10 things to know about NFL draft

West Virginia's Geno Smith speaks during a news conference after being selected 39th overall by the New York Jets in the second round of the NFL football draft, Friday, April 26, 2013, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

West Virginia's Geno Smith speaks during a news conference after being selected 39th overall by the New York Jets in the second round of the NFL football draft, Friday, April 26, 2013, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

New York Jets fans watch as their team makes a selection during the second round of the NFL football draft on Friday, April 26, 2013, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Green Bay Packers fan Joe Linna, of Ludington, Mich., celebrates after Green Bay selected Alabama's Eddie Lacy 61st overall in the second round of the NFL football draft on Friday, April 26, 2013, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Detroit Lions first found draft pick defensive end Ziggy Ansah at Ford Field Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Kirthmon F. Dozier)

Former Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Tony Casillas is joined by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he announces a draft pick during the second round of the NFL Draft, Friday, April 26, 2013 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The most exciting few minutes of the NFL draft came on Day 2.

In the span of a few minutes early in Friday night's second round, the San Diego Chargers caused draftniks at Radio City Music Hall to let out a roar with the selection of Notre Dame's Manti Te'o. Just when things were settling down, the New York Jets announced their pick ? quarterback Geno Smith. Fans, many clad in Jets jerseys, cheered ? and booed.

Te'o, of course, was the victim of a tabloid-ready hoax involving a fake girlfriend. That, and his poor play in the national title game against Alabama, followed by less-than-impressive workouts for pro scouts, had everyone wondering when he would be selected.

Smith, of course, now heads to a team with all kinds of quarterback issues, from starter Mark Sanchez still with the team despite an awful season, Tim Tebow still with the team despite not really getting a chance to play, and three other QBs on the roster for now in David Garrard, Greg McElroy and Matt Simms.

Welcome to San Diego, Manti.

Welcome to the J-E-T-S, Jets, Geno.

___

Here are 10 things to know about the draft after the first two days. The final four rounds are Saturday.

1. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IN SAN DIEGO, NEW YORK

"I did expect to go in the first round," Te'o said. "But things happened and all it did was give me more motivation to get better. I don't know if I have something to prove, but it definitely puts a huge fire under my butt to just be better."

Asked if he dropped into the second round because of the off-field issues and his flop in the title game, he said: "I really don't know. That's a question that you've got to ask the teams."

Chargers GM Tim Telesco, who traded up seven spots to No. 38 to land Te'o, certainly has no issues with his new guy.

"He's a great kid," Telesco said. "We did a lot of work on Te'o and I've seen him for a number of years. He loves football. He's passionate about it. He loves to practice. He loves to play."

Smith, who was projected as first-rounder, believes he can compete with Sanchez and whoever else is around.

"I love to compete. Mark is a guy who I watched at USC, I watched him in the NFL, and I think highly of him as well as Tim and all of those guys over there," he said, "As I said, I'm coming in as a rookie and I'm going to compete and I'm also going to accept my role whatever it is."

Asked if he thinks he's a franchise QB, he said: "Yes sir. I do believe so and for a number of reasons, but the main thing is that I'm not only coming into practice, I'm going to come into work and I'm going to compete daily and I'm going to also do my best to better my teammates in order for us to win a Super Bowl."

What does it all mean?

New Jets GM John Idzik says: "What this means for Mark Sanchez is competition, and Mark is open to that. We've had discussions about that, and I think he buys into the fact that that helps him and it helps any player on our team, and as a result, it helps our team."

2. RUNNING BACKS SCORE

A night after no running backs were taken in the first round for the first time since 1963, the second round produced five, and Alabama star Eddie Lacy (expected to be a first-rounder) wasn't the first to go. Cincinnati gave that distinction to Gio Bernard of North Carolina with the No. 37th overall pick. Then, Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell went to Pittsburgh at No. 48, Wisconsin All-American Montee Ball went to Denver at No. 58, Lacy went to Green Bay at No. 61 and Texas A&M's Christine Michael went to Seattle at No. 62.

The third round produced one running back ? Arkansas' Knile Davis to Kansas City at No. 96.

Lacy, who ran for 1,322 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, may have dropped because of concerns about his health, including a hamstring problem that prevented him from participating in the NFL combine and working out for scouts a few weeks ago.

"You can't do anything about it," Lacy said. "I'm just looking forward to being part of a new team and contributing as much as I can."

3. STILL ON THE BOARD

Among notable players till on the board entering Saturday's final four rounds are quarterbacks Matt Barkley of Southern California, Ryan Nassib of Syracuse and Landry Jones of Oklahoma; running back Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina (recovering from a serious knee injury); and two starters from national champion Alabama, offensive lineman Barrett Jones and defensive tackle Jesse Williams.

4. VIKINGS STRONG

Minnesota did not have a second or third-round pick Friday night because they had a huge first round Thursday night with three picks ? DT Sharrif Floyd (Florida) at No. 23, DB Xavier Rhodes (Florida State) at No. 25 and a last-second deal with New England moved the Vikings up to snag WR Cordarrelle Patterson (Tennessee) at No. 29.

"I don't think it could've worked out any better for the caliber of players we got coming into our program," Vikings GM Rick Spielman said. "I'm very excited."

The Vikings, coming off a surprising run to the playoffs spearheaded by running back Adrian Peterson, immediately filled three of their biggest needs. A linebacker by the end of the draft and Minnesota will have hit on all cylinders.

Not bad for a team that started last season in what was expected to be a rebuilding one.

5. FINALLY, A PICK

Four teams did not have first-round picks, but stepped up in the second round to start filling their needs. Tampa Bay was the first of the four to pick, going for defensive back Johnthan Banks of Mississippi State at No. 43 overall. Washington, which lost its first-rounder in last year's deal to draft Robert Griffin III, went for defensive back David Amerson of North Carolina State at No. 51 overall. New England, known for trading early picks for a bunch of later picks, chose linebacker Jamie Collins of Southern Mississippi at No. 52, and Seattle ? after trading down six spots with Baltimore ? closed out the second round by taking running back Christine Michael of Texas A&M.

6. FOREIGN FLAVOR

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah of BYU led a parade of international players into the NFL.

Ansah, from Ghana, didn't even know how to put on shoulder pads a few years ago. On Thursday, he was the No. 5 overall pick by the Detroit Lions.

Also going in the first round was Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner from Germany (Indianapolis, No. 24). Two more went in the second round, SMU defensive end Margus Hunt from Estonia (No. 53, Cincinnati) and Florida State offensive tackle Menelik Watson from Britain (Oakland, No. 42). The third round saw Connecticut linebacker Cisio Moore from Liberia go to Oakland at No. 66. Still on the board is Alabama defensive tackle Jess Williams from Australia.

