North Korea sends its first tweet over 3G service

North Korea's 3G cellular network is up and running, as proven by a warm "hello" sent out through Twitter. 3G service is new to North Korea, but its own citizens cannot use it.?

By Jean H. Lee,?Associated Press / February 27, 2013

Foreigners speak with sales person at a Koryolink cellphone rental booth, asking about mobile phone service at Pyongyang Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean citizens will not have access to the new 3G mobile Internet service.

Jon Chol Jin/AP Photo

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"Hello world from comms center in #Pyongyang."

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That Twitter missive, sent Monday from Koryolink's main service center in downtown Pyongyang using my iPhone, marked a milestone for North Korea: It was believed to be the first tweet sent from a cellphone using the country's new 3G mobile data service.

Later, as we were driving through Pyongyang, I used my iPhone to snap a photo of a new roadside banner referring to North Korea's controversial Feb. 12 nuclear test while AP's Chief Asia photographer David Guttenfelder shot an image of a commuter walking beneath a bridge at dusk. We uploaded these images to Instagram geotagged "Pyongyang."

Pretty ordinary stuff in the world of social media, but revolutionary for North Korea, a country with an intricate set of rules designed to stage manage the flow of images and information both inside and beyond its borders.

In the past, rules were strict for tourists visiting North Korea. On a bus journey across the Demilitarized Zone into the border city of Kaesong in 2008, we were told: No cellphones, no long camera lenses, no shooting photos without permission. The curtains were drawn to prevent us from looking outside as we drove through the countryside, and through the cracks we could see soldiers stationed along the road with red flags. We were warned they'd raise those flags and stop the bus for inspection if they spotted a camera pointed out the window. As we left North Korea, immigration officials went through our cameras, clicking through the photos to make sure we weren't taking home any images that were objectionable.

In 2009, I did not offer up my iPhone as we went through customs. But to no avail. The eagle-eyed officer dug deep into the pocket where I'd tucked the phone away, wagged his finger and slipped the phone into a little black bag. No phone, no address book, no music: It was as though I'd left the modern world behind at Sunan airport and stepped back in time to a seemingly prehistoric analog era.

Eventually, Guttenfelder and I settled into a working routine. We'd leave our cellphones at the airport but use locally purchased phones using SIM cards provided by Koryolink, the joint Egyptian-North Korean cellphone venture that established a 3G network in 2008, but without data. We brought iPod Touches and connected to the world, including Twitter, using broadband Internet that may be installed on request at our hotel, which is for international visitors.

We knew in January that change was afoot. "Bring your own phone next time," a Koryolink saleswoman told me at the airport as we were departing. The next day, the longstanding rule of requiring visitors to relinquish their phones was gone.

But we were waiting for the day when Koryolink would begin offering mobile Internet, and hounded the Egyptians posted to North Korea from Orascom Telecom Media and?Technology?for news.

"Soon," they kept telling us.

Last week, they called with good news: 3G mobile Internet would be available within a week ? but only for foreigners.

All we had to do when we arrived in February was show our passports, fill out a registration form, provide our phones' IMEI numbers and pop in our Koryolink SIM cards. It's a costly luxury: SIM cards are 50 euros, or about $70, and while calls to Switzerland are an inexplicably cheap 38 euro cents a minute, calls to the U.S. cost about $8 a minute.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/S2_57gmmxyo/North-Korea-sends-its-first-tweet-over-3G-service

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Anti-gun Democrat shoo-in to replace Jackson Jr.

CHICAGO (AP) ? The newly elected Democratic nominee to replace disgraced former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. vowed to become a leader in the fight for federal gun control and directly challenged the National Rifle Association in her victory speech.

But it remains to be seen if Robin Kelly's primary win Tuesday night in the Chicago-area district, aided by a $2 million ad campaign funded by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's super PAC, would fuel the national debate.

Kelly, a former state representative, emerged early as a voice for gun control in the truncated primary season after Jackson resigned in November. She gained huge momentum as Bloomberg's super PAC poured money into anti-gun television ads in her favor that blasted one of her Democratic opponents, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson, for receiving a previous high rating from the NRA. Kelly supports an assault weapons ban, while Halvorson does not.

"We were on the right side of the issue and our message resonated," Kelly told The Associated Press shortly after her win.

Kelly promised in her victory speech later Tuesday night to fight "until gun violence is no longer a nightly feature on the evening news" and directly addressed the NRA, saying "their days of holding our country hostage are coming to an end."

Bloomberg called Kelly's win an important victory for "common sense leadership" on gun violence, saying in a statement that voters nationwide are demanding change from their leaders.

But other Democratic front-runners accused Bloomberg of buying a race and interfering in the heavily urban district that also includes some Chicago suburbs and rural areas.

"It shows, unfortunately, you can't go up against that big money. ...That's the problem with super PACs," Halvorson, who unsuccessfully challenged Jackson in a primary last year, told the AP. "There is nothing I could have done differently."

Kelly's win all but assures she will sail through the April 9 general election and head to Washington, because the Chicago-area district is overwhelmingly Democratic. The Republican contest, featuring four lesser-known candidates, was too close to call as of Tuesday night, though no Republican has won the district in 50 years.

The race was the district's first wide-open primary since 1995, when Jackson was first elected to Congress in a special election. He resigned in November after a months-long medical leave for treatment of bipolar disorder and other issues, then pleaded guilty this month to misspending $750,000 in campaign money on lavish personal items.

Even with his legal saga playing out in the courts, talk of guns dominated the primary race, which featured 14 Democrats. The election came after Chicago saw its deadliest January in more than a decade, including the fatal shooting of a high-profile honors student just days after she performed at events in Washington to celebrate President Barack Obama's second inauguration.

Political experts and fellow candidates said the super PAC money made all the difference, particularly in an election with a short primary and low voter turnout.

"The money bought Kelly a tremendous among of attention," said Laura Washington, a political analyst in Chicago. "She tapped into a real hard nerve out there in the community. People are really concerned about gun control and violence. She was smart to focus like a laser on that issue."

Bloomberg's entrance into the race became controversial, at least with the candidates and some voters.

The Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent has long taken a vocal stance against guns. He launched his super PAC weeks before the November election and spent more than $12 million to back seven candidates nationwide, including for newly elected Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod, a California Democrat who ousted an incumbent during a race where guns were an issue.

