Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Registry Cleaner | Lawton Oklahoma Computer Repair Services

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Disk cleaners are computer programs that find and delete potentially unnecessary or ? registry cleaner s (which clean Windows Registry) or ? Clean and Fix ... from extraincome321, 1 year ago in Technology Registry Easy ...

Source: http://www.nerdsoflawton.com/blog/registry-cleaner-115/

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Amazon hiring for more than 5,000 full-time warehouse jobs

Amazon.com Inc. is going on a hiring binge.

The Seattle-based company said Monday it will immediately begin to fill more than 5,000 full-time warehouse jobs and about 2,000 customer service jobs.

The positions are available at 17 distribution centers across the United States, including three so-called fulfillment centers in California: San Bernardino, Tracy and Patterson, the company said in a statement.?

PHOTOS: Workers beware: Top cities with falling wages

"We?re hiring more than 5,000 people to join our team and help us continue to innovate and serve our customers,? said Dave Clark, vice president of worldwide operations and customer service at Amazon.

Those working at Amazon warehouses help pack and ship customer orders. The job comes with a benefits package, company stock awards and bonuses, the company said. There are currently about 20,000 full-time warehouse workers across the company's network of distribution centers.

The 2,000 customer service positions are a mix of seasonal, part-time and full-time work.?

Amazon's announcement comes a day before President Obama is set to tour one of the company's distribution centers in Chattanooga, Tenn.?

ALSO:

Using electronic devices on planes: Where do you stand???

Spirit Airlines ads riffs on royal baby and Anthony Weiner?

Housing market has buyers willing to use 'aggressive tactics'

Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-amazon-warehouse-jobs-20130729,0,5681065.story?track=rss

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Monday, July 29, 2013

Send doesn't work in landscape mode with google hangouts

When using SwiftKey with Google Hangouts chat in Landscape mode, pressing "Execute" does nothing. You have to manually hide the keyboard and then press the SEND arrow.

Verified on two devices, two different Google accounts, both with paid SwiftKey latest 4.1.3

Galaxy Nexus, latest OTA 4.3 release
HTC Evo 4G LTE, Android 4.1.1

This sounds a lot like this bug: http://support.swiftkey.net/forums/116693-2-bug-reports/suggestions/3967351-google-hangouts-execute-in-landscape-doesn-t-send

That seems to say that it was fixed in Swiftkey 4.1.1. So, this is either a regression in 4.1.3 or it was never fixed in 4.1.1.

What other information can I provide?

Source: http://support.swiftkey.net/forums/116693-2-bug-reports/suggestions/4241252-send-doesn-t-work-in-landscape-mode-with-google-ha

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2-headed turtle at Texas zoo gets Facebook page - http://crescent-news.com/weird...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/crescentnews/posts/10151552626207957

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Saturday, July 20, 2013

Huawei spying for China, alleges former CIA chief

Herald Globe Friday 19th July, 2013

? Huawei has repeatedly denied being linked to the Chinese government

? Hayden is a director of Motorola Solutions

? The Australian government has barred Huawei from involvement in the building of its A$37.4 billion national broadband network

WASHINGTON - The former head of the CIA and the National Security Agency in the US has said that Huawei has spied for the Chinese government.

Michael Hayden told the Australian Financial Review that China was engaged in unrestricted espionage against the West and said it was his belief that Huawei would have shared information with state agencies.

Huawei, founded in 1987 by former People's Liberation Army officer Ren Zhengfei, has repeatedly denied being linked to the Chinese government or military or receiving financial support from either.

Hayden said in an interview with the Australian newspaper that Huawei had "shared with the Chinese state intimate and extensive knowledge of the foreign telecommunications systems it is involved with".

"I think that goes without saying," he was quoted as saying.

The newspaper reported Hayden said intelligence agencies have hard evidence of spying activity by the world's No. 2 telecoms equipment maker. It did not detail that evidence.

Asked whether Huawei represented an unambiguous national security threat to the US and Australia, Hayden replied: "Yes, I believe it does".

Britain, the United States and Australia have all raised concerns that Huawei's alleged ties to the Chinese state could see telecoms equipment supplied by the company used for spying and cyber-attacks.

Page 1 of 3 | Next

Source: http://www.heraldglobe.com/index.php/sid/215942280/scat/2411cd3571b4f088

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Dept. of Energy Study: Fracking chemicals didn?t taint water

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://nightcaptv.com/2013/07/20/dept-of-energy-study-fracking-chemicals-didnt-taint-water/

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More iOS Apps Are Free Than Ever Before

More iOS Apps Are Free Than Ever Before
iOS users have a penchant for free apps, and developers have taken note. Ninety percent of all iOS apps are now free purchases, according to a report from Flurry Analytics.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/sNVP6tXZdhI/

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Mexico's First Gay Mayor Elected Amid Machismo and Drug Violence

Linea developer Brian Spiers

High Demand for New Castro Housing

LOCAL | By Matthew S Bajko | Friday Jul 19, 2013

Most of the 115 units will have unobstructed sightlines of the Bay Bridge and the bay itself. The five penthouses on the ninth floor will enjoy 360-degree city views, including the golden dome of City Hall and the historic spire of Mission Dolores Church.


Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys in "The Americans"

Just Who Was Snubbed by the Emmy Awards?

LOCAL | By Frazier Moore | Thursday Jul 18, 2013

That cliche about awards says it?s an honor just to be nominated. But what about all the worthies Emmy overlooks each year? Are they being dishonored by Emmy?s neglect?

AIDS activists, who removed their clothing to reveal slogans painted on their bodies, stage a protes.

Some Gay-Rights Activists Regret Focus on Marriage

NATIONAL | By David Crary | Thursday Jul 18, 2013

Even as it celebrates victories in the push for same-sex marriage, America?s gay-rights movement is experiencing self-criticism and internal divisions over its approach to other thorny issues.

Gavin Hood, far left, director of the forthcoming film "Ender?s Game," poses with, left to right, cast members Hailee Steinfeld and Asa Butterfield and producer Bob Orci,

?Ender?s Game? Stars Answer Gay Rights Questions

NATIONAL | By Chris Talbott | Thursday Jul 18, 2013

Real-world issues are rare at Comic-Con where fantasy almost always trumps reality. But for the stars and director of "Ender?s Game," comments made by Orson Scott Card regarding gay marriage are leading to questions as they promote the film.

Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney Mentions Views on Gay Marrige

POLITICS | By Ben Neary and Mead Gruver | Thursday Jul 18, 2013

When Liz Cheney was asked about her views on gay marriage - her sister Mary is a lesbian and Dick Cheney has openly supported gay marriage - Liz Cheney said the issue should be left to voters in each state to decide by referendum.

3 Arrested Over Calif. City?s LGBT Proclamation

CRIME | Thursday Jul 18, 2013

Police in the central California town of Porterville say they arrested three people protesting the City Council?s decision this week to rescind a proclamation declaring June lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride month.

Source: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=international&sc2=news&sc3=&id=147202

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Friday, July 19, 2013

Stunning Colonial Under Contract- 6314 Pole Green Road ...

Jul 18


Richmond Virginia Property SOLD- 6314 Pole Green Road Mechanicsville VA, 23116

There is much more to this lovely Mechanicsville home than meets the eye. This stunning colonial features three bedrooms, two and half bathrooms, a formal dining room and living room, a family room with breathtaking views of the beautifully landscaped backyard, a spacious kitchen perfect for any chef including a pantry, great breakfast bar and ceramic tile countertops, lots of storage and so much more! The massive walkout basement is unfinished and offers unlimited potential for your own personal touch and additional living space. The great upgrades continue outside with an amazing hardscape patio, perfect for entertaining and summer barbeques. This gorgeous country property has surprises around every corner.

6314 Pole Green Road

Looking to sell your Home?

The 20/20 Team specializes in listing homes in the Richmond Virginia market. Our listings specialist, Tyler Rackley, has the knowledge and experience you need to get your home sold quickly and smoothly. Tyler has what it takes to get your property sold! Contact us today if you have any questions or are interested in listing your home with Tyler.

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The 20/20 Team?s website is full of helpful tools for your real estate search. You can search by neighborhood or by area. All your property search needs can be found in one place!

Source: http://blog.gorichmondrealestate.com/2013/07/18/stunning-colonial-under-contract-6314-pole-green-road/

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Creative Writing 101, or, Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Rules for Writing Fiction ...

vonnegut_kurt0412Every Wednesday is Tip Day, or List Day.

This Wednesday: 8 tips for writing fiction from Kurt Vonnegut.

I?ve recently become a fan of reading collections of letters (a form which is disappearing, now that we don?t write letters much anymore), and I read a recommendation somewhere to read Kurt Vonnegut?s letters.

From there, I was drawn to a collection of his short fiction, named?paradoxically?Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction.

In the Introduction, Vonnegut provides his rules for ?Creative Writing 101?:

  1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
  2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
  3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
  4. Every sentence must do one of two things?reveal character or advance the action.
  5. Start as close to the end as possible.
  6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them?in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
  7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
  8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

However, Vonnegut notes, ?The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O?Connor?She broke practically every one of my rules but the first. Great writers tend to do that.?

I?m a Flannery O?Connor freak, so I was very happy to see that Vonnegut loved her work, too. In fact, in a weird synchronicity, it was my admiration for O?Connor?s collection of letters, The Habit of Being, that got me reading letters in the first place.

What do you think of these rules?

If you?re reading this post through the daily email, click here to join the conversation. And if you?d like to get the daily blog post by email, sign up here.

Source: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2013/07/creative-writing-101-or-kurt-vonneguts-8-rules-for-writing-fiction/

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It Is the Subsidies, Not the Individual Mandate, That Prevents an ...

There is some good news out of New York. Insurance premiums on the state?s small individual market are expected to drop by 50 percent as a result of the Affordable Care Act. This happened because the New York?s tiny individual insurance market suffered from a quasi-death spiral since the state required guaranteed issue and community ratings but didn?t offer subsidies to help people buy insurance. Only the sick bought coverage and premiums grew. Once the market grows beyond this small group of sick people the average will obviously drop.

Unfortunately this news has caused some to again spread the myth that it is individual mandate and not the subsidies which are mainly responsible for stopping this problem. For example Sarah Kliff in the Washington Post wrote:

A headline about the health care law driving down premiums, by this level of magnitude, is a rarity. But it shouldn?t be shocking: New York has, for two decades now, had the highest individual market premiums in the country. A lot of it seems to trace back to a law passed in 1993, which required insurance plans to accept all applicants, regardless of how sick or healthy they were. That law did not, however, require everyone to sign up, as the Affordable Care Act does.

New York has, for 20 years now, been a long-running experiment in what happens to universal coverage without an individual mandate. It?s the type of law the country would have if House Republicans succeeded in delaying the individual mandate, as they will vote to do this afternoon. The result: a small insurance market with very high insurance premiums.

This is not an accurate comparison because the subsidies are really what makes the big difference between what New York has and Obamacare, not the mandate. We know subsidies alone can and do stop this issue because there are plenty of examples.

Think of a large company that self-insures. They offer community ratings and guaranteed issue. Yet most of their employees, both the sick and the healthy, sign up for coverage even though there is no mandate. The reason most people sign up is because the companies normally offer a large huge subsidy to sign up, which makes getting insurance a good deal even if you are healthy.

The subsidies are doing the bulk of the work making sure a significant number of healthier people choose to sign up. The individual mandate is merely serving as added encouragement but is of secondary importance. Completely eliminating the mandate would produce a modest increase in the average price of premium but cause only a very tiny increase in what the average person would actually pay.

The fact that the mandate penalty will be almost non-existent next year is farther proof that the subsidies are what is mainly responsible for this development in New York.

Source: http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2013/07/17/it-is-the-subsidies-not-the-individual-mandate-that-prevents-an-insurance-death-spiral/

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Why That Budget iPhone Might Not (And Shouldn't) Be So Budget After All

Why That Budget iPhone Might Not (And Shouldn't) Be So Budget After All

The specter of a cheaper iPhone has haunted analyst and fanboy dreams for months. Years, in some cases. But making the healthy assumption that Apple does release a less expensive iPhone in the next few months, it's worth taking a second to remember that "cheaper" doesn't necessarily mean "cheap." Especially when you're talking about Apple.