7. WHERE ARE THE QUARTERBACKS?

As predicted, quarterbacks were not popular in the first round, and not too popular in the second- and third-rounds, either. After Buffalo surprised nearly everyone by picking Florida State's EJ Manuel as the only QB in the first round (at No. 16), the next to go was West Virginia's Geno Smith by the New York Jets in the second round, at No. 39, and North Carolina State's Mike Glennon by Tampa Bay in the third round, at No. 73. Of course, stars such as Tom Brady, Drew Brees and even Russell Wilson weren't first-rounders, either.

8. MY TEAM'S BETTER THAN YOURS

In a game of one-upmanship, former players from Dallas (Tony Casillas), Pittsburgh (Merril Hoge) and the New York Giants (Rich Seubert) got the fans going before announcing the second-round picks for their teams.

Casillas stepped up to the podium and called out ... "still America's team," the Dallas Cowboys select ...

Next up was Hoge, who chimed in with "the only team to win six Super Bowls," and then made Pittsburgh's choice.

And next in the sequence came Seubert, who simply said, "Go Giants!" before announcing New York's pick.

The crowd at Radio City, of course, booed Casillas and Hoge, and cheered Seubert.

9. LEAN BEEF

The second day of the draft was not for heavyweights. After 18 offensive and defensive linemen totaling nearly 2? tons were selected in the first round, the second round dropped to five. The third round, though, saw 12 linemen taken. Of course, teams turned their attentions to skill positions, with eight wide receivers and 17 defensive backs taken Friday night.

10. CONFERENCE LEADERS

To the surprise of no one, the Southeastern Conference has provided the NFL with the most draft picks of any conference ? 32 of 97 so far. That's one-third of the newest class of the NFL players. The SEC breakdown is 12 in the first round, eight in the second and 12 in the third. Stay tuned for the next four rounds.

No. 2 is the Atlantic Coast Conference with 12, including six first-rounders.

___

Follow Richard Rosenblatt on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/rosenblattap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-27-FBN-NFL-Draft-10-Things-to-Know/id-336de4e6ff3e4998a0d6f294dd7bac88

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Wikileaks suspect named SF Pride parade marshal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? The U.S. Army private charged in a massive leak of U.S. secrets to the WikiLeaks website has been named as a grand marshal of San Francisco's annual gay rights parade, a choice that was immediately condemned by several groups representing gay and lesbian service members.

Rainey Reitman, a member of the Bradley Manning Support Network, said Friday that her group was notified this week that a committee of former San Francisco Pride grand marshals had voted to select the imprisoned intelligence specialist for the distinction that each year recognizes about a dozen celebrities, politicians and community organizations for their contributions to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.

Manning is openly gay, and his lawyers have argued that his experience as a soldier before the repeal of the U.S. military's ban on gay service played an important role in his decision to pass hundreds of thousands of sensitive items to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

"As a longstanding Manning supporter, I'm thrilled to see our community publicly embrace his courage in disclosing classified truths about the war in Iraq and other facts, which empower the American public to promote smarter future policy," Reitman said.

Other activists were less enthusiastic, saying that the 25-year-old Manning should not be honored either as an individual or as a representative of the gay rights movement.

"Manning's blatant disregard for the safety of our service members and the security of our nation should not be praised," Stephen Peters, president of American Military Partners Association, a group that advocates for same-sex military families. "The LGBT military community is outraged by this decision and we genuinely hope that San Francisco Pride will reconsider their appointment of Bradley Manning as a grand marshal for this year's celebration. No community of such a strong and resilient people should be represented by the treacherous acts that define Bradley Manning."

The selection first was reported Thursday by the Bar Area Reporter, San Francisco's gay newspaper.

Officials from San Francisco Pride, the organization that puts on the event, did not return telephone calls and an e-mail seeking comment on Friday. A contingent of Manning's supporters has marched in past gay pride parades held in many U.S. cities.

While the event's grand marshals are typically celebrated as they wave from convertibles through downtown San Francisco, naming Manning as one is a symbolic gesture. In custody at a military prison in Kansas while he awaits court martial, he will not be able to attend the June 30 parade.

Daniel Ellsberg, the former military analyst who in 1971 leaked to the news media the classified information about the Vietnam War that became known as the Pentagon Papers, has agreed to participate in the San Francisco parade on Manning's behalf, Reitman said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wikileaks-suspect-named-sf-pride-parade-marshal-010222417.html

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Maker Mama: Austin Treehouse | Sustainable Home Improvement

Earlier this month I was invited up to Austin for a tour of Treehouse, a home improvement store dedicated to sustainable living. I drooled over their website and immediately made plans to go.

I've never heard about a home improvement store dedicated to sustainability, and was excited to meet with local bloggers to learn more.

I have a big heart for green living (although I'm far from perfect at it), and to find a store that not only seeks to provide products that are good for you and your home, but that also holds itself accountable was like heaven on Earth to me.?

At first glance, Treehouse may look like any other home improvement store--but there's no second-guessing once you take a closer look (inside or out--they have giant rain barrels and solar panels out front). I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they're housed in a former Borders bookstore (bittersweet memories). I love?when companies repurpose old buildings.?

After an amazing story about his passion for healthy homes, cofounder Jason Ballard led us on a tour around the store showcasing the high quality products handpicked by the Treehouse team. Each item goes through the Treehouse product filter and must meet health, performance, sustainability, and corporate responsibility requirements to earn their place in the store.?

I must have thrown a couple dozen questions at Jason throughout the tour and he didn't bat an eye. He had straight answers for every question and was friendly in sharing his wealth of information--this guy knew his stuff.?

One of the most shocking things I learned? Our homes are the number-one offender to the health of our world--there's no escaping the toxins we escape to each day--unless we make our homes smarter. Treehouse's mission is to help us do just that.?

Some of Treehouse's top products include rain barrels (they actually sold the last ones that night--definitely high demand in South Texas), VOC-free paints (including milk paint--I also loved their clay plaster), and LED lightbulbs. In fact, Treehouse is the very first home store to sell the brand new omnidirectional LED lightbulb by Switch, how awesome is that?

And what home improvement store do you know that hunts down salvaged items to share with its customers? I didn't think so.?

Treehouse also goes beyond your typical home improvement items, with awesome sustainable gift ideas for kids as well as home goods like locally sourced beeswax candles and eco-friendly cleaning supplies. I could have wondered the aisles for hours (and brought home one of everything).?

They even have a garden section with native plants only, and homestead products like chicken feed and homebrewing kits! If I could marry a store, this would be the one.

I'm totally pining over it even thinking about it--I feel like prank calling just to hear Treehouse's voice--I'm that obsessed with this store. Now when are they moving to San Antonio? This is my new secret mission. I'll be there at the ribbon-cutting!?

But seriously. I'm in love with this store because it's doing something that no other home improvement store has yet done. People come first, and the products on their shelves are their to make every life better. They have a dream and a vision, and it is good. 'Nough said. Forget Ikea*, who wants to take a trip to Treehouse with me??