On Tuesday, Kelly told supporters that she would work with Obama and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to get gun control legislation through Congress.

However, gun rights advocates dismissed the notion that Kelly's election and Bloomberg's attention would fuel the debate on gun control.

"This is an aberration," said Illinois State Rifle Association spokesman Richard Pearson. "This shows what you can do with $2 million in an offseason race. He bought the election is the way."

Another Democratic front-runner, Chicago Alderman Anthony Beale, also took issue with the ads, saying people were "extremely upset" that someone from New York was trying to tell people in Illinois how to vote.

"That's what money gets you," he told the AP after conceding late Tuesday. "We earned every vote."

Roughly 14 percent of registered voters came to the polls, an estimate Chicago officials called the lowest turnout in decades. Adding to the problem was a blast of wintry weather Tuesday that snarled traffic, cancelled hundreds of flights and could have kept some voters home.

But those who did make it out indicated that guns, ethics and economic woes were on their minds.

Mary Jo Higgins of Steger, a south Chicago suburb, said she voted for Halvorson because the former congresswoman was "the only Democrat who believes in the Second Amendment."

But Country Club Hills minister Rosemary Gage said she voted for Kelly because she was "standing with (Obama) and trying to get rid of guns."

"It's really bad in Chicago and across the country," Gage said. "Too many children have died."

___

Associated Press writer Sara Burnett contributed to this report.

___

Sophia Tareen can be reached at http://twitter.com/sophiatareen

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anti-gun-democrat-shoo-replace-jackson-jr-032719983--politics.html

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Ending Anxiety, Blame and Cynicism in the Process of Getting ...

As many people do, I?ve suffered from a great deal of anxiety about the future. As a result, there was a sense of being trapped in the undesirable present, and a resulting feeling of the walls closing in on a purgatory between two inevitably catastrophic outcomes.

Also enraptured by, and mired in the mentality called ?positive thinking?, I was thinking positively about the purgatory ? not realizing that the two ?catastrophic? future predictions? inward psychological crush were caused, not held in check, by my resistance against them.

Now the anxiety is gone (for the most part). A good night?s sleep and full rest arrives easily no matter what considerable uncertainties the next day brings. I also sold my positive psychology bible, titled ?Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification?, at bargain price as a used book on amazon dot com. How could I possibly have attained more peace of mind with less ?positivity??

More Peace of Mind, Less ?Positivity??

Over the past few years, the practical aspects of cognitive psychology have brought the following into clarity:

Humans are creative by nature. We can make ourselves feel positive, negative or apathetic about practically _anything_. Without a set of foundational boundaries to guide our thinking, any situation can be spun to ?make it positive?.

Just as the expectation of disaster is usually unrealistic, so is the exuberant anticipation of unlimited abundance.

Disaster vs. Abundance: False Alternatives

It became increasingly clear that when I tried to be ?positive? about the situation, it hasn?t turned out well. Why not? Because ?positivity? often covers up anxiety, just as ?perfectionism? often covers up procrastination. These strategies avoid the issues rather than dealing with them head-on and getting them sorted out as quickly as possible.

To put it smartly and succinctly, there are some situations that just plain suck. They?re not lovely lotus flowers of happiness hidden away in the muddy fields of misfortune, only to be seen by those who are positive enough to smile and embrace the suckitude. Some mistakes are worth fully regretting and letting go after learning the lesson. The regret may remain. The lesson itself might be as profoundly obvious as ?do something else next time?.

The success gurus, greed-stricken Ph.D?s and pseudo-psychology pep-talk bestsellers don?t tell you this, in favor of raising their voices to drown out anxiety/depression by cancelling it out and covering it up with ?positivity? ? often thereby glossing over the facts entirely. The ?revolutionary new field of positive psychology? is a solution in search of a problem, and often an attempt to sell more wallet-fatting ?scientific happiness? over endless book tours, seminar circuits and bogus ?coaching? certification courses for the naively credulous public (how exactly do you teach an interpersonal skill like counseling/coaching via Internet? I imagine that it involves quite a leap of wishful thinking, for starters).

?

It may be more sensible to think negative first, and positive second (if at all). Carefully consider what will most likely go wrong. Are the costs worth the risk? Think negative, plan positive, and acknowledge that the outcome will probably land somewhere in between. By contrast, an anxious mind thinks ?catastrophe!? and plans no further than the expectation that the sky will fall.

In Who?s Best Interest?

One instance of ?think negative, plan positive? is to realize that there will be times when other people won?t necessarily be on your side. Even people who you thought of as friends will at times ?betray? you (also known as ?acting to further their own interests?, as they always have). Many people, especially in business, are your friends precisely because it benefits them, and for no other reason. They like you because you help them get what more of they want for themselves. When they no longer see the gain in being your ?friend?, they disappear. An anxiously ?positive thinker? would enact any number of self-reassuring schemes. Among them you will recognize at least a few in yourself or others: score-keeping and frantically attempting to prevent the inevitable; then exact retribution for being ?wronged?, or pretensions to an obviously fake invincibility.

The truth? It?s not fun when fairweather compatriots vanish in hard times. The personal lesson has been that sunny days don?t make real friends ? longevity and shared ordeals do. The idea is to find a place ? in consulting lingo it?s called the ?inner game? ? where you can sustain through the worst-case scenario and still emerge intact.

From the ?business friends? example above: any entrepreneur, inventor or innovator is probably going to step on some toes on his way up. Colleagues start to mindlessly act like ?competitors? fighting over the typical delusions of scarce market share under the misguided notion that it seems easier to steal than to create.

Hand-to-Mouth Thinking

People who have their careers invested in one way of thinking will try to deride and discredit any new ways of approaching and solving problems. The ordinary person who seeks comfort at all costs will become insecure when challenged to think in a different way, even if that way will help them improve their position over the long term. Humans are shortcut-seekers by nature, as I?ll surely touch on again soon. This ?hand-to-mouth? thinking is actually a cognitive handicap that must be taken into consideration at all times.

You?ve seen that for many people, their sense of ego will often lead them to fight any suggestion that they haven?t already thought of for themselves. Reward follows risk, both psychologically and materially; the prospect of catastrophe keeps most people frozen in place and thinking ?positively? about it all the while.

Win-Win, Win What?

There?s no need for cynicism, blaming or the smug assumption of superiority. We are all primarily self-interested because to be so helps ensure our survival. Many people buy into the idea of scarcity because their reality gives them ample evidence of not having enough, not making enough, not taking enough, and not being enough (i.e. the mythical concept called ?self-esteem? ? more about that soon).

