regulations. Sustainability initiatives in 2013 are expected to be small-scale, though, as owners have not yet fully embraced 'green' leases. Overall, the Abu Dhabi property is expected to sustain its market momentum, especially with the local Government pledging Dhs6bn per year to boost economic activity.
Dubai
While residential rents in Dubai rose 7 to 10% over the past 3 months, the emirate has been able to maintain its popularity as a preferred destination offering flexible payment schemes. Experts forecast a 10 to 17% increase in rental rates across the Dubai market in 2013, driven by several new project announcements made in late 2012. The emirate's recent posting of a 34-month closing high on its stock market index bodes well for its investment outlook. Barring major construction delays, around 36,000 new apartments and villas could go online from 2013 to 2015. Amidst broad options, Dubai tenants are expected to go for localities offering quality units and amenities.
Most of the residential supply is expected in locations including Dubai Land Residences, Motor City, Dubai Sports City, and Liwan. Looking forward, major developments in the pipeline such as the Dhs6bn Blue Waters Island and an Dhs3.67bn hotel and branded serviced apartment project in Downtown Dubai and the announcement of an Dhs3.67bn investment influx by Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) and Brookfield Asset Management reflect the resurgence of Dubai's property market.
Nationwide, the recent announcement of planned property regulations aimed at settling down prices and eliminating market speculation has prevented what could have been a spiraling of rents in 2013. The UAE Central Bank has declared that a proposed cap on mortgage lending - for expatriates at 50% of the property's value and 70% for UAE Nationals - will be discussed during the second half of this year.
The adoption of more transparent approaches for service charges and operating costs arrangements is also highly anticipated that will significantly reduce the number of rent disputes.
Al Awar added that this year will build on the transitional nature of 2012 to make the UAE property markets more robust and sustainable. He advised all sector players and stakeholders to closely monitor market movements to take advantages of opportunities that are quickly arising in what Tasweek believes will be a watershed year for the business.
Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/uae-real-estate-rides-growing-confidence-335438
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If you've frequently been sifting through the Chrome Web Store for content, you've probably been stymied once or twice by search results that didn't initially show the content type you were looking for. At least some of us shouldn't face that problem following a quiet update from Google. Searches now show the top hits for apps, extensions and themes on one page, and a click of a category header is all that's needed for more detail. Just fire up Chrome (or a Chromebook) to see the remade results page.
Via: Joe Marini (Google+)
Source: Chrome Web Store
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/OoWWSdh_bsg/
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Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/idaho-boy-detained-list-weapons-found-135105091.html
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Alexei Oreskovic , Reuters ? ? ? 4 hrs.
Facebook is expanding the advertising system that lets marketers tailor messages to users of the No. 1 social network based on their browsing history, in the company's latest step to refine its ad business.
So far, the system has been used to target graphical display ads on the right side of a Facebook user's page, based on websites visited in the past, such as for products or potential vacation destinations.
The move announced on Tuesday will incorporate this system, called Facebook Exchange, to the ads in Facebook's News Feed.
It ties together two of the most significant innovations that Facebook has made in the past year to its advertising business, which accounts for roughly 84 percent of the company's revenue.
Marketers last year welcomed the launch of Facebook Exchange as it provided a common online advertising technique long missing on the social network.
Ads that appear directly within the Facebook News Feed are considered crucial to its future business prospects since they can be seen on mobile devices such as smartphones. About two-thirds of Facebook users accessed the site on a mobile device in December.
Facebook said the Facebook Exchange system will initially be available for newsfeed ads that appear on desktop PCs but not on mobile devices.
"Desktop is more in line with what FBX (Facebook Exchange) has been doing effectively in the right hand side. And we also find that desktop is the place where more people convert from seeing direct-response ads," said Facebook spokeswoman Elisabeth Diana.
The company is testing the new service with a limited set of partners, with plans for broader availability in the coming weeks.
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.
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With the Xperia Z out the door -- and Xperias SP and L due in a few weeks -- Sony Mobile’s attention may be turning to the rest of its 2013 product line-up. That, according to the latest rumors from Japan, might include a duo of Snapdragon 600-powered handsets and a monstrous 6.4-inch tablet hybrid.