Want to help Treehouse make it big and (hopefully) one day open a store near you? Go stalk?like them on Facebook or Twitter. And make a few prank calls to their store. Okay, not that last one. But really, let's help them make it to the big time--it's about time for a store like Treehouse!

*Austin has the closest Ikea store for we San Antonians, but Treehouse is even closer!

This is not a sponsored post--I'm writing about Treehouse because I'm in love.?

Source: http://www.makermama.com/2013/04/treehouse-sustainable-home-improvement.html

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U.S. skeptical over Israeli claims on Syrian chemical weapons

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Syrian government forces have used chemical weapons - probably nerve gas - in their fight against rebels trying to force out President Bashar al-Assad, the Israeli military's top intelligence analyst said on Tuesday.

The assessment met with skepticism from the United States, which has declared any use of chemical weapons in Syria's two-year-old civil war a "red line" that could trigger intervention.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the latter "was not in a position to confirm" the briefing given by Itai Brun, a military intelligence brigadier-general, at a Tel Aviv conference.

"I don't know what the facts are," Kerry told reporters in Brussels.

Netanyahu's office declined comment on Kerry and Brun's remarks, made a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said while visiting Israel that Washington's spy agencies were still assessing whether such weapons had been employed.

"To the best of our understanding, there was use of lethal chemical weapons. Which chemical weapons? Probably sarin," Brun told Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies in the most definitive Israeli statement on the issue.

Forces loyal to Assad were behind the attacks on "armed (rebels) on a number of occasions in the past few months, including the most reported incident on March 19", Brun said.

The Syrian government and rebels last month accused each other of launching a chemical attack near the northern city of Aleppo.

Brun's comments were likely to deepen international concerns over events in Syria. Kerry said separately on Tuesday that NATO needed to consider how practically prepared it was to "respond to protect its members from a Syrian threat, including any potential chemical weapons threat".

FOAMING AT MOUTH

Speaking with a Powerpoint presentation showing what appeared to be a wounded or dead child, Brun said that foam coming out of victims' mouths and contracted pupils and "other signs" indicated deadly gas had been used.

Another Israeli military officer with knowledge of Brun's briefing said it drew on secret intelligence other than material available in the public domain.

"When an authority as senior as Brun makes such a statement in public, you can be sure it is based on solid evidence," the officer told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Ralf Trapp, an independent consultant on chemical and biological weapons arms control based in Geneva, said the symptoms described by Israeli intelligence were "consistent with sarin gas," but photographic evidence alone was not conclusive.

Asked about Brun's remarks, Pentagon spokesman George Little signaled no change in the official U.S. line: "The United States continues to assess reports of chemical weapons use in Syria. The use of such weapons would be entirely unacceptable."

On Monday, Hagel said the use of chemical weapons by Assad's forces would be a "game changer" and the United States and Israel "have options for all contingencies".

Hagel met Netanyahu on Tuesday, a day after flying in an Israeli military helicopter over the occupied Golan Heights on the edge of the fighting in Syria.

"This is a difficult and dangerous time, this is a time when friends and allies must remain close, closer than ever," Hagel, in remarks to reporters before his talks with Netanyahu, said of the United States and Israel.

MIDDLE EAST TOUR

He travelled to Jordan, home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, for talks with Prince Faisal, King Abdullah's brother, and General Mashal al-Zaben, the country's military chief, and then on to Saudi Arabia for meetings with Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, the defense minister.

Discussions between Syria and the United Nations on a U.N. investigation of possible use of chemical weapons have been at an impasse due to the Syrian government's refusal to let the inspectors visit anywhere but Aleppo, diplomats and U.N. officials said last week.

U.N. diplomats said Britain and France had provided U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office with what they believed to be strong evidence that chemical weapons also had been used in the city of Homs.

Israel, which has advanced intelligence capabilities that it shares with its Western allies, has voiced concern that parts of Syria's chemical arsenal would end up in the hands of jihadi fighters or the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, with which it waged a war in 2006.

Israeli leaders have cautioned they will not allow that to happen. In an attack it has not formally confirmed, Israeli planes bombed an arms convoy in Syria in February, destroying anti-aircraft weapons destined for Hezbollah.

(Additional reporting by Jeffrey Heller and David Alexander in Riyadh, David Brunnstrom in Brussels and Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam; Editing by Jeffrey Heller, Alison Williams and Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-general-says-syria-government-forces-used-chemical-074330220.html

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Star Trek game brings the crew, and an old enemy, back together

A screenshot from the new Star Trek video game (Paramount)

Star Trek video games have been around for so long that many cast members from the 2009 film were not even born when Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator warped into arcades in 1983.

But today?s release of Star Trek for Xbox, PlayStation and PC is the first major gaming release to feature that new cast, which surprised fans of the well-received J.J. Abrams film.

So, does the new Star Trek game deliver?

In short, yes, though not without some caveats.

As we discussed with Paramount?s Brian Miller, producer of the game, back in January, gaming titles based on movie properties can be a tough sell. And Star Trek's latest falls short in a few areas. But unlike most major licensed properties, Star Trek?s story is actually its strongest selling point, just as it was in the 2009 film.

In a clear ode to Abrams? method of storytelling, the game opens with a flash forward, showing Captain Kirk and Commander Spock fighting for their lives on a desert-like planet?and apparently under the influence of an alien technology that has turned the friends and compatriots against each other.

And yes, there are lens flares.

This is where Star Trek shines. The game picks up shortly after the events of the 2009 film and serves as a bridge between that film and the upcoming sequel, ?Star Trek Into Darkness.? But the game?s story is far more than a mere segue. Its developers clearly put in a lot of love for the Star Trek series and do an outstanding job of pushing the story forward.

James T. Kirk talks and behaves more like the classic Captain Kirk in this game. Yes, he?s still brash and reckless, but the game opens with him and Spock in a heated game of chess. That may sound strange, but it?s entirely in character with the Kirk that Star Trek fans have come to love over the years: a brilliant tactician and historian, not just a guy with a phaser gun.

See the new Star Trek launch trailer:

The strong chemistry between actors Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock) also comes through in their voice work. The entire cast from the 2009 film is back for the game, but the story was intentionally designed primarily as a cooperative experience between Kirk and Spock.

Paramount also brought in composer Michael Giacchino and a 100-piece orchestra to produce an original soundtrack for the game, which really helps immerse players in the experience.

On the surface, the story, acting and music are enough to give any die-hard Star Trek fan a positive experience with the game.

However, more serious gamers will have a few issues to gripe about. First, the game controls are a bit clunky. The game?s action-heavy levels require players to duck and cover, a technique used by many third-person shooters like Gears of War and Mass Effect. Unfortunately, the experience can be frustrating in Star Trek, with Kirk and Spock clumsily shuffling into the line of fire as you try to hide them behind cover before engaging in combat with the enemy.

The game?s graphics also feel a bit dated. While the Enterprise crew resemble their real-life counterparts (clearly, attention was paid to details), the rest of the game?s graphics feel standard at best.

