High-End Cables do Make a Difference

Except for hard-core audiophiles, spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on audio cables might sound like an awful idea to many. After all, a cable is just a set of intertwined wires that serves the basic function of signal transmission. In simpler words, a cable carries the electric signal from one electrical component to the next component, for example, cables transmit electric signals from your DVD player to the speakers. Well, it is just how the wheels of your vehicle carry you from one place to the other, but have you ever imagined what if one of the tires has loose bolts or the rubber on the tire is not of a very good quality? Would you still be safe in reaching from point A to point B? Similarly, when you connect your audio device to the receiver, if the plug is not firmly fitted to the jack or if the cable is not made of good quality materials, there might be fluctuations in the electric signal and your whole hifi device may experience digital hiccups.
When we get a brand new DVD player or a hifi home theater, a set of cables usually come along with the set. However, are they safe and good enough? Yes, they are good enough, but not for the long run. They are good to use until you get superior quality cables from an electronics showroom or an e-store. Superior quality cables do not mean that you necessarily have to spend your money on expensive cables. High priced cables, of course, are also rated high quality wise, but it no way sounds sensible spending 5-10,000 dollars on these exotic power cords that too not on 15-20 miles of cable, but only a pair of cables, may be 7-9 feet long. Cables are not a luxury item after all. All you need is a set of standard, yet high quality cables that can transmit the audio signal faithfully from the amplifier to the speakers. Audio aficionados usually don't mind spending thousands of dollars on these high-end purchases; not because a deluxe set of cables will enhance their style statement, but because it will complement well to their expensive stereo set. One thumb rule, which almost 99% consumers don't know is that, it is wise to spend 10-20% of your home theater budget on buying cables. If you got the system for $10,000, then $1000-2000 worth of cables would be appropriate.
Vertere cables are a good quality product you can rely upon while shopping for premium cables. Vertere cables are an unmatchable product, which outperforms any cable of its genre in many aspects. The Vertere cables have all essential components within it that allow purity of transmission, thus delivering a faster, smoother and more dynamic sound. This esoteric product not only safeguards your expensive device from electric shocks and voltage fluctuations, but these thin cables also significantly improve the sound quality of your device. Vertere cables are undeniably fine performers than any other cable that you will get for a similar price. The sonic signature of Vertere cables remains truly consistent throughout; no matter you use them for how many long years. Vertere cables add powerful audio beats to your hifi home theater for the sound to leap out of the speakers and take the entire space around it. Connect your components with Vertere cables and you are definite to go crazy with the sound your beast will produce.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1546456/high-end-cables-do-make-a-difference.htm

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Little Cyprus thumbs its nose at EU 'bullies'

Two men walk in the old city of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Two men walk in the old city of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A man walks past graffiti in capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A Greek Cypriot soldier walks at the old town of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A man with shopping bags and a tourist pass at the old city the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks to prevent people from draining their accounts as the country's politicians sought a way out of an acute financial crisis. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Private security officers stand at a main door of a bank as people wait outside of a cooperative bank in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks to prevent people from draining their accounts as the country's politicians sought a way out of an acute financial crisis. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? The moment word broke that Cypriot lawmakers in Parliament had voted down a bailout deal that would have raided everyone's savings to prop up a collapsing banking sector, a huge cheer rose up from hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside that echoed through the building's corridors.

Many relished it as a kind of David-against-Goliath moment ? a country of barely a million people standing up to the will of Europe's behemoths who wanted it to swallow a very bitter pill to fix its broken-down economy.

"Shame on Europe for trying to snatch people's savings. It's a mistaken decision that will have repercussions on other economies and banking systems," said protester Panayiotis Violettis. "People have stopped trusting the EU which should be our protector."

Fighting back is not a new experience for Cypriots. From the 1950s guerrilla war against British rule to Greek Cypriots' defiant refusal in 2004 to accept a U.N.-backed peace plan to reunite the island, they are used to holding their own against big opponents.

Just as quickly as Cyprus' euro area partners decided that a deposit grab was the only way out, so Cypriots decided their tiny island was ground zero in Europe's new financial scorched earth policy and that it had to be resisted at all costs.

"Better die on your feet than live on your knees," one placard among the throngs of protesters read. Another said: "It starts with us, it ends with you" as a warning to other Europeans that their savings were no longer safe.

Politicians seized on the public mood. "This is another form of colonization," Greens lawmaker Giorgos Perdikis spouted in Parliament. "We won't allow passage of something that essentially subjugates the Cypriot people for many, many generations.

"Unfortunately, instead of support and solidarity, our partners offered blackmail and bitterness," said Parliamentary Speaker Yiannakis Omirou. The indignant leader of the country's Orthodox Christian Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, added: "This isn't the Europe that we believed in when we joined. We believed we would receive some kind of help, some support."

The country's foreign minister, Ioannis Kasoulides, even acknowledged that Cypriot negotiators had contemplated exiting the euro instead of accepting their euro area partners' terms.

In the end, Cyprus accepted a deal that would safeguard small savers but where depositors with more than 100,000 euros in the country's two most troubled banks would lose a big chunk of their money.

Nonetheless, Europe was stunned at the sheer brazenness. How could a pipsqueak country on Europe's fringes thumb its nose to continental juggernauts Germany and France and dare to turn down a deal meant to save it from economic chaos?

It's not the first time the country has pushed back in defiance, even against what many would consider as insurmountable odds. The island's majority Greek Cypriots fought former colonial ruler Britain to a draw in a four-year guerrilla campaign in the 1950s that aimed for union with Greece. That conflict ended in the country's independence in 1960.

Just 14 years later, a Turkish invasion prompted by an abortive coup by supporters of union with Greece resulted in the island's division into an internationally recognized, Greek-speaking south and a breakaway, Turkish-speaking north.

The invasion and its fallout remains an existential matter in the minds of Cypriots and it still informs many of the political and economic decisions the country and its people make.

"Greek Cypriots lost nearly everything during the 1974 invasion," said University of Cyprus History Professor Petros Papapolyviou. "So they reason, what else do we have to lose? Why accept another injustice?"

In 2004, Greek Cypriots again defied international expectations when they voted down a United Nations-backed reunification plan they believed was unfairly weighted against them.

A few days later, the island joined the European Union and some EU leaders were left fuming at what they saw as Greek Cypriot deceit for promising to sign up to a peace deal in exchange for EU membership.

Nearly a decade later and European acrimony at the Cypriot "no" hasn't entirely dissipated. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaueble told the Sunday edition of German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that "Cyprus was admitted to the EU in hopes that the plan of then-U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to overcome the (island's) divide would be honored."

"I interpret (that) as indicating a sense of vindictiveness rather than rational, result-oriented thinking." said University of Cyprus Associate Professor Yiannis Papadakis.

