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Source: http://elw351.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/houston-commercial-inspection-houston/

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NATO: No evidence for Afghan claim of misconduct

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan has so far found no evidence to support Afghan allegations of misconduct by American special forces in a strategic eastern province, the alliance's spokesman said on Monday.

German Gen. Gunter Katz said the International Security Assistance Force will work with the government to find a solution to the concerns of Afghans, but could not yet comment on the allegations that Afghans connected with U.S. special forces were involved in abuses that include torture, killings and illegal detentions.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday ordered all U.S. special forces to leave Wardak within two weeks and requested that their operations there cease immediately. The restive province, which neighboring Kabul province and is viewed as a gateway to the capital, has been the focus of counterinsurgency efforts in recent years.

On Sunday, the Afghan defense ministry said in a statement that it had "demanded the special forces evacuate the areas according to the timeline" given by Karzai.

The decision followed a meeting of Karzai's National Security Council during which Wardak provincial governor Abdul Majid Khogyani and local officials said that Afghans working with U.S. special forces were responsible for the disappearance of at least nine men and the murder of an Afghan university student. Khogyani and the other officials also presented allegations that the Afghans working for the American special forces were involved in abusive behavior.

The armed Afghans are not part of the Afghan security forces, the government has said, implying that they are members of secret militias working with the American special forces.

"Those Afghans in these armed groups who are working with the U.S. special forces, the defense minister asked for an explanation of who they are," presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said late Sunday. "Those individuals should be handed over to the Afghan side so that we can further investigate."

Although a presidential statement suggested that U.S. forces could also be involved, the Afghan government said it mostly wanted to know about the armed Afghans ? who have been blamed by local residents for the abuses.

"We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and go to great lengths to determine the facts surrounding them," Katz told reporters. "Over the past few weeks there have been various allegations of Special Forces conducting themselves in an unprofessional manner" in Wardak.

He added that "so far, we could not find evidence that would support these allegations."

Katz says that ISAF cannot comment until NATO meets to discuss the issue with the Afghan government.

"Until we have had a chance to speak to senior officials in the government of Afghanistan about this issue, I am not in a position to comment further on details regarding what has been said at the National Security Council," Katz said. "We will talk to Afghan officials in due course."

Sunday's order seems to have surprised both NATO and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, which is a separate command.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nato-no-evidence-afghan-claim-misconduct-104001130.html

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Jindal faces troubles in his home state

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal speaks with reporters outside the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, following meeting between members of the National Governors Association (NGA) and President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal speaks with reporters outside the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, following meeting between members of the National Governors Association (NGA) and President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal takes questions from members of the media outside the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, following meeting between members of the National Governors Association (NGA) and President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal answers questions during a news conference outside the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, following a meeting between National Governors Association (NGA) and President Barack Obama. From left are, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garc?a Padilla, Jindal, and NGA Vice Chair, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) ? Gov. Bobby Jindal faces deepening troubles in his home state even as he dishes out advice on how the divided GOP can regroup and looks to position himself as a national party front man.

The new head of the Republican Governors Association, who also is a potential future White House contender, has made a series of cuts to health services and colleges, drawing criticism from affected constituents and Republicans who say he's not cut enough. And while he delighted conservative policy wonks nationally with his signature measures overhauling education and public employee pensions, those laws are tied up in state court as Republican judges claim constitutional concerns.

At the same time, recent polls suggest that Jindal's once-formidable job performance rating has fallen below 50 percent just over a year after he was re-elected without serious opposition.

"He's got a large number of people in Louisiana who just do not like him," said Baton Rouge-based pollster Bernie Pinsonat, not usually a Jindal critic.

The question isn't necessarily how Jindal's circumstances affect him inside his own party, where he remains popular among vocal conservatives. "He's done some serious reforms and taken a stand against establishment thinking," said South Carolina Republican Chairman Chad Connelly, whose state expects to host the first Southern primary in 2016.

But any governor seeking a national platform must find a way to frame his political approach for a broader audience, and the challenge for a Republican Party that has lost five of the last six presidential popular votes is to find standard bearers who satisfy the GOP base, while widening it, too.

Bill Clinton sold the nation in 1992 on Arkansas progress, overcoming mockery of his "Arkansas miracle." Eight years later, George W. Bush framed his work with Texas Democrats, who ran the legislature, as proof that he was a "uniter, not a divider."

The first ingredient, Pinsonat said, is having your own people call you a success, adding: "If I'm from another state and the guy's not popular in his home state, no matter what he says after that, I don't know if you hear the rest of it."

Barred from seeking re-election, Jindal's second term ends January 2016, neatly dovetailing with the first caucuses and primaries of the 2016 cycle.

Timmy Teepell, a former Jindal chief of staff who now advises Jindal and other Republicans as a campaign consultant, said his old boss isn't preoccupied with the political chessboard ? with the obvious exception of electing more GOP governors during his RGA tenure.

"If you do the big things, the right things for the right reasons," Teepell said, "then people will appreciate it. Sometimes it just takes time to see results."

In the wake of Mitt Romney's competitive-but-decisive loss to President Barack Obama in November, Jindal has been at the forefront of delivering sharp criticism to the GOP.

He has bemoaned "dumbed-down conservatism." He has argued that the GOP is a "populist" organization and that Republicans shouldn't be the party of "big anything." And he has said that the GOP should "stop being the stupid party." It was a response to Todd Akin of Missouri and Richard Mourdock of Indiana, the failed Senate candidates whose controversial comments about abortion helped Democrats win seats once viewed as Republican locks.

