Physics Week in Review: August 3, 2013

If this week?s link fest has a theme, it might just be teleportation. I wrote about The Trouble With Teleportation for Nautilus this week, a.k.a., why the pig lizard in Galaxy Quest met with an icky end.? The same issue featured a cool science fiction short story in, which one woman faces a tough choice when teleportation goes awry. Back in the real world, a new paper finds that human teleportation is far more impractical than we thought. Specifically, ?Physics students from the University of Leicester have calculated the time and energy required to beam a complete person from the Earth?s surface to a location in space. Their results were discouraging, to say the least.?

Another recurring theme: Time. Is there a ?timeless? zone in the universe? Sean Carroll took your light-speed questions. The short answer? No.? Related: Buzzfeed offers video proof That You Have Absolutely No Concept Of Time. Also: The Time Traveler?s Burden (Abstruse Goose on why time machines are great ? if you?re a white guy).

Then there is ?Time,? A 3,099-Panel xkcd Comic. Per Laughing Squid: ?The comic, set in the far future, tells the story of two people trying to save their village located in the evaporated basin of the Mediterranean Sea as it fills back up in one massive flood. The full comic can be viewed at Geekwagon.?? There is also some behind-the-scenes details of the comic?s creation at the xkcd blog. And a lovely profile of creator Randal Munroe at Wired.

Happy Birthday, Maria Mitchell: Brainpickings highlights the Pioneering Astronomer on Science and Life.? Oh, and Google gave Mitchell a Google doodle for her 195th birthday.

Cat-turning: the 19th-century scientific cat-dropping craze. No, really, this was totally a thing back then! Related: The Finch and the Pea had an intriguing Caturday science question: ?Are cats actually liquids, or amorphous solids?? Jen-Luc Piquant is going with amorphous solids.

An Intergalactic Travel Bureau in Midtown can book you a trip to Saturn?s largest moon, Titan ? in fantasy. In reality, it was guerilla outreach performance art, and the trip would cost you billions of dollars.

The Quantum Zeno Effect actually does stop the world? after a fashion.

Towards a global quantum network: Photoelectron trapping in double quantum dots.

Peter Trevelyan, detail from Tenuous, 2012. http://www.bartleyandcompanyart.co.nz/artist.php?artistID=3943

The Art of Science: Peter Trevelyan?s Delicate Geometry. New Zealand artist makes ??built drawings? ? fragile, airy sculptures made of fine graphite rods (the lead from mechanical pencils) held together with glue.?

In Pursuit of Quantum Biology: Q&A With Birgitta Whaley in Quanta.

Is physics truth, metaphor, or less? David Tong, Hilary Lawson, and Lev Vaidman debate.

What does mercury being liquid at room temperature have to do with Einstein?s theory of relativity?

Physicists discover theoretical possibility of large, hollow magnetic cage molecules.

Survival of the nicest: Why it does not pay to be mean. Chris Adami comments on a recent post in Technology Review on the emerging revolution in game theory (?The discovery of a winning strategy for Prisoner?s Dilemma is forcing game theorists to rethink their discipline. Their conclusion? Winning isn?t everything.?)? It?s based on a paper published last year by Freeman Dyson and William Press. :

Why Einstein Equals Musical Comedy Squared. Acclaimed science-theatre writer-performer John Hinton talks about what theatre has to offer science ahead of his new theoretical physics musical comedy, Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking, at the Edinburgh Festival.

Harnessing Physics in Grand Spaces to Make Music. ?[T]he Earth Harp, so named for its inaugural performance when it spanned a mountain valley, is not just a musical accomplishment but a great feat of engineering as well. In a phone interview last month, William Close, the inventor of the Earth Harp talked about what it takes to make beautiful music with a massive physics machine.?

Physics Buzz launches a grassroots experiment to see if all 56 designs of US state and territory quarters flip the same way. BECAUSE INQUIRING MINDS NEED TO KNOW!

Hints of New Physics Detected in the LHC? ?It appears that there?s a slight deviation from the ?norm,? hinting that the Standard Model ain?t all that.? Ah, but not so fast! Ethan Siegel has his doubts, and explains why Breaking the Standard Model is Really, Really Hard.

Structurally-Accurate Jupiter Cake Makes The Gas Giant Look Delicious.? You can make your own by following this handy tutorial.

Watch the debris from an exploded star expand before your eyes like a cosmic heartbeat. (h/t: Bad Astronomy/Slate)

New Archive Reveals How Scientists Finally Solved the Vexing ?Longitude Problem? During the 1700s.? Someone should totally write a book about that.

Why We Keep Playing the Lottery: Blind to the mathematical odds, we fall to the marketing gods.

Why Does This Man?s Head Appear Off His Body? Rhett Alain explains this optical illusion.

Perpetual Puddle Vortex: ?What looks like a puddle is actually a vortex constantly sucking fluid down a hole in the table.?

Scientists think they might have pinpointed where the infamous Russian meteorite of 2013 came from.

The Physics of Disaster: An Exploration of Train Derailments. How understanding the science behind trains can help identify the causes of accidents?and lead us to safer railways.

The world?s sharpest saw blade is made of carbon nanotube wire coated with a diamond glaze: cuts with no dust.

The physics of Spain: Even at the seaside, science is all around you, according to Stephen Curry, who found inspiration on his recent vacation for musings on waves and diffraction.

Getting into the spirit of the #sciconfessions hastag on twitter, the bloggers at Physics Focus spill their darkest secrets.

Borrego Stardance, Beautiful Night Sky Time-Lapses from a Small Desert Town in California called Borrego Springs. Per Laughing Squid: ?The film features the outdoor sculptures of artist Ricardo A. Breceda [and] was created by Gavin Heffernan of Sunchaser Pictures.?

Tools of the Cold-Atom Trade: Introduction.? This is the first in a new blog post series by Chad Orzel. So far he?s got posts on light scattering forces and slow atomic beams;? optical molasses;? and light shifts and optical dipole traps.

?Infinity? is a strange idea. But it?s crucial if you want to understand anything from philosophy to mathematics.

Helium: swollen stars, party balloons and squeaky voices. What is helium used for, apart from balloons? Quite a lot. So it?s kind of a big deal that there?s a pending shortage on the horizon.

How the ouija board really moves: why we can make movements and yet not realize that we?re making them.

Matt Strassler? has some good stuff to say about new results on twists and turns for neutrinos and for muons.

Did Newton get Newton?s rings wrong? ?Most people see them as evidence of wave nature of light. Newton, however, did not.? (Per the Time Lord, light is a wave but looks like particles when it?s measured/observed.)

