Thursday, January 31, 2013

No Bull, This is Gaelic Football Spanish Style

"The Spanish may have their bulls and flamenco, but we brought them culture in Gaelic football tonight.?

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Thus quoth Kevin Lenane co founder and Chairman of ?ire ?g Sevilla after their exhibition match went down a storm at half time in last night?s Primera League clash between Sevilla and Granada.

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As part of an Irish night at the Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan, the lads put on an exhibition backs against forwards match in front of 45,000 fanatical Spanish soccer fans.

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There haven?t been as many O?Neills on display in a Spanish football ground since Martin and John played there in the 1982 World Cup for Northern Ireland.

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And Irish photo agency INPHO were there to record the occasion snapping one acrobatic ?ire ?g lad literally in full flight fully resplendent in his O?Neills jersey!

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As for the match itself, Sevilla beat Granada 3-7 to 0-5.

Source: http://www.oneills.com/blog/no-bull-this-is-gaelic-football-spanish-style.html

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BlackBerry Z10 vs. the competition: fight!

BlackBerry has finally, officially unveiled its maiden BB10 flagship, all-touch device, the Z10, and you can read all about RIM BlackBerry's new handset in our review. But, if you're looking to see how it and BB10 stack up against the competition running Android, iOS and Windows Phone, you've come to the right place. Check out our chart below for all the specs you can handle.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/blackberry-z10-iphone-5-nexus-4-lumia-920/

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Storms raking Southeast blamed for 2 deaths

ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. (AP) ? A massive storm system raking the Southeast hammered a Georgia town on Wednesday, overturning cars on an interstate and killing at least one person there, authorities said.

Bartow County Fire Chief Craig Millsap said the body was found in the storm damage but did not have further details on how the person died. The same system also was blamed for a death in Tennessee. Most dangerous were powerful wind gusts that in several places were powerful enough to overturn tractor-trailers.

There were reports that people were trapped in homes and businesses, and television footage showed large sections of a sprawling manufacturing plant had been destroyed.

Footage also showed a funnel cloud roaring through the downtown area of Adairsville, about 60 miles northwest of Atlanta, flipping cars and demolishing a home. Interstate 75 was closed in both directions after the storm flipped cars onto their roofs and tossed them onto the grassy shoulder.

At least two tornadoes were confirmed and several more suspected, and conditions remained ripe for more. Since Tuesday, the system had caused damage across a swath from Missouri to Georgia.

In recent days, people in the South and Midwest had enjoyed unseasonably balmy temperatures in the 60s and 70s. A system pulling warm weather from the Gulf of Mexico was colliding with a cold front moving in from the west, creating volatility.

Police said high winds toppled a tree onto a shed in Nashville, Tenn., where a man had taken shelter, killing him.

Across the region, downed power lines, trees and tree limbs were making it difficult to reach people who needed help.

Another person was reported injured by lightning in Arkansas during the storm's eastward trek. Two people suffered minor injuries when a mobile home was blown off its foundation in Kentucky.

In Tennessee, officials confirmed that a tornado with peak wind speeds of 115 mph touched down in Mount Juliet. No serious injuries were reported there, though the path of damage was about 150 yards wide, including homes, a warehouse and an automotive business.

Hail ranging up to nearly golf-ball size was also reported in some areas.

Thousands were reported without power in Tennessee, where tornado warnings and flash flood warnings were issued for several counties and a tractor-trailer was blown over by high winds.

The nation has had its longest break between tornado fatalities since detailed tornado records began being kept in 1950, according to the Storm Prediction Center and National Climatic Data Center. The last one was June 24, when a person was killed in a home in Highlands County, Fla. That was 220 days ago as of Tuesday.

The last day with multiple fatalities was June 4, when three people were killed in a mobile home in Scott County, Mo.

Source: http://weather.yahoo.com/storms-raking-southeast-blamed-2-deaths-183058942.html

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XBMC 12 Frodo Arrives, Bringing Raspberry Pi And Android Versions, AirPlay Audio For Windows And 64bit OS X Support

xbmc-frodo-announce-v3_680XBMC launched version 12.0 (codenamed Frodo) of its media center software today, bringing a ton of new features and opening up support to new platforms. As a longtime Plex user, this XBMC release looks to give me plenty of reason to change horses for my Mac mini media center needs. The release brings HT audio support, Live TV and PVR integration, 64bit support for the OS X version, and adds Raspberry Pi and Android as platforms that can run XBMC.

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

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Skin, soft tissue infections succumb to blue light

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Blue light can selectively eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections of the skin and soft tissues, while preserving the outermost layer of skin, according to a proof-of-principle study led by Michael R. Hamblin of the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Harvard Medical School, Boston. The research is published online ahead of print in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy

"Blue light is a potential non-toxic, non-antibiotic approach for treating skin and soft tissue infections, especially those caused by antibiotic resistant pathogens," says Hamblin.

In the study, animal models were infected with P. aeruginosa. All of the animals in the group treated with blue light survived, while in the control, 82 percent (9 out of 11) of the animals died.

Skin and soft tissue infections are the second most common bacterial infections encountered in clinical practice, and represent the most common infection presentation?more than 3 percent?in patients visiting emergency departments, says Hamblin. The prevalence of skin and soft tissue infections among hospitalized patients is 10 percent, with approximately 14.2 million ambulatory care visits every year and an annual associated medical cost of almost $24 billion (equivalent to $76 for every American), says Hamblin.

Treatment of skin and soft tissue infections has been significantly complicated by the explosion of antibiotic resistance, which may bring an end to what medical scientists refer to as the antibiotic era, says Hamblin. "Microbes replicate very rapidly, and a mutation that helps a microbe survive in the presence of an antibiotic drug will quickly predominate throughout the microbial population. Recently, a dangerous new enzyme, NDM-1, that makes some bacteria resistant to almost all antibiotics available has been found in the United States. Many physicians are concerned that several infections soon may be untreatable."

Besides harming public health, antibiotic resistance boosts health care costs. "Treating resistant skin and soft tissue infections often requires the use of more expensive, or more toxic drugs, and can result in longer hospital stays for infected patients," says Hamblin.

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T. Dai, A. Gupta, Y.-Y. Huang, R. Yin, C.K. Murray, M.S. Vrahas, M. Sherwood, G.P. Tegos, and M.R. Hamblin, 2013. Blue light rescues mice from potentially fatal Pseudomonas aeruginosa burn infection: efficacy, safety, and mechanism of action. Antim. Agents Chemother. Published ahead of print 21 December 2012 ,doi:10.1128/AAC.01652-12http://www.asm.org/images/Communications/tips/2013/0113blue.pdf

American Society for Microbiology: http://www.asm.org

Thanks to American Society for Microbiology for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 40 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126513/Skin__soft_tissue_infections_succumb_to_blue_light

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Roman Harper on Saints season Saints safety Roman Harper joins Jim Rome to discu...

