LA police ID suspect in girl's abduction case

RETRANSMITTED FOR TABLET -This undated photo provided by the Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday March 30, 2013 shows Tobias Dustin Summers who was identified as a "child-kidnapping suspect," Los Angeles police said. Summers is a suspect in connection with the abduction of a 10-year-old girl who vanished from her San Fernando Valley home last week and was abandoned hours later in front of a hospital. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Police Department)

RETRANSMITTED FOR TABLET -This undated photo provided by the Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday March 30, 2013 shows Tobias Dustin Summers who was identified as a "child-kidnapping suspect," Los Angeles police said. Summers is a suspect in connection with the abduction of a 10-year-old girl who vanished from her San Fernando Valley home last week and was abandoned hours later in front of a hospital. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Police Department)

A vehicle is dusted for prints in the driveway of a home on the 8800 block of Oakdale Avenue near Nordhoff Street Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Northridge, Calif., where 10-year-old Nicole Ryan disappeared during the night. Los Angeles police say the girl has been located. Sgt. Rudy Lopez says Ryan was apparently spotted by someone who recognized her from information that had been publicized and contacted the Police Department. She was found at midafternoon outside a Starbucks store about six miles from her home. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Mel Melcon)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Police said Saturday they are looking for a transient in the kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl who was snatched from her San Fernando Valley home before dawn last week and abandoned hours later in front of a hospital.

Investigators identified 30-year-old Tobias Dustin Summers as a suspect in the case but couldn't elaborate on the motive or what led them to him. Police don't know if the girl was targeted but said they don't believe Summers had a connection to her family.

"We have no information that the family knew this individual or that the individual knew any members of the family," Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese said.

About 40 detectives have been working around the clock looking for clues since the girl was abducted from her home Wednesday. She was found hours later, wandering near a Starbucks several miles away.

The girl was barefoot, had bruises and scratches, and wasn't wearing the same clothes she had on when she vanished. She told the police two men she didn't recognize had taken her from her home.

Police initially said they were looking for two suspects, but now are focusing their efforts on locating Summers.

"This is the only person we are looking for right now," Albanese said Saturday.

Investigators have said they believe the girl was driven around the San Fernando Valley in a couple of cars and taken to at least two locations, including a storage facility, before she was released.

A passer-by who recognized her picture from media reports saw her outside the Starbucks and called police. The girl had wandered there from the hospital where she had been dropped.

Summers, who has a distinctive tattoo of a ghoulish face on his right arm, has arrests dating back to 2002, police said. Among them are robbery, grand theft auto, possession of explosives and kidnapping, authorities said.

Police said they had no details on the prior kidnapping case.

Summers was released from prison in July on a petty theft conviction as part of a California law designed to ease crowding in state prisons. He also spent six days behind bars in January on a probation violation.

Summers last checked in with his probation officer at some point earlier this month and had been complying with his release terms, police said. He is known to frequent the area where the kidnapping took place.

The Los Angeles Times reported that law enforcement sources said the girl was sexually assaulted. The Associated Press does not identify victims of sexual assault. Summers isn't a registered sex offender, police said.

Albanese said Summers had been arrested four years ago for investigation of battery that involved child annoyance. Court records show Summers was convicted of battery in September 2009 but the child annoyance charge was either dismissed or not prosecuted.

Summers has family in Southern California, according to police, and the FBI said it will obtain a warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, if the agency determines he has fled the state.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-30-Girl%20Missing/id-5a2e3a6c16e14f86981f649233c95c89

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Glass Lewis urges MetroPCS shareholders vote down T-Mobile USA deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Proxy advisor Glass Lewis on Friday became the second firm to suggest that MetroPCS Communications Inc shareholders vote against its proposed merger with T-Mobile USA, adding pressure on Deutsche Telekom AG to offer a sweeter deal.

The advisory follows a recommendation by larger proxy firm ISS late on Wednesday night that shareholders should vote against the deal with T-Mobile USA, the U.S. business of Deutsche Telekom. A smaller advisory firm, Egan Jones, had recommended its clients vote in favor of the transaction.

Glass Lewis said in a report released late Thursday that the proposed transaction undervalues MetroPCS's contribution to the combined company, adding that it believes MetroPCS shareholders could likely realize additional value in the short term if the company remained independent.

Glass Lewis also said that if MetroPCS shareholders vote against the deal, they could potentially receive a better offer.

A MetroPCS spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the board remains committed to the deal and thinks it is in the best interest of stockholders.

Analysts said on Thursday that ISS siding with shareholder activists would likely force Deutsche Telekom to improve the terms of the deal. ISS had complained about the negative market response to the proposed deal, a lower valuation than justified and MetroPCS's potential to thrive as a standalone company.

Paulson & Co, the biggest MetroPCS shareholder, and P. Schoenfeld Asset Management, another big shareholder, had both committed to vote against the deal on concerns about the valuation and the amount of debt being assigned to the combined company.

Even so, another major shareholder - Madison Dearborn - had put its support behind the deal.

T-Mobile USA, the No. 4 U.S. mobile provider, and its smaller rival MetroPCS want to pool their spectrum resources and networks in order to better compete with larger rivals Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc and Sprint Nextel.

Under the terms of the reverse-merger announced in October, Deutsche Telekom would end up with a 74 percent stake in the combined company, and MetroPCS would declare a 1-for-2 reverse stock split and pay $1.5 billion in cash to its shareholders.

If the deal collapses, it would be a huge blow for Deutsche Telekom after being forced in 2011 to abandon its plan to sell T-Mobile USA to AT&T for $39 billion due to opposition by regulators.

On top of these issues, the companies are soon expected to face tougher competition from an emboldened Sprint, which has agreed to sell 70 percent of its shares to Japan's SoftBank Corp for $20 billion.

P. Schoenfeld Asset Management LP, which says it owns about 2.5 percent of MetroPCS, is leading a proxy battle against the deal. Paulson & Co has a 9.9 percent stake, and Madison Dearborn owns about 8.3 percent of MetroPCS shares, according to the most recent public disclosures.

MetroPCS shares have slid more than 8 percent since October 1, 2012, the day before reports emerged that MetroPCS and Deutsche Telekom were in talks.

