Why Fact-Checkers Find More GOP Lies

PolitiFact rated Republican claims to be "false" or "pants on fire" three times more often than it rated Democratic claims that way this year, according to a new study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University. So: Does the GOP lie more? Is PolitiFact biased??Or do GOP liars ? like fact-checking "dream" Michele Bachmann ? get more attention?

RELATED: The Media Is Rooting for a Palin-Bachmann Rivalry

The Pulitzer prize-winning?PolitiFact is run by the?Tampa Bay Times, and its reporters and editors sort politicians' claims into one of six categories: true, mostly true, half true, mostly false, false, and pants on fire ? the last having an element of the "ridiculous." You can see how those ratings break down for both parties in the pie charts at right. A majority of Democratic claims were rated true; a majority of Republican claims were rated false. CMPA points out that PolitiFact found more Republican lies even in May ? though there are three agency scandals facing the Obama administration: over the IRS targeting conservative groups, over the State Department's talking points about Benghazi, and over the Justice Department's investigation into leakers. This month, 60 percent of Republican claims have been rated as lies, while 29 percent of Democratic claims have been.

RELATED: Ron Paul Raised $1 Million Overnight

Why is that? It's possible the fact-checkers are intentionally or unintentionally letting some bias show through. Whether or not that's true, the state of each party right now most certainly plays a role. A lot of very conservative Republicans got elected in 2010, and the Tea Party got a lot of attention, and some Tea Party Republicans have had a tendency to say inflammatory things. Like, say, Michele Bachmann.

RELATED: GOP Debate Preview: Hey, We're Not So Bad

Rival fact-checker Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post noted on Tuesday that with Bachmann's retirement, he'll lose some of his best material: "As one of our colleagues put it, 'The entire fact checking industry may have to hold a national day of mourning.'"?In 2013 Bachmann has earned four Pinocchios, the most false rating the Post offers. Over her career, PolitiFact rated 15 Bachmann claims to be "pants on fire" ratings, its harshest rating. PolitiFact called her retirement "shocking."?

RELATED: Perry's History of Brushing Off Campaign Corruption Charges

Bachmann was a fact-checker's dream because she was prominent, she got lots of attention, and she didn't mind throwing out easily disprovable statistics. But she's only a four-term member of Congress from Minnesota, and she doesn't have an important leadership role in the House. Nevertheless, she was elevated to national stardom by the cable news appearances that offered fact-checkers so much great material. And that helped her launch a presidential campaign.

RELATED: PolitiFact Just Lost the Left

Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke was elected the same year as Bachmann, 2006. But PolitiFact didn't bother with Clarke when she went on?The Colbert Report in September 2012 and said that Brooklyn still had slavery in 1898, five decades after New York abolished slavery, and three decades after the Civil War ended. "Slavery. Really? I didn?t realize there was slavery in Brooklyn in 1898," Colbert responded. "I'm pretty sure there was," Clarke said.

PolitiFact did not rate this claim. There are some obvious reasons why ? Clarke is a little-known congresswoman; her claim was not about a current policy debate. Bachmann, on the other hand, was a presidential candidate.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-fact-checkers-more-gop-lies-171852205.html

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NASA sees Hurricane Barbara quickly weaken to a depression

Public release date: 30-May-2013
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Contact: Rob Gutro
robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Tropical Storm Barbara strengthened into a hurricane just before it made landfall late on May 29, and after landfall it weakened into a tropical depression. NASA satellite imagery showed that cloud tops warmed and thunderstorms became more fragmented around the storm's center after Barbara made landfall.

Barbara is moving across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec today, May 30. Barbara could regenerate over the Bay of Campeche, on the Gulf of Mexico side of Mexico, and satellite imagery is watching Barbara closely. The Bay of Campeche is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Veracruz and Tabasco and is part of the Gulf of Mexico.

At 2 p.m. EDT on May 29, Barbara became a hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph. Just three hours later Barbara was already moving over land. It brought heavy rainfall to eastern Oaxaca and Western Chiapas, Mexico.

The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Hurricane Barbara as it was making landfall in southwestern Mexico. The image was taken at 19:30 UTC (3:30 p.m. EDT). The image showed a large "tail" of thunderstorms that extended into the eastern Pacific Ocean.

By 8 p.m. EDT Barbara weakened back to tropical storm status as maximum sustained winds dropped to 60 mph. At 11 p.m. EDT, Barbara, still a tropical storm, although weaker was dropping a lot of rain. It was located near 17.1 north and 93.8 west, about 50 miles (85 km) west-northwest of Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared images of Barbara's cloud top temperatures on May 29 and May 30. The images showed that the interaction with landfall had a large toll on the organization and uplift of air within the storm. In an image from May 29 at 19:23 UTC (3:23 p.m. EDT) Barbara contained a large area of powerful thunderstorms, where cloud top temperatures were as cold as -63F (-52C). Those storms had the potential for heavy rainfall. After Barbara made landfall, AIRS captured another infrared image that showed how the friction of Barbara's land interaction drastically reduced the uplift and thunderstorm development as cloud top temperatures warmed. The AIRS image, taken on May 30 at 07:35 UTC (3:35 a.m. EDT) showed fragmented strong thunderstorms around the center of circulation, with the largest area over the Gulf of Campeche.

By 5 a.m. EDT on May 30, Barbara weakened to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds near 35 mph (55 kph). It was centered near 17.8 north and 93.9 west, about 40 miles (60 km) southeast of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Barbara is moving to the north at 8 mph (13 kph) and has a minimum central pressure of 1000 millibars. At that time, there were no warnings or watches in effect.

Barbara continues to be a big rainmaker over land. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects Barbara to produce total rain accumulations of 6 to 10 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches possible over portions of southeastern Mexico. The NHC reports that Arriaga, located in the State of Chiapas recorded a rainfall total of 16.02 inches (407 mm) in 18 hours from 11 a.m. EDT on May 29 to 5 a.m. EDT, May 30.

The Independent.ie reported that two people were killed as a result of the storm. A 26 year old Mexican resident was killed in an attempt to cross a rain swelled river and a 61-year-old U.S. man who was surfing at a Salina Cruz beach drowned during the storm.