Roman Harper on Saints season

www.cbssports.com

Saints safety Roman Harper joins Jim Rome to discuss the return of head coach Sean Payton, bountygate, the firing of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and more on "Rome" - Weeknights 6 ET on CBS Sports Network.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/cbssportsnetwork/posts/156883427794960

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"Our church is very much opposed to alcohol and we?re probably one of the biggest sales engines of..."

Our church is very much opposed to alcohol and we?re probably one of the biggest sales engines of liquor in the United States. I don?t drink. We serve a lot of liquor. ?

The owner of the Marriott hotel chain is a Mormon, but very eloquently explains why his business actually welcomes same-sex weddings and why they?re fighting back against DOMA. Basically: because he doesn?t believe his religious views should dictate how his business is conducted or how his customers live their lives. Imagine that! (via stfuconservatives)

I love this. I used to travel a lot for work & preferred the Marriott brand chains because in spite of having really cheap rates they still seemed to care about their customers overall experience across the board. This confirms it.?

(via skeptictank)

(via skeptictank)

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Source: http://evangotlib.tumblr.com/post/41874001706

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The Best Resort Rec Programs for Families ? Intelligent Travel

If you?re a travel-media junkie like me, you love to read about the latest happenings in the world of travel. With Cond? Nast?Traveler?s annual Gold List, Travel + Leisure?s World?s Best Awards, and National Geographic Traveler?s Tours of a Lifetime, there?s certainly no shortage of opinions on who offers the best products and services in the business.

Whether these prestigious lists are extracted from travel experts or the traveling public at large, the plain fact is that these ?awards? matter, and the industry takes them quite seriously. After all, they?re read by millions of potential customers and undoubtedly influence some of the decisions we make when planning our trips.

But there?s one list you may not have heard about: the Resort and Commercial Recreation Association?s (RCRA) annual awards for excellence. Every year since 2008, this trade association has honored hotels and resorts that provide outstanding recreational programs and services ? from golf courses to swimming pools to kids clubs.

This past year, the Premier Recreation Award went to the Sheraton Vistana in Orlando, Florida. It?s not surprising that a resort in the unofficial family-travel capital of the U.S. would walk away with this distinction, but this particular property?s activities and services deserve the acclaim.

Families take note: they offer miniature golf, tennis, volleyball, pool parties, scavenger hunts, teen jams, ?tween time,? Wii tournaments, family game shows, trivia contests, and a scuba academy. With all this stuff going on, who has time for theme parks?

Kaiwah Island Golf Resort?snagged the Excellence in Programming Award for resorts with 300-799 guests.?Perhaps best known for its world-class golf course, this Low Country hotel has also been cultivating a reputation for its wildlife programs. Kids can learn to kayak in the salt marshes, search for animals with a naturalist, or rent a motorboat with mom and dad to go fishing or look for Kiawah?s own inshore dolphin pod.

If parents want some time on the golf course without the kids, they?ve got you covered with Kamp Kiawah. This top-notch facility, which includes a child-friendly disc golf course, is run by a staff of well-trained and dedicated counselors.

As for bigger resorts, Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas?took home top honors. No surprise there, either. The resort?s parent company, Kerzner International, has invested millions of dollars into its kids and teens programs (and that?s not including the water parks and Dolphin Cay).?The Atlantis Kids Adventure (AKA) and CRUSH program for teens ? not to mention their summer camps ? have set the bar quite high.

It?s also worth noting that previous winners of these prestigious awards have included the likes of the Omni Amelia Island Plantation, Diamond Resorts International ? Grand Beach, Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, and Starwood Hotel Resorts.

Why are these recognitions important? For those of us who travel with kids, we know how important high-quality kids clubs and swimming pools can be. So when executives from around the industry get together and select what they think is the best in the business, it?s probably worth it to pay a listen.

Have you experienced a hotel or resorts with outstanding services for families and kids? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

Source: http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2013/01/29/the-best-resort-rec-programs-for-families/

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McCrory wants to revamp higher ed funding -- takes aim at UNC ...

UPDATED: Gov. Pat McCrory said he would propose legislation to overhaul the way higher education is funded in North Carolina, putting the emphasis on job creation not liberal arts and taking specific aim at the state's flagship university.

"I think some of the educational elite have taken over our education where we are offering courses that have no chance of getting people jobs," McCrory told conservative talk show host Bill Bennett, the former education secretary for President Ronald Reagan, during an interview Tuesday morning. (Listen to the audio here.

McCrory echoed a crack the radio show host made at gender studies courses at UNC-Chapel Hill, a top tier public university. "That's a subsidized course," McCrory said, picking up the argument. "If you want to take gender studies that's fine, go to a private school and take it. But I don't want to subsidize that if that's not going to get someone a job."

The Republican governor said he instructed his staff Monday to draft legislation that would change how much state money universities and community colleges receive "not based on how many butts in seats but how many of those butts can get jobs."

"Right now we pay based on how many students you have, not how many jobs you are getting people into," he said.

At the same time, McCrory seemed to contradict himself, saying he supported a liberal arts curriculum. "I do believe in liberal arts education," the Catawba College graduate said. "I got one."

Moments later, the radio host said, "How many PhDs in philosophy do I need to subsidize? ...That's my field."

"You and I agree," McCrory added.

On the campaign trail and since taking office, McCrory has made a point to emphasize vocational education that teaches skills rather than thinking. But his comments in the radio interview went beyond his message on the campaign trail, both in substance and tone.

Despite the state's high unemployment, he said some employers need skilled workers for specific jobs. "I'm going to adjust my education curriculum to what business and commerce needs to get our kids jobs as opposed to moving back in with their parents after they graduate with debt," he said.

Just how to measure a university or community college's job output remains unclear. McCrory didn't go into specifics.

Also in the interview, McCrory used the academic scandal at UNC-CH involving athletes to drive the point. "It's even hit our athletic departments. Sad to say, at Carolina, our great basketball program, they took Swahili on a night study course where they didn't have to do any work and got B-pluses," McCrory added. "What are we teaching these courses for if they are not going to help get a job."

UPDATE: McCrory's comments drew immediate fire from faculty across the UNC system, who stressed that higher education is about much more than job training.

A sampling of the reaction:

From Meg Morgan, a UNC Charlotte English professor and 40-year veteran of teaching: "If we want to create a society of non-thinkers, follow McCrory's line. If we want critical thinkers and world changers, we need to make them look at new ideas and change their lives (and others' lives) based on them."

