Self-Storage Finance Firm BSC Group Reports Record Year in 2012

The BSC Group LLC, a commercial real estate financing advisor and provider of debt and equity capital solutions for self-storage owners, reported a record year in 2012 and is experiencing its best first quarter ever in 2013, according to a press release. Last year the firm successfully executed 36 transactions on 73 properties totaling $176 million. The deals used a wide range of loan types including Small Business Administration (SBA), insurance/portfolio, commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), regional bank, local bank, hard money/bridge, equity and credit union.

The BSC Group also reports having an extremely productive first quarter in the new year, with more $45 million closed and approximately $79 million under application and expected to fund.

?We are obviously very pleased with our firm?s performance, and we are particularly grateful to our loyal customers who appreciate the value we bring and trust us to guide them through what can be a very complicated process,? said Shawn Hill, principal. ?We have a relationship focus, and that is paying off.?

The company's record volumes also speak to the recovery of the capital markets and the return of liquidity, said Devin Huber, also a principal. ?We are more than optimistic about our firm?s prospects in 2013, as liquidity is continuing to hold strong. With rates hovering around historic lows, now is a compelling time for borrowers to lock in to long-term, fixed-rate debt.?

BSC provides financial and loan advisory, mortgage brokerage, and loan workout solutions to commercial real estate property owners and investors, with a special emphasis on the self-storage market. Through its capital source network, the company provides access to debt and equity financing for commercial real estate investments nationwide.

Source: http://www.insideselfstorage.com/news/2013/02/selfstorage-finance-firm-bsc-group-reports-record-year-in-2012.aspx

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Keep your Feet Healthy and Happy | Best Self Magazine | Atlanta GA

By Sarah E. King

These days, we all lead demanding and active lives. In a single outing, we can run to the store, pick up the dry cleaning, spend a few hours at the office, throw in a workout, stand in line at the bank and take the dog for a walk. We are constantly on the go, and always on our feet, ready to tackle the next errand or take on the next "to-do."

But have you ever stopped to think about the intricate and biological wonder that has taken you to all those places? Your feet. Made up of 52 bones and more than 100 ligaments, tendons and muscles all working together, this crucial part of your body works hard to keep you on the move. When was the last time you took into account how much your feet affect your lifestyle, and for that matter, how much your lifestyle affects your feet?

"The foot is the most complicated part of the body, but the most neglected by most people," says Raymond Margiano, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Foot Solutions, Inc., which focuses on providing a line of shoes, arch supports and foot care accessories. "A lot of people don't understand it, but the feet are the foundation of your body, similar to the foundation of a building. Over time, you start seeing stress cracks in the foundation, and the building starts to lean. The foundation of your body is critical to your alignment; everything above your feet needs that solid support."

Margiano, who has been in the footwear and pedorthic industry for more than 20 years, is not alone in his opinion. Dr. Carl Kihm, podiatric physician and surgeon with Village Podiatry Centers, says we oftentimes take our feet for granted until we experience an ongoing problem that is painful or debilitating.

"Our feet are our foundation and they allow us to be mobile and live," Dr. Kihm says. "If the bones and joints of your foot and/or ankle are in poor condition, this can affect your posture, pace, the pressure distribution and time spent on each foot while walking, which can ultimately lead to knee, hip and back pains."

Dr. Kihm, who sees patients at Village Podiatry Center's Marietta-Kennestone and Douglasville offices, says early assessment and treatment is the optimal way to keep your feet healthy. "Do not ignore your feet. If they hurt, you should listen to your body and you should not try to deal with the pain," he says. "Consider which factors make them feel worse and avoid these."

Clearly, paying attention to your feet and what your body is telling you are the first steps in obtaining happy and healthy feet. But what are we dealing with here? And what do we do to tackle common foot problems?

The Usual Suspects

Dr. David Scott of Resurgens Orthopaedics, who specializes in foot and ankle issues as well as trauma and knee surgeries, puts foot health into simple terms. "When you don't take care of your feet, they hurt, and you don't get to do what you like to do," he says. "Take care of your feet, and you get a lifetime of foot health and wellness." However, despite the straightforward advice, 10 to 20 percent of people have some kind of recurring or chronic foot problem. Here are a few of the more common ailments:

Bunions:

A bunion is a condition where the big toe gradually dislocates, and can get more severe and painful over time. This condition is caused by the bone structure of your feet, which is hereditary. Dr. Kihm says some shoes can make the condition more painful, but shoes are not the cause of bunions.

Treatment: "Wide-toed shoes and padding may be helpful to reduce this kind of pain," Dr. Kihm says. "However, because bunions are a bone condition, sometimes, surgery is required to address and correct the bony etiology and painful deformity."

Hammertoe:

A hammertoe is a deformity of the second, third or fourth toes, in which the toe is bent at the middle joint. If left untreated, a hammertoe may become fixed and require surgery.

Treatment: "Everything in your body has some kind of balance, such as the bicep and the tricep in your arm," Dr. Scott says. "The hammertoe is a sort of imbalance in the toe where the first knuckle is bent up and the second knuckle gets bent down." Dr. Scott says a hammertoe can be surgically straightened by removing the knuckle and lengthening the tendons. The knuckle is then fused straight. "You have to balance all of the joints to correct the hammertoe," he says. Dr. Scott also says forefoot problems in the ball of your foot may be the result of tight calf muscles. "When your calf muscle is tight, it puts more pressure on the ball of your foot when you walk," he says. "People who experience bunions and hammertoes should have their calf muscles checked, and if tight and causing more pressure on the ball of your foot, they should be lengthened during surgery."

Corns:

Corns are pressure-induced callus formations on the toes. Dr. Kihm says each patient is assessed individually to determine why these are occurring.

Treatment: "Your podiatrist can usually trim your corn and this can allow for an immediate relief of pain," he says. "If your shoes are too tight or if you have hammertoes associated with these corns, these can be causative factors that need to be addressed to prevent the corns from returning." Padding around the toes can also reduce the pressures that create corns. However, Dr. Kihm says he cautions people with poor sensation, especially diabetic patients, not to use medicated corn pads. "These contain salicylic acid that dissolves away the corn, but can also dissolve away healthy skin and create wounds and more severe problems."

Plantar fasciitis:

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the strong band of tissue that supports the arch of your foot becomes irritated and inflamed. The bottom of the heel becomes tender and sore. Dr. Scott says there are many factors that cause plantar fasciitis. "The aging of the tendon and the stress we put on it in day-to-day life is one factor," he says. "We are also heavier than we should be, and not as athletic as we should be." Dr. Scott says while sometimes there is an event where you may injure your heel, very frequently, there is not one factor to put your finger on.

Treatment: "Given enough time, plantar fasciitis will actually go away, but you can do things to speed it up," Dr. Scott says. Maintaining a healthy body weight, stretching the upper calf muscle, wearing good footwear or anti-inflammatory medications are all possible forms of treatment. "Ninety-five percent of heel pain, however, gets better with stretching," he says.

Ingrown Nails:

An ingrown nail occurs when the side of the nail grows into the skin. When left untreated, the irritated nail can create infection. Causes include footwear that crowds the toes, not properly cutting the nail or toenail injury.