Read more...

Source: http://gizmodo.com/why-that-budget-iphone-might-not-and-shouldnt-be-so-813599481

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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Where Not To Retrieve Healthy Weight Lack Tips - ArticleSnatch.com

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Home | Arts-and-Entertainment | Astrology. Sweets, pastries and sugary sodas should be a fabulous once in a triumph are you right until guilty whenever they eat their favorite food. Having a fitting body weight for height, age ...

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Where-Not-To-Retrieve-Healthy-Weight-Lack-Tips/5369546

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Senators meeting on Obama nominees ends without deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senators met privately for more than three hours on Monday but failed to reach an agreement to avert a showdown over Republicans' power to block President Barack Obama's executive-branch nominees with procedural hurdles known as filibusters.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid still left open the possibility of stripping Republicans of their filibuster power.

But following the meeting, Reid told reporters: "We've had a very good conversation. The conversation is going to continue tonight." He added that votes on the Obama nominations were still scheduled for Tuesday.

(Reporting By Thomas Ferraro and David Lawder; Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senators-meeting-obama-nominees-ends-without-deal-020739246.html

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The thrill is gone for smartphone buyers

Smartphone Upgrade Frequency Slows

Given that everyone from Apple to Samsung to BlackBerry has posted disappointing sales for their flagship devices over the past year, it shouldn?t be surprising that smartphone buyers as a whole aren?t feeling the same excitement about new devices that they were just a few years ago. The Wall Street Journal reports that new research from UBS shows the rate of smartphone upgrades declined by 9% year-over-year in 2012 and is projected to decline by another 2% year-over-year in 2013.

[More from BGR: Plastic iPhone shell compared to iPhone 5 in new leaked photos]

The Journal says one reason why many users are upgrading their smartphones less often is that they don?t see any compelling innovation in new iPhone or Galaxy models that make them want to trade up. Mobile carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile have started making it easier for users to upgrade their devices, but the Journal notes that many analysts think the high-end market for smartphones is simply too saturated at this point to create the same kind of buzz that Apple?s iPhones used to generate.

[More from BGR: BlackBerry reportedly slashes Z10, Q10 production in half as sales slow]

T-Mobile CEO John Legere tells the Journal that the next wave of popular mobile computing devices is just around the corner, however, in the form of smartwatches and other wearable devices.

?I heard this same assessment by the equipment manufacturers right before Apple launched the iPhone that we?ve seen everything we could see,? Legere claims. ?There is a whole new generation of wearable devices coming that are going to have some impact on the industry.?

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thrill-gone-smartphone-buyers-135027572.html

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Bangladesh opposition leader gets death penalty

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) ? A special tribunal sentenced a senior leader of an Islamic political party to death on Wednesday for his role in the kidnapping and killing of people involving Bangladesh's independence war against Pakistan in 1971.

The verdict came in a packed courtroom in the capital, Dhaka, in the presence of defendant Ali Ahsan Mojaheed, the secretary-general of the Jamaat-e-Islami party. The tribunal found him guilty of kidnapping and killing a journalist, a music director and a number of other people.

Mojaheed faces seven charges, including genocide, murder, conspiracy and complicity in atrocities during the war. He is accused of leading a notorious group that during the war kidnapped and killed many teachers, journalists and writers who supported the cause for independence.

But the court said five charges were proven beyond doubt, while the prosecution failed to prove two other charges.

The defense attorneys said they would appeal the verdict.

Two tribunals dealing with the war crimes have already delivered five verdicts against three incumbent leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and a former chief and another expelled man of the party. Jamaat-e-Islami and its leaders had openly campaigned against the creation of Bangladesh and are accused of forming citizens' brigades to aid Pakistani army in the battle against the fighters who fought for independence. Bangladesh became independent with the help of India on Dec. 16, 1971, when Pakistani army surrendered in Dhaka.

Bangladesh says the Pakistani army killed 3 million people and raped 200,000 women, while about 10 million people took shelter across the border in India during the war.

To denounce the verdict, Jamaat-e-Islami enforced a daylong general strike across the country on Wednesday. No major violence was reported. The party indicated that it might extend the general strike to Thursday if Mojaheed was sentenced to death.

Protests over previous verdicts have turned deadly.

The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed the tribunal in 2010 amid criticism from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Zia has said the tribunal is meant to weaken the opposition. Jamaat-e-Islami is the main political ally of Zia's party, and shared two posts in the Cabinet during Zia's latest premiership in 2001-2006.

Hasina's government says it had pledged before the 2008 election to prosecute those responsible for war crimes. A political alliance led by Hasina's Awami League party won the election with a two-thirds majority.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bangladesh-opposition-leader-gets-death-penalty-132453102.html

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Viewpoints: Does Your Doctor Favor More Expensive Drugs?; Texas Sen. Wendy Davis Says Abortion Law Threatens 'Health And Safety' Of Women

Los Angeles Times/ProPublica: Inside Doctors' Prescribing Habits
Your doctor hands you a prescription for a blood pressure drug. But is it the right one for you? You're searching for a new primary-care physician or a specialist. Is there a way you can know whether the doctor is more partial to expensive, brand-name drugs than his peers? (Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, 7/16).

The Washington Post: Why I Stood Up For Texas Women
Texas state leaders have again taken up a partisan effort to impose severe restrictions on the ability of women in our state to receive reproductive and other crucial health-care services. Just a few weeks ago, I spent nearly 13 hours filibustering this bill. I stood up to filibuster the bill because Texas Republican leaders would rather pursue a partisan agenda than help Texas women. I stood to oppose the bill because it rolled back constitutional rights and would reduce the number of women?s health clinics from 42 to 5, thereby threatening the health and safety of thousands of Texas women (Texas State Sen. Wendy R. Davis, 7/15).