From Lisa Levenstein, a UNC Greensboro associate professor of history: "McCrory?s assumption that a college liberal arts education will not prepare students for employment reflects a profound misunderstanding of the 21st century labor market. Today?s eighteen year olds can no longer predict their long-range career trajectories. Most of them will switch jobs every 4 to 6 years, assuming 5-7 positions over their lifetimes. A liberal arts education with its emphasis on highly-transferable critical thinking skills and effective writing and speaking is ideal preparation for this rapidly-changing workforce."

From Gene Nichol, UNC law professor and former dean: "It is hugely disappointing to see Governor McCrory jump on the 'know nothing' bandwagon to try to please Bill Bennett. He does Glenn Beck proud. McCrory's not the first, nor, sadly, the last politician we'll see demagogue about higher education. All he really proved is that he has no clue what liberal arts education is. It's thrilling to think he's out to set our curriculum."

Editor's note: Post corrected to fix error and updated with additional comments and a link to the audio.

Source: http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/mccrory_wants_to_revamp_higher_ed_funding_takes_aim_at_uncchapel_hill

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Google pledges fight over government access to users' email

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Google will lobby Washington in 2013 to make it harder for law enforcement authorities to gain access to emails and other digital messages.

In a blog post on Monday, linked to Data Privacy Day, Google's chief legal officer, David Drummond, said the tech giant, in coalition with many other powerful tech companies, will try to convince Congress to update a 1986 privacy protection law.

He cited data showing that government requests for Google's user data increased more than 70 percent since 2009.

In 2012, Google said, it received 16,407 requests for user data affecting 31,072 users or accounts, more than half of them accompanied by a subpoena.

"We're a law-abiding company, and we don't want our services to be used in harmful ways. But it's just as important that laws protect you against overly broad requests for your personal information," Drummond said in the post.

The U.S. Electronic Communications Privacy Act, passed in the early days of the Internet, does not require government investigators to have a search warrant when requesting access to old emails and messages that are stored online, providing less protection for them than, say, letters stored in a desk drawer or even messages saved on a computer's hard drive.

The current system also makes complex distinctions, many disputed in courts, between emails saved as drafts online, in transit, unopened or opened. Some of them are to be released with subpoenas, which have a lower threshold than search warrants as they often do not involve a judge.

A warrant is generally approved by a judge if investigators have "probable cause" to believe that their search is likely to turn up information related to a crime.

Google, Microsoft Corp, Yahoo and popular social media site Twitter - among others - have resisted turning over customer data.

They have put in place policies, based on the constitutional protection from unreasonable searches, that require search warrants for access to content of private communications.

Privacy activists say the outdated law should be reformed to extend the constitutional right to privacy online, but legislation limiting government requests will not face an easy road.

Last year, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced a bill that would have updated the current law.

It triggered a wave of concerns from the police and FBI that new restrictions would impede crime investigations and possibly endanger victims.

"After three decades, it is essential that Congress update ECPA to ensure that this critical law keeps pace with new technologies and the way Americans use and store email today," Leahy said in a statement on Monday.

His privacy legislation died in Congress last year after his counterpart in the House of Representatives, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican, drafted another version of that bill, which also tackled other issues but stripped out privacy reform language.

Last year, Goodlatte said he was willing to consider the privacy law reform, but that the timeline then was too short for a "thorough examination."

Leahy has now included the change of privacy laws as one of his top priorities this year.

(Reporting by Alina Selyukh in Washington and Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco; Editing by Steve Orlofky)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-pledges-fight-over-government-access-users-email-011923142--sector.html

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No alarm, no extinguishers, no sprinklers and no escape in Brazil fire

SANTA MARIA, Brazil (AP) ? There was no alarm, no extinguishers, no sprinklers and almost no escape from the nightclub that became a death trap for more than 200 Brazilian college students.

As investigators began poking through the rubble and families mourned their dead, questions abounded as the university city in southern Brazil tried to understand how the Sunday morning blaze that killed 231 people could have been sparked in the first place, then rage rapidly out of control.

Why was there only one door available for exit and entry? What was the flammable material in the ceiling that allowed the conflagration to move so quickly? And, more pointedly, why was a band playing at the club allowed to use pyrotechnics inside the building?

Police were leaning toward the band's pyrotechnics as the cause of the blaze during a party at the Kiss nightclub organized by several academic departments at the Federal University of Santa Maria. Inspector Antonio Firmino, who's part of the team investigating the fire, said it appeared the club's ceiling was covered with an insulating foam made from a combustible material that ignited with the pyrotechnics.

Firmino said the number and state of the exits is under investigation but that it appeared that a second door was "inadequate," as it was small and protected by bars that wouldn't open.

The disaster, the worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, also raises questions of whether Brazilian authorities are up to the task of ensuring safety in such venues ahead of it hosting next year's World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

Some critics have said conditions in many Brazilian bars and clubs are ripe for another deadly blaze. They say that in addition to modernizing sometimes outdated safety codes and ensuring sufficient inspectors, people must change their way of thinking and respect safety regulations.

Hundreds of people marched peacefully outside the nightclub Monday night to remember the victims, and demand justice. Some carried signs with slogans such as, "May God's justice be carried out."

"We hope that the justice system, through its competent mechanisms, succeeds in clarifying to the public what happened, and gives the people an explanation," said marcher Eglon Do Canto.

Brazilian police said they detained three people Monday in connection with the blaze, while the newspaper O Globo said on its website that a fourth person had surrendered to police. Police Inspector Ranolfo Vieira Junior said the detentions were part of the ongoing police probe and those detained can be held for up to five days.

Vieira declined to identify those detained, but local media has identified them as two co-owners of the club, and two members of the band that was using a spark machine inside the building when the fire erupted.

According to state safety codes here, clubs should have one fire extinguisher every 1,500 square feet as well as multiple emergency exits. Limits on the number of people admitted are to be strictly respected. None of that appears to have happened at the Santa Maria nightclub.

"A problem in Brazil is that there is no control of how many people are admitted in a building," said Joao Daniel Nunes, a civil engineer in nearby Porto Alegre. "They never are clearly stated, and nobody controls how many people enter these night clubs."

Rodrigo Martins, a guitarist for the group Gurizada Fandangueira, told Globo TV network in an interview Monday that the flames broke out minutes after the employment of a pyrotechnic machine that fans out colored sparks, at around 2:30 a.m. local time.

"I felt that something was falling from the roof and I looked up and I saw the fire was spreading, and I shouted 'Look, it's catching on fire, man, it's catching fire,'" Martins said. "Then the drummer tried to throw water on it, and it looked like the fire spread more then. Then the security guards came with an extinguisher, tried to use it, but it didn't work."