The mistake in that approach is to start with little, and then, seeing a paucity of prosperity, to expect the same in the future. The self-fulfilling prophecy dooms thoughts and dreams to stay small, and visions for the future to remain confined to the distance between hand and mouth.

The social indoctrination to always look like a ?winner? (regardless of most people?s reality) is actually part of what holds many people back. The problem isn?t that we aren?t serious enough. It?s that we often take ourselves far, far too seriously, conjuring the fall of the sky if a few errant raindrops happen to land in our eyes.

Sometimes the answers are simple and direct. At other times, the web of causes, correlations and coincidences can take time to tease apart. What may take years to learn (if at all) on your own can often be seen far more quickly by someone who?s already been there, or knows the lay of the land through careful observation and study. Every now and then, all it takes is to realize that the walls actually won?t fall in ? if you trust yourself to stop pushing so hard. Even the most effective forms of ?self-help? sometimes entail the involvement of a helping hand.

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Source: http://insertrealityhere.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/ending-anxiety-blame-and-cynicism-in-the-process-of-getting-healthy-and-fit-think-negative-plan-positive/

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Shazam Is Driving $300 Million In iTunes And ... - Business Insider

It's a long time since Shazam was just that useful app to identify (or "tag") music playing in the real world. In 2013, the company has a burgeoning business based around people tagging TV shows and adverts too.

Shazam recently announced a major milestone: 300m users. That's all the people who've ever tagged something using the company's app. An impressive figure, but not one that reveals what Shazam's current active userbase is.

In an interview with The Guardian at Mobile World Congress, Shazam's executive vice president of marketing David Jones shared some more useful stats on that front, as well as on where Shazam is making its money in 2013.

Starting with the active users ? or audience, as Shazam's TV partners may see it. "We don't publish our monthly actives, but I can say that weekly actives are in the tens of millions, and monthly actives are many tens of millions," says Jones.

"20% of all iPhones in the US used Shazam last month, and in some European countries like France, Germany and the UK we're seeing closer to 30% or 40%. And we're currently adding at least 2m new users a week, and more than 3m some weeks."

It's this scale that's important to Shazam's expansion into the second-screen TV space, where apps designed to complement TV viewing like Zeebox and GetGlue are still counting their downloads in millions.

Shazam says its users are currently tagging 10m songs, shows and ads a day. They're also tapping through to buy the content they tag from download stores like iTunes and Amazon MP3 ? to the tune of a run-rate of $300m of sales a year. The vast majority is music, but TV shows, films and apps are a small but fast-growing percentage.

It's that second-screen TV business that holds the key to Shazam's future, though. Starting in the US, which accounts for 90m of those first 300m users of the company's app. Shazam creates content within its app for every programme on 160 American TV channels, serving it up when viewers tag the show.

Content? That's a mixture of episode descriptions, quizzes, tweets, cast information and playable clips of every song on the soundtrack, with links to buy song downloads, TV episodes and merchandise ? the latter through a partnership with e-commerce firm Delivery Agent.

For big events like the Super Bowl, Grammys and Oscars in the US ? and recently the Brit Awards in the UK ? Shazam builds what Jones calls "custom experiences", with polls, predictions, and video highlights for 2012's Olympic Games, with official US broadcaster NBC.

"We are going to roll out support for television programming in other countries," says Jones, although he declines to give an exact date. "The UK will be next, and then Western Europe."

The custom experiences side of Shazam's business has just been boosted by Fox Broadcasting Company's launch of an initiative called Fox Now, in partnership with a firm called Watchwith. The scheme involves providing second-screen apps companies with extra material to synchronise with shows as they air.

The idea: Fox will provide behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, interactive content and ads to a range of third-party apps. Shazam is one of four launch partners in the US, alongside Viggle, ConnecTV and NextGuide.

"We think this is going to be empowering," says Jones. "It's inclusive, fostering the development of the entire TV companion-app space, and it lets more people have access to this content. It's going to be good for creators and good for the network."

Fox's second-screen content won't be exclusive to Shazam, though. Jones is nevertheless bullish on the threats posed by these rivals and others including Zeebox and GetGlue.

"They're all struggling to get downloads. If they're getting a couple of million downloads, they're lucky. And while it's great that they're trying different things, they haven't nailed the experience: nothing has taken off," he says.

"But we've been at this a couple of years building custom experiences. We have millions of people Shazaming television every month in the US already."

How does that translate into money? Sponsorships and ad-tagging. In the former case: "We get six-figure sponsorships for single-night events, and some seven-figure sponsorships over a broader spread of time," says Jones.

In the latter case, brands pay Shazam to make their TV adverts interactive: they include a call-to-action in the ad to get people to tag it, and then Shazam provides second-screen content relating to their campaign.

The company has run more than 200 campaigns for over 140 brands, according to Jones. "The minimum price is $75k, but most cost between $75k and $200k for a campaign that runs for a couple of months," he says.

"So with 200 campaigns where we're getting paid low-six-figures on average, this is already a double-digit million business on its own. Shazam for TV advertising is going to become our primary revenue stream very quickly, and that's the way we're going to grow to being a multi-billion dollar company."

Or get bought, of course. Shazam's openness about its revenues and growth is clearly partly about drumming up interest from broadcasters and brands outside the US, but it won't hurt any long-term ambitions for the VC-backed company to find its exit.

In the meantime, Shazam is continuing to bulk up its salesforce, plot global expansion for its TV business, and steering clear of some of the pitfalls that lie in wait.

For example, Jones says Shazam won't get sucked into letting networks or advertisers target their rivals through its app ? for example, enabling Coca-Cola to pay Shazam to show its content when someone tries to tag a Pepsi ad.

The company isn't abandoning music ? it recently inked an exclusive deal with dance-music downloads store Beatport to bolster its database of electronic music, and has been building second-screen content for music videos by Ellie Goulding, Lil' Wayne and Mariah Carey / Justin Bieber, for example.

Shazam is also releasing a new version of its iPad and Android tablet apps, with an emphasis on discovery. People can see which shows and songs are being tagged most by Shazam's users around the world, and drill down by country, city and town through a map interface.

"The whole idea here is to build a better experience on your lap," says Jones, while showing off the new app, which will be released in the coming weeks. Shazam is hoping that beefing up its tablet experience will boost its longer-term ambitions to make second-screen advertising an even larger business.

