lynnro: মে 2013

বুধবার, ২২ মে, ২০১৩

Social Media Stock News Alert UMeLook OTC UMEWF Brings online video platform focused on bringing foreign video content to China

May 22, 2013 (Investorideas.com newswire) Social Media Stock Alert: UMeWorld Limited ( OTC: UMEWF ) announces the launch of a newly redesigned UMeLook.com which focuses on navigation and visuals that are intended to make the website more appealing and addictive to the web "surfer".

China has a population of 550 million "webizens", many of whom are glued to tablets or smartphones as they make their daily commute; mobile Web users last year totaled 420 million, an increase of nearly 18% from the previous year. However, the competition for "eyeballs" is fierce. Unlike many local online video companies who focus on local TV series and movies, UMeLook is uniquely positioned to provide foreign UGC video content of 3 to 8 minutes duration. UMeLook is targeting Chinese viewers between the ages of 18 and 45 years old who are interested in foreign information, products and brands.

"The new updates to UMeLook.com are just the beginning," Michael Lee, President & CEO of UMeWorld Limited. "We will continue to optimize the user experience as we receive their feedback; more importantly, the stage is set for our next major milestone, transforming UMeLook.com into a global e-commerce platform and assisting small and medium brands worldwide, to expand into the Chinese market".

About UMeWorld

UMeWorld's mission is to facilitate the interaction between people -- "You" and "Me," through its digital platform. Currently, UMeWorld operates UMeLook (www.umelook.com), an online video platform focused on bringing foreign video content to China. UMeLook is deployed through a sophisticated CDN (Content Delivery Network) with broad coverage throughout mainland China, Hong Kong & Taiwan. UMeLook plans to be a source of foreign video content for the Chinese viewer across any Internet-enabled device in China. UMeWorld intends to focus its future operations on digital media and the digital education market.

Forward Looking Statement

Statements in this press release that relate to the Company's expectations with regard to the future impact on the Company's results from new products in development are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Words such as "expects," "intends," "plans," "may," "could," "should," "anticipates," "likely," "believes" and words of similar import also identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current facts and analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determined and assumptions of management. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this release, even if new information becomes available in the future. For a more detailed description of the risk and uncertainties affecting the Company, reference is made to the Company's reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For more information, please contact:

UMeWorld Limited

E-mail: info(at)UMeWorld.com

Published at Investorideas.com newswire

Disclaimer/Disclosure: The Investorideas.com is a third party publisher of news and research Our sites do not make recommendations, but offer information portals to research news, articles, stock lists and recent research. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. Disclosure : (OTC:UMEWF) digital media /tech stock effective May 21 2013 , news publication and distribution on Investorideas.com newswire : disclosure : two thousand per month

http://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp

This site is currently compensated by featured companies, news submissions and online advertising.

BC Residents and Investor Disclaimer: Effective September 15 2008 - all BC investors should review all OTC and Pink sheet listed companies for adherence in new disclosure filings and filing appropriate documents with Sedar. Read for more info: http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/release.aspx?id=6894

About www.Investorideas.com

InvestorIdeas.com is a leader in investor stock research by sector. Sectors we cover include; renewable energy stocks, biotech stocks, mining and gold stocks, energy stocks, water, tech, defense stocks, nanotech, agriculture and gaming. Follow Investorideas.com on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/Investorideas Follow Investorideas.com on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Investorideas

Get Free investor news and stock alerts Sign Up: http://www.investorideas.com/Resources/Newsletter.asp

Disclaimer /Disclosure: www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp

Source: http://www.proskore.com/pressrelease.cfm?PRID=128651

tiny houses maya angelou joan of arc tony robbins bon iver abraham lincoln vampire hunter their eyes were watching god

NASA launching experiment to examine the beginnings of the universe

May 21, 2013 ? When did the first stars and galaxies form in the universe? How brightly did they burn their nuclear fuel?

Scientists will seek to gain answers to these questions with the launch of the Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRIment (CIBER) on a Black Brant XII suborbital sounding rocket between 11 and 11:59 p.m. EDT, June 4 from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Jamie Bock, CIBER principal investigator from the California Institute of Technology, said, "The first massive stars to form in the universe produced copious ultraviolet light that ionized gas from neutral hydrogen. CIBER observes in the near infrared, as the expansion of the universe stretched the original short ultraviolet wavelengths to long near-infrared wavelengths today. CIBER investigates two telltale signatures of first star formation -- the total brightness of the sky after subtracting all foregrounds, and a distinctive pattern of spatial variations."

"The objectives of the experiment are of fundamental importance for astrophysics, to probe the process of first galaxy formation, but the measurement is also extremely difficult technically," he noted.

This will be the fourth flight for CIBER on a NASA sounding rocket. The previous launches were in 2009, 2010, and 2012 from the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. After each flight the experiment or payload was recovered for post-calibrations and re-flight.

For this flight CIBER will fly on a larger and more powerful rocket than before. This will loft CIBER to a higher altitude than those previously obtained, thus providing longer observation time for the instruments. The experiment, which will safely splash down in the Atlantic Ocean more than 400 miles off the Virginia coast, will not be recovered.

CIBER previously flew on two-stage Black Brant IX sounding rockets. Bock said, "The collection of data from the three flights allows us to compare data and rigorously test sources of potential systematic error from both the instrument and astrophysical foregrounds. We have been through the end-to-end process in analyzing our data, so we understand the benefits of going with a non-recovered Black Brant XII. We also know the performance of the instrument very well from these flights and that makes us confident going forward with this more capable but final flight."

The 70-foot tall four-stage Black Brant XII rocket will carry CIBER to an altitude of about 350 miles. According to Bock, "This flight is pioneering a new direction in the astrophysics program in that we are flying our instrument on a non-recovered Black Brant XII. The XII gives us a significantly higher trajectory, providing about 560 seconds of flight time above 250 km (155 miles) altitude, compared with 250 seconds on standard Black Brant IX flights out of White Sands."

"Our experience in the near-infrared waveband is that we see appreciable emission from the atmosphere up to 250 km. The higher trajectory allows us to do some new things that are not possible on a Black Brant IX. For example, we expect to have enough independent images of the sky to directly determine the in-flight gain of the infrared cameras, which will allow us to measure background fluctuations in single exposures. This gives us a much more direct way to compare with satellite data than the statistical combinations we have had to use to date. The higher trajectory of course comes with a price in that the payload is not recovered," he said.

