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Source: http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=180370
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Saturday, June 30, 2012
Win the iOS 6 device of your dreams from iMore! Enter now!
We'll keep this short and sweet. iOS 6 is coming this fall and iMore wants to make sure you have the latest and greatest device(s) possible to load it on, so you get the absolute best experience possible. So we're giving you the chance to win the iOS 6 device(s) of your dreams!
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/wDUKE2NsfVU/story01.htm
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Executives Discover Innovative Leadership Solutions Via Venture ...
Posted on29 June 2012.
Executives who need to develop innovative leadership solutions should research creative financing sources when planning their new business, product or service strategies. Entrepreneurs don?t have to travel any further than their personal computer for news about raising venture capital funds.
Venture capital is one industry that has been around for the past 60 years or so. However, just like every other industry, it continues to evolve and change. Much of the VC industry?s success is due to the explosive growth of the Internet. The Web has made many information-gathering tasks faster and easier. Updates on venture capitalists and various kinds of venture capital news are readily accessible to the world?s citizens through online media.
Aside from the World Wide Web, there are other sources of venture capital news. Old, traditional sources such as newspapers and magazines continue to provide the necessary candidate criteria or details and information that venture capitalists and entrepreneurs need. These are also good sources of legal updates in the field of venture capital.
Information contributions by VC partners or research associates are published in paper periodicals, magazines or newspapers and can also be found on the Internet. Aside from the printed materials in circulation, some partners even write blogs and lens, operate their own websites and share their expertise in web-posted articles or ezines.
Newsletters and emails are also sources of news. Visitors to a VC-specific site will usually find offers for subscriptions to their daily or weekly newsletters. Inside these publications, sponsoring service providers empower entrepreneurs by providing them with useful articles and practical information. Additional contributions from business experts and capitalists can also be found in these news organs.
Discussion groups and forums are also good venues for posting updates. Online groups, bulletin boards, chatrooms and membership sites give you the ability to exchange ideas and interact with your fellow entrepreneurial colleagues.
Based on the quality and quantity of participants, you can gather advice or tips and learn innovative leadership solutions about the challenging aspects of financing your venture, from raising venture capital to the drafting of proposals to the design of your exit strategies.
Articles on venture capital are not limited to business pages or publications. There are websites which are specifically dedicated to venture capital ? these sites may post news stories or provide video streaming as well. News articles may be categorized into more specific topics such as buyout news, industry news, fund news and transition news.
When a site is classified into clearly defined sections, it makes it easier for the reader to choose which articles to read. So if you are interested in buyouts only, for example, then you don?t have to plow through all articles to find the information that you want. It also helps to have the articles arranged by date, to allow the reader the means to assign currency or relevance to the piece.
With the Internet being worldwide in scope, articles, papers and even application forms can be accessed by practically anyone anywhere, in the same way that we read news, visit offices and updates in our own countries. Everyone with web access can find ways to tap into the innovative leadership solutions being provided by venture capitalist firms.
This goes to show that the availability of venture capital is a worldwide phenomenon. However, in the US alone, close to $29.9 Billion was used for venture capital investment in 2007.
Today?s capitalists are no longer restricted to the US markets only but can now consider funding companies and businesses in China, India and other developing countries in Asia, the Pacific Rim or Middle East and Africa. This is good news for countries in these regions with vast manpower resources but limited access to equity funding.
Entrepreneurial executives can be better informed about the latest trends in VC. Last year, the trend was towards early stage investing. It was estimated that 35% of VC investments will go to seed-stage and early stage deals. On the other hand, expansion-stage funding showed signs of being decreased.
There are some really good websites which provide venture capital news and more. Aside from news, they also provide listings of venture capital firms and the companies that they helped fund.
Find these websites and bookmark them. For entrepreneurs, these sites provide the useful, innovative leadership solutions they need to learn more about the venture capitalist arena.
Copyright 2008, Mustard Seed Investments Inc., All rights reserved.
Bill Thomas conducts innovative leadership training programs for Awesome Leaders and Innovative Leaders - he helps professionals, managers, supervisors, executives, entrepreneurs and directors by providing focused leadership subjects, coaching and consulting support, practical exercises, tons of powerful tools and energetic interactions with clients. His cost-effective innovative training workshops, programs and innovative learning solutions are guaranteed to maximize the returns on your investment. Awesome Leadership Skills Training and
Innovative Leadership Development Workshops
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Military Discounts Offered Online through Partnership between TroopSwap and Area Businesses
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Tiananmen anniversary keeps Chinese censors on edge (+video)
Beijing still shows extreme sensitivity to the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square. China's version of Twitter is censoring everything from today's date to the word 'candle.'
Visitors take photos near a Chinese national flag with Tiananmen Gate in the background as many gathered to mark the anniversary of the deadly 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protestors which centered on Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, China, Monday, June 4.
Ng Han Guan/AP
Enlarge?For the 23rd year in a row, the Chinese authorities today continued their efforts to impose collective amnesia about the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, 1989, seeking to stamp out any public reference to the event.
Skip to next paragraph Peter FordBeijing Bureau Chief
Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.