Treatment: Dr. Kihm says to prevent ingrown nails, avoid cutting your nails too short and do not cut them on a sharp curvature. If you develop an ingrown nail, see your podiatrist for treatment; an in-office procedure is oftentimes performed, which can remove the ingrown nail and prevent it from returning.

If the Shoe Fits...

Certain aches and pains can be avoided by simply paying attention to the shoes you put on your feet. Margiano says most foot problems are caused or aggravated by wearing ill-fitted shoes. "Ninety percent of people are not wearing properly fitted shoes... you want to wear shoes like the shape of your foot, with room and support for walking or running," he says. "Your foot takes the impact if you're not supporting it properly."

For women, the daily use of high-heels is a major culprit in foot pain. "Women will have five times more issues with their feet than men, and the main reason is the female tendency to wear shoes more for appearance than for comfort," Margiano says.

For a woman to avoid issues due to high-heels, Margiano suggests not wearing heels higher than 1.5 to 2 inches, as well as wearing high-heels in moderation. "You don't want to force your feet into this awkward position," he says. "Heels slam those toes into a narrow wedge, and are the leading cause for bunions and hammertoes."

But men aren't free from shoe discomfort either. According to Dr. Kihm, men are five times more likely to have a traumatic fracture of their heel bone than women. "These kinds of injuries are usually experienced when jumping or falling from a height, and since men, for example, work more frequently on roofs, this makes sense."

Dr. Scott says men also are more prone to overuse and sports-related injuries, and injuries among his male and female patients are equal. However, women still take the brunt of footwear-related pain. "I see two or three women patients for every male," he says. "Women are in for more shoe-related issues due to restrictive footwear, and I see more foot and ankle issues with women."

Flip-flops and ballet flats, which offer little arch support, are also a concern for health care professionals. Margiano says there are many foot injuries that result from the foot not being supported, like fallen arches. "Your foot, overtime, will collapse, and being flat footed puts more pressure on your ankle and knees," Margiano says. "You can purchase custom inserts for flats or heels to support the arch... a lot of things can be done for fashionable footwear. When you put in an insert, your foot feels better and feels more supported."

Dr. Kihm says there are many different reasons for fallen arches, and some may have more to do with heredity. "If this problem is noted in children, or since childhood, this typically reflects the patient's inherited bone structure of the arch of his or her feet," he says. "When this problem arises in adulthood, the cause can be the result of tendon damage and dysfunction. We commonly see this in older and overweight females, and it commonly only involves one foot at a time."

For an inherited or developed issue, Dr. Kihm suggests wearing supportive sneakers with rigid arch supports to help prevent or treat these conditions. However, when pain, fatigue or weakness is associated with fallen arches, Dr. Kihm warns that you should report for a physical exam, as these conditions may get worse with time.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

Understanding the steps to take in addressing foot problems will help put you on the right track for a healthier lifestyle. And taking care of your feet can be a simple process. Dr. Scott offers this final advice:

"Keep your weight near your ideal range, pick your activities carefully. When you change activities, you should change it in a gradual way so your feet don't fracture or break. Wear comfortable shoes," he says. "Also, calf stretching and a flexibility routine are important. Those who have stayed flexible as they age tend to do better. Flexibility should be a long-term part of everyone's fitness goals."

Having the right footwear is crucial to maintaining healthy feet. But we don't think about it as much as we should. According to Dr. Kihm, the pressure on your feet exceeds your bodyweight when walking, and can reach four times your body weight when running. "We don't think about this a lot and maybe we 'put up' with our feet being sore or painful," he says. "It should not be this way and it does not need to be. Proper footwear is very important so you can support and protect your feet as they function."

The Right Support

Hiking Boots

Bubba Sloan, co-founder of High Country Outfitters, knows his way around a hiking boot. Sloan says, when it comes to footwear, making sure you have the proper fit is important. "If there was one shoe on the market that I think would fit everyone, I'd sell one shoe," he says. To find the right boot keep these tips in mind:

• The sole: You need sturdiness in the sole of the boot so the foot stays in a stable position. Boots which cover the ankle are not meant to prevent rolling your ankle, but to protect from rocks or other abuses on the trail.
• Socks: Merino wool lets the foot breath and doesn't cause temperatures to rise in the boot like synthetic socks.
• Boots: A light weight, waterproof boot is a good starting point for new hikers.

Heels

For those who wear heels on a daily basis, it's no surprise to hear that high heels cause a range of foot problems.

• Dr. Kihm: "High heels change the forces on the foot as they shift the pressure to the front of the foot. They also have a narrow toe box, which crams the toes together, and can cause corns and calluses, or make bunions more painful."
• Dr. Scott: "It's common sense and we all know it, but we like fashion. You'd rather look good than feel good sometimes. Shoes that are wide enough for your feet, with good thick bottoms, and don't constrict the bone are ideal. Fashion footwear is tight, and doesn't fit how the human foot was made... very few people can wear high heels when they're older."

?

Editorial Resources:
Raymond Margiano, CEO - Foot Solutions, Inc., www.footsolutions.com
Dr. Carl Kihm - Village Podiatry Centers, www.villagepodiatrycenters.com
Dr. David Scott - Resurgens Orthopaedics, www.resurgens.com
Bubba Sloan - High Country Outfitters, www.highcountryoutfitters.com

Source: http://www.bestselfatlanta.com/track/73/L0Jlc3QtU2VsZi1BcnRpY2xlcy9IZWFsdGgtV2VsbG5lc3MvS2VlcC15b3VyLUZlZXQtSGVhbHRoeS1hbmQtSGFwcHkuaHRtbA==.html

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Cheat on taxes? Not cool, say most Americans

IRS Oversight Board

Most Americans don't think it's OK to cheat on taxes.

By Allison Linn, TODAY

Americans may make plenty of jokes about cheating on their taxes, but a new survey finds that in reality most don?t think it?s OK to rob the tax man. Or at least, that?s what they?re telling the IRS Oversight Board.

The?2012 Taxpayer Attitude Survey, released Tuesday by the independent oversight board, finds that 87 percent of Americans don?t think it?s OK to cheat on your taxes. That?s a 3 percentage point increase from last year.

Only 11 percent think it?s OK to cheat, either a little or as much as possible.

Perhaps more surprising, 95 percent of Americans said their personal integrity influences them to report their taxes honestly, an 8 percentage point increase from five years earlier.

About 63 percent said they are influenced by fear of an audit, while 70 percent are motivated by third-party information that could show them to be a tax cheat.

The IRS Oversight Board, an independent body created by Congress in 1998 to oversee the Internal Revenue Service?s actions, completed its annual survey of 1,500 Americans last August and September. The survey has a 3.1 percent margin of error.

If they?re going to pay their taxes honestly, most Americans seem to think everyone else should, too.

The survey found that more than 90 percent of Americans think it?s important that the IRS ensures that low- and high-income taxpayers, small businesses and corporations honestly pay their taxes, too.

Those results appear to show that Americans have come to feel more strongly in recent years that everyone should pay their fair share of taxes, and the IRS should vigorously enforce tax laws.

The results come as many Americans are either getting ready to file their 2012 income tax returns, or already have done so.

They also follow a bruising battle in Washington over the so-called fiscal cliff, a series of tax hikes and spending cuts that were scheduled to take effect until Congress reached a last-minute deal.