The National Hurricane Center expects Barbara to keep dropping large amounts of rain over portions of southeastern Mexico today, May 30 as it heads for the Bay of Campeche. Barbara is expected to drop between 6 and 10 inches of rainfall with isolated maximum amounts up to 20 inches today, so inland flooding and mudslides are possible.

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

Public release date: 30-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Rob Gutro
robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Tropical Storm Barbara strengthened into a hurricane just before it made landfall late on May 29, and after landfall it weakened into a tropical depression. NASA satellite imagery showed that cloud tops warmed and thunderstorms became more fragmented around the storm's center after Barbara made landfall.

Barbara is moving across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec today, May 30. Barbara could regenerate over the Bay of Campeche, on the Gulf of Mexico side of Mexico, and satellite imagery is watching Barbara closely. The Bay of Campeche is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Veracruz and Tabasco and is part of the Gulf of Mexico.

At 2 p.m. EDT on May 29, Barbara became a hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph. Just three hours later Barbara was already moving over land. It brought heavy rainfall to eastern Oaxaca and Western Chiapas, Mexico.

The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Hurricane Barbara as it was making landfall in southwestern Mexico. The image was taken at 19:30 UTC (3:30 p.m. EDT). The image showed a large "tail" of thunderstorms that extended into the eastern Pacific Ocean.

By 8 p.m. EDT Barbara weakened back to tropical storm status as maximum sustained winds dropped to 60 mph. At 11 p.m. EDT, Barbara, still a tropical storm, although weaker was dropping a lot of rain. It was located near 17.1 north and 93.8 west, about 50 miles (85 km) west-northwest of Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared images of Barbara's cloud top temperatures on May 29 and May 30. The images showed that the interaction with landfall had a large toll on the organization and uplift of air within the storm. In an image from May 29 at 19:23 UTC (3:23 p.m. EDT) Barbara contained a large area of powerful thunderstorms, where cloud top temperatures were as cold as -63F (-52C). Those storms had the potential for heavy rainfall. After Barbara made landfall, AIRS captured another infrared image that showed how the friction of Barbara's land interaction drastically reduced the uplift and thunderstorm development as cloud top temperatures warmed. The AIRS image, taken on May 30 at 07:35 UTC (3:35 a.m. EDT) showed fragmented strong thunderstorms around the center of circulation, with the largest area over the Gulf of Campeche.

By 5 a.m. EDT on May 30, Barbara weakened to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds near 35 mph (55 kph). It was centered near 17.8 north and 93.9 west, about 40 miles (60 km) southeast of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Barbara is moving to the north at 8 mph (13 kph) and has a minimum central pressure of 1000 millibars. At that time, there were no warnings or watches in effect.

Barbara continues to be a big rainmaker over land. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects Barbara to produce total rain accumulations of 6 to 10 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches possible over portions of southeastern Mexico. The NHC reports that Arriaga, located in the State of Chiapas recorded a rainfall total of 16.02 inches (407 mm) in 18 hours from 11 a.m. EDT on May 29 to 5 a.m. EDT, May 30.

The Independent.ie reported that two people were killed as a result of the storm. A 26 year old Mexican resident was killed in an attempt to cross a rain swelled river and a 61-year-old U.S. man who was surfing at a Salina Cruz beach drowned during the storm.

The National Hurricane Center expects Barbara to keep dropping large amounts of rain over portions of southeastern Mexico today, May 30 as it heads for the Bay of Campeche. Barbara is expected to drop between 6 and 10 inches of rainfall with isolated maximum amounts up to 20 inches today, so inland flooding and mudslides are possible.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/nsfc-nsh053013.php

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Is Real Estate Ever a Wise Investment for Retirees? :: The Market ...

Housing-Market / US Housing May 30, 2013 - 10:34 AM GMT

By: Don_Miller

At one point in my life you might have heard me say something like, ?I?ve probably made more money in real estate by accident than I have in the market on purpose.? For many years, you could buy good-quality property, as much as you could afford, and you were almost guaranteed to make money. That ended in 2008. Now folks are looking for bargains, hoping to profit from the crash.

So what has changed? I don?t have to tell you that the commercial and residential real-estate markets took a huge hit in 2008 and have yet to fully recover. Many folks saw the value of their homes drop by 40% or more, and their net worth drop right along with it. In the meantime, bank short sales have skyrocketed.

Opportunities to buy may be returning, but something else has also changed. Folks on either side of the retirement cusp are in a different place in life than when they bought their McMansions. Children have fled the coop, so their needs have changed. Also, retirees and folks approaching retirement cannot afford a do-over. We no longer have time to recover from investment losses... certainly not if we plan on staying retired.

When we conducted a survey of readers last fall to see what was on their minds, investment wise I mean, real estate investing was in the top 3. The other two were annuities and income investing. We?ve covered both several times, most recently here and here.

With real estate investing a hot topic, I?d like to review the Money Forever Five-Point Balancing Test and see how it applies to real estate. It?s the test we apply to all of our investments, not just stocks.

1. Is it a solid company or investment vehicle?
2. Does it provide good income?
3. Is there good opportunity for appreciation?
4. Does it protect against inflation?
5. Is it easily reversible?

Some real estate may indeed meet all five criteria, but folks of retirement age must be much more selective.

My wife Jo and I moved to Fort Myers, Florida in 1985 ? about the time that the new airport opened, which allowed bigger jets access to the southwest corridor of Florida. I-75 was also extended south from Sarasota down through Naples and over to Miami. Real estate in the southwest part of Florida exploded.

I had a good friend who put together several partnerships to invest in property. Twenty of us would put up 5% each, buy land, get the necessary permits, and then sell the property to a developer. We did well on several parcels.

One parcel we bought, which I thought would provide the greatest return of all, we still own over 20 years later. We?re still paying property taxes and associated costs after all these years.

The situation is almost funny. We have to pay a farmer to ?rent? some cattle in order to maintain our agricultural exemption on the property. While it seemed like a good investment when I was 52, I would pass on it today at age 73. Why? Those types of partnerships do not provide income, nor are they liquid. That means they fail no. 2 and no. 5 on our Five-Point Balancing Test.