He added that the club was packed and estimated the crowd at about 1,200-1,300 people.

"I thought I was going to die there. There was nothing I could do, with the fire spreading and people screaming in front."

Standing next to the stage when the fire broke out, Rodrigo Rizzi, a first-year nursing student, watched the tragedy unfold.

"I was right there, so even though I was far from the door, at least I realized something was wrong," he said. "Others, who couldn't see the stage, never had a chance. They never saw it coming."

As he headed toward the door, the air turned dense and dark with smoke; there was no light, nothing pointing to the single exit. Rizzi found himself clawing through a panicked crowd that surged blindly toward the door.

"I was halfway across the floor, I could see the door, but the air turned black with this thick smoke," he said. "I couldn't breathe. People started to panic and run toward the door. They were falling, screaming, pulling at each other."

Witnesses said security guards who didn't know about the blaze initially blocked people from leaving without paying their bills. Brazilian bars routinely make patrons pay their entire tab at the end of the night before they're allowed to leave.

Inside the club, metal barriers meant to organize the lines of people entering and leaving became traps, corralling desperate patrons within yards of the exit. Bodies piled up against the grates, smothered and broken by the crushing mob.

About 50 of the victims were found in the club's two bathrooms, where the blinding smoke caused them to believe the doors were exits.

Martins confirmed that the group's accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, died, while the five other band members made it out safely. Martins said he thought Jacques made it out of the building and later returned to save his accordion.

The first funeral services were held Monday for the victims, including brothers Pedro and Mercello Salle. Most of the dead were college students 18 to 21 years old, but they also included some minors. Almost all died from smoke inhalation rather than burns.

National Health Minister Alexandre Padilha cautioned that the death toll could worsen dramatically, telling news media in Santa Maria on Monday that 75 of those injured were in critical condition and could die.

Santa Maria Mayor Cezar Schirmer declared a 30-day mourning period, and Tarso Genro, the governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, said officials were investigating the cause of the disaster.

The blaze was the deadliest in Brazil since at least 1961, when a fire that swept through a circus killed 503 people in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.

Sunday's fire also appeared to be the worst at a nightclub anywhere in the world since December 2000, when a welding accident reportedly set off a fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309 people.

___

Associated Press writers Marco Sibaja contributed to this report from Brasilia, Brazil, Stan Lehman and Bradley Brooks contributed from Sao Paulo and Jenny Barchfield contributed from Rio de Janeiro.

___

Associated Press video:

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/focus-turns-brazil-club-safety-fire-073637802.html

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Does Your Business Blog Feel Like Wasted Time?

Does Your Business Blog Feel Like Wasted Time? 22 Flares 16 Facebook 5 LinkedIn 1 22 Flares ?

Source: http://michelleshaeffer.com/does-your-business-blog-feel-like-wasted-time/2013/01/29/

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Casey Anthony: Bankrupt!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/casey-anthony-bankrupt/

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Getting an internship in science journalism : Nature Jobs Blog

?

?Last week, we received an email from one of our readers:

?I?ve just finished my PhD and I?m now focusing on a move into science journalism. I?d really like to apply for internships to gain some more concrete experience of the editorial atmosphere at a big publication to add to the freelancing and work experience I?ve done.

Although I?ve spotted a few journalism internships and graduate schemes, including some at Nature, it?s quite hard to identify these without sometimes having to apply speculatively to publications. Can you help??

This is a question we get asked quite frequently, and whilst it?s true that getting any decent internship these days is competitive, those in science journalism are particularly hard to find.

Part of the problem is that they aren?t always advertised that widely, if at all. Whilst there are no hard and fast rules for starting out in the industry, there are some things you can do to keep your ear to the ground and boost your chances of finding out about these placements. This isn?t an exhaustive list, but rather some general advice, so please do share your own experiences and tips in the comments section below.

Firstly, it?s important to build up a network of people in the industry. Speak to people; ask for advice from those in the know ? and this means in person as well as online. Start tweeting, blogging, and following people you respect in the industry. Go out and meet these people in real life too.? Go to events ? talks, debates, conferences. You should also sign up to the relevant industry associations, such as the ABSW in the UK and the NASW in the US. Check their jobs boards regularly, and join in events and discussions.

You should also be reading a lot. This is important anyway if you want to be a writer, but if you want to get an internship, you need to read the publications you want to write for. As an added bonus, some of the journalism internships are only advertised in the publication itself, such as the New Scientist internships, so make sure you scour cover to cover.

There are journalism jobs boards to keep an eye on more generally which advertise writing internships, such as Gorkana, although they do not focus on science.

Applying

When you do apply, you?re going to need to impress on two fronts.

The first is your portfolio ? whether that?s published work, editing or writing for the student magazine, your blog etc. You might also want to mention any other kind of science communication work you?ve done such as festivals, events, or PR. Editors want to know that you can write engaging copy, have experience of working to deadlines, and are open to editing (you?d be surprised how often new writers aren?t keen on the latter).

Of course, as this reader points out, there?s always the option of speculative applications. Show enthusiasm and ask whether you might come in for a shorter placement, such as a couple of weeks work experience, if there are no internships available. These kinds of efforts are unlikely to work unless you?ve already met the person and made a good impression (or if you have other contacts, for instance through a course organiser if you are studying a science communication course). Editors are pretty busy as it is, so the idea of having an extra body to look after in the office probably won?t sound very appealing unless you have already made a good impression on them ? which, again, is why it?s worth going out to events and meeting editors in person. You might have more luck with the more hands-on broadcast media, as radio and TV producers could often do with an extra pair of hands on location.

There are also plenty of writing competitions which are well worth entering. The Wellcome trust science writing prize, for instance, is not open to practicing journalists, so it?s really a level playing field for scientists wishing to transition to writing. Nature will also be re-launching our annual careers columnist competition later this week, so check back for details.

Interview

The other thing you?ll need to have an abundance of ideas. So if you?re still at university, make the most of all the scientists around you and talk to them about their work to fish out good stories. Attend conferences, talks and seminars. It?s a shame to get an interview for an internship and turn up with stale ideas. If you?re a scientist applying for a media fellowship or internship, you should have access to great stories that aren?t yet in the public domain. Just make sure you don?t get bogged down in the details ? you?ll need to be able to talk about your own research and that of others with clarity.

Of course, these are just a few suggestions of how to find these elusive placements. Feel free to share any useful tips in the comments section below.

This blog post is also great further reading for tips on cutting a career in science journalism.

And to help with your search, we have kicked off a list of available placements in science journalism/science communication below. Of course, let us know about placements that aren?t on the list and we?ll add them.

