It was impossible to spot Libor rigging: UK watchdog

LONDON (Reuters) - Regulators could not have spotted the "lowballing" of Libor interest rates during the financial crisis even if they had looked, Britain's Financial Services Authority said.

The watchdog's chairman, Adair Turner, told a parliamentary commission on banking standards on Wednesday it was much easier to see abuses in share trading by using computers.

Manipulation of the London interbank offered rate (Libor) during the 2008 crisis, for which three banks - Barclays BARC.L, Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS - have been fined so far was far harder to see, he said.

"There was no information on the trader manipulation," Turner told the commission. Libor is used to price trillions of dollars of financial products from derivatives to mortgages.

As markets went into meltdown following the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 some banks put in low submissions for rates at which they could borrow from other banks to give an impression they were sound.

The FSA's report into when and what it knew about Libor rigging will be published on Tuesday, March 5.

It comes after questions from lawmakers as to why the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission began probing possible rigging of the London-based Libor before the FSA.

Neither the FSA, the CFTC - two of the regulators that have fined the three banks - or other regulators had ways to see the trader manipulation, Turner said. "We could not have got at it by intensive supervision. You just cannot have a police force big enough to spot all these problems."

While whistleblowing was one of the few ways to report illegal activity, Turner said trading room mentality was detached from the real economy as some traders see their job in front of a screen as being like playing a computer game, asking "Why shouldn't I cheat?".

FSA managing director Martin Wheatley told lawmakers he was unconvinced about the need to start rewarding information with cash as U.S. regulators can do.

NOT BROCCOLI

Turner, whose job ends next month when the FSA is scrapped, also said the watchdog should have acted faster to deal with mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI).

Commission member Andrew Turnbull said the compensation process was mayhem with banks facing a torrent of claims. The FSA should "get a grip" to bring closure as a rising bill was sucking capital from banks.

"We are not where we want to be," Wheatley said.

some 10 billion pounds has been paid out, a sum that is expected to go higher. PPI sales totaled 50 billion pounds.

The FSA has been in talks with the British Bankers' Association on ideas for accelerating compensation and one or two banks and already had deadlines for claims, which they set three years ago, and have now passed. "The problem is one or two banks that have not done that," Wheatley said.

Wheatley also said he had been surprised by comments this month from Eric Daniels, a former chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group , who said its PPI sales practices put it "on the side of the angels" and likened banks to supermarkets by selling some products as loss leaders.

"I was quite aghast. They are not selling a piece of broccoli that goes off after a few days ... I find it quite extraordinary," Wheatley said.

After the FSA is scrapped, Wheatley will head a new standalone Financial Conduct Authority, with the Bank of England responsible for ensuring banks hold enough capital and cash.

(Editing by Dan Lalor)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/impossible-spot-libor-rigging-uk-watchdog-135842279--finance.html

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Video: N.J. Gov. Chris Christie snubbed by CPAC

>>> new jersey governor chris christie , a new battle today. this time, he's at odds with his own party. andrea mitchell is here to explain that. good morning to you.

>> good morning, matt. 74% approval rating in new jersey. that's the envy of his fellow governors. that does not seem to matter to the republican party 's conservative leaders. the latest sign that chris christie won't bow down to hardliners, his annual budget speech, signing on to obamacare, eighth republican governor to accept the plan.

>> it's simple. we're putting people first. which is why after considerable discussion and research i have decided to participate in medicaid expansion under the affordable care act .

>> reporter: that follows a very public embrace when the president pledged federal aid after superstorm sandy the week before the election.

>> i cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and compassion for our state and for the people of our state.

>> reporter: romney supporters were furious. later, christie railed against house republicans for shelving a disaster relief bill.

>> shame on you. shame on congress.

>> reporter: now a snub from the political conference, inviting every national republican to speak except the keynoter of the 2012 convention, chris christie . christie turned down the group's invitation two years ago. they see a bigger problem, the party's refusal to broaden its base.

>> if the republican future does not include a place for people like chris christie , the republican party don't have a future.

>> reporter: the white house isn't doing christie any favors with republican hardliners, seating him this week in the place of honor, next to the first lady at the black tie dinner for governors. chri christie 's speech could help him.