Were the tough bailout terms some sort of belated punishment? Whether that's true or not, such notions only feed a Cypriot proclivity for conspiracy theories. As in other small, insular societies, threats ? real or imagined ? sharpen a sense of collective victimhood.

Papadakis said Cypriots see their political culture as underpinned by personal relationships. Hence their reference to "friends" instead of "allies," which implies a more pragmatic relationship.

"That's why Greek Cypriots often complain of a 'betrayal from our friends'," he said. But it's wrong for the EU to foist all the blame on Cypriots when things go awry, Papadakis added.

"I believe that the rest of the EU has made a large share of mistakes during this arduous process."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-30-Defiant%20Cyprus/id-754f946538bb4441803bc67a2ee5b359

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GE Talked With Dell About Buying Finance Unit - Deal Journal - WSJ

By Sharon Terlep and Kate Linebaugh

General Electric Co?s financial services arm talked with Dell Inc. recently about buying the computer maker?s financing unit, though the talks didn?t lead to a deal, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

The talks were separate from talks GE has been having with Blackstone Group LP, the private-equity firm that is proposing to take control of Dell, the people said. As part of that plan, Blackstone is considering selling all or part of Dell?s finance business. People familiar with those talks have said GE would be the most likely buyer.

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Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2013/03/29/ge-talked-with-dell-about-buying-finance-unit/

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Spur groups to debate each other ? Business Management Daily ...

In the 1920s, Alfred Sloan ran General Motors. When he convened his management team to explore whether to open a plant abroad, they all approved the move.

Sloan replied that he wouldn?t make a decision until he heard some disagreement. He wanted the best judgments to flow from clashing viewpoints.

• Rather than tell people what they should do, raise their awareness. Identify possibilities, options and variables to weigh. Pose questions so that you prod others to grapple with difficult decisions on their own.
• Follow a speak-listen ratio of 20-80. By limiting your speaking to about 20% of the time, you force yourself to refrain from dishing out advice or making too many ?should? statements.

? Adapted from How To Be Exceptional, John Zenger, Joseph Folkman, Robert Sherwin Jr. and Barbara Steel, McGraw-Hill.

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Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/34994/spur-groups-to-debate-each-other

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PST: Sunderland sack manager Martin O'Neill

Two-and-half months without a win and meant Saturday?s inept performance cost Martin O?Neill his job. Just over one year after the former Leicester City, Celtic, and Aston Villa man replaced Steve Bruce at the Stadium of Light, the Northern Irishman is out, the club having relieved him of his responsibilities on Saturday night.

The announcement was made via the club?s website:

The club has parted company with manager Martin O?Neill.

Sunderland AFC has announced that it has parted company with manager Martin O?Neill this evening.

The club would like to place on record its thanks to Martin and wishes him well for the future.

An announcement will be made in the coming days regarding a successor.

The Black Cats hadn?t won a game since their 3-2 victory at Wigan on Jan. 19. In the eight matches that?ve followed, Sunderland collected five goals and three points while falling to 16th in the Premier League.

With 31 points, O?Neill team was only one point above the drop. Their 33 goals scored ranked 16th in the league, while only two teams (Queens Park Rangers, Reading) had won fewer games.

For a club with Sunderland?s resources, it?s an indefensible position to be in, especially consider O?Neill was given the power to reshape the team as he wished. The result was one of the most pedestrian brands of soccer in the league ? a squad that played like a caricature of pre-Premier League-era soccer. Conservative, cynical, and consistently disappointing, O?Neill?s product gave his employers no recourse.

His project wasn?t designed with long-term goals. The short-term results weren?t improving. The team wasn?t subject to any particular bad luck, and the manager wasn?t lacking for resources. There was no reason to keep O?Neill after a reputation-redefining spell.

With their Premier League survival at stake, Sunderland had to make a move. Even if they can?t find somebody with O?Neill?s CV, change for change?s sake will still be justified.

Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/martin-oneill-sacked-sunderland/related/

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Lil Twist Hosted RAGER at Justin Bieber's Mansion in Singer's Absence: Report

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/lil-twist-hosted-rager-at-justin-biebers-mansion-in-singers-abse/

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Franchise quarterback, anyone?

Getty Images

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu says that if the NFL is going to keep passing rules designed to protect the players, the players should get a vote in those rules.

?There?s rule changes every year,? Polamalu said in an interview on SportsCenter. ?I do wish, however, that the NFL did have a voice from the players? side, whether it?s our players? union president, or team captains, or our executive committee on the players? side. Because we?re the guys that realize the risk, we?re the guys on the field.?

Polamalu made his statements within the context of a discussion of the new rule against delivering forcible blows with the top of the helmet outside the tackle box ? a rule change that the Competition Committee did, in fact, ask for player input on before presenting the change to the owners, who approved it by a vote of 31-1. Polamalu said that while he?ll learn to live with the rule, he worries that the game is changing too much.

?We?re professional athletes, so we can adjust, but we grow up understanding instinctively how to play the game of football, and it?s really hard to say, ?OK, eventually I?m not going to be able to use my head, or wrap with my arms? or whatever it may be,? Polamalu said. ?I think you can only do so much to the game before you really start to change the essence of our sport. Our sport is not made for anybody to be able to play it, especially at the NFL level, so there?s obviously some risk that we all take knowingly.?

In Polamalu?s view, there?s a point at which rules designed to make the game safer in reality just make the game softer.

?Football is a very physical sport, and a lot of what separates the good from the great [is] the ability to receive contact, to give contact, to overcome the mental block of injury when you have contact,? Polamalu said. ?I understand that they want the sport to be safer but eventually you?re going to start to take away from the essence of this game and it?s not really going to be the football that we all love and have a passion for.?

And so Polamalu joins the list of players who respond to the rules designed to protect them by saying they don?t want to be protected.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/29/teams-could-be-lining-up-for-crack-at-romo-in-2014/related/

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Experts debate the psychology of ?Star Trek? vs. ?Star Wars?

Wondercon 2013: The psychology of Star Trek vs. Star Wars (Eric Pfeiffer/Yahoo News)ANAHEIM, Calif.?At Friday?s opening day of Wondercon 2013, the swords were drawn early. Or, more specifically, the light sabers were drawn and the phasers were set to kill.

Four experts, including two psychologists, debated four specific topics as part of an epic breakdown analyzing the respective strengths and weaknesses of "Star Wars" and "Star Trek."

To an outsider, the debate might seem trivial. But to fans of each series, the differences have long run deep, pitting the more cerebral science fiction of "Star Trek" against the emotional, fantasy-driven stories of the "Star Wars" universe.

As the debate opened, it was clear a majority of the hundreds of Wondercon attendees who packed into the ballroom showed up in, er, force, to support "Star Wars."