Jindal also has been clear that Republicans must not "change what we believe" and he has suggested the party hasn't gone big enough in its argument against active government. "It's time to quit arguing around the edges of that corrupt system," he has said.

At first blush, Jindal's Louisiana priorities fit neatly within his party roadmap.

He's pushing to eliminate all corporate and personal income taxes, in favor of sales tax increases. He's refused to expand Medicaid under Obama's health-care overhaul, and he's dismantling the state's unique public hospital system, in no small part through his control over the leadership of the Louisiana State University System that runs the health-care enterprise. He has privatized parts of the Medicaid insurance program for the poor along with state workers' health-care plan.

He's dramatically cut the number of state workers, though mostly by issuing contracts to pay private firms to do the same work. He's created one of the nation's largest school voucher programs, with a price tag of $25 million this year and more than 4,900 students enrolled.

Yet for all his criticism of a big federal government, Jindal has approved its excess and accepted its bounty. As a congressman, he supported deficit budgets under President George W. Bush. Jindal, like every other governor, used federal stimulus money ? provided through an Obama law that Jindal assailed ? to balance his state budget for at least two years and, in many instances, he traveled to small towns to hand out checks to local government leaders, while sidestepping the explanation that the dollars came from federal coffers.

As many program cuts as Jindal has pushed in Louisiana, he's feuded with his fellow Republicans in the Legislature who say he's not done enough.

Jindal's state government helped spend billions of dollars in federal rebuilding aid after multiple hurricanes, including Katrina. Louisiana just hosted the Super Bowl in a publicly owned stadium restored and upgraded with taxpayer money.

Particularly to outsiders, Jindal has styled himself as a technocrat ? competence above ideology ? who doesn't necessarily get his juice from social conservatives. He has won plaudits for disaster management on hurricanes and after the BP oil spill. His command of policy details is obvious in his public appearances and, according to those with access, in private meetings.

Still, he carefully cultivates social conservatives. A Catholic convert raised by Hindu parents, Jindal has spent countless Sundays in Protestant north Louisiana sharing his personal testimony. He signed the Louisiana Science Education Act that allows science teachers to use outside curriculum, a move that Nobel laureates protest as back-door to teach Biblical creation as science. His voucher program pays for children to attend religious schools that teach creationism and reject evolution.

Over his five years in office, Jindal has traveled to three dozen states to collect campaign dollars, meet voters and help other Republican candidates. He's tapped into an extensive network of GOP fundraising and consulting firms that could help launch future political campaigns and built political relationships across key presidential states like Iowa and New Hampshire. And, as he pushes his tax overhaul, he's hired former communications aides who worked for Romney and Mike Huckabee.

Even so, Teepell said none of Jindal's agenda is aimed at outsiders: "The governor is focused on Louisiana."

___

Barrow reported from Atlanta.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Gov. Bobby Jindal faces deepening troubles in his home state even as he dishes out advice on how the divided GOP can regroup and looks to position himself as a national party front man.

The new head of the Republican Governors Association has made a series of cuts to health services and colleges, drawing criticism from affected constituents and Republicans who say he's not cut enough.

And while he delighted conservative policy wonks nationally with his signature measures overhauling education and public employee pensions, those laws are tied up in state court as Republican judges claim constitutional concerns.

Recent polls also suggest that Jindal's once-formidable job performance rating has fallen below 50 percent just over a year after he was re-elected without serious opposition.

___

Barrow reported from Atlanta.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-25-US-Jindal-Troubles/id-10e1a3b30d124cdd951b6179cf4dfc99

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PFT: Texans' coach Kubiak impressed by Te'o

Getty Images

If the Ravens want to make Joe Flacco the highest paid quarterback in the NFL, and if Flacco is satisfied to barely clear the bar set last year by Saints quarterback Drew Brees, there?s a quick and easy way to get this contract done.

Using Brees? 2012 contract as the starting point, Flacco would get a $40 million signing bonus, a fully-guaranteed base salary of $5 million in 2013, and base salaries of $10 million in 2014, $13 million in 2015, $15 million in 2016, and $18 million in 2017.

Under the rules of signing-bonus proration, $8 million would be applied to each year?s salary cap.? That would result in a cap number of $13 million in 2013, $18 million in 2014, $21 million in 2015, $23 million in 2016, and $26 million in 2017.

It equates to a five-year payout of $101 million ? $1 million better than Brees and, for now, making Flacco the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.

The two sides would have to decide whether and to what extent the money due beyond 2013 would be guaranteed, for injury only or fully.? Last year, Brees received $40 million in the first year, with $20 million guaranteed for injury only in future years.? (The injury guarantees eventually convert to full guarantees.)

The cap number in the final year would be a potential problem for the Ravens, since Flacco presumably would have one more long-term contract left before retirement.? Specifically, the $26 million cap number in 2017 would translate to a franchise tag of $31.2 million in 2018.? Thus, it would make more sense for the Ravens to tack on a sixth year at a base salary of, say, $21 million.

This would keep the average north of $20 million per year and it would give the Ravens a more manageable franchise number of $25.2 million for 2019.

Is it really that simple?? Yes, it is.? Which means that it likely won?t happen this way.