According to Japanese site smasoku.mobi, the Xperia A (codenamed “Dogo”) will arrive on Japanese carrier NTT Docomo this summer. Specs are said to include a 4.6-inch display, the aforementioned Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 2300mAh battery and water and dust resistance. An IR blaster is reportedly on-board too, as is 1Seg Japanese TV support and NFC-based mobile wallet capabilities.
Next up is the Xperia UL (codenamed “Gaga”), which apparently sports a similar design to the America-centric Xperia ZL. As far as specs are concerned the main difference between the two is the upgrade from a Snapdragon S4 Pro to Snapdragon 600. The other vital stats -- 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and 2300mAh battery, haven’t changed all that much. Like the Xperia A, it’s also said to support 1Seg, IR capabilities and mobile wallet.
Finally, Sony’s gigantic 6.4-inch, 1080p handset, purportedly codenamed “Togari,” remains on the cards, according to the Japanese site. In Japan it’s set to launch “later this year” on Docomo, however Sony is said to still be in talks with carriers. If the “Togari” does see a widespread release, it might go up against Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3, which is expected towards the back half of the year.
As always, take these rumors with a pinch of salt, and bear in mind that these Japanese products might look somewhat different when we see them in the West. Regardless, these look like some interesting devices -- in particular, we’re curious to see how Sony tackles the phone/tablet hybrid space.
Source: smasoku.mobi; via: XperiaBlog
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/2UCWB3K9Law/story01.htm
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Tomas Berdych, of the Czech Republic, returns to Sam Querrey during the Sony Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Berdych won 6-1, 6-1. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Tomas Berdych, of the Czech Republic, returns to Sam Querrey during the Sony Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Berdych won 6-1, 6-1. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Sam Querrey returns to Tomas Berdych, of the Czech Republic, during the Sony Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Berdych won 6-1, 6-1. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Sam Querrey wipes his face during a match against Tomas Berdych, of the Czech Republic, at the Sony Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Berdych won 6-1, 6-1. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Serena Williams celebrates her 6-3, 7-6(5) win against Li Na, of China, during the Sony Open tennis tournament in Key Biscayne, Fla., Tuesday, March 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Tomas Berdych, of the Czech Republic, reacts after defeating Sam Querrey during the Sony Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Berdych won 6-1, 6-1. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) ? As Sam Querrey left the court Tuesday, two youngsters cradling huge stuffed tennis balls leaned over a first-row railing, hoping for an autograph from the highest-ranked American in men's tennis.
Querrey, head down, kept walking. He was gone in a hurry at the Sony Open.
Playing his first tournament as the No. 1 American on the ATP Tour, Querrey lasted only 50 minutes in the fourth round and lost to Tomas Berdych, 6-1, 6-1. His elimination means that for the first time, the 28-year-old tournament will have no American in the men's quarterfinals.
The shutout is the latest sign of declining fortunes for U.S. tennis.
"I guess you could say it's been somewhat of the norm the last couple of years," Querrey said. "It's not like we had guys in the quarters week in, week out."
American results on the women's side have been better lately, thanks mostly to No. 1-ranked Serena Williams. The five-time Key Biscayne champion advanced to Thursday's semifinals and tied the women's record for career victories in the tournament by beating No. 5-seeded Li Na 6-3, 7-6 (5).
While Williams continues to dominate the WTA Tour, last year no American man reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal. The outlook wasn't helped by the retirement of Andy Roddick, whose 2003 U.S. Open championship is the most recent major title by a U.S. male.
Querrey was playing his first tournament as the top American, and he managed his best showing in eight appearances at Key Biscayne, aided by a walkover in the third round. His serve and forehand let him down against Berdych, however. The 6-foot-6 Querrey came into tournament second on the tour in aces this year, but he had only four against Berdych, and made only 39 percent of his first serves.
"Just one of those awful days," Querrey said. "The more you miss, the harder it gets to get the ball in. It just kept getting worse."