Well, first of all, there are not as many Trekkies here because they are all at work today,? quipped NYU clinical psychologist Dr. Ali Mattu.

Round 1: Nature vs. Nurture

Thanks to the infamous "Star Wars" prequels, we now know that the villainous Darth Vader was not always bad. But the greatest villain of "Star Trek," Khan Noonan Singh, was literally born bad?a product of genetic engineering who believed himself superior to lesser men. So, which is the better story?

?Vader is someone you can probably diagnose with borderline personality disorder,? Mattu said. ?In fact, the American Psychological Association hosted a talk on this very topic in 2007. Whereas Khan is the most dangerous thing in social psychology when you dehumanize people. You get things like the eugenics wars and the Nazis.?

?Khan had a later life transformation,? said Larry Nemecek, author of "Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion." ?When we first met him in the "Stark Trek" television series, he was a villain. But when he comes back in the second film (?Wrath of Kahn?), his wife has been killed and his adopted planet ruined.?

For her part, Dr. Andrea Letamendi, a psychologist, said Vader?s story was more compelling because of its complexity.

?George Lucas really has an understanding of what makes evil,? she said. ?There is a sophistication of what makes risk, loss and antisocial behavior. We are reminded that humans are complex.?

For his part, "Robot Chicken" writer Hugh Sterbakov did see one common failing of the two diabolical leaders: ?They're both really bad at choosing assistants,? he said, noting that in the accompanying photos for the panel, both men are seen lifting men into the air by their throats.

Round 2: Strength and Resilience

But who in the two competing sagas overcomes the most adversity? Was it the crew of the Enterprise overcoming the death of Spock? Or Luke Skywalker seeing his murdered aunt and uncle and being forced into a completely new world?

Dr. Letamendi said both series have similarities in the way that their characters maintain their behavioral patterns even after trying situations. For example, in "Star Trek 2," Spock is willing to accept death during an unwinnable computer simulation. Later in the film, he sacrifices his own life to save the crew of the Enterprise.

And in "The Empire Strikes Back," Luke Skywalker is quick to anger during a test of character in the caves of Dagobah. Later in the film, he succumbs to the same behavior, and suffers for it, when he is quick to confront Vader.

?The main point is not win or lose but how you went down,? Nemecek said.

Round 3: Artificial Intelligence

The panelists weren?t allowed to speculate on who would win in a fight between Captain Kirk and Han Solo. But they were free to debate who has the better robots.

?There's a spectrum of how they treat artificial intelligence in 'Star Trek,'? said Nemecek. ?Even Data's creator was an outcast. It's a complex question in the "Star Trek" universe.?

Letamendi responded by saying that the "Star Wars" androids were more likeable because they are less human, citing the Uncanny Valley concept, which states that humans are emotionally put off by artificial intelligence the more closely it resembles actual human behavior and appearance.

But Mattu disagreed, agreeing with Nemecek that the wide variety of artificial intelligence on display in the "Star Trek" universe was met with different responses from different cultures.

Round 4: The Test

The panelists then moved on to the final round to argue which saga showcases the greater journey for its characters. From there, it was left to the audience to decide who had won the debate.

?It's an inspirational, motivational story that goes to the core of what it means to experience self-actualization and self-individualization,? Letamendi said of "Star Wars." ?It's actually what psychologists consider to be the most advanced state of being. And they have bad-ass costumes.?

Mattu offered the counterpoint, saying of his own experience:

?What happened to me when I saw "Star Trek" was that I could see myself there. It was a future we could see, a mirror into ourselves. How with empathy, science and knowledge we can grow, improve as a society and overcome.?

?Plus, only in "Star Trek" can you blow up a planet and create one simultaneously using science.?

Ultimately, the cheers were loud for both sides, though it appeared that the "Star Trek" argument came out slightly ahead, reversing what had seemed like an audience stacked in favor of "Star Wars" at the onset.

But to any attendees who felt disappointed with the results, Mattu offered some positive news.

?Here's how we all win: We all have J.J. Abrams now.?

Wondercon 2013: The psychology of Star Trek vs. Star Wars (Eric Pfeiffer/Yahoo News)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/experts-debate-psychology-star-trek-vs-star-wars-222637187.html

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Achebe's passing: Beginning of the end of an epoch in Africa writing

By NGUGI WA THIONG?O
I?first met Chinua Achebe in 1961 at Makerere, Kampala. His novel, Things Fall Apart, had come out two years before. I was then a second year student, the author of just one story, Mugumo, published in Penpoint, the literary magazine of the English Department. At my request, he looked at the story and made some encouraging remarks.

My next encounter was more dramatic, on my part at least, and would affect my life and literary career profoundly. It was at the now famous 1962 conference of writers of English expression.

Ngugi-wa-Thiongo

Achebe was among a long line of literary luminaries that included Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark, Eski?a Mphahlele, Lewis Nkosi and Bloke Modisane. The East African contingent consisted of Grace Ogot, Jonathan Kariara, John Nagenda and I.

My invitation was on the strength of my short stories published in Penpoint and in Transition.

But what most attracted me was not my being invited there as ?writer? but the fact that I would be able to show Achebe the manuscript of my second novel, what would later become Weep Not, Child. It was very generous of him to agree to look at it because, as I would learn later, he was working on his novel, Arrow of God. Because of that and his involvement in the conference, he could not read the whole manuscript, but he read enough to give some useful suggestions.

More important, he talked about it to his publisher, William Heinemann, represented at the conference by June Milne, who expressed an interest in the work. Weep Not, Child would later be published by Heinemann and the paperback by Heinemann Education Publishers, the fourth in the now famous African Writers series of which Achebe was the Editorial Adviser.

I was working with the Nation newspapers when Weep Not, Child came out. It was April 1964, and Kenya was proud to have its first modern novel in English by a Kenyan African. ?Or so I thought, for the novel was well published in the Kenyan newspapers, the Sunday Nation even carrying my interview by de Villiers, one of its senior features writers.

Shaking hands with a hero

I assumed that every educated Kenyan would have heard about the novel. I was woken to reality when I entered a club, the most frequented by the new African elite at the time, who all greeted me as their Kenyan author of Things Fall Apart.

Years later, at Achebe?s 70th birthday celebrations at BardCollege attended by Toni Morrison and Wole Soyinka among others, I told this story of how Achebe?s name had haunted my life. When Soyinka?s turn to speak came, he said I had taken the story from his mouth: He had been similarly mistaken for Achebe.

The fact is Achebe became synonymous with the Heinemann African Writers Series and African writing as a whole. There?s hardly any African writer of my generation who has not been mistaken for Achebe.