"For the time being, second-screen is supporting the ads on the first screen, but there will come a time when second-screen revenues start to become significant enough that the television networks and advertising sales groups will really start to take notice," says Jones.

"While we're making a ton of money now, compared to the billions of advertising that the networks sell, it's a smaller thing. That's the opportunity."

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/shazam-is-driving-300-million-in-itunes-and-amazon-sales-2013-2

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Cops: 2 boys, grandmother found dead in vehicle

Connecticut State Police

Alton (left) and Ashton Perry, who were taken from their day care and later found dead in Preston, Connecticut.

By Stephanie O'Connell, NBCConnecticut.com

Two young boys who were taken from their day care center Tuesday have been found dead in Preston, Conn.

Their grandmother, Debra Denison, who according to state police took the boys, was also found dead.

State police had received a call from civilians around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday reporting that a suspicious vehicle was parked near Lake of Isle in Preston.

More news from NBCConnecticut.com

It was reported that three injured people were inside the car, two which appeared to be children.

Troopers and EMS responded to the scene and located the vehicle, following an Amber Alert. One adult and two children were pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause and manner of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The state police were investigating.

The Amber Alert was issued for Ashton and Alton Perry who were last seen in North Stonington around 2:36 p.m.

Jeremy and Brenda Perry, parents of the two young boys, told NBC Connecticut that Denison had a gun and she had a mental illness.

Alton Perry turned 2 years old Tuesday and Ashton Perry was six months of age.

Anyone with information is asked contact Connecticut State Police Troop E at 860-848-6500.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17112877-cops-two-boys-grandmother-found-dead-after-she-takes-them-from-day-care?lite

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Danica boosts Daytona's TV ratings from last year

NEW YORK (AP) ? With Danica Patrick starting from the pole, the Daytona 500's television ratings were much higher than last year's.

Sunday afternoon's race earned a 9.9 rating and 22 share on Fox, the network said Tuesday. That's up 24 percent from 2012, when rain pushed the event to a Monday night. It was the highest rating since 2008.

Jimmie Johnson won the race while Patrick was eighth, the best finish by a woman at the Daytona 500.

The race had plenty of buildup: Patrick making history as the first woman to start a Sprint Cup race from the pole, the revamped cars, no more tandem drafting and a frightening crash the day before in the second-tier Nationwide Series.

The increases in viewership were particularly notable in some of the country's biggest cities. Ratings were up 91 percent in Chicago, 64 percent in San Francisco, 60 percent in Los Angeles, 59 percent in Boston and 43 percent in New York.

The average rating for women between the ages of 18 and 34 grew by 16 percent.

Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned to a program. Shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/danica-boosts-daytonas-tv-ratings-last-152607166--spt.html

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ASUS unveils PadFone Infinity with 5-inch 1080P display, Android 4.2

ASUS is taking the wraps off of its latest phone-tablet hybrid docking device, the PadFone Infinity, at MWC 2013. The specs here will not disappoint, checking every box you'd expect for a high-end device in 2013. We're looking at a 5-inch 1080P display, quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32/64GB of storage and 13MP camera, all in a unibody aluminum frame. On the connectivity front, it has both 100mbps LTE and 42mbps HSPA+ radios and supports the latest 802.11ac Wifi. One major point of this device is that it's also running Android 4.2, something very few manufacturers have been able to announce at this point.

Oh, and did we mention it docks into a tablet? Following in the footsteps of the PadFones before it, the Infinity still docks into a 10.1-inch tablet frame called the "Infinity Station". The station has a 1920x1200 Super IPS display, with the same 400 nit brightness as the phone itself. The station also has its own 5000mAh battery, alongside the phone's own 2400mAh lithium polymer cell. The PadFone Infinity and Station will come together at a hair under 1.48lbs -- about middle of the road for 10-inch tablet weight nowadays.

ASUS is planning to launch the PadFone Infinity in the U.K. at an MSRP of £799 (incl VAT) with the Infinity Station, in three color choices --  Titanium Grey, Champagne Gold and Hot Pink. There are no specific availability dates for the U.K., and no indication at all that this will make its way to the U.S. market either. Considering that previous iterations of the PadFone didn't make it stateside, we're not holding our breath.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/IHlrIPr-v80/story01.htm

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Pocket Casts 4: more than just a fresh coat of paint

Pocket Casts has been around for some time, and is always part of the conversation when talking about podcast apps on Android. But like many other apps, it was long overdue for a redesign. This latest update, Pocket Casts version 4, has thrown the app back into the forefront of quality Android design. But the update is more than just skin deep -- underneath that design is a whole bucket of new features that are just as appealing as the visuals.

Hang around with us after the break, and take a look at the completely redesigned Pocket Casts 4.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/rMpF5fXpEIc/story01.htm

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A Massacre of Negligence

In 2010, the United Nations sent a group of soldiers from Nepal on a largely U.S.-financed peacekeeping mission in post-quake Haiti. But the U.N. neglected to adequately screen the mission?s soldiers for cholera, a disease that was raging in Nepal at the time but that Haiti had never experienced. Shortly after the soldiers moved to the U.N. base in Haiti located upstream from a major river system, Haitians began to contract the disease at an alarming rate, sickening more than 647,000 Haitians and taking more than 8,000 lives. Since then, U.N. leaders have attempted to deny the organization?s role in the epidemic and last week declared claims brought by Haitian families in the wake of the epidemic null and void. Read Jonathan Katz?s full story about the U.N. fiasco here.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=1b8c74d2de774a363a1d6ed4d2c01431

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Mobile Nations fitness month week 4: Balance! [Grand prize contest!]

Leave a comment below telling us what you got out of Mobile Nations Fitness Month and be entered for a chance to win the phone, tablet, or game system of your dreams!

It's February and you know what that means? Mobile Nations Fitness Month! That's when we all get together to get in shape, share tips and tricks and recipes for success, review amazing apps and accessories, give away great prizes, and have a ton of fun! This year we're doing it a little differently, though. We're doing weekly themes, and that means every week you'll have new and exciting challenges, and new chances to win!

Week 4: Balance!

That's right, it's time to bring everything together and work towards a balanced life! It's really hard to eat and sleep well, and exercise regularly, especially with as all the other things we have to do. That's why it's important to not only act healthier for a week or month, but to build healthier habits into your ever day lifestyle.