(Reporting by Sinead Carew; editing by Philip Barbara, G Crosse)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/glass-lewis-urges-metropcs-shareholders-vote-down-t-160617040--finance.html

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Turing machine built from artificial muscles may lead to smart prosthetics

In the hierarchy of computing hardware, artificial muscle doesn't really even register: it's usually a target for action, not the perpetrator. The University of Auckland has figured out a way to let those muscles play a more active role. Its prototype Turing machine uses a set of electroactive polymer muscles to push memory elements into place and squeeze piezoresistive switches, performing virtually any calculation through flexing. The proof-of-concept computer won't give silicon circuits any threat when it's running at just 0.15Hz and takes up as much space as a mini fridge, but the hope is to dramatically speed up and shrink down future iterations to where there are advanced computers that occupy the same size as real muscles. Researchers ultimately envision smart prosthetic limbs with near-natural reflexes, completely soft robots with complex gestures and even a switch from digital to analog computing for some tasks. Although we're quite a distance away from any of those muscle-bound ideas becoming everyday realities, it's good to at least see them on the horizon.

Filed under: Robots, Science, Alt

Comments

Via: Phys.org

Source: Applied Physics Letters

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/qIhfkYy9N1g/

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Eyeballs found in trash at Kansas City gas station

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Police say they are trying to determine how a medical box containing a pair of eyeballs ended up in a trash bin at a gas station in Kansas City.

Police spokesman Steve Young says a worker at a Conoco station in the city's north called police after finding the cardboard box late Wednesday. The box was labeled, "Keep refrigerated."

Young says police aren't sure if the eyes are human, or whether any crime has been committed. Surveillance video shows two men in a blue Toyota leaving the package on the trash bin.

Police say no eye banks or hospitals in the area were awaiting delivery of any eyeballs.

The Jackson County Medical Examiner's office is holding the package while the investigation continues.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eyeballs-found-trash-kansas-city-gas-station-133200330.html

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Dana White?s latest video blog shows he is a fan of shooting guns, riding motorcycles and apple-picking

With no fight this week, UFC president Dana White released a video blog that shows what he and his "idiot friends" do when visiting his place in Maine. Yes, there's plenty of NSFW language. Take a look and see what White and his friends are up to, including:

1. Talk one friend into trying the spiciest hot sauce ever.
2. Blow things up.
3. Shoot guns while calling each other a nickname for a cat.
4. Apple-picking, though it doesn't look like they're picking honeycrisp apples, the finest of all apple varieties.
5. Milk goats in a way that looks pretty uncomfortable for the goat.
6. Drive motorcycles.

[Also: Nick Diaz can cry foul all he wants, but he's not getting a rematch with GSP]

And a little advice for Nick the Tooth. I was once told at an Indian restaurant, after eating very spicy food, that beer or soda pop are your best bets to cool a burning mouth.

Memorable Moments from Yahoo! Sports:

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/dana-white-latest-video-blog-shows-fan-shooting-164921000--mma.html

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NCAA Sweet 16: Big 10 teams lead the way in East and West regions

Thursday night, there are two games each in the East and West regions of the NCAA tournament. In the East: Miami vs. Marquette and Indiana vs. Syracuse. In the West: Ohio State vs. Arizona and Wichita State vs. La Salle.

By Pat Murphy,?Staff / March 28, 2013

Members of the Indiana men's basketball team are seen during practice for a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Washington. Indiana plays Syracuse on Thursday.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Enlarge

Big 10 conference representatives Indiana and Ohio State, seeded No. 1 in the East?and?No. 2 in the?West respectively, look to continue their quest for another?collegiate?championship this week.?The NCAA men's basketball tournament is down to the final 16 schools that will play in four regional sites. We didn't forget that both Michigan and Michigan State, fellow Big 10 members, also remain very much alive in the tourney.

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But for our purposes here, we'll take a look at the East region games, taking place Thursday night?at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. This is the only one of the four regions where the top four seeds reached the round of 16, just as the men's basketball tournament selection committee drew it up almost two weeks ago.

Miami vs. Marquette

Game one of the evening will pit second seed Miami of Florida against Marquette, the region's third seed. The Hurricanes, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, defeated both Pacific and Illinois on their way to our nation's capital. Point guard Shane Larkin, son of Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, runs the show for Miami. Unfortunately for the 'Canes, they will be without the services of center Reggie Johnson, who injured a leg against?Illinois according?to a?school statement.

Miami head coach Jim Larranaga, who led George Mason University to the 2006 Final Four, has a great deal of respect for Marquette's defense.

"Well, we've watched them throughout the Big East ... and they're just a very hard-nosed defensive team. They play ... maybe harder than anybody we've played against all season," Larranaga told reporters on Tuesday.

The Golden Eagles have used that strong defense to survive and advance, coming from behind to edge Davidson in the second round and hanging on to nip Butler in Round 3. Marquette guard Vander Blue is one of the top scorers in the NCAA tournament, averaging 22.5 points per game.

Indiana vs. Syracuse

Thursday night's second game features East top seed Indiana and fourth seed Syracuse. The Hoosiers, who spent 10 weeks ranked No. 1 in the country, cruised past James Madison, then overcame a second half deficit to defeat Temple.

The Orangemen crushed Montana by 47 points in their first tournament game. But things weren't so easy against California in the next round, as the Golden Bears made Syracuse work for a six-point victory.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/hzbHtRQ2LOI/NCAA-Sweet-16-Big-10-teams-lead-the-way-in-East-and-West-regions

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North Korea reportedly cuts 3G for tourists, restricts access to long term visitors

It was just a month ago that North Korea started allowing mobile internet access to visitors (while still restricting it from citizens), but now a tour group says that program has ended. First reported by North Korea Tech, a post on the Koryo Group site indicates that tourists can still purchase SIM cards for international calling, but internet access is not available, a return to its policy from January. A recent blog post from the 22nd goes into more detail, explaining that 3G Koryolink access for foreigners "has been restricted to long term visitors/residents of Pyongyang only." With no word from the government on the policy change you'll have to insert your own reasoning, although we imagine Eric Schmidt is not pleased.

[Image credit: Jean Lee, Instagram]

Filed under: Internet, Mobile

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Via: TechCrunch, North Korea Tech, Tech in Asia

Source: Koryo Group (1), (2)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/26/north-korea-3g-tourists-cut/

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Foldify updated with coloring book mode and more

Foldify by Pixle, one of the more clever recent iPad apps, has updated to version 1.2. When Foldify originally launched, you could pick one of several paper cutout forms, draw whatever you wanted onto them, print them out, and make little paper figures/toys out of them. It was and is delightful! (I made the HULK!) But...

