Android-based gaming console OUYA will start shipping to ...

OUYA, the Android-based gaming console that was successfully funded through an $8.5 million Kickstarter campaign, will start shipping to backers on March 28.

The company behind the console, which shares the same name, has revealed on its website that all of the parts needed for the system are now in the factory and the assembly lines are ?buzzing.?

There are 63,416 backers to get through, but OUYA says it?s still on track to launch the console to the wider public in June. For this, OUYA has already announced a number of significant retail partnerships with Best Buy, Amazon, Target, and GameStop.

The company has warned that up until the official launch, they?ll be adding new features, tweaking the user experience and adding new games. That might just mean that the team is keen to improve the console as much as possible before it hits brick-and-mortar stores, but a reality could be that the team is up against it to release a finished product.

OUYA has created a significant amount of hype in part because of its open approach to video game development and distribution. The console is completely hackable, for example, and the company has in fact gone on the record to encourage modders to adopt the system.

Built on Android, the marketplace will also force every title to have at least some of the content available for free ? be it a demo, free-to-play model or ?lite? version.

It?s also incredibly inexpensive and is expected to sell for about $100 ? with additional touch controllers costing an extra $50.

Source: http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2013/02/28/ouya-will-start-shipping-to-kickstarter-backers-on-march-28/

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Beware of Google Glass re-sellers, especially those asking for $15K on eBay

Rosa Golijan , NBC News ? ? ? 1 hr.

Google Glass, the wearable camera/display combo that has everyone excited, isn't available for sale just yet ? but that's not stopping at least one eBay user from auctioning off a device he or she can't even hand over to you.

"I've been selected as an early adapter [sic] for Google's upcoming release," an auction listing read on Wednesday, "you are buying a brand new unopened pair of Google's Project Glass glasses." The seller references Google's #ifihadglass application process, the only way for folks to enter the company's Google Glass Explorer program if they hadn't pre-ordered a device during the Google I/O 2012 conference last June, and explains that he'll be able to pick up the shiny new gadget thanks to his application being among the 8,000 chosen ones.

And that's where one of the many issues with the auction listing begin.

You see, Google won't be notifying the individuals selected as part of the #ifihadglass application process until mid- to late March, meaning that the seller couldn't possibly know that he or she will be eligible to purchase one of the very first publicly available Glass units for $1,500. Additionally, the #ifihadglass terms strictly forbid those who are invited to purchase Glass from transferring their invitations. You can bet that the terms of purchase will include similar stipulations.

"So what if it's against Google's rules? Like anyone will ever find out," you might say. But the reality is that Google Glass will, like most mobile Android devices, be associated with a Google account. Meaning that it shouldn't be difficult for the company to catch on if a member of the Glass Explorer program decides to hand his or her gadget to someone else.

As far as the auction initially mentioned goes, there are plenty of other things that make it scream "Scam!" and make me worry for the person who bid $15,900 on it. Like the fact that the seller's previous auctions include a "mason jar with trapped human soul."

Unsurprisingly, the auction disappeared from eBay before it ran its course.

Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/beware-google-glass-re-sellers-especially-those-asking-15-000-1C8594690

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Guitarist Dan Toler of Allman Brothers Band dies in Florida

(Reuters) - Guitarist Dan Toler, who played in the Allman Brothers Band in the late 1970s and 1980s, has died of Lou Gehrig's disease at his home in Sarasota, Florida, his manager said.

Toler died on Monday and was in his early 60s, the manager, Glen Halverson, said.

Toler and his late brother, drummer David "Frankie" Toler, played in several groups, including Dickey Betts & Great Southern.

Dan Toler was part of the Allman Brothers Band from 1979 to 1982 and was featured on the group's albums "Enlightened Rogues," "Reach for the Sky" and "Brothers of the Road."

"His ability to make people laugh and feel good and happy was amazing," the Sarasota Herald Tribune quoted his friend and former bandmate Chaz Trippy as saying. "That smile of his is just a force of life and, God, how he loved playing that guitar."

Toler announced in 2011 that he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative nerve diseased better known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Funeral arrangements were pending, Halverson said.

(Reporting by Jane Sutton; Editing by Martin Golan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/guitarist-dan-toler-allman-brothers-band-dies-florida-223921429.html

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RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Twilight Ends and The Master Mesmerizes

News ? Columns ? RT On DVD ? RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Twilight Ends and The Master Mesmerizes

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Also, an inscrutable Certified Fresh gem and an Oscar-nominated documentary.

This week on home video, we've only got five major releases to talk about in detail, but they certainly run the gamut. From angsty (and ridiculously popular) teen vampires to thrill-seeking surfers, from an exploration of cult dynamics to a cinematic dream, and including a doc with that rare 100% Tomatometer, we think you'll be hard pressed not to find something to watch this week. See below for the full list!

Also available this week:

• Two Criterion Collection titles today: A Blu-ray of Kenji Mizoguchi's 1954 masterpiece Sansho the Bailiff (100%) sees a release, and Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin's influential 1961 documentary film Chronicle of a Summer is newly available on both DVD and Blu-ray.
• Girls Against Boys (13%), a combination revenge flick/obsession story starring Danielle Panabaker and Nicole LaLiberte.

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Tom Hardy, Solar Pictures developing project about post-traumatic stress disorder

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Tom Hardy wants to play a British soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder in "Samarkand," a project the actor is developing with Solar Pictures and Greg and Olly Williams, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

The Williams brothers have written a draft of the screenplay, which revolves around a young Special Air Service soldier returning from duty in the Middle East. He struggles to acclimate to regular society after this service, a condition afflicting innumerable soldiers and an issue that has faced heightened scrutiny over the past few decades.

