Tyler Perry Slips Into Madea Mid-Interview

'Madea's Witness Protection' star says the minute people don't go see Madea movies, 'That old broad is dead.'
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Tyler Perry in "Madea's Witness Protection"
Photo: Lionsgate

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1688731/tyler-perry-madea-witness-protection.jhtml

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eco_terror_feed: Schott Solar closing its doors in Mesa del Sol (bizjournals): Share With Friends: | | Science - Oil News, RSS ... http://t.co/i5vdtDX5

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Source: http://twitter.com/eco_terror_feed/statuses/218634409451069440

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Social Gaming attracts attention of UK Gambling Commission

Social | 29th June, 2012 | London, UK | UK Gambling Commission ? Website

The rapid growth of social media gaming has attracted the attention of the UK?s Gambling Commission for the first time, announce Belle Rock Entertainment. The Commission is keen to explore the growth of social gaming, and the increasingly blurred line between what constitutes social gaming and gambling.

Social Media is now an integral part of modern life. As well as an important tool for businesses and marketing, millions of users participate in social media games for fun every day. Games like the runaway Facebook hit Farmville now boast more than 400 million active users worldwide, and online gambling operators are now seeking to make inroads into the social gaming sector.

Operators traditionally associated with online casino sites, including Europe?s largest operator, Bwin.Party, as well as leading casino software developer Playtech, have expressed an interest in expanding into the social media arena.

Conversely, leading lights of social gaming, Zynga, who created Farmville and Cityville, are looking to expand into the gambling sector. Zynga recently appointed two lobbyists to their ranks, Justin McCarthy and Jeffrey Peck, known for their support of the legalisation and regulation of online casino gaming in the United States.

The social media platforms themselves are also keen to provide both online gambling products and paid-for social media games on their sites. Facebook is already home to a swathe of social gaming apps that allow players to progress more quickly by paying for credits and points, as well as casino game apps that offer casino games for free.

Reports that virtual money can now be traded for real cash illegally has now attracted the attention of the UK Gambling Commission, which is especially concerned with the lack of regulation that allows youngsters to participate. They plan to examine the effects of social media gaming, as well as deciding whether or not social gaming, or certain aspects of it, can be defined as gambling. From there, they will have to ascertain the impact this may have on gambling licensing in the future.

About Belle Rock Entertainment
Belle Rock Entertainment is well-established UK casino, providing top quality online casino services to poker pros and beginners alike.

Source: Belle Rock Entertainment

Source: http://www.innovategaming.com/2012/06/social-media-gaming-attracts-attention-uk-gambling-commission/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=social-media-gaming-attracts-attention-uk-gambling-commission

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Art helps employees better understand their colleagues ? Business ...

Employees of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services are tapping their inner art critics to better understand their co-workers.

In partnership with the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Farmington Hills, Mich.-based company is exposing workers to the work of artistic masters from different continents and different centuries in a setting where they can express their views on the artwork?and learn about their colleagues.

In small-group settings, employees are asked what they see in a piece of art. Someone who offers an observation is pressed for supporting evidence with the question, ?What do you see that makes you say that??

Called ?Visual Thinking Strategies,? this open-ended, inquiry-based conversation gives each employee in the room some insight about the intellectual and cultural frames of reference that influence their colleagues? points of view.

The sessions use art to help em??ployees build skills in observation and attention to details; communication and understanding; and creative and collaborative problem-solving.

Contact: Jack Ferry of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, (248) 991-6610.

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Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/31398/art-helps-employees-better-understand-their-colleagues

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Scottish News: University honours Kick Ass writer

Jun 28 2012

Comic book writer Mark Millar has been given an honorary degree by Glasgow Caledonian University.

Mr Millar, whose works Kick Ass and Wanted were later adapted to hit films, is now an honorary doctor of letters.

He is also known for his comic books The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four and Civil War.

The 42-year-old from Coatbridge is working on a follow-up to Wanted, as well as four other films under his Millarworld banner.

Also recognised by the university are Stephen Craig, a former CEO of clothing retailer All Saints; philanthropist Margie Moffat; and Scottish fashion awards founder Tessa Hartmann. All three became honorary doctors of the university.

Principle and vice-chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies said: "We are delighted to welcome these creative and civic-minded citizens into our distinguished family of honorary graduates.

"They each have a remarkable record in business and public life and each individual honoured is an inspiration to our university community of staff, students, graduates and alumni."

The university also announced that its chancellor, Lord Macdonald of Tradeston, has stepped down after five years in office. The journalist, broadcaster and politician announced his departure during the graduation ceremony at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, saying it was a "great privilege to be chancellor of such a flourishing university".

Prof Gillies said: "Lord Macdonald has been an outstanding chancellor of the university, championing the social mission of the institution to great effect and inspiring us to be creative in new ways that will leave a lasting legacy.

"It has been a singular honour to serve Lord Macdonald as his vice-chancellor and I cannot thank him enough for his sterling service, commitment and contribution to the university over so many years."