Leanna pointed out that for people who didn't spend their childhood drawing comics or otherwise making with the art, it could be a little intimidating. She wanted templates with existing images she could color in. Well, Pixle listened, and now Foldify 1.2 includes 8 Coloring Book templates.

There are also assorted bug fixes, performance enhancements, and work around along for the ride. If you haven't tried Foldify yet, it's an amazing amount of iPad-meets-real-world fun, so check it out. If you have, grab the update now.

• $2.99 - Download now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/jfQYjpEdsO0/story01.htm

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Italian prosecution says Amanda Knox should be tried again

A battery of lawyers argued before Italy's supreme court today that an appeals court was wrong to overturn Amanda Knox's murder conviction and set her free.

Knox, who remained home in Seattle, was "anxious" about the hearing which could reject the prosecution's argument and end the six year ordeal, or order a new trial. When the ruling comes down, Knox will be notified by her lawyers.

Knox, now 25, spent four years in an Italian prison for the 2007 murder of her English roommate Meredith Kercher. She was freed in 2011 when she and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito had their convictions overturned.

Prosecutors in Knox's supreme court hearing today argued that the judges who set Knox free had "lost their direction." They argued that "some elements were not taken into account," insinuating that the appeal decision to acquit was wrong because not all evidence was considered.

Prosecutors argued that the independent review of key DNA during the appeal ? which blasted the prosecution's case and proved a turning point for Knox -- "was used like a final word" and covered up all other evidence.

Each party is permitted 20 minutes to speak, but the prosecutor went on for an hour. After 35 minutes, the judge chided him and asked him to "hurry up."

The prosecutor's arguments were supported by a lawyer representing the Kercher family and a lawyer for Patrick Lumumba, Knox's former boss who has sued her for defamation. They all argued that Knox and Sollecito were wrongfully set free and should be tried again for murder.

Knox has been free at home in Seattle since 2011 when an Italian appeals court threw out her murder conviction.

Despite the ruling, prosecutors and Kercher's family want to see Knox and Sollecito back in prison.

"We feel that Amanda and Raffaele are guilty and were in the room with Rudy Guede," Francesco Maresca, lawyer for the Kercher family, said as he entered the Corte di Cassazione, Italy's supreme court, in Rome today.

Guede, an Ivory Coast drifter, has also been convicted in the 2007 murder and is serving a 16 year prison term.

The Amanda Knox Story

Knox, a student at the University of Washington, was attentive to today's hearing. Luciano Ghirga, a member of Knox's legal team, said he heard from his client on Sunday.

"She is anxious. She is following the process very closely," Ghirga said.

When asked if she would return to Italy, Ghirga said only, "She can come back anytime she wishes."

FULL COVERAGE: The Amanda Knox Trial

The Amanda Knox case captivated audiences in Italy, Britain and the U.S. She spent four years in a prison outside Perugia and was sentenced to 26 years following her initial conviction. But in 2011 and appeals court threw out the conviction and harshly criticized the prosecution's handling of evidence.

Knox is also appealing her conviction for slandering Perugia police because she testified that during her all-night interrogation a female police officer twice cuffed her in the back of the head, that the officers did not allow her to speak to a lawyer, yelled at her and didn't allow her to use a bathroom.

Knox was Kercher's roommate in Perugia when Kercher's throat was slashed and she was sexually assaulted. Prosecutors claimed that Knox, Sollecito and Guede killed her in a sex game gone bad. They claimed to have found Sollecito's DNA on Kercher's bra clasp cut off the bra and a speck of DNA from Kercher and Knox on a knife in Sollecito's kitchen.

An independent panel of forensics experts concluded that the bra clasp had been left on Kercher's bedroom floor for nearly a month after the murder, had been mishandled and likely contaminated. The speck on the knife was so minute it could not be retested and could have come from another substance.

If the supreme court rules today that Knox should not have been exonerated, a new trial would be ordered in a lower court. Knox would not be required to return to Italy for the proceedings.

If that lower court trial convicted her again, the verdict would again be appealed to the Supreme Court. Only if the Supreme Court upholds the lower court's guilty verdict could extradition proceedings begin to return Knox to Italy, although experts do not believe such an effort would be successful.

Since her 2011 release from prison, Knox has resumed her life in Seattle, taking classes and spending time with her family and boyfriend, James Terrano.

Her memoir,"Waiting to Be Heard," published by HarperCollins, will be released April 30. She reportedly received an advance of $4 million for the book.

Knox's first interview since she was freed will air during a primetime special on Tuesday, April 30 at 10 p.m., ET on the ABC Television Network.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amanda-knox-tried-again-murder-152205177.html

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Mozilla Announces Firefox OS App Workshops, Along With Free Preview Phones For Attendees

Mozilla has announced a new workshop series designed to help spark interest in app development for the forthcoming Firefox OS, with the first three to take place in Madrid, Spain on April 20; Bogot?, Colombia on May 18; and Warsaw, Poland on June 1. Potential applicants have to submit an application to attend, in which they're asked to demo their web development expertise and experience. In exchange, they'll get hands-on access to Firefox OS devs, as well as Firefox OS Developer Preview hardware.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/-tQDm3ZE4U0/

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Accused man forged prescriptions for legal drugs

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Police say a man, who claims he fell on hard times, was trying to make a quick buck by selling legal meds. But the way he was selling it was illegal.
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The man arrested claimed someone else told him to do it and told police that person would help him settle a debt.

Randy Sandon, 49, appeared in court Sunday for forging prescriptions for legal drugs.
????
Court records state a Lovelace pharmacist called police after Sandon brought in what workers knew was a fake prescription.
????
When Sandon came to pick it up, police were there.
????
The pharmacist says Sandon paid $200 for 150 pills of oxycodone hydrochloride and said that pharmacists had been warned to watch for forged prescriptions with a certain practitioner?s name.
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?Mr. Sandon I am going to impose a bond of $5,000 cash or surety, while these matters pending you'll not possess any firearms or dangerous weapons you'll not return to the location of the alleged incident you'll not possess or consume any alcohol or illegal drugs,? Judge Henry Alaniz said.
????
Sandon allegedly told police he was getting the prescription for someone else and that he was out of work and needed money.
????
The state drug inspector was also notified of the incident.
????
No word on how many times Sandon had done this before.
?