Recent posts
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For Beijing, the date, ?6.4? as it has become known in China, is one not to be commemorated, but rather obliterated from the calendar. The government has always refused to discuss what happened when soldiers were ordered to disperse pro-democracy demonstrators on Tiananmen Square. Officially, they killed only about 200 protesters; but activists? estimates range from several hundreds to several thousands.
The official blanket denial of the date has worked, to a large extent: Few ordinary Chinese citizens under the age of 30 are aware of the Tiananmen demonstrations or their tragic end. But censors remain determined to foil any attempt by people who do know what happened to say anything about it. Anything at all.
Censors at Sina Weibo, the popular Twitter-like social media platform, were working overtime to block searches for ? or references to ? ?6.4? or other obvious signifiers such as ?tank,? ?crush,? ?never forget,? and ?square.?
?535? was a forbidden term, too, because Internet users have taken to referring to May 35,? instead of June 4. Classically minded censors wouldn?t let you post anything with VIIIIXVIIV in it either, in case readers familiar with Roman numerals could decipher 89.6.4. And by late afternoon, even the word ?today? had been banned.
Over the weekend, Sina Weibo disabled its candle icon, which users might find an appropriate symbol with which to commemorate the Tiananmen dead. An explanation from the website said the icon was ?currently being optimized? but nobody believed it. Before long there were 200,000 posts on Sina referring to ?Weibo? and ?candle? and the next thing anyone knew, the word ?candle? itself became a banned search term.
As if to highlight the absurdity of how hard Sina Weibo censors were working, an impeccable and seemingly?irrelevant source of information, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, suddenly turned subversive. By an extraordinary coincidence (or maybe not), the Shanghai Composite Index, which measures the market?s daily movement, fell on Monday by 64.89 points, in an uncensorable reminder of the date of the massacre.
Though the official campaign to airbrush the Tiananmen Square events out of Chinese history has been successful with most citizens, there are some, of course, who can never forget because their own children died.
One such father, Ya Weilin, apparently exhausted and driven to despair by his failure after nearly a quarter of a century to persuade the government to account for his son?s death, hanged himself 10 days ago. Tiananmen is still claiming victims; 23 years ago they were felled by bullets. Today they succumb to silence.
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TheChurchReport: Christians Respond to Colorado, New Mexico Wildfires http://t.co/3gxH6sc0 #BGEA #christiannews #religionnews #CO
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Source: http://twitter.com/TheChurchReport/statuses/218441162250399744
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Friday, June 29, 2012
Where is the oil control valve on a 2008 Chevy Malibu?
On the steering wheel you have the button for the driver information center (info button) . Press that button until you come to "oil life %" and AT THE SAME TIME, hold down the info button & the...
your question is too vague. there are many control solenoids. Which one are you referring to?
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The oil filter is under the hood near the front of the car. Look for a silver canister type object with a black lid on top. This is the oil filter holder. Twist off lid to reveal the filter. The...
At 10%
Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_the_oil_control_valve_on_a_2008_Chevy_Malibu&src=rss1
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Samsung Galaxy Tab Ban the Latest Stumble on a Road to Success
Samsung is finding the climb to the top of the mobile industry to be a slippery one.
In Samsung?s ongoing patent disputes with Apple, a U.S. District judge in California, Lucy Koh, sided with Apple June 26, ruling that Samsung?s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet should not be available for sale in the United States. Following rulings in Germany and Australia, hers was the third court to decide this.
?Although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly, by flooding the market with infringing products,? Koh wrote, according to a report from Reuters. The order will become effective once Apple posts a $2.6 million bond, meant to protect Samsung from any damages suffered, should the injunction later be found to be incorrect.
Even with this safety net in place, Samsung?s legal team didn?t rest for a moment. The lawyers filed an appeal approximately five hours later??record time,? wrote consultant and patent expert Florian Mueller on his Foss Patents blog. Mueller added that the ruling gives strength to Apple?s ?copycat? allegations, which say the iPad and Galaxy Pad 10.1 are ?substantially similar.? In court, according to Mueller, Koh held up both devices at a distance, and Samsung?s legal counsel was unable to tell them apart. Not great for Samsung?s argument.
In competing against the Apple iPhone, Samsung would appear to be having better luck. Sales of its Galaxy S III smartphone are expected to exceed 10 million units by July, JK Shin, head of Samsung?s mobile division, told reporters earlier this week, adding that second-quarter revenue is expected to exceed that of its first.
During the first quarter of 2012, Apple?s smartphone sales increased 88.7 percent year-over-year. ?Samsung?s smartphone shipments grew 267 percent during that time, according to IDC.
Meeting such demand, however, is proving trickier than Samsung expected, and now it isn?t expected to deliver the devices before the close of its second-quarter, June 30, shifting its revenue to the second half of the year.
Investment firm Barclays cut its second-quarter Samsung Galaxy S III sales forecast but raised its forecast for the third-quarter.
After debuting in 28 countries May 29, the Galaxy S III was to launch in the United States on the Sprint and T-Mobile networks June 21, before continuing on to Verizon Wireless, AT&T and U.S. Cellular. When the date arrived, however, T-Mobile had only 16GB models in stock. Sprint was made to issue a statement saying that due to worldwide ?overwhelming demand,? it had zilch to offer.