Source: http://www.strathearnherald.co.uk/strathearn-news/scottish-news/2012/06/28/university-honours-kick-ass-writer-64054-31283042/

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Can Anyone Account for Alex's Misbehaving iTunes Movie Playback? [Chatroom]

Gizmodo reader Alex W. wrote in with another bugging-out MacBook question, this time concerning iTunes and its (in)ability to play movies downloaded in HD/SD. Hive mind, can we help him? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/LzzAIZPE6vg/can-anyone-account-for-alexs-misbehaving-itunes-movie-playback

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Sports: Guess Which Athletes Married Woman Would Have An Affair With?!

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California Anticipates Health Care Ruling

Californians are waking up to news from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding its ruling that upholds a key component of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.

As one of the law's biggest financial beneficiaries, the state stands to gain as much as $15 billion annually in federal money for health programs.

Justices issued their ruling Thursday morning, upholding the individual mandate requiring people to buy health insurance. The court said the mandate couldn?t be upheld under the commerce clause, but said it could be upheld under existing tax authority, NBC News reported.

The court may rule separately on the constitutionality of new Medicaid requirements for states. There's also the question of whether all changes must wait until 2014, when the law is fully in effect.

While the White House has said it was confident the court will uphold the law, GOP Congressional leaders vowed to repeal ?what?s left of it? after the justices announce their ruling.

California has been a model for the federal health care overhaul since the law's passage and has begun implementing parts of it already, including the beginnings of health care exchanges. The exchanges that would provide a marketplace for consumers to purchase insurance policies, starting in 2014.

The state also has banned insurers from refusing coverage for children with pre-existing illnesses and allowed young adults to stay on their parents' plans through age 26.

California passed its own state legislation to ensure those measures would be preserved even if the federal law was thrown out. There are 7.2 million uninsured California residents, according to statistics compiled by the Associated Press.

Refresh this page for updates.

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News Corp board agrees to split in principle: WSJ

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Religious circumcisions are crimes says court - The Local

Religious circumcisions are bodily harm and thus a crime, a German court ruled this week, in what was dubbed a precedent-setting decision.

Non-medical circumcision is a "serious and irreversible interference in the integrity of the human body,? the Cologne district court ruled.

This criminalises religious circumcisions performed by Jews and Muslims, the Financial Times Deutschland newspaper said on Tuesday. It says circumcision should be considered a crime of bodily harm.

Thousands of very young boys are circumcised in Germany each year, mainly for religious reasons.

In the United States most boys are circumcised shortly after birth - regardless of their religion, though the practice has declined in recent years and anti-circumcision protest groups have sprung up.

German doctors performing circumcisions that are not medically necessary have until now operated in a grey legal area. Until now they could claim that they were unaware that performing a circumcision is a crime.

Even if a physician was later found guilty by a court, there was a legal loophole and he could claim that the law was improper and avoid punishment. That is no longer the case, the Financial Times Deutschland said.

"The ruling is enormously important above all for doctors because it's the first time that they have a legal certainty," Holm Putzke of the University of Passau told the paper. He has been calling for prohibition for years.

?The court has, in contrast to many politicians, not allowed itself to be scared by the fear of being criticised as anti-Semitic or opposed to religion,? Putzke said.

"This decision could not only affect future legal rulings but in the best case it could lead to a change of consciousness among the affected religions when it comes to respecting the basic rights of children."

Jewish and Muslim groups have fought for years against a criminalisation of circumcision. They did not have any immediate comment on Monday's ruling, saying they needed to review it first, the paper said.

The court ruling is likely to be highly controversial ? experts expect the matter will end up being decided by the Federal Constitutional Court.

The Cologne decision came after a Muslim doctor performed a circumcision on a four-year-old boy. Two days later the mother brought the child to the emergency room because he was bleeding.

The prosecutor's office learned of the situation and filed charges against the doctor. The doctor was found not guilty in the first instance, but the prosecutor appealed.

The Local/mw

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A Magic Poo-Enhancing Toilet; The Science of Bieber Fever

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Vodien Internet Solutions Escalates Their ... - My Best Web Hosting

Singapore ? (SBWIRE) ? 06/25/2012 ? New startups in the online business can now scale up their business with the support of Vodien. This web hosting company has dedicated its services in helping online entrepreneurs in growing their website and to help attain their peak of success.Consequently, there are online businesses that are still striving hard because they are unable to maintain their website well. This is the reason why when it comes to website maintenance and performance, Vodien is always there. Vodien provides their services to online businesses that have a hard time making their site perform well and provide fast access to their website visitors.With their wide range of hosting services, customers can choose from dedicated hosting, reseller hosting, cloud hosting and even email hosting. That?s why according to Jervis Lee, sales manager of Vodien, ?The company is escalating the level of our services using the latest technology in web hosting. We are also able to provide affordable hosting services for new startups in the field of online business. We do not compromise on the technology we use, simply because this is what Vodien is all about ? to help others attain online success?.Moreover, the reputation of the hosting company has already been established internationally. That?s why customers are assured that their websites will be well maintained and with high level of performance in the online world. For new startups in this kind of businesses online, the hosting company will provide all the details and the necessary actions just to aid customers in achieving the kind of website they want. With these benefits provided by the Singapore web hosting company, website owners will have the easy time in making their site successful.In addition to the hosting services, Vodien also provide 24/7 support for clients who need assistance for their web hosting. With the additional support, clients can reach out to Vodien for any problems should their websites. About VodienVodien Internet Solutions is considered as one of the premiere web hosting company not only in Asia but in other countries such as the United States, UK, Malaysia and in other countries around the world.