The Wall Street Journal: An Obamacare Board Answerable To No One
Signs of Obamacare's failings mount daily, including soaring insurance costs, looming provider shortages and inadequate insurance exchanges. Yet the law's most disturbing feature may be the Independent Payment Advisory Board. The IPAB, sometimes called a "death panel," threatens both the Medicare program and the Constitution's separation of powers. At a time when many Americans have been unsettled by abuses at the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department, the introduction of a powerful and largely unaccountable board into health care merits special scrutiny (David B. Rivkin Jr. and Elizabeth P. Foley, updated 7/15).?

Arizona Republic: U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema On Immigration, 'Obamacare' (Video)
U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., is six months into her term. She recently spoke with?The Republic's editorial board on immigration reform, 'Obamacare' -- and bipartisan attempts to salvage both efforts (7/15).

Fox News: Scary Lessons For Americans And Obamacare From UK?s National Health Service
The power of television to shrink the world has always amazed me. Eating lunch on the road to Ft. William, a man at the next table recognizes me and introduces himself. Keith Farrington says he spent 15 years working as an assistant director of finance for the South East Thames Regional Health Authority, part of the National Health Service. He has strong warnings for the U.S. about Obamacare (Cal Thomas, 7/15).

Bangor Daily News: Don't Let Expansion Debate Be Last Word On Medicaid
The attention-grabbing debate over whether Maine should expand eligibility for Medicaid is over for now. But that doesn?t change the fact that Maine's existing Medicaid program still serves more than 300,000 of the state?s low-income, disabled and elderly residents. And it doesn't change the reality that Medicaid continues to account for about a quarter of the state budget. What also remains unchanged is that Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew asked federal officials in March for more flexibility so Maine could manage its Medicaid program, known here as MaineCare, the way it saw fit (7/15).

The Wall Street Journal: Pedaling For?A Good Cause?But Why?
I recently went on a 60-mile bicycle ride in the middle of the night. The venture resulted not from an existential crisis but from a charity challenge. By now the genre is familiar: A charity that promotes research into cancer or some other disease sponsors an event requiring feats of physical prowess or endurance. People sign up and seek sponsors, who agree to donate to the charity in exchange for?what, exactly? (Brian M. Carney, 7/15).?

USA Today: ABC Shouldn't Give McCarthy Platform
Vaccine misinformation peddler actress Jenny McCarthy has just been named co-host of the popular ABC day time television show, The View. This is really bad news for America's children. Why? Back in 2007, McCarthy helped stoke the anti-vaccine campaign when she asserted on the Oprah Winfrey show that an MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccination caused her son's autism. "I have a very bad feeling about this shot," she claimed she said to her doctor, "This is the autism shot, isn't it?" (Ronald Bailey, 7/15).

This is part of Kaiser Health News' Daily Report - a summary of health policy coverage from more than 300 news organizations. The full summary of the day's news can be found here and you can sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the Daily Report here. In addition, our staff of reporters and correspondents file original stories each day, which you can find on our home page.

Source: http://feeds.kaiserhealthnews.org/~r/topics/deliveryofcare/~3/5EqfpZlD8A0/opinions.aspx

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VW names new global marketing boss - Automotive News

Former Nissan executive takes key post as automaker aims for No. 1 spot

Former Nissan executive takes key post as automaker aims for No. 1 spot

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David Jolley
Automotive News
July 16, 2013 - 12:01 am ET -- UPDATED: 7/16/13 12:34 pm ET - adds details

FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen Group named its U.K. chief, Simon Thomas, head of global marketing for the group and for the company's core VW brand.

Thomas will play an important role in helping VW Group meet its Strategy 2018 goals, a spokesman said.

As part of the strategy, VW aims to surpass Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co. to become the world's top-selling automaker.

Thomas, 53, joined VW in 2011 from Nissan where he was European head of sales and marketing.

He succeeds Juergen Stackmann, 51, who was appointed CEO of VW's Spanish unit Seat in May.

Thomas will coordinate marketing activities with the marketing bosses of VW Group's individual brands, the spokesman said. VW's brands include VW, Skoda and Seat, as well as Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini.

Thomas will report to Christian Klinger, VW Group board member for sales and marketing, and takes up the new role on Sept. 1.

Thomas, a British national, was appointed Nissan Europe's senior vice president of sales and marketing in 2009 during a period of revival for the automaker in the region.

He began his automotive career as an apprentice technician in 1976 at a Ford dealership, later joining the Austin Rover Group, then Nissan UK.

Thomas moves to global role at VW.

VW Group's six-month global sales increased by 5.5 percent year-on-year to a record 4.7 million units as strong demand in China and the United States offset weak European sales.

Audi's U.S. sales have increased 14 percent this year to 74,277 units but volume at the VW brand has slipped 1 percent to 206,792 units through June in a market that has advanced 8 percent.

VW officials have blamed increased competition in the U.S. compact and mid-sized car markets for the company's sluggish sales performance, as well as the robust pickup truck sector, where VW does not participate.

The automaker aims to boost annual group vehicle sales to 10 million by 2018, up from 9.07 million last year.

You can reach David Jolley at djolley@crain.com.

Source: http://www.autonews.com/article/20130716/COPY01/307169975/vw-names-new-global-marketing-boss

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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Report: Next-gen Honda Fit Hybrid could get 85 mpg in Japan

Honda Fit Hybrid

Honda continues to tease us hybrid-thirsty Americans by revealing more details (or letting them leak out) about its next-generation Fit Hybrid. The upcoming Fit, which is known as the Jazz overseas, will get a whopping 85 miles per gallon on the lenient JC08 Japanese driving test cycle. That'd mark a 36-percent jump from the current version's fuel economy and would beat out the Toyota Aqua (aka, the Prius C), which gets an 83 mpg rating there, Green Car Congress says, citing the Japanese publication Nikkei. The standard Toyota Prius gets 77 miles per gallon, per Japanese standards.

The Japanese automaker, which sells a battery-electric version of the Fit four-door compact in the US in limited numbers, will make the new version of the Fit Hybrid available in its home country in September and ? and this is exciting news ? the new hybrid will reach the US and Europe at some yet-to-be-determined date thereafter. The ultimate goal for Honda is to double worldwide Fit sales to about 1.5 million units annually during the next two years. We think American buyers would be happy to add to that total if the company starts selling the Fit Hybrid here. We'd just like to know when that's going to happen.