The fiscal cliff agreement raised taxes for wealthy Americans earning $400,000 or more and allowed taxes on capital gains and dividends to go up. It also ended a payroll tax holiday, meaning that most Americans are seeing more of their paycheck going to the tax man for Social Security and other entitlements this year.

{"contentId":"17102914","totalVotes":"164"}

How honest should people be on their tax returns?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2013/02/27/17102914-cheat-on-taxes-not-cool-say-most-americans?lite

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Report: Stuxnet cyberweapon older than believed

LONDON (AP) ? An anti-virus firm says the cyberweapon that targeted an Iranian nuclear plant is older than previously believed, a finding that may shed more light on a mysterious series of attacks attributed by security experts to U.S. and Israeli intelligence.

The Stuxnet worm, which experts believe damaged or destroyed centrifuges at Iran's Natanz plant in about 2009, revolutionized the cybersecurity field because it was the first known computer attack specifically tailored to cause real-world damage.

Previously the earliest samples of Stuxnet dated from 2009, but Symantec's findings push the timeline back.

The company said late Tuesday it found a primitive version of the worm dating back to November 2007 and that one element of the program dates to late 2005.

U.S. and Israeli officials have declined to comment on the attacks.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-stuxnet-cyberweapon-older-believed-104634378.html

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Momentum grows for alternative phone system Tizen

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ? The junior league of smartphone operating systems is getting more competitive. Phones from yet another contender ? Tizen ? will go on sale this year with a view to eventually competing with the industry leaders, Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

For now, Tizen will compete with another newcomer, Firefox OS, as well as Microsoft's Windows Phone and a revamped BlackBerry operating system.

Most of the impetus behind Tizen comes from cellphone carriers, which want a successful counterweight to the clout of Google and Apple. Samsung has become the world's largest maker of smartphones in large part through its embrace of Android.

Tizen has a powerful backer in Samsung Electronics Co. Spokesman Michael Lin confirmed Tuesday that the Korean company is ditching its own, homebrew operating system Bada in favor of Tizen. Samsung will also continue to make Android phones.

Yves Maitre, the executive in charge of handsets at Orange, France Telecom's wireless arm, said the carrier expects to launch Tizen phones in France this year and in developing countries next year. He spoke Tuesday to reporters and industry insiders at an event in Barcelona, Spain, on the sidelines of Mobile World Congress, the world's largest cellphone trade show.

Sprint Nextel Corp. is a member of the Tizen Association, but it hasn't said if it has any plans to bring Tizen handsets to the U.S. Other major backers include Intel Corp. and Huawei Technologies Ltd., China's largest phone maker.

Tizen phones will look and work much like Android phones, except that the familiar square app icons are round. By coincidence, that's the shape chosen for the Firefox OS, which was revealed in Barcelona on Sunday. Phones from that project are also expected this year.

Both Firefox and Tizen are "open source" projects, managed by non-profit associations. That means the software is freely available to customize, giving phone carriers control over how the software works on the phones they sell. By contrast, Apple maintains complete control over the workings of the iOS software in iPhones.

The idea to create an "open" phone operating system is not new. In fact, Android is an open-source project run by Google. However, one controlled by a non-profit has never been successful. Tizen is based on two failed attempts, MeeGo and LiMo. Frederic Dufal, the technical director of handsets at Orange, said The LiMo Foundation, the most broad-based attempt, was set up in a way that made it very hard for the interested parties to reach consensus. The nitty-gritty of getting Tizen to work is handled by the independent Linux Foundation instead, which has a history of shepherding the creation of effective software.

"We've learned from the mistakes of the past," Dufal said.

The Tizen Association said the phones will launch with a store with thousands of applications.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-26-Wireless%20Show-Tizen/id-c089b49e6ca9448ba7e2869a415b7fb4

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Zuckerberg, Gates tout programming in video

Gerry Shih , Reuters ? ? ? 13 hrs.

When Hadi and Ali Partovi immigrated to America from Iran in 1984, they slept in the same cramped bedroom as their parents, who exhausted their life savings on the teenage boys' education.

Nearly 30 years later, the twin brothers are firmly planted in the tech industry's elite circles, after selling companies to Microsoft and News Corp's MySpace, and tapping the rare connections to invest early on in Facebook, Dropbox and Zappos.

Hadi Partovi says the arc of his own successful rise in the tech world was shaped by an early interest in computers and a formal education in writing software, or coding, which enabled that spark to flourish into a career.

Along the way, the twins made influential friends.

Bill Gates, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey ? three people who became billionaire tech industry luminaries thanks to their computer programming abilities ? appear in a new video released Tuesday by the Partovi brothers as part of their new computer science-education nonprofit, Code.org.

The goal of the online video campaign is to encourage parents to demand more schools to teach computer programming ? a potentially lucrative skill that "equalizes opportunity" but is only available to a fraction of U.S. high school students, Hadi Partovi said.

"Computer programming, right now, is the best embodiment of the American Dream," Partovi said. "The American Dream is to be the next Mark Zuckerberg."

"The tragedy is the skills it takes are not hard to learn, but only 10 percent of schools offer (computer science) courses, and these are usually the privileged schools."

After graduating with computer science degrees from Harvard in 1994, the Partovi brothers founded LinkExchange and sold it to Microsoft in 1998 for $250 million. Hadi helped co-found Tellme Networks, a telephony company, while Ali went on to found iLike, a music service that became one of the first apps to integrate with Facebook.

A new digital divide
The Partovis' campaign comes at a time tech executives warn of a new digital divide emerging between job-seekers who possess programming skills and those who do not. They also point to statistics showing that while coding jobs are among some of the most well-paid, especially in Silicon Valley, there remains a dearth of computer engineers, who are recruited aggressively by companies like Google and Facebook.

But there have also been strong signs recently that government officials are increasingly raising the issue of technical education, beginning at the secondary level.

In his State of the Union speech this month, President Barack Obama vowed to redesign U.S. high schools to meet "the demands of a high-tech economy," while New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg this week introduced a new computer programming pilot program for 20 schools.

Hadi Partovi, who financed the video with his brother, lined up endorsements from Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and American Federation of Teachers union leader Randi Weingarten, although they did not appear on camera. The 10-minute video was directed by Lesley Chilcott, the producer behind the documentaries "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Waiting for Superman."

Partovi said he hoped to eventually raise money to fund programming courses in low-income school districts and perhaps even advocate for certain policy reforms that champion computer science education. In California, he noted for example, computer science courses are not counted toward high school graduation requirements.

"We owe our success in business to having learned to code," Hadi Partovi said.

Although the video mostly contains interviews with tech entrepreneurs and has familiar startup scenes ? like shots of young employees skateboarding inside startup offices ? there are some unexpected appearances by pop celebrities, including Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh and Will.i.am, a part-time startup investor himself.

"Great coders are today's rock stars," the music producer, sitting in his recording studio, says into the camera.

But what is considered a truism in Silicon Valley may not be apparent elsewhere, Hadi Partovi said.

"Middle America doesn't realize it's an issue," he said. "We can't solve the problem until we realize it exists."

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/zuckerberg-gates-encourage-kids-get-programming-new-video-1C8574562

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New Jersey Passes Online Gambling Law | GamePolitics

New Jersey lawmakers have approved a bill that will make online gambling in the state legal, opening the door for companies in the space -- including game companies like Zynga -- to operate online games that provide real-money gambling. Of course, you won't be able to play these games unless you reside in a state where it is legal to do so. Currently there are three: Nevada, Delaware, and now New Jersey. Nevada passed its online gambling bill last week.