Superb Internet Celebrates 16th Anniversary

Honolulu, Hawaii (PRWEB) June 19, 2012 A leader in managed and dedicated servers, virtual private servers, web hosting and domains, Superb Internet Corp celebrates its 16th anniversary providing high-quality services. Established in 1996, the company has been managing between 100,000 and 500,000 websites for its clients. The anniversary also celebrates the companys achievement of no debt status and its huge customer base, spread all across the US, Europe and Asia. Superb ensures high-quality services via continual upkeep and uptime of their clients' websites. Superb also has multiple data centers for storing customer data, along with a coast-to-coast IP backbone...

Tags: hard time, web hosting company, website visitors

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Real Estate Law as well as an Attorney to Guide You | The Web ...

A number of injuries depart lasting troubles and complications. Once a person begins to feel much better, it does not mean that there is no likelihood of pain or maybe surgery down the road. Money in the settlement is already set aside to pay the current charges but an injury lawyer encourages buyers to save some of the arrangement to cover almost any future bills. A medical doctor can help come up with a monetary determine that will provide client a quotation to consider protecting.

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Kofi Kingston guest stars on Syfy's "Fact or Faked"

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2012 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2012 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

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Microsoft: We have no plans to build our own phones

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Care centres deny elderly the right to sex: paper

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Ford C-MAX Hybrid, 2013

The development of Ford's first-ever production plug-in hybrid leverages more than 200,000 miles of road testing conducted in collaboration with a coalition of 10 utility companies, the U.S. Department of Energy, the New York State Energy Research and Development Administration and the Electric Power Research Institute.

Getting charged up
Ford C-MAX Energi and C-MAX Hybrid will use advanced lithium-ion battery systems developed and assembled in-house by Ford in Michigan. Each system is smartly designed to maximize use of common, high-quality components, such as control board hardware that has proven field performance in Ford's current, critically acclaimed hybrid vehicles.

Li-ion battery packs offer a number of advantages over the nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries that power today's hybrid vehicles. In general, they are 25 to 30 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter, which makes them easier to package in a vehicle, and can be tuned to increase power to boost acceleration or to increase energy to extend driving distance.

While Ford C-MAX Hybrid will operate much like today's hybrid vehicles, C-MAX Energi will benefit from daily charging to maximize its all-electric range. Thanks to the efficiencies of its right-sized battery system, the plug-in hybrid easily recharges 100 percent overnight on a 120-volt outlet.

A full charge in C-MAX Energi allows owners to increase their driving significantly in all-electric mode and drastically reduce their use of the on-board fuel engine.

On start-up, Ford C-MAX Energi operate in charge-depletion mode, providing electric driving range. When the battery has been depleted or certain conditions are met, it switches to charge-sustaining hybrid mode for continued optimal fuel efficiency.

Ford worked with a supplier to provide an industry-standard five-point plug for C-MAX Energi (and new Focus Electric) that is ergonomically comfortable to hold as well as durably and distinctively designed. The plug handle uses a matte-finished black rubber for a comfortable, non-slip grip and the plug head is shielded with a glossy white hard plastic to protect the electronics. The Ford Blue Oval trademark helps make the device immediately recognizable.

When the cord set connector is plugged into the vehicle's charge port, which is located conveniently between the driver's door and front wheel well, it activates a light ring that loops around the port twice in acknowledgement of connectivity. The light ring then illuminates in quadrants as the vehicle charges. Flashing quadrants represent charge in progress and solid-lit quadrants show stages of charge completion. When the entire ring is solidly lit, the vehicle is fully charged.

Smarter interface
Ford C-MAX Energi owners have access to a suite of driver information systems - on-board and off-board - designed to help them manage the recharge process, manage the most eco-friendly route on-board, remotely control their vehicle's charge and preconditioning settings, monitor battery state of charge and maximize energy efficiency to extend use of electric mode. Ford C-MAX Hybrid owners also will benefit from the on-board features.

Among these tools is a unique execution of MyFord Touch driver connect technology, especially for electrified driving. It offers exceptional configurability of vehicle information, including fuel level, battery power level, and average and instant miles per gallon.

The cluster's new MyView feature allows drivers to access even more vehicle data such as the electrical demands of vehicle accessories, including air conditioning, which influences fuel economy and the electric driving range of the Ford C-MAX Energi.
The Brake Coach feature helps to educate drivers to optimize their use of the regenerative brakes to recapture kinetic energy and send it back to the battery, also reducing wear on the brakes.