Source: http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/09/next-gen-honda-fit-hybrid-could-get-85-mpg-in-japan/

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Indian Streaming Music Service Dhingana Launches Ad-Free Paid Subscriptions

164737_DhinganaLogoIdentityDhingana, a streaming music service for Indian and Bollywood tunes, announced today that it is launching Dhingana Gold, its first subscription service for iOS and the second part of its monetization model.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/30ylLvTnWJg/

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Corporate or Leisure Travellers to Mongolia ?... Book MIAT ...

World Aviation Systems proudly bring you "Hot Airfares" a simple and consolidated listing of competitive lead-in (Gross and Nett) point to point airfares available in the marketplace from some of the airlines represented by World Aviation.

Contact details see company profile. Click logo above

Source: http://www.etravelblackboard.com/article/145180/corporate-or-leisure-travellers-to-mongolia-book-miat-mongolian-airlines

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Jay-Z's subway friend raves about his album

Pop culture

15 hours ago

She may not be able to hear very well, but 67-year-old Ellen Grossman is a big fan of Jay-Z's new album, "Magna Carta Holy Grail."

Grossman, a New York City-based artist whose subway conversationwith the music mogul appeared in Jay-Z's 2012 documentary "Where I'm From," was recently commissioned by MTV News to do a review of the new album. While the album has received mixed reviews from music critics and fans, Grossman praised Jay-Z for "going deep into his heart" on his latest offering.

"(He's saying) that the money's nice, but there's life beyond that, that he's exploring," Grossman said in a video posted on MTV.com. "I picked that up from the papers but I felt it in the man, too, when I met him ... that he had a depth to him."

Grossman's favorite tracks on the album include "Holy Grail," a profanity-laden tune that features Justin Timberlake, and "BBC," a party track that features, among other special guests Jay-Z's wife, Beyonce Knowles. Although Grossman said she had trouble understanding the words due to her hearing problems, she thought the track was "wonderful" and even made her want to get up and dance.

After listening to "Part II (On the Run)," which also featured Knowles, Grossman commented that the song was "sexy."

"I don't get all of the words but I get a lot of them and I'm really enjoying it," she said of the album. "I like jazz and what's called 'new music' and I can relate to all the soundscapes. It's really innovative stuff.

"What they're putting out in their art is really opening themselves up."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/jay-zs-subway-friend-raves-about-his-new-album-6C10572258

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Pat Robertson: I Wouldn?t ?Like? a Gay Couple on Facebook? I Would Click ?Vomit? Instead

Pat Robertson, who I?m sure is an avid Facebook user, answers the question we?re all wondering: Is it a sin to ?Like? a picture of a same-sex couple?

Answer: What do you think?

?You?ve got a couple of same-sex guys kissing? you like that? Well that makes me want to throw up? To me, I would punch ?Vomit? not ?Like?? they don?t give you that option on Facebook.?

That?s? not at all surprising.

But it raises an even better question: Why would a gay person even be friends with Pat Robertson on Facebook?! (For that matter, why would people be friends with anyone who wanted to vomit at the sight of their happiness?)

Incidentally, the Facebook page called ?Telling Pat Robertson to STFU? has 104,000 likes. I?m pretty sure most of them would easily double as vomits.

Source: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/07/09/pat-robertson-i-wouldnt-like-a-gay-couple-on-facebook-i-would-click-vomit-instead/

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Seeking death penalty in Boston case? A long road

WASHINGTON (AP) ? If the Obama administration tries for the death penalty against Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, it could face a long, difficult legal battle in a state that hasn't seen an execution in nearly 70 years.

Attorney General Eric Holder will have to decide several months before the start of a trial ? if there is one ? whether to seek death for Tsarnaev. It is the highest-profile such decision yet to come before Holder, who personally opposes the death penalty.

Tsarnaev will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Boston on Wednesday afternoon ? the first public court appearance for the teenager who was found wounded in a boat stored in a suburban backyard after a massive manhunt and a shootout with police in which his brother died last April.

Holder, in making his decision, will get plenty of advice.

"If you have the death penalty and don't use it in this kind of case where someone puts bombs down in crowds of civilians, then in what kind of case do you use it?" said Aitan D. Goelman, who was part of the legal team that prosecuted Oklahoma City bombing figures Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

In the past 4 ? years, the Justice Department has sought executions in several instances. But, in an indication of how protracted the process can be, none of the administration's cases has yet put anyone on death row.

Massachusetts abolished its own death penalty in 1984, but Tsarnaev is being prosecuted in federal court. Since the federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988, only three people, including McVeigh, have been executed. Others have pending appeals.

In cases where federal juries have chosen between life and death, they have imposed twice as many life sentences as death sentences ? 144 to 73 ? according to the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project, a two-decade-old group created by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.

The jury pool for a death penalty case against Tsarnaev would come from a state that has rejected repeated efforts to reinstate capital punishment.

However, a former U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, Michael J. Sullivan, says viewing the state as opposed to the penalty is not entirely correct. Voters have supported reinstating the death penalty in non-binding referenda. And when Sullivan was U.S. attorney in Boston, his team of prosecutors won a death penalty verdict. That case is on appeal.

"I'm not suggesting there's strong interest in reinstating the death penalty in Massachusetts, but I think jurors in a federal case would be very thoughtful and under the right circumstances would vote in favor of the death penalty, said Sullivan.

Before the Justice Department decides to seek the death penalty, a case moves through three tiers of review by federal prosecutors.

"There's going to be a lot of push in that U.S. attorney's office in Boston to seek the death penalty in this case," predicts former prosecutor Johnny Sutton, who chaired a panel of 17 U.S. attorneys advising the attorney general on law enforcement issues during the George W. Bush administration. Sutton was U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas from 2001 to 2009.

On June 27, Carmen Ortiz, the U.S. attorney in Boston, said, "We will do everything that we can to pursue justice." Her comments followed the handing up of a 30-count indictment against Tsarnaev that included 17 charges carrying the death penalty or life imprisonment.

In Washington, federal prosecutors in a Capital Case Unit conduct their own analysis of death penalty cases. They advise the Attorney General's Review Committee on Capital Cases, which makes recommendations to the attorney general. Defense lawyers can weigh in, too.