>> he is up for re-election and the idea of national conservatives giving him a hard time doesn't hurt with moderate voters in new jersey.

>> if christie wants to run for president in 2016 , he will still have to figure out how to get through the primaries without making peace with his party's right wing. natalie?

>> andrea mitchell , thanks.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50970015/

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Taliban kill 17 Afghans in attack in east

Afghan security men stand guard at the scene of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. A man wearing a black overcoat and carrying an umbrella as a shelter against the heavy snow crossed a street in the Afghan capital early Wednesday morning toward an idling bus filled with Afghan soldiers, where he laid down and wiggled underneath. Then he exploded, engulfing the undercarriage of the bus in flames. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

Afghan security men stand guard at the scene of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. A man wearing a black overcoat and carrying an umbrella as a shelter against the heavy snow crossed a street in the Afghan capital early Wednesday morning toward an idling bus filled with Afghan soldiers, where he laid down and wiggled underneath. Then he exploded, engulfing the undercarriage of the bus in flames. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

An Afghan soldier walks by a damaged bus being pulled by a crane following a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. A man wearing a black overcoat and carrying an umbrella as a shelter against the heavy snow crossed a street in the Afghan capital early Wednesday morning toward an idling bus filled with Afghan soldiers, where he laid down and wiggled underneath. Then he exploded, engulfing the undercarriage of the bus in flames. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

A Britain soldier looks for evidences at the scene of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. A man wearing a black overcoat and carrying an umbrella as a shelter against the heavy snow crossed a street in the Afghan capital early Wednesday morning toward an idling bus filled with Afghan soldiers, where he laid down and wiggled underneath. Then he exploded, engulfing the undercarriage of the bus in flames. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

An Afghan firefighter man washes the scene of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. A man wearing a black overcoat and carrying an umbrella as a shelter against the heavy snow crossed a street in the Afghan capital early Wednesday morning toward an idling bus filled with Afghan soldiers, where he laid down and wiggled underneath. Then he exploded, engulfing the undercarriage of the bus in flames. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

U.S. soldiers stand guard at the scene of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. A man wearing a black overcoat and carrying an umbrella as a shelter against the heavy snow crossed a street in the Afghan capital early Wednesday morning toward an idling bus filled with Afghan soldiers, where he laid down and wiggled underneath. Then he exploded, engulfing the undercarriage of the bus in flames. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Taliban insurgents poisoned and then shot to death 17 people in an overnight attack on a government-backed militia post in eastern Afghanistan, an official said Wednesday.

The militants somehow poisoned those inside the outpost, incapacitating them, before gunning them down Tuesday night, said Abdul Jamhe Jamhe, a leader of the Ghazni provincial government. The method of poisoning was unclear, he added.

The dead included 10 members of the government-backed Afghan local police, and seven of their civilian friends, said Provincial Gov. Musa Khan Akbarzada. He says there was a conspiracy of some sort but declined to confirm if poison was involved.

The lightly trained Afghan Local Police, a village-level force backed by U.S. troops and overseen by the Ministry of the Interior, is tasked with helping bring security to remote areas. But President Hamid Karzai has expressed concern that without careful vetting, the program could end up arming local troublemakers, strongmen or criminals.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack. He told The Associated Press by telephone that the attackers shot the men dead in their sleep but that no poison was involved.

In the capital, meanwhile, a suicide bomber slid under a bus full of Afghan soldiers and blew himself up, wounding 10 in an attack that underscored the insurgency's ability to hit even heavily guarded Kabul.

The man, wearing a black overcoat, approached the bus purposefully in heavy morning snow as soldiers were boarding, set down his umbrella and went under the chassis as if to fix something, according to a witness.

Watching from across the street, office worker Ahmad Shakib said he thought for a moment the man might have been a mechanic.

"I thought to myself, what is this crazy man doing? And then there was a blast and flames," that engulfed the undercarriage, he said. "It was a very loud explosion. I still cannot really hear."

Kabul police said the attack, which was the second this week, wounded at least six soldiers and four civilians. The bomber also died. Bakery owner Mirza Khan said the blast shattered the windows of his nearby shop where people were waiting to buy bread, leaving six wounded.