Governor Chris Christie (R) has already signed the bill into law. The one caveat is that the bill will not take effect until the state's Division of Gaming Enforcement sets an official start date which could be somewhere between three and nine months after the law is signed.

One a related note, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) issued a statement today applauding the move by lawmakers and the Governor:

"New Jersey has gone ?all in.? Residents now will have access to a safe and regulated online gaming market, and the state will have a new source for revenue and job creation -- something the federal government has failed to do thus far," said John Pappas, executive director of the PPA. "The U.S. represents the largest percentage of Internet poker players worldwide, so there is clearly a want and a need for a legal and regulated online gambling market. New Jersey will now serve as a leader in this thriving industry."

"Two dice" illustration ? 2012 Sergey Mironov, provided by Shutterstock.

Source: http://www.gamepolitics.com/2013/02/26/new-jersey-passes-online-gambling-law

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Day after Oscars, Senate committee drops bin Laden film probe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One day after "Zero Dark Thirty" failed to win major awards at the Oscars, a congressional aide said on Monday the Senate Intelligence Committee has closed its inquiry into the filmmakers' contacts with the Central Intelligence Agency.

The intelligence committee gathered more information from the CIA, film director Kathryn Bigelow, and screenwriter Mark Boal and will not take further action, according to the aide, who requested anonymity.

Sony Pictures Entertainment, which produced the film, had no immediate comment. But attacks by Washington politicians may have damaged its prospects at the Academy Awards. "Zero Dark Thirty" was nominated for a best picture award, which it did not win. Also, in what industry watchers considered a snub, Bigelow did not receive a best director nomination.

The Senate committee launched its review of the film, a dramatization of how the U.S. government located and killed Osama bin Laden, after its chairwoman, Senator Dianne Feinstein, expressed outrage over scenes that implied that "enhanced interrogations" of CIA detainees produced an breakthrough that helped lead to the al Qaeda leader.

In December, as "Zero Dark Thirty" was about to premiere nationwide, Feinstein joined fellow Democrat Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Republican Senator John McCain in condemning "particularly graphic scenes of CIA officers torturing detainees" in the film.

A source familiar with contacts between the filmmakers and intelligence officials said the CIA did not tell the filmmakers "enhanced interrogations" led to bin Laden. Instead, the agency helped develop characters in the film, said the source.

The political fallout prompted Bigelow to write in an op-ed piece: "Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement. If it was, no artist would be able to paint inhumane practices, no author could write about them, and no filmmaker could delve into the thorny subjects of our time."

The government cooperated as much, if not more, on "Argo," the film about the 1979-81 hostage crisis in Iran that won the best picture Oscar. Actor-director Ben Affleck and his team were allowed to film scenes in the lobby of the CIA building in Langley, Virginia; the "Zero Dark Thirty" crew did no such filming.

(Reporting By Mark Hosenball. Editing by Warren Strobel and Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-intelligence-committee-drops-bin-laden-film-probe-222245522.html

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Alastair Cook all praise for new-ball pacers ? Cricket News Update ...

Alastair Cook all praise for new-ball pacers ? Cricket News Update

England skipper Alastair Cook on Saturday lavished praise on pacers James Anderson and Steve Finn after his side won the third and final One Day International against New Zealand by five wickets to win the three-match series 2-1.

After putting the hosts into bat in the series decide, in Auckland, the new-ball duo of Finn and Anderson left the Kiwis reeling at 11 for 3 in the 8^th over. Finn accounted for BJ Watling (1) and Hamish Rutherford (2), while Anderson had Kane Williamson caught behind by Jos Buttler on 7.

"They have been magnificent, these two games," said Alastair after the match. "Finny's pace, I think, has been up around the 90mph mark pretty much all the time, and Jimmy's world class and he showed it again here."

"I think they were 20 for 2 in the game before, and today they were 20 for 3 after 10 or 15 overs. From a captain's point of view it's pretty easy after that. When McCullum gets going, it's a little frustrating, but 180 wasn't enough and we handled the pressure of chasing pretty well."

Skipper Brendon McCullum top scored for New Zealand with a 68-ball 79, laced with six four and five sixes. Ross Taylor (28) and Grant Elliott (24) were the other two notable performers, as the hosts were rolled over inside 44 overs for 185.

Finn was the pick of English bowlers, with three wickets from nine overs at an economy rate of 3.00 an over. Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann both picked up two wickets apiece.

In reply, skipper Cook led the side from the front with the bat, playing a meticulous knock of 46 runs from 67 balls as the tourists chased down the middling target in 37.3 overs, with five wickets to spare.

Finn also expressed delight over his partnership with Anderson, whom he termed as one of the best seamers in the world.

"To be able to bowl at the other end and to feed off him and learn off him is brilliant," the gangling pacer told Sky Sports 1. "We felt we didn't quite get it right in the first game - maybe we were a little bit rusty but playing these last few games we felt really good. We've set the tone early and the batsmen have been brilliant as well, so it's been great."

England and New Zealand will next play a three-match Test series, starting in Dunedin from March 6, 2013.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Alastair-Cook-all-praise-for-new-ball-pacers-Cricket-News-Update-a213721

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The Pirate Bay Leaves Sweden Over Legal Threats

The Pirate Bay is leaving Sweden, because pressure from a local anti-piracy group representing the entertainment industry is getting too much for it. Instead, the 'Bay will be hosted across Norway and Spain, reports Torrent Freak. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/g4rzJxS0_lc/the-pirate-bay-leaves-sweden-over-legal-threats

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Why can't Washington compromise? They're too human

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Turns out politicians are people, too, only worse.

Just ask pros who make their living in the trenches of everyday human drama such as divorce, family feuds or schoolyard scraps. They recognize in Washington's bitter budget standoff a hint of human nature as they know it, but with the crazy pumped up to absurd levels.

"We're seeing middle school behavior here," says Barbara Coloroso, who crusades against childhood bullying. Psychologist Piers Steel, an expert on procrastination, says Congress has the worst case of it he's seen. Divorce attorney Sanford Ain's assessment is blunter: "It's nuts!"

A sampling of conflict-savvy professionals and scholars interviewed by The Associated Press finds dismay that the nation is in political stalemate after two years of showdowns and near-misses for the economy. Not that these they have any easy solutions, either.

Some dream of locking up President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner. R-Ohio, together until the nation's tax and spending issues are settled.

"That's my fantasy: To go into a room and tell them what to do, right or wrong, and make them do it," said Marvin McIntyre, a prominent financial adviser in the District of Columbia who writes political novels on the side.

With lawmakers and the president on the brink of yet another compromise-or-else deadline Friday, the nonpoliticians shared their take on the all-too-human behavior in Washington.

Historian Altina Waller is reminded of the Hatfields and McCoys. Of course, she would be: Waller's an authority on the deadly 19th century feud.

Despite the myth, the Hatfield-McCoy conflict wasn't primarily about clan hatred, Waller said, and she doesn't think today's acrimony between Republicans and Democrats is fully explained by partisanship or ideology.

The Appalachian feud grew out of economic anxiety as farming declined and logging and coal moved in, she said. These days, Democrats and Republicans worry about the economy and the loss of American jobs and influence to foreign competition, and blame each other.