To round out the month, we'll be reviewing a bunch of great apps and accessories that can help you keep it together, and keep yourself on track with your nutrition, exercise and relaxation goals.

And we are also going to be doing the mother of all contests.

Contest: Win the fitness device of your dreams!

Leave a comment below telling us what you've gotten out of Mobile Nations Fitness Month -- how much you've improved or been inspired, what you plan to do to keep it up throughout the year, or even how much you simply sat on the couch and watched it all transpire around you! -- and you'll be entered to win a $400 gift certificate to put towards whatever phone, tablet, or even gaming system will help you keep up with your fitness goals!

Be it iPhone or Galaxy Note, Lumia or BlackBerry, Surface or Droid, iPad or Android tablet, Xbox or Wii, we want to help you bring it home!

Our usual contest rules apply, and only one entry per person, but you can enter once on all of our sites: Android Central, CrackBerry, iMore.com, webOS Nation, and WPCentral

So what are you waiting for? Enter NOW, NOW, NOW!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/MGtgJ4iff9w/story01.htm

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Red Frog Blog ? Blog Archive ? What Is Search Engine Optimization?

If you are the owner, operator or manager of an World wide web primarily based company enterprise, you probably comprehend the fantastic significance of drawing clients to your business website. In this regard, you probably have heard of the term search engine optimization. With that mentioned, even though you may have heard of search engine optimization, you may possibly not know precisely what is involved in search engine optimization. You could not precisely realize what is involved in search engine optimization.

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Source: http://www.getyourfrogon.com/blog/?p=3555

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Yen slumps on Bank of Japan report, eyes on Italy vote

LONDON (Reuters) - The yen hit a 33-month low against the dollar on reports that a strong supporter of aggressive monetary easing is likely to head the Bank of Japan, while Italian assets gained as markets await the outcome of national elections.

Britain's pound also slumped against the dollar, hitting a 2-1/2 year low, following Moody's downgrade of the country's prized triple-A rating late on Friday.

Voting closes in Italy at 1400 GMT, with exit polls due soon after. An inconclusive result would trigger a sell-off in Italian bonds and stocks and renew concerns about the euro.

"If we don't have an indication of a clear winner, there will be pressure on Italian bond yields," said Ishaq Siddiqi, market strategist with trading house ETX Capital.

European shares extended their slow recovery from multi-month lows in early trade as investors kept a close eye on Italy, with the FTSEurofirst 300 <.fteu3> up 0.2 percent at 1,167.55 points.

Reports that the Japanese government was likely to nominate Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda as the next central bank governor, along with an academic who has criticized the central bank as deputy governor, sent the yen down to 94.77 to the dollar, lows not seen since May 2010.

Tokyo shares rose 2.4 percent to a 53-month high <.n225> on the news, but gains in other Asian markets were limited by data showing growth in China's giant manufacturing sector in February pulled back from two-year highs.

Sterling fell to a 2-1/2 year trough against the dollar at $1.5073 and a 16-month low against the euro of 87.75 pence after the Moody's downgrade, although the UK's main share index <.ftse> rose.

British government June bond futures touched a low of 115.50, some 56 ticks down from Friday's close as the market reacted to the ratings loss.

(Additional reporting by Clement Tan in Hong Kong; Editing by Will Waterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asian-shares-edge-higher-yen-falls-boj-report-004440389--finance.html

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McCarthy's 'Identity Thief' tops box office again

FILE -This undated publicity file image released by Universal Pictures shows Jason Bateman, left, and Melissa McCarthy in a scene from, "Identity Thief." As of Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, ?Identity Thief?, with a cumulative total of $93.7 million viewers, is the biggest hit so far in 2013. (AP Photo/Universal Pictures)

FILE -This undated publicity file image released by Universal Pictures shows Jason Bateman, left, and Melissa McCarthy in a scene from, "Identity Thief." As of Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, ?Identity Thief?, with a cumulative total of $93.7 million viewers, is the biggest hit so far in 2013. (AP Photo/Universal Pictures)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Hollywood's latest films performed tepidly at the box-office on Oscar weekend, with Melissa McCarthy's "Identity Thief" returning to the top spot in its third week of release.

The Universal comedy earned $14.1 million on the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, enough to regain the box-office title after losing it last week to 20th Century Fox's "A Good Day to Die Hard." The Bruce Willis action sequel faded domestically, but not overseas, where it took in $35.7 million.

With a cumulative total of $93.7 million, "Identity Thief" is the biggest hit so far in 2013. Though the film has been badly reviewed by critics, the road trip duo of McCarthy and Jason Bateman has proved popular at the multiplexes, where no other comedy has been around to challenge it.

More than anything, "Identity Thief" has proven the stardom of McCarthy, following her breakout performance in "Bridesmaids."

"The holding power of a film always gives you an idea of the strength of its concept or its star," said Nikki Rocco, Universal head of distribution. "In this case, it's both."

With the industry gathering for the Oscars on Sunday, it's always a weekend where moviegoers' attention goes more to the Academy Awards than the movie theater. For the fifth week in a row, the box office was down as compared to last year's business

One of the two new films in wide release, Lionsgate's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson action film, "Snitch," opened with $13 million. That was a decent but not strong showing for "Snitch" in a year where action films have largely fared poorly.

Though "A God Day to Die Hard," the fourth film in the franchise, led the box office last week, it slid 60 percent in its second week to $10 million. But it continued to dominate internationally, bringing it to a three-week worldwide total to $184.8 million. (It opened a week earlier in some countries.)

Earlier action films from Arnold Schwarzenegger ("The Last Stand"), Jason Statham ("Parker") and Sylvester Stallone ("Bullet to the Head") performed far worse.

The other new wide release was the Weinstein Co.'s "Dark Skies," a PG-13 horror film starring Keri Russell. It debuted with $8.9 million.

The down weekend was unlikely to dampen the Oscar celebration. The nine best picture nominees have largely fared well at the box office. This weekend, eight of them are in the top 21 films.

For the first time since the category's number of nominees was extended in 2009, six of the nominees grossed more than $100 million domestically: "Argo," ''Lincoln," ''Les Miserables," ''Silver Linings Playbook," ''Django Unchained" and "Life of Pi." ''Zero Dark Thirty" missed narrowly with $91.6 million going into the Oscars.