Long-term fuel efficiency can be displayed in two ways - either as a traditional chart or using an innovative display that shows a growing leafy vine on the right side of the cluster. The more efficient a customer is, the more lush and beautiful the leaves and vines become, creating a unique visual reward for the driver's efforts.

To reinforce the message, at the end of each trip a display screen provides distance driven, miles gained through regenerative braking, fuel consumed (average and total) and a regenerative braking score.

New MyFord Mobile
Off-board, Ford C-MAX Energi owners in North America can maintain constant contact with the car anywhere they have mobile phone or web access using the Ford-developed MyFord Mobile.

MyFord Mobile enables access to a secure Ford website and smartphone/feature phone app to get instant vehicle status information, perform key functions remotely, monitor the car's state of charge and current range, get various alerts including when the vehicle requires charging, remotely program charge settings and download vehicle data for analysis.

The feature also allows the owner to program the vehicle to use electricity from the grid to heat or cool the battery and cabin while plugged in. For example, during hot summer months, owners can preprogram the car the evening before to be fully charged - and fully cooled to a particular temperature - by a certain time the following morning. Users can also locate the vehicle with GPS, remotely start the vehicle, and remotely lock and unlock the car doors.

Working with MapQuest, MyFord Mobile can communicate charge station and other points of interest to Ford C-MAX Energi using SYNC's Traffic, Directions and Information (TDI) service. Turn-by-turn guidance is provided by the in-car map-based Navigation System. Drivers can also get up-to-date charging station information in their vehicle directly through SYNC TDI simply by connecting to SYNC Services.

Value charging, powered by Microsoft
Using the value charging feature, powered by Microsoft, Ford C-MAX Energi owners in North America will be able to optimize their home's energy use and vehicle recharging practices. Value charging allows Ford customers to reduce their electricity costs by taking advantage of off-peak or reduced rates from their utility without a complicated set-up process.

Proven powersplit technology
Ford C-MAX Energi and C-MAX Hybrid build on the success of the critically acclaimed powersplit architecture Ford uses in its current hybrids, including the Ford Fusion Hybrid, winner of the 2010 MOTOR TREND Car of the Year award.

In a powersplit hybrid, the electric motor and gasoline-powered engine can work together or separately to maximize efficiency. The engine also can operate independently of vehicle speed, charging the batteries or providing power to the wheels as needed. The motor alone can provide sufficient power to the wheels in low-speed, low-load conditions, and work with the engine at higher speeds.

While this system enables the current Fusion Hybrid to operate in fuel-saving electric mode up to 47 mph, Ford is targeting higher electric operating speeds for Ford C-MAX Hybrid and even more capability for C-MAX Energi, which will have the advantage of additional battery power.

Ford's global C-car strategy
C-MAX Energi and C-MAX Hybrid are two of at least 10 new models or derivatives that Ford will launch around the world based on its new global C-car platform - Ford's first truly global One Ford platform.

Ford's new generation of C-segment vehicles will be sold in more than 120 markets and will account for more than 2 million units annually. The C-segment accounts for one in four cars sold worldwide today and, in conjunction with the B-segment, is expected to rise to 50 percent of all cars sold globally by 2013.

The all-new C-MAX lineup also introduces a number of advanced new technologies to the compact multi-activity vehicle class. More often found only on larger or more premium cars, these technologies are focused on enhanced comfort, safety and sustainability, including the availability of new and powerful, yet highly fuel-efficient, low-CO2 Ford EcoBoost? gas engines.

The previous European C-MAX established a reputation for providing a balance of enjoyable driving dynamics and impressive comfort. The all-new model is set to take that performance to a new level, giving drivers a class-leading combination of responsive, sporty handling and overall refinement approaching the standards usually associated with larger, luxury vehicles.

Ford C-MAX Energi and C-MAX Hybrid are two of five electrified vehicles that Ford will bring to the North American market during the next two years. In addition, the Ford Transit Connect Electric small commercial van, built in collaboration with Azure Dynamics, began initial production at the end of 2010, and Focus Electric will launch in late 2011. A second next-generation hybrid electric vehicle will be announced later and available in North America and Europe in 2012.

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California bullet train faces tough vote in Senate

Gov. Jerry Brown's request for $6 billion to start construction of the California bullet train will face a difficult vote in the Legislature in the coming days, prompting some last-minute political maneuvering that could significantly alter the structure of the project.

Brown is seeking approval of a long-standing plan to build 130 miles of rail in the Central Valley from Bakersfield to Madera, creating the backbone of a future rail network that would later connect with Los Angeles and San Francisco.

But the plan has met growing skepticism among some legislators who say it would put the bulk of the initial funding in a low-ridership area that would have little independent value until the full system is completed. An alternative is being crafted to change the geographic distribution of the funds.

The existing plan is expected to easily pass the Assembly when it is taken up this week or possibly next, but the Senate is a different matter. Brown needs 21 of the 25 majority Democrats in the Senate to get his funding, a high bar given growing criticism within his own party. No Republican is expected to vote for the project.