"Like the Hatfields and McCoys," Waller said, "they are personalizing a problem brought about by larger economic forces."

Coloroso, author of "The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander," sees too many politicians acting like the mean girl who taunts unpopular classmates in the cafeteria.

"Bullying is about contempt for the other person," Coloroso said. "Do you see how that fits with some of the people in Congress? Utter contempt, bullying, wanting to bring somebody down. You cannot resolve a major issue like a budget with name-calling, with disdain for the person you're supposed to be working with."

Ain says the political fight illustrates something he's learned in 40 years of striving to keep family law cases amicable: "If you have extreme views and won't compromise, you can't get anything done. It's going to go to war."

Yet a sudden switch to civility will not guarantee that tough decisions get made.

Human brains are wired to put off the unpleasant, says "The Procrastination Equation" author Steel.

We postpone starting a diet, put off going to the gym, keep meaning to write those thank-you notes. Congress members are masters of this.

"They're pretty much the worst, hands down, of any group we ever investigated," said Steel, who has researched procrastination for more than a decade. "They're worse than college students."

What finally gets people moving? A deadline. The paper must be written to pass the class. The house is tidied because company's coming. The expense report is finished because the boss demands it by 5 p.m.

So it makes sense to set deadlines for solving the nation's pressing fiscal problems. Only it isn't working.

Congress and the White House have lurched from the brink of default or government shutdown or "fiscal cliff" to the next potentially disastrous deadline, this time automatic budget cuts known as the "sequester." They've only achieved temporary fixes without resolving the big disagreements over the deficit, taxes and Medicare and Social Security spending. Obama calls it "drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next."

Why aren't the deadlines working?

Pushing the limits isn't always procrastination; sometimes it's strategy.

Negotiation expert Robert Mnookin points to labor disputes resolved just before the strike deadline and lawsuits settled on the courthouse steps on the eve of trial. Bargainers tend to play "chicken" like two drivers speeding toward each other in hopes the other will swerve first.

"It's often believed that you won't be able to extract the very best concession from the other side unless you are on the brink of something that's very bad," said Mnookin, chairman of Harvard's Program on Negotiation and author of "Bargaining with the Devil."

Both the Republicans and Democrats have die-hards pushing to keep charging ahead.

"It's a hugely dangerous game to play," Mnookin warns, "because people aren't always rational in their behavior."

What happens if Democrats and Republicans collide head-on this time? Some $85 billion in automatic federal budget cuts over the next seven months, with more in following years.

Obama says that would weaken the military, disrupt programs Americans rely on, eliminate jobs and weaken the economy. Boehner calls it "an ugly and dangerous way" to reduce spending. These cuts were designed to be so distasteful that politicians would agree on more rational budget-cutting to stop them.

But there's another way out. Lawmakers and Obama could agree to block the cuts, before or after they kick in, and once again postpone making big fiscal decisions that might cost some of them re-election.

That's a problem with artificial deadlines: They're hard to enforce.

Economist Christopher Kingston, whose research ranges from 19th century dueling to modern game theory, says what lawmakers need is a strong "commitment device." He cites the story of William the Conqueror burning his ships after his invading army landed in England, ensuring his soldiers couldn't retreat.

A less reliable commitment device: A shopaholic cutting up his credit cards. That works unless he gets new ones and start running up debt again.

"It's really hard to create a commitment device artificially, particularly if you don't have an external power that's going to enforce it," said Kingston, an associate professor at Amherst College.

Congress and the president have no judge, no referee, no board of directors. Washington won't hear from the voters again for two years, and even then the message may be unclear.

With human nature against them, how can politicians escape gridlock?

A few tips from the pros:

?Shock them with kindness. "Try to do something unexpectedly nice for the other side," advises Ain, and your surprised opponent may reciprocate.

?Avoid the "zero-sum" trap. Just because something is good for one side doesn't mean it's bad for the other. "There are all kinds of deals that the president and the Congress could make that would be better for the economy and the nation as a whole and in that sense would benefit them all," Mnookin says.

?Get a mediator. Maybe the special 2011 deficit committee could have reached agreement with the help of a trusted outsider. It's worth a try, Ain says, because "that works in major litigation and all sorts of situations."

?Shame the bullies. If politicians denounced their fellow party members who display contempt for the other side, Coloroso says, it would squelch the mocking tone.

America's citizens also are mostly silent bystanders right now, the author said.

"What are we going to do about it?" she asked. "Do we just stand by and shrug our shoulders?"

___

Follow Connie Cass on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ConnieCass

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-cant-washington-compromise-theyre-too-human-131324676.html

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Italians vote in parliamentary elections

ROME (AP) ? Will Italy stay the course with painful economic reform? Or fall back into the old habit of profligacy and inertia? These are the stakes as Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and Monday that could shape the future of one of Europe's biggest economies.

Fellow EU countries and investors are watching closely, as the decisions that Italy makes over the next several months promise to have a profound impact on whether Europe can decisively put out the flames of its financial crisis. Greece's troubles in recent years were enough to spark a series of market panics. With an economy almost 10 times the size of Greece's, Italy is simply too big a country for Europe, and the world, to see fail.

Leading the electoral pack is Pier Luigi Bersani, a former communist who has shown a pragmatic streak in supporting tough economic reforms spearheaded by incumbent Mario Monti. On Bersani's heels is Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire media mogul seeking an unlikely political comeback after being forced from the premiership by Italy's debt crisis. Monti, while widely credited with saving Italy from financial ruin, is trailing badly as he pays the price for the suffering caused by austerity measures.

Then there's the wild card: comic-turned-politician Beppe Grillo, whose protest movement against the entrenched political class has been drawing tens of thousands to rallies in piazzas across Italy. If his self-styled political "tsunami" sweeps into Parliament with a big chunk of seats, Italy could be in store for a prolonged period of political confusion that would spook the markets.

While a man of the left, Bersani has shown himself to have a surprising amount in common with the center-right Monti ? and the two have hinted at the possibility of teaming up in a coalition. Bersani was Monti's most loyal backer in Parliament during the respected economist's tenure at the head of a technocratic government. And in ministerial posts in previous center-left governments, Bersani fought hard to free up such areas of the economy as energy, insurance and banking services.

But it's uncertain that Monti will be able muster the votes needed to give Bersani's Democratic Party a stable majority in both houses of Parliament.

"Forming a government with a stable parliamentary alliance may prove tricky after elections," said Eoin Ryan, an analyst with IHS Global Insight. "A surge in support for anti-austerity parties is raising chances of an indecisive election result and post-vote political instability."

Another factor is turnout. Usually some 80 percent of the 50 million eligible voters go to the polls but experts are predicting many will stay away in anger, hurting mainstream parties.

When Berlusconi stepped down in November 2011, newspapers were writing his political obituary. At 76, blamed for mismanaging the economy and disgraced by criminal allegations of sex with an underage prostitute, the billionaire media baron appeared finished as a political force.

But Berlusconi has proven time and again ? over 20 years at the center of Italian politics ? that he should never be counted out.

The campaign strategy that has allowed him to become a contender in these elections is a simple one: please the masses by throwing around cash.

Berlusconi has promised to give back an unpopular property tax imposed by Monti as part of austerity measures. Even his purchase of start striker Mario Balotelli for his AC Milan soccer team was widely seen as a ploy to buy votes. Berlusconi has also appealed to Italy's right-wing by praising Italy's former fascist dictator Benito Mussolini during a ceremony commemorating Holocaust victims.