May the Force Be Nerdy: Star Wars Made a Contribution to Real Science: New geological research got an assist from Tatooine.

Economist Paul Krugman caused a stir among physicists and mathematicians on Twitter this week with his rumination on why traffic seems to move faster in the other lane. Did he get the math wrong? It inspired at least one great analysis of this classic traffic problem.

Ducati animation what would happen if the Sun, Earth, and Moon all had the same mass, and there were only two months in a year. Credit: Robert Vanderbei

Five Animated Gifs of n-body Orbits. Robert Vanderbei of Princeton University has a minimizing code he uses to minimize the light coming into a telescope from stars ? ?to better see if there are more-softly lit planets traveling in their wakes? ? but it?s also useful for modeling the orbits of N-body systems.

A Beautiful Manuscript of Square Roots from the 1830?s.

Does dark matter affect the navigation of a spacecraft?

CERN artist-in-residence develops an ear for physics: Sound artist Bill Fontana taps into music of Large Hadron Collider.

The Ten Greatest Space Achievements Nobody Knows About.

Ooh! There was a Physics in Vogue photography exhibit! Unfortunately, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, was not amused by one shot featuring NASA scientists and launched an investigation to see if the photo had involved a misuse of government funds (it hadn?t). Killjoy.

Graphene physics helps physicists understand how hydrogen metallizes.

Kinematic analysis of light-induced jumping crystals.

A gravestone in Trinity Churchyard on Wall Street has a secret code to decipher.

The glasswinged butterfly?s claim to fame is that its wings are essentially completely transparent.

Huge Space Battle Rumbles Virtual Universe ? it happened in EVE Online.

Over at Wired, Sean Carroll and Dave Goldberg discuss why scientists should talk to public. Okay, I?m not crazy about the headline, which sets up a bit of a false dichotomy between ?cool? scientists and ?nerdy? scientists. We need both the loveable nerds on The Big Bang Theory plus colorful characters like Tony Stark, and everything in between, to help folks appreciate the diversity in science. But it?s a great conversation and well worth a read.

An Important Lesson from Blackjack and Baseball: You Gain More by Not Being Stupid Than You Do by Being Smart.

Slingatron-tastic: Could We Lob Stuff Into Space?? New space transport technology is fabulous, except that ?it would turn an astronaut into astronaut pudding.?

Astronaut describes terrifying spacesuit helmet water leak that cut short a spacewalk last week. Also: here?s more from PBS/Nova on what it?s like to nearly drown in space.

Of neutrino oscillations and coming full circle (Matthew Francis on the art of asking dumb questions).

Who First Wondered: Why is the Night Sky Dark?

Do We Expand With The Universe? Minute Physics has the answer!

The Science of Champagne, the Bubbling Wine Created By Accident.

Cenote Angelita: Underwater River Photographed by Anatoly Beloshchin: ?a sort of illusion due to halocline.?

Fun with liquid nitrogen at summer camp:? ?Don?t try Leidenfrost demonstrations at home.?

The Tale of Fermilab?s ?Elephant Doors.? A set of twin doors take on two very different purposes at Fermilab and Chicago?s Lincoln Park Zoo.

The mathematics of grade inflation. An Astonishing Act of Statistical Chutzpah in the Indiana Schools? Grade-Changing Scandal.

The irresistible rise of the Standard Model: ?In truth, our understanding of particle physics is at a crossroads.?

Explaining Quantum Computers (with a lovely british accent).

This is the first true image of the shadow universe?a map of the entire sky showing *only* dark matter.

Stephen Hawking tells how doctors offered to turn off life support in 1985. Physicist says his first wife refused to end his life when he became seriously ill and he recovered to complete A Brief History of Time.

Orange bubble clouds turn Michigan sky into a lava lamp (video).

WWII-Era Record Shows Albert Einstein Took Part in Program to Help Jews Escape the Nazis. He made a deposit to help finance the emigration of a Jewish person named Hugo Moos.

Finally, a bit of fun for your weekend viewing pleasure: Star Wars Parkour, A Video of Jedi Performing Free Running Stunts:

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/~r/sciam/basic-science/~3/6dB65eHn9LU/post.cfm

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China orders nationwide government debt audit

BEIJING ? ?China's National Audit Office will conduct an audit of all government debt at the request of China's State Council or cabinet, it said in a statement on Sunday, underlining concern over rising debt levels in the world's second biggest economy.

The audit office, responsible for overseeing state finances, made the announcement in a one-sentence item on its website, but gave no details on the audit.

The official People's Daily newspaper said separately on its website, citing unidentified sources, that an urgent order for the audit was issued on Friday and work will start this week.

The audit could indicate increased official concern over the systemic risk from rising debt levels in China, especially debt of local governments, as top leaders slow economic growth in order to promote reform.

A local government buckling under the weight of its own debt is a troubling scenario for the leadership, and one that Deutsche Bank has said could potentially pose a systemic and macroeconomic risk to the country.

Standard Chartered, Fitch and Credit Suisse have estimated local government debt in China at the equivalent of anywhere between 15 percent and 36 percent of the country's output, or as much as $3 trillion based on World Bank GDP figures for 2012.

Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said earlier this month that the government did not know precisely how much debt local governments had built up.

The audit office warned in a June report that debt levels among local governments are rising and the financial burdens and risks are not being properly managed. It put total debt of a sample of 36 local governments at 3.85 trillion yuan ($628 billion) at the end of 2012.

China's budget law forbids local governments from taking on debt directly, but they have borrowed heavily through special-purpose vehicles, while many have also borrowed from companies in private arrangements at high cost, with the money often used in speculative real estate projects.

($1 = 6.1316 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Jonathan Standing; Editing by Michael Perry)

Source: http://feeds.foxbusiness.com/~r/foxbusiness/economy/~3/CW0aO8BADG8/

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Apple Needs To Buy TomTom ASAP

The growing value of mapping and location assets is clear as recently witnessed by Google's (GOOG) $1bn acquisition of Waze. Mapping and related location applications such as monitoring traffic flows is becoming increasingly significant to smartphone makers as a point of competitive differentiation. At the Nokia (NOK) Lumia 1020 presentation, CEO Stephen Elop's focused on the camera as its major point of differentiation. However after the camera it was the Lumia 1020's mapping technology with its augmented reality and ability to work off-line that was the feature most commented on. With mapping and location services growing as a major point of differentiation for smartphone makers, Apple (AAPL) is best advised to purchase the last remaining independent mapping company on the market, namely TomTom (TMOAY.PK). Apple already licenses its mapping and location services content from TomTom.