Source: http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/accused-man-forged-prescriptions-for-legal-drugs

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Why it?s so annoying to overhear someone?s cellphone conversation

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Rabbi Elan Adler Visits Auschwitz and Pres. Obama Visits Israel

A7 Radio's "The Derech Eretz Show" with Elan Adler

U.S. President Barak Obama came to Israel and did his best to reset American-Israeli relations as well as personal ties between himself and Prime Minister Netanyahu. What kind of derech eretz did Obama give and what kind did he get? How do we judge the entirety of a person? By words? Deeds? Beliefs? Did those who vehemently disagree with him cross any lines of decency, or did they not go far enough in their critique? Elan examines his visit through the prism of Derech Eretz.

Also,?Rabbi Adler?shares about his recent journey to Poland, seeing first-hand evidence of an absolute absence of derech eretz - merciless torture, dispassionate killings, a profound and depraved indifference to human life that is horrifying to absorb. Where was God? Where was mankind? A tough journey with tough questions.

I wish all my listeners joyous holidays, a Happy Passover and the quickening of the redemption of the Jewish people and a world redeemed of hate, bigotry and bloodshed.

Be in touch anytime at rabbiadlerinisrael@gmail.com and keep that derech eretz thing going, my friends, Shalom!

In front of the remains of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland with Israeli flags.

Rabbi Elan Adler served as a pulpit Rabbi for 25 years in Stamford, Ct and Baltimore, Md prior to making aliyah in 2010. Rabbi Adler received his Smicha from Yeshiva University, had the privilege of being an aide to Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik for two years, was an activist Rabbi in support of Israel and aliyah, and served as the President of the Baltimore Board of Rabbis. During his tenure as a Rabbi, he was known for being an engaging speaker and teacher, never failing to make easy connections with Jewish people as well as the non-Jewish and African American community. While serving congregations, he was appreciated for being welcoming, embracing of all people, and bringing congregants closer to their Jewish heritage. For more information on Rabbi Adler visit http://elanadler.com/

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/News.aspx/4585

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Greece: 2 hurt, 11 escape in prison shooting

TRIKALA, Greece (AP) ? At least 11 inmates escaped from a Greek prison Friday night after gunmen brazenly attacked the site with grenades and automatic weapons, kicking off a nightlong standoff between police and prisoners. Two guards were injured, one of them seriously.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, told the Associated Press that two of the escaped inmates had been found and arrested Saturday afternoon. He said they were hiding in a church not far from the site of the prison. The official added that all the escapees were Albanian. A third escapee was arrested later Saturday in a nearby village, police announced.

The incident occurred near the town of Trikala, in central Greece, some 320 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of Athens. As many as six gunmen attacked the prison after driving up to the site in a van and pickup truck, according to officials.

The Ministry of Justice announced that gunmen using "two vehicles and very heavy weapons" attacked the prison's outside guards, as well as a prison patrol vehicle and two police cars.

"During the exchange of heavy fire that lasted over half an hour and turned the area into a battlefield, two perimeter guards were injured in the abdomen, one of them seriously," the ministry said.

Justice Minister Antonis Roupakiotis, who visited the prison Saturday evening, called the escape a "commando operation, with hundreds of shots fired."

"Until now we were worried that inmates would escape from the inside, because this was the danger. Now we have to redesign the security plan of the prisons, because as it seems with the new form that organized crime has taken, there is a risk of attacks coming from the outside to help inmates escape," added Roupakiotis.

Prison authorities were investigating reports that weapons had also been fired from inside the facility. The ministry's announcement said that "no guns or casings confirming the use of an automatic weapon by inmates during the escape have been found. However, the search continues."

When asked about the possible presence of guns inside the prison, Roupakiotis replied that the search continues.

Police spokesman Capt. Christos Parthenis told reporters Saturday that a number of sharp instruments were found inside the prison that the escapees used to prise open cell windows, as well as ladders that were used in their escape, but no weapons. He added that one of the vehicles used by the attackers was found, totally burned, in an attempt to erase incriminating evidence.

At least five grenades exploded, while army experts were expected at the prison to dispose of two unexploded grenades.

The attack started at around 8:30 p.m. (1830GMT) Friday, when a police patrol jeep was fired upon.

"It was like a war was going on. There was so much gunfire," said Trikala city councilor Costas Tassios, who lives in the village of Krinitsa, near the prison.

A bullet fired at the village damaged a coffee shop window in an incident also being investigated by police.

The escaped prisoners used ropes and bed sheets tied together to climb down from a guard tower that had been attacked. They had to go through two more perimeter fences, topped by barbed wire, before they escaped. The same police officer told the Associated Press that wire-cutting tools had been recovered.

Police set up roadblocks near the prison, searched vacant homes and farm buildings, and used two helicopters in the manhunt. Officers from evidence units were scouring the jail perimeter after dawn.

The attack was the latest dramatic incident at Greek prisons, which are suffering from serious overcrowding and staff shortages as the country struggles through a financial crisis and a recession that started in late 2008.

Last month, guards foiled a breakout attempt by four inmates who tried to escape by helicopter from Trikala prison, including notorious Greek inmate Panagiotis Vlastos, who is serving life for murder and racketeering. Gunmen in the helicopter had fired on guards in the Feb. 24 incident and lowered a rope in to the courtyard, but the chopper was forced to land after being hit by returned gunfire.

In a separate incident on March 17, a convicted contract killer, Albanian inmate Alket Rizaj, took several prison guards hostage in an attempt to escape from another prison in central Greece. The attempt was unsuccessful and the hostages were released unharmed following a 24-hour standoff.

_________________________

AP writer Demetris Nellas contributed to this report from Athens.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/greece-2-hurt-11-escape-prison-shooting-082351897.html

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US rethinking lowest-priced contract rule for guarding embassies

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers are reconsidering a 1990 law that makes the State Department accept the lowest bids for contracts to provide private security at most U.S. diplomatic posts, a requirement that can lead to the hiring of thousands of guards based on how cheap they are rather than their quality.

Concerns about the policy, which was aimed at cutting costs, were heightened by the assault on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, last September, in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed. None of the local guards was outside the lightly defended complex when it was overrun by militants, according to the results of a U.S. government inquiry.

Fifteen months earlier, at the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy in Pakistan - a walled compound within a gated diplomatic enclave - dozens of local guards refused to work for three days. The strike over pay and benefits potentially put security at risk, the U.S. State Department inspector general's office said in an audit in February 2012.