I have had a few of such encounters. The last such was in 2010 at the JomoKenyattaAirport. Mukoma, the author of Nairobi Heat, and I had been invited for the Kwani? festival whose theme was inter-generational dialogue. ?As he and I walked towards the?immigration desk, a man came towards me. His hands were literally trembling as he identified himself as a professor of literature from Zambia.

?Excuse me Mr Achebe, somebody pointed you out to me. I have long wanted to meet you.?

?No, no I am not the one,? I said, ?but here is Mr Achebe,? I added pointing at my son.

I thought the obvious youth of my son would tell him that I was being facetious. But no, our professor grabbed Mukoma?s hands grateful that he had at last shaken hands with his hero.

The case of mistaken identity as late as 2010 shows how Achebe had become a mythical figure, and rightly so. He was the single most important figure in the development of modern African literature as writer, editor and quite simply a human being.

His novel, Things Fall Apart, the most widely read novel in the history of African literature since its publication in 1958 became an inspiring model. As the general editor of the Heinemann African Writers Series, he had a hand in the emergence of many other writers and their publication.

As a person, he embodied wisdom that comes from a commitment to the middle way between extremes and, of course, courage in the face of personal tragedy!

Achebe bestrides generations and geographies

Every country in Africa claims him as their own. Some sayings in his novels are quoted frequently as proverbs that contain universal wisdom. His passing marks the beginning of the end of an epoch.

Ngugi wa Thiong?o is a creative writer and distinguished professor of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine.

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Comments are moderated. Please keep them clean and brief.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/03/achebes-passing-beginning-of-the-end-of-an-epoch-in-africa-writing/

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Britain's domestic spy agency names new director

LONDON (AP) ? Britain's domestic spy agency has chosen a new director, a 50-year-old ornithologist with counter-terrorism experience in the Middle East and Northern Ireland.

Andrew Parker, one of the youngest MI5 directors in recent history, has worked for the service for 30 years and led the agency's response to the July 7 London transit bombings in 2005 that killed 52 people.

Parker said Thursday he's "extremely proud of the extraordinary work the men and women of MI5 do to keep the country safe in challenging circumstances," and is looking forward to his "next chapter."

Besides his work in the fields of Middle East terrorism, counter- espionage and Northern Ireland terrorism, Parker also has experience in serious and organized crime prevention, protective security and strategic planning. He also had a liaison posting in the United States in 1991.

Parker was appointed MI5's director of international terrorism prevention in 2005, the same year that suicide bombers attacked during London's rush-hour.

In 2006, his teams played a key role disrupting al-Qaida's attempt to attack multiple airliners with bombs hidden in drink bottles.

Parker, who starts his job April 22, has been the deputy director general of the agency since 2007. In that role, he has been responsible for leading all the service's investigative and operational work.

Parker holds a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and is married with two children.

He succeeds Jonathan Evans, who is leaving MI5 after 33 years of service.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britains-domestic-spy-agency-names-director-165931622.html

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U.S. Navy SEAL dies in parachute training accident

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A member of the elite U.S. Navy SEALs died and another was injured in a parachute training accident in Arizona, military officials said on Friday.

The man died after being taken to a hospital for injuries sustained in a "free-fall training" accident on Thursday at the U.S. Special Operations Command's Parachute Testing and Training Facility, northeast of Tucson, said Navy spokesman Lieutenant Commander David McKinney.

The injured man remains hospitalized in stable condition, he said.

"I can confirm that a SEAL died yesterday as a result of the accident," McKinney said. "I don't know what happened or what caused the accident."

No other details were available, and the names of the two men were not released. The accident is being investigated.

SEAL is an acronym for sea, air, land.

(Editing by Ian Simpson and Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-navy-seal-dies-parachute-training-accident-010402231.html

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Internet Advertising is Targeted Advertising

Gone are the days of advertising when a product or service was sent via the mail system to people?s mailboxes. Today, more and more people, with a green outlook on life are saying no to paper and yes to Internet advertising. While all other forms of advertising are losing their appeal, more and more customers [...]

Summary: While all other forms of advertising are losing their appeal, more and more customers are selecting advertising received through electronic mediums as their reason for buying a product or choosing a service provider.

?Businesses may develop advertising strategies themselves using online resources or they may employ a web content and advertising specialist to produce and implement the advertising strategies for them.

?This SEO content will enable the search engines like Google, yahoo and msn to find the business and to make the site highly visible to the person making an internet search for the product or service that the business is offering.

?Banner ads and video ads placed on websites that are themselves of interest to the group targeted often produce the best results of all forms of advertising. If your business isn?t already engaged in Internet advertising, then maybe you should contact a specialist and find out how you can use this powerful web tool to rocket your sales into 2011.

read more

Source: http://management-survival.com/internet-advertising-is-targeted-advertising/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=internet-advertising-is-targeted-advertising

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Society for Historic Preservation honors community members

via yelp.com

Notes

By Emily Bell

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation is now accepting nominations for their annual Village Awards.

Awwarded in June, Village Awards are given to buildings, businesses, individuals and organizations that have impacted Greenwich Village, the East Village and NoHo. The first set were awarded in 1991.

?The Village Awards? main purpose is to highlight and celebrate the great people, places, businesses and groups that have contributed to the special quality of life in our neighborhoods,? GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman said. ?We try to make sure that special contributions that people have made in one way or another are recognized.?

Berman said the society typically receives over a hundred nominations and gives out about six awards each year. There is a ceremony with a video presentation that recognizes the recipient for their work, and then they are presented with the award.

Recipients are chosen by a committee comprised of GVSHP members, past winners, community leaders and small business owners.

?It?s a good assortment of people of various facets of life in the neighborhoods we represent,? Berman said. ?The competition is fierce.?

Past winners include Caffe Reggio, dancer Merce Cunningham, Washington Square Hotel and Film Forum. Another award called the Regina Kellerman Award, formerly known as the Front Stoop Award, is given to those that have restored or handled changes to a building in what Berman has called a ?sensitive and appropriate way.?

?The Village Awards help save and bring attention to buildings that add to the antique yet modern facade that is known to characterize much of Greenwich Village,? Gallatin freshman Rayne Holm said.

Berman stated that GVSHP has given awards to community members who have worked against NYU projects in the Village but also gave NYU a Village Award in 1998 for their historic house restorations.

?There are people who have won awards, community activists who part of what they were recognized for was in fighting certain NYU expansion projects that we thought were bad,? Berman said. ?When NYU has done a good job of restoring a building, we?ve given them awards for that as well.?

According to its website, the ?GVSHP founded in 1980 to preserve the architectural heritage and cultural history of Greenwich Village, the East Village and NoHo.? GVSHP releases newsletters, annual reports and has a blog. NYU professor of social and cultural analysis Harvey Molotch noted that part of the problem with Village preservation are changes in the financial worth of the areas.