No. 2 Andy Murray, the champion in 2009 and runner-up last year, returned to the quarterfinals by beating No. 16 Andreas Seppi 6-2, 6-4. No. 8 Richard Gasquet hit 17 aces, including three in the final tiebreaker, and advanced to his first Key Biscayne quarterfinal by beating No. 10 Nicolas Almagro 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (3).
No. 3 David Ferrer beat No. 13 Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-2. Ferrer's next opponent will be unseeded Jurgen Melzer, who rallied past Albert Ramos 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Querrey will remain No. 1 in the United States next week and stay close to his current ranking of 20th. Last week he overtook fellow American John Isner, who is ranked 23rd and lost in the third round Monday.
But Querrey, 25, wants more. He has yet to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in 24 tries, he's 11-37 against top-10 players, and he has reached only one final since 2010.
He realizes some might see his U.S. ranking as tainted, given the nation's rich tradition of tennis achievement.
"The goal is not to be the No. 1 American," Querrey said. "I want to be one of the best players in the world.
"With this No. 1, I'd feel better if I was ranked higher. If you look at the previous No. 1 Americans, they have all, for the most part, hit the top 10. But I feel like I'm just going to keep getting better and hopefully improving, and hopefully I can hit the top 10 while being the No. 1 American."
Querrey is part of the Davis Cup team that will face Serbia and top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals April 5-7 in Boise, Idaho.
"I know the U.S.," Querrey said. "We get ripped a lot for not having a lot of guys in the top 20. If we were to win a Davis Cup, I think that would silence some people even if we didn't have guys in the top 10 or even a few guys in the top 20."
Or in the quarterfinals.
Williams was the lone U.S. woman to reach the final eight. When she smacked a winner on match point to seal the victory over Li, she jumped for joy cannonball-style, knees high and fist raised.
"I don't usually leap like that in the quarterfinal," Williams said. "But it was just a good shot."
She improved to 59-7 in the tournament. Steffi Graf, another five-time champion, went 59-6.
"I hope to get more," Williams said.
Assured of remaining No. 1 next week, Williams will play Thursday against the winner of the quarterfinal Tuesday night between defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 30-seeded Kirsten Flipkens.
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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/51324888/
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Mar. 26, 2013 ? Early diagnosis is critical in treating Lyme disease. However, nearly one quarter of Lyme disease patients are initially misdiagnosed because currently available serological tests have poor sensitivity and specificity during the early stages of infection. Misdiagnosed patients may go untreated and thus progress to late-stage Lyme disease, where they face longer and more invasive treatments, as well as persistent symptoms.
Existing tests assess the presence of antibodies against bacterial proteins, which take weeks to form after the initial infection and persist after the infection is gone. Now, a nanotechnology-inspired technique developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania may lead to diagnostics that can detect the organism itself.
The study was led by professor A. T. Charlie Johnson of the Department of Physics and Astronomy in Penn's School of Arts and Sciences along with graduate student Mitchell Lerner, undergraduate researcher Jennifer Dailey and postdoctoral fellow Brett R. Goldsmith, all of Physics. They collaborated with Dustin Brisson, an assistant professor of biology who provided the team with expertise on the bacterium.
Their research was published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
"When you're initially infected with the Lyme disease bacterium, you don't develop antibodies for many days to a few weeks," Johnson said. "Many people see their physician before antibodies develop, leading to negative serological test results. And after an initial infection, you're still going to have these antibodies, so using these serological diagnostics won't make it clear if you're still infected or not after you've been treated with antibiotics."
The research team's idea was to flip the process around, using laboratory-produced antibodies to detect the presence of proteins from the organism. This is an extension of previous work Johnson's lab has done connecting other biological structures, such as olfactory receptors and DNA, to carbon nanotube-based devices.
Carbon nanotubes, rolled-up lattices of carbon atoms, are highly conductive and sensitive to electrical charge, making them promising components of nanoscale electronic devices. By attaching different biological structures to the exteriors of the nanotubes, they can function as highly specific biosensors. When the attached structure binds to a molecule, that molecule's charge can affect the electrical conduction of the nanotube, which can be part of an electrical circuit like a wire. Such a device can therefore provide an electronic read-out of the presence, or even concentration, of a particular molecule.