Photographer Greg Williams, who directed Hardy in his short "Sergeant Slaughter - My Big Brother," will direct "Samarkand." He began his career as a war photographer and has since worked for magazines including GQ and Esquire, shot campaigns for films like "Casino Royale" and "The Bourne Ultimatum" and done portraits of a litany of celebrities.

Solar Pictures is the film financing and production arm of Bobby Paunescu and Jared Underwood's Solar Entertainment Group.

There is no exact timetable on the project, but Hardy recently finished "Mad Max: Fury Road," and will next film "Animal Rescue" for Fox Searchlight. He is also attached to star in Doug Liman's "Everest," Daniel Epinosa's "Child 44" and Steven Knight's "Locke."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tom-hardy-solar-pictures-developing-project-post-traumatic-214337017.html

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PFT: Is Te'o gay? Teams want to know? |? Florio

AP

If you watch offensive lineman Garrett Gilkey working out at the Scouting Combine, you?d never believe he ever got bullied: He?s 6-foot-6 and 318 pounds and bench presses 225 pounds 28 times. But Gilkey says there was a time when he was a scrawny kid who didn?t belong on the football field ? and it was a former NFL player who helped him turn it all around.

Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange has a good profile of Gilkey, who is starting to draw attention from NFL teams after playing at a small school, Chadron State College. Gilkey got there after having a tough time at his first high school, then blossoming after transferring to a different high school ? which just happened to have a football team coached by former Bills receiver Don Beebe.

?I was undersized and I was actually bullied and ostracized by my entire school,? Gilkey said. ?Going into my freshman year, I had a heart operation ? very simple, but it prevented me from playing in any sports and doing anything. So, I excelled academically. With that, some of the guys ? especially on the football team and the upper cliques ? distanced [themselves] from me because I wasn?t able to do the running in the summer and the workouts. . . . I was constantly bullied, constantly picked on. It was a very hard year. Really, I like to tell people that I was just the little redheaded, gingery, skinny-looking [kid]. I was pear-shaped. I had these wide hips and this skinny-looking upper body. I was just a prime target for many of the cruel kids.?

But transferring and working both with Don Beebe and his brother, Dave Beebe, made Gilkey realize he had a passion for football. It also helped that a growth spurt had him up to 240 pounds. By his senior year he was good enough that small colleges wanted him, and Dave Beebe told him he?d eventually be good enough to play in the NFL.

Now Gilkey is showing that his high school coaches had a reason to believe in him, and he says he wants to use his status as a pro athlete to reach out to bullied kids.

?I?m starting an anti-bullying campaign,? Gilkey said. ?I have such a great opportunity to be proactive and be encouraging and be a strong force within the community of the west suburbs of Chicago. I plan on being proactive with schools and junior highs and YMCAs, and talking about bullying. I think I have a great position, being my size, and standing up and talking about my experience being bullied, being ostracized and being made fun of. People see me now and think, ?How could this person ever be bullied?? I have a great voice and great platform to share those experiences and share my faith, as well.?

Gilkey is viewed as a likely late-round pick. It remains to be seen whether he can make the transition from Chadron State to the NFL, but the team that drafts him will be getting an impressive young man.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/24/sexuality-remains-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-teo/related/

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What Are Animals Thinking?

A two-week-old Chimpanzee in West Java.

Photo by Supri/Reuters

The first chimpanzee I ever met was a young male, Frodo, who was making his way up the chimp social ladder. It was 1987, and I had traveled to Tanzania to meet Jane Goodall at her study site while researching my first book, Ancestral Passions. Frodo?s tactic for gaining status, as is the case with all young, ambitious chimpanzee males, was to beat up those who were weaker than him?primarily females. He and a buddy came scuttling down the trail that I was hiking with David Gilagiza, one of Goodall?s research assistants. As they raced past us, Frodo slapped me, hard, on my legs. I tell the full story in my new book, Animal Wise, but suffice it to say I was surprised?even more so when Gilagiza explained that Frodo?s behavior was part of his strategy to become the top chimpanzee. Frodo had already beaten up most of the female chimpanzees, Gilagiza said, and had recently started clobbering the female researchers; he?d even slapped Goodall.

I hoped, of course, never to see Frodo again. But I couldn?t stop puzzling over his behavior. Goodall and Frans de Waal had written about chimpanzees? political machinations, observations which ran counter to the idea that animals were simple stimulus-response machines, as most animal behaviorists then believed. But I?d never expected to actually encounter a thinking chimpanzee?let alone one who decided to use me as a prop in his political schemes. Later, I watched a young female chimpanzee, with Goodall?s assistance, deceive one of her elders. At the feeding station, where researchers occasionally dispense bananas to the chimps, Goodall had given an armful of the treats to Beethoven, a senior male who was caring for an orphan named Dilly. His generosity did not extend to sharing bananas, and despite Dilly?s soft food whimpers, Beethoven ate them all. Soon he fell asleep, snoring as Dilly groomed him. That?s when Goodall, who was still at the feeding station window, held up a single banana. It was as if a signal passed between her and Dilly. Dilly did not utter a food cry, as chimpanzees normally do, but simply watched as Goodall placed the banana outside on the ground. Then Dilly quietly made her way to the fruit, downed it in three bites, and just as quietly returned to the snoring Beethoven. I thought that Goodall would certainly write a paper about Dilly?s behavior and was incredulous when she told me that she could not. The ability to plan and deceive was something that humans did. Goodall could only write about the young chimp?s actions if she used indirect expressions: ?The young chimpanzee behaved as if she were deceiving him,? or ?If she were human, we would say that she was deceiving him.? This was how she circumvented the problem of discussing the chimpanzees? emotions, motivations, personalities, etc.