A government spending bill, which passed Congress this week, gives the State Department the flexibility to hire local guards for Afghanistan, Pakistan "and other hostile or high-risk areas" on a best-value basis, allowing for the appropriate trade-offs between cost and quality, a Senate aide said, although the provisions are due to expire at the end of September.

Senators Robert Menendez and Bob Corker, the leading Democrat and Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, are also discussing whether to propose permanent changes to the way local guards are hired as part of embassy security legislation in the coming months, aides to both men said.

Many people think of the Marines, the sentinels at the front doors of many U.S. embassies, as the buildings' protectors. But they are there mainly to safeguard classified documents. There were no Marines at the Benghazi mission, a temporary facility.

It is the host country - and when it cannot or will not, the locally hired guards - that the U.S. government typically relies on to help keep its diplomats and buildings safe.

'POORLY PAID AND MOTIVATED'

One of the last things former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked Congress to do before she left office on February 1 was to change the law requiring that most local guard contracts be awarded on a "lowest price technically acceptable" basis.

The money-saving requirement applies in "dangerous places like Libya," she said.

"We have requested a change in the legislation that would allow us to use some discretion to try to deal with the varieties and vagaries of these local guard forces," she told the House Foreign Affairs Committee in January.

Corker heard complaints about the lowest-price rule from U.S. embassies during a recent trip to several African countries. He visited war-torn Mali, as well as Senegal, Algeria and Tunisia, all of which are confronted with the spread of weapons from Libya after Muammar Gaddafi's overthrow.

The lowest-priced bid requirement encourages companies to snatch a contract from a competitor by lowering the embassy guards' pay, Corker said. "You're just cutting wages of people who actually have performed well and been on the front lines," he said.

The State Department inspector general's office says that changing the law would probably end up costing more - a tough sell in the current atmosphere of fiscal tightening. There are about 30,000 local guards protecting roughly 285 U.S. diplomatic facilities worldwide, the State Department says.

During the past several years, about $500 million has been spent annually on the guards. That does not include Iraq and Afghanistan, which have been budgeted separately.

In December, a State Department-ordered inquiry into the Benghazi attack cited numerous failures, including serious leadership deficiencies at the department that led to insufficient security.

But it also labeled as "inadequate" the responses of the local guards, who worked for a British company called Blue Mountain Group. None was keeping watch outside before the attack, and it was unclear whether they sounded any alarms, the review said.

Since the Benghazi attacks, the company has repeatedly declined to comment in response to Reuters' inquiries.

The lowest-priced rule for local guard contracts "often results in poorly paid and motivated guards," Michael Raynor, former executive director of the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, wrote last year.

"Paying guards less than living wages" not only has security costs, Raynor wrote to the State Department inspector general, but also "undercuts our Missions' broader engagement in championing human rights."

"What it allowed was cheap guarding ... from the local population, or inexpensive Third World guarding from elsewhere," said Charles Tiefer, law professor at the University of Baltimore and member of the U.S. Commission on Wartime Contracting, which examined spending in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last year's audit by the inspector general's office related one particularly large problem at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa. The embassy had to issue 60 "deficiency notices" to its local guard contractor for performance problems.

Over two-thirds of 86 U.S. diplomatic posts surveyed reported some problems with guard forces, such as absenteeism and turnover, the audit said.

UNAPPROVED GUARDS POSED SECURITY RISK

The June 2011 guard strike in Islamabad, Pakistan, posed a security risk because although the contractor replaced the strikers, it did so with unapproved guards who had not undergone required background checks, another audit from the State Department inspector general's office said last year.

The strikers had been hired under a 2007 contract awarded to G4S Secure Solutions International Inc on a lowest-price basis. The protest ended when the contractor agreed to increase the guards' pay, the audit said.

Their salaries were not revealed in the unclassified version of the report. A spokeswoman for the company, a subsidiary of the British-based G4S security services firm, declined comment.

Cameron Munter, who was ambassador to Pakistan during the 2011 guard strike, said, "The obvious end result that any ambassador wants is a motivated guard force that can be depended on in a crisis to do the things it's been trained to do."

But Munter also warned that changing contracting rules was not a panacea for safety.

"If all we learn from Chris Stevens' death is that we have to spend money differently, we haven't addressed the real issue - which is, we need to be informed and we have to think hard about how we are best informed, in order to protect ourselves. This is a question of smart security," Munter said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-rethinking-lowest-priced-contract-rule-guarding-embassies-104351302.html

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Feds raid 17 Calif. auto stores for nitrous oxide

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Hundreds of law enforcement officers on Friday raided Southern California auto parts shops and other businesses suspected of illegally selling nitrous oxide for use as a recreational drug, in one of the nation's largest such raids to date.

Four federal arrest warrants were also served during the 17 simultaneous raids in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties, and at least two people were arrested on misdemeanor charges of misbranding a drug in violation of the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Authorities said they expected more arrests to come.

The operation was the result of a year-and-a-half-long joint investigation dubbed "No Laughing Matter" by the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The FDA has recently focused on the illegal use of nitrous oxide, and this was its largest case to date, said special agent Lisa Hartsell. Though nitrous oxide has long been a rave phenomenon, it has recently grown into more mainstream use, propelled by the ease of social media to reach young people and spread the word.

"This is a very cheap drug, can be had very easily, it is not a controlled substance, so your big members of the law enforcement community don't have the ability to control it," Hartsell said.

The gas is legally used by dentists for anesthesia, to pressurize whipped cream canisters and to speed up race cars. But authorities say its illegal use has spurred fatal car accidents, rapes and teen deaths ? all in the name of a temporary high.

Los Angeles County sheriff's officials have zeroed in on the recreational use of the drug since September, cracking down on more than 350 illegal parties, nearly all of which were selling nitrous oxide, or "noz," spokesman Mike Parker said Thursday.

The operations are part of a new social media team set up by the Sheriff's Department over the last six months to monitor and identify such illegal activities around the clock. The team has found many public posts that advertise alcohol and illegal drugs such as nitrous oxide and that target teens.

"They're doing the social media equivalent of standing outside the front doors of a high school at 3 o'clock as school lets out with a megaphone announcing that there'll be drugs, noz and alcohol for children, and then handing out fliers to all the kids that are interested," Parker said.