We have friends who for years bought homes and apartments, fixed them up, and then rented them out. Some resold them and some converted apartments into condominiums, often doing very well for themselves.

Today these same friends want passive investments. They are quick to remind me that being a landlord means running your own small business. Their investments demanded a big time commitment; they were anything but passive.

Ask any active landlord and he will tell you of the amazing time commitment required ? of the 3 a.m. phone calls from the fire department, the plumbing leaks and electrical mishaps, and the renters who never seem to pay on time. Retirees want to make money with their capital. They are not looking for a full-time job.

That?s why most folks on either side of the cusp of retirement are likely better off with investments that meet our Five-Point Balancing Test. That does not mean that rental property or buying property for appreciation is out of the question. But we?re looking for real-estate investments that are professionally managed and liquid. We?ve recently added a real-estate investment in our portfolio that meets all five points in our balancing test. Use this link to start a 90-day risk-free trial to Money Forever and get the full report on our real-estate investment.

Making money in real estate is no easier than it is in the stock market. It requires a lot of work, patience, and in some cases a lot of luck. Retirement is not the time for a ?get rich quick? scheme.

We need investments that meet our five criteria. One area of real estate that sadly many retirees have been convinced is the next best thing to a ?get rich quick? scheme is reverse mortgages. While not real estate investments as most people view them, they are often portrayed as a way to make easy money during retirement. In response to so many questions from readers about reverse mortgages we?ve put together a new publication called ?The Reverse Mortgage Guide? to help you better understand what a reverse mortgage can and cannot do for you and whether you might be a good candidate for one. Click here to find out how to get this report for free.

? 2013 Copyright Casey Research - All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

? 2005-2013 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.

Source: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article40662.html

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U.S. congressmen in Russia on Boston bombing fact-finding mission

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. congressmen will meet security officials in Moscow this week to find out whether the FBI could have done more with Russian intelligence on the Boston bombing suspect to prevent the attack, one of the lawmakers said on Wednesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama's administration and the intelligence community face scrutiny over criticism they failed to see the danger from Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother Dzhokhar - the prime suspects in the twin bombings that killed three people and injured over 170 at the Boston Marathon.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was killed in a shootout with police, spent six months last year in Dagestan, a southern Russian province where Moscow is battling an Islamist insurgency.

U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican leading the fact-finding mission, said it wanted to find out whether the FBI acted strongly enough on Russian information that Tsarnaev was a potential threat.

"One of the things we want to find out is whether or not the FBI followed through on all of the information that was given to them," Rohrabacher said.

He said he and fellow congressmen Steve King, Paul Cook, Steve Cohen and William Keating were interested in how Tsarnaev's time in Dagestan may have radicalized him.

Although Washington and Moscow have vowed cooperate closely on counter-terrorism, both sides have accused each other of withholding information in the run-up to the bombing.

U.S. officials have said Russian security services asked the FBI about Tamerlan in early 2011 out of concern he had embraced radical Islam and would travel to Russia to join insurgents.

FBI agents interviewed him in Massachusetts in 2011 but said they found no serious reason for alarm. U.S. officials say Russia's FSB security services later failed to respond to the FBI's requests for more information about him.

Tsarnaev flew to Russia the following year on January 12.

(Reporting by Catherine Koppel; Editing by Alissa de Carbonnel and Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-congressmen-russia-boston-bombing-fact-finding-mission-191340654.html

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This Tiny Telescope Will Be The First Moon-Mounted Webcam

Ever since humans looked up, we've been obsessed with gazing deep into the seemingly infinite cosmos. We've got plenty of telescopes both on Earth and floating around it that are staring out into the abyss, but the ILO-X is going to be perched on the moon. And you'll be able to use it right from your computer.

A joint venture between International Lunar Observatory Association and Moon Express, the ILO-X has been in the works for a while, but now its form is finally complete. Sometime in 2015, it'll be the first private telescope to land on the moon with all its discoveries piped right back to our terrestrial Internet. And that's just the beginning; the plan is to eventually have an entire remote-controlled observatory at the moon's south pole, but you've got to start somewhere.

The ILO-X is a tiny little sucker, about the size of a shoebox, and its camera has a mere 6.4-megapixel resolution. But the goal isn't to be the best telescope out there. The aim is to be a lunar telescope anyone can use. The 'scope's Internet-based control system was already tested here on Earth, and so now the only step is to get that souped-up webcam on the moon.

It'll still be a while before the privately owned Moon Express can launch this baby, but it's about time someone gets started on that moonbase, right? And maybe, with a little luck, we'll be able to go up there and visit it someday. [ILOA via Engadget]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-tiny-telescope-will-be-the-first-moon-mounted-webc-510288573

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Razer Blade Pro and 14-inch models hands-on

It wasn't all that long ago that we first got our mitts on the Blade 2.0, and today we came to grips with two new third-gen Razer gaming laptops: the Blade Pro and a fresh 14-inch model. On the outside, both of these Blades favor their elders -- both sport matte black anodized-aluminum shells with Razer's trademark Slimer-green accents and diminutive power bricks. Where they differ from previous Blades is in what lies beneath that familiar facade.

Gallery: Razer Blade 14-inch and Blade Pro hands-on

Each will come with Intel's fourth-generation Core-i7 quad-core silicon (a 47W chip in the Pro and a 37W CPU in the 14-incher) and a freshly revealed NVIDIA GTX 765M GPU, plus bigger batteries than ever before. If it wasn't already obvious, let us spell it out for you: a big reason for these changes is electrical economy. One of the biggest complaints with any portable gaming rig is its battery life, or more accurately, lack thereof. A more efficient CPU and GPU, plus an extra 10 to 14 Wh of juice means that Razer is acutely aware of the problem and is taking steps to fix it. Razer ran the MobileMark 2007 battery test on the new 14-inch Blade and it lasted six hours. Of course, we'll have to wait until we review these new rigs to discover real-world battery life, but at least on paper, the two new Blades will be a bit more miserly.

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/_B0OGZItjRE/

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Twitter may become less interactive and more an advertising broadcast medium like TV or radio

May 29, 2013 ? Popular social media site Twitter may eventually resemble a broadcast medium like television or radio, with users reading messages written by celebrities and corporations rather than writing their own "tweet" messages of up to 140 characters, suggests a new study coauthored by Andrew T. Stephen, assistant professor of business administration and Katz Fellow in Marketing in the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration.