The map on a smartphone is becoming more than just a global positioning system (GPS). Additional features are being rolled out such as traffic flows, retail opportunities and augmented reality. The next step will be for retailers to be able to advertise directly to potential customers in their vicinity via the mapping technology on the smartphone. This could be powerful. For example a retailer could directly advertise in-store deals to a potential customer walking by.

Mapping and location services are the next growth areas in the smart phone arena. The growth is visible as can be seen with the 19% external sales growth in Q2 2013 delivered by Nokia's HERE mapping business. Google just launched its latest version of Google Maps to much fan fare in the press. Smartphone makers and ecosystems are starting to use their mapping and location services as a point of differentiation to consumers.

From supplier to competitor

As history in the tech space shows, a supplier can quite easily morph into a competitor. The biggest example of this is Samsung, a major supplier of memory to Apple. Samsung eventually became Apple' major competitor in the smartphone space. As a result of this transition from supplier to also being a competitor, Apple has worked hard to ensure memory supply from other players such as Micron's (MU) soon to be completed acquisition Elpida. This same dynamic was the reason that Apple dropped Google in 2012 as its supplier of maps and licensed the digital map library of TomTom instead. Google's Android operating system is the main competitor to Apple's iOS system.

Smartphone battleground

The software and hardware business is getting more integrated in the smart phone space. The software and apps each ecosystem offers is a growing point of differentiation. The fact that the lack of a few apps (namely Instagram, Pininterest, SnapChat) is the most common complaint about the Windows Phone ecosystem demonstrates the potential power of having ownership of these apps by the actual smartphone maker. Hence software and apps is growing as a battle ground for smart phone makers. Mapping and location services now sit squarely in the middle of that battleground.

It is interesting to note that Apple's mapping and location services have been historically seen as source of weakness vis a vis the Google maps experience. This can be partly explained by Apple's approach of amalgamating many different external service providers into its map function. It would be more efficient to bring them all in house and deliver a very high quality competitive product. This article from 2012 refers to some of the issues Apple had with its mapping and location services product as per the view of the consumer. Interestingly Apple announced two deals to bolster mapping, HopStop, and Locationary on July 19th, 2013. Apple is addressing its mapping business and looking to make acquisitions.

Strategic value of mapping

As mapping becomes more significant, the strategic value of owning the mapping content increases. A smartphone maker could find itself in trouble if all the available mapping assets were to be owned by its competitors. The price of licensing TomTom's maps are not such that it would be cost efficient in anyway to acquire the whole company. However it would be a major a competitive issue for Apple if TomTom fell into the wrong hands.

TomTom is the only major provider of mapping content either not owned or heavily tied into one of Apple's smartphone competitors. Nokia has its HERE mapping business and Google Maps through its Android ecosystem is very strongly aligned to several of Apple's competitors such as Samsung. That makes Apple vulnerable if TomTom were to fall into the hands of a competitor at a time Apple is evidently focusing on beefing up its mapping product.

TomTom

TomTom is the market leader in mapping & navigational services with maps that cover 112 countries and more than 3 billion people. The company also has hundreds of millions of probes globally contributing to its traffic service. Effectively TomTom is a software company with mapping, traffic and location services as its key products. It sells this content through a variety of channels to many consumer and corporate customers.

At TomTom's Q2 2013 results conference call, management stated that 38% of TomTom's revenue came from License Deals and Content. The remaining 62% came from hardware, namely Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs) and the new growth area of GPS watches. Investors are bearish on TomTom due to the competition for PNDs from GPS services on smartphones. However the content and licensing side of the business is seeing growth driven by various customer groups.

The Automotive division sells services and content such as maps to car manufacturers world wide including the likes of GM, Audi, Ford, BMW & VW. The business solutions division helps corporate customers manage their commercial fleets through various different software programs.

The Licensing business unit leverages their content to deliver high quality digital maps to customers including other PND manufacturers, internet companies and importantly smart phone manufacturers. This is the division that licenses TomTom's all important mapping content to Apple, HTC, Blackberry, Mapquest amongst others. The list of TomTom's licensing partners is available here. At Q2 2013 results reported on July 25th, the stock was up 5% as the company outperformed with revenues declining by a better than expected 4% and the FY 2013 guidance of E900 - E950m revenues was maintained.

Ultimately TomTom is a content company with maps and traffic as its content which is then sold via various market routes. There is definitely significant value in their content as mapping and location services becomes one of the key differentiators for smart phone makers.

Apple needs to buy TomTom due to the strategic value there is in the company's maps. TomTom owns one of the world's three main mapping libraries at a time when mapping is moving to being a battleground product for smart phones. If a competitor were to buy TomTom, Apple would be left in a position where each of the three global map libraries would effectively be in the hands of one of its competitors namely Nokia, Google and whomever purchases TomTom.

The cost but most importantly the time to rebuild a global map would be extremely high, put Apple at a competitive disadvantage and feeling very vulnerable in the mean time. Note Nokia purchased Navteq which became Nokia's HERE mapping business for $8.1bn in 2007. The more recent comparison in Google's purchase of just the Waze app for over $1bn. Mapping assets are expensive to come by and take years to build.

Given TomTom has a market capitalisation of only $1.2bn with a Net Asset Value of $1.1bn, it is easy to foresee a strategic purchase by Apple in order to avoid the competitive nightmare of all three major mapping assets falling into the hands of Apple's competitors. The rationale for the acquisition of TomTom is driven solely by strategic and competitive reasons. This makes TomTom a great stock to own. The press is starting to pick up on this logic as witnessed by the May 17, 2013 article in the Wall Street Journal.

Apple integrated their software and hardware and produced amazing products. This is the overarching trend in the smartphone space. It begs the question if and when a hardware company like Nokia becomes the hardware division of Microsoft and when a software company like Tomtom become the mapping division of Apple. In the case of the latter, I think that time is soon. Buy TomTom.