"It will be a tight vote," said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento). "It's a tough vote. I can't predict the outcome, but I'm personally committed to it."

If he had his way, Steinberg said, he wouldn't start the project in the Central Valley either. Nonetheless, he's still a supporter of the plan. "There is greater risk in not moving forward," he said.

Steinberg said there are still discussions with colleagues on how to proceed, appearing to leave open some room for a compromise.

The skeptics in the Senate say privately that they are coming under enormous political pressure from organized labor, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and the Obama administration, which plans to contribute $3.3 billion to the work. Whether they will fall in line with their party is unclear.

"The votes are not there," said Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord), chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. "I am a 'no' at this time."

"I don't think there are 21 votes in the Senate until people have a chance to examine their options," said Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), chairman of a special committee on the high-speed rail project.

Sen. Joseph Simitian (D-Palo Alto), a third member who has closely studied the project, has not declared his opposition to Brown's plan, but he has said he shares the same concerns that Lowenthal and DeSaulnier have. Simitian is running for a county supervisor post that would require him to eventually give up his seat in the Legislature if elected, so he may be unencumbered in his decision.

In the backrooms of the Capitol, a Plan B is being created that would shift significant funding out of the Central Valley. For months, critics have questioned why the project is starting there. The answer has been that the Federal Railroad Administration wants it to start there and the U.S. Transportation Department has threatened to rescind the federal money if the state tries to upset the apple cart.

But a close examination of the grant agreements is leading state lawmakers to believe they are free to spend funding granted under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 anywhere within four segments of the project, including one between San Francisco and San Jose and another between Los Angeles and Anaheim. The only segment that would be built in the Central Valley would run from Madera to Fresno, accounting for roughly 26 miles of roadbed.

"A Plan B would be to invest where the riders are and where we will be able to attract private equity much sooner," DeSaulnier said.

Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) also supports a new approach, saying, "My thoughts are very similar to Sen. DeSaulnier's. My priority is to create jobs here in Orange County and to invest tax dollars where we get the biggest bang for the buck. Anaheim-Los Angeles and San Francisco-San Jose are the places. If we don't focus on the L.A.-Anaheim corridor, there is no reason for me to go up on this vote."

It is unlikely that the Obama administration will readily go along. Organized labor doesn't like the idea either.

James Earp, a member of the California Transportation Commission and a labor leader who helped orchestrate the 2008 campaign for the state's high-speed rail bond measure, said he would oppose such a move because it could jeopardize federal support for the entire project.

On the flip side, however, are critics who say Brown's commitment to a now-unpopular bullet train project is jeopardizing his effort to persuade voters to approve a separate state tax increase this fall to help balance the state budget and fund schools.

Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., said he would use the bullet train project in the group's campaign against the tax increase.

"This is clearly a bad project," he said. "I am sure it will be mentioned in our campaign."

ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com

chris.megerian@latimes.com

Vartabedian reported from Los Angeles and Megerian from Sacramento.

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Why Microsoft Should Make Its Own Handsets

Microsoft?s announcement of the Microsoft Surface tablet bucked the traditional business model of the company; it typically acts as a licensor of it?s software while leaving the manufacturing to others to complete. Which is why Nomura Analyst Rick Sherlund?s sources that Microsoft is providing handset hardware for Windows 8 phones makes news. Typically, these distributed handsets, reference platform devices, are utilized by developers to benchmark their software performance in real life applications.

Prior to the Surface announcement, speculation like Sherlund?s would not hold much weight. However, now that Microsoft is making its own tablets, it would be foolish to rule out the notion that Microsoft wouldn?t at least look into manufacturing its own mobile phones.

In past instances, when Microsoft saw a need to engage in producing its own hardware, it was because it needed to provide services beyond what hardware partners could offer.? Additionally, there were features that needed the entire software-hardware integration to deliver a strong user experience (e.g., Zune and especially the likes of the Xbox platform).

With the Surface set to release in the fall, and a new Windows 8 ecosystem that promises to deliver seamless experiences across desktop computing, mobile computing and now Windows Phone, it doesn?t seem all too distant that Microsoft would like to see a more seamless infrastructure across its entire Windows world. While this model seems eerily close to Apple?s delivery of products, one mainstay that remains a key component of Microsoft?s is that it will still license its software to hardware partners.

Microsoft has licensing agreements with multiple manufacturers to deliver Windows Phone devices, including Huawei, Nokia, Samsung and HTC. Nokia has the lion?s share of the risk when it comes to these agreements. The Finland-based firm has largely dropped its long-standing, home grown Symbian OS in favor of Windows ? save for a few handsets. Recently, Nokia and Microsoft entered in to a long-term agreement to develop its Maps/Navigation software across all Windows mobile devices.