?I think the Village is one of the treasures of world culture and it needs to be ?preserved,??? Molotch said. ?The problem is how to do that. Landmarking and associated preservation tools at least help preserve the physical aspects of the history, rather than losing them to the wrecking ball and replacement by high-rise structures.?

Emily Bell is a deputy city/state editor. Email her at ebell@nyunews.com.

Emily Bell is deputy city/state editor. Email her at ebell@nyunews.com

Source: http://nyunews.com/2013/03/28/awards-2/

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White House to release budget plan on April 10

March 28 (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy, playing for the first time since losing his world number one ranking earlier this week, got off to a shaky start at the Houston Open on Thursday where he dropped three shots over his opening eight holes. The 23-year-old Northern Irishman, who was replaced atop the world rankings by Tiger Woods this week, struggled to find his rhythm on an ideal day for low scoring at the Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Texas. He bogeyed the par-four second hole and made a double-bogey seven on the eighth hole to limp to the turn at three-over. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-release-budget-plan-april-10-200534446--business.html

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Why So Many Americans Put Off Medical Care, Medicaid Expansion ...

Bulletin Today | Politics Print

Hidalgo is a county in southern Texas just across the Rio Grande from Mexico. It?s also home to the highest prevalence of U.S. adults ? about 40 percent of the population? delaying necessary medical care because of cost, according to data in the March 28 New England Journal of Medicine.

The research letter in the March 28 issue of the journal found this number to vary significantly across the country and to be lower in places with less restrictive eligibility criteria for Medicaid, the federal-state insurance program for low-income citizens.

Authors found that people with incomes between 67 percent and 127 percent of the federal poverty line, which is $23,550 for a family of four, had up to a 16 percent chance of delaying care. The odds went up to 42 percent for those with lower incomes.

Illustration Courtesy of The New England Journal of Medicine ?2013

?

The findings come at a time when states are deciding whether to pursue the Affordable Care Act?s Medicaid expansion, which would extend eligibility to adults with incomes at or below 133 percent of the poverty level.

Norfolk, Mass., with a 6.5 percent prevalence of adults delaying care, was at the opposite end of the spectrum from Hidalgo, researchers said. Massachusetts? adoption of state health reforms since 1990, including Medicaid expansions, and the state?s history of investing in health care were likely reasons, said one of the authors, Dr. Cheryl Clarke from Brigham and Women?s Hospital in Boston.

?We were surprised by the depth of variation between states,? she said. ?It?s important these trends continue to be monitored.?

The study?s authors looked at county-level data of about 289,000 adults to determine the relationship between Medicaid eligibility and adults delaying care. They also took into account the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics at hand.

Researchers found that the counties with residents most vulnerable to delaying care were also likely to have more Hispanic residents and high rates of chronic diseases commonly associated with low-income communities. Texas and Florida were among the states with the highest prevalence.

But Clarke said the study shows that it is possible to develop health infrastructure ? through Medicaid, community clinics and more primary care doctors ? to combat an issue that might be taking a toll on the country?s health. And she said federal investments are moving in that direction.

?This seems to be a strategy that is feasible,? she said. ?We?ll see how that plays out over time.?

?

Also of Interest

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See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more

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Source: http://blog.aarp.org/2013/03/28/why-so-many-americans-put-off-medical-care-medicaid-expansion-aca/

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Cypriot banks reopen after 12 days -- but customers can only withdraw $383 each

After the banking system was shut down for nearly two weeks, Cyprus' banks finally reopened to long lines of people who faced limits as to how much they could withdraw. NBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera reports.

By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News

Banks on the tax haven of Cyprus opened Thursday for the first time in 12 days amid the island's continuing financial crisis, but the country's financial controls could remain in place for another month.

Strict limits on the amount of money that could be withdrawn have been imposed ? people will be able to withdraw 300 euros ($383) a day and no checks will be cashed ? amid fears of a run on the banks.

Account holders showed up hours before the banks were due to open to get in line.

Early indications were that there was no mass rush to withdraw cash, with just 13 people waiting outside one large Bank of Cyprus branch on the island as it opened at noon local time (6 a.m. ET). They were surrounded by a scrum of journalists.

?We need only from you cooperation, understanding and please patience,? the manager of the branch said before opening.

However a small crowd of people did press against the doors of a branch of Laiki Bank, which is being liquidated. CNBC sources estimate those with more than 100,000 euros (about $128,000) in accounts in Laiki Bank could lose 40 to 70 percent of their deposits.

---

During the banking shutdown, people could only withdraw 100 euros (about $127) a day from the country's two biggest banks, using ATMs.?Most who lined up for the opening Thursday were elderly people and those without ATM cards.?

Deposits above 100,000 euros with the Bank of Cyprus will be frozen and 40 percent of each account will be converted into bank stock. Accounts in both banks with balances under 100,000 euros will be fully protected.

A previous proposal to take less from all bank accounts?was vetoed by the Cypriot parliament.

Later Thursday, the Cypriot foreign minister?Ioannis Kasoulides said curbs on money movement would remain in place longer than originally planned, "probably over a period of about a month," according to Reuters.

The country is seeking to meet the terms of a bailout from the European Union of 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) and, in order to raise enough funds to meet strict conditions imposed by the EU, it is preparing to take money from bank accounts.

CNBC's Michelle Caruso Cabrera reports on banks reopening in Cyprus and the limits they've imposed on depositors. The situation, she says, is calmer than expected.

Ahead of the banks? reopening, money was flown into the island and guards were seen delivering cash to banks in armored vehicles.

The banks were due to close at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).

There was some relief on the island that the banks were finally opening again, but this was mixed with fear about what could happen.

'Slow death'
Yorgos Georgiou, who owns a dry cleaning business in Nicosia, told Reuters that "finally people's mood will be lifted and we can start to trust the system again."

But he added: "I'm worried about the poor kids working in the cashiers today, because people might vent their anger at them. You can't predict how people will react after so many days."

Kostas Nikolaou, a 60-year-old retiree, told Reuters that the uncertainty of the past two weeks had been "like a slow death."

"How can they tell you that you can't access your own money in the bank? It's our money, we are entitled to it,? he added.

The country?s president, Nicos Anastasiades, has described the bailout deal as ?painful? but essential.

However, Nobel laureate economist Christopher Pissarides said it was ?extremely unfair to the little guy.?

?For the first time in the euro zone, depositors are (being) asked to bail out failing banks," he said. "Now that used to be the case in the 1930s, especially United States (and) caused big bank runs. It has been decided since then that we shouldn?t allow that to happen again.?