CIBER is a cooperative instrument designed and built by the California Institute of Technology, University of California Irvine, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). The same team is also developing an improved follow-on experiment, with more capable optics and detector arrays, that will be completed next year.

Backup launch days for this project are June 5 -- 10.

To find out more about NASA's sounding rocket missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sounding-rockets/

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/sky5GQFeHfc/130521134036.htm

buster posey eric holder eric holder carole king crystal renn matilda cab calloway

La Dolce Vita plays out with Italian films at Cannes

By Alexandria Sage

CANNES (Reuters) - Paolo Sorrentino's "The Great Beauty," a nostalgic, melancholic ode to the eternal city Rome, is one of several films that touch on the unraveling of contemporary Italy in official selection at the Cannes film festival this year.

Also competing for the prestigious Palme d'Or award to be handed out on May 26 is "Un Chateau en Italie" ("A Castle in Italy") by Franco-Italian director Valeria Bruni Tedeschi about the demise of an aristocratic family.

Italian actress Valeria Golino makes her directorial debut with "Miele" ("Honey") about a woman who helps terminal patients end their lives. The movie is competing in the "Un Certain Regard" category for emerging filmmakers.

Bathed in the beautiful Roman light of yellows and golds, "La Grande Bellezza" ("The Great Beauty") is a lush, sweeping film that both critiques the emptiness of life and revels in it.

We first meet protagonist Jep Gambardella, played by Toni Servillo, at a late-night bash that makes the famed "bunga bunga" parties of Silvio Berlusconi look tame.

Jep is living the high life on the laurels of a famous novel he wrote 40 years ago, and now at 65 is stuck in a rut.

As he reflects on the possibility of writing again, he questions his hedonistic life and his rich, vapid friends, whom he entertains at raucous parties at his apartment overlooking Rome's Colosseum.

"The film tries to portray a poverty that is not material," Sorrentino told reporters on Tuesday. "At the same time, we're not passing a negative judgment but showing what it is, and it symbolizes our country."

"A BY-GONE TIME"

With its thousands of years of civilization on show at every turn, Rome is a character in "The Great Beauty" and Sorrentino's camera guides us like a privileged guest through locked palaces, interior courtyards and private terraces.

"You have a portrait of a city that symbolizes a certain human condition," Servillo said. "It doesn't symbolize hope at all, but rather missed opportunities, a by-gone time."

In a review, Screen magazine called "The Great Beauty" a "virtuoso piece of filmmaking.

"An alternately elegiac and world-weary cinematic fresco of contemporary Rome that references both the melancholy hedonism of 'La Dolce Vita' or Fellini's 'Roma' and the decadence of the latter days of the Roman empire," wrote reviewer Lee Marshall.

Sorrentino's "Il Divo" ("The Divine") based on Italy's ex- Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, won Cannes' 2008 Jury Prize.

Tedeschi, an actress/director and sister of former French first lady and supermodel Carla Bruni - chooses as the centerpiece of "A Castle in Italy" an Italian family who can no longer afford the upkeep of their ancestral castle.

Inspired by the famous Chekhov play "The Cherry Orchard," the film mixes the story of the impending sale of the castle with the death of a brother, and a budding relationship between the lead character, played by Tedeschi, and a much younger man played by French actor Louis Garrel.

In "Honey," director Golino deals with another kind of death, euthanasia, following a young woman who works outside the law to ease the suffering of the terminally ill.

The issue of euthanasia is not the focus of the film, but rather the inner goings-on of the edgy heroine, played by Jasmine Trinca, who never emotionally engages with her clients until she meets one who turns out not to be sick at all.

(Editing by Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/la-dolce-vita-plays-italian-films-cannes-172211398.html

666 Park Avenue Kara Alongi Sahara Davenport Resident Evil 6 arnold schwarzenegger adam shulman adam shulman

Genetic risk for obesity found in many Mexican young adults

Public release date: 21-May-2013
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Phyllis Picklesimer
p-pickle@illinois.edu
217-244-2827
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

URBANA - As many as 35 percent of Mexican young adults may have a genetic predisposition for obesity, said a University of Illinois scientist who conducted a study at the Universidad Autnoma de San Luis Potos?.

"The students who inherited genetic risk factors from both parents were already 15 pounds heavier and 2 inches bigger around the waist than those who hadn't. They also had slightly higher fasting glucose levels," said Margarita Teran-Garcia, a U of I professor of food science and human nutrition.

In the study, 251 18- to 25-year-olds were tested for risk alleles on the FTO gene as part of the Up Amigos project, a collaboration of scientists at the U of I and the Mexican university. The researchers are following the 10,000 yearly applicants to the Universidad Autnoma de San Luis Potosi to learn how changes in students' weight, body mass index (BMI), and eating and exercise habits affect their health over time.

According to Teran-Garcia, the FTO gene is associated with a predisposition to obesity, increased BMI, and increased waist circumference. These traits can in turn contribute to many health-related problems, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Of the young adults tested in the study, 15 percent had inherited the genetic risk from both parentsin other words, they carried two copies of the risk allele. Another 20 percent had inherited risk from one parent, meaning they had one copy of the risk allele. Sixty-five percent of the students in the study did not carry the risk allele.

"If young people realize early that they have this predisposition, they can fight against it. If they are at risk for obesity, eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise is even more important for them," Teran-Garcia said.

She noted that 85 percent of Hispanics in the United States are of Mexican origin.

Although FTO markers and analysis are available for large groups of Caucasians, Asians, and African-Americans, few studies have examined the effects of this gene in Mexican and Mexican- American populations.

"This is the first study to target young adults in Mexico, although one other study has followed older Mexican adults who had already been diagnosed with diabetes, obesity, and obesity-related diseases," she said.