Prosecutors seem to have strong evidence against Tsarnaev, but even if jurors agree that he was behind the explosions that killed three and injured more than 260, execution is far from guaranteed.

After a conviction, jurors must again be unanimous in their decision to impose the death penalty. In the terrorism case against Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, one juror declined to vote in favor of the death penalty, resulting in a life sentence.

In the Tsarnaev case, the decision could come down to whether the government can prove the attacks showed substantial planning and premeditation. The indictment against Tsarnaev contains extensive detail about his actions the day of the bombings and after, but contains a relatively small amount of information about prior weeks and months.

If Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's now-dead older brother, Tamerlan, was the planner and Dzhokhar played a lesser role, Dzhokhar's legal team could use that argument to his benefit. Another factor in Dzhokhar's favor: He had no prior criminal record. Tsarnaev also could benefit from what federal law calls "other factors," ? anything in the defendant's background, record or character that weighs against a death sentence.

"The most likely way for Tsarnaev to avoid the death penalty would be cooperating with the government ? helping investigators identify other bad actors, if any, in the deal," said Sutton. "But I think even if the defense plays the defendant as young, gullible and willing to cooperate" in the investigation, "what this defendant can really offer in the way of information is probably very limited."

Two widely publicized domestic terrorism cases from the past ? the Olympic Park bomber and the Unabomber ? ended when defense attorney Judy Clarke negotiated plea agreements with the government.

Clarke now represents Tsarnaev.

"Even though the government is not supposed to use the death penalty as a bargaining tool, the reality is that a lot more cases are announced as death penalties than actually result in a trial," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit group.

In the 1990s, Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph carried out four bombings in Georgia and Alabama that killed two people and injured more than 120.

With jury selection underway, Rudolph admitted to all the bombings and received life in prison. As part of his deal, Rudolph led investigators to five hidden stashes of dynamite, three of which were relatively near populated areas.

Clarke also represented Theodore Kaczynski ? the man known as the Unabomber who set off 16 bombs that killed three people and injured 23 from 1978 to 1995.

As court proceedings began, Kaczynski attempted to hang himself. He demanded to act as his own lawyer. A psychiatrist said he was a paranoid schizophrenic. His lawyers argued that jurors should be told he was mentally ill.

Kaczynski argued with his own attorneys. He didn't want to be viewed as mentally ill, he said. In the end, the government and Kaczynski's lawyers cut a deal. On Jan. 22, 1998, Kaczynski pleaded guilty to all the government's charges in exchange for life imprisonment

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seeking-death-penalty-boston-case-long-road-150618957.html

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US jobs data to dictate peso movement

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Source: http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Finance&title=US-jobs-data-to-dictate-peso-movement&id=72979

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California Prisons Illegally Sterilizing Female Inmates as Recently as 2010

164236432 A room in the former hospital on California's Alcatraz Island.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Although it never got the kind of coverage that abortion rights did, forced sterilization was another reproductive rights violation that plagued women in the 20th century. The practice gradually disappeared as the concept of reproductive autonomy took hold in our national consciousness. Or we thought it did. But a new report from the Center for Investigative Reporting?suggests that as recently as 2010, California prisons were coercing women into permanent sterilization by skipping over protocols put in place to prevent such coercion.

In California, a health care committee is supposed to authorize prisoner tubal litigations in order to prevent abuses, but from 2006 to 2010, 148 women were sterilized by doctors who just skipped that step. CIR says there may be as many as 100 more cases dating back to the 1990s.?

CIR interviewed doctors who were involved in sterilizations in California prisons, and comments from these doctors only raise suspicion that they supported a system of bullying and frightening women into agreeing to sterilizations they did not want. Dr. James Heinrich is accused by at least one inmate of badgering her about sterilization until she caved, and his comments about the money spent by the state on these procedures are not very reassuring.?

?Over a 10-year period, that isn?t a huge amount of money,? Heinrich said, ?compared to what you save in welfare paying for these unwanted children?as they procreated more.?

"Unwanted" by whom? The women themselves or Heinrich? Christina Cordero, who was sterilized by Heinrich, says she wished she hadn't had the tubal litigation. So perhaps any child she might have conceived would have been wanted.

Another doctor who worked for the California prison system was recorded spouting right-wing urban legends about people who "want" to be in prison for the supposedly great health care.?

The top medical manager at Valley State Prison from 2005 to 2008 characterized the surgeries as an empowerment issue for female inmates, providing them the same options as women on the outside. Daun Martin, a licensed psychologist, also claimed that some pregnant women, particularly those on drugs or who were homeless, would commit crimes so they could return to prison for better health care.

?Do I criticize those women for manipulating the system because they?re pregnant? Absolutely not,? Martin, 73, said. ?But I don?t think it should happen. And I?d like to find ways to decrease that.?

Any comment that implies that certain kinds of people don't yearn for freedom should be viewed with suspicion, but especially under the circumstances. After all, as CIR reports, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson of the Northern District of California ruled in 2006 that the health care system in the area prisons was so bad it constituted a human rights violation. The claim that women are routinely trading in their freedom and their families just to get access to such a shoddy level of care is pretty hard to swallow.?

Incarcerated women deserve to have access to contraception, of course, and plenty of women are interested in long-term solutions. No one denies this, but CIR's report?shows how "access" can turn into "coercion" very quickly when the women in question are marginalized or imprisoned. The frustrating part is that California already has fail-safes to make sure that line is not crossed, but the rules only work if you actually bother to follow them.?

Source: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/07/08/california_prisons_have_been_illegally_sterilizing_female_inmates.html

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Irish Economy 2013: Bad loans ratio at 25% in Ireland and Greece ...

Irish Economy 2013: The ratio of bad or non-performing loans as a percentage of total private sector credit in Ireland is at 25% - a similar level to Greece's and the ratio is at 11% in Spain.