?About a year later, my husband and I got our first dog, a mixed collie we named Quincie. She loved to carry in her mouth things that she found. On our daily hikes, she always chose a pinecone at the beginning of the trail and marched along with it. One day when she was about six months old, she dropped her pinecone over the edge of a steep trail, and watched intently as it rolled down the hill. As it picked up speed, the expression on her face changed from lovey-Quincie to wolfy-Quincie. She raced after that cone as if chasing a rabbit. I remember being surprised and saying to my husband, ?She has an imagination!? And then puzzling over why I was surprised about that. After all, like every dog I?ve known, she also played games with us in which she pretended to be a mean dog, barking loudly while simultaneously wagging her tail.

In spite of being a science writer with access to many top-flight researchers, I never felt comfortable bringing up my story about Quincie?s imagination. I thought experts would scoff or laugh at me for being soft and sentimental or quickly change the subject. I perceived a bias at the time that animals did not have minds and weren?t capable of thinking or feeling emotions, especially positive ones such as love.

Animal Wise by Virginia Morell.

Courtesy of Crown Publishers/Amazon

But that bias was beginning to change. More researchers were adopting an evolutionary approach to understanding human and animal cognition. In Ancestral Passions, which is a biography about the Leakey family, I discussed the physical evolution of humans. But what about our mental and emotional evolution? You can get some clues to this from changes in the stone tool record and early art. The best evidence, though, comes from studying the cognitive abilities of other animals, as Charles Darwin first suggested. In The Descent of Man, Darwin argued that animals and humans differ in their mental abilities only in degree, not kind. He was certain that animals would share some of our talents for reason, memory, and language, and would even possess an aesthetic sense. Because all of these talents are tied to our biology, Darwin said that they had not appeared out of nowhere; that they are just as much the products of evolution by natural selection as are our bipedal stance and large brain. By studying other species, as comparative psychologists and ethologists do, we may in time be able to trace the biological roots and evolutionary history of our abilities to think, use language, and feel emotions.

In the years since my visit with Goodall, the field of animal cognition research has shifted and now embraces the Darwinian approach. Scientists no longer ask, ?Do animals think?? Instead, they want to know, ?How do animals think?? In Animal Wise, I introduce readers to some of the scientists who are asking this once-forbidden question of a wide range of creatures, from ants to birds and rats, and from elephants to dolphins, dogs, and wolves. Through experiments and close observations, researchers have discovered that at least one species of ant engages in a form of teaching; parrots likely give names to their chicks (a finding which opens the door to the possibility that they are having some form of conversations); moths remember that they were caterpillars; whales and cows have regional accents; rats dream and laugh; cheetahs may die from being heartbroken; and cats can get their owners to jump to their feet and feed them by crying like a human infant. And, yes, I have shared my story about Quincie?s imagination with several of these researchers. They didn?t scoff or laugh, or change the subject. The bigger puzzle, one told me, was figuring out how to devise an experiment that would show that a dog can invent a game.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=f82bc5db0c2a00d95e1acfdc9ec25848

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Ultrasound reveals autism risk at birth

Monday, February 25, 2013

Low-birth-weight babies with a particular brain abnormality are at greater risk for autism, according to a new study that could provide doctors a signpost for early detection of the still poorly understood disorder.

Led by Michigan State University, the study found that low-birth-weight newborns were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with autism later in life if an ultrasound taken just after birth showed they had enlarged ventricles, cavities in the brain that store spinal fluid. The results appear in the Journal of Pediatrics.

"For many years there's been a lot of controversy about whether vaccinations or environmental factors influence the development of autism, and there's always the question of at what age a child begins to develop the disorder," said lead author Tammy Movsas, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at MSU and medical director of the Midland County Department of Public Health.

"What this study shows us is that an ultrasound scan within the first few days of life may already be able to detect brain abnormalities that indicate a higher risk of developing autism."

Movsas and colleagues reached that conclusion by analyzing data from a cohort of 1,105 low-birth-weight infants born in the mid-1980s. The babies had cranial ultrasounds just after birth so the researchers could look for relationships between brain abnormalities in infancy and health disorders that showed up later. Participants also were screened for autism when they were 16 years old, and a subset of them had a more rigorous test at 21, which turned up 14 positive diagnoses.

Ventricular enlargement is found more often in premature babies and may indicate loss of a type of brain tissue called white matter.

"This study suggests further research is needed to better understand what it is about loss of white matter that interferes with the neurological processes that determine autism," said co-author Nigel Paneth, an MSU epidemiologist who helped organize the cohort. "This is an important clue to the underlying brain issues in autism."

Prior studies have shown an increased rate of autism in low-birth-weight and premature babies, and earlier research by Movsas and Paneth found a modest increase in symptoms among autistic children born early or late.

###

Michigan State University: http://www.newsroom.msu.edu

Thanks to Michigan State University for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127003/Ultrasound_reveals_autism_risk_at_birth

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Can escape clause save voting rights provision? (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287032175?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Intersect ENT Lands $30M From Norwest, Kleiner, USVP & More For Its Innovative Sinus Drug & Device Combo

In August 2011, Intersect won approval from the FDA for Propel, which, simply put, is a stent that doctors implant in the sinuses after surgery to help keep them open. The cool part is that, over time, the stent absorbs into the patient's body post-surgery (so that follow-up surgery isn't required), slowly releasing a steroid to help control local inflammation, according to Medgadget. In the fall of last year, the company won approval again for the Propel Mini, a miniaturized version of its flagship product designed for "less extensive surgeries," Medgadget says.