Disclosure: I am long NOK. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1581572-apple-needs-to-buy-tomtom-asap?source=feed

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Polymer ribbons for better healing

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Researchers develop hydrogels for tissue regeneration that can be fine-tuned to fit any body part.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/oUW6C8X7ICM/130726074012.htm

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Instagram Users Say They Are Being Attacked By Delicious Smoothies (Updated With Instagram's Response)

Big security breach definitely happening on Instagram. This is the third hacked account I've seen including mine. pic.twitter.com/sWvoZBeVIo

? Graham Hancock (@grahamhancock) July 27, 2013

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/QvhghwX0vCw/instagram-users-say-they-are-being-attacked-by-deliciou-932061682

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Simyo launches iPhone 4 promotion

The Simyo discount brand of German mobile network E-Plus is offering the iPhone 4 for EUR 29.90 a month while stocks last. This includes EUR 19.90 for the All-Net-Flat tariff and EUR 10 per month for interest-finance for the iPhone over 24 months. Alternatively, customers can make a one-off payment of EUR 240.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TelecompaperMobileWireless/~3/UurDMS_2abw/simyo-launches-iphone-4-promotion--957532

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Bolt recovers to win 100 at Diamond meet in London

LONDON (AP) ? Usain Bolt returned to the site of his last Olympic triumph, recovering from a slow start to win the 100 meters Friday night in the Anniversary Games in his best time this season.

The world's fastest man failed to leave the blocks promptly, but powered through the field at the Diamond League meet. He finished in 9.85 seconds at the stadium where he won three gold medals last year in the London Games.

Bolt, who holds the world records in the 100 and 200, is looking to do even better at the world championships in Moscow next month.

"It (the start) was horrifying for me," he said. "I think it is just race rust and I just need to get a few races in. The rounds in the world championships will help that and get my legs freer and a bit lighter. Hopefully the coach will figure out what I need to do to get me more explosive out of the blocks, I guess.

"For the first time, I think, in a long while I was slightly nervous. Initially, I was excited to come out because I knew it was going to be a big crowd. But when I got out there and I saw that it was ram-packed and the energy was still like the Olympics, it was just wonderful, so I was slightly nervous but I loved the energy of the crowd. It was beautiful and I love competing here."

With track and field reeling from a slew of doping headlines involving stars such as Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, Bolt wants the focus to return to a happier narrative.

"I try to assist the sport to do great things and to show the sport in a good light, and that is what I'm here for," the Jamaican said. "You guys are here to tell people that Usain Bolt is needed for the sport or whatever, but I am just here to do my best and to prove to the world that it is possible to run clean and train hard and be focused."

American Michael Rodgers was second in 9.98, and Jamaica's Nesta Carter was third. Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis faded to finish fourth after a fantastic start.

The standout performance of the night was by high jumper Bohdan Bondarenko, who threatened the 20-year world record held by Cuba's Javier Sotomayor.

Despite failing at his only attempt to clear 7 feet, 11 1/2 inches, Bondarenko asked for the bar to be raised to 8-1 1/4 as he took aim at Sotomayor's mark of 8-0 1/2.

The Ukrainian failed twice but still won the competition at 7-9 3/4.

In the 200, Warren Weir of Jamaica, who won bronze a year ago, edged compatriot Jason Young by 0.1 to win in 19.89. Wallace Spearmon of the United States was third in 20.18.

Nick Symmonds led a podium sweep for the United States in the 800 with a time of 1:43.67. Duane Solomon and Brandons Jones followed.

Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada comfortably won the 400 in 44.65, beating Tony McQuay and Jonathan Borlee.

Zusana Hejnova warmed up for the athletics world championships in Moscow next month by cruising to victory in the 400 hurdles. The Czech won in a world-leading time of 53.07.

Perri Shakes-Drayton of Britain led going into the home straight but was overtaken by the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist on the approach to the last hurdle.

Shakes-Drayton was second. Georganne Moline edged out fellow American Kori Carter to finish third.

Shannon Rowbury ran the fastest time of the year in the 3,000 to lead a podium sweep for the United States, finishing in 8:41.46. Gabriele Anderson was second, just ahead of Molly Huddle.

Britain won the 400 relay in the fastest time the country has run in 12 years. Ashleigh Nelson anchored a team of Annabelle Lewis, Anyika Onuora and Dina Asher-Smith that finished in 42.69. Their slick changeovers helped them beat the All-Stars team of Aileen Bailey, Tiffany Townsend, Jeneba Tarmoh and Mandy White. France was third.

Brenda Martinez of the U.S. surged to victory in the 800, pulling clear heading into the home straightaway to finish in 1:58.19. Elena Mirela Lavric of Romania and American teenager Ajee Wilson were next.

Mary Kuria of Kenya clocked 4:08.77 to win the 1,500, ahead of Ibtissam Lakhouad and Katie Mackey.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bolt-recovers-win-100-diamond-meet-london-212236113.html

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U.S. charges SAC Capital hedge fund with criminal fraud

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors on Thursday unveiled criminal fraud charges against billionaire Steven A. Cohen's SAC Capital Advisors LP, capping a nearly seven-year probe into one of Wall Street's most renowned firms.

The indictment accused SAC and various affiliates of four counts of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud. Cohen was charged last week in a civil case by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the hedge fund said it would fight the charges.

It said that from roughly 1999 to 2010, SAC obtained inside information on publicly traded companies, and traded on that information to boost returns and fees.

The indictment said the scheme involved "systematic insider trading" that enabled SAC to generate hundreds of millions of dollars of illegal profits and avoided losses.

(Reporting by Emily Flitter, Matthew Goldstein and Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Grant McCool)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-charges-sac-capital-hedge-fund-criminal-fraud-140044200.html

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Talks between Cricket Australia and sacked coach Mickey Arthur end without agreement

Arthur was sacked by CA and replaced by Darren Lehmann last month, on the eve of the Ashes Series in England.

The South African, who claims he has received no written correspondence and no payment from CA since his shock sacking, is suing the governing body for 4million Australian dollars.

Lawyers from both sides thrashed out the issues surrounding his dismissal for more than five hours in Sydney on Wednesday, with talks scheduled to resume next week.

"Although we didn't come to an outcome today I'm pretty confident there was enough good will in the room to continue talks next week," Arthur said.

"As I said earlier all we want is a fair and reasonable outcome and I'm pretty sure that we'll achieve that next week."

Asked if any compromise had been reached on Wednesday, Arthur replied: "No it was just talks today. We just spoke today and as I said I'm confident there was enough goodwill for us to get a fair outcome next week."

Arthur has previously claimed he was discriminated against because of his South African heritage and has said his reputation and future employment prospects may have been damaged beyond repair.

He believes he was left with no option other than to take legal action after confidential details of his case were leaked to the media on Sunday.

Since Arthur's sacking, the Australian team battled to a dramatic 14-run loss to England in the first Test at Trent Bridge before being hammered to the tune of 347 runs in the second test at Lord's.

Source: http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/cricket/talks-between-cricket-australia-and-sacked-coach-mickey-arthur-end-without-agreement-8729430.html

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Video: Maria's Observation: Facebook's leadership

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52568835/

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Google Introduces Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

?Android 4.3, an even sweeter Jelly Bean,? was released today during Google?s ?Breakfast with Sudnar? event. Though the experience hasn?t dramatically changed from version 4.2, new features have been introduced that will improve on a variety of aspects of the OS. Google Nexus devices are first in line to receive the update, followed by the Google Play editions of the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4.