The most recent polls show Bersani in the lead with 33 percent of the vote, against 28 percent for Berlusconi's coalition with the populist Northern League. Grillo's 5 Star movement was in a surprise third place, with 17 percent support, while Monti's centrist coalition was notching 13 percent. The COESIS poll of 6,212 respondents had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percent.

Pollster Renato Mannheimer said among his biggest clients heading into the elections were foreign banks seeking to gauge whether to hold or sell Italian bonds.

"They are worried mostly about the return of Berlusconi," Mannheimer said.

Uncertainty over the outcome of the vote has pushed the Milan stock exchange down in the days running up to the vote and bumped up borrowing costs, as investors express concern that Italy may back down from a reform course to pull the country out of recession.

Mannheimer said many undecided voters ? who comprise around one-third of the total electorate ? identify with the center-right, and that may help Berlusconi. He said that the undecided vote may also tilt heavily toward Grillo's protest movement.

The professorial Monti looked uncomfortable at first as a candidate but has recently warmed to the role. Like the others, he has not shied away from name calling, warning that Berlusconi is a "charlatan" and saying his return would be "horrific."

Bond analyst Nicholas Spiro said the election "will deliver the most important verdict on the eurozone's three-year-old austerity focused policies."

But he is betting on a period of political instability after the vote.

"An upset victory by Mr. Berlusconi may be markets' nightmare scenario," he said, "but the prospects for a stable and harmonious Bersani-Monti coalition government ? still the mostly likely outcome in our view ? are bleak."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italians-vote-parliamentary-elections-072036240--finance.html

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Ara?t?rma : Windows Azure testlere g?re en iyi performans veren bulut depolama hizmeti

Son d?nemlerde ?nemi giderek artan ve bireysel kullan?c?lar?n yan?nda kurumsal kullan?c?lar i?in de ?nemli ??z?mler sunan bulut altyap?s? hizmetlerinde teknoloji devleri aras?nda rekabet ya?an?yor. Bulut altyap?lar?nda okuma, yazma, silme h?zlar?, tepki s?releri, eri?ilebilir olma oranlar? gibi performans? etkileyen pek ?ok fakt?r bulunuyor. Ba??ms?z test merkezlerinden Nasuni, sekt?r?n en ?nemli 5 bulut depolama hizmetini masaya yat?rd?.

Teste al?nan hizmetler Windows Azure, Amazon S3, Google Cloud, HP Cloud ve Rackspace Cloud ?eklinde s?ralan?yor. Hizmetler farkl? testlerde en iyi performans? sergilese de Windows Azure 23 testin 14'?n? ba?ar? ile tamamlayarak genel anlamda lider oldu. Ge?en y?l ayn? testte Amazon S3 liderli?i g???slemi?ti.

Baz? ?nemli testlere bak?ld???nda t?m dosya boyutlar? i?in yazma h?zlar?nda Windows Azure y?zde 100 performans sergilerken, Amazon S3 y?zde 64, HP Cloud y?zde 62, Rackspace y?zde 34, Google Cloud y?zde 22 performans sergiliyor. T?m dosya boyutlar? i?in okuma h?zlar?nda ise Windows Azure yine y?zde 100 performans sergilerken, HP Cloud y?zde 72, Amazon S3 y?zde 58, Rackspace y?zde 53, Google Cloud y?zde 48 performans oran?nda bulunuyor.

Dosya silme h?zlar?nda ise Windows Azure yine y?zde 100 performans sergiliyor. Amazon S3 y?zde 46, HP Cloud y?zde 42, Google Cloud y?zde 12, Rackspace y?zde 7 olarak performans g?steriyor.

Sunucular?n eri?im tepki s?relerine bak?ld???nda Windows Azure 0.48 saniye ile liderken, Amazon S3 0.64 saniye, Rackspace 0.97 saniye ile onu takip ediyor. HP 1.49 saniye, Google Cloud ise 1.87 saniye ile olduk?a ge? tepki s?relerine sahip.

Hem kendi altyap?s? i?in hem de kiralama yoluyla firmalara depolama alan? sa?layan Amazon'un S3 servisi 1.5 trilyon nesne bar?nd?r?yor ve ge?en y?l d?nyan?n en h?zl? 42. s?per bilgisayar?na sahipti. Ancak bulut altyap?s?na ?nemli yat?r?mlar yapan Microsoft'un bunun meyvelerini toplamaya ba?lad??? g?r?l?yor.?

?

Source: http://www.donanimhaber.com/Arastirma__Windows_Azure_testlere_gore_en_iyi_performans_veren_bulut_depolama_hizmeti-40229.htm

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Johnson wins 2nd Daytona 500; Patrick finishes 8th

Jimmie Johnson celebrates after winning the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Jimmie Johnson celebrates after winning the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Danica Patrick, center, prepares to get in her car before the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Jimmie Johnson crosses the finish line to win the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Danica Patrick competes during NASCAR Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Trevor Bayne (21), Carl Edwards (99), David Gilliland (38), Terry Labonte (32), David Ragan (34) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17) collide between Turn 1 and Turn 2 as Jeff Gordon (24) and Marcos Ambrose (9) drive by during the NASCAR Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? A big first for Danica Patrick, but an even bigger second for Jimmie Johnson.

Patrick made history up front at the Daytona 500 Sunday, only to see Johnson make a late push ahead of her and reclaim his spot at the top of his sport.

It was the second Daytona 500 victory for Johnson, a five-time NASCAR champion who first won "The Great American Race" in 2006.

"There is no other way to start the season than to win the Daytona 500. I'm a very lucky man to have won it twice," said Johnson, who won in his 400th career start. "I'm very honored to be on that trophy with all the greats that have ever been in our sport."

It comes a year after Johnson completed only one lap in the race because of a wreck that also collected Patrick, and just three months after Johnson lost his bid for a sixth Sprint Cup title to go two years without a championship after winning five straight.

Although he didn't think he needed to send a message to his competitors ? "I don't think we went anywhere; anybody in the garage area, they're wise to all that," Johnson said ? the win showed the No. 48 team is tired of coming up short after all those years of dominance.

"Definitely a great start for the team. When we were sitting discussing things before the season started, we felt good about the 500," Johnson said, "but we're really excited for everything after the 500. I think it's going to be a very strong year for us."

Patrick is hoping for her own success after a history-making race.

The first woman to win the pole, Patrick also became the first woman to lead the race. She ran inside the top 10 almost the entire race, kept pace with the field and never panicked on the track.

Her only mistakes were on pit road, where she got beat on the race back to the track, and on the final lap, when she was running third but got snookered by the veterans and faded to eighth. That's going to stick with Patrick for some time.

"I would imagine pretty much anyone would be kicking themselves about what they coulda, shoulda have done to give themselves an opportunity to win," she said. "I think that's what I was feeling today, was uncertainty as to how I was going to accomplish that."

There were several multicar crashes, but no one was hurt and none of them approached the magnitude of the wreck that injured more than two dozen fans in the grandstand at the end of the second-tier Nationwide Series race on the same track a day earlier. Daytona International Speedway workers were up until 2 a.m repairing the fence that was damaged in the accident, and track officials offered Sunday morning to move any fans who felt uneasy sitting too close to the track.