As Cyprus celebrates its Independence Day, the ?government is defending the last-minute bailout deal it's negotiated with the European Union. This means shutting down the country's second biggest bank, with big savers facing ?losses. ?ITV's Emma Murphy reports.

Among other controls, the island's central bank will review all commercial transactions over 5,000 euros and scrutinize transactions over 200,000 euros on an individual basis, Reuters reported. People leaving Cyprus can take only 1,000 euros with them. An earlier draft of the decree had put the figure at 3,000.

Reuters summed up the situation facing the island:

With just 860,000 people, Cyprus has about 68 billion euros in its banks - a vastly outsized financial system that attracted deposits from foreigners as an offshore haven but foundered after investments in neighboring Greece went sour.

The European Union and International Monetary Fund concluded that Cyprus could not afford a rescue unless it imposed losses on depositors, seen as anathema in previous euro zone bailouts.?The bailout looks set to push Cyprus deeper into an economic slump, shrink the banking sector and cost thousands of jobs.

European leaders said the bailout deal averted a chaotic national bankruptcy that might have forced Cyprus out of the euro.

Many Cypriots say the deal was foisted upon them by Cyprus's partners in the 17-nation euro zone within the European Union, and some have taken to the streets to vent their frustration.

CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Katie Slaman, and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

Cypriots fear run on banks as branches prepare to reopen

Cypriots: Hope, but also fear they 'will be like slaves' to Russia

EU to Cypriots: Let us raid your savings or no bailout

This story was originally published on Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:52 AM EDT

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South Korean Politician Moves to Repeal Biased Copyright Law ...

On Friday, South Korea's National Assembly will meet with advocates for and against the country's ?three strikes? law that restricts the online activities of Internet users who violate copyright regulations. On March 24, 2013, Mr. Choi Jae-Cheon, a member of the Culture, Broadcasting, and Tourism Standing Committee of the Korean National Assembly, along with other twelve other sponsors, announced his proposal to repeal this provision of the law, which has been in force since 2009.

Korean National Assembly. Photo by Flickr user jeroen020. (CC BY-SA)

According to an official press release [ko], the South Korean government?introduced the three-strikes copyright control regime in July of 2009. Originally nicknamed the ?netizen-killing law,? the legislation stipulates that if an Internet user violates copyright law online, he or she will receive up to three warnings from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (hereafter ?MCST?), which is responsible for media content policy in South Korea. If the user's behavior does not change after three warnings have been issued, authorities can disable the person's web service account or shut down the bulletin board he or she used by administrative order.

This legal procedure is different from the three-strikes copyright regulation in France known as the HADOPI law. (France and New Zealand have adopted three-strikes copyright regulations; the United States has a somewhat similar six-strikes guideline.) In France, a person's Internet access cannot be blocked until his or her case has been reviewed and approved by a judge. But in South Korea, the executive branch is the sole enforcer of the regulation, making the process less transparent and more vulnerable to arbitrary decision-making.

Since the law was enacted, the Korean government has sent 468,446 takedown notices to users and shut down 408 website accounts. The law has affected far more users than it was originally intended to ? it was passed with the goal of targeting users engaging in massive amounts of illegal downloading, estimated at about 1,000 users. But in fact, according to Mr. Choi's investigation based on his team's collected data from MCST, among 380 users whose accounts have been shut down, 174 (45.8%) of them inflicted damages of less than US$.90. Mr. Choi argues that their punishment, which constrains their right of access to information, is much harsher than the cost they incurred. Therefore, the law not only violates legal due process ? it is also inefficient from an economic perspective, and it imposes a punishment that is?disproportionate to the crime.

A coalition of Korean Internet companies, experts, and civic groups including Jinbo.net,?IP Left, and?newly formed digital rights group Open Net [ko] have all voiced their support for repealing the law. In a post [ko] entitled ?Why We Can't Just Watch the Corruption of Copyright Law,? Open Net questioned the alleged economic motivations of the policy:

????? ?? 3?? ?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ??????. ????? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? 47? ?? ???. 2009? ?? ? ?? ???? ?? ???? 3??? ??? ????? ?????? ????. ??? ?????? ?? ???? ? ??? ???? ????? ??? ??? ?? ????. ?? ???? ???? ?? 9??? ????? ????? ?????. (?) ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ? ? ?????

Three-strikes law has been in force for the past three years. But it is already apparent that the government targeted not the heavy illegal down-loaders, but lay users. About 470,000 website accounts were warned by the government under the three-strikes law. In 2009, the government analyzed that number as only 1,000. Are we to believe that it has exponentially increased in the past couple of years? No way. Among users whose accounts have been shut down, there were none who traded copyrighted materials for commercial benefits. Some users were punished even though the amount of their indemnity was marginal, at US$0.9.

[...]

How then we can call the three-strikes law a regulation targeted at heavy down-loaders?

This and other Internet-related policies have brought together professors and activists who are forming new non-profit organizations focused on Internet rights. This emerging public coalition shows a promising sign of a new?counter-force against state-guided Internet and communication policy making processes in South Korea.

Source: http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2013/03/28/south-korean-politician-moves-to-repeal-biased-copyright-law/

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Marital conflict causes stress in children, may affect cognitive development

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Marital conflict is a significant source of environmental stress for children, and witnessing such conflict may harm children's stress response systems which, in turn, may affect their mental and intellectual development.

These conclusions come from a new study by researchers at Auburn University and the Catholic University of America. The study appears in the journal Child Development.

Researchers looked at 251 children from a variety of backgrounds who lived in two-parent homes. The children reported on their exposure to marital conflict when they were 8, providing information on the frequency, intensity, and lack of resolution of conflicts between their parents. The study gauged how children's stress response system functioned by measuring respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of activity in the parasympathetic branch of the body's stress response system. RSA has been linked to the ability to regulate attention and emotion. Children's ability to rapidly solve problems and quickly see patterns in new information also was measured at ages 8, 9, and 10.

Children who witnessed more marital conflict at age 8 showed less adaptive RSA reactivity at 9, but this was true only for children who had lower resting RSA. In addition, children with lower baseline RSA whose stress response systems were also less adaptive developed mental and intellectual ability more slowly.

"The findings provide further evidence that stress affects the development of the body's stress response systems that help regulate attention, and that how these systems work is tied to the development of cognitive ability," explains J. Benjamin Hinnant, assistant professor of psychology at the Catholic University of America and one of the researchers.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Society for Research in Child Development, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. J. Benjamin Hinnant, Mona El-Sheikh, Margaret Keiley, Joseph A. Buckhalt. Marital Conflict, Allostatic Load, and the Development of Children's Fluid Cognitive Performance. Child Development, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12103

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/living_well/~3/a7w-l5GLmP4/130328080225.htm

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Hawaiians are laid back about North Korean threats

By Suzanne Roig

HONOLULU (Reuters) - When Japanese warplanes strafed the USS Honolulu in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Navy sailor Ray Emory fired back with a machine gun, so the World War Two veteran knows all about being on the front line of America's defenses.