In one of the first studies to use social media as a laboratory for social science experiments, Stephen and coauthor Olivier Toubia, the Glaubinger Professor of Business at Columbia University, questioned what motivates people to post tweets. Are Twitter users motivated by broadcasting their thoughts and opinions or, rather, by their desire to increase their social status by accumulating followers?

The results, published in the May/June issue of the peer-reviewed journal Marketing Science, provide insights into that question and have generated a surprising prediction of what the social network may operate like in the future.

To investigate the question, Stephen and Toubia identified approximately 2,500 Twitter users who were being followed by a range of other Twitter users, numbering from 13 to more than 10,000. All were noncorporate, noncelebrity users, and they were not tweeting for commercial purposes. Half the users were put into a control group, and the authors recorded daily data on the participants' number of followers and their tweeting activity over a period of two months.

Stephen and Toubia then hired undergraduate research assistants to create 100 Twitter accounts. Following Twitter's terms of service, the assistants added realistic-looking names and locations for these accounts, and they had the accounts follow one other as well as popular users like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. The assistants even sent out simple tweets -- "It's a pretty day today" or "The sky is blue" -- to further support the illusion that the accounts were operated by real people.

Over the ensuing two months, the assistants used the new accounts to follow the users in the test group, gradually increasing each user's list of followers by 100. The authors monitored these accounts to see how the increase in audience size affected the users' tweeting activity.

Users who had few followers initially showed no change in their tweeting habits. Similarly, "high-end" users -- those with as many as 10,000 followers -- did not exhibit much change, likely because 100 additional followers was "a drop in the bucket," Stephen said.

Among "mid-range" users, however, the authors noted significant changes in tweeting activity. "Users with 13 to 26 followers did increase activity," said Stephen, speculating that these users were encouraged by the increase in followers to post more to a suddenly larger audience.

But users with slightly more followers -- from 62 to 245 -- showed the opposite instinct, posting less as their followers increased. These users had already achieved some level of status, Stephen said, and wanted to preserve it by avoiding posting anything that would offend their followers. "As they get more followers," he said, "they want to be careful about what they post." These results indicated to the researchers that many users were more interested in gaining followers than in using Twitter to broadcast their views.

The trend of users posting less as they accumulated more followers led the authors to one of the more striking findings in the paper.

There is a natural tendency, Stephen explained, for active users to gain followers over time. Add to that the authors' finding that users will post less as they gain followers, and it's natural to conclude, Stephen said, that Twitter users are going to post less.

But commercial users, celebrities, and institutions like schools and sports teams, Stephen said, will continue to post information to the people who want it. "So what it becomes is another advertising channel, a broadcast medium, as opposed to a socially interactive one," Stephen said.

Such a change is prevented, for now, by the influx of new users to the social media service. If Twitter should reach a point when no new users are signing up, the shift away from an interactive platform toward a one-way conduit for information would become more likely.

In such a scenario, Twitter would remain a viable channel for corporations, celebrities, and other high-end users to communicate with their fans, Stephen said. They might utilize their Twitter feeds the same way they use mailing lists to announce products and promotions to their followers.

"Longer term," Stephen said, "to get value, they'll need the people who start following them to react to these tweets and to retweet them." But as his and Toubia's model suggests, over time, regular users will be less likely to do so. Marketers using Twitter will be challenged to offer rewards and other incentives to engage users and counteract the tendency to tweet less, keeping the social network truly interactive.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/hZ7HWPQzoBk/130529121059.htm

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YouTube Lets You Create Slow-Motion Videos Now

YouTube has added a feature that lets you make any video into a slow-mo video. Because everything is more awesome in slow-mo, obviously.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/CNLRUFisN6U/youtube-lets-you-create-slow-motion-videos-now-510174520

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Bachmann?s rise and fall?and what it says about the GOP

Michelle Bachmann speaks at a rally for Mitt Romney in Virginia, May 3, 2012. (Reuters/File)

There was a time, albeit brief, when polls showed Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann topping the 2012 Republican presidential primary field. And that tells you something about the challenges the GOP faces as it tries to rebrand itself as a viable party in presidential politics.

Bachmann, who announced on Wednesday she would not seek re-election to the House, is a tea party favorite popular with many conservative GOP base voters even though she was never fully embraced by the party's leadership in Washington. Outspoken, forceful and attractive?let's not pretend that doesn't matter!?Bachmann's fiery denunciations of President Barack Obama and his policies established her as a national figure and a popular fundraising draw among grass-roots donors even before she launched her presidential campaign.

While her views and style often drew comparisons to the party's 2008 vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, it was Bachmann who was willing to step in and compete in the 2012 Republican contest while Palin sat on the sidelines.

Polls showed Bachmann leading the GOP field early in the summer of 2011, and she won the Iowa straw poll, an important organizational test for candidates in the kickoff caucus state. But her candidacy ultimately flamed out amid questions about her grasp of facts. And the positions she espoused on the presidential campaign stage only helped cement the impression of a Republican Party out of touch with a diversifying electorate.

"She had the image of someone determined, disciplined and, in some sense, gutsy," Ruth Mandel of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University told Yahoo News. "But there was always the question of who is her constituency, and what is her credibility?"

As a presidential hopeful, Bachmann made a strong impression?the only woman in the field and a fierce, unapologetic partisan unafraid of blunt rhetoric. ?I will not rest until Obamacare is repealed," she declared at a debate in New Hampshire. "It?s a promise, take it to the bank, cash the check.?

But Bachmann also spoke of "anchor babies" on the campaign trail when asked about her views on immigration reform. She opposed vaccinating girls against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, claiming the vaccine, Gardasil, caused a friend's daughter to become mentally retarded. She compared the U.S. tax burden with the Holocaust. And she repeatedly reaffirmed her opposition to same-sex marriage, the issue that had launched her political activism in Minnesota.

Bachmann was narrowly re-elected to her House seat in 2012, and she has retained a relatively high profile on cable television, regularly laying into Obama over issues including the fatal attack on the diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Her address at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March drew roars of approval when she accused Obama and his family of a lavish taxpayer-supported lifestyle including a dedicated White House dog walker. The speech was later savaged by fact checkers.