The Afghan government uses buses to ferry soldiers, police and office workers into the city center on regular routes for work, and the vehicles have been a common target for insurgents, who were also behind this attack.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, also claimed responsibility for the Kabul bombing.

The attack comes three days after a would-be car bomber was shot dead by police in downtown Kabul. That assailant was driving a vehicle packed with explosives and officials said he appeared to be targeting an intelligence agency office.

It also comes as the U.S.-led military coalition in the country is backing off from its claim that Taliban attacks dropped in 2012, tacitly acknowledging a hole in its widely repeated argument that violence is easing and that the insurgency is in steep decline.

Some 100,000 international troops are helping secure Afghanistan at the moment, but most, including many of the 66,000 Americans, are expected to finish their withdrawal by the end of 2014.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-27-Afghanistan/id-427e369de03b41219dd5dfd2d456f85f

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MYO senses your muscles, brings yet another way to control devices (video)

With visions of Minority Report, many a user's hoped to control gadgets by wildly waving at a Kinect like a symphony conductor. Now there's another way to make your friends laugh at you thanks to the Thalmic Labs' MYO armband, which senses motion and electrical activity in your muscles to let you control your computer or other device via Bluetooth 4.0. The company says its proprietary sensor can detect signals right down to individual fingers before you even move them, which -- coupled with an extremely sensitive 6-axis motion detector -- makes for a highly responsive experience. Feedback to the user is given through haptics in the device, which also packs an ARM processor and onboard Lithium-Ion batteries. MYO is now up for a limited pre-order with Thalmic saying you won't be charged until it ships near year's end, while developers can also grab the API. If you're willing to risk some ridicule to be first on the block to grab one, hit the source.

Filed under: Wearables

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Via: Macrumors

Source: Myo

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/GVH6JmKiLk0/

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The Simple Secret to Time Management: Jedi Time Tricks

Imagine you were a Jedi master called Bob (your parents, whilst skilled in the ways of the force weren't the best at choosing names). The love of your life?Princess Lucia?is trapped in a burning building as you hurry to save her.

You might think of Lucia as the embodiment of your dreams, your aspirations?she is your most important thing.

Unfortunately, before you can reach her an army of stormtroopers open fire. The incoming stream of lasers demand your attention?if you fail to dodge them, you're dead. You might think of them as an urgent distraction from saving your princess.

We all know how a hero resolves this dilemma. If he takes his eye off the ultimate goal?his princess?then all his other efforts are for nought. He can engage an army of stormtroopers, cutting them down with graceful ease, but their numbers are limitless, and whilst momentarily satisfying they only distract him. Delayed too long, his princess will die.

And so it is with your life. You have things that are most important and things that are most urgent in permanent competition:

The secret to mastering your time is to systematically focus on importance and suppress urgency. Humans are pre-wired to focus on things which demand an immediate response, like alerts on their phones?and to postpone things which are most important, like going to the gym. You need to reverse that, which goes against your brain and most of human society.

Look at what you spend your day doing. Most of it, I'll warrant, is not anything you chose?it's what is being asked of you. Here's how we fix that, young padawan:

Say no. Most of us follow an implicit social contract: when someone asks you to do something you almost always say yes. It may feel very noble, but don't forget there's a dying princess you need to save, and you just agreed to slow yourself down because you were asked nicely. You may need to sacrifice some social comfort to save a life (as a bonus, people tend to instinctively respect those who can say no).

Unplug the TV. I haven't had a TV signal for 7 years, which has given me about 12,376 hours more than the average American who indulges in 34 hours a week. I do watch some shows?usually one hour a day whilst eating dinner?but only ones I've chosen and bought. You can do a lot with 12,000 hours, and still keep up with Mad Men.

Kill notifications. Modern technology has evolved to exploit our urgency addiction: email, Facebook, Twitter, Quora and more will fight to distract you constantly. Fortunately, this is easily fixed: turn off all your notifications. Choose to check these things when you have time to be distracted?say, during a lunch break?and work through them together, saving time.

Schedule your priorities. Humans are such funny critters. If you have a friend to meet, you'll arrange to see them at a set time. But if you have something that matters to you more than anything?say writing a book, or going to the gym?you won't schedule it. You'll just ?get round to it'. Treat your highest priorities like flights you have to catch: give them a set time in advance and say no to anything that would stop you making your flight.