Scientists hypothesize that "fat" genes may be influenced by epigenetic modifications, she said. "So even if you have this predisposition, you may be able to change the way those genes behave by eating the right foods and getting more exercise. These good habits are especially important for young people who have a genetic risk for obesity."
###

"FTO genotype is associated with body mass index and waist circumference in Mexican young adults" is available online in the Open Journal of Genetics (2013, 3, 44-48). Co-authors are Teran-Garcia, Itzel Vazquez-Vidal, and Michelle Mosley, of the U of I Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Flavia C.D. Andrade of the U of I Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, and Eduardo Medina-Cerda and Celia Aradillas-Garcia of the Universidad Autonma de San Luis Potosi in Mexico.

[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Genetic risk for obesity found in many Mexican young adults Public release date: 21-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Phyllis Picklesimer
p-pickle@illinois.edu
217-244-2827
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

URBANA - As many as 35 percent of Mexican young adults may have a genetic predisposition for obesity, said a University of Illinois scientist who conducted a study at the Universidad Autnoma de San Luis Potos?.

"The students who inherited genetic risk factors from both parents were already 15 pounds heavier and 2 inches bigger around the waist than those who hadn't. They also had slightly higher fasting glucose levels," said Margarita Teran-Garcia, a U of I professor of food science and human nutrition.

In the study, 251 18- to 25-year-olds were tested for risk alleles on the FTO gene as part of the Up Amigos project, a collaboration of scientists at the U of I and the Mexican university. The researchers are following the 10,000 yearly applicants to the Universidad Autnoma de San Luis Potosi to learn how changes in students' weight, body mass index (BMI), and eating and exercise habits affect their health over time.

According to Teran-Garcia, the FTO gene is associated with a predisposition to obesity, increased BMI, and increased waist circumference. These traits can in turn contribute to many health-related problems, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Of the young adults tested in the study, 15 percent had inherited the genetic risk from both parentsin other words, they carried two copies of the risk allele. Another 20 percent had inherited risk from one parent, meaning they had one copy of the risk allele. Sixty-five percent of the students in the study did not carry the risk allele.

"If young people realize early that they have this predisposition, they can fight against it. If they are at risk for obesity, eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise is even more important for them," Teran-Garcia said.

She noted that 85 percent of Hispanics in the United States are of Mexican origin.

Although FTO markers and analysis are available for large groups of Caucasians, Asians, and African-Americans, few studies have examined the effects of this gene in Mexican and Mexican- American populations.

"This is the first study to target young adults in Mexico, although one other study has followed older Mexican adults who had already been diagnosed with diabetes, obesity, and obesity-related diseases," she said.

Scientists hypothesize that "fat" genes may be influenced by epigenetic modifications, she said. "So even if you have this predisposition, you may be able to change the way those genes behave by eating the right foods and getting more exercise. These good habits are especially important for young people who have a genetic risk for obesity."
###

"FTO genotype is associated with body mass index and waist circumference in Mexican young adults" is available online in the Open Journal of Genetics (2013, 3, 44-48). Co-authors are Teran-Garcia, Itzel Vazquez-Vidal, and Michelle Mosley, of the U of I Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Flavia C.D. Andrade of the U of I Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, and Eduardo Medina-Cerda and Celia Aradillas-Garcia of the Universidad Autonma de San Luis Potosi in Mexico.

[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/uoic-grf052113.php
justin tv Sarah Savage Jaimie Alexander Army Navy Game john lennon leann rimes pearl harbor

মঙ্গলবার, ২১ মে, ২০১৩

Yahoo looks to regain its cool with Tumblr deal - seattlepi.com

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? After falling woefully out of fashion, Yahoo wants to be cool again while catering to the capitalistic demands of its shareholders. That goal led CEO Marissa Mayer to make a $1.1 billion bet on online blogging forum Tumblr in a risky acquisition that revolves around the vision and instincts of a 26-year-old entrepreneur who dropped out of high school to pursue his dream of bringing more beauty and creativity to the Internet.

The deal announced Monday is Mayer's boldest move since she left Google 10 months ago to lead Yahoo's latest comeback attempt. It marks Yahoo's most expensive acquisition since it bought online search engine Overture a decade ago for $1.3 billion.

While hailing Tumblr as a fount of creativity that attracts 300 million visitors each month, Mayer told analysts Monday that she is "making a sincere promise to not screw it up." Yahoo said its founder, David Karp, will remain in charge and will keep Tumblr's headquarters in New York to retain the same "irreverence, wit and commitment to empower creators."

Tumblr's audience, which boasts a large concentration of teens and people in their early 20s, is already fretting that the service is going to become more stodgy and commercial under the ownership of an 18-year-old company that seems ancient by Internet standards. Advertising largely has been a missing ingredient so far as Tumblr, like many online services in their early stages, focused on building a loyal audience before turning its attention to making money. By purchasing Tumblr, Yahoo will have more opportunities to sell ads.

"I can't help but be concerned that Yahoo will 'Yahooize' Tumblr and make it as irrelevant as the mother ship," said Jennifer Grant, 36, who has a Tumblr blog.

Founded in 2007, Tumblr emerged as a trendy online hangout by providing a blogging service that makes it easy to share posts, photos, video and other content in an enthralling mosaic of interlocking information. Tumblr forums are devoted to such diverse topics as art, architecture, food, politics, pets and fashion.

Although there are several competing services for people to blog, Tumblr makes it easy to create, discover and share content. Tumblr users rely on a dashboard to pinpoint the kinds of blogs that they want to track. Tools help users pass along posts that interest them.

The service says it has amassed more than 50 billion posts from 108 million blogs, with some 75 million new posts every day. More than half of Tumblr's users connect through its mobile app and engage in an average of seven visits per day.

Mayer is betting that Tumblr will provide Yahoo with a captivating hook to reel in more traffic and advertisers on smartphones and tablet computers. That rapidly growing market is expected to become even more important during the next decade as people increasingly consume digital content on mobile devices instead of laptop and desktop machines.

Tumblr could also help Yahoo recapture some of its cachet with teens and adults in their early 20s, a demographic that has become tougher for Yahoo to reach in recent years as it fell behind the technological curve and struggled to develop compelling services.

While Facebook has turned into a mainstream social network where even grandparents now connect family and friends, Tumblr has become one of the places where the cool kids hang out.

But Yahoo will have to manage Tumblr's next stage carefully to avoid driving away the Web surfers and mobile device users that had made Tumblr such an enticing takeover target.