Bachmann also drew a rebuke from Republican Sen. John McCain and others for sending a letter to the State Department suggesting that Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Recently, Bachmann said she was "disappointed" with Minnesota over the state's legalization of gay marriage, saying it "denies religious liberty to people who believe in traditional marriage and who do not want to be forced to violate their conscience and sincerely held religious beliefs."

In a video address in which she announced her decision to retire from Congress, she stands firm on her views on that issue and others.

"I will continue to work vehemently and robustly to fight back against what most in the other party want to do to transform our country into becoming?which would be a nation our founders would hardly even recognize today," she says. "I proudly have and I promise you I will continue to fight to protect innocent human life, traditional marriage [and] family values."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/bachmann-rise-fall-says-gop-182631349.html

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Good Reads: From a Disney makeover, to unethical work conditions, to refusing US aid

This week's round-up of Good Reads includes a "Barbie-fied" Disney princess, the most selfish generation, the lack of consumer awareness, expelling USAID, and long-form journalism.

By Cricket Fuller,?Staff writer / May 28, 2013

Disney?s Merida of ?Brave? will get to keep her tomboyish looks and manners.

Disney/Pixar/AP

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Disney makeover

Armed with wit, self-confidence, and a bow and arrow, Merida is a damsel who rescues herself from her own distress. Parents and educators have lauded the fiery red-haired heroine of the Disney/Pixar animated film ?Brave? as an atypical Disney princess.?

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?We wanted our daughters to grow up and be like Merida: brave, strong, resourceful, imperfect but loving,? Karen Dill notes in a blog at PsychologyToday.com.?

But Disney?s ?makeover? of Merida into a sexualized Barbie-esque figure for merchandising purposes has turned fans? praise to outrage. The organization A Mighty Girl launched a Keep Merida Brave campaign and viral Change.org petition in protest. Ms. Dill cites studies that show that sexualizing women in the media leads to low self-esteem in girls, and men ?exposed to sexualized, objectified images of women ... become more tolerant of real-life sexual harassment.? It seems fans? message may have gotten through. Media outlets reported that Disney quietly pulled the redesigned image of Merida from its website.

Me-centered generation

Joel Stein takes a critical look at the Millennial Generation ? those born between 1980 and 2000 ? in Time magazine. ?The Me Me Me Generation? headline implies that Millennial self-centeredness trumps even that of baby boomers. They were raised with greater resources than any preceding generation, are more tech savvy, and were nurtured by helicopter parents who, along with educators, told them they were special. And for better or worse ? they are.?

While Mr. Stein initially dwells on the studies that show Millennials have a sense of entitlement and are lazy, narcissistic, and dependent on their parents, he ultimately acknowledges a more nuanced, redeeming picture. Millennials may not tend toward traditional civic engagement, but they do care about justice. They are more tolerant than any other generation. And while they don?t gravitate toward organized religion, most believe in God and value spirituality. They aren?t rule breakers, but they are changing workplace culture ? for the better. And in spite of the insecurity of their era, Millennials are overwhelmingly optimistic about the future.

Shopping as a moral dilemma

In the wake of the Bangladesh garment-factory collapse in April, Jerry Davis explores in YaleGlobal online the accountability of global supply chains. Technology enabled the now-common outsourcing model that keeps parent companies at a distance from production. But technology may also hold the solution to ending unethical working conditions and production methods.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/53wn_jqQdGw/Good-Reads-From-a-Disney-makeover-to-unethical-work-conditions-to-refusing-US-aid

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Motorola Is Making a Flagship Android Phone Called the Moto X

Motorola, a company trying to figure out why it still exists, is apparently making a flagship Android phone called the Moto X. Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside confirmed it in his interview at the D11 conference. Could the Moto X be the mysterious Motorola Google lovechild phone we spotted before?

Motorola has been very quiet on the phone front (both in what it will do and how its phones have been received) but this Moto X will be the next phone it makes. And it'll be a good one (well, according to Moto). Woodside said:

?We have a hero device that?s coming out that?s going to be called Moto X?

Surprisingly, the phone will be built in the US in a plant outside Fort Worth, Texas. Some of its components are even from the US. That's no small feat.

Woodside detailed a unique feature of the Moto X will be that it's "contextually aware" meaning that the phone will know when it's inside a pocket and when it's taken out, when it's inside a car and so forth. Ideally, it'd know what you want to do before you do it.

The Moto X will be the hero phone of a "handful" of Motorola phones that will launch by October. Woodside actually had a Moto X in his pocket during his interview but did not reveal it to the public (I guess the phone knew to stay quiet). [AllThingsD]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/motorola-is-making-a-flagship-android-phone-called-the-510381215

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Vice President visits child patients

(VOVworld) ? Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, Chairwoman of the National Fund for Vietnamese Children on Monday visited and presented gifts to 157 children with blood diseases at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. She asked doctors to take good care of the children and to help them overcome their illnesses. She wished the patients all the best for a happy International Children?s Day on June 1st. The same day, Vice President Doan also visited and gave gifts to children being treated at Vietnam?s National Hospital of Pediatrics.

• 

  VND5 billion for needy children in Mid-Autumn Festival

  (VOV) - The National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) has raised more than VND5 billion to present gifts and scholarships to children during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival. Lantern parade celebrates mid-autumn festival Over VND2.5 billion raised for disadvantaged children The money will allow the NFVC to offer 1,070 gifts to... [Read more]
• 

  Korean movie stars do charity in Vietnam

  Coming to Vietnam to advertise their TV series entitled "My Princess," Song Seung Hun and Kim Tae Hee will sell costumes and items that they used in the film to raise fund for needy children. The two artists will arrive in Vietnam on January 6, 2012. They will talk with... [Read more]

• Vice President visits children in hospitals

  On the occasion of the Action Month for Children, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan visited and presented gifts to 157 child patients under treatment at the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) on May 28. The Vice President was joined by Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids and... [Read more]
• 