On June 28 Sprint finally shared that 16GB and 32GB models, in both blue and white, will be available July 1.
AT&T has been coy about the phone?s sales date all along, saying it will ship in July, but now it, too, is citing ?supply constraints,? and with July nearing, it still has no firm date for shipping even preordered devices.
The Verizon Wireless site maintains that its Galaxy S III devices will ship by July 11.
Samsung is said to also be dealing with the matter of competitors swarming it in the low-end smartphone market, forcing the company to consider price dips on already inexpensive phones designed for markets such as China. However, analysts told The Wall Street Journal, according to a June 28 report, that as long as sales of high-end smartphones remain strong, no one is too concerned.
?We are convinced that the company?s earnings cycle is still far from the peak,? brokerage firm Barclays reported, according to The Journal.
While Samsung may occasionally lose its footing, unlike too many of its competitors, it is at least on the right road and headed in the right direction.
Follow Michelle Maisto on Twitter.
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San Diego Personal Injury Lawyers Helping Those ... - Legal Shield
Anyone who has driven in California understands that road
construction is a necessary annoyance for people who are forced to
traverse through these construction zones on their daily commutes. One
of the many reasons that some motorists lack patience when faced with
this driving environment is because the law usually requires people to
slow down and to use extra caution. This can lead to crowding of
vehicles, tight traffic conditions and delays. Unfortunately, it can
also lead to a high number of mistakes made by those who happen to be in
the area at the time.
Construction Zone Accident Statistics
Construction Zone Negligence
How San Diego Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
Continue reading "San Diego Personal Injury Lawyers Helping Those Injured in Construction Zone Accidents "
construction is a necessary annoyance for people who are forced to
traverse through these construction zones on their daily commutes. One
of the many reasons that some motorists lack patience when faced with
this driving environment is because the law usually requires people to
slow down and to use extra caution. This can lead to crowding of
vehicles, tight traffic conditions and delays. Unfortunately, it can
also lead to a high number of mistakes made by those who happen to be in
the area at the time.
Below you will find a brief overview of the issues that surround California car accidents
that occur in construction zones. You will also find information
regarding the potential legal rights and options possessed by someone
who has been wrongfully injured in a crash that occurs in these areas.
Anyone who does face this difficult situation needs to obtain the help
of experienced San Diego personal injury lawyers as soon as possible.
Construction Zone Accident Statistics
Road construction is a reality in every state, and these areas
present difficulty for motorists all over the country. Based on
statistics kept by the federal government, approximately 30,000 people
are injured in car accidents that occur in construction zones every
year. These injuries include drivers, passengers and of course workers
who are on the construction site at the time a crash occurs.
Construction Zone Negligence
As stated above, construction zones are generally posted so that
motorists can be made aware that they are approaching such an
environment ahead of time. Nevertheless, people will still proceed at
the same speed at which they were traveling before moving into the
construction zone, and this creates danger for anyone else who may be in
the area at the time.
There are other forms of negligence that are common in these areas.
For instance, many construction zones do not allow passing of other
vehicles because lanes are narrow and bent out of their normal shape and
there is often no shoulder. However, people will still attempt to pass
and otherwise drive aggressively, thereby causing more car accidents,
injuries and fatalities.
How San Diego Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
When someone is injured in a crash that occurred in a construction
zone, the aftermath of that incident can be extremely confusing. That?s
because few if any people will be able to accurately recall what
occurred in such a compressed space and materials are often sent flying
to the point where few people can see. Fortunately, San Diego personal injury lawyers
who handle these situations regularly will be able to rebuild the crash
scenario such that fault can be identified and damages can be pursued.
If you or someone you love has been injured in this manner, you need to seek the help of San Diego personal injury lawyers who have been fighting for the rights of clients for many years. Contact The Mitchell | Gilleon Law Firm today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Continue reading "San Diego Personal Injury Lawyers Helping Those Injured in Construction Zone Accidents "
Source: http://safeguardfreedom.com/blog/?p=6032
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Cybercrime disclosures rare despite new SEC rule
FILE -- In a July 13, 2011 file photo Senate Commerce Chairman Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., presides over a hearing of the committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Rockefeller is adding a provision to cybersecurity legislation that would strengthen the requirement to report cybercrimes. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, file)
FILE -- In a July 13, 2011 file photo Senate Commerce Chairman Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., presides over a hearing of the committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Rockefeller is adding a provision to cybersecurity legislation that would strengthen the requirement to report cybercrimes. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, file)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Hackers broke into computers at hotel giant Wyndham Worldwide Corp. three times in two years and stole credit card information belonging to hundreds of thousands of customers. Wyndham didn't report the break-in in corporate filings even though the Securities and Exchange Commission wants companies to inform investors of cybercrimes.
Amid whispers of sensational online break-ins resulting in millions of dollars in losses, it remains remarkably difficult to identify corporate victims of cybercrimes. Companies are afraid that going public would damage their reputations, sink stock prices or spark lawsuits.
The chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is adding a provision to cybersecurity legislation that would strengthen the reporting requirement. The SEC's guidance issued in October is not mandatory. It was intended to update for the digital age a requirement that companies report "material risks" that investors want to know.