Rumors began to swirl around the type of relationship that Microsoft and Nokia would harbor in the near future (especially as bloggers and analysts awaited what type of announcement would result on Monday).? Would Microsoft and Nokia merge? Would Microsoft buy Nokia outright? After all, Nokia?s stock has been classified as ?junk? by multiple analysts and its stock was priced under $2.50 at the time of publication. With Nokia, Microsoft would attain patents, manufacturing and distribution knowledge that would help bridge the learning curve that is associated with building a hardware platform.

Microsoft making it?s own hardware for mobile phone makes sense, especially if it means jump-starting an ecosystem currently trickling (but showing promise) in marketshare. The Windows RT Surface is Microsoft?s first move in gunning for the iPad as well as the Android Tablet market.

Microsoft is acting more like Apple. The company now has its own Microsoft stores, is attempting to make flashy product announcements, has plans to introduce iPad-like tablets and is in control of product and software design.?Microsoft may actually be trying to ?think differently?. But, it has to.

For quite a while now, Microsoft has been a punching bag to Apple?s largely effective iTunes/iOS ecosystem. Microsoft, with very little firepower, has been left to try and pick-off marketshare, often with little success. Google, too, has taken many swipes at Microsoft, eating into search engine usage (leading to Microsoft having to create something new in the form of Bing), Office applications and email (through Google Docs and Gmail), map tools and so forth. Many of these attacks on Microsoft have resulted in diminishing its core businesses.

Microsoft?s keynote at the Windows Phone Developers event demonstrated a few things:

• It is serious about delivering an ecosystem compatible across its entire windows platform.
• It is serious about hardware and software integration. Announcing, not delivering, all the new flashy upgrades to phones that haven?t been out for more than a few months will be key, however.

But these announcements show that Microsoft is willing to fight back against its competitors. In the past, it would have just brushed them off and said ?Microsoft will be fine.? I dare you to count how many times ?different,? ?re-imagined,? ?re-defined? or any other iteration of ?change? is mentioned in the Surface keynote.

One thing is for sure: This week?s announcements show that Microsoft is willing to rewrite its entire business model to remain relevant.

?

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The World?s Smallest and Most Portable iPhone Charger

There are two types of iPhone users: The ones that have multiple iPhone charging cords laying around everywhere and the ones that can never find their iPhone charging cord.? As for me, I have a charging cord in almost every room in the house.? But I do wish there was a simpler way of charging [...]

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Poll: Americans oppose health law but like provisions

WASHINGTON - Most Americans oppose President Barack Obama's healthcare reform even though they strongly support most of its provisions, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Sunday, with the Supreme Court set to rule within days on whether the law should stand.

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Fifty-six percent of people are against the healthcare overhaul and 44 percent favor it, according to the online poll conducted from Tuesday through Saturday.

The survey results suggest that Republicans are convincing voters to reject Obama's reform even when they like much of what is in it, such as allowing children to stay on their parents' insurance until age 26.

Strong majorities favor most of what is in the law.

A glaring exception to the popular provisions is the "individual mandate," which forces all U.S. residents to own health insurance.

Sixty-one percent of Americans are against the mandate, the issue at the center of the Republicans' contention that the law is unconstitutional, while 39 percent favor it.

"That's really the thing that has come to define the (reform) and is the thing that could potentially allow the Supreme Court to dismantle it if they decide it's not constitutional," Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson said.

In good news for Republicans at November's congressional elections, 45 percent said they were more likely to vote for a member of Congress who campaigned on a platform of repealing the law, versus 26 percent who said it would make them less likely, the survey showed.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the 2010 healthcare reform, Obama's signature domestic policy achievement, this week, possibly as early as Monday.

The political stakes are sky-high on an issue that has galvanized conservative opposition to the Democratic president, and how the court's decision is framed politically could influence the outcome of the November 6 general election.

Support for the provisions of the healthcare law was strong, with a full 82 percent of survey respondents, for example, favoring banning insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

Sixty-one percent are in favor of allowing children to stay on their parents' insurance until age 26 and 72 percent back requiring companies with more than 50 employees to provide insurance for their employees.

Partisan division
Americans are strongly divided along partisan lines. Among Republicans, 86 percent oppose and 14 percent favor the law and Democrats back it by a 3-to-1 margin, 75 percent to 25 percent, the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.

But in what could be a key indicator for the presidential contest, people who describe themselves as political independents oppose the law by 73 percent to 27 percent.

Opposition among independents has been growing. In a survey conducted in April, two weeks after the Supreme Court heard the case, 63 percent of them opposed the measure, and 37 percent favored it.

"Republicans have won the argument with independents and that's really been the reason that we see the majority of the public opposing it," Jackson said.

Republicans have dominated the political message on healthcare with calls to "repeal and replace" the law, condemned by conservatives as a government intrusion into private industry and the lives of private citizens. It passed in March 2010 with no Republican support in Congress.

Mitt Romney, the likely Republican presidential nominee, has promised to repeal the law if he defeats Obama, although he has not offered a plan of his own. Obama, who says he modeled the measure on a healthcare plan Romney passed as governor of Massachusetts, has defended it.