But North Korea's latest threats of a pre-emptive nuclear strike and rocket attacks on Hawaii do not faze him.

"They're not gonna do anything," Emory, 91, said at his Honolulu home. "They can't even control their missiles. North Korea doesn't bother me. It really doesn't," he added.

Emory's attitude seems to be the norm in the lush, tropical islands, where this week residents and tourists appeared to be pretty much ignoring Pyongyang's rhetoric.

If anybody was seriously preparing for the worst, Jared Aiwohi would know. He is the owner of a store called Uncle Jesse's Place in Wailuku, Maui, that specializes in camouflage clothing, martial arts gear, hunting and bow supplies - the kind of gear favored by survivalists who fear a Doomsday scenario.

"The lifestyle here is laid back and people don't tend to be concerned about these things," Aiwohi said. "We always have the regulars prepping for things like this, but they haven't come in."

The U.S. military announced on March 15 it was bolstering missile defenses in response to the threats from North Korea, which has specifically mentioned Hawaii and the Pacific Island territory of Guam as potential targets.

"Yes, I'm concerned, but what can I do?" said Hawaiian homemaker Cheryl Yamamoto, 57. "Nothing."

Few believe North Korea will risk starting a full-out war - and Yamamoto said the ritual of going to work, getting dinner and taking care of her family weighed more on her mind than what the North Koreans might or might not do.

"I can't let them run my life," she said.

Joey Augustine and Doug Tojeiro, visiting from the continental United States, took time out from enjoying the local wild life (sea turtles) to discuss the threats as they walked up a rocky path from the beach. Both were skeptical.

"I think they're just trying to intimidate us, to see if they can get a rise out of us," Tojeiro said, as he wiped the salt water from his face. "We have the greatest military in the world to stay at peace."

On Guam, which lies about 2,500 miles closer to Pyongyang than Honolulu, the island's flow of tourists has been unaffected by rhetoric from North Korea, residents said.

While still on peoples' minds, concerns over the tension have receded somewhat as residents of the predominantly Catholic island have turned their attention to Easter celebrations.

Tammy Cruz, 38, a teacher from the village of Santa Rita, admitted she'd been a little worried: "Of course it's a scare to hear that our island is threatened." But she was focused on more immediate things: "Our tradition is to get together as a family and to come together to eat as well as have the kids play and to do an Easter Egg hunt."

While U.S. Stealth bombers and a B-52 bomber flew practice runs over South Korea this week, Honolulu's Department of Emergency Management said it had not received any particular alert about potential threats.

"In the event of a rocket attack, then the national defense system would render it useless," said Mel Kaku, director of the Department of Emergency Management. "The best recommendation to our people would be to shelter in place until the threat was eliminated," he added.

In the event of any attack, Kaku's advice to residents is "stay away from windows, or open areas, stay indoors."

"Kind of like during a hurricane, the blast would be similar, with high winds and projectiles," he said.

The Pentagon has declined to define the range of North Korea's rockets, saying it is classified. But Admiral James Winnefeld, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged on March 15 that one type of North Korean missile likely had the range to reach the United States.

(Additional reporting by Maureen N. Maratita in Guam; Editing by Tim Gaynor and Claudia Parsons)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hawaiians-laid-back-north-korean-threats-223901951.html

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Boston College Bans Condom Distribution on Campus

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/boston-college-bans-condom-distribution-on-campus/

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Malta not comparable to Cyprus: Maltese central bank

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/malta-not-comparable-cyprus-maltese-central-bank-102235652--business.html

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Nuclear-capable stealth bombers sent to South Korea amid Kim Jong Un's threats

Two B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, drop inert munitions during a "long-duration, round-trip" training missing from Missouri.

By Jason Cumming and Matthew DeLuca, NBC News

Two American B-2 Spirit stealth bombers practiced an attack on the Korean Peninsula Thursday as part of a military exercise that has sparked angry threats from North Korea.

The U.S. military said the planes involved in the firing drill left Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on a "long-duration, round-trip training mission."

Inert munitions were dropped on a range facility on the Jikdo islands off the western coast of South Korea before the jets returned to the continental U.S. in a single continuous flight.

B-2 Spirit bombers are capable of carrying either conventional or nuclear weapons.

In a statement, the United States Forces Korea?said the mission "demonstrates the United States? ability to conduct long-range, precision strikes quickly and at will."

Dubbed "Foal Eagle," the training exercise involves about?200,000 South Korean troops and 10,000 U.S. forces and is due to continue until the end of April.

Sin Young-Keun / Yonhap via Reuters

A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber (left) flies over Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Thursday.

The Korean Central News Agency, the official state news agency, did not immediately have a response to the stealth bomber mission on Thursday. Previously, KCNA hit out at flights made by U.S. B-52 bombers.

The mission comes at a time of raised tensions between North Korea, its neighbors and the U.S.

A propaganda video posted on the country?s Uriminzokkiri website in February showed New York City under attack from North Korean rockets ? a scenario thought to be far outside the reach of the poverty-stricken nation.

The video, which was set to a version of the song "We Are the World," was widely lampooned in the U.S.

Another video posted in March showed an image of the U.S. Capitol building being hit by an explosion.

The U.S. military announced on March 15 that it was bolstering missile defenses in response to threats from the North, including a threat to conduct a "preemptive nuclear strike."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on March 20 that he would order military forces to attack American military installations in the Pacific and South Korea?if its "enemies ? make even the slightest move,? according to KCNA.

?When the drills turn into a battle, the enemies will be made to drink a bitter cup, unable to raise their heads, in the face of retaliatory blows of the strong revolutionary Paektusan army, he [Kim] said,? the same KCNA article stated in language characteristic of the state?s military-first government.

Tensions rose on the Korean Peninsula in December when the North launched a rocket test, and then again in February with the test of a nuclear bomb. The United Nations Security Council moved to impose further sanctions on the already isolated nation by a unanimous vote early in March.

On Wednesday,?North Korea said it was cutting the last channel of communications with the South because war could break out at "any moment."

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

North Korea puts rocket units on 'highest alert,' issues new threats to US

Kim Jong Un threatens attack on US bases in Pacific

Full North Korea coverage from NBC News

?