Rockefeller's measure would direct the SEC's five commissioners to make clear when companies must disclose cyber breaches and spell out steps they are taking to protect their computer networks from electronic intrusions.
The SEC recently challenged Internet retailer Amazon's decision to omit from its 2011 annual report references to the online theft of customer data held by Zappos, an online shoe company owned by Amazon. Amazon eventually agreed to modify the statement slightly, according to correspondence between the company and the SEC. But the company still argued that the Zappos attack was not covered by the commission's cybersecurity guidance because it had no material impact on Amazon's business.
Cybercrime is rampant and not confined to the United States. The head of Britain's domestic spy agency said this week that cybersecurity ranks alongside terrorism as one of the United Kingdom's most pressing security challenges. In one recent case, an unspecified, London-listed company hit by a cyberattack incurred revenue losses of $1.2 billion, MI5 Director General Jonathan Evans said in rare public remarks in London. He did not identify the company or say which country was behind the attack. The U.S. has said China and Russia are the governments most frequently engaged in such hacking.
"What is at stake is not just our government secrets but also the safety and security of our infrastructure, the intellectual property that underpins our future prosperity, and the commercially sensitive information that is the lifeblood of our companies and corporations," Evans said.
Research by a cybersecurity expert shows dozens of Fortune 500 companies have lost a wide range of valuable information to cybercrimes, including intellectual property, bank account credentials, restricted data about patients of pharmaceutical companies and internal legal records.
Rodney Joffe of Neustar, an Internet infrastructure management company in Virginia, monitors networks used by online criminal groups and traces the origin of stolen information. He found evidence that 162 out 168 companies in the manufacturing, chemical and transportation sectors had been compromised. The names of the companies are being kept confidential for proprietary reasons, he said.
"No one is safe. Everyone is compromised," said Joffe, Neustar's senior technologist. "When people tell you, 'We are protected as a company,' they are really fooling themselves."
The SEC isn't tracking how many companies comply with its cybersecurity guidance. But publicly traded companies historically have resisted supplying information about cyber incidents because it highlights their weak spots, said Peter Toren, a former federal prosecutor with the Justice Department's computer crime division.
"It just doesn't look good," Toren said.
The breach of Wyndham's computers was described in a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit filed this week against the company and three subsidiaries for alleged security failures that led to the three data breaches between April 2008 and January 2010. The failures caused "the export of hundreds of thousands of consumers' payment card account information to an Internet domain address registered in Russia" and millions of dollars in fraudulent charges on consumers' accounts, the FTC said.
Wyndham didn't mention the break-ins in its 2011 annual report or prior securities filings, according to an Associated Press review of the records.
Wyndham's 2011 annual report said the "hospitality industry is under increasing attack by cyber-criminals in the U.S. and other jurisdictions in which we operate" and noted that it was involved in "claims relating to information security and data privacy." Wyndham spent $13 million more on security improvements and expects to spend as much as $100 million in 2012 to guard against "the increasingly aggressive global threat from cyber-criminals," according to the report.
Wyndham said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press that it "fully complied with SEC regulations in regards to the disclosure of material events." In the statement, Wyndham said the incidents were "previously reported," an apparent reference to notices to consumers that were published on the company's website. The company also said the FTC's claims were without merit.
Network infrastructure company Verisign reported in late October, just a few weeks after the SEC issued the guidance, that there had been several successful cyberattacks against its corporate networks in 2010. In the filing, Verisign said the company's management had not been informed of the attacks until September 2011.
LinkedIn, the online networking service, publicly announced on June 12 the online theft of 6.5 million user passwords. It said the announcement complies with its obligations to the SEC, but it has yet to file a report about the incident with the commission.
The new SEC guidance puts pressure on companies to decide whether to disclose a breach or keep it secret, said Jody Westby of Global Cyber Risk, a consulting firm. But she said the demand for information amounts to locking the door after the house has been robbed.
"The SEC would have done better to require all public companies to say whether they've taken actions to implement a security program," Westby said.
__
Associated Press researcher Julie Reed contributed to this report.
__
Online:
SEC disclosure guidance: http://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/guidance/cfguidance-topic2.htm
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Judge hears arguments at Zimmerman bond hearing
FILE - This file booking photo provided by the Seminole County Sheriff's Office shows George Zimmerman. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman poses no threat to the community and should be released a second time on bail, his attorney said in a court motion released Monday, June 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Seminole County Sheriff's Office, File)
FILE - This file booking photo provided by the Seminole County Sheriff's Office shows George Zimmerman. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman poses no threat to the community and should be released a second time on bail, his attorney said in a court motion released Monday, June 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Seminole County Sheriff's Office, File)
SANFORD, Fla. (AP) ? Prosecutors and a lawyer for the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin wrangled Friday over the money George Zimmerman received after he was charged with second-degree murder.
Zimmerman's attorney called an expert on finances to testify Friday at Zimmerman's bond hearing. Attorney Mark O'Mara was trying to show that Zimmerman and his wife did not try to hide anything when they moved money from a PayPal account to their family accounts.
"All the ends and outs match perfectly," said Adam Magill, a financial forensic specialist.
But Magill also testified that moving the money around from different accounts would "make it appear that you didn't have the money."