Nature?s news team?has?one full-time, paid internship, based in our Washington DC office. Each internship lasts for six months. Candidates must have the right to work in the US. These get advertised here on Naturejobs so keep checking back and follow us on Twitter to stay up to speed.

In London, we offer work experience placements lasting a few weeks ? these are unsalaried. There is a high demand for these opportunities, so we are very selective ? we usually look for people who already have a demonstrable enthusiasm for science journalism (for example, they already have some clips, in a student newspaper for example, or on their blog; or they may be on a journalism or science communication training course). Each year, we host a working scientist for a month, under a partnership with the British Science Association.

A Media Fellow experiences first-hand how science is reported by spending 3-6 weeks on a summer placement with a press, broadcast or online journalist such as the Guardian, The Irish Times, the BBC and Nature.

They work with professional journalists to produce well informed, newsworthy pieces about developments in science.

The Fellows come away better equipped to communicate their research to the media, public and their colleagues.? They develop writing skills that could help?produce concise and engaging articles and funding applications.

For details about the scheme, including eligibility and online application form, visit the webpage.

Application deadline: 11 March 2013

The ESO? Internship in Science Journalism: ESO ePOD (European Southern Observatory education and Public Outreach Department) in Germany. More details here.

New Scientist magazine employs three interns each year, one in each office (London UK, Boston, and San Fransisco). They usually run from June for six months and are paid. The placements are advertised in print in the magazine. New Scientist also offers shorter, unpaid work experience placements.

Science News Writing Internship:? Science Magazine, the largest circulating weekly of basic research ? founded in 1880 by Thomas Alva Edison and published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) ? is offering an internship program for news writers. Science accepts applications for two 6-month periods: a winter-spring internship from January through June (deadline, September 15; selection, by mid-October) and a summer-fall internship from July through December (deadline, March 1; selection, by mid-April). Apply here.

Deadline passed for this year. For future reference, more details on the website here.

The Richard Casement internship at the Economist. The Economist is looking for a would-be journalist to spend three months of the summer working on the newspaper in London, writing about science and technology. Their aim is more to discover writing talent in a science student or scientist than scientific aptitude in a budding journalist. Deadline is Feb 3rd 2013, so get applying now!

The Bulletin of the World Health Organization in Geneva offer internships in news writing or in other editing.?Apply through the WHO internship programme.

Summer internship in science and medical writing: Yale School of Medicine (YSM) invites applications for a summer internship in science and medical writing. They seek a deadline-oriented self-starter with excellent reporting and writing skills and a demonstrated interest in the life sciences and medicine. Based on assignments from the editorial staff of a busy communications office, the intern will research, report, and write news items and features of varying lengths and styles for Yale Medicine magazine, the Medicine@Yale newsletter, and associated YSM websites. The staff will also welcome story ideas from interns.

This full-time position runs from May/June through August 2013 (start/end dates negotiable), with a salary of $3,000/month. The internship offers an opportunity to generate substantive clips and to establish contacts with leading YSM scientists and physicians. Preference will be given to candidates who have recently completed or are enrolled in a master?s degree program in medical or science writing.

To apply, please send three recent clips and/or course assignments and contact information for two references by March 1, 2013 to:

Internship Institutional Planning and Communications Yale School of Medicine One Church St., Suite 300 New Haven, CT 06510-3330 or medicine@yale.edu

Note: Interviews will be offered on February 16, 2013 at the National Association of Science Writers? Intern- ship Fair, held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, Mass. See http://www.nasw.org/2013-nasw-internship-fair-aaas for details and registra- tion requirements.

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Source: http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2013/01/28/getting-an-internship-in-science-journalism

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German Proposal For Search Engines To Pay For Displaying ...

Google is sounding a warning klaxon about a proposed law change in Germany which aims to strengthen copyright law for press publishers by requiring search engines and online news aggregators to pay a royalty to display snippets of copyrighted text ? such as the first paragraph of an article displayed within a Google News search. If the ancillary copyright law passes, fines would be imposed for unlicensed use of publishers? snippets.

The draft ancillary copyright law (online here in German) gets its second reading today (German law requires three readings before a law can be passed), and is backed by the majority of the governing coalition ? having being included in the coalition agreement between the Christian Democratic Union and the Free Democratic Party.

Currently displaying text snippets is free and legal in Germany so Google argues that the proposed amendement is a complete legal reversal.?The issue is known as ?Leistungsschutzrecht?f?r Presseverleger? in German, and has also?colloquially been dubbed a ?Google tax?.

Mountain View is of course ideologically opposed to the proposal ? calling it a ?mad law? and arguing that it breaks the ?founding principle? of the Web?s hyperlink-based architecture. From a business perspective the company questions why it should have to pay for helping publishers to acquire readers. ??We are bringing massive traffic to the publishers? websites,? Google Germany spokesman?Dr.?Ralf?Bremer told TechCrunch. ?We cannot see a reason why we should pay them for bringing them the readers.?

Setting aside the inconvenience to its business, Google also argues that?the law will be damaging for web users because it will make it harder for them to find German documents because the context provided through use of snippets will be lost. Why should German publishers be treated differently to other publishers, it says. There?s no question of Google agreeing to pay for the snippets ? you can imagine the company viewing that path as a slippery slope leading to an avalanche of copyright claims falling on its head.

There?s little doubt Google is being directly targeted by the proposed law. It specifically cites search engines as the target entity for the additional publisher ?protection? ? and Google is far and away the dominant search engine in Germany. But Mountain View claims the law is not just going to cause it pain ? but could also apply more broadly to other online companies and startups that make use of text snippets.

The text of the current draft of the law states that the proposed protection ?is only against systematic access to the?publishing performance by the search engine providers? (translated from German via Google Translate)?? and goes on to add that?other web users are not included (?such as Blogger, other industrial companies in the economy,?Associations, law firms and private and voluntary users?). However Google says the wording of the draft law also references ?suppliers of search engines and suppliers of such services, who process content similar to search engines? as falling within its remit ? a vague definition that it says could even apply to social networks.

?The question ? which services are meant by the latter [portion of the draft law's wording] ? is controversially debated. The latest interpretations, we have seen, assume that Twitter, Facebook and the like will also be affected,? said Bremer. He argues that every web service or information-based startup that wants to use publishers? snippets could potentially be affected ? adding that many such companies won?t have ?Google-levels of resources? to ensure they are able to comply.

?As soon as this law comes into place there will have to changes made by every platform working on the web,? he said. ?It?s not just a law about Google? it?s about the entire startup scene that we have in Germany, and especially in Berlin. Because potentially every company that works on the web has to deal with snippets, more or less, in their business.?

?From the day this law comes into place, every company that wants to use these snippets? would have to reach out to publishers and call them individually ? ?hi, can you please allow me to use your snippets and what do I have to pay for that?? And if you understand there are more than 1,200 publishers you can imagine that it is simply not possible,? he added.