To get the electrical signal out of these nanotubes, the team first turned them into transistor devices.
"We first grow these nanotubes on what amounts to a large chip using a vapor deposition method, then make electrical connections essentially at random," Johnson said. "We then break up the chip and test all of the individual nanotube transistors to see which work the best."
In their recent experiment, Johnson's team attached antibodies that naturally develop in most animals that are infected with the Lyme disease bacterium to these nanotube transistors. These antibodies naturally bind to an antigen, in this case, a protein in the Lyme bacterium, as part of the body's immune response.
"We have a chemical process that lets us connect any protein to carbon nanotubes. Nanotubes are very stable, so we have a very reactive compound that binds to the nanotube and also has a carboxylic acid group on the other end. For biochemists, getting any kind of protein to bind to a carboxylic acid group is just child's play at this point, and we have worked with them to learn how to perform this chemistry on the side wall of nanotubes. "
After using atomic-force microscopy to show that antibodies had indeed bound to the exteriors of their nanotube transistors, the researchers tested them electrically to get a baseline reading. They then put the nanotubes in solutions that contained different concentrations of the target Lyme bacteria protein.
"When we wash away the solution and test the nanotube transistors again, the change in what we measure tells us that how much of the antigen has bound," Johnson said. "And we see the relationship we expect to see, in that the more antigen there was in the solution, the bigger the change in the signal."
The smallest concentration the nanotube devices could detect was four nanograms of protein per milliliter of solution.
"This sensitivity is more than sufficient to detect the Lyme disease bacterium in the blood of recently-infected patients and may be sufficient to detect the bacterium in fluids of patients that have received inadequate treatment," Brisson said.
"We really want the protein we are looking to detect to bind as close to the nanotube as possible, as that is what increases the strength of the electrical signal," Johnson said. "Developing a smaller, minimal version of the antibody -- what we call a single chain variable fragment -- would be a next step.
"Based on our previous work with single chain variable fragments of other antibodies, this would probably make such a device about a thousand times more sensitive."
The researchers suggested that, given the flexibility of their technique for attaching different biological structure, eventual diagnostic tools could incorporate multiple antibodies, each detecting a different protein from the Lyme bacterium. Such a setup would improve accuracy and cut down on the possibility of false-positive diagnoses.
"If we were to do this type of test on a person's blood now, however, we would say the person has the disease," Johnson said. "The first thought is that if you detect any protein coming from the Lyme organism in your blood, you are infected and should get treatment right away."
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/jKHfAQDeP-s/130326194140.htm
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The mobile phone is today?s PC, but not necessarily in the way you think. Fifteen years ago, the PC was the central hub in one?s interactions with the wider world. This was largely because of the state of miniaturization; our electronics simply weren?t small or efficient enough to make mobile phones and laptops nearly as powerful as desktops.
So we made do with the PC ? it was a jack of most trades, and getting more powerful all the time. Then, cue the proliferation of smaller devices like iPods, feature phones, and pocket GPS units that were fairly powerful and useful. The PC declined in the universality of its application, and while it remains popular to this day (however one defines it), its usefulness has been honed to a finer point ? stationary productivity, gaming, storage, and so on.
Imagine, if you will, a graph with power (roughly speaking, including efficiency and variety of capabilities as well as raw horsepower) on the X axis and intended use cases on the Y. The PC usually ended up in the top right corner, a sort of computing Swiss Army knife that lacked only portability. On the bottom left you have things like calculators. The bottom right, corresponding to high power and few intended use cases, was empty until those new devices took up residence there, using advanced technology to accomplish more narrowly-defined tasks ? playing music, finding one?s location, checking email, etc. Keep this graph in mind.
Fast forward to the present. Smartphones are enjoying their salad days at the moment, as PCs were in the late 90s. We have reached a pleasant plateau hardware-wise (barring any major breakthroughs), and divergence in software is now the word.