These parties can be lucrative for those provisioning them. Sheriff's deputies have been tracking one distributor who is making more than $60,000 a month in the bulk sale of nitrous oxide, said Sgt. Glenn Walsh, who works in the Sheriff's Department's narcotics bureau.

Hartsell said the drugs have also spurred armed robberies as gangs steal tanks from each other in an effort to make easy money with light legal ramifications.

Sheriff's officials believe they have prevented a least 30 violent and sexual assaults in the last six months because of their efforts to shut down illegal nitrous oxide-related parties before they happen.

One party was forced to change locations three times in one night, before finally moving outside of the sheriff's jurisdiction, Parker said. But the department also notifies neighboring departments of the illegal parties when it spots them, Parker said.

Some of the hotspots are unincorporated Los Angeles County and the San Gabriel Valley, where parties are held primarily in homes and warehouses, Parker said.

Part of the problem for law enforcement officers going after the illegal use of nitrous oxide is that its distribution or use as a recreational drug is only a misdemeanor, officials said.

Sheriff's Lt. Rod Armalin said the department is working on legislation to increase the penalties.

Armalin supervises the team that responds to many of these illegal parties and tries to prevent them from happening.

"Over the past year we've seen an increase in incidents," Armalin said. "It seems like it's really taken off with young people. ... They're openly advertising, 'Hey we're going to sell nitrous oxide, and there are going to be children there,' and that's a concern."

Nitrous oxide isn't the only dangerous substance teens are turning to for a quick and cheap high. On Monday, a 14-year-old Los Angeles honors student died after inhaling computer keyboard dust cleaner, apparently to get high. Aria Doherty's sister found her in bed with a can of compressed air cleaning product attached to her mouth.

Earlier this month a 12-year-old San Bernardino County girl, Kristal Salcido, died after inhaling Freon from an air conditioner.

___

Tami Abdollah can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/latams .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/feds-raid-17-calif-auto-stores-nitrous-oxide-225510584.html

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'Olympus Has Fallen' Cast Share Their Own Personal Code Names

For those not already in the know, the "Olympus" in the movie title "Olympus Has Fallen" is the official code name for the White House. That being the case, MTV News sat down with the cast recently and simply had to ask them if they had their own code names. They answered, and we graded [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/03/22/olympus-has-fallen-code-names/

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Meet Vancouver's Penelope Sloan from TRENSETTA DESIGN ...

Trensetta Design is one of Vancouver?s leading design firms and provides a set of holistic professional skills to their clients from start to finish. They are really a one-stop shop for your design needs, ranging from interior design, home-staging, graphic design and more. I had a chance to sit with the co-founder, and Vancouver?s very own, Penelope Sloan to learn more about the design world, their firm and what she?s been up to.

Transetta Designs other co-founder and Penelope?s partner is the one and only Deepak Jayakar who has over 20 years of international interior design and architecture experience. I asked Penelope how the partnership in forming Trensetta Design came to be?

?I was networking after two months of travel, freshly inspired and with some big ideas for my business. I was looking for a mentor, and thinking that to do what I had in mind, I needed a business partner. I was lucky enough to be introduced to Deepak, and he seemed like the perfect fit for both roles. The fact that he was a feng shui master was a huge bonus, as I have always been interested in energy and its power.?

Seemed to me like a classic example of a hard worker doing whatever it took to glean from the experience of someone highly regarded in their field of endeavor.

?I was persistent about shadowing him, and eventually he began to bring me along on his luxury home projects and I got hands-on experience in new construction and design. I am so blessed to have such a talented and wise person as a partner, not to mention the deep resources he came with after years of dealing with industry trades and suppliers.?

In 2011, Penelope presented Deepak with the business plan and idea of incorporating their wide range of skills and to become partners in Trensetta Design. ?And so it was.

?I have learned that, if you don?t ask, you?ll never get an answer, whether it?s a yes or no, you?ll never know. If you don?t act, nothing will happen. You need to put yourself out there.?

Needless to say, it has been an exciting year for the budding entrepreneur who is now busy helping people and businesses come to life with their design work and branding.? While the firm remains highly creative, transforming every space into a meaningful and strategic environment really shapes their design ideas. The designs are well-researched and intelligently based on the details and specifics of each client. The passion to guide their clients through the whole process of a dramatic makeover is shown in their work and very personalized and customized consultation process. Being a feng shui design company gives them the ability to create an environment where all the elements and energy work in the client?s favour, not something most designers are able to offer.

Interior Design by Trensetta

?We are small enough to be ultra competitive but large enough to offer a full, professional service that can handle every detail of a large project.?

Trensetta advantages:

• Includes exterior landscaping design to create strong?curb appeal.
• Offer technical, administrative and management support throughout the project.
• Add strong character to the project with advanced and custom design principles.
• Ensure greater profitability to clients with effective branding of their project.

With things starting to take off for her and her firm, I asked what piece of advice she could share with other young entrepreneurs looking to take their game to the next level:?

?You have to be sure this is what you really want to do and commit to it. You have to keep your big dream ever present. Keeping yourself steadily motivated can be challenging. There will be tough times, so you need that true reason why you?re a doing it, to inspire you, find creative solutions, and get you through it and push on. And remember there are no failures, only learning?s.?

Penelope has also created a Female Entrepreneur Social Group ? a place to share resources, ideas, and challenges and receive ideas and feedback from a group of other creative, driven women in business. If you are a young creative female entrepreneur check out the group on Facebook:? https://www.facebook.com/groups/ycefemales

Trensetta will provide Vancity Buzz readers with a FREE on site consultation that can help get you started on any project. ?They offer their Feng Shui design services to builders, developers, realtors and individuals.? They will also be offering amazing discounts to their upcoming Feng Shui for Life classes ? so stay tuned for that post to come!

Site: http://www.trensetta.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrensettaDesign

Twitter: https://twitter.com/trensettadesign

Phone: 604 317 1667

Penelope?s facebook:?https://www.facebook.com/PeneleopeSloanDesign

Penelope?s blog:?http://www.nelavision.ca/

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Source: http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/03/meet-vancouvers-penelope-sloan-from-trensetta-design/

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Porn Star Conner Habib's Appearance At Corning Community College Canceled

Corning Community College in upstate New York canceled a planned appearance by gay porn star Conner Habib because of his involvement in the adult film industry.