Micah Gray, 22, a Tumblr user who lives in Denver, likened Yahoo to an old, rich uncle who shows up to a high school or college party and hops into the hot tub to the disgust of almost everyone else there. But "the owner of the house you're partying at sold the rights of the hot tub to him and he can use it whenever he wants and bring his other old, rich friends," Gray said.

On the other hand, investors will want to see results from the $1.1 billion price tag. Yahoo is paying mostly cash for Tumblr, dipping into what remains of a $7.6 billion windfall reaped last year from selling about half of its stake in Chinese Internet company Alibaba. Taking over Tumblr will devour about one-fifth of the $5.4 billion in cash that Yahoo had at the end of March.

Mayer is confident she can balance the needs of Tumblr's users and Yahoo's investors.

The deal overshadowed Yahoo's previously scheduled announcement on changes to its Flickr photo-sharing service, including a boost in the amount of free storage to 1 terabyte, far more than what rivals offer. Like Tumblr, Yahoo got the photo service by buying a promising startup.

Mayer called Tumblr a "game changer" during a conference call with analysts and was effusive in her praise of Karp during an interview with The Associated Press. She likened him to other great entrepreneurs she knows ? a list that includes Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, a duo for which she worked for 13 years.

Karp, who built Tumblr from his tiny childhood bedroom in New York, "will be one the legends of his generation in terms of an entrepreneur who has really changed the way people express themselves," Mayer predicted.

If Mayer wasn't running Yahoo, Karp said he probably wouldn't have agreed to sell Tumblr. Karp and Mayer began to talk late last year, when Tumblr was looking into ways to show ads that fit in well with the rest of its content. Those discussions morphed into Tumblr selling all or part of itself. Other interested suitors are believed to include Google, Microsoft Corp. and Facebook.

Mayer's enthusiasm, a promise of independence and Yahoo's rich offer won over Karp.

"Marissa is the real deal," Karp said in a Monday interview. "Marissa is going to be in the trenches standing next to me while we build this thing."

The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. Yahoo isn't counting on Tumblr producing significant revenue until next year. Tumblr's 175 employees, including Karp, will join Yahoo.

Mayer and Karp believe Yahoo and Tumblr can complement each other. Tumblr can draw upon Yahoo's search engine to help users find things that interest them. Meanwhile, Tumblr's wealth of content could be interwoven into Yahoo's other services, including those that provide coverage of general news, sports, finance and entertainment.

Tumblr may help define Mayer's legacy at Yahoo. Since coming to Yahoo, Mayer has concentrated on improving employee morale, redesigning services and bringing in more engineering talent through a series of small acquisitions that have collectively cost less than $50 million.

As popular as Tumblr has become, the service remains unprofitable. That already has analysts questioning whether Yahoo paid too much in Mayer's zeal to gain control of a hot service.

Mayer's efforts at Yahoo have been well-received on Wall Street so far, although analysts say most of the 70 percent surge in Yahoo's stock price under Mayer's leadership has been driven by the rising value of Yahoo's remaining 24 percent stake in Alibaba. When Alibaba goes public within the next few years, analysts have estimated that Yahoo could collect another $10 billion to $20 billion by selling the rest of its Alibaba stock.

If this deal pays off the way Mayer envisions, Tumblr could help Yahoo finally get its stock price to $33. That would be a major coup because many investors soured on Yahoo after a previous regime led by co-founder Jerry Yang squandered an opportunity five years ago to sell the Sunnyvale, Calif., company to Microsoft for $33 per share. The stock spent more than four years trading below $20 before the surge in recent months. The shares added 6 cents Monday to close at $26.58.

Tumblr also will fill Yahoo's gaping void in social media. Yahoo so far has had to connect its services to Facebook and Twitter to give its users a social networking outlet.

Having its own social networking service will give Yahoo more insights into the things that people like ? a key to distributing ads to consumers most likely to be interested in specific products. That data, in turn, should help Yahoo sell more ads and accelerate its revenue growth. After three successive years of declines, Yahoo's revenue rose slightly last year, but lagged far behind the growth at Google and Facebook. Mayer has vowed to bring Yahoo's revenue growth back to at least the level of the overall Internet ad market.

The deal also has some symbolic significance for Yahoo after spending much of the past decade aimlessly drifting under different management teams while Google overtook it in terms of size and influence. At the same time, newcomers such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter began to command the attention of people who found themselves spending less and less time on Yahoo.

Part of Yahoo's problems stemmed from missed chances to improve its service and technology.

Yahoo flirted with buying Google and Facebook in their early days, only to have the talks unravel because Yahoo wasn't prepared to pay asking prices that were far below the current market values of $300 billion for Google and $62 billion for Facebook. Yahoo also considered buying YouTube in 2006, only to be outbid by Google, which snapped up the world's leading video-sharing service for $1.76 billion ? a price that now looks like a bargain.

Karp's estimated cut from the Tumblr sale will range from $250 million to $300 million. He dropped out of high school to concentrate on computer programming and ended up being home schooled while taking classes in Japanese and working on gambling software. Later, he became a product executive at the parenting website UrbanBaby. After CNet bought the site in 2006, Karp set up his own development service called "Davidville" before deciding to create an outlet for personal expression ? an endeavor that hatched Tumblr.

Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/business/technology/article/Yahoo-looks-to-regain-its-cool-with-Tumblr-deal-4530697.php

the killing global payments eli young band wrestlemania country music awards 2012 wrestlemania 28 results earl scruggs

মঙ্গলবার, ১৪ মে, ২০১৩

Indiana Farmer Loses Battle Against Monsanto (ABC News)

Share With Friends:

| Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/305446511?client_source=feed&format=rss

ja rule amityville horror acm passover recipes 2012 kids choice awards kansas ohio state wrestlemania results

সোমবার, ১৩ মে, ২০১৩

Bangladesh plans to raise pay for garment workers

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) ? Bangladesh's government plans to raise the minimum wage for garment workers after the deaths of more than 1,100 people in the collapse of a factory building focused attention on the textile industry's dismal pay and hazardous working conditions.

A new minimum wage board will issue recommendations for pay raises within three months, Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddiky said Sunday. The Cabinet will then decide whether to accept those proposals.

The wage board will include representatives of factory owners, workers and the government, he said.