Even though it could be worked out in a matter of hours.? Or, if both sides are truly motivated, a matter of minutes.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/24/gary-kubiak-was-impressed-by-manti-teo-meeting/related/

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MC Hammer: 'Not bitter' about arrest in Calif.

DUBLIN, Calif. (AP) ? MC Hammer suggests he was a victim of racial profiling when he was stopped and arrested by police in the Northern California city of Dublin.

The '90s rap star tweeted on Saturday that an officer approached him in his car and asked "Are you on parole or probation?"

He says that as he handed over his ID, the officer reached inside the car and tried to pull him out.

Dublin police Lt. Herb Walters told the Oakland Tribune (http://bit.ly/YPesHt) that Hammer, who was born Stanley Burrell, was arrested Thursday for investigation of obstructing an officer in the performance of their duties and resisting an officer.

He declined to comment to KTVU about Hammer's version of the arrest.

Hammer tweeted that he wasn't bitter and considered what happened "a teachable moment."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mc-hammer-not-bitter-arrest-calif-022019490.html

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Robotic bat wing engineered: Researchers uncover flight secrets of real bats

Feb. 21, 2013 ? The strong, flapping flight of bats offers great possibilities for the design of small aircraft, among other applications. By building a robotic bat wing, Brown researchers have uncovered flight secrets of real bats: the function of ligaments, the elasticity of skin, the structural support of musculature, skeletal flexibility, upstroke, downstroke.

Researchers at Brown University have developed a robotic bat wing that is providing valuable new information about dynamics of flapping flight in real bats.

The robot, which mimics the wing shape and motion of the lesser dog-faced fruit bat, is designed to flap while attached to a force transducer in a wind tunnel. As the lifelike wing flaps, the force transducer records the aerodynamic forces generated by the moving wing. By measuring the power output of the three servo motors that control the robot's seven movable joints, researchers can evaluate the energy required to execute wing movements.

Testing showed the robot can match the basic flight parameters of bats, producing enough thrust to overcome drag and enough lift to carry the weight of the model species.

A paper describing the robot and presenting results from preliminary experiments is published in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics. The work was done in labs of Brown professors Kenneth Breuer and Sharon Swartz, who are the senior authors on the paper. Breuer, an engineer, and Swartz, a biologist, have studied bat flight and anatomy for years.

The faux flapper generates data that could never be collected directly from live animals, said Joseph Bahlman, a graduate student at Brown who led the project. Bats can't fly when connected to instruments that record aerodynamic forces directly, so that isn't an option -- and bats don't take requests.

"We can't ask a bat to flap at a frequency of eight hertz then raise it to nine hertz so we can see what difference that makes," Bahlman said. "They don't really cooperate that way."

But the model does exactly what the researchers want it to do. They can control each of its movement capabilities -- kinematic parameters -- individually. That way they can adjust one parameter while keeping the rest constant to isolate the effects.

"We can answer questions like, 'Does increasing wing beat frequency improve lift and what's the energetic cost of doing that?'" Bahlman said. "We can directly measure the relationship between these kinematic parameters, aerodynamic forces, and energetics."

Detailed experimental results from the robot will be described in future research papers, but this first paper includes some preliminary results from a few case studies.

One experiment looked at the aerodynamic effects of wing folding. Bats and some birds fold their wings back during the upstroke. Previous research from Brown had found that folding helped the bats save energy, but how folding affected aerodynamic forces wasn't clear. Testing with the robot wing shows that folding is all about lift.

Studying an animal with unique abilities

Over the years, Kenneth Breuer, an engineer, and Sharon Swartz, a biologist, have developed a large archive of bat data, from wind tunnels to field studies and slow-motion video.In a flapping animal, positive lift is generated by the downstroke, but some of that lift is undone by the subsequent upstroke, which generates negative lift. By running trials with and without wing folding, the robot showed that folding the wing on the upstroke dramatically decreases that negative lift, increasing net lift by 50 percent.

Data like that will not only give new insights into the mechanics of bat flight, it could aid the design of small flapping aircraft. The research was funded by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation..

Inspired by the real thing

Bat wings are complex things. They span most of the length of a bat's body, from shoulder to foot. They are supported and moved by two arm bones and five finger-like digits. Over those bones is a super-elastic skin that can stretch up to 400 percent without tearing. The eight-inch robot mimics that anatomy with plastic bones carefully fabricated on a 3-D printer to match proportions of a real bat. The skin is made of a silicone elastomer. The joints are actuated by servo motors that pull on tendon-like cables, which in turn pull on the joints.

The robot doesn't quite match the complexity of a real bat's wing, which has 25 joints and 34 degrees of freedom. An exact simulation isn't feasible given today's technology and wouldn't be desirable anyway, Bahlman said. Part of why the model is useful is that it distills bat flapping down to five fundamental parameters: flapping frequency, flapping amplitude, the angle of the flap relative to the ground, the amount of time used for the downstroke, and the extent to which the wings can fold back.

Experimental data aside, Bahlman said there were many lessons learned just in building the robot and getting it to work properly. "We learned a lot about how bats work from trying to duplicate them and having things go wrong," he said.

During testing, for example, the tongue and groove joint used for the robot's elbow broke repeatedly. The forces on the wing would spread open the groove, and eventually break it open. Bahlman eventually wrapped steel cable around the joint to keep it intact, similar to the way ligaments hold joints together in real animals.