However, the Irish ratio excludes the transfers to NAMA (National Assets Management Agency): NAMA acquired 12,000 toxic property loans (secured by approximately 56,000 individual property units) involving about 800 debtor connections. Par debt at acquisition was approximately ?74bn. It paid the Irish banks ?31.8bn -- a discount of 57%. ?Last month NAMA confirmed the sale of properties with an initial value at ?810m to a Starwood Capital-led consortium structured with just under 60% vendor finance provided by NAMA over five years. It was reported that the properties were sold for around ?200m, which would reflect a 75.3% discount. NAMA has a 20% interest in the consortium.

The IMF's latest review [pdf] says that at 24.8% of total loans, nonperforming loans are a drain on market confidence, cash flows, and a source of operational costs that hinder capacity to lend. "A lack of resolution progress also undermines the reliability of assessments of loan values."

We reported last April that half of all lending to Irish SME (small and medium enterprises) business are in arrears, according to the Central Bank. Fiona Muldoon, the director of credit institution supervision at the bank said that of the ?50bn lent to the sector by the domestic banks, some ?25bn was impaired.

The IMF said that the breadth of financial distress is evident in 15.8% of mortgages on primary dwellings being over 90 days in arrears, and? 26.9% of buy-to-let mortgages. "The SME sector is particularly hurt by domestic demand weakness with impaired loans rising to 25% of SME and corporate loans. Banks have largely responded with a combination of forbearance and rejections of SME loan applications -- the latter is the highest in the EU. Banks remained loss making in 2012 even before provisioning, and are only beginning to resolve NPLs (non-performing loans), now reported at a quarter of gross loans."

The Irish Central Bank said in April that loans issued to Irish residents were valued at ?327bn in January 2013; ?131bn was outstanding from non residents, giving a total value of ?458bn.

PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated the banks' coverage ratio for losses at 56% in 2011.

The IMF says that in 2012, Irish banks ran losses before provisions of ?0.8bn, or 0.2% of average assets. Benefiting from the phasing out of ELG (state guarantee) and improving interest margins, "by end 2013 PCAR (Prudential Capital Assessment Review) banks project ?1.1bn in profits before provisions or 0.4% of average assets. While this improvement is welcome, profitability would still fall short of covering normal provisioning, and would not build capital to support new lending. Tracker mortgages, at some 30% of net loans, are a key drag on bank profitability, and PTSB?s (PermanentTSB)? especially high exposure to these mortgages contributes to its inability to break even until 2016?17."

In the Eurozone, total NPLs (including property) as a percentage of banks? total loans increased from 5.6% in 2011 to 6.8% in 2012. This year, the Eurozone?s economy is expected to contract slightly, and, based on Oxford Economics research, NPLs will reach a euro-era high of ?932bn, amounting to 7.6% of total loans of ?12.2tn, according to Ernst & Young.? As economic conditions improve in 2014, NPLs are expected to drop to 5.6% of ?12.5tn of outstanding loans, or the same percentage as in 2011. However, the Eurozone?s growth is expected to be modest, averaging about 1.3% annually for the rest of this decade.

Non performing loans at Spanish banks are projected to rise further in the coming months as the economy continues to struggle, the IMF said on Wednesday.

"NPLs typically are lagging indicators. I wouldn't be surprised if they would continue to increase in the medium term," James Daniel, the head of the IMF mission in Spain, said at a news conference following the release of the fund's annual assessment of the Spanish economy.

Spanish banks' bad loans as a percentage of total credit rose to 10.9% in April from 10.5% in March, Bank of Spain data showed on Tuesday.

Check out our subscription service, Finfacts Premium , at a low annual charge of ?25.

Source: http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1026159.shtml

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LeBron leads Heat to second straight title

The Miami Heat's LeBron James holds the the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy after Game 7 of the NBA basketball championship against the San Antonio Spurs, Friday, June 21, 2013, in Miami. The Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second straight NBA championship. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

The Miami Heat's LeBron James holds the the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy after Game 7 of the NBA basketball championship against the San Antonio Spurs, Friday, June 21, 2013, in Miami. The Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second straight NBA championship. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

The Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) shoots against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Steve Mitchell, Pool)

The Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) shoots against the San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green (4) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) embraces Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) as Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) looks on during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championship, early Friday morning, June 21, 2013, in Miami. The Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second straight NBA championship. (AP Photo/Steve Mitchell, Pool)

Miami Heat s forward LeBron James (6) reacts after he was fouled during the second half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championship against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. The Miami Heat won 95-88. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

(AP) ? LeBron James and the Miami Heat remain atop the NBA, and not even a proud push from the San Antonio Spurs could knock them down.

James led the Heat to their second straight title, scoring 37 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 95-88 victory Thursday night in a tense Game 7 that was tight until Miami pulled away in the final minute.

Winning the title they needed to validate their best season in franchise history ? and perhaps the three-superstar system they used to build it ? the Heat ran off with the second straight thriller in the NBA's first championship series to go the distance since 2010.

"It took everything we had as a team," Dwyane Wade said. "Credit to the San Antonio Spurs, they're an unbelievable team, an unbelievable franchise. This is the hardest series we ever had to play. But we're a resilient team and we did whatever it took."

Two nights after his Game 6 save when the Heat were almost eliminated, James continued his unparalleled run through the basketball world, with two titles and an Olympic gold medal in the last 12 months.

"I work on my game a lot, throughout the offseason," said James, who was MVP for the second straight finals. "I put a lot of work into it and to be able to come out here and (have) the results happen out on the floor is the ultimate. The ultimate. I'm at a loss for words."

He made five 3-pointers, defended Tony Parker when he had to, and did everything else that could ever be expected from the best player in the game.

The Heat became the NBA's first repeat champions since the Lakers in 2009-10, and the first team to beat the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Players and coaches hugged each other after the game. The respect between the sides was obvious from the opening tipoff of Game 1 through the final buzzer.

Fans stood, clapped and danced as the clock ticked down, when every score was answered by another score, each stop followed by a better stop. The Heat pushed their lead to six points a few times midway through the fourth but San Antonio kept coming back.

The Spurs, a whisker away from a fifth title two nights earlier, couldn't find a way to win it all in what was perhaps the last shot Tim Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili will ever get together.

"In my case I still have Game 6 in my head," Ginobili said. "Today we played an OK game, they just made more shots than us. LeBron got hot. Shane, too. Those things can happen. But being so close and feeling that you are about to grab that trophy, and seeing it vanish is very hard."