The April 24 building collapse was one of the world's worst industrial disasters and has raised alarm about conditions in Bangladesh's powerful textile industry that supplies retailers globally.

Working conditions in the $20 billion industry are grim, a result of government corruption, desperation for jobs, and industry indifference. Minimum wages for garment workers were last raised by 80 percent to 3,000 takas ($38) a month in 2010 following protests by workers.

Rescue workers said 1,125 bodies had been recovered by late Sunday from the ruins of the fallen Rana Plaza building, which housed five garment factories employing thousands of workers. Teams were using hydraulic cranes, bulldozers, shovels and iron cutters to uncover bodies more than two weeks after the eight-story building collapsed.

"We are still removing the rubble very carefully as dead bodies are still coming up," said Maj. Moazzem Hossain, a rescue team leader.

Hossain said they are trying to identify badly decomposed bodies by their identity cards. "If we get the ID cards with the bodies then we are lucky," he said.

On Friday, the search teams received a much-needed morale boost when they found a seamstress who survived under the rubble for 17 days on dried food and bottled and rain water.

More than 2,500 survivors were rescued soon after the collapse, but until 19-year-old Reshma Begum was found the crews had gone nearly two weeks without discovering anyone alive.

Doctors said she was improving after treatment for dehydration, insomnia, stress and weakness.

The Rana Plaza owner and eight other people, including garment factory owners, have been detained in the collapse investigation. Authorities say the building owner added floors to the structure illegally and allowed the factories to install heavy equipment that the building was not designed to support.

The Textiles Ministry has also begun a series of factory inspections and has ordered about 22 closed temporarily for violating safety and working standards.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bangladesh-plans-raise-pay-garment-workers-020618790.html

bulls heat goldman sachs brandon carr knicks coach encyclopedia britannica white lion mike d antoni resigns

As Pakistan goes to the polls, many see a key milestone

This is the first time in Pakistan's 66 years that a democratic government has been able to complete its tenure without being toppled by the military. But change is slow, say analysts. ?

By Mahvish Ahmad,?Correspondent / May 10, 2013

Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or Moment for Justice party attend an election campaign rally in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday.

Anjum Naveed/AP

Enlarge

Pakistan will undergo its first transition ever from one democratically elected government to the next, as the country holds national elections Saturday.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; // google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

The country is marking a key milestone in seeing a democratic government that has been able to complete its tenure without being toppled. The country?s security forces are notorious for overthrowing three democratic governments in the Pakistan?s 66-year history. The Army?s frequent interventions have meant civilian-military ties have been a key factor in politics ? prompting many to ask whether there will be any significant change after the election results come in.

Most analysts predict that the elections will have little immediate impact on Pakistan?s relations with its security forces ? and therefore on its foreign policy, over which the Army retains considerable control.

?When it comes to some of the most important decisions within foreign and security policy ? operations in the tribal areas, military relations with the United States, even relations with Afghanistan ? the Army will continue to sit in the driver?s seat,? says Cyril Almeida, a political analyst and journalist at Pakistan?s Dawn newspaper.

Political and security analyst Raza Rumi agrees. He thinks that the man most likely to become prime minister, center-right Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party leader Nawaz Sharif, has the qualities needed to rebalance civilian-military relations. However, early predictions of election results indicate that Mr. Sharif might not be able to build a political consensus because of the prospect of a fragmented Parliament.?(Read more about Nawaz Sharif's historic links to the military here.)

?Sharif is well-positioned to strive for civilian ascendancy given his ethnic background, as the majority of Pakistan?s Army hails from the Punjab Province ? Pakistan?s most powerful province ? his home base. The Army has historically not considered him a ?security risk,? ? says Mr. Rumi. Sharif originally came to power via the second military-ruler-turned-dictator Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, who appointed him chief minister of Punjab in 1985.

?But, achieving such a rebalancing remains highly unlikely given the prospect of a hung parliament, a weak coalition government after the elections, and the likelihood of continued political instability,? says Rumi.

Though Sharif has had close ties to the military, he was also betrayed by it. In 1999, Pakistan's third military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, toppled him from his prime minister post, forcing him into exile for a decade. In interviews given to local and international press, Sharif has made sure to put the blame squarely onMusharraf?s shoulders, rather than the security institution itself.?

Mr. Almeida is more skeptical, arguing that it is difficult to be absolutely sure about where Sharif stands.

?He has been out of power for 15 years, so a lot of people are asking: Will he be able to coexist with them? Will he trigger a clash? Will there be mutual mistrust? I think it?s difficult to answer that question,? says Almeida.

'Military still retains preponderant power'

An attempt by the previous government to bring the security forces to heel early in its tenure, via an announcement that the notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency was to be made accountable to the civilian government, failed abysmally.

The decision was reversed hours after it was announced.

The previous government, which was headed by the center-left Pakistan People?s Party (PPP) and its leader, current President Asif Ali Zardari, was known for focusing on domestic issues and letting the Army keep its dominance when it came to foreign and security policy, despite the fact that according to the Pakistani Constitution, the prime minister is technically in charge of the military.

Part of the reason this unwritten agreement will largely stay intact is because of how US and Pakistani interactions have tended to work: The US mostly deals directly with the military to handle issues of terrorism, because it has had the ultimate say on those things, say analysts.?

?Here?s the problem," says Almeida. "Going on how powerful the Army is, there is no reason to think that this particular relation, and therefore security and foreign policy, is really going to change.??

?The military still retains preponderant power regardless of who wins,? said Seth Jones, an analyst at the Washington-based think tank RAND Corp., to journalists recently.?

An eye on the details?

Many analysts say that keeping an eye on which party wins specific constituencies will give a better picture of the direction in which Pakistan is headed.

For example, say electoral and civilian-military experts, whichever party takes control of the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ? which includes the notorious tribal areas and borders Afghanistan ? could play a key role in shaping the political environment and public discourse around some of the Army?s most controversial actions, like operations in the Afghan-Pakistan border regions and what many believe are tacit approvals for drone strikes.

Imran Khan, a former cricket player who is now the popular leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, is expected to perform especially well in this northern province, along with the right-wing Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl-ur Rehman (JUI-F). Known for their scathing criticism of both drone strikes and Pakistan?s relations with the US, some say that the parties could create a political environment that makes it difficult for the Army to continue its current policy in the tribal region. However, other analysts disagree vehemently, arguing that both Mr. Khan and the JUI-F retain close links with the Army. In 2002, several Army operations against militants took place under the watch of an Islamist-led alliance in Khyber Pakhtunkwa?s provincial government.