The fact that the elbow was a characteristic weak point in the robot might help to explain the musculature of elbows in real bats. Bats have a large set of muscles at the elbow that are not positioned to flex the joint. In humans, these muscles are used in the motion that helps us turn our palms up or down. Bats can't make that motion, however, so the fact that these muscles are so large was something of a mystery. Bahlman's experience with the robot suggests these muscles may be adapted to resist bending in a direction that would break the joint open.

The wing membrane provided more lessons. It often tore at the leading edge, prompting Bahlman to reinforce that spot with elastic threads. The fix ended up looking a lot like the tendon and muscle that reinforce leading edges in bats, underscoring how important those structures are.

Now that the model is operational, Bahlman has lots of plans for it.

"The next step is to start playing with the materials," he said. "We'd like to try different wing materials, different amounts of flexibility on the bones, looking to see if there are beneficial tradeoffs in these material properties."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Brown University.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Joseph W Bahlman, Sharon M Swartz, Kenneth S Breuer. Design and characterization of a multi-articulated robotic bat wing. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 2013; 8 (1): 016009 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3182/8/1/016009

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/biochemistry/~3/mH5WJdkNVC4/130221143942.htm

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Tech Stocks: Techs sink with Apple, Facebook; Google up

By Benjamin Pimentel, MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) ? Technology stocks took another hit Thursday morning following a harsh selloff in the previous session, as large-cap players like Facebook, Oracle and Intel came under selling pressure.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, left, and hedge-fund manager David Einhorn.

Apple /quotes/zigman/68270/quotes/nls/aapl AAPL -0.93% ?was also down, slipping about 0.4% to $447.05 ahead of a planned conference call by hedge-fund giant David Einhorn, who is pressing the company to consider issuing a special preferred stock grant. Einhorn plans to host a conference call at 2 p.m. ET.

In an interview with AllThingsD, Einhorn said his proposal offers a ?win-win? for both Apple and its shareholders. ?We have a solution that allows shareholders to see that value and Apple to keep that cash,? he added. See: Einhorn on 'win-win' proposal to Apple

Apple?s retreat set the tone for a downbeat trading session, which saw the Nasdaq Composite Index /quotes/zigman/12633936 COMP -1.16% ?give up 0.6% to stand at 3,147. The Morgan Stanley High-Tech Index /quotes/zigman/6015481 MSH -1.40% ?and Philadelphia Semiconductor Index /quotes/zigman/1468249 SOX -1.97% ?both fell more than 1% in early trades.

The tech sector retreat followed Wednesday?s broader market selloff sparked by investor concern over the Federal Open Market Committee?s January meeting minutes that revealed differences over monetary policy. See: Market Snapshot.

Among large-cap tech names, Oracle /quotes/zigman/76584/quotes/nls/orcl ORCL -1.80% ?, SAP /quotes/zigman/126928/quotes/nls/sap SAP -1.92% ?, Intel /quotes/zigman/20392/quotes/nls/intc INTC -2.29% ?, Cisco /quotes/zigman/20039/quotes/nls/csco CSCO -1.30% ?and Microsoft /quotes/zigman/20493/quotes/nls/msft MSFT -1.36% ?were all trading down more than 1%. Facebook /quotes/zigman/9962609/quotes/nls/fb FB -3.56% ?was off more than 3% to $27.58.

Also in the red were shares of Hewlett-Packard /quotes/zigman/229301/quotes/nls/hpq HPQ +0.24% ?which were down a fraction at $16.64 ahead of the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company?s fiscal first-quarter report. See: H-P seen posting earnings drop.

Sony shows features of PS4

Sony is reinventing the PlayStation video game console, demonstrating faster, graphics-rich hardware with new Internet-based features; Ford adds 450 new jobs to its Cleveland plant; Congress proposes a high-tech ID in immigration talks.

Shares of VeriFone /quotes/zigman/365296/quotes/nls/pay PAY -39.75% ?were also in full retreat mode, plummeting 38% to $19.80 after the company drastically cut its estimates for its fiscal first quarter.

On the upside, shares of Google Inc. /quotes/zigman/93888/quotes/nls/goog GOOG +0.24% ?were up more than 0.8% at $801.59. The Internet powerhouse?s stock hit an all-high recently, rising above $800 for the first time in its history.

And the stock will probably go higher, Bernstein Research analyst Carlos Kirjner argues in a note raising the price target to $1,000. ?We believe mass adoption of smart phones, tablets and the mobile Web is a large value creation opportunity for Google,? Kirjner wrote.

Groupon /quotes/zigman/7212269/quotes/nls/grpn GRPN +4.29% ?also traded up 6% on a Piper Jaffray upgrade. Shares of Home Away /quotes/zigman/5675710/quotes/nls/away AWAY +9.82% ?also rallied more than 13% after the online home vacation and rental marketplace company posted upbeat results.