  Vietnam marks 50th African Day

  (VOVworld) - The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) today/ on Friday hosted a commemoration to mark the 50th African Day on May 25th, with the intention of bolstering cooperation between Vietnam and African nations. Present were Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, VUFO President Vu Xuan Hong, and representatives from... [Read more]

• Newspaper receives award for contribution to journalism

  HA NOI (VNS)? The Tin Tuc (News) daily under the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) received the Labour Order, Second Class, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary at a ceremony yesterday. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vice President Nguyen... [Read more]

• VNA's Tin Tuc daily marks 30th anniversary

  The Tin Tuc (news) daily of the Vietnam News Agency on May 23 held a ceremony to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its first edition (May 14) and received a second class Labour Order of the State. The event saw the participation of VNA former and current leaders and representatives... [Read more]
• 

  University of Agriculture and Forestry receives notable award

  The Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan presenting the Labour Hero of Renewal Period title to the university ( Image: gdtd.vn ) Nhan Dan - The Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry held a ceremony on May 18 to receive the Labour Hero of Doi Moi (Renewal) Period title. Vice President Nguyen... [Read more]
• 

  NA Standing Committee issues statement on 18th session

  The 13th NA Standing Committee assembled its 18th session in Hanoi from May 14-16 under the chairmanship of NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung with Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, the Ethnic Council, Committees of the NA, and leaders of relevant ministries and agencies in attendance. 1. The NA Standing Committee gave... [Read more]
• 

  National Assembly worries of worsening economy

  VietNamNet Bridge - This year's economic growth is very difficult with clearer indicators on the decline, while policy efforts and outcomes are not enough to turn the situation, according to the National Assembly (NA) Economic Committee's report. Worry and concern are the feeling that is seen most clearly in the report... [Read more]
• 

  Vice President honors individuals who rendered service to the nation

  (VOV) - Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan on Tuesday received at the Presidential Palace a delegation of individuals from Khanh Hoa province who rendered good service to the nation. Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan (Source: VNA) Ms. Doan asked Khanh Hoa province to do more to raise the living standard of... [Read more]

Source: http://talkvietnam.com/2013/05/vice-president-visits-child-patients/

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Woman raises funds to visit Alaska ghost town with family ties

The ghost village in Alaska. (NOAA Corps, Capt. Budd Christman, File/AP)

Forty miles off the coast of Alaska lies an uninhabited island, abandoned for the past 50 years.

For Joan Naviyuk Kane, who launched a crowdsourced Web-funding campaign to visit the island, it's rich with family history and ancestral roots.

Joan Naviyuk Kane looks at photos of Alaska's King Island. (Rachel D'Oro/AP)

Now, an anonymous donation has assured the 35-year-old?s travel to King Island this summer, which is a rough ride over the Bering Sea, about six hours by boat or two hours by helicopter.

Kane wants to visit the place she has only heard about from her mother and grandparents: An isolated spot where the King Island tribe subsisted for thousands of years, until being relocated a half-century ago.

Her fundraising success ?is very surreal but in a very positive way,? Kane told Yahoo News by phone from Anchorage. ?All my knowledge of King Island are stories that are told to me, my relatives talking to me about it."

The island, which once had a population of about 200, was depleted when men were shipped off to fight in World War II, and then further diminished by a tuberculosis outbreak. The islanders had previously managed to survive for thousands of years as hunters and ivory carvers.

Finally, the Bureau of Indian Affairs closed the remaining school in 1959 for fear of a rockslide, according to Kane, which forced the last of the population to relocate.

?My family comes from King Island,? Kane, a member of the island tribe, explains on the USA Projects website. ?I am seeking funding in order to research, undertake, and document a trip to the King Island while my mother and her remaining siblings?as well as others who were born and raised on the island?are still alive, interested, and capable of making the trip together to ensure that King Islanders remain connected to our ancestors, culture, and place of origin,? she added.

Kane examines a walrus ivory letter opener carved by her late grandfather. (Rachel D'Oro/AP)

Kane has raised more than $49,000, surpassing her goal of $31,000 for the two-week trip.

The response to her story has overwhelmed the writer, who plans to document the experience. ?I?m still trying to process it,? the mother of two told Yahoo News. She says she is looking forward to seeing the house where her mother grew up.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/woman-raises-funds-visit-alaska-ghost-town-family-212750045.html

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Exclusive: Apache explores Gulf of Mexico shelf stake sale - sources

By Greg Roumeliotis and Michael Erman

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apache Corp is exploring a sale of a stake in its shallow water Gulf of Mexico assets, attracting private equity interest as it looks to reach a $4 billion asset sale target, several people familiar with the matter said.

Apache has hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc to sell a minority stake in its oil and gas assets located on the shallower continental shelf region of the Gulf, the people said. These assets currently produce more oil and gas and are easier and less risky to exploit than their deepwater counterparts.

Apache would retain control and continue to develop and operate the shelf assets, they added, underscoring its reluctance to give up its status as the largest oil and gas producer in the Gulf of Mexico shelf.

Apache shares ended up 0.9 percent at $82.39 on Tuesday.

The Houston-based company has also hired Jefferies Group Inc to sell all of its deepwater assets in the Gulf of Mexico, which could potentially be more lucrative, but are also more costly and risky to develop, the people added.

The shelf assets appeal primarily to financial investors, the people said. TPG Capital LP, Apollo Global Management LLC and KKR & Co LP are among the private equity firms mulling offers for them, they added.

The deepwater assets appeal to other oil companies as well as private equity, the people said.

TPG is working with the former Mariner Energy team, led by Scott Josey, that sold the deepwater assets to Apache in 2010 in a $3.9 billion deal, one of the people said.

TPG is interested in acquiring both the deepwater and shelf assets provided Apache gives up control of the latter, the person added.

Some of the people spoke on Tuesday and others spoke last week. They asked not to be identified because details of the processes are confidential.

An Apache spokesman declined to comment on the sales processes, but noted the company has announced an asset sale program. Goldman Sachs also declined to comment. Jefferies, Apollo, TPG and KKR did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Apache has developed a robust list of potential assets sales and believes it can generate about $4 billion of proceeds in 2013 from the initial phase of its divestiture program, Chief Executive Steve Farris told analysts on May 9, without referring specifically to the Gulf of Mexico assets or their value.