?Whoever wins will still have to contend with foreign policy challenges, corruption, and governance challenges," said Mr. Jones of RAND. "Those aren't going away."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/b983zQILWdQ/As-Pakistan-goes-to-the-polls-many-see-a-key-milestone

Beady Eye Eric Idle rory mcilroy Fatboy Slim Rio de Janeiro Shark Week London 2012 closing ceremony

Cops find body presumed to be missing Kansas baby girl Lana Leigh Bailey

Mike_Yoder / AP

Riders on horseback search culverts and drainage ditches along Kansas Highway 68 for 18-month-old Lana-Leigh Bailey, Friday.

By The Associated Press

Franklin County Sheriff Jeff Richards said early Sunday that remains believed to be those of Lana Leigh Bailey ? who had been presumed dead ? were found Saturday in Osage County in eastern Kansas.

"It is with great sadness that I report a body found in Osage County, Kansas, is believed to be the remains of 18-month-old Lana Bailey," Richards said in a statement he emailed to The Associated Press.

He said the body was found by an Osage County sheriff's deputy who was scouring an area for items that could be connected to the deaths reported at the farmhouse May 6 in nearby Franklin County. The evidence collected Saturday when the body was found led investigators to believe it was the infant's body, his statement said.

"We hope that a forensic examination will make a final identification," Richards added.

Richards told The AP by telephone that he would not have additional information beyond his statement early Sunday.

The search crews had been using boats and sonar equipment but Richards did not say in his statement exactly where the body was found. Earlier authorities had said investigators were scouring ponds and other waterways in the area looking for the body of Lana Leigh Bailey.

Kyle Flack was charged Friday with capital murder in the deaths of Lana Bailey, her 21-year-old mother, Kaylie Bailey, and 30-year-old Andrew Stout. The 27-year-old convicted felon was also charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder in their deaths as well as the death of 31-year-old Steven White.

The investigation has included searching the farm and other rural areas in the 50-mile stretch between Ottawa and Emporia, where Kaylie Bailey's car was found Tuesday.

Franklin County Attorney Stephen Hunting said Friday that a firearm was used against the victims recovered at the farm, but didn't elaborate on whether that meant they were fatally shot. Authorities have not commented on a motive.

Richards said previously that the extensive investigation has taken a toll and that members of the investigative team have required medical attention after searching in difficult areas. Others have sought counsel from a chaplain.

Related: Kansas man arrested, suspected of murdering three or four people

This story was originally published on Sun May 12, 2013 3:59 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2bcd84cd/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A50C120C1820A47120Ecops0Efind0Ebody0Epresumed0Eto0Ebe0Emissing0Ekansas0Ebaby0Egirl0Elana0Eleigh0Ebailey0Dlite/story01.htm

weather radar the weather channel national grid LIPA Garcinia Cambogia Little Things One Direction Bob Ross

রবিবার, ১২ মে, ২০১৩

N.M. woman arrested after faking cancer - KRQE-TV.com

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A New Mexico woman is accused of faking cancer and setting up a fake charity to raise money for others with the disease but then pocketing that money.

Elizabeth Bateman, a Los Alamos native, turned herself into the Steamboat Springs Police Department in Colorado Friday morning.

According to police documents Bateman told everyone she had terminal cancer.

"She said that she wanted to start an organization that helped young adults with terminal illnesses something similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation," said Nicole Kofoed.

With the help of friends Bateman created the Friends Through the Fight Foundation.? A single fundraiser held in Colorado where Bateman was living last year raised $7,000.

It is money everyone thought was going to help others, but according to police Bateman was helping herself with the cash, going on cruises, skydiving and taking helicopter and hot air balloon rides.

"It was heartbreaking, ? I didn't know what to think at first," Kofoed said.

Kofoed grew up with Bateman in Los Alamos.

In an interview with KRQE News 13 she said she reached out to Bateman on Facebook when she learned of the cancer.? At the time, Kofoed's mother had recently died from the disease.

"Elizabeth seemed to ask me a lot of questions about what I had been through with my mom, and I was very open and honest with her because I thought I was helping," she said.

But now, Kofoed thinks Bateman was using those details to further her own story because the 34-year-old never had cancer.

According to court documents, Bateman made the story up going as far as shaving her head and pretending to have morphine injections.? The morphine turned out to be saline solution.

Another friend said she even took Bateman from Colorado to Chimay?.

"She wanted to go to get this sacred dirt so she could be healed," Michelle Beck said.

Bateman's con unraveled in March.? She was sick, and a friend took her to the hospital where Bateman claimed she had received treatment for her cancer.

However, the doctors said there was no record of her ever undergoing cancer treatment there.

At that point, Bateman bolted and according to her brother moved to Albuquerque.

"She's already in New Mexico like making new friends and talking to them and telling them God knows what," said Beck.

Police said Bateman also pulled the fake cancer scam in Texas.

According to friends there have been fundraisers for Bateman in New Mexico.

Source: http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/nm-woman-arrested-after-faking-cancer

pulitzer prize winners nfl 2012 schedule gmail down tim lincecum ryan oneal file taxes online tupac shakur

শুক্রবার, ১০ মে, ২০১৩

Panasonic reports big loss but forecasts profit

In this Thursday, May 9, 2012 photo, Shoppers look at Panasonic products at a electronics store in Tokyo Thursday, May 9, 2013. Japanese econsumer electronics giant Panasonic Co. has reported a near-record net loss of 754 billion yen ($7.54 billion) for the fiscal year through March due to the black this year, aiming on Friday, May10, it forecasted a return to the black this year, aiming for a net profit 50 billion yen ($500 million). (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

In this Thursday, May 9, 2012 photo, people wait for trains in front of a huge poster of Panasonic in Tokyo. Japanese econsumer electronics giant Panasonic Co. has reported a near-record net loss of 754 billion yen ($7.54 billion) for the fiscal year through March due to the black this year, aiming on Friday, May10, it forecasted a return to the black this year, aiming for a net profit 50 billion yen ($500 million). (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

TOKYO (AP) ? Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic Corp. on Friday reported a near-record net loss of 754 billion yen ($7.5 billion) for the fiscal year through March due to restructuring costs and slumping sales, but predicted a return to the black this year as it prunes unprofitable businesses.