/quotes/zigman/68270/quotes/nls/aapl

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

Volume: 8.88M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:55p

Market Cap

$421.50 billion

/quotes/zigman/12633936

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

Volume: 0.00

Feb. 21, 2013 12:55p

/quotes/zigman/6015481

US : NYSE Glb Ind

Volume: 0.00

Feb. 21, 2013 12:55p

/quotes/zigman/1468249

US : PHLX Ind Cur

Volume: 0.00

Feb. 21, 2013 12:40p

/quotes/zigman/76584/quotes/nls/orcl

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

Volume: 9.62M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:54p

Market Cap

$165.72 billion

Rev. per Employee

$323,739

/quotes/zigman/126928/quotes/nls/sap

US : U.S.: NYSE

Volume: 795,256

Feb. 21, 2013 12:55p

Rev. per Employee

$375,766

/quotes/zigman/20392/quotes/nls/intc

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

Volume: 35.25M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:55p

Market Cap

$102.53 billion

Rev. per Employee

$532,877

/quotes/zigman/20039/quotes/nls/csco

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

Volume: 18.57M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:54p

Market Cap

$112.53 billion

Rev. per Employee

$709,074

/quotes/zigman/20493/quotes/nls/msft

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

Volume: 27.69M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:55p

Market Cap

$233.45 billion

Rev. per Employee

$774,085

/quotes/zigman/9962609/quotes/nls/fb

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

Volume: 30.96M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:55p

/quotes/zigman/229301/quotes/nls/hpq

US : U.S.: NYSE

Volume: 8.40M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:55p

Rev. per Employee

$361,465

/quotes/zigman/365296/quotes/nls/pay

US : U.S.: NYSE

Volume: 22.71M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:55p

Rev. per Employee

$374,919

/quotes/zigman/93888/quotes/nls/goog

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

Volume: 2.25M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:54p

Market Cap

$262.41 billion

Rev. per Employee

$927,536

/quotes/zigman/7212269/quotes/nls/grpn

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

Volume: 11.83M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:54p

Rev. per Employee

$190,771

/quotes/zigman/5675710/quotes/nls/away

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

Volume: 2.75M

Feb. 21, 2013 12:55p

Benjamin Pimentel is a MarketWatch reporter based in San Francisco. Follow him on Twitter @BenPimentel.

Source: http://feeds.marketwatch.com/~r/marketwatch/software/~3/nNMj66uDToI/story.asp

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Collin County Real Estate Market Sales Report - 13,812 SOLD 2012 ...

Dallas Real Estate Sales Market Report for following Counties 2012
Determine what cities make up the county click on any of links below

1. Dallas County????
2. Collin County
3. Denton County
4. Ellis County
5. Parker County
6. Rockwall County
7. Tarrant County?

NOTE:

1. Sales Report includes single family homes, condo, townhomes, duplexes
2. DOM = Days On Market for Sold homes only?

Dallas Homes Sold January 1, 2012 through December, 2012

Dallas homes SOLD? 64,292 in 7 counties YTD 2012 Unless I am crazy families are qualifying for mortgages, and purchasing homes. Dallas homes sales are up by 5,954 over this time in 2011.? Highest number of Dallas homes SOLD since 2008

Keep in mind the chart below DOES NOT REFLECT new home sales, auctions, OR? Dallas for sale by owner . The data is strictly from MLS Realtor use to list Dallas homes for sale AND update MLS when a home has sold.

Dallas homes for sale 1/1/2003 - 12/31/2012 Click here over 720,360 Dallas homes SOLD in 10 years !

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?2008 - 2012. Property of Lynn911.com, All Rights Reserved. may not be used or reproduced in any way without express written permission from Lynn911.com

Source: http://www.trulia.com/blog/lynn_911_dallas_top_real_estatea/2013/02/collin_county_real_estate_market_sales_report_13_812_sold_2012_dallas_real_estate_market_reports

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2-in-1 Charging Sync Cable - Connect Your Apple, Android and BlackBerry Devices

Go from charging and syncing your Android and BlackBerry devices to your new iPad, iPod or iPhone in one quick motion.

This handy gadget is so easy to use, simply connect the attached 8-pin adapter to switch between devices.

Music and pictures can transfer in seconds when you plug into an available USB 2.0 port. This gadget is perfect for all Android and Windows Smart Phones and is a must have for all technology lovers.

Source: http://deals.discountvouchers.co.uk/deal/32314/2-in-1-sync

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'Bachelor' Sean Lowe: Tierra 'duped' me

Rick Rowell / ABC

By Tierney Bricker, E! Online

Sean Lowe doesn't hold his emotional punches! Sean sat down with host Chris Harrison for "The Bachelor: Sean Tells All" special, in which he spoke honestly about feeling "duped" by polarizing contestant Tierra LiCausi, who is now engaged to another man. He also reveals who he wishes he would have kept in the competition instead of Tierra.

During the special, Sean also talked about his tense conversation with Desiree's brother Nate during Tuesday night's episode, admitting, "I wanted to punch him." But was Nate the reason Sean ended up sending fan-favorite Des home?

Read Ali Fedotowsky's take on the hometown dates!

Though tensions between Tierra and the rest of the ladies had been building all season, it came to a head in St. Croix, which lead to Sean asking her to leave before the rose ceremony after her emotional breakdown.

"When I watch it back, I'm like, 'Man I was such a fool,' because I really do feel like I was duped," Sean admits. "Oh man. My take is Tierra never should have come on the show. She's not suited for this show. She doesn't know how to handle herself in this environment. I hope that she's learned from this, but she's a woman who simply can't get along with her peers."

Sean maintains that he had no idea what was going on in the house with the controversial contestant and reveals, "Had I caught wind of everything the girl did earlier, I wouldn't have kept her. In hindsight, I wish I would have kept Jackie on the 2-on-1."

Find out Tuesday night's biggest TV moments

But Tierra wasn't the only villain this season as fans were shocked to see how aggressive Des' brother Nate was with Sean during her hometown date, saying he didn't think Sean really liked his sister and calling him "a playboy."