The hearing was still ongoing late Friday morning.
Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester revoked Zimmerman's $150,000 bond earlier this month when prosecutors told the judge Zimmerman and his wife misled the court about how much money they had during the April bond hearing.
Prosecutors said a website Zimmerman created for his legal defense had raised $135,000 at the time of his first bond hearing. Zimmerman and his wife did not mention the money then.
Prosecutors also said the couple talked in code during recorded jailhouse conversations about how to transfer the donations to different bank accounts. At one point, George Zimmerman asked how much money they had. She replied "$155." Prosecutors allege that was code for $155,000. Their reference to "Peter Pan" was code for the PayPal system through which the donations were made, prosecutors said.
Shellie Zimmerman has since been charged with perjury. She is out of jail on $1,000 bond and her arraignment is set for July 31.
Zimmerman's defense also played videos of Zimmerman talking and showing his injuries after the shooting. Attorneys then spent time questioning Kevin O'Rourke, a Sanford firefighter and emergency medical technician who responded to the shooting scene. Attorneys asked questions about the extent of Zimmerman's injuries, particularly how much blood was on his head and face.
"A good 45 percent of his head and face were covered with blood," O'Rourke said.
Legal experts say Zimmerman needs a good explanation to persuade the judge to let him out of jail again while he awaits trial.
"If his explanation is really weak ... I think Lester could keep him in jail," said Randy McClean, an Orlando-area defense attorney who is following the case. "If he really comes across as being genuine and has a reasonable explanation, because I don't see how it could be a great explanation, then I think Lester will probably pump up the conditions, up his monetary conditions and let him back on bond."
Working in Zimmerman's favor, the judge has said, is he turned himself in when charges were filed and kept law enforcement informed of his location when he went into hiding because of threats against him and his family. Weighing against him is the seriousness of the charge as well as other brushes with the law, including an arrest for resisting an undercover officer.
Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting 17-year-old Martin on Feb. 26 at a gated apartment community in Sanford. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty and claims the shooting was self-defense under the state's "stand your ground" law.
Martin's parents and supporters claim the teenager was targeted because he was black and Zimmerman started the confrontation that led to the shooting. Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic.
The 44 days between the shooting and Zimmerman's arrest inspired nationwide protests, led to the departure of the Sanford police chief and prompted a U.S. Department of Justice probe.
Zimmerman's attorney has argued in court papers that he is no threat to the public and proved he wasn't a flight risk by returning to jail when his bond was revoked. O'Mara also argued that the bulk of the more than $200,000 raised by the website has now been turned over to a third-party administrator and Zimmerman has no control over the money.
Putting the money in a trust was smart because "now you can argue that the client does not have direct access to that money to flee the jurisdiction of the court," said Blaine McChesney, an Orlando criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor.
Prosecutors have also argued Zimmerman had a second passport he didn't tell the judge about, but the judge dismissed any worries about it, comparing it to when somebody loses a driver's license, applies for another one and then finds the old license.
McChesney said there is a good chance the judge will deny bond, in part because of the jailhouse recordings about the money transfers.
"It shows a premeditated intent to hide that," McChesney said.
The only witnesses O'Mara had listed before the hearing were two bail bondsmen. But at the last hearing, Zimmerman surprised many people by taking the stand himself and apologizing to Martin's family.
It may be up to only Zimmerman to re-establish his credibility with the judge, whether he testifies or his lawyer talks for him.
"Credibility is an issue. So O'Mara is going to certainly have to make apologies or Zimmerman will have to make apologies for what happened, and they're going to have to convince the court that he is a good bond risk," said Karin Moore, a law professor at Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando.
___
Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP.
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Rielle Hunter CRUSHED By Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View
Rielle Hunter was eviscerated on The View yesterday as the gabfest panel, in particular Whoopi Goldberg, went nuclear on John Edwards' mistress.
"In your book, you trash a dead lady," Goldberg stated, referring to Rielle Hunter's new tell-all book, in which she bashes Elizabeth Edwards often.
"That was kind of crappy."
Regarding What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter and Me, the author responded, "I wrote to tell the truth. I was truthful about their dynamic."
In the interview, Hunter acknowledged that despite recent photos of the happy family on a North Carolina beach, she broke up with John Edwards.
Asked if the split was caused by her memoir, Rielle dodged. "I don't want to hide any more," she said. "It's hard under media scrutiny, it takes a toll."
The mother of Edwards' love child spent a good part of the interview defending herself. "I'm not a mistress, I'm a mom," Rielle Hunter insisted.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck wasn't buying it: "Truth be told, you were a mistress."
Even Barbara Walters piled it on, saying she had a "bone to pick" with Hunter for accusing Walters of "bullying" after Rielle's interview with Oprah.
"I have no idea what you mean by that," Walters said. "I've done thousands of interviews and I've never bullied or screamed at anyone."
"I've made people cry, but I've never screamed."
"It's not the first time, and it won't be the last, that people remember things differently," replied Hunter, who may want to skip The View on her next PR tour.
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Tropical Storm Debby Exits Rain-Soaked Florida
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Source: www.nytimes.com --- Thursday, June 28, 2012
Debby pounded Florida with relentless rain for four days, but by the time the storm reached the Atlantic Ocean, it had been downgraded to a tropical depression. ...