Another problem with the draft law, as Google tells it, is that it does not nail down the definition of a snippet ? meaning it would be left to courts to decide whether a snippet means a few sentences, a few words or even just a URL. ?It is not even sure the pure hyperlinks are free because some hyperlinks contain part of the text,? Bremer added.

If the law is passed ? and Bremer concedes it looks likely, thanks to the backing of the governing coalition ??Google says it would have to pull German snippets from search results. Setting aside the ideological position of not being willing to pay for something it believes should be free to use, it argues that the legal risk of displaying snippets when the law is so ambiguous would be too ?fraught?.

According to Bremer Germany?s big publishing houses originally lobbied for the law change. He describes them as politically well connected ? and also points out that it?s an election year in Germany this year, arguing that politicians are more likely to want to cosy up to publishers than counter their wishes. ?Pressure from the publishers is really high to get this law done within the coming months,? he said.

Bremer said today?s second reading ? which will involve input from a panel of eight experts (ostensibly independent but three of whom Google argues ?belong to the publishers? lobby?) and at which Mountain View has not been invited to speak ??could be ?the last change to get this law off the table or to shape it in a way that is not so dangerous today for the web architecture?. Google?s hope, says Bremer, is for the governing coalition to listen to the views of the independent experts and think again.

?The arguments against this law are very strong. The arguments for this law are very weak,? he added.

So what about the arguments for the proposed law? German publisher Axel Springer?? whose publications include the newspapers Die Welt and Bild ? is an active supporter of the proposals. Asked to respond to Google?s arguments against the copyright extension,?Christoph Keese,?Senior Vice President of?Investor Relations and Public Affairs for the company and chair of the joint copyright committee of Germany?s newspaper and magazine association, told TechCrunch that ?Google?s statements are unfair and disproportionate? and ?in no way represent what this law is really about?.

Keese also rebutted criticisms about the potential scope of the law, claiming it will ?have no effect on the right to quote or link?, and that ?citations and links stay free?.

He continued:

It is neither ?mad? nor will it harm users, the internet, open society or information pluralism. To the contrary: This reform brings German copyright law much closer to the US concept where publishers traditionally enjoy strong rights. Over here publishers have no rights on their own to this very date even though music, film, television and performing arts have enjoyed ancillary rights since the mid sixties.

What this reform does is very simple: It establishes on opt-in model for commercial copies of content and parts of content. This will lead to license agreements between publishers and aggregators.

On the specific point about the impact on startups, Keese argued that being as the pricing for licensing the snippets will be ?reasonable? then ?no business model shall be discouraged?,?adding:

We have carefully considered impact on the thriving start-up culture especially in Berlin. There will be no negative effects. To the contrary: New innovative business models will arrive built on legally licensed content. Even before the law comes to effect we observe rising demand by start ups seeking investment and licensing opportunities.

This law will help establish a market for aggregator content which at the moment is non-existent. Google (>90% market share) displays monopolistic behavior by trying to impose its legal view on publishers to protect its margin. While publishers respect Google?s technological and entrepreneurial achievements we are not prepared to give content away for free. Search indexing is more than welcome. But aggregators have gone far beyond that.

The royalty rate that publishers would charge has not been determined yet. On the question of pricing, Keese said: ?Parliament has not decided yet if it wants the right to be exercised through a collecting society or not. Absent this decision it would be premature to speculate about pricing.?


September 7, 1998

NASDAQ:GOOG

Google provides search and advertising services, which together aim to organize and monetize the world?s information. In addition to its dominant search engine, it offers a plethora of online tools and platforms including: Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Google+, the company?s extension into the social space. Most of its Web-based products are free, funded by Google?s highly integrated online advertising platforms AdWords and AdSense. Google promotes the idea that advertising should be highly targeted and relevant to users thus providing...

? Learn more

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/30/leistungsschutzrecht-second-reading/

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Travel Scams To Avoid While On Vacation In Asia

Because of excitement, we sometimes lose our common sense while on holiday. We may even become victims to several travel scams while in an unfamiliar place away from home.

The following are some of the travel scams that tourists fall to during a vacation in Asia:

1. Taxi Fare Scam
Tourists are lured into riding a taxi and unknowingly become victims of taxi pricing scam. There was a story about a tourist who paid the taxi driver a large note by mistake and received a note with lower value in exchange. The tourist was even told that the money he had given was not enough. While this is unfortunate, some tourists even had it worse and experienced being ripped off, left in the middle of nowhere, or even robbed.

Before riding a taxi, make sure that you have agreed on the price or fare. Also, never forget to ask for the phone number of the local police so you have someone to call in case you find yourself in an unfortunate situation that could jeopardize your life.

2. Currency Exchange Scam
More often, tourists are approached in the streets by locals offering currency exchange. Be wary of these people as they will probably offer you counterfeit money, the wrong currency, or lie about the

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Travel-Scams-To-Avoid-While-On-Vacation-In-Asia/4406330

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Keas Turns Health and Wellness Programs into Fun and Games | 7x7

It?s no secret that the workplace is not always the healthiest environment for people. There tends to be a lot of sitting around at desks or in meetings; there?s often a lot of stress; opportunities to exercise can be rare; and rushed, unhealthy snacks and meals are often the norm.

SF-based Keas is focused on mitigating all that. It offers employee wellness programs to large companies (and in the future, smaller companies as well) that draw on social media, gamification, motivation theory and psychology.

?Companies want better health for employees, partly because the average employee?s health care costs $15,000 a year,? says CEO Josh Stevens. ?It really hurts their bottom line, and much of it is avoidable. Meanwhile, we?re helping people do what they should do, and try to make it fun and social to engage in healthy activities.

?Our experience indicates that when people are involved with a small, engaged team, they will egg each other on, and give support to reach healthy goals. It works organically from the bottom up, not from top down.?

The Keas program is typically administered through the H.R. department behind the company?s firewall, and in many cases, serves as the authorized social network in enterprises that restrict acess to Facebook and Twitter, etc.

Employees sign in with their company email, and are asked a few questions about their health and wellness concerns, which allows Keas to personalize their experience.

They are then prompted to join or start a small team (up to six members), usually with others sharing similar health concerns, such as being overweight.

The program suggests weekly goals from a library of hundreds it has built up to deal with concerns like weight issues, lack of exercise, poor diet, and so on.

?You create a profile, with a photo, and your name,? explains Stevens. ?You can set up to three goals a week. For instance, mine are to eat five veggies, drink 16 gasses of water, and walk 60 minutes a day.?

Team members then can encourage and/or challenge you in a social feed that contains elements of gaming, as you strive to hit your goals.