The Osaka-based company, which makes Viera TVs and Lumix digital cameras, has been battered by plunging prices, the strong yen, an ailing TV business and intense competition from the likes of South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co.

A good chunk of the net loss came from hefty restructuring expenses, including impairment losses as the company wrote down the value of assets related to its solar, lithium-ion and mobile phone businesses. The company also reduced its global staff over the year from 330,767 to 293,742.

Sales declined 7 percent during the year to 7.3 trillion yen, the company said in its financial results, citing a "severe business situation" in the electronics industry, including sluggish demand for flat-panel TVs.

Panasonic, which lost a record 772 billion yen the previous year ? one of the biggest losses ever in Japan ? acknowledged that its three-year business plan had fallen far short of the desired results. Under its next three-year management plan, it promised to immediately eliminate unprofitable businesses.

For this fiscal year, it projected a net profit of 50 billion yen ($500 million).

In late March, President Kazuhiro Tsuga said the company will persist with trying to fix its ailing TV business, describing an exit from the fiercely competitive industry as a "final resort." Panasonic said sales of its plasma TV had fallen by about half, while LCD TVs suffered a 3 percent decline.

Panasonic, established in 1918 and an archrival to Sony Corp. during Japan's rapid industrialization following World War II, has been shifting its business from consumer electronics to focus more on operations that cater to other businesses such as batteries and solar panels.

The company said it plans to restructure its TV, semiconductor, mobile phone, circuit board and optical product businesses so that they will become profitable by fiscal 2016.

It remains strong in household appliances, with sales of refrigerators and washing machines both growing during the year.

With the dollar breaking above 100 yen Friday for the first time in four years, Panasonic is likely to benefit as the yen's weakness boosts foreign earned income. But the company's exposure to fluctuations against the U.S. dollar has shrunk over the years due to hedging and other practices, said Hideaki Kawai, managing director in charge of accounting and finance.

A weakening of 1 yen against the dollar is expected to boost operating profit this year by 1 billion yen, he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-05-10-Japan-Earns-Panasonic/id-fbaac8d71af34e19bcc77e08dbcbc7b4

mega millions results susan powell lotto numbers megamillions winners university of louisville louisville ky lotto winners

Trump gives approval to Stewart's online dating

Celebs

Alyssa Toomey E! Online

Facebook Share on Facebook
Twitter
Reddit
Pinterest
Email

54 minutes ago

NBC Universal Photo

Donald Trump, Martha Stewart.

Shocker! Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to weigh in on today's hottest topic: Martha Stewart's dating life.

The business mogul -- who is no stranger to sharing his thoughts on everything from President Obama to Robsten -- has voiced his opinion on the TV star's Match.com profile.

And lucky for the domestic diva, she's received the Donald's stamp of approval.

NEWS: Martha Stewart's Match.com profile revealed

"I watched @todayshow this AM re: @MarthaStewart &dating. She looks terrific, better than ever, any guy would be lucky to be with her," he posted on his micro-blogging page.

Considering Martha received 1,000 responses in just two days, we doubt she needs Trump's help finding a man, but hey, it's still a nice compliment.

Too bad the 66-year-old entrepreneur is a married man! Or these two could have been a match made in social media heaven.

PHOTOS: See Martha Stewart's and other stars' early modeling pics

Rwanda expects to cut deficit to 5.5 pct of GDP in 2013/14 budget

KIGALI (Reuters) - Rwanda expects its budget deficit for 2013/14 to fall to 5.5 percent of gross domestic product from 6.1 percent this fiscal year, although some donors have reduced or delayed aid for the country's budget, a government paper showed.

The Budget Framework Paper, obtained by Reuters, also projected that Rwanda's economy would grow by 7.5 percent in both 2013 and 2014, after expanding by about 8 percent in 2012.

Still, the latest forecasts miss a target to average growth of 11.5 percent over five years, as part of a goal to achieve middle income status with per capita GDP of $1,240 by 2020.

The government under President Paul Kagame has been praised for turning Rwanda around from the chaos of the 1994 genocide into a fast-growing and business-friendly economy. The country's first Eurobond, which it launched last month, was heavily oversubscribed.

But several international donors have cut or held back valuable aid for Rwanda over its alleged backing of rebels in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, a charge Kigali denies.

The budget framework must be approved by parliament, which is dominated by Kagame's party. The framework projects revenues and grants of 1,287.3 billion Rwandan francs in fiscal year from July, compared with 1,149.5 billion francs this fiscal year, with part of the extra funds coming from higher tax revenues.

The projected 2013/14 deficit of 297.7 billion francs would be financed by a mixture of domestic and foreign borrowing.

The paper forecast that the deficit would fall to 3.7 percent of GDP in 2014/2015 and 3.1 percent by 2015/2016.

The government paper said budgetary grants were expected to fall to 170.7 billion francs in the fiscal year starting in July from 197.9 billion francs this year. It said this estimate was due to the fact that some donors had not yet finalised their financing plans for Rwanda.

"It is expected that when these plans are finalised they will result in increased support for the budget," it said.

The public debt stood at $1.65 billion in 2012, or 23.3 percent of GDP, of which external debt accounted for $1.17 billion, the paper showed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rwanda-expects-cut-deficit-5-5-pct-gdp-064741769.html

Shakira Amanda Berry stephen curry Farrah Abraham Sex Tape Met gala nate robinson lauryn hill

মঙ্গলবার, ৭ মে, ২০১৩

Woah. The 'Real Housewives' Make WAY More Than We Thought

Looks like the ladies of Bravo's Real Housewives franchise have something new to fight about. (Just what they need!) OK! Magazine has published their salaries, and -- uh oh! -- some are being compensated much more generously than others.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/nene-leakes-real-housewives-salaries-revealed/1-a-535560?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Anene-leakes-real-housewives-salaries-revealed-535560

ncaa bracket bracket Jason Terry Steubenville rape Beyonce Bow Down Jason Molina UCF

HSBC profits nearly double as costs and bad debts fall

By Steve Slater

LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC aims to keep the pressure on costs after first-quarter earnings nearly doubled due to the bank's three-year efficiency drive and a halving in bad debts charges.