When asked by Chris if Des had told him about her brother, Sean says, "Des had told me that her brother had gotten into some trouble as a youth and he's kind of straightened himself out, but he's still a little wild at heart. She definitely didn't prepare me for what transpired. At first I even thought maybe he's joking, but after 30 seconds of him ranting, I started to realize he's not joking."

And the conversation with Nate brought out a side of Sean viewers had never seen before. "I really wanted to hit him. I really did, because I can't think of a bigger insult to hurl towards me because that's not who I am at all," Sean reveals. "Anyone who knows me knows I'm the furthest thing from a playboy. Attacking my character is the quickest way to get me heated, but I knew Des and her parents were sitting just inside the house. I didn't want to make this a bigger ordeal than it already was. So it took everything in me just to basically control my emotion."

Relive last week's biggest TV moments

Something viewers didn't see was that Nate "was the first person I spoke to that evening," Sean reveals, as a clip of the brother telling Sean he "seems like a nice dude" plays. "I chalk it up to him being a jack---," the Bach says of Nate's change of heart during the night.

But was Des' brother's behavior the reason Sean sent her home? "I think I would be lying to myself if I didn't say her brother influenced me a little bit; just picturing myself being in their family. I'm not sure I want this guy as my brother-in-law," Sean admits, "but there were other areas in my relationship with Des that were lacking."

Were you surprised by Sean's turnaround about Tierra or his take on Des' brother? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/02/20/17029638-bachelor-sean-lowe-tierra-duped-me?lite

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johnnymo replied to Monday SANTA ANITA in Other Sports .

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Subatomic calculations indicate finite lifespan for universe

By Irene Klotz

BOSTON | Mon Feb 18, 2013 5:53pm EST

BOSTON (Reuters) - Scientists are still sorting out the details of last year's discovery of the Higgs boson particle, but add up the numbers and it's not looking good for the future of the universe, scientists said Monday.

"If you use all the physics that we know now and you do what you think is a straightforward calculation, it's bad news," Joseph Lykken, a theoretical physicist with the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, told reporters.

Lykeen spoke before presenting his research at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston.

"It may be that the universe we live in is inherently unstable and at some point billions of years from now it's all going to get wiped out," said Lykken, who is also on the science team at Europe's Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator.

Physicists last year announced they had discovered what appears to be a long-sought subatomic particle called the Higgs boson, which is believed to give matter its mass.

Work to study the Higgs' related particles, necessary for confirmation, is ongoing.

If confirmed, the discovery would help resolve a key puzzle about how the universe came into existence some 13.7 billion years ago - and perhaps how it will end.

"This calculation tells you that many tens of billions of years from now, there'll be a catastrophe," Lykken said.

"A little bubble of what you might think of as an ?alternative' universe will appear somewhere and then it will expand out and destroy us," Lykken said, adding that the event will unfold at the speed of light.

Scientists had grappled with the idea of the universe's long-term stability before the Higgs discovery, but stepped up calculations once its mass began settling in at around 126 billion electron volts - a critical number it turns out for figuring out the fate of the universe.

The calculation requires knowing the mass of the Higgs to within one percent, as well as the precise mass of other related subatomic particles.

"You change any of these parameters to the Standard Model (of particle physics) by a tiny bit and you get a different end of the universe," Lyyken said.

Earth will likely be long gone before any Higgs boson particles set off an apocalyptic assault on the universe. Physicists expect the sun to burn out in 4.5 billion years or so, and expand, likely engulfing Earth in the process.

(Editing by David Adams and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/q4mzCHZXY3k/us-space-higgs-idUSBRE91H0RR20130218

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Departing South Korean leader warns North Korea

South Korean President Lee Mung-bak speaks to the nation during a press conference to mark his retirement at the presidential house in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. During the address, Lee warned North Korea has pushed itself further into a corner with its recent nuclear test. (AP Photo/Yonhap, Do Kwang-hwan) KOREA OUT

South Korean President Lee Mung-bak speaks to the nation during a press conference to mark his retirement at the presidential house in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. During the address, Lee warned North Korea has pushed itself further into a corner with its recent nuclear test. (AP Photo/Yonhap, Do Kwang-hwan) KOREA OUT

People watch a television airing a live broadcast of South Korean President Lee Mung-bak's retirement speech at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. During his address, Lee warned North Korea has pushed itself further into a corner with its recent nuclear test. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? South Korea's outgoing president warns North Korea has pushed itself further into a corner with its recent nuclear test.

President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday in his farewell address that North Korea will only face international sanctions and isolation if it hangs on to its nuclear and missile programs.

South Korea has pressed for tighter U.N. sanctions on North Korea since Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test last week. North Korea defends the underground blast as an act of deterrence against U.S. hostility.

Lee leaves office next Monday. The relations between the two Koreas have frayed badly during his single, five-year tenure.

His successor, Park Geun-hye, has called for reopening dialogue with Pyongyang but also remains firmly opposed to North Korea's nuclear program.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-19-Koreas-Nuclear/id-d2983d0e4c06433f9d2677ecc3a3871f

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The Value of Building Lasting Relationships | UDig's IT Staffing Blog

Following up on yesterday?s post about communicating with clients, employees, and anyone in your life, I thought I?d take it a step further and write about building relationships. And a relationship post on Valentine?s Day seems rather fitting.