And the game?s main enemies, the Gorn, look like run-of-the-mill alien monsters. These days, the Gorn from the original Star Trek series might be seen as iconic in an ironic way, but at least they were memorable. These Gorn are far more threatening and realistic?so far as any giant, sentient lizard race can be realistic?but a little more personality behind the creatures would have gone a long way.

What would have made this game a classic, rather than a solid action entry, would have been more role-playing elements. For example, how fun would it have been to send an away team down to the surface of an alien planet to interact with local populations and create a genuine sense of discovery and wonder? Answer: Very fun.

This game hints at those possibilities, but it quickly throws the player into another gunfight rather than letting him or her explore in any great detail.

Still, the action can be exhilarating. Remember the awesome skydiving scenes from the 2009 film? You get to experience that thrill in this game. And if you have a 3D TV, you?re in for a real treat. Kudos to Star Trek for including this option, which is always a sign that a game developer cared enough to go the extra mile to enhance the gamer?s experience.

At the end of the day, it feels good to be back with the crew and getting a full-fledged, standalone story.

If this were an episode of a new "Star Trek" TV show, it would be a very good one. Maybe even a classic.

Going forward, I?d absolutely buy another Star Trek game. The minor technical shortcomings and limited use of the Enterprise crew could easily be expanded in a sequel. It?s usually a good sign when a gaming experience leaves you wanting more, not less, of the world you?re exploring.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/star-trek-game-brings-crew-old-enemy-back-170748396.html

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Poverty in America: Millions of families too broke for bank accounts

Travis Dove / for NBC News

Kim James outside the Dove House, a half-way house in Durham, NC that helped her recover from poverty and addiction. James has since been able to start banking again through the Self Help Credit Union.

Sabino Fuentes-Sanchez hid $25,000 all around his house because he didn't trust banks. Lasonia Christon receives her Walmart salary on a pre-paid debit card. Kim James was homeless for most of the past decade in part because she had no place to save money.

There are plenty of reasons people still live all-cash lives, but the sheer number who do it might surprise you. At a time when the majority of Americans use online banking, and some even deposit checks using their cellphone cameras,?roughly eight percent of America's 115 million households don?t have a checking or savings account, according to census data compiled by the FDIC.?

The numbers are far higher among minorities: More than 20 percent of African-Americans and Hispanics are essentially left out of the American banking system.

Frozen in the cash-only past, they face myriad ?kick-them-while-they-are-down? situations where getting money costs money. Banks typically charge $6 to cash checks. Want to secure an apartment? Fee-based money orders are the only option. Without credit cards, they must turn to triple-digit interest rate payday loans for emergencies.

Who are the unbanked? Many are poor ? 56 percent earn less than $15,000 annually.? Some are homeless or undocumented workers, fearful of any system that might create a paper trail. But the majority of the unbanked have held checking accounts in the past, according to the FDIC, meaning their reasoning lies elsewhere. Ask them why they don't have a bank account, and one quarter will say they don't see the value in it. With savings account interest rates stuck at almost zero, that's hardly irrational.

Lasonia Christon of Jackson, Miss., tries to avoid getting paid in checks, but when her state tax refund for $231 arrived recently, she had to pay $7 to cash it at a nearby convenience store.

Christon works at Walmart. Her paychecks are deposited onto a prepaid debit card -- an improvement over old-fashioned paper paychecks, which led to high check-cashing fees. It?s hardly a good substitute for direct deposit, however. One cash withdrawal per period is free, but others cost $2. She can avoid the fee by shopping at Walmart and getting cash back at checkout.

She is among the 60 percent of unbanked American who previously had a checking account. Christon used to share one with her sister, but It cost her dearly.

"There was an overdraft here and an overdraft there, and it just didn't work out," she said.

Travis Dove / for NBC News

Kim James at the Dove House, a half-way house in Durham, NC that helped her get back on her feet after struggles with poverty and addiction.

Fuentes-Sanchez made a fairly good living working for a tree removal company in Lumber Bridge, N.C., for about 10 years. But he was skeptical of banks, and when he tried to open an account, he was surprised by the cost.

"Instead of making money, I would have to pay fees," he said, through a translator. "(So) we used to keep money in the house. We were always trying to look for ways to hide the money in the house and keep it safe."

At one time, Fuentes-Sanchez had $25,000 stashed in different places throughout the house ? his Latino community had been plagued by house burglaries because neighbors did the same. When his wife got cancer, her treatments devoured all their savings.

Down to their last $500, and before she passed away, she convinced him to open a bank account at Latino Community Credit Union, which was opened in part to help stem the burglary problem.

?She managed the money," and was disciplined enough to avoid spending it, said Fuentes-Sanchez, 37, who now raises five children alone. "(I) sometimes see something and I am tempted to buy it ... Now the money is in the bank.?

Saving -- putting money out of temptation's reach -- is the core concept of consumer banking. But the importance of participating in the financial system has stretched far beyond the quaint notion of interest, said Jennifer Tescher, CEO of the Center for Financial

Services Innovation, who is generally regarded as the person responsible for popularizing the term unbanked.

"A bank account in a way has become like a passport or a driver's license," said Tesch. "It's a kind of access device."

James, 55, has been in and out of homelessness for several years.? She now lives at a half-way house called Dove House in Durham, N.C., and figured she could never move into her own apartment unless she could stash away the money needed for a security deposit. Without a savings account, that was a challenge.

"Cash in hand is cash spent, my mother always said," she said.

Two years ago, she met Duke University student Janet Xiao, who was part of a group named the Community Empowerment Fund, which visited Dove House offering life skills training, including a class on personal finance where she nudged women to open a bank account.? James was reluctant.

"It's really demoralizing to open up an account and have it sitting in there with no money in it," Xiao said. ?I think most folks want to take one step at a time, and get a job first. Also, there is this fear of being charged fees you don't understand.?

When James got a part-time job in January, she finally took up Xiao?s offer of help.? The two set up an account with the Self-Help Credit Union on Xiao?s laptop right at the Dove House kitchen table.

"She even put the first $5 in there for me," James said. After depositing her first paycheck in person at Self-Help, Xiao said, James did a little dance.?

?Now whenever I get even $10 or $20, I go to the bank and deposit it,? James said. Within a few months, she put together enough to pay her security deposit and first?s month?s rent. As soon as she saves enough for a bed, she?ll move in.

Travis Dove / for NBC News

James has been able to start banking again through the Self Help Credit Union, and has saved enough to pay a security deposit and the first month's rent for her own apartment..

'Saving for the future'
Self-Help is part of a growing set of financial companies called Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). Supported by the U.S. Treasury Department, their mission is to help the unbanked get into the financial system.

?You make sure people are getting products and services they need,? said Mark Pinsky ,CEO of the Opportunity Finance Network, which helps fund CDFIs. ?Banks may be the best place, they may not, but we don't want to just leave them vulnerable to the predators out there.?