Samsung?s recent press conference, although excruciating in every other respect, was fun for me because of the sheer amount of features being discussed. It reminded me of that trick where a clown pulls scarves or the like from his mouth, and they just keep coming out (it was about as funny, too).
I don?t blame them for throwing the kitchen sink at us, even if the feature list ends up reading like a Skymall catalogue. They love technology! They love what it can do! We can all be positive about that. And believe it or not, there are millions of people who love gadgets like this. My dad, for instance, would flip over the two-way video thing. And built-in automatic spoken translation? It?s really quite impressive!
But here?s what interested me about it. Remember that graph from earlier? Let?s tweak it a little bit. If we only include mobile devices, what you find at the top right is almost certainly the latest Galaxy, a ?life companion? device meant to be applied to practically every situation you could ever encounter.
At the lower left is the lowly feature phone, humble in its capabilities and its ambitions. Towards the upper right you have the iPhone, which, despite being advanced and versatile, is not explicitly intended for quite so many uses as the larger, more intense Samsung (witness the extra sensors, larger screen, etc on the latter). In fact, most everything would likely be clustered loosely around a line between the origin and the Galaxy.
Now, if you?ll recall, the lower right was, previously, where the world shifted to as soon as it was possible. What do we see there now?
Not a lot.
There are a few, arguably. Wearable devices like the Fitbit or iPod shuffle, for instance, or e-paper devices imitating paper but communicating over 3G. And while wearable devices are indeed an increasingly popular area of development, they don?t quite scratch the itch I?m reaching for here. For one thing, they mostly offload their interfaces and many functions to other devices, and as such act more as an extension of your phone or PC, an extra accelerometer or temperature sensor that?s more convenient to carry or embed than a whole phone.
What the generation of devices succeeding the PC (back to the first graph, now) added was portability, certainly, but more importantly, they added focus. They took the idea of the PC and redesigned it around a single purpose. This produced some wonderful devices: The original iPod and dedicated GPS units I mentioned were incredibly good at what they did.
Now we have come full circle: Mobile devices built around the idea of the original PC ? Swiss Army knives once more.
But think about what you do with your phone. The readers of this site probably do a lot more than the average user, but still, most use would fall within the basic categories of calling, written communication, web, imaging, gaming, and location.
I think we?re going to see devices laser-focused on one or two of these categories fairly soon. Maybe that sounds a little weird, first because there are already devices like that, and second because one might credibly argue that there?s no point to them. But I disagree with both points, thou man of straw.
Devices like the Galaxy Camera and Xperia Play (and to a certain extent Google Glass) may appear in some ways to be an attempt at a totally refocused mobile device, but let?s be honest: they are grotesque frankengadgets, the modern equivalent of CD-MP3 players, combining the drawbacks of two device classes in one handy package. We haven?t seen, for example, a device that truly marries the accessibility and connectivity of an iPhone with the picture-taking prowess of a DSLR, or a device that revolves entirely around your location while providing the versatility of apps and services, or a device focused specifically on the storing and organization of rich silent media like articles and books. Instead, every device is a compromise rather than a reinvention.
But the iPhone?s camera is great, you say! And you can get apps that provide the functionality you speak of, without removing other functionality from the device!
This perspective, however, is a by-product of peak multifarity. The more the better! Go Samsung! Ten pages of apps! But good design, which one encounters surprisingly seldom these days in the devices and interfaces we use the most, may be considered the result of subtraction rather than addition. People didn?t stop buying regular knives when Swiss Army knives came out. And of course people didn?t stop buying PCs when BlackBerries, iPods, and GPS units came out. Some things do one thing well, and some do many things adequately. It?s good to be able to choose between them.
Because you want the right tool for the job, of course. And right now we?re using the same tool for every job ? which is a natural thing when we are exploring the capabilities of a technology. The first guy to build a hammer probably didn?t stop banging on things for days. And we?re so enamored of our all-purpose pocket computers that we haven?t thought how we might improve them by reducing their scope rather than increasing it.