Obama critics - some from within his own party - have also questioned the president for focusing on healthcare reform early in his term instead of doing everything he could to fix the struggling U.S. economy.

Democrats back the measure as an effort to improve the lives of Americans and essential to control spiraling costs that are undermining the country's overall economic health. Healthcare expenditures in the United States neared $2.6 trillion in 2010, over 10 times the $256 billion spent in 1980, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

A good portion of the opposition to the healthcare law is because Americans want more reform, not less of it.

The poll found that a large number of Americans - including about one-third of Republicans and independents who disagree with the law - oppose it because it does not go far enough to fix healthcare.

Seventy-one percent of Republican opponents reject it overall, while 29 percent feel it does not go far enough, while independent opponents are divided 67 percent to 33 percent. Among Democratic opponents, 49 percent reject it overall, and 51 percent wish the measure went further.

"If you add the people that oppose it because they think it doesn't go far enough, you get a majority of Americans, so it doesn't mean that healthcare reform is dead," Jackson said.

There was party division in Americans' view of the individual mandate. Overall, 61 percent of Americans oppose requiring all U.S. residents to own health insurance. Among Republicans, the percentage rose to 81 percent, and it was 73 percent among independents. But a majority of Democrats - 59 percent - favor the individual mandate.

The survey of 1,043 Americans was conducted from June 19-23. The precision of the Reuters/Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

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(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

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Two more nails in the coffin for Media Center, start-up options and tuner certification

We fully expected Microsoft put minimal effort into Media Center on Windows 8, but we have to say we didn't expect it to get like this. It was one thing when our favorite HTPC app didn't get a single enhancement, but another when it didn't receive a single bug fix. Now, in the latest Release Preview of Windows 8 the folks at Redmond have gone out of their way and disabled the ability to boot directly to Windows Media Center -- a feature required for any proper HTPC build. Another required feature, in our minds at least, is the ability to record TV and use a remote and it seems Microsoft no longer wants any part in that either. Revealed in the Windows Logo Program Newsletter is the sad reality that the ability to test TV tuners and remotes is no longer included in Windows Hardware Certification Kit. This doesn't preclude someone from making tuners for Windows 8 Media Center, but it certainly does indicate what type of support said manufacturer can expect from Microsoft.

Two more nails in the coffin for Media Center, start-up options and tuner certification originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jun 2012 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pew study: library patrons largely unaware of e-book offerings

According to a new study by the Pew Research Center, 62 percent of respondents didn't know whether or not their local library had e-books.

By Molly Driscoll,?Staff Writer / June 22, 2012

According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 56 percent of respondents said they'd attempted to get an e-book at their local library but it hadn't been available.

Emily Spartz/The Argus Leader/AP

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Many patrons are unaware that their libraries offer e-books, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.

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The study reported that 62 percent of respondents didn?t know whether e-books were available at their local library. The study also revealed that only 12 percent of respondents living in the US who were older than 16 had borrowed one or more e-books from a library within the last year.

According to the report, 56 percent of those who responded said they?d tried to borrow an e-book at their library and it hadn?t been available, while 46 percent said that if given a device with the e-book they wanted already on it, they would be very or somewhat likely to borrow the device from the library.

Those who borrow e-books from libraries had read 29 books this year, the survey said, compared to 23 books for those who do not.

?Clearly there is an opportunity here for us to step up our outreach and increase public awareness," American Library Association president Molly Raphael told Publishers Weekly on the subject of patrons not knowing about e-book offerings. "Of course, awareness is not enough. Libraries cannot lend what they cannot obtain.?

Of those who responded to the survey, 58 percent of people who were older than 16 said they still possessed a library card, and 69 percent responded that the library was an important institution to them.

The question of e-books in libraries has created a point of contention between libraries and publishers, with publishers concerned about allowing patrons to borrow e-books from libraries even as they are scrambling to profit from selling those same books. Some libraries say they have been discouraged from offering e-books because of high costs publishers are charging for them and/or the circulation limits they are imposing.

Penguin Books recently announced they would be starting a pilot program for two New York libraries to try out offering their e-books at the libraries, which may cause others to follow suit.

The Pew study used 2,986 people over 16 for the survey and conducted it by phone.

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Ex-Penn St. assistant Sandusky convicted of abuse

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) ? For years, the children Jerry Sandusky had preyed upon kept quiet about what the former Penn State assistant football coach did to them in echoing shower stalls, empty hotel rooms and the muffled confines of his basement bedroom.

Late Friday, after a swift trial and less than two days of deliberations, a jury issued an emphatic verdict: Sandusky was guilty on 45 counts of sexual abuse, meaning the man once considered a successor to coach Joe Paterno will likely die in prison.

The verdict is not the end of the scandal that took down beloved football coach Joe Paterno and deeply shook the state's most prominent university. It will play out for years in courtrooms and through a set of ongoing investigations.

But the trial did present one piece of finality: Sandusky was taken away in handcuffs to the county jail. Sentencing will be in about three months, but mandatory minimums will keep him behind bars for life.