The new version includes:

Tags: Android, developer, google, Jelly Bean, nexus, profiles, update
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Source: http://www.punchkickinteractive.com/blog/google-introduces-android-4-3-jelly-bean/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=google-introduces-android-4-3-jelly-bean

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Google coming to Hanover, Gettysburg to capture interior of local businesses

The Internet company's 'Street View' photographers will be in the area Aug. 12-14 to get pictures of local businesses.

A screen capture of Google's Street View from downtown Hanover on July 23, 2013. On Aug. 12-14, the online company s photographers will be in Hanover and Gettysburg to bring Street View technology inside local businesses. (THE EVENING SUN)

Google is coming to town.

On Aug. 12-14, the online company's photographers will be in Hanover and Gettysburg to bring ?Street View? technology inside local businesses.

The new program from Google creates a 360-degree interactive tour of the interior of businesses.

Through the end of June, Google had photographed approximately 35,000 businesses in the United States and 120,000 worldwide, according to Jim Hilker, marketing manager and program director for Google's central Pennsylvania and central New York region.

To create the virtual interior tour, a photographer mounts a 360-degree camera that takes 12 pictures on a tripod. Multiple tripods are placed throughout a business, snapping dozens of photographs. The images get stitched together in Google's server to make for what Hilker called a ?seamless virtual tour.?

?Feedback has been extremely positive,? Hilker said of what he has heard from the 500 or so merchants within his region that have had their businesses photographed. ?I haven't heard a single negative or dissatisfied report.?

Google's new project a real inside job

The price tag for the enhanced viral presence

varies, hovering in the $350 to $1,000 ballpark for a standard business. Five tripods typically cover 800 to 1,000 square feet of space, Hilker said, which takes about 30 minutes to be photographed. A large shopping mall in New York required 460 tripods and cost $20,000, the program's biggest project to date, he said.

The company started a testing phase in 2008 and the program became fully functional last year. Once photographed, the business' images are online within about a week.

While the Google virtual tour is linked to the business' Google search link, the business owner can also use that link on his or her website or social media pages, Hilker said.

?Some businesses have had us come back two or three more times to expand it and make it bigger for them,? he said. ?It visually enhances their Google presence and sets them up very nicely.?

Hilker guessed his photographers will get to between 30 and 40 businesses in the three days they will be in Hanover and Gettysburg. He said a photographer can do about eight businesses in a day.

Google's trip to the Adams County area is part of the company's comprehensive effort to branch out of the bigger cities and photograph businesses in rural communities, he said.

Hilker said his team of photographers will be sweeping the central part of Pennsylvania this summer, stopping in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Lancaster and State College before heading to the northwestern part of the state.

Merchants interested in having a Street View photographer capture their business can see examples and sign up at www.SeeInsidePA.com. Businesses will be examined for eligibility under Google's program guidelines and then contacted to discuss the program details and schedule the photo shoot. Contact Jim Hilker at places.mobile@gmail.com.

mwalters@eveningsun.com; 717-637-3736, ext. 147; Twitter: @walt_walters

Related

Apple aims to revamp its map applications to compete with Google

Source: http://www.eveningsun.com/news/ci_23715488/google-coming-hanover-gettysburg?source=rss_viewed

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Apple Testing a Range of New Screen Sizes for iPhone and iPad Products

Published on: 23rd Jul 2013

?Rumours that Apple is working on a wider range of screen sizes for its next version iPhones and iPads got a boost following reports that suppliers have been asked to send display screens for a range of sizes to be evaluated by the company.

Citing sources at the suppliers, the Wall Street Journal reported that they have been asked for a range of iPhone scale screens that would take the smartphone into the so-called phablet range. Meanwhile, others have been asked for a slightly larger iPad display screen, that could take it upto just under 13 inches.

Apple has been long suspected of developing a low-cost iPhone possibly with a smaller screen as it seeks to widen its customer base. However, the company has also been said to be looking at following the Samsung route of pushing out handsets in almost every size possible in order to appeal to every possible neiche of the smartphone market.

Samsung's approach lead it to overtake Apple as the single largest smartphone manufacturer.

"Apple has been slow to react to consumer desire for larger smartphone screens, [and] entry level price points on new phones," said BGC Financial's Colin Gillis in an investor note. "Waiting and waiting, for the new products to launch, has become painful," he wrote.

Apple and its suppliers are preparing to ramp production of a new iPad in coming weeks, according to people at component suppliers. A new iPhone is expected to go into production later this year.

On the web: Wall Street Journal

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AT&T revenue up, profit down as costs rise in 2Q

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 20, 2011, file photo, a customer enters an AT&T store in Santa Monica, Calif. AT&T reports quarterly earnings on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 20, 2011, file photo, a customer enters an AT&T store in Santa Monica, Calif. AT&T reports quarterly earnings on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

The surge in tablet usage, a trade-in promotion and a fee tacked onto bills helped boost AT&T's wireless revenue for the latest quarter, but profits declined as costs surged, the company said Tuesday.

AT&T's coffers were drained by smartphone sales, which it subsidizes in the hope of making money back over the life of two-year contracts. It set a second-quarter smartphone sales record, helped by a promotion that gave customers $100 off a new phone when trading in an old one.

Costs also rose due to investments AT&T is making to boost home broadband speeds.

AT&T Inc., the country's largest telecommunications company, said it earned $3.8 billion, or 71 cents per share, in the April-to-June period, compared with $3.9 billion, or 66 cents share, a year ago. The per-share figure rose despite the overall profit drop because AT&T has been buying back shares in addition to paying out its dividend.

Adjusted for a one-time gain of 4 cents for the sale of shares in Mexico's America Movil, the latest earnings were 67 cents per share, 1 cent below the analysts' forecast, according to FactSet.

AT&T's revenue was $32.1 billion, up 1.6 percent from a year ago and well above Wall Street's estimate of $31.8 billion.

AT&T shares fell 31 cents to $35.50 in extended trading, after the release of the results.

The Dallas-based company added 551,000 wireless devices to its contract-based plans, which are the most lucrative. That was the highest second-quarter figure in two years. However, all but 153,000 of the new devices were tablets, which carry lower monthly fees than phones.

AT&T ended the quarter with a direct billing relationship for 71.3 million devices on its network. It's the second-largest cellphone company in the U.S. after Verizon Wireless.