People want focus, and people want to belong to a niche. We gravitate naturally towards these things as reflections of our personality and of our needs. Those needs and, it goes without saying, our personalities, differ widely. One person wants a six-inch screen with LTE and unlimited data so he can watch Netflix on the train. Another wants one with no audio at all, because it?s used entirely for pictures and email. Another (me, in fact) wants an e-ink screen on one side and a solar panel on the other.
The variety we crave does not exist yet; the variety we have is of the most limited sort. It may take a while, and there will probably be a few false starts, but I think (and hope) that this will be one of the next steps in the evolution and further proliferation of our companion devices.
Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/25/the-right-tool-for-the-job/
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Travelling is a joyous way of exploring different places and cultures. There are lots of places in the world that people can look forward to. South East Asia is a popular region, which attract thousands of visitors each year. Cities like Vietnam, Cambodia and others have all emerged as popular tourists spots. There are lots of places that people can explore on their visit to these cities. Some of the prominent attractions include the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Suoi Tien amusement park, Vinpearl and the War Remnants Museum. A vacation to the land of Vietnamese can be fun and entertaining. But, planning a trip takes lot of efforts and preparations.
Managing all the travelling needs individually can be quite tough. It is quite evident that a person may miss on few important things. What one needs is the help of a tour service provider that handles all the basic travelling requirements. One of such is the guide Vietnam. For years, they have been serving people with their effective services and in the process have earned themselves a reliable name. They provide attractive tour packages that cover all your travelling needs. There are several benefits that people can have with such a company. They assist you in each stage of travelling.
With Vietnam travel guide you get a complete freedom of choosing the destinations that you want to explore in the city. They have a huge database of attractions that are highly popular among people. With varied choices you can easily choose a destination that is affordable. Various Vietnam tourism service providers have their websites. You can easily log on to one of these and cull the information that you need to know about a particular place. The biggest advantage that you get with these sites is that they feature articles, blogs and reviews. Articles are written by professional travel guides. They provide information on the places and accommodation facilities that you can take into consideration. On the other hand, blogs and reviews are written by people who have used their services.
The Vietnam travel guide website also allows you to compare the different hotel rates. Accommodation is the most important factor that one needs to seek out before he plans the trip. Making reservations after one reaches the destination may be a hectic process. There are instances, when one may not get a particular hotel or a reservation. The services of these websites can provide you with suitable options that can make you booking an easy process. You can search for various hotels can compare their rates. This enables you to choose the accommodation facility that is affordable and best suits your requirement.
Along with finding reasonable staying options, you can also search for the best places of eating. Vietnam travel features a unique service of write ups, in the food and drink category, that can make your vacation more memorable.
The services of these companies have made Vietnam tourism a hit. So, if you are looking for an affordable vacation option, all you need to do is visit one of such website.
An Nguyen is the author of this article on vietnam travel. Find more information, about vietnam tourism here
Source: http://articles-plus.com/explore-places-with-vietnam-travel.html
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Former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr has died March 12, 2013. He was 56. Burr passed away in his sleep and had suffered poor heath for years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
A country singer-songwriter and original member of the Louisiana Hayride, King was best known for the 1962 hit "Wolverton Mountain." He died on March 7, 2013, at 90 years of age.
Peter Banks, the original guitarist for the British band Yes, died on March 7, 2013, at the age of 65. A post on his official website stated that Banks died from heart failure and was found in his London home after he didn't show up to a recording session. <br> L-R: Peter Banks, Tony Kaye, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford, Jon Anderson - posed, group shot (Photo by Gilles Petard/Redferns)
Bonnie Franklin, the pert, redheaded actress who won fame as a divorced mom on the long-running sitcom "One Day at a Time," has died March 1, 2013 due to complications from pancreatic cancer. She was 69.
Australian producer Adrian Thomas, better known as DJ Ajax, died on the day of his 42nd birthday, Feb. 28, 2013. The Sydney Morning Herald reported DJ Ajax died after he ran out onto a Melbourne road and was hit by an oncoming truck.