The jump in profits reinforces HSBC's position as one of the strongest global banks after the financial crisis partly as a result of a radical overhaul to simplify its sprawling structure and improve profitability.

Its strong focus on Asia, which generated around two-thirds of profit in the first quarter, has also helped offset a harsh business environment, particularly in the euro zone.

Europe's largest bank moved faster and more aggressively than many of its peers to cut costs after the crisis. And it will continue to wield the knife - with a further 6,000 job cuts expected this year from businesses already put up for sale, on top of 40,000 already culled. HSBC has closed or sold more than 50 businesses since 2011.

"We're moving into calmer waters but there are still challenges ahead," Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver told reporters on a conference call.

Gulliver declined to say whether he would announce any additional cost savings at a strategy update for investors on May 15. But he said: "Clearly you can expect us to continue to focus on our cost base."

The CEO said HSBC still expected the euro zone economy to contract during 2013 and that UK economic growth remained muted.

Across Europe, HSBC's smaller rivals are playing catch-up with cost cuts to help offset rising bad debts and weak loan demand. French banks Societe Generale and Credit Agricole on Tuesday said they would keep making cuts to cope with a weak domestic economy.

In Germany, the cost of thousands of job cuts contributed to a net first-quarter loss at Commerzbank , which warned that earnings would be under pressure this year as loan-loss provisions rise.

In contrast, HSBC posted a pretax profit of $8.4 billion, up from $4.3 billion a year ago and above the average forecast of $8.1 billion from analysts polled by the company.

"We see these results as an endorsement of the strength of the franchise and its ability to generate earnings even in a sluggish macro environment," said Chirantan Barua, analyst at Bernstein. He said HSBC's strong capital position and capital generation meant it could increase its dividend by at least 30 percent this year.

COSTS

HSBC shares rose more than 3.3 percent to 737.4 pence, their highest level since mid-March, helping to drive the European benchmark <.sx7p> nearly three percent higher.

A $1.1 billion gain from disposals aided HSBC earnings as did a halving of bad debt provisions to $1.2 billion - its lowest quarterly level since before the financial crisis.

The bad debt charge fell across all regions and in particular in the United States, where HSBC is winding down its consumer business. The U.S. consumer book saw a decline in loan-loss provisions of $430 million to $544 million.

Costs in the first quarter were down 10 percent from a year ago and the bank is now saving $4 billion a year on an annualized basis, above the top end of its own target range of $3.5 billion.

HSBC wants to get costs below 52 percent of income by the end of the year from just over 53 percent on an underlying basis currently. Analysts say the bank should be able to raise its cost savings target by $1 billion a year.

The bank's investment banking division posted a 16.5 percent increase in first-quarter pretax profit from a year ago, helped by a strong performance at its equities division.

This mirrors strong results from Europe's other major investment banks such as Deutsche Bank , Barclays , UBS and Credit Suisse .

(Writing by Carmel Crimmins. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hsbc-says-first-quarter-profits-jump-8-4-082552495.html

grapes of wrath silent house nfl mock draft project m colts colts big ten tournament 2012

7 surprising uses for tequila

Have a cold? Try mixing tequila blanco with agave nectar and lime juice for a germ-fighting boost

While many spirits are useful for activities beyond swilling (vodka, for example, is a great stain and odor remover), tequila holds some particularly magical powers. Not all of them bad. Here are seven of them.

SEE MORE: The best anti-Obama book I've read

1. Synthetic bauble
In 2008, a team of scientists in Mexico discovered that when the heated vapor from an 80-proof tequila blanco was combined with a silicon or stainless steel substrate, it resulted in the formation of diamond films. These films can be used in commercial applications, such as electrical insulators, or to create one big fake diamond. Who knew that spending $50 on a bottle of Don Julio was such a wise investment?

2. Alternative energy source
Keeping with the science theme: In 2011, researchers at England's University of Oxford suggested that we may one day be gassing up our cars with tequila. They identified agave, the plant from which tequila is produced, as a potential biofuel source ? and a particularly attractive one, as the plant itself is not consumed by humans and can thrive in desert climates.

SEE MORE: Did Syrian hackers take over The Onion's Twitter account?

3. Cold remedy
"Plenty of liquids" is a well-known remedy for getting oneself out from under the weather. But expanding that definition to include a kicked-up shot of tequila makes a day laid out on the couch sound much more appealing. In the 1930s, doctors in Mexico recommended the following concoction to fight off a cold:

.5 ounce of tequila blanco
.5 ounce of agave nectar (to eliminate bacteria and soothe sore throats)
.5 ounce of fresh lime juice (for Vitamin C)

SEE MORE: The amazing rescue of three long-missing Cleveland women

4. Weight-loss supplement
Scientists have long promoted the potential benefits of the agave plant for its ability to help dissolve fats and lower cholesterol. The bad news? These properties get a bit diluted when the plant is distilled into alcohol. Even more so when its whipped into a sugary margarita.

5. Sleep aid
Take three or more shots of tequila and you're bound to pass out. A single shot can have the same effect ? just not in that drunken stupor kind of way. Relaxation is one of the positive side effects of tequila drinking; a small amount (1 to 1.5 ounces) before bedtime can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. (But maybe don't make a habit of it.)

SEE MORE: 3 simple tips for smuggling a gigantic, $1 million dinosaur skeleton

6. Colon cleanser
Too much of a good thing may not bring a welcome turn of events for your liver... but your colon will thank you! Researchers at Mexico's University of Guadalajara have identified the blue agave as a potentially helpful source for delivering drugs to the colon in order to treat colitis, IBS, Crohn's disease, and even cancer.

7. Diabetes preventative
If Ernest Hemingway had known about the healing properties of tequila, his signature drink might have been a margarita instead of a daiquiri. In 2010, experiments conducted at Mexico's Polytechnic Institute of Guanajuato revealed that the agave plant (which is high in fructans, a fructose polymer) could stimulate the GLP-1 hormone, aiding in increased insulin production.

SEE MORE: How big of a deal is the new Benghazi testimony?

lynnro