"It's one of the best performing groups of nominees I've ever seen," said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "Great night for Hollywood, tough day at the box office."

A box-office bump could follow for Sunday's big winners, though any benefit might be better found overseas, where some of the films are still expanding. The best picture favorite, Ben Affleck's Iran rescue thriller "Argo," is already out on DVD in North America.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Identity Thief," $14 million, ($170,000 international).

2. "Snitch," $13 million.

3. "Escape From Planet Earth," $11 million.

4. "Safe Haven," $10.6 million, ($1.4 million international).

5. "A Good Day to Die Hard," $10 million, ($35.7 million international).

6. "Dark Skies," $8.9 million.

7. "Silver Linings Playbook," $6.1 million, ($5 million international).

8. "Warm Bodies," $4.8 million, ($2.5 million international).

9. "Side Effects," $3.6 million.

10. "Beautiful Creatures," $3.4 million, ($4 million international).

___

Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:

1. "A Good Day to Die Hard," $35.7 million.

2. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," $18.6 million.

3. "Les Miserables," $9.3 million.

4. "Django Unchained," $8.5 million.

5. "Wreck-It Ralph," $8 million.

6. "New World," $7 million.

7. "Miracles in Cell No. 7," $6.2 million.

8. "Mama," $5.5 million.

9. "Flight," $5.1 million.

10. "Lincoln," $5 million.

(tie) "Silver Linings Playbook," $5 million.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-24-Box%20Office/id-b9ae344d26804eafb48758770c41ce61

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Washington nuclear waste tanks 'leaking'

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If we make material changes to our e-mail practices, we will notify you here, by e-mail, and by means of a notice on our home page.

3. Third Party Advertisers

The advertising banners and other forms of advertising appearing on this Web site are sometimes delivered to you, on our behalf, by a third party. In the course of serving advertisements to this site, the third party may place or recognize a unique cookie on your browser. For more information on cookies, you can visit www.cookiecentral.com.

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Source: http://article.wn.com/view/2013/02/24/Washington_nuclear_waste_tanks_leaking/

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State may brand illegal immigrants' driver's licenses

North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles via WCNC

The new North Carolina license declares to everyone that the bearer has "no lawful status."

By The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. ? A new North Carolina driver's license set to be issued to some illegal immigrants has a bright pink stripe and the bold words "NO LAWFUL STATUS," raising concerns about whether the design will brand those who show it.

The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles announced last week that it would begin issuing the licenses March 25 following a lengthy legal review. The Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program grants valid federal work permits to qualified applicants brought to the U.S. as children without legal authorization.

---

Some Republican lawmakers in the state have balked at the idea, filing a bill Thursday to bar the DMV from granting the licenses until at least June.

Cinthia Marroquin, 22, of Raleigh, ?head organizer for NC DREAM Team, an immigrant rights group, is?awaiting approval for a DACA permit. She said the longer the license issue is delayed, the longer it will take for her to get a job and drive herself to work. Even if she is able to get one, she is worried about presenting a license declaring she has "NO LAWFUL STATUS" at a police roadblock or while writing a check at the grocery store.

"A lot of us are just scared," said Marroquin, who came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 15. "We just want to be able to get a job and drive to work. Having that license is just going to show everybody you're here illegally, just buying a beer or writing a check. You don't know how people might react."

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina also takes issue with the designation.

"North Carolina should not be making it harder for aspiring citizens to integrate and contribute to our communities by branding them with a second-class driver's license," said ACLU attorney Raul Pinto. "There is simply no reason for officials to stigmatize people who are in the U.S. legally with an unnecessary marker that could lead to harassment, confusion, and racial profiling."

Almost from the moment President Barack Obama announced the program in June, states across the country grappled with how and whether to issue driver's licenses to those granted legal presence.

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said it is up to officials in each state to make their own determination about what to do. Many states, including Oregon and Georgia, have announced that they will grant driving privileges to those eligible.

In Arizona, where Republican Gov. Jan Brewer has pledged that DACA youths will not get driver's licenses, the state's DMV still lists federal work permits among the documents making people eligible for one.

The issue is especially politically charged in North Carolina, where current state law ordains a driver's license will be issued to anyone who holds valid federal documentation of their "legal presence" in the United States.

The office of the state's Democratic attorney general in an opinion last month said that under federal law, DACA participants have a "legal presence," even if they do not have "lawful status." Therefore, state law requires that DACA participants be granted licenses. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory's administration agreed, announcing last week the DMV would begin issuing the licenses.

That has upset many conservatives in McCrory's own party, including Rep. Mark Brody, R-Union. He is one of four freshmen legislators who introduced a bill Thursday to bar the DMV from issuing licenses to DACA participants before June 15, potentially giving time to craft a permanent change to state law.

Brody said he believes strongly that the DACA program violated the U.S. Constitution because it was implemented without congressional approval. Obama said last year he was forced to take executive action by the decades-long failure of Congress to consider meaningful immigration reform.

"We need a time out," said Brody, a construction contractor. "We don't need to have the federal government dictating to us how we are supposed to issue licenses in this state. We do it, and that's a privilege we have under our Constitution."

Among the concerns raised by Brody and other bill sponsors is that illegal immigrants might use their new licenses to access social programs or register to vote, despite the bright pink markings. An extensive 2011 review of the state's 6.4 million registered voters by the N.C. Board of Elections found 12 instances where a non-citizen successfully cast a ballot.

Jose Rico, a 23-year-old Raleigh resident from Mexico who has already been issued DACA work permit, said he plans to be in line at the DMV on March 25 to get a license, even if it's pink. He will be extremely disappointed if state legislators pass a bill delaying or a denying his ability to do so.

"I don't know what's wrong with these people, why they're so afraid of people like me," said Rico, who has lived in the U.S. since he was 13. "It's so frustrating. I passed a federal background check, done everything right by the book. I'm paying taxes. I mean, we're just kids trying to go to school."

Associated Press writer Gosia Wozniacka contributed from Fresno, Calif.

Related:
Majority of citizens believe illegal immigrants should be deported

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/22/17061005-pink-stripe-on-illegal-immigrants-drivers-licenses-considered-in-nc?lite

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Rubio: Israel?s Security Is Key to Middle East Peace

Sen. Marco Rubio says Israel?s security must come first before a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

?No nation in the world has suffered more in recent times than Israel from war and violence, in terms of its neighbors,? the Florida Republican said at a press conference closing out a five-day trip to the Middle East, The Jerusalem Post reports.