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

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Oil prices recover

Oil prices have recovered slightly, after two days of losses stoked by concerns that prices had outrun weak growth in demand.

New York's main contract, WTI crude for April, gained 29 cents to $US93.13 a barrel on Friday.

In London, Brent North Sea crude for April delivery finished at $114.10 a barrel up 57 cents from Thursday.

The modest rebound came after New York prices fell more that $4.50 a barrel over the past two days.

"We had a dramatic selloff this week and we are just seeing some short-covering, some profit-taking," said John Kilduff of Again Capital, adding that $93 "seems to be the new support level."

Jason Hughes, head of premium client management at IG Markets in Singapore, said it was "possible that we do have the bargain hunters looking to pick up oil at these levels".

Traders brushed off more data showing a prolonged recession in the eurozone, getting instead encouragement from a rise in German business confidence, said analysts.

"With the equity markets focused more on German business confidence than downward revisions to eurozone economic forecasts, the petroleum markets are seeing at least a limited bounce after the Wednesday-Thursday drop," said Tim Evans at Citi Futures.

"The height of the bounce - whether today or into next week - will provide an indication of whether oil market bullish sentiment is resilient or whether further urgent long liquidation is on tap."

Source: http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8615810

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White House directs open access for government research

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has moved to make the results of federally funded research available to the public for free within a year, bowing to public pressure for unfettered access to scholarly articles and other materials produced at taxpayers' expense.

"Americans should have easy access to the results of research they help support," John Holdren, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, wrote on the White House website.

An online petition on the White House website demanding free access over the Internet to scientific journal articles arising from taxpayer-funded research drew 65,704 signatures.

The directive comes amid a changing landscape for publishing and the availability of information due to the Internet.

Scientists have long published the results of their work in scholarly journals, and many such publications have warned that open access would destroy them and the function they provide the scientific community.

The White House move also came some six weeks after the suicide of Internet openness activist Aaron Swartz, who was renowned for making a trove of information freely available to the public.

Swartz ran into trouble in 2011 when he was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to allegedly stealing millions of academic articles and journals from a digital archive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The activist, who pleaded not guilty to all counts, faced a lengthy prison sentence and a hefty fine if convicted in a trial that was set for later this year.

Swartz's family and supporters blamed prosecutors for overreaching in his case, and his suicide drew attention to questions about the 1984 U.S. computer fraud law, much of which was written before the Internet.

Holdren said the decision to provide greater access took the concerns of scientific journals into account.

"We wanted to strike the balance between the extraordinary public benefit of increasing public access to the results of federally-funded scientific research and the need to ensure that the valuable contributions that the scientific publishing industry provides are not lost," he said.

Federal agencies are permitted a 12-month embargo time before offering access and can petition for a longer lag.

The openness directive applies to those agencies with more than $100 million in research and development expenditures. Agencies must develop plans to open data to the public within six months, and those plans will be vetted by the White House.

An industry group said the White House approach is a "reasonable, balanced" solution because it recognizes the value of publishers.

"The OSTP takes a fair path that would enhance access for the public, acknowledge differences among agencies and scientific disciplines and recognize the critical role publishers play in vetting, producing, establishing and preserving the integrity of scientific works," Tom Allen, chief executive of the Association of American Publishers, said in a statement.

But critics of the new policy said its value to the public and to scientists is undercut by the 12-month embargo.

"We are working on the cutting edge of the science. I want to read a new paper NOW, not in 1 year," Vittorio Saggiomo, a chemist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, wrote in an online chat about the announcement.

(Reporting By Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-directs-open-access-government-research-032324158.html

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U.S. Gulf Coast oil spillers about to face day in court

24 Feb

Author: ?| ?Category: green news

(Reuters) - Nearly three years after a deepwater well rupture killed 11 men, sank a rig and spewed 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, BP and the other companies involved are scheduled to face their judge in court.

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Source: http://currentsavers.com/blog/2013/02/24/us-gulf-coast-oil-spillers-about-to-face-day-in-court-7/

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Article: India's rice revolution: Chinese scientist questions claim of massive harvests

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

Source: http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2013/02/article-india-rice-revolution-chinese.html

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Jennifer Lawrence, 'Silver Linings' Win Big At 2013 Indie Spirits

The 'Silver Linings Playbook' star's win was one of four awards the dramedy took home a day before the Oscars.
By MTV News Staff

Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russel at the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards
Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702495/independent-spirit-awards-2013-winners.jhtml

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Framebench Is A Google Docs For Creative Collaboration

Framebench is a newly launched platform for creative collaboration, specifically aimed at those working in digital agencies and other creative design firms. There are a number of tools already available serving this industry (here's a big list, for example), but Framebench's focus on real-time communication, collaboration and sync gives it an edge.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gL2X2ZTg7Co/

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Top Catholic cleric says priests should be allowed to marry

LONDON (AP) ? Roman Catholic priests should be allowed to marry and have children, Britain's most senior Catholic cleric said Friday.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who heads the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, said the requirement for priestly celibacy is "not of divine origin" and could be reconsidered.

He told BBC Scotland that "the celibacy of the clergy, whether priests should marry ? Jesus didn't say that."

He said that "many priests have found it very difficult to cope with celibacy," and while he had never considered marriage himself, "I would be very happy if others had the opportunity of considering whether or not they could or should get married."

O'Brien, 74, will form part of the conclave of cardinals that chooses the next pontiff, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

Benedict announced earlier this month that he will step down Feb. 28 ? the first pope to resign in almost 600 years.

The cardinal said that the next pope would be free to consider changing church policy on issues, such as celibacy for priests, that were not "basic dogmatic beliefs."