First things first. What is the single most important (not urgent) thing you could possibly be doing? Do some of that today. Remember there's a limitless number of distracting stormtroopers?don't fool yourself by thinking "if I just do this thing first then I can." Jedi don't live by excuses.

Less volume, more time. There's always millions of things you could be doing. The trick is to pick no more than 1-3 a day, and relentlessly pursue those. Your brain won't like this limit. Other people won't like this limit. Do it anyway. Focusing your all on one task at a time is infinitely more efficient than multi-tasking and gives you time to excel at your work.

Ignore. It's rude, unprofessional, and often utterly necessary. There are people you won't find time to reply to. There are requests you will allow yourself to forget. You can be slow to do things like tidy up, pay bills, or open mail. The world won't fall apart. The payoff is you get done what matters.

One final lesson from the Jedi: they're heroes.

Heroes inspire us for many reasons: they make tough decisions, they keep going and they get done what matters. But there's another reason we love our heroes. Inside us all, we know we have the power to become one ourselves.

How to master your time | Oliver Emberton

---

Oliver Emberton is an entrepreneur, author-in-training, challenge addict, dancer, pianist, programmer, artist, and general busy bee.

Image remixed from Shutterstock.

Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Tessa.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/6Y2HW3IaxwU/the-simple-secret-to-time-management-jedi-time-tricks

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Green Day's Armstrong comes clean on drink, prescription drugs

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said alcohol and prescription drug abuse forced him into rehab last year after sessions when he would black out and have no memory of what he had done.

"I couldn't predict where I was going to end up at the end of the night," Armstrong, 41, the lead vocalist and songwriter for the California punk rock band told Rolling Stone magazine in an interview.

"I'd wake up in a strange house on a couch. I wouldn't remember how. It was a complete blackout," he said, opening up about years of addiction to drink and prescription drugs.

Green Day canceled their fall tour last year and postponed other dates after Armstrong entered treatment for what was described at the time only as "substance abuse."

Armstrong said he decided finally to seek help after an onstage rant at the IHeartRadio music festival in Las Vegas in September 2012, where he angrily smashed his guitar after being told the band needed to wrap up their time on stage.

Referring to the Las Vegas incident, Armstrong said "I remember tiny things."

"The next morning, I woke up. I asked (my wife) Adrienne, "How bad was it?" She said, "It's bad." I called my manager. He said, "You're getting on a plane, going back to Oakland and going into rehab immediately," the singer told the magazine in an advance excerpt released on Tuesday.

The band said in December that it would return to the road in March and Armstrong thanked fans for their support.

Green Day, formed in the late 1980s, has sold more than 65 million records worldwide, won five Grammys and produced hit albums such as 1994's "Dookie," and 2004's "American Idiot."

They are due to kick off their tour in Chicago on March 28.

Armstrong's full interview with Rolling Stone will be available on U.S. newsstands on Friday.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/green-days-armstrong-comes-clean-drink-prescription-drugs-014338456.html

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Oscars' strong showing boosts other ABC shows, too

NEW YORK (AP) ? The 40.4 million people who watched the Oscars this year boosted some other ABC shows, too.

Jimmy Kimmel's post-Oscars talk show got its biggest audience in the eight years he's been doing it, the Nielsen Co. said. About 5.8 million people tuned in for the show, which didn't begin until after midnight on the East Coast. Kimmel's earlier time slot on weeknights has also increased his visibility.

It was Kimmel's second-biggest audience ever, behind only a post-Super Bowl program in 2006.

Similarly, the Oscars-focused edition of "Good Morning America" on Monday reached 6.13 million viewers, above the show's season average of 5.27 million. NBC's "Today" show on Monday had 4.71 million viewers. ABC said it checked back to 2004 and couldn't find a larger margin of victory over "Today." Given the longtime dominance of "Today" up until last year, it's a good bet "Good Morning America" hasn't won by that much since the early 1990s.

NBC's most-watched show on Sunday night had less than a tenth of the "Oscars" audience, so it could be considered an achievement that "Today" got that close the next morning.