Employees have by default up to 25 points of ?energy? to expend each day and they earn additional energy, and in many companies prizes or rewards, both virtual and real, in the process.

Some companies offer additional points as incentives for employees to get flu shots, for example.

?If they can get five more points for a flu shot, most people will choose that option,? says Stevens.

Other companies are experimenting with other types of incentives, such as offering $500 off the annual deductible on the corporate health plan to employees who get a blood test.

One company that tried this recently reported that 90 percent of its employees chose to take that incentive and get tested.

Such tests help doctors to identify people early who are at risk for developing diabetes and other debilitating (and expensive) medical conditions before it?s too late to prevent them.

Stevens says a subset of employees in most companies, usually men, respond better to competitions around reaching health and wellness goals, and they do things like check the daily leaderboards.

The points employees earn via the Keas program often lead to rewards like a monthly cash prize, or a free iPad, or company-wide recognition.

Although Keas presently works only with companies that have 1000 employees or more, Stevens says they are developing a program for smaller businesses as well, which we will try to highlight here when it becomes available.

Source: http://www.7x7.com/tech-gadgets/keas-turns-health-and-wellness-programs-fun-and-games

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Perfect storm of errors, neglect in Brazil fire

SANTA MARIA, Brazil (AP) ? There was no fire alarm. There were no sprinklers or fire escapes. And when a band member tried to put out a fire that had been started by pyrotechnics, the extinguisher didn't work.

All the elements were in place for the tragedy at the Kiss nightclub early Sunday. The result was the world's worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, with 231 people dead and this southern Brazilian college town in shock and mourning.

Funerals began on Monday, as reports continued to emerge about the accumulation of neglect and errors at the packed night spot.

According to state safety codes here, clubs should have one fire extinguisher every 1,500 square feet as well as multiple emergency exits. Limits on the number of people admitted are to be strictly respected. None of that appears to have happened at the Santa Maria nightclub.

"A problem in Brazil is that there is no control of how many people are admitted in a building," said Joao Daniel Nunes, a civil engineer in nearby Porto Alegre. "They never are clearly stated, and nobody controls how many people enter these night clubs."

Santa Maria's mayor, Jose Fortunati, told Radio Gaucha that dozens of night spots were closed last year for failing to meet norms.

"At that time, we had lots of protest from those who frequented them, but I think that today people understand it better and that at times hard stands must be taken so that steps are taken to not put people's lives at risk," Fortunati said.

Brazilian police said they detained three people in connection with the blaze, while the newspaper O Globo said on its website that a fourth person had surrendered to police. Police Inspector Ranolfo Vieira Junior said the detentions were part of the ongoing police probe and those detained can be held for up to five days.

Vieira declined to identify those detained, but the Brazilian newspaper Zero Hora quotes lawyer Jader Marques saying his client Elissandro Spohr, a co-owner of the club, had been held. Globo reported that the fourth person detained was another club co-owner. G1, Globo Television's internet portal, reported that Spohr acknowledged the club's operating license was not up to date but said the pyrotechnics show started the blaze.

Zero Hora said police also detained two members of the band. The band's guitarist told Brazilian media he saw flames lick the ceiling after the group's spark machine was deployed.

More than 100 people remained hospitalized for smoke, local officials said.

National Health Minister Alexandre Padilha cautioned that the death toll could worsen dramatically. Speaking to media in Santa Maria, he said that 75 of those injured were in critical condition and could die.

However, Paulo Afonso Beltrame, a doctor helping coordinate the emergency response, said he was optimistic at least some of those injured would pull through.

"It's impossible to predict what will happen, because they are all in a very delicate state, but there's hope for all of them," said Beltrame, adding that more than 40 survivors had been sent to neighboring cities for treatment of burns and smoke inhalation. "One of the problems we're having here is that all these people need to be on respirators and we don't have enough respirators in the city."

The event raises questions of whether Brazilian authorities are up to the task of ensuring safety in such venues ahead of it hosting next year's World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

Some critics have said conditions in many Brazilian bars and clubs are ripe for another deadly blaze. In addition to modernizing sometimes outdated safety codes and ensuring sufficient inspectors, people have to change their way of thinking and respect safety regulations.

Funeral services were held for several of the 231 victims, most of them college students 18 to 21 years old. Some of the victims were minors. Most died from smoke inhalation rather than burns.

Witnesses said security guards who didn't know about the blaze initially blocked people from leaving without paying their bills. Brazilian bars routinely make patrons pay their entire tab at the end of the night before they're allowed to leave. Many of the dead were found in the club's two bathrooms, where the blinding smoke caused them to believe the doors were exits.

Rodrigo Martins, a guitarist for the group Gurizada Fandangueira, told Globo TV network in an interview Monday that the flames broke out minutes after the deployment of a pyrotechnic machine that fans out colored sparks, at around 2:30 a.m. local time.

"I felt that something was falling from the roof and I looked up and I saw the fire was spreading, and I shouted 'Look, it's catching on fire, man, it's catching fire,'" Martins said. "Then the drummer tried to throw water on it, and it looked like the fire spread more then. Then the security guards came with an extinguisher, tried to use it, but it didn't work."

He added that the club was packed and estimated the crowd at about 1,200-1,300 people.

"I thought I was going to die there. There was nothing I could do, with the fire spreading and people screaming in front."

Martins confirmed that the group's accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, died, while the five other band members made it out safely. Martins said he thought Jacques made it out of the building and later returned to save his accordion.

Martins said the group nearly always used the so-called Sputnik pyrotechnics machine and that it had never before caused any problem, even in smaller venues. An electrical short circuit could also possibly have been to blame for the fire, he suggested.

Still, police were leaning toward the pyrotechnics as the likely cause of the tragedy. Police inspector Antonio Firmino, who's part of the team investigating Sunday's blaze, said it appeared the club's ceiling was covered with an insulating foam made from a combustible material that ignited with the pyrotechnics. He said the number and state of the exits is under investigation but that it appeared that a second door was "inadequate," as it was small and protected by bars that wouldn't open.

Television images from Santa Maria showed black smoke billowing out of the Kiss nightclub as shirtless young men who attended the university party joined firefighters using axes and sledgehammers to pound at the hot-pink exterior walls, trying to reach those trapped inside. Teenagers sprinted from the scene after the fire began, desperately seeking help. Others carried injured and burned friends away in their arms. About half of those killed were men, and another half women.

The party was organized by students from several academic departments at the Federal University of Santa Maria. Such organized university parties are common throughout Brazil.

"This shook the whole town," said Ocimar Franco, neighbor of fire victim Taize Santos, before her funeral Monday. "I feel the whole world is watching our town. I wish it were for another reason."