The company would use the money first to pay down $2 billion of debt and then buy back shares, he added.

According to the company's website, Apache has been the largest owner of acreage held by production on the Gulf of Mexico's continental shelf since 2004, with about three million gross acres.

Apache spent more than $16 billion acquiring oil and gas properties over the last three years. But the company now is selling assets off, including some that acquired over that period, as it has struggled to grow its production, causing its shares to fall.

The company agreed to buy its deepwater position from Mariner just three years ago, five days before BP Plc's well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Because of the increasing regulation since the spill, drilling in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico has become a costlier and lengthier process for oil and gas companies - a daunting prospect for a company such as Apache that is looking to shore up its balance sheet.

Investors showed their displeasure with Apache's recent strategy and performance at the company's annual meeting where, in a non-binding vote, they rejected a pay raise for Farris.

Apache's deepwater production in the Gulf of Mexico in the first-quarter of 2013 was 13,311 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe), a 26 percent decline from the fourth quarter of 2012, Apache said earlier this month. Its production from the shelf was 92,024 boe per day, a 4 percent decline from the fourth quarter of 2012.

(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis and Michael Erman in New York. Editing by Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-apache-explores-gulf-mexico-shelf-stake-sale-195712731.html

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Obama and Christie praise govt response to storm

President Barack Obama shakes hands with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie before speaking outside at Asbury Park Convention Hall ,Tuesday, May 28, 2013 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Obama traveled to New Jersey to join Christie to inspect and tour the Jersey Shore's recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama shakes hands with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie before speaking outside at Asbury Park Convention Hall ,Tuesday, May 28, 2013 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Obama traveled to New Jersey to join Christie to inspect and tour the Jersey Shore's recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama, accompanied by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, plays the 'Touch Down Fever' game on the boardwalk during their visit to Point Pleasant, NJ., Tuesday, May 28, 2013. Obama traveled to New Jersey to join Christie to inspect and tour the Jersey Shore's recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama speaks outside the Asbury Park Convention Hall ,Tuesday, May 28, 2013 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Obama traveled to New Jersey to join Gov. Chris Christie to inspect and tour the Jersey Shore's recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama, accompanied by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, stop to play the 'Touchdown Fever' arcade game on the boardwalk during their visit to Point Pleasant, NJ., Tuesday, May 28, 2013. Obama traveled to New Jersey to join Christie to inspect and tour the Jersey Shore's recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

First lady Michelle Obama joins school children from Long Beach Island Grade School in Ship Bottom, N.J., left, and second from left, and Union Beach Memorial School in Union Beach, NJ, right, to harvest the summer crop from the White House kitchen garden, Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

ASBURY PARK, N.J. (AP) ? President Barack Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie promoted the Jersey Shore's summer tourism economy Tuesday while praising the federal government's role in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, reprising their beach-buddy routine in a display of mutual assistance with potential political dividends.

Despite a steady drizzle, the Democratic president and the Republican governor tried their hand at arcade football and the president declared that the state's popular shore was back seven months after the devastating storm bore down on its famed boardwalks and seaside towns.

"You are stronger than the storm," Obama said, borrowing a line that Christie himself uses in a federally funded advertising campaign touting Jersey Shore tourism. "After all you've dealt with, after all you've been through, the Jersey Shore is back and it is open for business."

After the rapport both men established in the wake of the October storm, Tuesday's joint tour from Point Pleasant Beach to Asbury Park held opportunities for both. Obama, eager to put a competent face on the federal government after the troubles facing the Internal Revenue Service, used the visit to praise the response of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For Christie, it was a chance to showcase the state's cherished beaches and draw attention to a $40 billion industry in the state.

Republicans criticized Christie last year for praising Obama's response to the storm in the days before the presidential election and for allowing himself to be seen prominently with the president. The storm not only took media attention away from Republican challenger Mitt Romney, it allowed Obama to strike an executive posture in the campaign's final days.

This time, the imagery is less powerful but equally convenient. Christie, who flew with Obama aboard his Marine One helicopter, is running for re-election in a Democratic-leaning state, and Obama gets to be seen with a high-visibility Republican at a time that such bipartisanship is rare in Washington. Christie's likely Democratic opponent, state Sen. Barbara Buono, did get to meet Obama before the speech as part of a bipartisan group of about 30 local and state officials invited to get photographs taken with the president.

If conservatives remain wary of Christie's overtures, Christie showed them one way to beat Obama: with a flick of a football. At a boardwalk arcade on Point Pleasant, the Democratic president and the GOP governor took turns tossing footballs at a tire. Obama shot zero for five; Christie went one for one.

"One and done!" Christie declared after making his throw.

"That's 'cause he's running for office!" Obama laughed, as he gave Christie a high-five ending with both men clasping hands.

The arcade operator, noting that Obama was from Chicago, chose a stuffed bear with a Chicago Bears logo and handed it to the president. As the men made their way down the boardwalk, the song "Jungleland" by New Jersey's native son and Christie favorite Bruce Springsteen blared from speakers.

Later, under a steady drizzle in Asbury Park before a crowd of almost 4,000, Obama said the job of repairing the $38 billion in damage inflicted by the storm is not over. He said his return visit was intended to show he's still committed to putting the federal government to work. When all is said and done, Obama assured people, the Jersey Shore will be better and more resilient than it was before.

"I could see being a little younger and having some fun on the Jersey Shore," Obama said to laughter. "I can't do that anymore. Maybe after I leave office."

In introducing the president, Christie noted that Obama visited the state two days after the storm hit "to see the damage for himself, to pledge his support and the support of the federal government to help us recover and rebuild.

"Republicans, Democrats, independents ? we all came together, because New Jersey is more important and our citizens are more important than any kind of politics at all," Christie said. "So now, seven months later, we know this, that we've made great progress, but that we still have so much more to do."

Obama said his message to residents in storm-ravaged New Jersey also holds true for those in Oklahoma recovering from the May 20 tornado that killed 24 people and devastated the community of Moore.

"When we make a commitment that we got your back, we mean it," Obama said. Gesturing to his host, Obama praised Christie for the "the great work he's done here" in leading the recovery effort.