Several drivers said the accident and concern for the fans stuck with them overnight and into Sunday morning, and Johnson was quick to send his thoughts from Victory Lane.

"I just want to give a big shout-out to all the fans, and I also want to send my thoughts and prayers out to everybody that was injured in the grandstands," Johnson said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose father was killed in this race 12 years ago, was involved in Saturday's accident but refocused and finished second to Johnson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.

"Me personally, I was just really waiting to get the news on how everybody was, how all the fans were overnight, just hoping that things were going to improve," Earnhardt said, adding that he "wasn't really ready to proceed until you had some confirmation that things were looking more positive."

The race itself, the debut for NASCAR's new Gen-6 car, was quite similar to all the other Cup races during Speedweeks in that the cars seemed to line up in a single-file parade along the top groove of the track. It made the 55th running of the Daytona 500 relatively uneventful.

When the race was on the line, Johnson took off.

The driver known as "Five-Time" raced past defending NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski on the final restart and pulled out to a sizable lead that nobody challenged over the final six laps.

Johnson and Keselowski went down to the wire last season in their race for the Sprint Cup title, with Johnson faltering in the final two races as Keselowski won his first Cup championship.

Although it was a bit of an upset that stuck with Johnson into the offseason, it gave him no extra motivation when he found himself racing with Keselowski late Sunday for the Daytona 500.

"As far as racing with Brad out there, you really lose sight of who is in what car," Johnson said. "It's just somebody between you and the trophy. It could have been anybody."

Once Johnson cleared Keselowski on the last restart he had a breakaway lead with Greg Biffle and Patrick behind him. But as the field closed in on the checkered flag, Earnhardt finally made his move, just too late and too far behind to get close enough to the lead.

Earnhardt wound up second for the third time in the last four years. But with all the crashes the Hendrick cars have endured in restrictor-plate races ? teammate Kasey Kahne was in the first accident Sunday ? team owner Rick Hendrick was just fine with the finish.

"We have a hard time finishing these races. Boy, to run 1-2, man, what a day," Hendrick said. Jeff Gordon, who was a contender early, faded late to 20th.

And Johnson considered himself lucky to be the one holding the trophy at the end.

"Man, it's like playing the lottery; everybody's got a ticket," he said. "I've struck out a lot at these tracks, left with torn-up race cars. Today we had a clean day."

Mark Martin was third in a Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota. Keselowski, who overcame two accidents earlier in the race, wound up fourth in Penske Racing's new Ford. Ryan Newman was fifth in a Chevy for Stewart-Haas Racing and was followed by Roush-Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle, who was second on the last lap but was shuffled back with Patrick to finish sixth.

Regan Smith was seventh for Phoenix Racing, while Patrick, Michael McDowell and JJ Yeley rounded out the top 10.

Patrick was clearly disappointed with her finish. When the race was on the line, she was schooled by Earnhardt, who made his last move and blocked any chance she had.

Still, Patrick became the first woman in history to lead laps in the 500 when she passed Michael Waltrip on a restart on Lap 90. She stayed on the point for two laps, then was shuffled back to third. She ended up leading five laps, another groundbreaking moment for Patrick, who as a rookie in 2005 became the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 and now is the 13th driver to lead laps in both the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500.

"Dale did a nice job and showed what happens when you plan it out, you drop back and get that momentum. You are able to go to the front," Patrick said. "I think he taught me something. I'm sure I'll watch the race and there will be other scenarios I see that can teach me, too."

Earnhardt was impressed, nonetheless.

"She's going to make a lot of history all year long. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch her progress," said Earnhardt Jr. "Every time I've seen her in a pretty hectic situation, she always really remained calm. She's got a great level head. She's a racer. She knows what's coming. She's smart about her decisions. She knew what to do today as far as track position and not taking risks. I enjoy racing with her."

Johnson, one of three heavyweight drivers who took their young daughters to meet Patrick ? "the girl in the bright green car" ? after she won the pole in qualifications, tipped his cap, too.

"I didn't think about it being Danica in the car," Johnson said. "It was just another car on the track that was fast. That's a credit to her and the job she's doing."

The field was weakened by an early nine-car accident that knocked out race favorite Kevin Harvick and sentimental favorite Tony Stewart.

Harvick had won two support races coming into the 500 to cement himself as the driver to beat, but the accident sent him home with a 42nd place finish.

Stewart, meanwhile, dropped to 0-for-15 in one of the few races the three-time NASCAR champion has never won.

"If I didn't tell you I was heartbroken and disappointed, I'd be lying to you," Stewart said.

That accident also took former winner Jamie McMurray, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, and Kasey Kahne out of contention.

The next accident ? involving nine cars ? came 105 laps later and brought a thankful end to Speedweeks for Carl Edwards. He was caught in his fifth accident since testing last month, and this wreck collected six other Ford drivers.

The field suddenly had six Toyota drivers at the front as Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing drivers took control of the race. But JGR's day blew up ? literally ? when the team was running 1-2-3 with Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch setting the pace.

Kenseth, who led a race-high 86 laps, went to pit road first with an engine problem, and Busch was right behind him with a blown engine. Busch was already in street clothes watching as Hamlin led the field.

"It's a little devastating when you are running 1-2-3 like that," Busch said.

Hamlin's shot disappeared when he found himself in the wrong lane on the final restart. He tried to hook up with Keselowski to get them back to Johnson, but blamed former teammate Joey Logano for ruining the momentum of the bottom lane.

Hamlin offered a backhanded apology to Keselowski on Twitter, posting that he couldn't get close enough because "your genius teammate was too busy messing up the inside line 1 move at a time."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-24-NASCAR-Daytona%20500/id-bf5367c4ebe34448963434a47ab9d9d0

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Prominent Syrian comedian killed in Damascus

BEIRUT (AP) ? A prominent Syrian comedian has been killed in Damascus after apparently being caught in the crossfire between rebels and government troops.

The SANA state news agency says Yassin Bakoush was killed Sunday by a rebel mortar round that landed on his car in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in southern Damascus.

The anti-regime Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group says Bakoush was killed when a rocket-propelled grenade launched by government troops slammed into his car.

The part of Damascus where Bakoush was killed has been hit by fierce clashes between rebels and regime forces in recent months.

The 75-year-old Bakoush was known for playing characters that were likeable but naive and dim-witted.

SANA said Bakoush is survived by11 children.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/prominent-syrian-comedian-killed-damascus-191558873.html

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Kylie Bangs set a school record and made an NCAA B cut in the 100-yard backstrok...

Women's Swimming & Diving Closes Gap On Leaders; Divers Dominate

bombers.ithaca.edu

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Ithaca College women's swimming & diving team closed the gap on the meet leaders with strong performances on the third of four days of competition at the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association championship meet Friday at the Athletics & Events Center Aquatic...

Source: http://www.facebook.com/ICAthletics/posts/190206844436394

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Worth Reading: Should Windows Phones run Windows 8 apps?

The app problem is continuously rearing its ugly head in as Microsoft attempts a comeback with their two modern mobile and desktop/tablet operating systems. When Windows Phone 8 was first announced, the team behind the rebooted OS promised big things with the shared Windows 8 core but none of the potential has been realized yet. Paul Thurrott also recognized this underutilized potential and has penned an intriguing editorial with one simple request at its heart: make Windows Phone run Windows 8 apps.