In business, just as in our personal lives, strong relationships are built on trust and understanding. Common interests or common ground can often aid in the development of relationships. The small things that make a person tick ? it could be fishing, hunting, reading, music, running, biking, knitting or any other thing that gets someone excited ? are key elements in finding a commonality that a relationship can be built on. Once a trusting relationship is established then business (and hopefully making money) can fall into place.

We often hear that it?s not always best to do business with your friends but these are the people in our lives that provide the strongest relationships. Having grown up here in Richmond, like many on the UDig team, I have many friends that I come across in my business life. I think this is natural. In staffing, it is important to UDig for our clients, consultants and candidates to trust us. We want to get to understand their business needs, career needs, etc. It is hard to get these details without trust. In business relationships, we demonstrate our trustworthiness through honesty and knowledge sharing. Often we work close enough with these professionals that many become more than business associates but also friends.

Business relationships are built much like friendships ? open honest communication, trust, dependability are all foundations to build strong lasting relationships ? each adding value to the other. Find out what makes your network of contacts, employees, or clients tick ? what makes them want to get out of bed in the morning.? Surround yourself with good quality people and relationships and your business should flourish.

Happy Valentine?s Day!

-Rob Grimes, UDig Senior Account Manager

Source: http://www.udig.com/blog/2013/02/14/the-value-of-building-lasting-relationships/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-value-of-building-lasting-relationships

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Pep Boys Appoints Chris Adams Senior Vice President ? Store Operations

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Pep Boys ? Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: PBY), the nation?s leading automotive aftermarket service and retail chain, announced the appointment of Chris Adams as Senior Vice President ? Store Operations. Mr. Adams will lead our 19,000+ associates serving customers in more than 700 Pep Boys locations. Mr. Adams is expected to start with Pep Boys in early March 2013.

Since 2010, Mr. Adams has served as Chief Operating Officer of CarGroup Holdings LLC d/b/a webuyanycar.com, where he was responsible for launching the U.S. operations of the successful U.K.-based car-buying service. Mr. Adams began his career at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, where he progressed from a management trainee to becoming one of the executives selected to open up and lead Enterprise?s U.K. operations. In between his tenures at Enterprise and CarGroup Holdings, Mr. Adams served as Chief Operating Officer of The BabyPlus Company, a manufacturer and distributor of a prenatal education system, and Holland Partners, a developer and manager of multifamily communities.

Mike Odell, President & Chief Executive Officer, said, ?Chris has a proven track record of delivering world-class customer service, having cut his teeth rising up through the ranks of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. He will be responsible for leading a cultural change in our stores from transactional- to relationship-based customer service. Chris is very well-rounded and uniquely qualified to lead our associates and set the tone for delivering great customer experiences across all Pep Boys locations.?

About Pep Boys

Since 1921, Pep Boys has been the nation?s leading automotive aftermarket chain. With more than 7,000 service bays in more than 700 locations in 35 states and Puerto Rico, Pep Boys offers name-brand tires; automotive maintenance and repair; parts and expert advice for the Do-It-Yourselfer; commercial auto parts delivery; and fleet maintenance and repair. Customers can find the nearest location by calling 1-800-PEP-BOYS (1-800-737-2697) or by visiting www.pepboys.com.

Certain statements contained herein constitute ?forward-looking statements? within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The word ?guidance,? ?expect,? ?anticipate,? ?estimates,? ?forecasts? and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include management?s expectations regarding implementation of its long-term strategic plan, future financial performance, automotive aftermarket trends, levels of competition, business development activities, future capital expenditures, financing sources and availability and the effects of regulation and litigation. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. The Company?s actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements due to factors beyond the control of the Company, including the strength of the national and regional economies, retail and commercial consumers? ability to spend, the health of the various sectors of the automotive aftermarket, the weather in geographical regions with a high concentration of the Company?s stores, competitive pricing, the location and number of competitors? stores, product and labor costs and the additional factors described in the Company?s filings with the SEC.?The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue because of subsequent events.

Source: http://feeds.businesswire.com/click.phdo?i=66bdffab75bbfa3ab8b0d04685293a46

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PFT: Rams reportedly will hire Walton as DC

Getty Images

When we first touched on a story that has helped fill the short lull between the Super Bowl and the Underwear Olympics, I pointed out that South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney will undoubtedly purchase an insurance policy to protect him against a catastrophic injury during a college football season that will do nothing to improve his draft stock for 2014.

Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com has taken a closer look at the issue, pointing out that Clowney is indeed attempting to purchase insurance.

Per Marvez, Clowney would be looking for $5 million in insurance.? That?s a lot of money, but there are serious flaws in this approach.

First, insurance companies are very good at taking money in.? When it comes to paying money out, the pipeline is typically clogged with red tape and exclusions and other stuff that all too often forces policyholders to sue in order to get the insurance companies to do the right thing.

Second, Clowney won?t be buying insurance against a Marcus Lattimore-type injury that simply would knock Clowney from the top of round one to the bottom of round seven.? These policies pay money only for career-ending injuries.? So Clowney gets nothing unless he simply cannot play football.

Third, $5 million covers only a small fraction of what he?d lose over the balance of an NFL career.? Last year, the first pick in the draft (Andrew Luck) signed a four-year, $22.1 million contract, fully guaranteed.? And if Luck becomes what the team thinks he will, Luck will eventually get a contract worth $100 million.? In comparison, $5 million for a truly career-ending injury during a meaningless college season constitutes a small bag of pressed peanut sweepings.