He said that "we know at the present time in some branches of the church ? in some branches of the Catholic church ? priests can get married, so that is obviously not of divine origin and it could get discussed again."

In recent years a number of traditionalist Anglicans opposed to the ordination of women and other changes have joined the Roman Catholic Church. The pope granted special dispensation for married Anglican clergy to stay married and be ordained in the Catholic Church.

O'Brien also said it was time to think seriously about having a pope from outside Europe.

He said he would be "open to a pope from anywhere if I thought it was the right man, whether it was Europe or Asia or Africa or wherever."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cardinal-married-catholic-priests-possibility-172115510.html

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"Zero Dark Thirty": too cool, or too controversial for Oscars?

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Just three months ago, "Zero Dark Thirty" looked like a strong contender for the movie industry's biggest prize.

But when the Oscar for Best Picture is handed out on Sunday, the thriller about the decade-long U.S. hunt for, and 2011 killing of, Osama bin Laden is unlikely to get its name engraved on the coveted gold statuette.

After a fierce campaign over the movie's depiction of torture that started in Washington and extended to human rights groups, "Zero Dark Thirty" went from front-runner to also-ran at the Academy Awards.

Despite winning early honors from influential critics in New York, Washington, Boston and Chicago, pundits say the failure of "Zero Dark Thirty" to win traction in Hollywood may have as much to do with its style as the heated debate it has provoked.

"It's a little cool," said Dave Karger, chief correspondent for Fandango.com.

"Usually you need some kind of crowd-pleasing element to have a shot at winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and that is what (Iran hostage drama) 'Argo' has. It has a great rousing emotional aspect to it which 'Zero Dark Thirty,' by design, does not have," Karger told Reuters.

'GROSSLY INACCURATE'?

Early signs of trouble for "Zero Dark Thirty" came in mid-December when U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein, John McCain and Carl Levin sent a letter to movie studio Sony Pictures.

They called the film "grossly inaccurate and misleading" for suggesting torture helped the United States track the al Qaeda leader to a Pakistan compound.

The senators cited intelligence records released in April 2012 that showed this was not the case and said the movie "has the potential to shape American public opinion in a disturbing and misleading manner."

Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal said repeatedly that the film shows a variety of intelligence methods, not all of which produced results.

Three weeks later, Bigelow was omitted from the Oscar's Best Director shortlist, chosen by about 5,800 movie industry professionals who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Bigelow was only one of four big directors to be snubbed, and "Zero Dark Thirty" received five Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. But Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan was among those who pointed the finger at Washington.

"Chalk up this year's (Oscar) nominations as a victory for the bullying power of the United States Senate and an undeserved loss for Kathryn Bigelow," Turan wrote in January.

In a column in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, deputy editor Daniel Henninger agreed.

"Had Senators Feinstein, Levin and McCain not saddled up their high horses in a December 19 letter to Sony Pictures denouncing the movie, 'Zero Dark Thirty' would not now be out of the running for Best Picture at the Oscars," Henninger wrote.

Pete Hammond, awards columnist at entertainment industry website Deadline.com, said the political attacks on the film certainly had an impact before "Zero Dark Thirty" was released in U.S. movie theaters nationwide in late January.

"But when it opened wide, it actually helped by bringing so much publicity, and now there has been a backlash against the backlash," Hammond told Reuters.

FIGHTING BACK

By late January, Bigelow and Boal were making speeches, getting magazine profiles, and writing opinion pieces in which they directed critics to the U.S. officials who sanctioned, or turned a blind eye, to harsh interrogation techniques.

Victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks ordered by bin Laden voiced their support, as did departing U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who called it a "great movie."

Steve Elzer, spokesman for Columbia Pictures, the Sony Pictures unit behind the film, said the studio was very proud of the movie, saying it had generated "an amazing national conversation."

"'Zero Dark Thirty' has been a huge critical and commercial success that has also been praised by a large number of experts, historians and academics outside of the political arena.

"No matter how we do at the Oscars on Sunday, we know this will be a motion picture that will be remembered many years from now. We couldn't be more proud to have been associated with this film," Elzer told Reuters.

Despite the furor and small protests by human rights activists at some awards ceremonies, "Zero Dark Thirty" has won stellar reviews and reaped more than $100 million at the worldwide box office, most of it in North America.

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 94 percent positive rating. Oscar Best Picture favorites "Lincoln" and "Argo" score 89 percent and 96 percent respectively.

Yet "Zero Dark Thirty" has picked up just one major prize in the Hollywood guild awards for directors, actors, producers and writers that are considered a predictor of Oscar success.

Boal won the Writers Guild of America trophy for Best Original Screenplay last weekend, and is a strong contender for the Oscar in that category on Sunday.

Jessica Chastain is thought to have a good chance at taking home the Best Actress prize for her performance as the feisty young CIA agent credited with tracking down bin Laden in the face of skepticism from her bosses.

"Jessica Chastain is a good place to put your 'Zero Dark Thirty' vote if you are wounded by the backlash against the film and want to express your support some place," said Tom O'Neil, of awards website Goldderby.com.

However, the film, which is being promoted as the "most-talked about movie of the year," is seen as a long shot.

"Controversial movies suffer with Academy voters. I think 'Zero Dark Thirty' will have a tough time winning Best Picture because I think the Academy is going to go with less controversial choices," Rotten Tomatoes editor in chief Matt Atchity said.

(Editing by Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zero-dark-thirty-too-cool-too-controversial-oscars-130859160--finance.html

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Jury orders Dow Chemical to pay $400 million in price-fixing case

(Reuters) - A federal jury has ordered Dow Chemical Co to pay $400 million in a price-fixing case involving chemicals used to make foam products in cars, furniture and packaging, according to court documents.