Christon has recently been persuaded to open an account in a different way. Her 3-year-old twins? day-care facility was recently visited by representatives of the Mississippi College Savings Account program, who helped her open a small account for the children. She then realized she needed her own savings account.

"I want to be a good role model for them, so they can learn about savings," she said.? "I know I need to be better and show them about saving for the future."

NBCLatino's Sandra Lilley contributed to this story.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2b01b7aa/l/0Linplainsight0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C220C17840A3730Epoverty0Ein0Eamerica0Emillions0Eof0Efamilies0Etoo0Ebroke0Efor0Ebank0Eaccounts0Dlite/story01.htm

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Insurer Aviva to cut 2,000 jobs worldwide: source

(Reuters) - British insurer Aviva PLC will cut as many as 2,000 jobs worldwide in the latest cost-cutting drive aimed at revitalising its flagging fortunes, a source close to the company told Reuters on Thursday.

In an internal memo obtained by Reuters, Chief Executive Mark Wilson told staff the cuts would equate to around 6 percent of Aviva Group's global workforce and reiterated a commitment to deliver more than 450 million pounds ($685.56 million) in cost savings by the end of the year.

According to Aviva's annual report, the insurer employs around 31,200 people, as of December 31.

Aviva is progressing with a root-and-branch shake up of its business after years of spiraling costs, disappointing share price performance and an investor revolt that led to the departure of former chief executive Andrew Moss in 2012.

Chairman John McFarlane sought to appease angry investors with a comprehensive strategic review last July, which called for the sale or closure of more than a dozen underperforming and non-core business units. ($1 = 0.6564 British pounds)

(Reporting By Anjuli Davies and Sinead Cruise, editing by Kirstin Ridley.)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insurer-aviva-cut-2-000-jobs-worldwide-source-112208859--sector.html

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Janelle Arthur Speaks on American Idol Elimination, Laments Loss of More Cowboy Boots

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/janelle-arthur-speaks-on-american-idol-elimination-laments-loss/

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World's oldest person celebrates his 116th birthday in Japan

KYOTO (Reuters) - The world's oldest living person, Japan's Jiroemon Kimura, celebrated his 116th birthday on Friday with congratulations from around the world and from Japan's prime minister.

Kimura was crowned the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records last December after the death of 115-year-old Dina Manfredini of Iowa in the United States.

"I truly congratulate you on your 116th birthday," Prime Minister Shenzo Abe said in a video message.

"I'm 58 years old, still a young man at only half your age. Thanks to your generation's efforts, Japan could overcome several difficult times and achieve the prosperity we enjoy today. Your healthy existence becomes our confidence and pride."

The Mayor of Kyotango City, Yasushi Nakayama, visited Kimura at his home in Kyotango, western Japan, to present him with messages from around the world.

Kimura is living with his 60-year-old granddaughter-in-law and has a three-meal-a-day diet of rice, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, according to local media.

Japan has more than 50,000 people aged 100 or more, 2011 government data showed, reinforcing its reputation for longevity.

The country also boasts the world's longest living woman, 115-year-old Misao Okawa.

(Reporting by Reuters television, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/worlds-oldest-person-celebrates-116th-birthday-japan-133313530.html

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Online nonprofit InsideClimate News wins Pulitzer

FILE - Abdullah Ahmed, 10, who suffered burns in a Syrian government airstrike and fled his home with his family, stands outside their tent at a camp for displaced Syrians in the village of Atmeh, Syria, Dec. 11, 2012. This image was one in a series of 20 by AP photographers that won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen, File)

FILE - Abdullah Ahmed, 10, who suffered burns in a Syrian government airstrike and fled his home with his family, stands outside their tent at a camp for displaced Syrians in the village of Atmeh, Syria, Dec. 11, 2012. This image was one in a series of 20 by AP photographers that won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen, File)

This undated photo provided by the Pulitzer Prize Board shows a photo by Javier Manzano of AFP, who was awarded the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography , announced in New York, Monday, April 15, 2013. The caption for the photo reads: Two rebel soldiers stand guard in the Karmel Jabl neighborhood of Aleppo as over a dozen holes made by bullets and shrapnel peppered the tin wall behind them. The dust from more than one hundred days of shelling, bombing and firefights hung thick in the air around them as they took turns guarding their machine-gun nests. (AP Photo/Javier Manzano) NO SALES

Santiago Lyon, Director of Photography and Vice President, toasts with champagne after announcing their Associated Press photographers Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra,, and Muhammed Muheisen won the the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for their work covering the Syrian civil war, Monday, April 15, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Members of the Associated Press Headquarters newsroom await the announcement of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize awardees, Monday, April 15, 2013, in New York. Associated Press photographers Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra, and Muhammed Muheisen won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for their work covering the Syrian civil war. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

This photo combo shows, from left, Associated Press photographers Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra and Muhammed Muheisen. The five photojournalists comprised The Associated Press team who won the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news photography, Monday, April 15, 2013, for its coverage of the civil war in Syria. (AP Photo)

NEW YORK (AP) ? In a sign of a rapidly changing media world, a relatively unknown New York-based online nonprofit news site joined some of the country's most well-known media outlets in claiming a Pulitzer Prize, the highest honor in journalism.

InsideClimate News won the Pulitzer Monday for national reporting for its reports on problems in the regulation of the nation's oil pipelines. Founded five years ago, InsideClimateNews reports on energy and the environment. Writers Lisa Song, Elizabeth McGowan and David Hasemyer were recognized for a project that began with an investigation into a million-gallon spill of Canadian tar sands oil into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan in 2010. The reporters went on to look more broadly at pipeline safety and the particular hazards of a form of oil called diluted bitumen, or "dilbit."

"I think it's a very hopeful sign. I think it really shows the way the journalism ethos reconfigures itself as times change," said Sig Gissler, the administrator of the prizes.

"This is a different way for journalists to practice their trade and make a contribution," McGowan said. "The fourth estate has lost a lot. This is a way we're making a gain."

The Pulitzers, journalism's highest honor, are given out each year by Columbia University on the recommendation of a board of journalists and others. Each award carries a $10,000 prize except for the public service award, which is a gold medal.

The Associated Press received the award in breaking news photography for its coverage of the civil war in Syria.

The Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., received the public service award for an investigation of off-duty police officers' reckless driving, and longtime Pulitzer powerhouses The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post were recognized for commentary and criticism, respectively.

The Star-Tribune of Minneapolis captured two awards, for local reporting and editorial cartooning.

Cheers erupted in the Denver Post's newsroom when word came that the newspaper had won the Pulitzer in the breaking news category for its coverage ? via text, social media and video ? of the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12 people during a midnight showing of a new Batman movie last summer.

The honor was bittersweet for some, and people teared up and shared hugs.

"We are part of this community. The tragedy touches us, but we have a job to do," said Kevin Dale, the Post's news director.