College president Katherine Douglas told members of Equal, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender student group, she was canceling Habib's scheduled "Sex Week" talk. The cancellation was first reported by BuzzFeed. Douglas said she didn't want gay rights to be linked to pornography, Habib told the Post-Standard.

?Mr. Habib's celebrity status as an adult film star is inconsistent with the educational theme of this program,? Bill Little, the college executive director of the office of institutional advancement, told the Star Gazette.

The school said it would honor Habib's contract and pay for his travel expenses, YNN reported.

Since Habib still planned to travel to the area, he was scheduled to give a talk at a nearby library:

Brandon Griewank, president of Equal, told BuzzFeed that school administrators pressured him not to attend the off-campus event:

Griewank, who had sought Habib out and invited him to campus, says he was pulled into an impromptu meeting by an administrator last Friday. Griewank told BuzzFeed that Dean of Student Development Donald Heins told to him not involve himself with any further plans for Habib's visit. It was an "absolutely intimidating conversation," Griewank says. "He told me I wasn't allowed to speak to the press, told me I wasn't allowed to help Conner. He told me this in a closed room, there was no advisor to Equal there, and it wasn't scheduled, so I had no time to prepare." Griewank says he intends to file a complaint with the school over Heins' alleged actions.

Habib also alleges that Douglas and Heins spoke to a hotel and local businesses to find out whether Habib was coming to Corning, and Griewank says Heins told him that he couldn't go to Habib's talk even if it was off-campus. "He said, 'I hope you grasp this, Brandon, that this issue is bigger than you and bigger than Equal.'"

The college denied it pressured any student to avoid the off-campus discussion.

Habib wrote about the controversy in a blog post on BuzzFeed, arguing this proves society needs more "candid conversations" about sex and porn.

Other porn stars have caused controversy with their invitations to colleges. A decision to close porn star James Deen's talk at Pasadena City College angered people in the Los Angeles area in February. Sean Lockhart, whose stage name is Brent Corrigan, was dis-invited from Yale University in 2010, according to Yale Daily News.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/conner-habib-corning-college_n_2927280.html

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Carrie Yury: Freefalling Ethnographer: Life Inside a Startup

On my first week of work at my new job as Head of Research for BeyondCurious, a digital innovation startup, my CEO/President asked me if I would go skydiving with her. I didn't hesitate.

"Absolutely not," I said.

Although I still refuse to actually go skydiving, the reality is that life at a startup often feels like skydiving: deliberate, terrifying, and exhilarating free-fall.

Ethnography of a Startup

Before I started at BeyondCurious, the word "startup" conjured up images of endless pools of M&Ms, brightly colored beanbags, and billionaire 20-year-olds. Actually working at a startup is both a lot more challenging and a lot more fun than I could have imagined.

For example, one of the amazing things about working at BeyondCurious is that we are literally forming our company culture every day at work. Everything matters, from our decision to have daily 15 minute standing morning meetings to report on what we're doing that day and how we're feeling, to the fact that dogs roam freely around the office. It matters because it all cumulatively contributes to who we are, and what it's like to work here. That's a big opportunity, but it's also a big responsibility.

I think a lot about culture because my research training is in applied anthropology. What that means is that I have an obsessive interest in all the stuff of everyday life. As an ethnographic researcher, I look at how we do things, what we use to get things done, and what we think/feel about all of that. So I'm naturally interested in taking a close look at all of those things here at BeyondCurious.

Sometimes being part of a startup feels like jumping out of a plane on purpose. Over the next several months, I intend to take you with me as I take the leap by conducting an ethnography of life inside a startup. I want to capture and reflect back on the specific contemporary cultural phenomenon of the startup environment, from dizzying heights to gut-wrenching lows. Most of all, I am interested in understanding and sharing the strategies and habits we employ to help us do great work, stay focused on our mission of creating impact in the world, and keep loving coming in to work along the way.

Some of the questions I've set for myself:

What kinds of tools, or habits encourage collaboration and communication?

How do we develop resilience and learn from failure?

How do things like friendship, happiness and values affect the work?

What motivates people to work at BeyondCurious, and what keeps them here?

I'm aware that I might not be the most impartial observer of our culture, so I plan on crowdsourcing part of this research project. That's where you come in. In each post, I'll ask a question, solicit your observations of what I've talked about, and even ask you to contribute observations from your own work places.

This week's question:

What kinds of things do you want to know about life at a Startup? About BeyondCurious?

Please respond in comments. You can also follow BeyondCurious at @Beyond_Curious.

?

Follow Carrie Yury on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@CarrieYury

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carrie-yury/working-at-a-startup_b_2918602.html

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Barcelona earn maximum points in AP soccer poll

FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, from Argentina, right, celebrates with his teammate Jordi Alba after scoring against Rayo Vallecano during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, from Argentina, right, celebrates with his teammate Jordi Alba after scoring against Rayo Vallecano during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

FC Barcelona's Alexis Sanchez, from Chile, reacts against Rayo Vallecano during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli gestures after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Palermo at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski of Poland, right, celebrates his second goal with scorer Nuri Sahin, left, during the German first division Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, March 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski of Poland, right, celebrates his second goal with scorer Nuri Sahin, left, during the German first division Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, March 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

LONDON (AP) ? Barcelona received the maximum points in AP's global soccer rankings on Tuesday, with the team's striker, Lionel Messi, coming close to top marks.

The Catalan team was rewarded by The Associated Press' panel of 20 soccer journalists for its 4-0 rout of AC Milan to overcome a 2-0 first-leg deficit and qualify for the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the sixth season in a row.

"We rediscovered the best Barcelona at the best possible moment," Cedric Rouquette of Eurosport in France said.

Barcelona received the maximum 200 points, with Spanish rival Real Madrid second at 106 points and Italian league leader Juventus third with 92 points.

Messi, who scored twice in the Milan victory, received 195 points out of a possible 200, with AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli second, a long way behind with 77 points and Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski third with 68.

U.S. panelist Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said voting for Messi was "the biggest no-brainer in sports. Putting together this list every week involves really just finding nine names to type after Messi's."

Second-place Balotelli has scored seven goals in six games for Milan, including both in a 2-0 win over Palermo this weekend. Lewandowski also scored two in Dortmund's 5-1 crushing of Freiburg in the Bundesliga. However, Germany-based panelist James Thorogood said it was Nuri Sahin who stood out more for Dortmund, and the Turkish player was ninth in the voting.