Dow was one of several chemical company defendants named in a class action lawsuit alleging a conspiracy to fix urethane chemical prices, but it was the only defendant not to settle.

Last month, it went to trial in a federal court in Kansas City.

The plaintiffs, purchasers of urethane chemicals, had sought more than $1 billion in damages from Dow.

If the $400 million verdict is approved by the judge overseeing the case, it could be tripled under federal antitrust law.

David Bernick, an attorney for Dow, said that the company would seek to dismiss the lawsuit in a post-trial motion.

Separately, Dow said in a statement late on Wednesday that it was disappointed the jury found price fixing conduct during part of the time frame at issue, and that it continues to deny those allegations.

The plaintiffs had sought damages for a five-year conspiracy, but the jury did not find Dow liable for the full five years, he said.

"We think it's very clear that the jury rejected the five-year class conspiracy claim and there was no other claim," Bernick said.

Joe Goldberg, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said he was pleased with the verdict.

"The people of Kansas administered justice, consistent with the evidence," Goldberg said.

Other defendants in the case have settled. In 2006 Bayer AG agreed to pay $55 million. In 2011 Huntsman International LLC agreed to pay $33 million and BASF Corp agreed to pay $51 million. In settling, none of the companies admitted any wrongdoing.

The case is In Re Urethane Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, 04-md-01616.

(Reporting by Andrew Longstreth, additional reporting by Erin Geiger Smith both in New York and Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Carol Bishopric and Daniel Magnowski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jury-orders-dow-chemical-pay-400-million-price-002338544--finance.html

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The Daily Roundup for 02.21.2013

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/T8vcA7O9NtM/

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Mental Health - Eating Disorder Awareness Week: Award ...

Eating Disorder Awareness Week: Award Ceremonies Trigger Insecurities 5 5 2

Design Pics/PhotoSpin

With the Grammy Awards and Academy Awards this month, it might be challenging to love your body just the way it is. It?s human nature to compare yourself to celebrities and people with power and fame, even if it?s not realistic or beneficial.

But don?t forget that National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is Feb. 24, 2013 to March 2, 2013. This week is a reminder that you are fine just the way you are, and you are not alone.

Many other people have the same insecurities, and some people even develop eating disorders, but it doesn?t have to be that way. Poor body image and low self esteem can be major contributing factors to eating disorders, so it?s important to stop comparing yourself negatively to others and start loving yourself completely.

?The aim of NEDAwareness Week is to ultimately increase outreach and awareness of eating disorders and body image issues, while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment resources,? according to the official website.

?Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening illnesses - not choices - and it's important to recognize the pressures, attitudes and behaviors that shape the disorder.?

Lynn Grefe, the president and CEO of National Eating Disorders Association, said in an email that although the theme for this year?s awareness week is the same as last year?s, ?Everybody Knows Somebody,? this year is more focused on ?diversity in the population? instead of last year?s focus on people?s individual roles (mother, sibling, father, etc.).

?We are working very hard to stress that eating disorders know no boundaries,? Grefe said.

During this week, the National Eating Disorders Association also partnered with Screening for Mental Health, Inc., to create the website www.mybodyscreening.org/ which allows people to take free and anonymous self-assessments to find out if they might have an eating disorder.

Grefe said that in the past year, there have been some specific advances in body image and eating disorder awareness.

Source: http://www.empowher.com/mental-health/content/eating-disorder-awareness-week-award-ceremonies-trigger-insecurities

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US stocks keep sliding on weak data, Fed qualms

U.S. stocks continued a two-day slide Thursday on weak economic data and concern about the Federal Reserve's resolve to keep juicing the market.

European stocks were sharply lower a day after U.S. stocks sustained some of their steepest declines this year. A monthly survey of European executives showed that business activity in the European Union slowed in February, a strong signal that a downturn that began last year will continue into 2013.

France's CAC 40 index fell 2.3 percent. Germany's DAX fell 1.9 percent, and in London, the FTSE 100 dropped 1.6 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was on track for its first weekly decline since December.

Signaling that the U.S. labor market remains in slow recovery mode, the government said more people applied for unemployment benefits last week. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose to the highest in six weeks.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 52 points to 13,875 as of 3 p.m. Eastern time. The S&P 500 index dropped nine to 1,502. The Nasdaq composite index lost 34 to 3,130.

The indexes have soared this year to their highest levels since the financial crisis, but may be ready to fall back to earth, said Kim Caughey Forrest, senior analyst with Fort Pitt Capital Group, a portfolio management firm in Pittsburgh.

"I think the market has gotten ahead of itself," she said. She said fourth-quarter earnings have generally met expectations, but only after those expectations were reduced when companies made dire projections in November and December.

Wal-Mart Stores rose after beating analysts' profit forecasts in the fourth quarter. However, the biggest retailer warned of a slow start to the year. It gained $1.48, or 2 percent, to $70.69.

After a strong start to the holiday season, Wal-Mart said, the first three weeks of December were weak, and business has been volatile since then. The company attributed some of what it is seeing to a delay in tax refund checks that have left people strapped for cash. Wal-Mart's customers also have less money to spend because a temporary payroll tax cut expired in December.

"Everybody's gotten a 2 percent pay cut, and people who file their taxes early are not getting a refund back in a timely manner," Forrest said.

Supermarket chain Safeway was the biggest gainer in the S&P 500, rising $2.37, or 12 percent, to $22.50 after saying its net income jumped 13 percent in the fourth quarter, helped by higher gift and prepaid card revenue.

Electric car company Tesla Motors plunged after a day after reporting that its fourth-quarter net loss grew 10 percent on costs related to production of its new Model S. The stock fell $3.57, or 9 percent, to $34.97.