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Curry out as co-host of NBC's 'Today' show
FILE - In a Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 file photo, "Today" show co-host Ann Curry attends the "Today" show 60th anniversary celebration at the Edison Ballroom in New York. Curry announced her departure as co-host on the "Today" show Thursday, June 28, 2012. NBC?s Savannah Guthrie is expected to replace Curry. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
FILE - In a Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 file photo, "Today" show co-host Ann Curry attends the "Today" show 60th anniversary celebration at the Edison Ballroom in New York. Curry announced her departure as co-host on the "Today" show Thursday, June 28, 2012. NBC?s Savannah Guthrie is expected to replace Curry. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
FILE - In a Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011 file photo provided by NBC, "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie appears on the set during a broadcast, in New York. Guthrie is expected to replace Ann Curry as ?Today? show co-host. Curry announced her departure as co-host on the "Today" show Thursday, June 28, 2012. (AP Photo/NBC, Peter Kramer, File)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Ann Curry offered a tearful goodbye as co-host of NBC's "Today" show on Thursday, saying "this is not as I expected to ever leave this couch."
Her exit represents NBC's most visible response to the popular morning show's worst stretch in the ratings in nearly two decades. "Today" hadn't lost a single week since 1996, but this spring it was beaten four times by ABC's resurgent "Good Morning America."
Curry's exit marked a stark contrast to the lengthy tribute shows given to predecessors Meredith Vieira and Katie Couric. She announced it during the final five minutes of her shift on Thursday, ending a week of awkward television as she continued working after word spread that NBC was looking to oust her.
"For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball over the finish line but, man, I did try," she said, breaking down.
Curry joined the show as a news anchor in 1997. Passed over for the co-host job when Vieira replaced Couric, she was given the chance when Vieira left last June. But her pairing with co-host Matt Lauer never seemed to click and she took the fall for the show's ratings troubles.
NBC's Savannah Guthrie, who co-hosts the 9 a.m. segment of the show, is expected to replace Curry.
Curry will remain at NBC News, saying she's been given a "fancy new title" to lead a reporting team. NBC said she will be anchor-at-large and national and international correspondent. Her work will occasionally resurface on "Today," and Lauer said she will be in London with the show for the Olympics.
He sat next to Curry, Al Roker and Natalie Morales on the couch as Curry choked back tears and apologized for being a "sob sister."
"It's not goodbye, not by a long shot," a grim-faced Lauer said.
Each of her colleagues recalled some of Curry's reporting from her "Today" tenure, but there was no video tribute. The "Today" website displayed "15 top Ann moments spanning her 15 years on TV," asking viewers to vote on their favorite.
"To all of you watching, thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me touch yours," she said.
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Thursday, June 28, 2012
CNN's 'Humiliating' Obamacare Screwup Causes ... - Business Insider
WATCH: CNN Incorrectly Reports The Supreme |
CNN sent everyone into a tizzy when it wrongly reported the Supreme Court struck down Obamacare.
And now the 24-hours news network is jumping into recovery mode, claiming one of its producers inside the court room "jumped the gun," when he told a junior reporter the false ruling, BuzzFeed reported.
Not only did reporter Kate Bolduan proclaim the false information on air, citing producer Bill Mears, the network also tweeted it and ran a large banner on its site.
The mistake nearly caused a mutiny inside the organization.
On-air reporters and producers told BuzzFeed the mistake was "fucking humiliating."
?Maybe this will shake the company into understanding that CNN has not been the 'most trusted name in news' for a very long time," the insider told BuzzFeed.
On-air legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, jumped to the network's aid, saying the mistake was embarrassing but covering breaking news can get very stressful.
?It looked to all the world like the chief justice was going to strike down the law,? Toobin said.
In a news release from CNN, the network said it accurately reported the fact that Roberts seemed to oppose the mandate but then "wrongly reported that therefore the court struck down the mandate."
And Don't Miss...
? Actually, Justice Roberts Demolished Obama In His Supreme Court Ruling
? Justice Ginsberg Cited Romneycare As A Reason For Upholding Obamacare
? The Supreme Court's Conservative Wing Is Pissed About A Federal Power Grab
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IN THE CLASSROOM - Eastern Illinois University grads
- DWIGHT: Megan Weller, Bachelor of Science.
- MARSEILLES: Danielle Wiberg, Bachelor of Fine Arts.
- OTTAWA: Cassie Fuller, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts, Pete Honiotes, Bachelor of Science in Business.
- PERU: Harold Burr, Bachelor of Arts.
- SENECA: Andrew Applebee, Bachelor of Science, Morgan Bellettini, Bachelor of Science in business.
- SOMONAUK: Ashley Erwin, Bachelor of Science.
- STREATOR: Kari Rodriguez, Bachelor of Science in education, Sarah Roe, Bachelor of Science in education.