"Good Morning America" reached 6.12 million viewers last Wednesday, on co-host Robin Roberts' return to work after being out since last summer with a blood and bone marrow disease.

The Oscars had its biggest audience in three years.

When the month is over, CBS said it will have beaten all the other networks in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic that many advertisers seek for the first February since 1998. Among all viewers, CBS has had the top 31 most popular scripted programs in February.

On the other side, NBC's mid-winter slide continued. For the second time in six weeks, the network had a smaller prime-time viewership than the Spanish-language network Univision. Only one NBC show, "Chicago Fire," had a bigger audience than Univision's music awards show "Premio Lo Nuestro."

For the week in prime time, ABC averaged 11.3 million viewers (6.9 rating, 11 share). CBS was second with 9.6 million viewers (6.1, 10), Fox had 6.6 million (3.9, 6), NBC had 3.8 million (2.5, 4), the CW had 1.5 million (1.0, 2) and ION Television had 1.2 million (0.8, 1).

Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision had a 4 million viewer average (2.1, 3), Telemundo had 1.3 million (0.7, 1), UniMas had 590,000 (0.3, 1), Estrella had 190,000 and Azteca 110,000 (both 0.1, 0).

NBC's "Nightly News" topped the evening newscasts with an average of 9.4 million viewers (6.3, 11). ABC's "World News" was second with 8.4 million (5.6, 11) and the "CBS Evening News" had 7.4 million viewers (4.9, 9).

A ratings point represents 1,147,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 114.7 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

For the week of Feb. 18-24, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: "The Oscars," ABC, 40.38 million; "Oscars Red Carpet Live" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), ABC, 25.53 million; "NCIS," CBS, 21.08 million; "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 17.62 million; "Oscars Red Carpet Live" (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.), ABC, 16.5 million; "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 16.27 million; "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 14.37 million; "Person of Interest," CBS, 14.23 million; "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 13.66 million; "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 13.41 million.

___

ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. CBS is owned by CBS Corp. CW is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp. Fox and My Network TV are units of News Corp. NBC and Telemundo are owned by Comcast Corp. ION Television is owned by ION Media Networks. TeleFutura is a division of Univision. Azteca America is a wholly owned subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V.

___

Online:

http://www.nielsen.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-26-US-Nielsens/id-9a20cacdc3db47e9b3d5c3aaac3a89d3

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Net providers begin warning of illegal downloads

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Internet users who illegally share music, movies or television shows online could soon receive warning notices from the nation's five major Internet service providers.

The Copyright Alert System, organized by the recording and film industry, is being activated this week to target consumers using peer-to-peer software.

Under the new system, complaints will prompt an Internet service provider ? such as Verizon or AT&T ? to notify a customer whose Internet address has been detected sharing files illegally. A person will be given up to six opportunities to stop before the Internet provider will take more drastic steps, such as temporarily slowing their connection, or redirecting Internet traffic until they acknowledge they received a notice or review educational materials about copyright law.

Consumers who maintain they have been wrongly accused would be forced to pay $35 to appeal the decision. The fee would be reimbursed if they prevail.

Proponents say the focus is on deterring the average consumer rather than chronic violators. The director of the organization behind the system, Jill Lesser of the Center for Copyright Infringement, said in a blog post Monday that the program is "meant to educate rather than punish, and direct (users) to legal alternatives."

Each Internet provider is expected to implement their own system. The program gives each customer five or six "strikes" after a music or film company has detected illegal file-sharing and lodged a complaint. The first alerts are expected to be educational, while the third and fourth would require the customer to acknowledge that they have received the warnings and understand their behavior is illegal. The final warnings are expected to lead to "mitigation measures," such as slowing a person's Internet connection speeds.

Officials involved in the effort acknowledge it's unlikely to stop the biggest violators. There are ways to disguise an IP address or use a neighbor's connection that is unlocked. Public wireless connections, such as those offered at coffee shops, also won't be monitored.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-25-US-Internet-Piracy/id-dfd9db3796ee402ebdfbc72f96e26294

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

Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine that he?s ?been getting ready to put on a show here.?

He did just that this morning, running a pair of sub-5.0 second 40s at nearly 300 pounds. The question now becomes, would it qualify as a show he wants to watch?