"The Turkish international has had to be patient since rejoining Dortmund after unsuccessful spells with Real Madrid and Liverpool, but was back to his influential best against Freiburg, scoring twice and setting up Robert Lewandowski's first," Thorogood said.

David Villa, with 64 points, was the second Barcelona player in the top four, just ahead of Chelsea's Eden Hazard, who is becoming increasingly influential for the London club. Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain was sixth and teammate Cristiano Ronaldo was eighth. Both scored in the Spanish champion's 5-2 victory over Real Mallorca.

Andres Iniesta was the third Barca player in the top 10, sharing 10th spot with Chelsea's Frank Lampard.

In the team rankings, Real Madrid was second, earning just over half the points collected by its great rivals, with Juventus in third as it sits nine points clear in Serie A and still in the Champions league.

Dortmund's impressive victory saw the second-place Bundesliga team land in fourth place with 83, four places ahead of league leader Bayern Munich, which is a massive 20 points ahead domestically. The champions-elect needed a Leverkusen own goal three minutes from time to eke out a 2-1 victory at the weekend.

Resurgent Chelsea was voted fifth, tied with Turkey's Galatasaray, which is surging in the domestic league and in the last eight of the Champions League.

Paolo Condo of Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport pointed out that Argentina's San Lorenzo was perhaps the most successful team of the week, as a major fan revealed himself ? the new Pope Francis, a supporter of the Buenos Aires club.

___

AP Global Soccer Rankings for the week ending March 17.

Based on 20 voters, using 10 points for top to 1 point for bottom place. Previous rankings in parentheses.

Players:

1. Lionel Messi, (3), 195 points.

2. Mario Balotelli, 77.

3. Robert Lewandowski, 68.

4. David Villa, 64.

5. Eden Hazard, 63.

6. Gonzalo Higuain, 57.

7. Edinson Cavani, 54.

8. Cristiano Ronaldo, 50.

9. Nuri Sahin, 39.

10. Andres Iniesta 37.

(tie) Frank Lampard, 37.

___

Teams

1. Barcelona, (5), 200 points.

2. Real Madrid, (1), 106.

3. Juventus, (2), 92.

4. Borussia Dortmund, (7), 83.

5. Chelsea, 79.

(tie) Galatasaray, 79.

7. Manchester United, 68.

8. Bayern Munich, (3), 56.

9. Arsenal, 49.

10. Malaga, 44.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-19-SOC-AP-Global-Soccer-10/id-5f8d275c67da4b149aed88ffd3a666ef

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Solving the Pricing Puzzle ? Pricing Leadership

Today in many companies, the distribution of an Excel spreadsheet, accompanied by some stern wording around pricing compliance, often passes as a pricing enforcement strategy. In truth, that method actually invites intentional and incidental abuses in the implementation of a pricing strategy, not to mention limiting the sales team on what can be a dynamic, comprehensive and segmented price list. It doesn?t have to be a puzzle with extraneous parts that don?t fit together.

Organizations are better served by implementing a pricing strategy that takes into account customer attributes, timing and content of the opportunity. However, let?s not let these variables be determined by a remote sales rep in the field. Can you imagine if we had to rely on a person to search through an Excel spreadsheet to determine the cost of your roundtrip airfare from Houston to Chicago next month? It would be extraordinarily painful for the customer and the supplier. But today, that?s exactly what happens in millions of business-to-business transactions around the world.

Best practices for price enforcement today require that the systems most accessible by B2B sales representatives (i.e., CRM, ERP) include all of the potential attributes of a prospective customer or market segment, along with the pricing permitted based on the variables the sales rep will provide (i.e., products, volume, timing). To go one step further, best practices can also build-in acceptable ranges of pricing that may be extended to the prospect, along with automated escalation and approval processes that are initiated if the sales rep goes outside of those pre-determined price ranges.

Salesforce.com has established itself as the leader of cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. More than 100,000 organizations use Salesforce.com to manage sales cycles and customer relationship information. This is a perfect application to enforce your pricing strategy. And here?s the best news: PROS has partnered with Salesforce.com to provide a native application that simplifies your access to specific, accurate and optimized pricing data for each of your market segments. No more searching through Excel spreadsheets or organizing meetings to determine your customized pricing based on customer size and scope of order. Your field sales team will have all of this information readily available based on scientifically proven, optimized pricing data. No need to create special meetings or forums to discuss special pricing terms. Your sales team will increase responsiveness AND profitability all at once!

To find out more, visit http://www.pros.com/solutions/sales-effectiveness/quoting-salesforce/

If you have questions, drop me a line here.

Kevin Fitzgerald

Kevin Fitzgerald joined PROS in 2012, responsible for mid-market sales. In this role, he leads the company?s mid-market go-to-market strategies, including sales, marketing and channel development. He brings to PROS more than 20 years of sales, management and business development experience. He earned an M.B.A. from Duke University and holds a B.B.A. in management accounting from Pace University.

More Posts - Website

Source: http://www.pricingleadership.com/solving-the-pricing-puzzle/

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Underwater Mortgages Continues To Fall - Business Insider

21.5 percent of all residential properties were underwater at the end of Q4 2012, according to CoreLogic's latest report.

10.4 million mortgages were still in negative equity ? where the homeowner owes more on his mortgage than the home is worth.

This is however down from 10.6 million or 22 percent at the end of Q3 2012.

The value of negative equity fell to $628 billion in Q4, from $670 billion the previous quarter. Moreover, 200,000 returned to positive equity, bringing the total for last year to 1.7 million.

?There is certainly more to do but with fewer borrowers underwater, the fundamentals underpinning the housing market will continue to strengthen,? said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic in a press release. ?The trend toward more homeowners moving back into positive equity territory should continue in 2013.?

The decline in negative equity certainly bolsters the housing recovery, since people in negative equity are more likely to default on their mortgage payments. But at 10.4 million the pool is still large, and sandy states continue to struggle.

Here are some details from the report:

• Nevada had the most mortgages in negative equity at 52.4 percent, Florida followed with 40.2 percent, Arizona had 34.9 percent in negative equity, Georgia had 33.8 percent, and Michigan had 31.9 percent. Together these states account for 32.7 percent of overall negative equity.
• In terms of metros, the five with the highest negative equity were Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida; Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Florida; Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia; Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Arizona; and Riverside-San Bernardino- Ontario, California.

This chart shows negative equity, and near negative equity by state:

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/underwater-mortgages-continues-to-fall-2013-3

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