The New York Times' David Barstow and Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab won the investigative reporting award for stories that detailed how Wal-Mart Stores Inc. systematically bribed Mexican officials with millions of dollars to get permission to build several stores across the country. The Times' reporting spurred federal investigations.

The Times' David Barboza received the international reporting award for his look at a how a "Red Nobility," made up of relatives of top Chinese officials, has made fortunes in businesses closely tied to the government.

The Times staff won the explanatory reporting award for looking at the business practices of Apple Inc. and other technology companies and illustrating "the darker side of a changing global economy for workers and consumers," the judges said.

In the feature writing category, John Branch of the Times won for a gripping narrative of an avalanche that trapped 16 skiers and snowboarders in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state. Told through photos, video, graphics and magazine-style text, the piece was lauded in the industry as setting a new standard for multimedia journalism.

The paper's editors "view the wonderful bounty of prizes as a real tribute to the newsroom's excellence and dedication," Executive Editor Jill Abramson told the staff.

The AP's Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra and Muhammed Muheisen were recognized for "producing memorable images under extreme hazard" while covering the Syrian war, the judges wrote.

Their images depict the dazed and weeping wounded; a heartbroken man cradling the body of his bloodied, barefoot son; a sobbing, fatherless child; an 11-year-old aiming a toy rocket-propelled grenade.

AP Director of Photography Santiago Lyon called the winners "some of the bravest and most talented photographers in the world."

The same conflict was the subject of the winning entry in feature photography. Javier Manzano, a freelance photographer, won for an image of two rebel soldiers guarding their position as light streams through bullet holes in a nearby wall. The photograph was distributed by Agence France-Presse.

At the Sun Sentinel, reporters explored speeding by off-duty officers. The reporting led to suspensions, firings and police policy changes.

"It feels great to win for that story because it really changed things here for the better," Editor Howard Saltz said.

At the Star Tribune, Brad Schrade, Jeremy Olson and Glenn Howatt captured the Pulitzer for local reporting for examining a sharp rise in in infant deaths at day-care centers, reporting that spurred stronger regulation. Minnesota authorities reported last week that day care deaths have dropped significantly.

It was "really satisfying we had an impact," Schrade said.

Steve Sack, who has been at the paper for 35 years, won for editorial cartooning.

In opinion writing categories, Bret Stephens of The Wall Street Journal received the commentary award for columns on American foreign policy and domestic politics.

The Washington Post's chief art critic, Philip Kennicott, was honored for writing on the sociology of images. In one case, he focused on a picture of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hugging, calling it a portrait of a modern marriage.

The editorial writing award went to Tim Nickens and Daniel Ruth of the Tampa Bay Times for a series of editorials that helped reverse a decision to end fluoridation of the water supply in Pinellas County, home to 700,000 people. Formerly the St. Petersburg Times, the newspaper is owned by the nonprofit Poynter Institute.

Adam Johnson's "The Orphan Master's Son," about a man's travails in North Korea, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Other arts winners included Ayad Akhtar winning the drama prize for "Disgraced," a play about a successful Pakistani-American lawyer whose dinner party spins out of control amid a heated discussion of identity and religion.

The history prize went to Frederik Logevall for "Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam," about Vietnam under the French.

Tom Reiss won the biography prize for "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal and the Real Count of Monte Cristo." He learned he won the Pulitzer while visiting the dentist, who waived the usual fee.

Sharon Olds' chronicling of her divorces in her 12th poetry collection, "Stag's Leap," won her the Poetry prize. "I'm in shock," she said Monday when reached by phone, adding that she was trembling and a "little weepy.

"And my eyes are very open and sticky."

The general nonfiction Pulitzer went to Gilbert King for "Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America." The book tells the story of a 1949 case, in which four black men were falsely accused of rape, and their attorney was Thurgood Marshall.

Caroline Shaw's composition "Partita for 8 Voices" took the music prize. The 30-year-old graduate student at Princeton University is also a violinist and a vocalist.

___

Associated Press writers Jake Pearson in New York; Jim Fitzgerald in White Plains, N.Y.; Brett Zongker in Washington; Alexandra Tilsley in Denver; Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Jeff Baenen in Minneapolis; and David Fischer in Miami contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-04-16-US-Pulitzers/id-bfcec18ceb2b46cbbbb554f1ee055629

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Happy 23rd Birthday, Emma Watson!

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George W. Bush Becomes a Grandfather

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush and his wife Laura became new grandparents Saturday when their daughter, Jenna Hager, gave birth to a baby girl named Mila.

"Laura and I are thrilled to announce the birth of our grandchild, Margaret Laura 'Mila' Hager. Mila, daughter of Jenna and Henry Hager, is named for her grandmothers," Bush said in a statement. "We met our beautiful granddaughter today. Jenna and Mila are healthy. And our family is elated."

Mila, the Bush couple's first grandchild, was born at 8:43 p.m. Saturday in New York City.

The Bushes will celebrate the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas on April 25.

ABC News' Justin Weaver contributed to this report.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/george-w-bush-becomes-grandfather-204701979--abc-news-politics.html

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Farrah Abraham Tried to Find Fake Boyfriend, Star on VH1's Couples Therapy

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/farrah-abraham-tried-to-find-fake-boyfriend-star-on-vh1-s-couple/

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Techno toys all the rage | Science & Tech | News | Daily Express

Children as young as seven are ditching traditional toys for state-of-the-art gadgets, shows research.

Experts say it reflects a major change in the way they develop an ability to absorb modern technology much younger.

The research by Littlewoods.com also reveals that by nine children are totally comfortable using computers.

Spokesman Gary Kibble said: "It's the first generation of children for whom playing with a computer feels just as natural as playing with dolls or marbles.

"Children like to imitate the adult world and, since most of our lives are now dominated by technology, children are choosing the toys to match."

The change has happened over 10 years. But the biggest rise in sales of gadgets to young children has taken place in the past two years.