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Asian stocks up slightly on improving US home data
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LG Optimus Vu 'Value Pack' Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade on the way in Korea
LG's Optimus Vu still has yet to debut in the US, but Korean fans of the extra-wide 5-inch phablet can soon enjoy a new "Value Pack" upgrade. It brings the phone to yesterday's-news Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich along with LG-specific tweaks to its note taking features, UI 3.0 and Quick Voice search. There's a quick demo video of the update (embedded after the break) and promotional mini site with more details, although the ability to understand Korean -- or muddle through machine translated closed captions -- will come in handy.
Continue reading LG Optimus Vu 'Value Pack' Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade on the way in Korea
LG Optimus Vu 'Value Pack' Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade on the way in Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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How To Find The Right Donor-Advised Fund (And Why ...
Donor-advised funds have long been a popular vehicle for charitable giving, and many in the field expect the popularity of DAFs to continue to grow as the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement. ?But as the concept has grown in popularity, so have the number of options and providers. It is therefore important that both donors and their advisors understand the types of funds available and choose the ones that will best facilitate their wealth management and charitable goals. So how do you find the best donor-advised fund for your purpose and how do you find the right provider?
The first step is understanding your options. ?There are four major types of DAF providers, each of which is explored below.
The Donor-Advised Fund Marketplace?
1. ?National DAF Organizations -?Today there are approximately 30 national organizations that sponsor DAFs. Some are the charitable arm of for-profit financial services institutions such as the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, the Schwab Charitable, and the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program. Others are independent sponsoring organizations (i.e., they are not affiliated with a particular financial institution or charity) such as the National Philanthropic Trust and the American Endowment Foundation. Unlike most DAF options, national organizations are issue and geography agnostic, which is fine if a donor is set on where his/her funds will go, but can be a huge deterrent to those donors who could benefit from targeted philanthropic advice.
National funds most often appeal to donors because of their technological capabilities. Their websites allow donors to simply login and access grant activities and other national databases with relevant information about prospective grantee organizations (i.e. Guidestar and Charity Navigator).
National funds also provide fee calculators on their websites so that donors know exactly how much services will cost. The relative low cost of national funds is another reason donors choose them. Because of their large capacities, national funds charge up to 40% less than other DAF options, according to Wright-Violich, representative of Schwab Charitable.
National funds are also attractive to donors because they have the expertise to deal with complex gifts and they have the most sophisticated investment options. Donors with large accounts ($10 million+) have access to alternative investments, allowing them to customize their investment choices so that their DAFs have similar investment flexibility to private foundations.
2. ?Community Foundations ? There are also more than 700 community foundations that sponsor donor-advised funds, as well as hundreds of faith-based institutions. In fact, it was such institutions that originally pioneered the DAF as an alternative to the relative inefficiency of checkbook giving or the more complicated process of establishing a private foundation. ?Over the years these organizations have become very technically savvy, with many offering similar online access and investment options as the national DAFs.
What really sets community foundations apart, however, is the local expertise and community commitment. ?These foundations become very involved in their local nonprofit sector, thereby giving their donors access to extremely beneficial information on how use their funds to make an impact in their local community. ?Many community foundations even have a grant process where local nonprofits can submit grant requests that are compliled into a ?catalogue? of opportunities for donors. ?For donors interested in impacting their local community, this is by far the best option, even if the cost is a bit higher than national DAFs. ?This does not, however, mean all donations must go to the local community. ?Donors still have the flexibility to donate anywhere in the world.
3. ?Public Foundations ? Public foundations typically give nationally and sometimes internationally, often focusing on a particular issue or geographic region. Their staff members usually have regional and/or issue specific expertise that they use to assist DAF holders in finding causes that interest them. For example, the Peace Development Fund houses DAFs for donors interested in creating systemic social change throughout the Americas.
4. ?Other Charities ? Other public charities, like hospitals and universities, set up donor-advised funds within their organizations to advance their own charitable missions.
Finding The Right Donor-Advised Fund Provider
When selecting a DAF provider, with a little due diligence donors can ensure that the organization they select is one that reflects their interests and values. After all, there are almost as many different types of DAFs as there are donors.
The main reason donor-advised funds were designed was to remove the barriers to giving, by outsourcing the administration, record keeping, and due diligence on the charities. ?If you know what parts of the charitable process you want to control, what parts you want to outsource, and what you want the outcome to be, you will have the information you need to make the right choice.
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Ubiquitous nanotubes could reboot Edison-era nickel-iron battery technology
Back in the 1920s, Thomas Edison's dream of an electric automobile was ultimately foiled by those meddling petroleum engines. But thanks to nanotube research from Stanford University, one legacy from that era may regain some glory: nickel-iron batteries. It turns out that carbon nanotubes doped with nickel and iron crystals can top up the normally slow-charging cells in a matter of minutes -- according to the scientists, that's almost 1,000 times faster than in the past. Although the batteries couldn't power your Volt or Prius due to a lack of energy density, they could give an extra jolt to their lithium-ion siblings for quicker starts and regenerative braking. The researchers are working on improving stability to allow more charging cycles, but it might be an extra in-your-face for Edison if it pans out.
Ubiquitous nanotubes could reboot Edison-era nickel-iron battery technology originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 02:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Video Game Pioneer Atari Marks 40 Years Of Gaming | FOX8.com ...
(CNN) ? When people talk about the beginnings of the video game industry, one name invariably bubbles to the top: Atari.