Asian stocks closed sharply lower. The sell-off began Wednesday afternoon in New York after the release of minutes from the Fed's latest meeting. The meeting notes showed that some policymakers want to wind down bond purchases and other measures aimed at boosting the economy.

The minutes revealed new divisions over the Fed's low-interest rate policies. There is no sign of inflation, yet there was more evidence that some Fed officials are ready to ease off the stimulus programs before the economy has fully recovered.

The Fed's bond-buying has been boosting markets by reducing the cost of borrowing for companies and investors, Forrest explained. When interest rates are lower, it's possible to do business cheaper even if a company isn't growing, she said.

"Thinking maybe interest rates will creep higher, this is a very chilling scenario" for the market, she said.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.97 percent from 2.05 percent early Wednesday as demand increased for ultra-safe assets.

___

Daniel Wagner can be reached at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-stocks-keep-sliding-weak-data-fed-qualms-150610925--finance.html

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North Korea warns South of 'final destruction'

BERLIN (AP) ? Nuclear-armed North Korea has used a U.N. disarmament meeting to warn that South Korea risks "final destruction."

The comments Tuesday by a North Korean diplomat at the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament come a week after Pyongyang conducted a third nuclear test.

Several countries, including the United States, Britain and Germany, condemned the latest test at the meeting and urged North Korea to abide by U.N. resolutions barring it from testing nuclear weapons or missiles.

South Korea called the tests a flagrant violation of U.N. resolutions and a threat to the entire international community.

Upon which North Korea's representative declared that "South Korea's erratic behavior would only herald its final destruction."

U.S. envoy Laura E. Kennedy tweeted later that the North's comments had been "offensive."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-warns-south-final-destruction-184833833.html

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White House announces anti-theft trade strategy

Attorney General Eric Holder speaks about strategy to mitigate the theft of U.S. trade secrets, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. The Obama administration is launching a new strategy to fight the growing theft of trade secrets following new evidence linking cyberstealing to China's military. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Attorney General Eric Holder speaks about strategy to mitigate the theft of U.S. trade secrets, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. The Obama administration is launching a new strategy to fight the growing theft of trade secrets following new evidence linking cyberstealing to China's military. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The building housing ?Unit 61398? of the People?s Liberation Army is seen in the outskirts of Shanghai, Tuesday Feb. 19, 2013. Cyberattacks that stole information from 141 targets in the U.S. and other countries have been traced to the Chinese military unit in the building, a U.S. security firm alleged Tuesday. According to the report by the Virginia-based Mandiant Corp., it has traced the massive amount of hacking back to the 12-story office building run by ?Unit 61398?, and that the attacks targeted key industries including military contractors and companies that control energy grids. China dismissed the report as "groundless."(AP Photo)

Attorney General Eric Holder, center, speaks about strategy to mitigate the theft of U.S. trade secrets, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, in the Eisenhower Executive Office building on the White House complex in Washington. From left are, Undersecretary of Stat Robert Hormats; U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel; Holder; Acting Commerce Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank; Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer; and General Electric Vice President Karan Bhatia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Mandiant founder and CEO Kevin Mandia is seen in his office in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. Mandiant, started in 2004 by Mandia, a private technology security firm described in extraordinary detail efforts it blamed on a Chinese military unit to hack into 141 businesses, mostly inside the U.S., and steal commercial secrets. China denies the claim. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration announced new efforts Wednesday to fight the growing theft of American trade secrets, a broad but relatively restrained response to a rapidly emerging global problem that was brought into sharp focus this week by fresh evidence linking cyberstealing to China's military.

Mentioning China but not specifically targeting that country, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the plan, which includes a new diplomatic push to discourage intellectual property theft abroad along with better coordination at home to help U.S. companies protect themselves.

The administration says indications are that economic espionage is increasing, not only through electronic intrusion over the Internet but also through the recruitment of former employees of U.S. companies with knowledge of inside trade information.

"Particularly in this time of economic recovery, this work is more important than it ever has been before," Holder said at the White House announcement of the administration's strategy.

"As new technologies have torn down traditional barriers to international business and global commerce, they've also made it easier for criminals to steal trade secrets ? and to do so from anywhere in the world," Holder said. "A hacker in China can acquire source code from a software company in Virginia without leaving his or her desk. With a few keystrokes, a terminated or simply unhappy employee of a defense contractor can misappropriate designs, processes, and formulas worth billions of dollars."

Earlier this week, a Virginia-based cybersecurity firm, Mandiant, accused a secret Chinese military unit in Shanghai of years of cyberattacks against more than 140 companies, a majority of them American. The accusations and supporting evidence increased pressure on the United States to take more action against the Chinese for what experts say has been years of systematic espionage.

The Chinese government denied being involved in cybertheft, with China's defense minister calling the Mandiant report deeply flawed. China's Foreign Ministry said that country has also been a victim of hacking, much of it traced to the United States.

Wednesday's Obama administration report did not target any one violator, but the China problem was evident in the case studies it cited. Those examples did not involve cyberattacks but rather the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in trade secrets by former employees of U.S. corporations including Ford Motor Co., DuPont Co., General Motors Corp., Cargill, Dow Chemical Co., Valspar and Motorola.

The administration report didn't threaten any specific consequences for theft of trade secrets, and no new fines or other trade actions were announced. It included five actions to protect American innovation:

? Applying diplomatic pressure by senior officials to foreign leaders to discourage theft.

? Promoting best practices to help industries protect against theft.

? Enhancing U.S. law enforcement operations to increase investigations and prosecutions.

? Reviewing U.S. laws to determine if they need to be strengthened to protect against theft.