Source: http://www.express.co.uk/news/science-technology/391595/Techno-toys-all-the-rage

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Despite tension, NKorea lets in tourists, athletes

South Korean members of the Abductees Family Association with their national flags hold an anti-North Korea rally in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, April 14, 2013. As the world watches to see what North Korea's next move will be in a high-stakes game of brinksmanship with the United States, residents of its capital aren't hunkering down in bunkers and preparing for the worst. Instead, they are out on the streets en masse getting ready for the birthday of national founder Kim Il Sung - the biggest holiday of the year. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

South Korean members of the Abductees Family Association with their national flags hold an anti-North Korea rally in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, April 14, 2013. As the world watches to see what North Korea's next move will be in a high-stakes game of brinksmanship with the United States, residents of its capital aren't hunkering down in bunkers and preparing for the worst. Instead, they are out on the streets en masse getting ready for the birthday of national founder Kim Il Sung - the biggest holiday of the year. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

South Korean members of the Abductees Family Association attend an anti-North Korea rally in Seoul, South Korea Sunday, April 14, 2013. As the world watches to see what North Korea's next move will be in a high-stakes game of brinksmanship with the United States, residents of its capital aren't hunkering down in bunkers and preparing for the worst. Instead, they are out on the streets en masse getting ready for the birthday of national founder Kim Il Sung - the biggest holiday of the year. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Runners rest inside Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea on Sunday, April 14, 2013. North Korea hosted the 26th Mangyongdae Prize Marathon to mark the upcoming April 15, 2013 birthday of the late leader Kim Il Sung. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Visitors buy the North Korean goods at the Imjingak Pavilion near the border village of Panmunjom, which separates the two Koreas, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, April 14, 2013. As the world watches to see what North Korea's next move will be in a high-stakes game of brinksmanship with the United States, residents of its capital aren't hunkering down in bunkers and preparing for the worst. Instead, they are out on the streets en masse getting ready for the birthday of national founder Kim Il Sung ? the biggest holiday of the year. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

North Korea's town Kaepoong is viewed from the unification observation post near the border village of Panmunjom, that separates the two Koreas, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, April 14, 2013. As the world watches to see what North Korea's next move will be in a high-stakes game of brinksmanship with the United States, residents of its capital aren't hunkering down in bunkers and preparing for the worst. Instead, they are out on the streets en masse getting ready for the birthday of national founder Kim Il Sung ? the biggest holiday of the year. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? Despite North Korea's warnings that the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula is so high it cannot guarantee the safety of foreign residents, it literally trotted out athletes from around the world on Sunday for a marathon through the streets of its capital ? suggesting its concerns of an imminent military crisis might not be as dire as its official pronouncements proclaim.

As it prepares to celebrate its most important holiday of the year, the birthday of national founder Kim Il Sung on Monday, the mixed message ? threats of a "thermonuclear war" while showcasing foreign athletes and even encouraging tourism ? was particularly striking on Sunday.

Pyongyang crowds lined the streets to watch athletes from 16 nations compete in the 26th Mangyongdae Prize Marathon in the morning and then filled a performance hall for a gala concert featuring ethnic Korean performers brought in from China, Russia and Japan as part of a slew of a events culminating in Kim's birthday ? called the "Day of the Sun."

After racing through the capital, the foreign athletes and hundreds of North Korean runners were cheered into Kim Il Sung Stadium by tens of thousands of North Korean spectators. North Korea's official media said the marathon was larger than previous years and that enthusiasm was "high among local marathoners and their coaches as never before."

"The feeling is like, I came last year already, the situation is the same," said Taiwan's Chang Chia-che, who finished 15th.

Showing off foreign athletes and performers as part of the birthday celebrations has a propaganda value that is part of Pyongyang's motivation for highlighting the events to its public, even as it rattles its sabers to the outside world. In recent weeks, Pyongyang has said it could not vouch for the safety of foreigners, indicated embassies consider evacuation plans and urged foreigners residing in South Korea to get out as well.

But there does not appear to be much of a sense of crisis among the general population, either.

Pyongyang residents are mobilizing en masse for the events marking the birthday, rushing to tidy up streets, put new layers of paint on buildings and erect posters and banners hailing Kim, the grandfather of the country's new dynastic leader, Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang's statements are commonly marked by alarming hyperbole and it has not ordered the small number of foreigners who are here to leave. Several embassies in Pyongyang refused to comment on the suggestion they consider evacuating, referring questions back to their home countries. But there were no reports that any diplomatic missions had actually left.

Even so, its warning has heightened concerns in a region struggling to assess how seriously to take North Korea's recent torrent of angry rhetoric over ongoing U.S.-South Korea military maneuvers just across the border. Officials in South Korea, the United States and Japan say intelligence indicates that, fresh off a successful nuclear test in February, North Korea's leaders are ready to launch a new medium-range missile.

North Korea has also taken the unusual move of suspending work at the Kaesong factory complex on its side of the Demilitarized Zone, a major source of foreign currency and one of the last remaining symbols of inter-Korean rapprochement.

On Sunday, it rejected South Korea's proposal to resolve tensions through dialogue. It said it has no intension of talking with Seoul unless it abandons what it called the rival South's confrontational posture.

Secretary of State John Kerry, in the region to coordinate the response with U.S. allies and China, warned North Korea not to conduct a missile test, saying it will be an act of provocation that "will raise people's temperatures" and further isolate the country and its people.

Kerry was in Tokyo on Sunday after meeting with Chinese leaders in Beijing on Saturday. In Tokyo, Kerry and Japan's foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, opened the door to direct talks with North Korea if certain conditions are met. Kerry said the U.S. was "prepared to reach out" to North Korea, but that Pyongyang must first lower tensions and honor previous agreements.

North Korea has issued no specific warnings to ships and aircraft that a missile test is imminent, and is also continuing efforts to increase tourism.

"We haven't experienced any change," said Andrea Lee, president and CEO of Uri Tours, which specializes in bringing tourists to North Korea. "They have been encouraging us to bring in more people."

Lee said about 2,000-3,000 Western tourists visit North Korea each year and that the level is rising, though the recent tensions have sparked a significant number of cancellations. Air Koryo, North Korea's flag-carrier, announced it is planning to add more regular passenger flights to and from Beijing, another sign that Pyongyang ? while certainly not ready to throw open its doors ? wants to make it easier for tourists to put North Korea on their travel itineraries.

"I never considered canceling," said Sandra Cook, a retired economics professor from Piedmont, California, who planned her trip in November, before the tensions escalated. "I think it is a particularly interesting time to be here."

With Lee as her guide, Cook and several other Americans and Canadians toured the North Korean side of the DMZ, Kaesong and a collective farm. She said that aside from the North Korean DMZ guides' harsh portrayal of the "American imperialists'" role in the Korean War and on the peninsula today, she was surprised by the seeming calm and normalcy of what she has been allowed to see.

"The whole world is watching North Korea, and there we were yesterday peacefully strolling along the river in the sunshine. It's surreal," she said. "If you didn't know about the tensions, you would never know it. You would think everything is fine. The place feels so ordinary."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-14-Koreas-Tension/id-5b8385bf806d44a19461095461ddc8ee

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All for the Sake of a Girl

RolePlayGateway is proudly powered by obscene amounts of caffeine, duct tape, and support from people like you. It operates under a "don't like it, suggest an improvement" platform, and we gladly take suggestions for improvements or changes.

The custom-built "roleplay" system was designed and implemented by Eric Martindale as of July 2009. All attempts to replicate or otherwise emulate this system and its method of organizing roleplay are strictly prohibited without his express written and contractual permission; violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

? RolePlayGateway, LLC | with the support of LocalSense

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Russia's Putin Announces $50 Billion In New Space Spending

A Soyuz capsule touches down in Kazakhstan in September, but by 2020, Russian cosmonauts might be splashing down instead.