"One of the recurring themes in this case was, 'Who would believe a kid?'" said Attorney General Linda Kelly. "The answer is, we in Bellefonte, Pa., would believe a kid."

Sandusky, a retired defensive coach who was once Paterno's heir apparent, showed little emotion as the verdict was read, giving his wife, Dottie, and family members a half-wave as the county sheriff led him away.

There were only three acquittals among the charges related to 10 victims, eight of whom took the stand to describe fondling, forced oral sex and anal rape. Many of the accusers testified that they had told no one of the abuse that dated as far back as the mid-1990s ? not parents, not girlfriends and not police.

The accuser known in court papers as Victim 6, whose mother alerted authorities in 1998 after Sandusky took her son into a shower, broke down in tears upon hearing the verdicts in the courtroom. Afterward, a prosecutor embraced him and said, "Did I ever lie to you?"

The man, now 25, testified that Sandusky called himself the "tickle monster" in a shower assault. He declined to comment to a reporter afterward. His mother said: "Nobody wins. We've all lost."

One of the three counts for which Sandusky was acquitted concerned Victim 6, an indecent assault charge. The man testified that Sandusky had given him a bear hug in the shower but at one point he just "blacked out."

The other acquittals were an indecent assault charge related to Victim 5, who said Sandusky fondled him in the shower, and an involuntary deviate sexual intercourse charge regarding Victim 2, the boy graduate assistant Mike McQueary saw being attacked in a campus shower.

Almost immediately after the judge adjourned, loud cheers could be heard from a couple hundred people gathered outside the courthouse as word quickly spread that Sandusky had been convicted. The crowd included victim advocates and local residents with their kids. Many held up their smartphones to take pictures as people filtered out of the building.

As Sandusky was placed in the cruiser to be taken to jail, someone yelled at him to "Rot in hell!" Others hurled insults and he shook his head no in response.

Defense attorney Joe Amendola was interrupted by cheers from the crowd on the courthouse steps when he said, "The sentence that Jerry will receive will be a life sentence."

In addition to the eight who testified, there were two yet-unidentified victims for which prosecutors relied on testimony from a university janitor and McQueary, whose account of a sexual encounter between Sandusky and a boy of about 10 years old ultimately led to the Paterno's dismissal and the university president's ouster.

Sandusky did not take the stand in his own defense.

After the verdict was announced, defense attorney Karl Rominger said it was "a tough case" with a lot of charges and that an appeal was certain. He said the defense team "didn't exactly have a lot of time to prepare."

The ex-coach had repeatedly denied the allegations, and his defense suggested that his accusers had a financial motive to make up stories, years after the fact. His attorneys also painted Sandusky as the victim of overzealous police investigators who coached the alleged victims into giving accusatory statements.

One accuser testified that Sandusky molested him in the locker-room showers and in hotels while trying to ensure his silence with gifts and trips to bowl games. He also said Sandusky had sent him "creepy love letters."

Another spoke of forced oral sex and instances of rape in the basement of Sandusky's home, including abuse that left him bleeding. He said he once tried to scream for help, knowing that Sandusky's wife was upstairs, but figured the basement must be soundproof.

Another, a foster child, said Sandusky warned that he would never see his family again if he ever told anyone what happened.

And just hours after the case went to jurors, lawyers for one of Sandusky's six children, Matt, said he had told authorities that his father abused him.

Matt Sandusky had been prepared to testify on behalf of prosecutors, his lawyers said in a statement. The lawyers said they arranged for Matt Sandusky to meet with law enforcement officials but did not explain why he didn't testify.

"This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt and he has asked us to convey his request that the media respect his privacy," the statement said. It didn't go into details about his allegations.

Defense witnesses, including Dottie Sandusky, described Sandusky's philanthropic work with children over the years, and many spoke in positive terms about his reputation in the community. Prosecutors had portrayed those efforts as an effective means by which Sandusky could camouflage his molestation as he targeted boys who were the same age as participants in The Second Mile, a charity he founded in the 1970s for at-risk youth.

Sandusky's arrest in November led the Penn State trustees to fire Paterno as head coach, saying he exhibited a lack of leadership after fielding a report from McQueary. The scandal also led to the ouster of university President Graham Spanier and criminal charges against two university administrators for failing to properly report suspected child abuse and perjury.

The two administrators, athletic director Tim Curley and now-retired vice president Gary Schultz, are fighting the allegations and await trial.

The family of Paterno, who died exactly five months before Sandusky's conviction, released a statement saying: "Although we understand the task of healing is just beginning, today's verdict is an important milestone. The community owes a measure of gratitude to the jurors for their diligent service. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victims and their families."

In a statement, Penn State praised the accusers who testified and said that it planned to invite the victims of Sandusky's abuse to participate in a private program to address their concerns and compensate them for claims related to the school.

Sandusky had initially faced 52 counts of sex abuse. Prosecutors dropped one count and the judge tossed three others during the trial, on grounds two were unproven, one was brought under a statute that didn't apply and another was duplicative.

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