The video arcade and console company was formed 40 years ago Wednesday, although the games and consoles from its late ?70s-early ?80s heyday continue to evoke memories from gamers today.
In 1972, Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney were looking to produce an electronic tennis game to be called ?Pong.? They formed Atari Inc. on June 27 of that year and released the black-and-white tennis game five months later. The gaming world hasn?t been the same since.
?Pong?s? primitive, two-dimensional graphics look ridiculous now, but it was an immediate hit and is considered the first commercially successful video game.
But Atari?s more lasting contribution to living-room entertainment may have been the Atari VCS, more commonly known as the Atari 2600. The home video-game console launched in 1977 and sold more than 30 million units before being discontinued in 1992 according to a Business Week report.
Many people credit the Atari 2600 as their gateway into the world of electronic gaming.
?While I had dabbled with the NES at a friend?s house and Apple II titles at my uncle?s, this was the first console that was mine,? said Matt Paprocki of Toledo, Ohio. ?It sucked me in and kept me there. I doubt any parent knows how important a little console that plays video games can be, or what it can do for someone?s life. It?s a path I started on and stayed on well into my adult life, all because of that faux wood box fitted with ungainly switches.?
?You never forget your first love!? said Matt Thebert of Lawrenceville, Georgia. ?But it also was the beginning of a whole era of populist electronics and computing where you could have in your home, finally, a computer and video games. Which as a kid meant I could explore these worlds from my home, not from a computer lab or, at that time, the public library, where we would reserve time in one-hour chunks on the Apple IIe to play ?Zork? in its amber glory.?
Atari Inc. was sold to Warner Communications in 1976 as Bushnell looked for help marketing his home console. The company began developing other systems ? The Atari 400, 800 and 5200 ? but were never able to duplicate the success of the Atari 2600 console.
Many say it offered a new way to interact with family and friends.
?All of my cousins loved it because we could root for the ones that were playing,? said Willie Jefferson Jr. of Houston. ?Plus, we knew we?d get a chance to play in a few minutes. The 2600 cemented gaming into my fabric.?
?It meant a lot, now that I think about it,? said Jason Konoza, from Edmonton, Canada. ?Personal interaction and socializing. The hours spent playing ?Space Invaders? together, or ?Home Run? or ?Circus Atari? against each other. My best friend Mark and I would write down our high scores for ?Frostbite? and keep them in the box.?
But in the early 1980s, the company?s missteps ultimately sealed its downfall as Atari Inc.
The biggest and most publicized was the release of ?E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial? and a port of the arcade version of ?Pac-Man,? two games that were widely lambasted by critics for poor game play and design.
?Sadly, looking back, it seems like the 2600 could have been the best thing in gaming, by bringing it into so many households,? said T.J. Lauerman of Teaneck, New Jersey. ?But also a tragedy that could have killed home gaming as we know it after the ?E.T.? debacle.?
By 1984, Atari Inc. was technically no more. Warner Communications divided the company, selling off parts as the video game market crashed with a glut of poorly designed games. The Atari name has changed hands several times since and is now in the hands of Infogrames as a wholly owned subsidiary, as of 2008.
That company, renamed Atari, SA in 2010, has recently focused its efforts on mobile and social gaming, releasing Atari titles for the iPhone and iPad. Bushnell rejoined the company in 2010 to sit on its board of directors, reconnecting Atari with its past.
In recent years, longtime fans have posted comments online voicing their frustrations with what they consider to be the misuse of the Atari name as a tool to for easy profits.
Atari says they are listening.
?Atari?s fans are an incredibly passionate group, and the current team at Atari understands that there has been negative sentiment about how the brand had been used as part of a retail distribution business for third party console games. And, frankly, many of them resulted in low ratings.? the company said in a statement.
?Over the past few years, we?ve decided to exit that business and focus our efforts on restoring the real values behind the Atari brand. We believe the success of this new initiative lies in the mobile games business, as evidenced by the critical and commercial success of some of our more recent titles.?
The company also points to its Pong Indie Developer Challenge, a developers? competition seeking a reimagined version of ?Pong? for Apple?s mobile devices. The winner will receive $50,000 and will be announced August 2.
Atari calls the challenge an example ?of our commitment to making new games based on our core IP that, like the original hits, are fun, ?easy to learn but difficult to master.?
However, one of the enduring legacies of the Atari name remains the Atari 2600 console, the black box with the faux wood stickers.
?As it was my first introduction to gaming for me personally, it was a groundbreaking time in gaming and I think it should be listed in the Top 5 of video game consoles,? said Nikki Rau-Baker of Atlanta.
?It?s the system that kicked off the gaming revolution,? Jefferson said. ?It made the way for the PS3, 360 and Wii ? and beyond.?
Today, most Atari 2600s are collecting dust in attics or buried in landfills. But some gamers are still able to enjoy the console?s 8-bit graphics and retro music 40 years later.
?I still have my original working Atari 2600 console,? said Konoza of Edmonton. ?Sometimes I need a break from playing games with a controller with 14 different buttons, dual analog sticks, and full motion control. Just holding a simple joystick, knowing that I can master a game using one button, brings comfort to me.
?In a complicated world, you need a little dose of simplicity.?
?
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