This story was originally published on Thu Mar 28, 2013 5:41 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a1647e3/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C280C174980A630Enuclear0Ecapable0Estealth0Ebombers0Esent0Eto0Esouth0Ekorea0Eamid0Ekim0Ejong0Euns0Ethreats0Dlite/story01.htm

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Supreme Court Arguments Leave Anti-Gay Movement Humiliated: Salon

Salon:

It didn?t take long for the empty truth about the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act to be exposed Wednesday, and there was little equality opponents could do. At the Supreme Court hearing, Elena Kagan, the newest justice, went to the House Report from Congress when it passed the law in 1996, and summarized DOMA?s entire legal underpinning: ?Congress decided to reflect and honor a collective moral judgment and to express moral disapproval of homosexuality.?

Read the whole story at Salon

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/28/supreme-court_n_2970349.html

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BracketRacket: A bookstore, a reunion and a mamba

Duke's Mason Plumlee (5) dunks the ball past Albany's Luke Devlin (11), Sam Rowley (14) and Jacob Iati (0) during the second half of a second-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 22, 2013, in Philadelphia. Duke won 73-61. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Duke's Mason Plumlee (5) dunks the ball past Albany's Luke Devlin (11), Sam Rowley (14) and Jacob Iati (0) during the second half of a second-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 22, 2013, in Philadelphia. Duke won 73-61. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Ohio State head coach Thad Matta calls a play against Iowa State in the first half of a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday March 24, 2013, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Welcome back to BracketRacket, the one-stop shopping place for all your NCAA needs.

Today's edition includes the mad rush at Florida Gulf Coast's bookstore, a Plumlee family reunion and Nate Silver's reconfigured odds for the 16 teams left in the field. And, for your viewing pleasure, a little dance move we've called the (Gregg) Marshall Mamba.

___

BOOKSTORE RUSH

The surprising run to the Sweet 16 has made Florida Gulf Coast University a favorite bandwagon team, with fans from all over the nation jumping onboard.

On campus, it's created quite a stir, particularly at the university bookstore.

After the guys from Dunk City became the first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16, the school bookstore was bombarded with hundreds people hoping to pick up FGCU gear. The bookstore website had Sweet 16 shirts available Monday morning and the line outside the store snaked around more than 100 long. Customers stood shoulder to shoulder inside ? a somewhat blurry look here: http://bit.ly/10cKHAY ? and the checkout lines took up to an hour to get through.

According to information provided by Susan Evans, FGCU's vice president and chief of staff, sales of hats and apparel for the men's team at the bookstore from March 1-25 were just under $115,000, over $100,000 more than a year ago. The women's team has gotten a nice boost in popularity as well, sales of their team's gear at over $34,000 after hitting just over $5,000 last year.

The school's websites also have seen a huge uptick in traffic during the Eagles' run.

The daily unique visitors to www.fgcu.edu barely eclipsed 50,000 even after FGCU made it into the NCAA tournament, but was over 230,000 on Monday. The athletics website, www.fgcuathletics.com, had a dramatic jump as well, climbing over 117,000 unique visitors after hovering under 10,000 before the weekend.

Oh, and the Eagles seem to have some strong support in Alaska, at least to an ESPN SportsNation poll: http://bit.ly/15SgVEP

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FAMILY REUNION

Miles Plumlee spent most of his rookie season bouncing from the NBA's Indiana Pacers to the D-League's Fort Wayne Mad Ants and back.

Now he's hitting the road again ? at the wrong time for an impromptu family reunion.

His two younger brothers, Mason and Marshall, will be in town for Thursday night's NCAA Midwest Regional, playing for second-seeded Duke against No. 3 Michigan State at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"I'm excited for them, but I'm a little upset we're not playing any home games this week," Miles told AP Sports Writer Michael Marot after Tuesday's Pacers practice.

About an hour after practice, Miles left with the team headed to Houston for its first stop on a four-game road trip that runs through the rest of the regional round.

The rest of the Plumlees will likely converge on his hometown while the oldest brother is gone.

"I have no idea who's coming, but a lot of the family is coming. We still have a lot of family here," Miles said. "I'm so proud of him (Mason). He's put in a lot of work since his freshman year and now you can see how he's grown."

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SILVER'S ODDS

Statistical guru Nate Silver has recalculated the odds for the final 16 teams in the NCAA tournament.

Why do you care what he thinks? Well, the man from the FiveThirtyEight blog had his statistics dialed in the past two presidential elections, nailing all 50 states in the most recent one while calling nearly every Senate race.

He's turned his critical eye toward the NCAA bracket and came up with new odds now that the field has pared down.

Louisville is still the favorite, its odds up to 32.4 percent from 23.8 percent. Next in line is Florida, which jumped eight points to 21.3 percent and leapfrogged Indiana, which dropped nearly eight points from 18.4.

Florida Gulf Coast has better odds of winning now that the No. 15 seed has reached the Sweet 16, but not much ? the Eagles are up to 0.02 percent after starting at 0.001.

See Silver's analysis here: http://nyti.ms/10F5Irz

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MARSHALL MAMBA

Yesterday, we showed you Miami coach Jim Larranaga's version of the Muhammad Ali Shuffle.

Today, we give you the celebration dance of Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. The Marshall Mamba? Via Yahoo! Sports and CBS/Turner: http://yhoo.it/105XzJ7

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WHAT DOES A GUY GOTTA DO?

Used to be that getting to the NCAA tournament was a huge goal for a basketball program.

These days, it's not always good enough.

On Monday, UCLA's Ben Howland and Minnesota's Tubby Smith were fired after leading their teams to the field of 68.

Howland had a 10-year run in Westwood, going 233-107 while making three consecutive Final Four appearances and winning four Pac-12 titles. The Bruins were the regular-season champions this season and went 25-10, but lost to Minnesota by 20 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Smith, who won a national championship with Kentucky in 1998, was fired Monday after the Gophers lost to Florida in the NCAA's third round. He went 124-81 in six seasons at Minnesota, helping to bring the program back to respectability after it was hit hard by an academic cheating scandal.

Now both coaches are looking for jobs.

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STAT OF THE DAY

Ratings for the first week of the NCAA tournament were the highest in 15 years.

Turns out, you're watching online, too.

NCAA March Madness Live, managed by Turner Sports, set all-time marks by getting 36.6 million live video streams and more than 10 million hours of live video across online and mobile platforms during the opening weekend on the NCAA tournament.

The live video streams doubled from last year and the live video time is up 198 percent.

That's a lot of tablets and smartphones tuned in to the tournament.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"He is an avid physical fitness freak. That's probably a reason why his back situation is what it is today. He would run 20 miles at a time. The physical condition that he is in is amazing to this day. I would've been the opposite, I would've been doing whatever I'm supposed to do other than that. In a funny way, that combination made us get along so well." ? Arizona Sean Miller on Ohio State coach Thad Matta, whom he calls one of his closest friends in coaching.

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Follow John Marshall on Twitter at http://twitter.com/johnmarshallap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-27-BKC-BracketRacket/id-44c48bb523514d9790ea543f1ecca856

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