AT&T added a "Mobility Administrative Fee" of 61 cents to all its contract-based phone bills starting May 1. Effectively a price increase, the fee is similar to other fees phone companies tack on to their bills for "cost recovery."

The quarter marked the end of an era: AT&T stopped reporting the number of iPhones it activated in the quarter. It's a figure the company has trumpeted proudly to investors in previous quarters, because iPhone users spent more than average on wireless service. The company introduced the iPhone to the world and had the exclusive right to sell it in the U.S. for three years. As recently as the first quarter of this year, iPhones accounted for 80 percent of the smartphones activated on AT&T, despite a vow by its CEO to emphasize competing smartphones.

AT&T's head of investor relations, Susan Johnson, said the company stopped reporting its iPhone activations because it now has a broad portfolio of smartphones, including Android phones and Windows Phones.

The change comes as AT&T's long-time partner, Apple Inc., sees its overwhelming success wane. On Tuesday it reported the second straight quarter of declining profits, as competitors eat into its iPhone and iPad franchises.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-07-23-US-Earns-ATandT/id-031bb48137a547a2b48de20e36a1222a

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omkar godbole commented on Francesc Riverola's blog post Forex Oracle of the Week Contest - Place Your Forecast For EURJPY Friday's London Open Price

Afternoon guys

We are back with our casual contest? "Forex Oracle of the Week", this case in EURJPY.

EURJPY is the most popular pair in our chat room but one of the hardest to predict.... so let's see who wins this week.

Rules:

1. Remember to place here you call for EUR/JPY price for Friday July 26th 2013 London Open at 7:00AM GMT or 8:00AM BST (British Summer Time).

2. Just place ONE forecast. example: EURJPY at 131.26

3. All forecasts must be placed before Wednesday July 24th 12:00AM GMT or 13:00PM BST.

4. There will be a prize for the one of you that approaches the most to the open price. Does not matter if you got short or you exceeded the open price, the closest win. Using different words, the guy with less pips of difference with the open price, win.

5. In? case of multiple winners, the trader that made the call first wins

6. Only registered members can participate in the contest

?

And the prize?
We are repeating book, same than last week so let's hope Talisman does not win this time as he will have it twice :)

By Anna Coulling
Here in the UK we have a product called Marmite. It is a deeply divisive food, which you either love or hate. Those who love it, cannot understand how anyone could live without it - and of course, the opposite is true for those who hate it!
This same sentiment could be applied to volume as a trading indicator.
In other words, you are likely to fall into one of two camps. You either believe it works, or you don't. It really is that simple. There is no halfway house here!I make no bones about the fact that I believe I was lucky in starting my own trading journey using volume. To me it just made sense, and the logic of what it revealed was inescapable. And for me, the most powerful reason is very simple. Volume is a rare commodity in trading - a leading indicator. The second, and only other leading indicator, is price. Everything else is lagged. +info.

Source: http://www.forexstreet.net/xn/detail/3252082%3AComment%3A557767?xg_source=activity

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New Treatments Show Promise Against Drug ... - Health.com

MONDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) ? Two new promising treatments for gonorrhea may help fight the growth of drug-resistant strains of the sexually transmitted bacteria, according to a new U.S. government study.

The two antibiotic regimens use existing drugs in new combinations ? injectable gentamicin with azithromycin pills, or gemifloxacin pills with azithromycin pills.

Gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States, with more than 800,000 new infections estimated to occur each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Untreated, it can lead to problems with the prostate and testicles for men, and infertility in women. This is why its increasing antibiotic-resistance is a serious concern.

The U.S. government study included more than 400 men and women, aged 15 to 60, with untreated gonorrhea infection. The injectable gentamicin/oral azithromycin combination was 100 percent effective in curing genital gonorrhea infections, while the gemifloxacin/azithromycin pill combination was 99.5 percent effective. Both combinations cured 100 percent of infections of the throat and rectum, the researchers noted.

However, many patients in both arms of the study reported unpleasant side effects, including nausea, diarrhea and abdominal discomfort/pain or vomiting.

The study, scheduled for presentation this week at a meeting of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research in Vienna, Austria, was conducted by the CDC and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

?These trial results are an exciting step in the right direction in the fight against drug-resistant gonorrhea,? Dr. Gail Bolan, director of CDC?s division of STD prevention, said in an agency news release. ?But patients need more oral options with fewer side effects. It is imperative that researchers and pharmaceutical companies prioritize research to continue to identify new, effective, better-tolerated drugs and drug combinations.?

Additional measures to stay ahead of resistant gonorrhea are critical, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIH?s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in the news release. ?For example, a point-of-care drug susceptibility test would help providers know ? at the time of diagnosis ? which treatment regimen will be most effective,? he said.

?Progress toward a vaccine is urgently needed,? Fauci added.

These findings do not change current gonorrhea treatment guidelines. The CDC recommends only one first-line treatment regimen: injectable ceftriaxone, in combination with one of two other antibiotics in pill form, either azithromycin or doxycycline. This therapy is highly effective in treating gonorrhea and causes limited side effects.

Ceftriaxone is in the same class of antibiotics as cefixime, a pill that has lost effectiveness against the sexually transmitted disease. Earlier this year, Canadian researchers reported on a study of nearly 300 people infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae that found a treatment failure rate of nearly 7 percent in people treated with cefixime. Last August the CDC advised doctors to stop using cefixime to treat gonorrhea, and instead use injections of ceftriaxone.

However, doctors may consider using the treatments assessed in this new study as alternative options when ceftriaxone can?t be used, such as in the case of a severe allergy, the CDC said. The agency says it will consider the study?s findings for inclusion in future treatment guidelines.

To help prevent gonorrhea, people who are sexually active should use condoms consistently and correctly, and limit the number of sex partners, the CDC states.

The data and conclusions of research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has more about gonorrhea.

Source: http://news.health.com/2013/07/15/new-treatments-show-promise-against-drug-resistant-gonorrhea/

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Build Traffic for a new Online Training Website | Internet Marketing ...

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Source: http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Internet-Marketing-SEO/Build-Traffic-for-new-Online.html

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Dad's obesity could be inherited by multiple generations

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

Contact: Dr. Tod Fullston
tod.fullston@adelaide.edu.au
61-883-138-188
University of Adelaide

The sperm of obese fathers could increase the risk of both their children and their grandchildren inheriting obesity, according to new research from University of Adelaide.

In laboratory studies, researchers from the University's Robinson Institute have found that molecular signals in the sperm of obese fathers can lead to obesity and diabetes-like symptoms in two generations of offspring, even though the offspring are eating healthily.