Third, who?ll pay the premium?? Marvez?s article doesn?t mention what it will cost, but it won?t be cheap ? given that Clowney plays full-contact football.? And unless Clowney?s family has the resources to pay what could be a six-figure premium, the insurance can?t be purchased absent the violation of one or more NCAA regulations.

Darin Gantt made an intriguing suggestion as we were going through the Chip ?n? Dale routine as to which of us would handle this specific story; perhaps Clowney?s best move would be not to quit college football, but to take an academic dive, becoming ineligible to play due to bad grades.? That way, it wouldn?t look like he?s deliberately walking away from the game for a year.

It would be harder to pull that off, now that the issue has been flagged and debated and dissected.? Still, for future players in Clowney?s position, the ultimate question could whether the player is smart enough to play dumb.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/12/rams-to-hire-tim-walton-as-defensive-coordinator/related/

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Southerland returns as No. 9 Orange top St. John's

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) ? It took only one half for James Southerland to knock off the rust.

Then Syracuse's sharp-shooting senior forward celebrated his return to the lineup by helping sink a St. John's team that was reeling from the death of coach Steve Lavin's father.

Playing for the first time in seven games, Southerland scored 13 points, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers in the second half to give No. 9 Syracuse a comfortable lead, and the Orange beat the Red Storm 77-58 on Sunday.

"I feel confident. I feel like I took a lot of pressure off the guys just being in uniform and playing, another impact during the game," Southerland said. "It definitely felt great. I was kind of hoping it came a little sooner, but I can't complain."

Southerland missed the previous six games due to an eligibility issue regarding academics and the Orange went 4-2, losing twice in a row. He was restored to the lineup before the game after the issue was resolved Friday and played 26 minutes, going 4 for 6 in the second half after missing all four shots he attempted in a shaky first half.

"I was surprised he got going," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "It's tough when you have a bad first half in your first game back. But he got it going."

It was the 37th straight win in the Carrier Dome for the Orange (20-3, 8-2 Big East), extending the nation's longest active home streak in Division I. The win also extended Boeheim's NCAA record of 20-win seasons to 35.

Lavin missed the game due to the overnight death of his 82-year-old father, Cap, leaving the reins to assistant coach Rico Hines. Lavin informed his coaching staff around 9 a.m. and then flew to New York City.

"What a tough way to come out and be a head coach for the first time, huh? Losing Cap is a big blow," Hines said. "He was an ambassador of the game. He loved the game of basketball. My heart was heavy all day. It was a tough day."

The message "Do it for Cap" written on the blackboard in the locker room wasn't enough for St. John's (15-9, 7-5), which had won six of seven.

Michael Carter-Williams had 17 points, eight assists and a career-high six steals, and Brandon Triche had 16 points and matched his career high with seven assists as the Orange backcourt excelled. C.J. Fair added 17 points and nine rebounds for Syracuse.

Freshman JaKarr Sampson had 21 points to lead St. John's, while D'Angelo Harrison had 13 on 4-of-13 shooting, and Phil Greene scored 10. Chris Obekpa, second nationally with 101 blocks, finished with one block to go with seven points and five rebounds.

After trailing the entire first half, twice by 15 points, the Red Storm rallied early in the second. Harrison drained a pair of 3s in the opening minutes and pulled St. John's to 43-34 with an off-balance attempt from the top of the key as the shot clock buzzer sounded at 16:08.

After Southerland's dunk in transition, St. John's went on a 9-2 spurt. A corner 3 by Marco Bourgault, his only make of the game, and two straight baskets in close by Obekpa pulled the Red Storm to 48-43 with 11:45 remaining.

"We knew we were playing for coach Lavin," Harrison said. "We play for him every game, but especially this one. This one hurts because we didn't win for him, but we'll see him tomorrow. We'll pray for him and do everything we can to help."

Fair halted the St. John's spurt with a baseline runner and Southerland's pretty behind-the-back feed to Triche for a dunk in transition got the Orange rolling again.

Southerland then hit two 3s from the top of the key in a 64-second span ? eliciting a roar from the crowd ? and Syracuse restored its 13-point halftime lead. St. John's never got closer than eight in the final 8 minutes.

"We had momentum. We felt good," Sampson said. "They had the last run."

And it was keyed by Southerland, who never stopped practicing with the team and never gave up hope his eligibility problem would be resolved.

"It's hard for a senior to miss games like that," Boeheim said. "It's very difficult. We forget how important each game is to an athlete. It's life and death. He deserves a lot of credit."

The Orange hit 10 of 22 from behind the arc and held the Red Storm to 5 of 22 from long range.

"As soon as he got his rhythm, he was the same old James knocking down shots," Carter-Williams said. "He's a big presence in our offense. It means a lot having him back. It makes us a lot more dangerous."

Syracuse was 14 of 28 from the floor in the first half, 5 of 11 from long range, and held the Red Storm to 8-of-24 shooting and 2 of 11 from behind the arc in building a 37-24 halftime lead.

Boeheim said afterward that freshman Jerami Grant, who had filled in solidly in Southerland's absence, would start the rest of the season. Southerland remains Boeheim's first option off the bench, and he's happy to be back there.

"I feel we're a lot more dangerous," Southerland said. "It gives a lot of our guys less pressure and easier opportunities to make baskets."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/southerland-returns-no-9-orange-top-st-johns-000236951--spt.html

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