Former Motown vocalist Richard Street (top R), a member of the Temptations for 25 years, died on Feb. 27, 2013 at a hospital in Las Vegas after a short illness. He was 70.
Dale Robertson, an Oklahoma native who became a star of television and movie Westerns during the genre's heyday, died Feb. 26, 2013 Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., following a brief illness. He was 89.
Former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dan Toler has died on Feb. 25, 2013, at the age of 65. He passed away in his sleep after a two-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Myers, the actor most known for playing Mr. Vernon Gaines on the NBC sitcom "A Different World," died on Feb. 19, 2013 at Charleston Medical Center in West Virginia after undergoing a heart-related emergency and falling into a coma. He was 76.
Harris (far right), a one-time member of legendary Motown group The Temptations, died on Feb. 18, 2013. According to the Baltimore Sun, Harris (born Otis Robert Harris, Jr.) lost his 14-year-long battle to prostate cancer after spending the last three months in the hospital. He was 62. Also in the photo: Richard Street, Melvin Franklin, Otis Williams and Dennis Edwards in 1972.
The country singer was found dead in her Heber Springs, Ark., home on Feb. 17, 2013. The Cleburne County sheriff said in a statement that preliminary autopsy results from Arkansas' state crime lab show McCready's death was a suicide from a single gunshot wound to the head.
Bass player Rick Huxley, one of the founding members of the Dave Clark Five, died on Feb. 11, 2013, at the age of 72. Though the band broke up in 1970, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
John Kerr, the stage and film actor whose credits include the movie "South Pacific," the thriller "The Pit and the Pendulum" and a Tony Award-winning turn in "Tea and Sympathy," died on Feb. 9, 2013, at the age of 81. He passed away due to heart failure at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif.
Mark Balelo, an auction house owner featured on the A&E reality TV show "Storage Wars," was found dead on Feb. 11, 2013. He was 40. His death has been declared a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/mark-balelo-suicide_n_2674485.html">suicide</a>.
Jazz musician Donald Byrd, a leading hard-bop trumpeter of the 1950s who collaborated on dozens of albums with top artists of his time and later enjoyed commercial success with hit jazz-funk fusion records such as "Black Byrd," died on Feb. 4, 2013. He was 80. No details have been released regarding his death.
The British actor died on Feb. 1, 2013, just four days shy of his 62nd birthday. He is best known for playing villainous character Ethan Rayne on the hit series "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," but boasts a full resume and will also be remembered for his roles on "Babylon 5" and "Star Trek: Voyager."
O'Connor, Hugh Hefner's longtime secretary who appeared on the reality series "Girls Next Door," died on Jan. 27, 2013.
The actor, best known for his role as drug kingpin Proposition Joe on the critically acclaimed HBO series ?The Wire,? died January 17th, 2013, of apparent heart failure in his sleep at his home in Northeast Baltimore. He was 52.
Pauline Phillips, who as Dear Abby dispensed snappy, sometimes saucy advice to millions of newspaper readers around the world, died Jan. 16, 2013, in Minneapolis after a long battle with Alzheimer's. She was 94.
Ellis, the director of "Snakes on a Plane," died in South Africa on January 7, 2013. He was 60.
Seattle rapper Freddy E (real name Freddy E. Buhl) died on January 5, 2013, of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 22-year-old is believed to have live tweeted the moments leading up to his apparent suicide.
Ned Wertimer (here seen on the left), who appeared on 11 seasons of "The Jeffersons" as Ralph The Doorman, died January 2, 2013, at the age of 89. Wertimer died following health complications at the Sherman Village Health Care Center in California.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/24/steve-mcqueen-birthday-photos_n_2917838.html
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When the fourth season of The Voice arrives on Monday (8 p.m. ET on NBC), it will be without that outlandish diva and…that other outlandish diva. As you've probably heard by now, stars Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green are both taking a break to pursue other projects, and have ceded their spinning chairs to Latin pop superstar Shakira and that unstoppable R&B mainstay, Usher.
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Source: http://www.modelsblog.info/2013/03/24/two-of-fashions-best-heat-up-miami-florida/
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