Among the dead were also brothers Pedro and Marcelo Salla, who were both buried Monday.

Beltrame said he was told the club had been filled far beyond its capacity, and the crowds and thickness of the smoke made it hard for people to find their way out.

"Large amounts of toxic smoke quickly filled the room, and I would say that at least 90 percent of the victims died of asphyxiation," Beltrame said. "The toxic smoke made people lose their sense of direction so they were unable to find their way to the exit. At least 50 bodies were found inside a bathroom."

Beltrame said people who were inside the club and thought they made it out safely have started to turn up at area hospitals with symptoms of smoke inhalation, which he said can take hours or even days to appear. He estimated that around 15 people have sought out help in the past few hours and said some have had to be intubated.

Santa Maria Mayor Cezar Schirmer declared a 30-day mourning period, and Tarso Genro, the governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, said officials were investigating the cause of the disaster.

The blaze was the deadliest in Brazil since at least 1961, when a fire that swept through a circus killed 503 people in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.

Sunday's fire also appeared to be the worst at a nightclub anywhere in the world since December 2000, when a welding accident reportedly set off a fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309 people.

___

Associated Press writers Marco Sibaja contributed to this report from Brasilia, Brazil, Stan Lehman and Bradley Brooks contributed from Sao Paulo and Jenny Barchfield contributed from Rio de Janeiro.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/neglect-errors-blame-brazil-nightclub-fire-200250681.html

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Foursquare Launches 'Foursquare for Business' App

Todd Wasserman

Foursquare continued its efforts to monetize its service with Foursquare For Business, an app designed to let business owners manage specials and view analytics.

The app, introduced on Tuesday, promises to let businesses attract customers by posting "beautiful photo updates," view recent check-ins to their establishment, share Foursquare updates on Facebook and Twitter, drive traffic to their store and learn more about their customers.

Foursquare's new app ? its second ? comes as the company has been busily trying to wring some cash from its popular service. In July, Foursquare introduced Promoted Updates, its first ad product, which let business owners send local updates like their daily specials, to users. Even with that effort, Foursquare reportedly posted just $2 million in revenues last year.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, hocus-focus

Topics: Business, Foursquare, Marketing

Source: http://mashable.com/2013/01/29/foursquare-for-business-app/

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A Whopper to go with the casket, please

David S. Kime Jr. was many things. World War II veteran. Purple Heart recipient. Father. Grandfather. Husband. And, it should be noted, Burger King enthusiast.

The 88-year-old Kime died Jan. 20, and during his funeral procession a few days later, members of Kime's family took a detour to the Burger King drive-through.

Linda Phiel, one of Kime's three daughters, said her dad loved fast food and ate it daily. "He always lived by his own rules," she said. "His version of eating healthy was the lettuce on the Whopper Jr."

The York (Pa.) Daily Record spoke with Phiel, who explained that when her mother was alive, she tried to keep his eating habits in check. "When she died, for a while, he would eat with us," she said. "But he considered us health freaks because we ate things that were green, like broccoli."

After a while, Phiel stopped trying to talk her dad into eating more veggies. "When you're 88 years old, I guess you've earned the right to do what you want to do," she said.

The funeral procession ordered a whopping 40 of the Whopper Jr. burgers, including one for the dearly departed. Kime's Whopper was placed on top of his casket before burial.

The Burger King's manager, Margaret Hess, said, "It's nice to know he was a loyal customer up until the end?the very end."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/funeral-procession-swings-burger-king-honor-deceased-223116411.html

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Writebox (for iPad)


If you're searching for a great note-taking app for your iPad, and having a distraction-free writing environment is one of your needs, Writebox ($1.99) offers a clean interface and connectivity with Dropbox for storage. Distraction-free editors offer a highly pared down experience, ditching formatting and other features in the name of simplicity, so don't expect Writebox to come with any bells and whistles. Price-wise, it's on par with the ad-free version of PlainText ($1.99, free for ad supported version), although Writebox comes with a couple of value-adds.

For starters, it also works as a Web app and Chrome app (free), so you can always get at your notes from any browser when you have an Internet connection. Second, although it does maintain a distraction-free view, it adds a tiny character count at the bottom of the right corner of the screen, should you need to keep an eye on length. But, similar to PlainText, Writebox only integrates with Dropbox for additional storage, and both apps would benefit from expanding their reach to other cloud storage solution providers.

Getting Started
When you first visit buy and install the Writebox iPad app, you'll be asked to sign into your Dropbox account. To use Writebox, you don't need a Writebox account of any kind (simplicity at its finest), but when you connect to Dropbox, the app does require total access to all your folders. There's no way to restrict it to only certain folders.

The app's interface is extraordinarily clean. A small top-line menu bar has two buttons on the left (a button that opens the storage pane, and a new file button) and three on the right (two circling arrows that reverts an active file to its last saved state, a share, and a sync button. The share button curiously hides a few features that have nothing to do with sharing; more on that in a moment.

Other than that, you'll see a big, blank screen, where you can type. When you have an active document, you'll see two more features, both of which I like quite a bit. One is a set of arrows for moving the cursor forward or backward one space at a time, for those of us who have a hard time manipulating the cursor using the press-and-hold magnifying glass feature in iOS. The second addition is a small running character count in the bottom right of the screen. In the Web app, you also see line and word counts, and can suppress all the number if you don't like to see them. In the iPad app, you only see characters, and there's no way to turn it off.

Customization and Use
Customization options, which are confusingly hidden behind the share button, are minimal, but some are quite necessary, such as being able to change the colors of the text and background, increase or decrease the point size, and adjust the typeface. You can't change the amount of space between lines in the iPad app, although you can in the Web app.

From the storage pane button in Writebox, you can navigate your entire Dropbox folder structure and save new text files anywhere you'd like. Among existing files, only .txt formatted documents will appear, though, as it's the only file type supported by the simple app.

When you get to typing and editing in Writebox, the storage navigation pane disappears to leave you with a very basic editing area, the idea being you won't be distracted from anything in the app and can focus on writing. Press the sync button, and your changes will be pushed to Dropbox.


Writebox for Simply Writing
For a $1.99 app, Writebox for iPad is an inexpensive text-editing tool that keeps distractions out of sight. Writebox is only available for iOS, Chrome, and the Web at the moment, although the latter two work well and save documents reliably from virtually any Internet-enabled platform. While some iPad owners might be peeved to pay for an app that's otherwise free, at least the price is reasonable and in line with other apps of its ilk. Writebox certainly holds its own as a distraction-free text editor, bearing in mind that it's already quite a niche product. It would be a much more useful app if it supported more syncing and storage solutions beyond Dropbox.

More iPad App Reviews:
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