?The greatest advancements in this [Israeli-Palestinian] process have always been made when Israel felt secure. There is a direct relationship between Israel?s security and the ability to make concessions and move forward.?

Urgent: High Gas Prices: Is it Obama's Fault? Vote Now

Rubio said the ultimate solution to the conflict would have to be a separate state for Palestinians. But insisted it must be negotiated between the two parties and not dictated by the United States or international agencies.

In addition, he said the United States should not intervene in Israel?s settlement policy and attempt to "dictate what the resolution of that issue should be.

The senator also cautioned against high expectations for the peace process beyond ?what is immediately realistic, because expectations that are elevated, and then unmet, become counterproductive to the entire process.?

The visit to Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank by Rubio, a possible presidential contender in 2016, comes several weeks before President Barack Obama's scheduled trip to Israel next month. It will be Obama's first visit to the Jewish state as president.

? 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/rubio-israel-security-dispute/2013/02/22/id/491604

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Passers-by on I-71 condemn return of church?s billboard

One of the first signs in Medina County to greet motorists headed south on Interstate 71 reads: ?Homosexuality is a sin, but Christ can set you free.?

The billboard at the edge of the Southwest Baptist Church property line also has lights so it can be seen at night in Brunswick Hills Township.

Southwest Baptist Church in Brunswick Hills Township displays a message on a billboard facing Interstate 71 south. (GAZETTE PHOTO BY LOREN GENSON)

?I was driving home from work Friday and I saw it and I just couldn?t believe it,? said Michele Benjamin, who commutes from her Medina home to Cleveland where she works as a psychiatric nurse. Benjamin said she recalled the sign was put up by the church two years ago and was surprised to see it back again.

?I see a lot of kids who are suicidal and they end up at my work because they?ve been bullied for being gay,? she said. ?I thought, this is just another thing for them to have to see.?

The Rev. Greg Davis said he knows the sign makes people angry, but it was put up by his church in an attempt to be honest about what his church believes. In a sermon delivered to the congregation a few weeks ago, Davis warned his members the sign would go back up.

?I want to apologize to the homosexual crowd. Let me say first I want to apologize for our Christian brothers and sisters that would call names or treat you angrily,? he said.

?I also want to apologize for some other Christian brothers of mine that have said, ?Well, your lifestyle is not sinful and not only will we welcome you into our church we will ordain you as our pastor or preacher.? There has not been a healthy balance of both truth and love.?

But Benjamin scoffed at the idea Davis and his church are approaching the topic in a loving way.

?It has nothing to do with love,? she said. ?Go feed people, go clothe people, take care of people who are dying. There are so many ways to love people. Pointing a finger at people makes them feel worse.?

Benjamin posted a photo of the billboard on her Facebook page and more than 150 comments have been added from local residents and other friends.

Benjamin?s husband, Mark Kuhar, wrote a letter to Davis, and Benjamin encouraged people on Facebook to do the same.

In Kuhar?s letter, he tells Davis that he is standing on the wrong side of history and civil rights.

?I am quite certain that if Jesus were to drive down I-71 and see your sign, he would detour over to your house of horrors, and you would be called on the carpet for your egotistical campaign to demonize others.?

Davis said he often gets letters and phone calls from residents about the church sign, which has carried other messages, such as against abortion.

When the homosexuality message went up last time, an online petition against the billboard earned more than 300 signatures.

?I got an email every time there was a new signature,? Davis said.

Southwest Baptist Church even has a section of its website devoted to explaining the sign on I-71, and Davis said he expected a backlash. He said he?s willing to talk to people who call him about the sign and thinks he?s misunderstood.

?We?re not saying it because it?s popular or unpopular. You can speak out against sin and still be loving,? he said.

But Benjamin said while the sign is hurtful to gay friends and community members, she also worries the sign damages Medina County and Brunswick Hills? reputation.

?I think you can be a more welcoming community than to make people feel like they?re an outcast,? Benjamin said.

Brunswick Hills Township Trustee Michael Esber said trustees received calls from residents concerned about the sign in the past, and he expects more again now that it?s back up. He said while the township disapproves, there?s not much they can do.

?We?ve asked the church not to do it, but they have a First Amendment right to put (the sign) there,? he said.

Esber said trustees will ask the church again to take the sign down, but added it?s disappointing it went up in the first place.

?You?re a church, why are you throwing out venom?? Esber said.

?You?re supposed to be wanting people to forgive each other. It?s just sad.?

Contact reporter Loren Genson at (330) 721-4063 or lgenson@medina-gazette.com.

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Source: http://medinagazette.northcoastnow.com/2013/02/22/passers-by-on-i-71-condemn-return-of-churchs-billboard/

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STUDY: Why Straight Women And Gay Men Are Totes BFFS For Life ...

As anyone who watched television in the past 15 years knows, gay men and straight women are always the best of friends. Always.

As everyone knows, gay besties are here to nix hideous wardrobe choices and fag hags are always down to slide us in a cab after we?ve puked on the cute bartender at Industry.

But now a new study published in Evolutionary Psychology has discovered, like, the science behind this mutual-admiration society.

Psychologists at Texas Christian University developed a fictional Facebook personality, ?Jordan,? and evaluated how participants related to this persona.

For the 88 straight women involved in the study, ?Jordan? was either a straight man, a straight woman or a gay man. For the 58 gay men who participated, Jordan was alternately a straight woman, a gay man, or a lesbian. Jordan?s sexuality and gender differed from subject to subject, but everything else about him/her was constant.

After getting to know Jordan by reading his (or her) profile, the subjects were asked to imagine themselves in a number of hypothetical scenarios with their new, hypothetical friend. The situations took place at a party, in which Jordan would offer them ?mating-relevant advice,? such as commenting on their interaction with a potential romantic interest.

How trustworthy did they theoretically find their fake friend?s advice to be? And how likely did they think Jordan was to help them in nailing down ?a fling,? ?a date,? or even ?a potential relationship??

As you might expect, the study showed that straight women were more trusting of ?mating advice? from a gay man, and vice versa. (The results indicated, though, that gay men and straight girls don?t think the other is particularly helpful in helping them land a man.)

The theory put forth by lead researcher Eric M. Russell is that gays and gals connect because we see each other as ?uniquely trustworthy sources of social support.? In other words,we?re not gonna cockblock.