In Washington on Tuesday, first lady Michelle Obama welcomed students from two New Jersey schools damaged by the storm to the White House garden, where they gathered vegetables and made flatbread pizza alongside students from other states.

"It hasn't been that easy, but you guys have managed to get through the school year way on top of the game, and we're just very proud of you," Mrs. Obama told the students from New Jersey.

The visit to the Jersey Shore gave Obama an opportunity to shift attention, if for the moment, from the IRS political upheaval as well as the ongoing debate about the fatal attacks at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, and an investigation of leaks to the media that has stirred opposition from the media and many lawmakers.

With Congress away for a Memorial Day break, Obama had the megaphone mostly to himself.

___

Associated Press writers Angela Delli Santi in Asbury Park, N.J., and Josh Lederman and Stacy A. Anderson in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-05-28-Obama/id-3034abf8b24b499bb75e846850524f03

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KKR, Carlyle said to eye bids for SingTel's $1.9 billion Australia unit

By Stephen Alder and Saeed Azhar

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Private equity firms KKR and Carlyle Group are among the suitors lining up bids for Singapore Telecommunications Ltd's Australian unit, Optus Satellite, people familiar with the matter said, a business valued at more than A$2 billion ($1.9 billion).

SingTel, Southeast Asia's largest telecom operator, is battling tepid growth in its key markets of Singapore and Australia, and the funds raised from the sale would help it plough cash into faster-growing businesses.

France's Eutelsat Communications SA, Blackstone Group and Providence Equity Partners are also expected to bid, the people said. SingTel is inviting first round offers by June 14, one of the people said.

Eutelsat has lined up a corporate adviser, while KKR & Co and Carlyle are discussing deal financing with banks, the people added.

SingTel, controlled by Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings , sent out financial information to bidders on Monday, the people said, after announcing a strategic review of the business in March. SingTel's Optus business sells TV, telephony and broadband services to more than 2 million subscribers in Australia and New Zealand.

The suitors are attracted to the steady cashflow generated by the business as well as low capital expenditure required, the people added.

SingTel is hoping the auction will receive a boost from debt funding from the U.S. made available by its advisers Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley . The two banks are providing a loan of around A$1.7 billion that buyers can use for the acquisition, said two of the people.

Eutelsat was not immediately available for comment. Blackstone, Carlyle, KKR and Providence declined to comment. The people declined to be identified because the sale process is confidential.

THE BUSINESS

Optus Satellite operates a fleet of five satellites, with another, Optus 10, scheduled for launch in 2013. SingTel, which acquired the satellite arm when it bought Optus in 2001 for $14 billion, has been struggling to increase its earnings because of slowing growth in Singaporean and Australian mobile phone subscriptions and problems at Indian associate Bharti Airtel .

Optus Satellite had EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) of around A$225 million for 2012, two of the sources said.

SingTel also has stakes in Thailand's Advanced Info Service Pcl and the Philippines' Globe Telecom . In January it agreed to sell its entire 30 percent stake in Pakistan's Warid Telecom to a unit of the Abu Dhabi Group for $150 million.

Australia accounted for 65 percent of SingTel's revenue in the financial year 2012.

Buyout loans from the United States surged to a record $287 billion in the first quarter, according to Thomson Reuters LPC, a trend that underscores a return in risk appetite among investors.

The financing package from Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley is around seven times Optus' EBITDA, a leverage level not seen on a buyout in Australia since before the financial crisis.

Australia's commercial banks have refused to lend more than around four or five times earnings on any buyout deal in recent years, which is prompting the move to tap U.S. funding. Despite the higher cost of U.S. financing, higher debt levels increase returns when private equity firms exit an asset.

KKR's head of Australia, Justin Reizes, at a conference in March said he sees the availability of such loans opening up more opportunities for private equity buyouts in Australia.

($1 = 1.0389 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Stephen Aldred; Additional reporting by Kevin Lim in Singapore; Editing by Denny Thomas, Michael Flaherty and Chris Gallagher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kkr-carlyle-said-eye-bids-singtels-1-9-042607602.html

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Chief Keef Arrested for DOUBLING Speed Limit

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/chief-keef-arrested-for-doubling-speed-limit/

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South Africa: Soweto resident shows off her snakes

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Tourists have long flocked to the home-turned-museum of former President Nelson Mandela on Vilakazi Street, a lively strip of restaurants, curio sellers and street performers in the South African township of Soweto. Now the area has a growing attraction: big snakes, and lots of them.

Resident Lindiwe Mngomezulu allows curiosity-seekers to get a close-up look at the non-venomous snakes she keeps in her home, and she drapes them over tourists' shoulders for a small fee. She and her 19-year-old daughter, Nolwandle Duma, started raising snakes three years ago after going to see a snake show and coming away impressed.

Mngomezulu, 55, has two albino pythons, a Burmese python, a boa constrictor, an anaconda and a corn snake. It costs about $30 a week to feed them. She and Duma also own a bearded dragon lizard and two spiders.

They show off their snakes in their Vilakazi Street home, where tourists and local schoolchildren have become regulars. Mngomezulu said many have since overcome their fear of reptiles, which she described as harmless if handled with care. She urged people not to think of snakes as a menace.

"People are killing snakes every day," Mngomezulu said. "That's not right."

Her smallest snake, the corn snake, measures 1.2 meters (3.9 feet). The Burmese python is 3 meters (9.8 feet) long and, at 30 kilograms (66 pounds), is her heaviest snake.

Mngomezulu said her goal is to expand her snake show beyond Soweto. She is awaiting a permit that would allow her to take her snakes to non-residential areas and hopes money raised can help her to buy more snakes and get formal training from a recognized association. She is registered with the West Rand Herpetological Association, a local club for reptile lovers.

Andre Lourens, the association's chairman, said Mngomezulu's show has been instrumental in dispelling the false notion that all snakes are dangerous.

"They are no more dangerous than any dogs running down the streets, if you take into consideration the amount of dog bites here in South Africa or number of people hit by lightning," Lourens said.

Duma is saving money for university, where she plans to study zoology or psychology. She said she hopes her experience interacting with the reptiles and educating people about them could lead to a long-term career working with animals.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-soweto-resident-shows-off-her-snakes-173656244.html

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