? Beginning a public awareness campaign.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order last week aimed at helping protect the computer networks of American industries from cyberattacks. It called for the development of voluntary standards to protect the computer systems that run critical sectors of the economy such as the banking, power and transportation industries. It directed U.S. defense and intelligence agencies to share classified threat data with those companies.

He also prodded Congress during his State of the Union address to go further.

"Now, Congress must act as well by passing legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks," Obama said.

The president said America's enemies are "seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions and our air traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy."

___

Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nedrapickler

Associated Press writer Lolita Baldor contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-20-US-China-Hacking/id-9f1897739a3548269289306cd5bd6ba2

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The Bachelor Recap: Hometown Heartbreak and Plenty of Drama

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/the-bachelor-recap-hometown-heartbreak-and-possibly-scripted-dra/

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Paralympics refocuses on future without Pistorius

FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2012 file photo, South Africa's Oscar Pistorius starts in the men's 400-meter semifinal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius was charged Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, with the murder of his girlfriend who was shot inside his home in South Africa, a stunning development in the life of a national hero known as the Blade Runner for his high-tech artificial legs. Reeva Steenkamp, a model who spoke out on Twitter against rape and abuse of women, was shot four times in the predawn hours in the home, in a gated community in the capital, Pretoria, police said. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2012 file photo, South Africa's Oscar Pistorius starts in the men's 400-meter semifinal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius was charged Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, with the murder of his girlfriend who was shot inside his home in South Africa, a stunning development in the life of a national hero known as the Blade Runner for his high-tech artificial legs. Reeva Steenkamp, a model who spoke out on Twitter against rape and abuse of women, was shot four times in the predawn hours in the home, in a gated community in the capital, Pretoria, police said. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)

Olympian Oscar Pistorius, foreground, stands following his bail hearing, as his brother Carl, centre, and father Henke, right, look on, in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. Pistorius fired into the door of a small bathroom where his girlfriend was cowering after a shouting match on Valentine's Day, hitting her three times, a South African prosecutor said Tuesday as he charged the sports icon with premeditated murder. The magistrate ruled that Pistorius faces the harshest bail requirements available in South African law. He did not elaborate before a break was called in the session. (AP Photo-Masi Losi-Pretoria News) SOUTH AFRICA OUT

LONDON (AP) ? As Oscar Pistorius offered his first defense against a murder charge, the head of the Paralympics was trying to reassure members Tuesday that the organization has a strong future even without its star athlete.

International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven told The Associated Press he has been in a state of "shock and disbelief" since Pistorius was arrested Thursday in the shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Having been central to plans to maintain the momentum from the record-breaking Paralympics last year, Pistorius has now been forced to pull out of all future races.

The South African helped to generate unprecedented interest in disability sports by becoming the first double amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics. Now Craven is acting quickly to ensure the Paralympics' progress is not damaged by the fallout from Pistorius' high-profile case.

"We've got so many stars coming through that this will not be an issue," Craven said.

"Even since this tragedy happened, it's still been 'London, London, London' and what happened there ? a unique moment in times that still continues in the hearts and minds of people."

And in a letter to IPC members on Tuesday, Craven sought to shift attention from the "difficult and traumatic day" regarding Pistorius to remind how the London Paralympics succeeded in creating "a whole host of young world-class, medal-winning athletes."

Craven pointed to British sprinter Jonnie Peacock, who deposed Pistorius as 100-meter champion at the Paralympics, and Alan Oliveira, who took the 200 title in front of a crowd of some 80,000 in the London Olympic Stadium.

"It's upon their shoulders that the Paralympic movement will be moving forward and it's still continuing to be the most exciting times after London," Craven said by phone from the IPC winter sports championships in Spain.

Craven has experienced a "roller-coaster of emotion" since he was awakened Thursday with the news of the killing. Pistorius said at a bail hearing Tuesday that he mistook his girlfriend for a robber and the shooting was an accident, not premeditated murder.

"Shock and disbelief," Craven recalled of his initial thoughts. "I could not believe what I was hearing ... because of this total difference between Oscar, the person I knew ? I won't say very well but I had interacted with him on many occasions in press conferences etc. and seen him compete ? and the Oscar we were hearing about now in the media and with what happened."

Craven said he had not witnessed any change in Pistorius' mindset at the Paralympics even when the runner created a storm by suggesting rival Oliveira was gaining an unfair advantage by using lengthened blades.

"In the heat of competition ? I remember when I was a wheelchair basketball player ? the redness would come down particularly if I didn't agree with certain refereeing decisions, and I've seen it in other athletes," Craven said. "I think it's something that happens all the time in athletic competitions.

He said the dispute about the blades didn't bother him, and "didn't make me think there was anything different in London (with Pistorius) to what there had been before."

Craven has not made contact with the 26-year-old Pistorius since the Valentine's Day arrest. The Paralympic chief has expressed the organization's condolences to the family of Steenkamp, the model and law graduate who was cremated Tuesday at a memorial service in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Craven wants IPC members to "respect" the justice system.

"This is a police case and we have to remain impartial at all times," he said. "The South African law courts will decide Oscar's fate over the coming months and only then will the full story of what actually happened emerge."

The case has delayed planned announcements on television rights sales for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The IPC has yet to find a U.S. network to show its competitions live after NBC was criticized for broadcasting only 5 1/2 hours of Paralympic highlights from London.

"Meetings have taken place with U.S. television stations with a view to things being put right, definitely by Rio, if not by Sochi," Craven said.

___

Rob Harris can be reached at http://twitter.com/RobHarris

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-19-Pistorius-Shooting-Paralympics/id-b4315f9efb524609884c2e8b902030e4

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