Wow, how much did this study cost?

By this standard, gay men and lesbians should be even tighter?since there?s zero chance of there being an unrequited crush?but the authors say a shared history of ?social challenges? hasn?t really led to a BFF-type situation between sissies and sapphos.

If this study sounds forced that?s because it is: It?s impossible to chart friendships like a chemical equation?nevermind that the participants have undoubtedly been influenced by years of Will & Grace and Sex & the City to think they should be besties.

And let?s not kid ourselves that gay men and straight women don?t sometimes have ulterior motives for friendships (beards, fantasy boyfriends, sperm/egg donors, etc).

We really got irritated, though, when the researchers extrapolated that lesbians and straight women don?t click because the dykes secretly just want to jump their bones. And that us gay men love hetero girls because we know they have other gay-male friends we can bang: ?It is likely that gay men perceive women to have close connections with other gay men who could become romantic partners.?

We?re not scientists, but it really sounds like Russell started with the theory that we?re all Carries and Stanfords, and worked backwards to prove it.

The gay man/straight woman friendship is a something of a social construct, not evolution. Some gay men have close women friends, and some do not. Some of us form close-knit relationships with girls when we?re first coming out?because we?re absolutely terrified of straight men and gay men?but then find those bonds fade as we emerge from our shells.

And, in 2013, many of us are making friends all across the spectrum?straight guys, gay women, the works.

Imagine that.

h/t: The Atlantic

Source: http://www.queerty.com/study-why-straight-women-and-gay-men-are-totes-bffs-for-life-20130221/

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Chicago district disappointed in ex-congressman

Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., center, arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. Jackson and his wife were to appear in federal court to answer criminal charges that they engaged in an alleged scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., center, arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. Jackson and his wife were to appear in federal court to answer criminal charges that they engaged in an alleged scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

With the Capitol dome in the background, Rev. Jessie Jackson, Sr. and his wife Jacqueline Lavinia Brown arrive at federal court in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, where their son, former Illinois Rep. Jessie Jackson, Jr., and his wife Sandra were to appear to answer criminal charges that they engaged in an alleged scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. Jackson and his wife were to appear in federal court to answer criminal charges that they engaged in an alleged scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Attorney Reid Weingarten, representing former Illinois Rep. Jessie Jackson, Jr., speaks to reporters outside federal court in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, after Jackson entered a guilty plea to criminal charges that he engaged in an alleged scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his legal team arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. Jackson and his wife were to appear in federal court to answer criminal charges that they engaged in an alleged scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

CHICAGO (AP) ? Residents in this swath of sprawling Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs have brimmed with loyalty to Jesse Jackson Jr. over the past 17 years, giving him an enthusiastic majority each election ? even after questionable links to ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, reports of an extramarital affair and a bizarre five-month medical leave.

But the former congressman's guilty plea to charges that he lived off and lavishly spent campaign money for personal use ? on everything from toilet paper to mink capes ? has turned the tide. In territory where it was difficult to scrape up any criticism of Jackson, his Chicago alderman wife or his famous civil rights leader father, the mood is now simply one of disappointment.

"He knew better; it was a very stupid thing to do," said 75-year-old Jeannette Reese, shaking her head as she grocery-shopped at a busy shopping complex. "He and his father came to our church. I thought he was the real thing."

Reese said she had voted for the younger Jackson for years.

Jackson, who resigned from office in November, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Washington to criminal charges that he engaged in a scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. He faces up to 57 months ? more than four years ? in prison and a fine, under a plea deal with prosecutors.

It was an emotional day for Jackson, 47, who held back tears as he addressed the federal judge, just hours before his wife pleaded guilty to filing false joint federal income tax returns that knowingly understated the income the couple received. She faces up to two years in prison and a fine.

"I did these things," Jackson told the judge, adding later, "Sir, for years I lived in my campaign."

Jackson first won office in a 1995 special election and developed widespread support from mayors who said he delivered and constituents who valued his family legacy and said he gave them a voice. That support persevered even through an intense primary challenge last year from former one-term U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson who made Jackson's ethical troubles central to her campaign. He came away with the easy majority even as he remained under a House Ethics Committee investigation for ties to Blagojevich, who's serving a federal prison sentence on allegations that he tried to profit from President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate Seat.

Even the most loyal Jackson supporters who praised him for bringing home nearly $1 billion in federal funding to the district were rattled.

"I hate that circumstances ended up like they did," said Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin. His small community south of Chicago ? one of Illinois' poorest ? got a boost in its water system because of Jackson.

Still, Griffin did not want to pile on criticism. "His situation is between the court system and the family," the mayor said.

Next week, voters in the heavily Democratic district head to the polls in a special primary to replace him. The crowded field of candidates includes Halvorson, former state Rep. Robin Kelly and Chicago Alderman Anthony Beale.

Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced June 28 and his wife on July 1. Both Jacksons, who maintain homes in Washington and Chicago, are free until sentencing.

More details emerged in a 22-page statement compiled by prosecutors and filed Wednesday. In it, Jackson admitted that he and his wife used campaign credit cards to buy thousands of personal items worth $582,772.58 from 2005 through April of last year. The most lavish purchases included the spending of more than $43,000 on a gold-plated men's Rolex watch.

Court papers said more than $60,000 was shelled out for restaurant, nightclub and lounge outings. Money was also spent on a washer, a dryer, a range and a refrigerator for the Jacksons' Chicago home.

Jackson even arranged for the use of campaign money to buy two mounted elk heads for his congressional office, according to court documents.

Jackson entered the courtroom Wednesday holding hands with his wife and looking a bit dazzled as he surveyed the packed room. He kissed his wife and headed to the defense table.

After the hearing he shouted to a reporter: "Tell everybody back home I'm sorry I let them down, OK?"

The Chicago Democrat disappeared from the public eye last June for a medical leave, though details on his condition and location were always scarce. Doctors later said he suffers from bipolar disorder and was hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

His attorney said after the court appearance that Jackson's health is "not an excuse" for his actions, "just a fact." Jackson's father has said that his son remains under strict medical supervision.

One attorney, Reid Weingarten, told reporters after the hearing that there's reason for optimism.

"A man that talented, a man that devoted to public service, a man who's done so much for so many, has another day," he said. "There will be another chapter in Jesse Jackson's life."

___

Associated Press writers Frederic J. Frommer and Pete Yost in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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