The results of the research are published online in The FASEB Journal.

"A father's diet changes the molecular makeup of the sperm. With obese fathers, the changes in their sperm in their microRNA molecules might program the embryo for obesity or metabolic disease later in life," says the lead author of the paper, Dr Tod Fullston, who is an NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellow with the University's Robinson Institute, based in Dr Michelle Lane's Gamete and Embryo Biology Group.

"For female offspring, there is an increased risk of becoming overweight or obese. What we've also found is that there is an increased chance of both male and female offspring developing metabolic disease similar to type 2 diabetes.

"This is the first report of both male and female offspring inheriting a metabolic disease due to their father's obesity," he says.

The study also extended into the second generation of progeny, which showed signs of similar metabolic disorders, including obesity, although it was not as severe as the first generation.

Dr Fullston says even if the obese father does not show any signs of diabetes, metabolic disease similar to diabetes was being seen in two generations of their descendants.

"It's been known for some time that the health of a mother before, during and after pregnancy can impact on her child's health, but the father's health during this period is often overlooked," Dr Fullston says.

"If our laboratory studies are translatable to humans, this could be a new and as yet unexplored intervention window into the epidemic of childhood obesity.

"A focus on the mother's health is extremely important, but we're seeing that the father's health is also important for conception. It's possible that by showing additional attention to diet and exercise in the father, this could have a positive impact on his future children and grandchildren."

###

Media Contact:

Dr Tod Fullston
NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellow
Robinson Institute
The University of Adelaide
Phone: +61 8 8313 8188
tod.fullston@adelaide.edu.au

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

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

Contact: Dr. Tod Fullston
tod.fullston@adelaide.edu.au
61-883-138-188
University of Adelaide

The sperm of obese fathers could increase the risk of both their children and their grandchildren inheriting obesity, according to new research from University of Adelaide.

In laboratory studies, researchers from the University's Robinson Institute have found that molecular signals in the sperm of obese fathers can lead to obesity and diabetes-like symptoms in two generations of offspring, even though the offspring are eating healthily.

The results of the research are published online in The FASEB Journal.

"A father's diet changes the molecular makeup of the sperm. With obese fathers, the changes in their sperm in their microRNA molecules might program the embryo for obesity or metabolic disease later in life," says the lead author of the paper, Dr Tod Fullston, who is an NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellow with the University's Robinson Institute, based in Dr Michelle Lane's Gamete and Embryo Biology Group.

"For female offspring, there is an increased risk of becoming overweight or obese. What we've also found is that there is an increased chance of both male and female offspring developing metabolic disease similar to type 2 diabetes.

"This is the first report of both male and female offspring inheriting a metabolic disease due to their father's obesity," he says.

The study also extended into the second generation of progeny, which showed signs of similar metabolic disorders, including obesity, although it was not as severe as the first generation.

Dr Fullston says even if the obese father does not show any signs of diabetes, metabolic disease similar to diabetes was being seen in two generations of their descendants.

"It's been known for some time that the health of a mother before, during and after pregnancy can impact on her child's health, but the father's health during this period is often overlooked," Dr Fullston says.

"If our laboratory studies are translatable to humans, this could be a new and as yet unexplored intervention window into the epidemic of childhood obesity.

"A focus on the mother's health is extremely important, but we're seeing that the father's health is also important for conception. It's possible that by showing additional attention to diet and exercise in the father, this could have a positive impact on his future children and grandchildren."

###

Media Contact:

Dr Tod Fullston
NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellow
Robinson Institute
The University of Adelaide
Phone: +61 8 8313 8188
tod.fullston@adelaide.edu.au

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/uoa-doc071513.php

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Stocks move up as all eyes focus on Fed meeting

stocks

JeeYeon Park CNBC

June 18, 2013 at 4:08 PM ET

The Dow soared nearly one percent on Tuesday, as the Federal Reserve kicked off a two-day meeting to discuss the future of the central bank's bond-buying program.

"All eyes are on the Fed," said John Fox, co-manager of the FAM Value Fund. "Economic news has been fine and continues the trend that we've been on, but tomorrow's going to have much bigger impact on what happens this week?but with inflation low and the job picture not satisfactory yet, I don't see a reason for the Fed to change anything."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 138 points, or 0.9? percent, to close at 15,318.23, adding to its triple-digit gain from Monday.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq finished near highs. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, closed below 17.

All key S&P sectors were in positive territory, led by industrials and telecoms.

The two-day Fed meeting was scheduled to start later on Tuesday with a press briefing from Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday. Investors around the globe will listen with acute interest for details on when the Fed may start scaling back its $85 billion monthly bond purchases.

(Read More:Fed Meets as Faith in Its Bond Program Wanes)

Major averages have been volatile since Bernanke said last month the Fed could begin to pare back its stimulus efforts if the U.S. economy gains momentum.

The Fed is also expected to provide an update on its economic projections for 2013-2015. The Fed's latest projections, made in March this year, saw real GDP growth at around 2.6 percent in 2013 and 3.2 percent in 2014. In terms of unemployment, the Fed projected a rate of around 7.4 percent in 2013, improving to around 6.9 percent in 2014.

U.S. stocks took a knock on Monday afternoon when the Financial Times reported that Bernanke is likely to signal the central bank is "close to tapering down" its $85 billion-a-month asset purchases. Stocks eventually recovered from lows when traders noted the article did not contain much new information.

(Read More: Markets More Doubtful of Fed Easing Benefits: Survey)

On the economic front, housing starts rose 6.8 percent in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 914,000 units, according to the Commerce Department, missing expectations for a 950,000-unit rate.

Meanwhile, consumer prices edged up 0.1 percent in May, according to the Labor Department. Consumer prices outside of food and energy rose 0.2 percent last month, just above the pace clocked in April.

Overseas, the G-8 summit was wrapping up in Northern Ireland. Talks continue between the European Union and the U.S. on creation of the world's largest free-trade zone, despite France's determination to protect and exclude its cultural industries from the deal.

(Read More:EU, US Launch Trade Talks, France Stiff-Necked)

? 2013 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved

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Germans Re-Thinking ?Turn? to Green Energy

In the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan, the German government made the much-heralded decision to close all the country?s nuclear reactors as part of its?Energiewende, or ?energy revolution.? The ?revolution? also included government mandates and massive subsidies for renewable energy.

While Germans gleefully embraced the ?Nuclear Power? No Thanks!? movement and global greens pointed to Germany as the future of the Green Economy, the sheen is starting to come off the German revolution. The last few months have been a slaughter for the German solar energy. Amid talk of a trade war with China over cheap imported solar panels, the giant German engineering firm?Siemens?shuttered its solar division after?hemorrhaging?more than a billion dollars in just two years.