Pool/AFP/Getty Images

A Soyuz capsule touches down in Kazakhstan in September, but by 2020, Russian cosmonauts might be splashing down instead.

Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Moscow will spend $52 billion on its space program through 2020, including money for completion of a new launch facility on Russian soil.

The announcement came from President Vladimir Putin as he spoke to orbiting astronauts aboard the International Space Station on Cosmonaut's Day, the 52nd anniversary of the first manned space flight by Russian spacefarer Yuri Gagarin.

The total investment breaks down to about $7 billion a year, less than half of what NASA's budget has been in recent years.

Speaking via video link from the partially completed Vostochny (Eastern) cosmodrome in Russia's far east, Putin told the ISS crew that Moscow hoped to make the first launches from the facility by 2015. Currently, all of Russia's manned flights are launched from the Baikanour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

"It's going to be a great launchpad," he said. "It took a long time to choose, but now work is fully underway."

Putin said with the new cosmodrome, returning cosmonauts would most end gut-rattling hard landings in Kazakhstan and instead adopt the practice of ocean landings pioneered by the U.S. during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions of the 1960s and '70s.

"Most probably, according to specialists, they will come down on the ocean. So our cosmonauts will splash down rather than touch down," Putin said.

Putin said Russia would spend 1.6 trillion rubles ($51.8 billion) on its space program from 2013-2020, what he called a growth far greater than any other space power. He complained that Russia had fallen behind on unmanned space activities because it had focused on manned flight "to the detriment" of everything else.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/04/12/177035852/russias-putin-announces-50-billion-in-new-space-spending?ft=1&f=1007

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NASCAR could take closer look at sponsorships

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) ? NASCAR might take a closer look at how it approves sponsors after the National Rifle Association became the title sponsor of this weekend's Sprint Cup race at Texas during a national debate over gun rights.

NASCAR spokesman David Higdon said NASCAR has no official position on gun rights.

"Our fans, racing teams and industry partners come from all walks of life and thus have varying points of views and opinions," Higdon said Friday. "As a sport, we are in the business of bringing people together for entertainment, not political debate."

Sponsorships are agreements directly between track and sponsor, but NASCAR reserves the right to approve or scuttle them.

"The NRA's sponsorship of the event at Texas Motor Speedway fit within existing parameters that NASCAR affords tracks in securing partnerships," Higdon said. "However, this situation has made it clear that we need to take a closer look at our approval process moving forward, as current circumstances need to be factored in when making decisions."

Sprint Cup points leader and five-time champion Jimmie Johnson said it is "clearly a sensitive subject." He said drivers are in Texas to do their job and put on a great race.

"The title sponsorship of an event is well outside of the driver's focus or anything we have to do with," Johnson said. "I do recognize that it is a very touchy topic right now."

The NRA 500 on Saturday night comes as the U.S. Senate weighs legislation intended to reduce gun violence in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last December. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., recently called on the Fox network to not broadcast the race and questioned the Victory Lane tradition at Texas, where the winner gets a cowboy hat and can fire six-shooters loaded with blanks into the air.

The NRA also sponsored a second-tier Nationwide race last September at Atlanta, which like Texas Motor Speedway, is owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nascar-could-closer-look-sponsorships-173536633--spt.html

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Could new flu spark global flu pandemic? New bird flu strain seen adapting to mammals, humans

Apr. 12, 2013 ? A genetic analysis of the avian flu virus responsible for at least nine human deaths in China portrays a virus evolving to adapt to human cells, raising concern about its potential to spark a new global flu pandemic.

The collaborative study, conducted by a group led by Masato Tashiro of the Influenza Virus Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo, appears in the current edition (April 11, 2013) of the journal Eurosurveillance. The group examined the genetic sequences of H7N9 isolates from four of the pathogen's human victims as well as samples derived from birds and the environs of a Shanghai market.

"The human isolates, but not the avian and environmental ones, have a protein mutation that allows for efficient growth in human cells and that also allows them to grow at a temperature that corresponds to the upper respiratory tract of humans, which is lower than you find in birds," says Kawaoka, a leading expert on avian influenza.

The findings, drawn from genetic sequences deposited by Chinese researchers into an international database, provide some of the first molecular clues about a worrisome new strain of bird flu, the first human cases of which were reported on March 31 by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, the new virus has sickened at least 33 people, killing nine. Although it is too early to predict its potential to cause a pandemic, signs that the virus is adapting to mammalian and, in particular, human hosts are unmistakable, says Kawaoka.

Access to the genetic information in the viruses, he adds, is necessary for understanding how the virus is evolving and for developing a candidate vaccine to prevent infection.

Influenza virus depends on its ability to attach to and commandeer the living cells of its host to replicate and spread efficiently. Avian influenza rarely infects humans, but can sometimes adapt to people, posing a significant risk to human health.

"These viruses possess several characteristic features of mammalian influenza viruses, which likely contribute to their ability to infect humans and raise concerns regarding their pandemic potential," Kawaoka and his colleagues conclude in the Eurosurveillance report.

Kawaoka, a faculty member in the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine who also holds a faculty appointment at the University of Tokyo, explains that the majority of the viruses in the study -- from both humans and birds -- display mutations in the surface protein hemagglutinin, which the pathogen uses to bind to host cells. Those mutations, according to Kawaoka, allowed them to easily infect human cells.

In addition, the isolates from patients contained another mutation that allows the virus to efficiently replicate inside human cells. The same mutation, Kawaoka notes, lets the avian virus thrive in the cooler temperatures of the human upper respiratory system. It is in the cells of the nose and throat that flu typically gains a hold in a mammalian or human host.

Kawaoka and his colleagues also assessed the response of the new strain to drugs used to treat influenza, discovering that one class of commonly used antiviral drugs, ion channel inhibitors which effectively bottle up the virus in the cell, would not be effective; the new strain could be treated with another clinically relevant antiviral drug, oseltamivir.

In addition to Kawaoka and Tashiro, co-authors of the Eurosurveillance report include Tsutomu Kageyama, Seiichiro Fujisaki, Emi Takashita, Hong Xu, Shinya Yamada, Yuko Uchida, Gabriele Neumann and Takehiko Saito. The work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Pandemic Influenza Research and Grant-in-Aid for Specially Promoted Research from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan; by the NIAID Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis (CRIP, HHSN266200700010C); by a Grant-in-Aid for Specially Promoted Research, by the Japan Initiative for Global Research Network on Infectious Diseases from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan; and by ERATO, Japan.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Wisconsin-Madison. The original article was written by Terry Devitt.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Kageyama T, Fujisaki S, Takashita E, Xu H, Yamada S, Uchida Y, Neumann G, Saito T, Kawaoka Y, Tashiro M. Genetic analysis of novel avian A(H7N9) influenza viruses isolated from patients in China, February to April 2013. Eurosurveillance, 2013; [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/6D3PTlyJgDU/130412192402.htm

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