Thurrott argues that making that happen should be possible if the Windows NT really is shared between the two OSes. He goes on to say that the reason for Windows Phone's limited success, especially in light of Windows 8's launch and mostly positive response, is the fact that the mobile OS is only "sort-of-Windows". Continuing to stress the issue, he says that the mobile OS would be more compelling if it shared apps with Windows 8:

The company could have?should have?done this for Windows Phone 8. Phone apps could have simply been portrait-oriented Metro apps, and this platform should have supported 1366 x 768, the ?standard? Windows 8 resolution. App writers could have created apps that ran on phones, tablets, and PCs, using a single executable (where, when run on Phone, the apps would just run in portrait mode). A Windows Phone handset would just be a really small PC. With a phone app.

I certainly agree with Thurrott that to make developers' lives simpler, Microsoft should have opted for a 1366x768 resolution for Windows Phone. The only obstacle would have been backwards compatibility with all of the 800x480 apps that already existed for Windows Phone. However, all of the HTC 8X and Samsung ATIV S owners out there are putting up with the 'black bar' that frames apps so the issue would have just been a transitional pain at worst.

Ubuntu Mobile can run phone and tablet apps side-by-side

However, his assumption that all portrait-based Windows 8 apps could 'just run' in Windows Phone is kind of unrealistic. Obviously we'd love?to see that happen, but Microsoft has been pushing Windows 8 as landscape-oriented software so not all apps support the portrait orientation (and if they do, odds are it's not as good-looking). Then there's the issue of Windows 8's gesture-based navigation which raises a few more compatibility issues. (Should apps always have their option bars 'open'? Or should Windows Phone adopt swipe-based gestures?)

In recent weeks, the discussion around mobile-and-tablet synergy has been an intriguing one. For instance, Ubuntu Mobile recently announced a tablet version of their software which can display phone apps alongside tablet apps, which looks similar to Windows 8's 'Snap View'. ?With rumors of the?Windows Blue?updates doing something?to bring the two operating systems closer, it appears Microsoft has some idea in mind to tackle the issues that exist today.

Check out Paul Thurrott's full editorial at Windows IT Pro?for more of his thoughts.

Source: Windows IT Pro

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/windowsphonedaily/DnwK/~3/HUu3bRlS5vE/worth-reading-should-windows-phone-run-windows-8-apps.html

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Mandiant goes viral after China hacking report

US-HACKERS-VIRUS-CHINA-MANDIANT:Mandiant goes viral after China hacking report

By Jim Finkle

(Reuters) - Cybersecurity company Mandiant Corp won plaudits from its peers and made front-page news around the world this week when it published a report that purportedly traced a series of cyberattacks on U.S. companies to a Shanghai-based unit of the Chinese army.

But some hackers have turned the tables on the cyber-expert by creating malicious versions of its 74-page report that were infected with computer viruses. They emailed the tainted reports to their victims this week in a bid to wreak havoc under Mandiant's name.

Though the episode was embarrassing, the company said its systems were not breached. "Mandiant has not been compromised," the company said on its corporate blog.

Mandiant was founded in 2004 by Kevin Mandia, a former U.S. Air Force cyber-forensics investigator who co-authored an influential textbook on the subject. The company made its name by automating processes used to investigate computer breaches.

Mandiant was largely unknown outside the computer security industry until Monday, when it fingered the People's Liberation Army's Shanghai-based Unit 61398 as the most likely driving force behind a Chinese hacking group known as APT1.

China's Defense Ministry issued a flat denial of the accusations and called them "unprofessional." But Mandiant won kudos for the unprecedented level of detail in its report, including the location of a building in Shanghai's Pudong financial hub from which Mandiant said the unit had stolen "hundreds of terabytes of data from at least 141 organizations across a diverse set of industries beginning as early as 2006."

Other security companies that have published reports on cyberattacks have shied away from so clearly identifying their perpetrators.

"It was a wonderful report," said Michael Hayden, a former director of the CIA and National Security Agency, who is now with the Chertoff Group. "Everybody is saying 'it's about time.'"

The report did not identify the victims of APT1 or Mandiant's customers, though the company says it has worked for about 40 percent of the Fortune 500.

When asked why he had decided to go public with this report, Mandia, 42, told Reuters, "There is mounting frustration in the private sector. Tolerance is shrinking. We also have a bunch of employees here who are ex-military who sense that frustration and said, 'Let's push this out.'"

The report comes ahead of next week's annual RSA Conference on security in San Francisco, where Mandiant will showcase its products to help companies identify security breaches.

IPO IN THE CARDS?

Mandiant says it begins investigations by installing software it has developed that searches for infections by looking for evidence hackers leave behind. It refers to those digital signatures as Indicators of Compromise, or IOCs.

The proprietary database of those indicators makes up a critical part of the "special sauce" that automates the investigation process and, Mandiant says, enables investigators to root out attackers faster than rivals.

The company has thousands of IOCs in its database, which it is constantly expanding.

"We tend not to take the small jobs. We take the big ones - the ones you would love to read about in the paper, but we keep them out of the paper," said Mandiant's chief security officer, Richard Bejtlich.

Some investors have speculated that Mandiant is preparing for an initial public offering in the next year or so. On Friday, it named Mel Wesley to the post of chief financial officer. Wesley was CFO of publicly held OPNET, which was sold to Riverbed Technology in December for about $1 billion.

Mandia, who raised $70 million by selling stock to Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and One Equity Partners, the private investment arm of JPMorgan Chase & Co, said he is in no rush to go public. "I do not believe we need more capital," he said.

Ted Schlein, a partner with Kleiner Perkins, declined to say if an IPO was in the works, but told Reuters: "They are certainly of the size and they certainly have the operating metrics to be a public company."

Mandia said revenue soared 60 percent last year to about $100 million, and he expects it to climb at about the same clip this year on rising demand for Web-based services that help businesses identify when they have been attacked.

The New York Times and News Corp's Wall Street Journal recently disclosed that they hired Mandiant to investigate cyberattacks. The company has done similar work for Thomson Reuters Corp, parent of Reuters News, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. A spokesman for Thomson Reuters declined to confirm it.

PREMIUM FEES

Mandiant declined to discuss its fees, though analysts say they are among the highest in an industry where rivals include much bigger companies such as Accenture, AT&T Inc, Deloitte, PwC and Verizon Communications Inc, which offer cyber-forensics alongside other services.

Mandiant consultants often bill at rates of $450 or more an hour, said a person familiar with the company. Teams of consultants investigate breaches for weeks and sometimes several months, typically ringing up bills of between $250,000 and $1 million.

John Pescatore, director of emerging security trends for the SANS Institute, says Mandiant can charge a premium partly because it gets strong recommendations from the government and other customers.

There is often a waiting list for its services.

"It's supply and demand. You call Mandiant and Mandiant tells you when they can show up," said the person familiar with the company, who was not authorized to publicly discuss its finances.

Mandiant also competes against CrowdStrike and Cylance, which are run by the founders of a company known as Foundstone, a pioneer in cyber-forensics that had hired Mandia away from the military. He left Foundstone in 2004 to start Mandiant.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston; Additional reporting by Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Deborah Charles in Washington; Editing by Tiffany Wu and Prudence Crowther)

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