Now?Forbes?reports that the rest of the German solar industry isn?t following far behind: two of the country?s biggest solar firms, Conenergy and Gehrlicher Solar, both filed for insolvency last week. Another engineering titan, Bosch, has also decided to get out of the solar market.

Meanwhile, the country?s other major green energy project?off-shore windfarms in the Baltic and North Sea?is also threatening to turn into a?boondoggle. The massive projects off the northern coast of Germany are supposed to supply 9% of the country?s energy needs by 2023 and were a cornerstone of the government?s plan to abandon nuclear power. Yet engineering challenges,?uncertainty?around future energy prices and NIMBYs who object to overhead high-tension wires passing through their neighborhoods all threaten to make the project a dangerous white elephant. According to the?Economist:

Investors have gone cool on building windmills in German waters because of their costs and doubts over future electricity rates. A study, commissioned from an independent consultant by TenneT, reckons that less than 6GW of the planned 14GW of turbines are likely to be built by 2023. If so, laments VZBV, a consumer body, Germans will end up paying heavily for a lot of useless transmission gear out at sea.

All of these developments have the German public and their elected representatives seriously reconsidering the wisdom of their ?revolution.? German consumers haven?t been happy with their skyrocketing energy rates, while German industries have struggled to remain competitive while paying much more for electricity than overseas competition. As green jobs have been disappearing in Germany?employment in the solar sector fell to?87,000 in 2012 from 110,900 a year earlier?German leaders have slashed many of its flagship green programs.?Now German?Environment?Minister Peter Altmaier, a member of Chancellor Merkel?s Christian Democratic party, is saying that the country will end solar subsidies by the year 2018.

The wheels are falling off of Germany?s green energy bandwagon. Many greens saw Berlin?s efforts as a sign of things to come; this reversal of momentum should be instructive.

[Wind turbine image?courtesy of Shutterstock]

More Coverage from Via Meadia:

Source: http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2013/07/13/germans-re-thinking-turn-to-green-energy/

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Float hits power line during Boise parade

by KTVB

KREM.com

Posted on July 14, 2013 at 7:50 AM

Updated today at 8:01 AM

BOISE -- Folks gathered in Eagle Saturday afternoon for the Eagle Fun Days Wet 'N Wild parade, but as the water fight floats started coming something went wrong.

A powerline came crashing to the ground during the parade.

Witnesses say the water fight part of the parade had just started, covering the road with water, when a power line crashed the ground.

Eagle City Council Member Mark Butler said a float with flag on a pole hit a power line at State Street and Winding Creek.

Butler says the wires came onto the ground and the transformer exploded.

Other witnesses say there was lots of smoke and the wires were sparking in the puddles of water.

Butler says that was when a few folks took charge.

"People in the area immediately coordinate off the area, and started yelling to people to get back. And they ran and grabbed baricades because there were a lot of barricades out there for the parade, and they barricaded off the area and pushed everybody away from the area," said Butler.

Butler also says it's probably thanks to those people that no one was hurt, and that it was difficult for first responders to get the scene.

One fire engine got held up because people thought it was part of the parade.

?

Source: http://www.krem.com/news/northwest-news/Float-hits-power-line-during-Boise-parade-215434691.html

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Are Private Schools Really Better? Not for Everybody and not ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]School vouchers are typically advocated by right-wing politicians who distrust governments' ability to manage education (or anything else) and economists who favour competitive pressure and fear that heavily unionised public-school ... References. Bertola G Checchi D (2013), ?Who Chooses Which Private Education? Theory and International Evidence?, CEPR Discussion Paper 9513. Bertola G Checchi D Oppedisano V (2007), ?Private School Quality in Italy?, ...

Source: http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/07/are-private-schools-really-better-not-for-everybody-and-not-everywhere.html

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Loyola (Ill.) (SID): Matt Gordon Named Assistant Men's Basketball Coach

July 13, 2013

CHICAGO - After spending the last two seasons as the director of men's basketball operations at Loyola University Chicago, Matt Gordon has been promoted to assistant coach, Ramblers head coach Porter Moser announced today.

"Matt has been with me for nine years in different capacities and no one I know works harder," Moser said. "He has a great basketball mind, knows how to teach the game and has a great energy about him. Loyalty and understanding of our program are two things you cannot put a price tag on. I am so happy to promote him."

Since joining Moser's staff at Loyola, Gordon, a St. Rita High School product, has overseen the team's video breakdown, while also coordinating team travel, and during the 2012-13 season, the Ramblers posted an eight-game improvement in the win column. Ben Averkamp became the first player in program history to be named Capital One Second Team Academic All-America, and also earned Second Team All-Horizon League honors for the second consecutive season.

Gordon, who has worked with Moser for each of the last five years, began his basketball career as the head manager at Illinois State, and worked three seasons there when Moser was the head coach. While with the Redbirds, Gordon also served as the team's video coordinator. During the 2007-08 season, Gordon worked for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies as a basketball operations intern, assisting the coaching staff with a multitude of projects including video editing.

He then worked with Moser on legendary coach Rick Majerus' staff as the director of basketball operations at Saint Louis University from 2008-11, and during the 2009-10 campaign, the Billikens posted a 23-13 overall mark and reached the championship series of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI).

Loyola, which has spent the last 34 years competing as a member of the Horizon League, will begin its first season in the Missouri Valley Conference this winter.

Source: http://www.bbstate.com/news/704581

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AeroVelo's human-powered helicopter bags $250,000 Sikorsky Prize

We're sure AeroVelo team members think every sleepless night and pedal push are worth it now that they can add the prestigious $250,000 Sikorsky Prize to their pile of bragging rights. They've completely demolished all the requirements needed to win the human-powered helicopter competition during one of their recent attempts. Atlas, their flying contraption, stayed in the air for 64.11 seconds, flew at a max altitude of 3.3 meters (10.8 feet) and never meandered beyond the designated 10 x 10 meter (33 x 33 feet) area. The University of Toronto's creation was locked in head-to-head battle with the University of Maryland's Gamera chopper for quite some time, but it's finally bagged the prize that had remained unclaimed for 33 long years. That's a tremendous accomplishment for anyone, especially for a project with humble beginnings, and if Leonardo Da Vinci were still alive, he'd extend a big congratulazione.

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Via: Popular Mechanics

Source: AeroVelo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/12/aerovelos-atlas-helicopter-sikorsky/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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