They were trying to become the first team to win a Game 7 on the road since Washington beat Seattle in 1978, but those old guys ran out of gas just before the finish.

Duncan had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but missed a shot and follow attempt right under the basket with about 50 seconds left and the Spurs trailing by two.

James followed with a jumper ? the shot the Spurs were daring him to take earlier in the series ? to make it 92-88, sending San Antonio to a timeout as Glenn Frey's "The Heat Is On" blared over the arena's sound system.

He then came up with a steal and made two free throws for a six-point lead, and after Ginobili missed, James stalked toward the sideline, knowing it was over and that he was, once again, the last one standing.

Wade had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who overcame a scoreless Chris Bosh by getting six 3-pointers and 18 points from Shane Battier.

Streamers fell from the arena ceiling onto the fans for the second year in a row, but this one meant so much more. A narrow escape in Game 6 was still fresh in everyone's mind.

They were down 10 in the fourth quarter of that one before James led the charge back, finishing with a triple-double in Miami's 103-100 overtime victory. This one was nearly as tight, neither team leading by more than seven and the game tied 11 times.

Kawhi Leonard had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Spurs, who had been 4 for 4 in the championship round. Ginobili had 18 points but Parker managed just 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

The Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra collected the Larry O'Brien trophy again from Commissioner David Stern, presiding over his final NBA Finals before retiring next February.

He couldn't have asked for a better way to go out.

James avenged his first finals loss, when his Cleveland Cavaliers were swept by the Spurs on 2007. That helped send James on his way to South Florida, realizing it would take more help to win titles that could never come alone.

He said he would appreciate this one more because of how tough it was. The Heat overpowered Oklahoma City in five games last year, a team of 20-something kids who weren't ready to be champions yet.

This came against a respected group of Spurs whose trio has combined for more than 100 playoff victories together and wanted one more in case this was San Antonio's last rodeo.

Duncan is 37 and Ginobili will be a 36-year-old free agent next month, the core of a franchise whose best days may be behind them.

Meanwhile, it's a potential dynasty along Biscayne Bay, but also one with a potentially small window. Wade's latest knee problems are a reminder that though he came into the NBA at the same time as James and Bosh, he's a couple of years older at 31 with wheels that have seen some miles.

James can become a free agent again next summer with another decision ? though hopefully not another Decision ? to make. He's comfortable in Miami and close with Wade, and the Heat have the leadership and commitment from owner Micky Arison and president Pat Riley to keep building a championship core around him.

Why would he want to leave?

San Antonio's most recent title came at James' expense. The Spurs exploited the weaknesses in James' game though knew someday they would be gone, Duncan telling him afterward that the league would someday belong to James.

And James simply isn't giving it back.

He came in averaging 33.8 points in Game 7s, already the best in NBA history, and was even better in this one.

He can't be defended the way he was six years ago, too strong inside and too solid from the outside. He drove Danny Green back like a tackling dummy to convert a three-point play in the second quarter, then knocked down a 3-pointer for the Heat's next score.

Heat fans, criticized over the last two days after many bolted before the finish Tuesday and then tried to force their way back in, weren't going anywhere early in this one. The game was too good.

And there was another celebration to watch.

The Heat had the classic championship hangover through the first few months of this season, too strong to lose at home but not committed enough to win on the road, where they were just 11-11 following a 102-89 loss in Indiana on Feb. 1.

They won in Toronto two nights later on Super Bowl Sunday and didn't lose again until well into March Madness, running off 27 straight victories before falling in Chicago on March 27 and finishing a franchise-best 66-16.

The small-market Spurs have always been a ratings killer, but interest grew throughout this series in their attempt to toppled the champs. Game 6 drew more than 20 million viewers, a total that Game 7 was expected to top.

And the games got better, too. Games 2-5 were all decided by double digits, neither team able to carry its momentum from one game to the next.

This one was back and forth for more than three quarters, with Mario Chalmers' 3-pointer at the buzzer giving Miami a 72-71 lead heading to the final 12 minutes of the season.

Game 6 could have shaken the Spurs, who were so close to holding the trophy that officials were preparing the championship presentation before Miami's rally. The Spurs held a team dinner late that night, figuring the company was better than having to dwell on the defeat alone in their rooms.

The pain of that game or the pressure of this one had little effect on their veterans but brought out a change in their leader, the subject of some rare second-guessing for his rotations near the end of the collapse.

The famously blunt Gregg Popovich was in a chatty mood pregame, actually preferring to stay and talk even when there were no more questions, saying the busier he was, the less he'd worry.

"It's torture," he said of Game 7s. "It's hard to appreciate or enjoy torture."

But it sure was beautiful to watch.

The sport's most pressure-packed game had a nervous start, each team making just seven baskets in the first quarter and combining for seven turnovers. The Spurs took an early seven-point lead, but a pair of 3-pointers by Battier during an 8-0 run helped Miami take an 18-16 lead.

The Heat nursed a narrow lead for most of the second quarter, and after San Antonio went ahead in the final minute of the period, James tipped in a miss before Wade knocked down a jumper with 0.8 seconds left to send the Heat to the locker room with a 46-44 edge.

Notes: Home teams are 15-3 in Game 7s of the NBA Finals. ... Miami improved to 5-3 all-time in Game 7s in the postseason and became the fourth team to win the final two games at home since the finals went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985, joining the Lakers in 1988 and 2010, and Houston Rockets in 1994. ... Green was just 1 for 12, going 1 for 6 behind the arc. He started the series by making 25 3s in the first five games, a finals record for an entire series.

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-21-NBA%20Finals/id-ef3a6409a3a145548a5e3b1c7d57460f

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http://www.techhog.com/hbo-go-coming-to-android-tablets-this-summer/hbo-go-logo/...

HBO GO and Watch ESPN come to AppleTV

www.techhog.com

After what seems like months, if not years, HBO and Apple have announced that the HBO GO app is now available, natively, on the Apple TV. Despite the fact that Apple?s iPhone and iPad both had a healthy head start against competitors, Apple?s ?hobby? device seemed destined to go forever without the?

Source: http://www.facebook.com/techhog/posts/498911450175352

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