While Floyd?s ability to rush the passer and his athletic talent will make him a high pick, he raised more than a few eyebrows during his media interviews, when he admitted he wasn?t much of a football fan.

Asked the fairly standard question of which player he modeled his game after, Floyd replied: ?I haven?t really watched the league in a long time. I first started watching it in 2007, but I did get to know Ndamukong Suh in 2010 so we have a good relationship and I?ve watched him play a couple of times.?

That?s right, a possible Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft only started watching football six years ago. And it?s not as if he?s one of the foreign-born players from a land where football wasn?t readily available around the clock. He grew up in Philadelphia, a place where there seems to be some degree of interest in the NFL.

Asked to elaborate on the fact he didn?t watch football until recently, Floyd said ?The first game I ever watched was the Super Bowl when the Colts won it in 2007.?

?It wasn?t that there was no interest, I just didn?t know nothing about it, so there was no reason to watch it,? he continued. ?Even when I started playing there was no?interest in watching it because I liked to play it instead of sitting down and being still and watching a game while all my friends were jumping around and getting excited for no reason.

?It just wasn?t a preference of mine, but now it is so I watch it and play it now.?

Asked what he was watching instead, Floyd talked about the Disney Channel and Cartoon Network.

Don?t get me wrong, as the parent of young children, there?s a good bit of Looney Toons on hand in my home as well. And away from work, I respect people who are well-rounded, and can talk about something other than football.

But a team is about to invest millions of dollars in a man who may or may not like the game he?s about to turn into a career.

We know he?s motivated now, having trained specifically for the Combine to put on the kind of show that would boost his draft stock and make him financially secure.

But how motivated will he be come the dog days of training camp, or a Wednesday practice in November when his team might be out of the playoff hunt?

Will he be watching film of his next opponent, or catching up on That?s So Raven re-runs?

It?s possible to be great at football without being absorbed by it, but it?s probably not the kind of thing you want to admit at a job interview, either.

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

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Ball of Woe tops Android Games of the Week

Sony?s announcement of the PlayStation 4 is not the only development in the world of gaming right now. There are loads of new Android games to play with this week. There's a musical space adventure, a ball with a face on it, an 8-bit liquid puzzler and an old classic reborn, among others. Here are the highlights!

This game from Doppler Interactive is a unique platformer, in which the people of Nicetown have rolled their sadness up into a little ball and set it loose on the world. Of course, everything goes wrong, and the ball must save everyone and go to a Heaven ?of sorts.? Ball of Woe employs swipe control, and your goal is to roll the ball away from the Nicetown folks. Visuals aren't exactly high-resolution, but they are stylish and definitely cool to look at. And then you have the soundtrack, which is quite engaging, and a story that is actually quite compelling for a mobile game.

This little gem from Moarbile Games puts you in the cockpit of a space ship that flies around and collects stars, while avoiding being smashed to smithereens by asteroids. Sounds a bit basic, yes, but what makes Stereoride interesting is that you can plug your music into it, and the game will generate the visible universe based on your music?s sounds. You'll have to see it to believe it, but I assure you that it is quite the compelling experience.

While we're talking about space games, I feel it?s the right time to bring up Syder Arcade, a space shooter - not unlike?Geometry Wars - with quite the hard edge. Though this is the kind of game you'd normally expect to play with a twin-stick gamepad on a home console or a PC, touch controls are more than adequate, and man does this thing just look gorgeous. Syder Arcade from Studio Evil is one of those games for which you'll need to close all your background apps or else you might get some stutter. Did I mention this game is really hard?

Gamious' effort is a puzzler that involves moving water from one place to another, but it really isn't anything like Where's My Water? at all. In this game, your attempts are aided by your ability to add and remove bricks to the puzzle area and shift the direction from which gravity draws the water. All of this is wrapped up in a really old-style visual experience, and it really wouldn't have been surprising to see this title running on PCs in the late 80s. Instead, it's here now, and it's high quality.

As we've discussed before, more old-style adventure games should make a home on mobile because touch controls just screams for those types of games. Forever Lost: Episode 1 by Glitch Games, with its Myst-ish gameplay, is almost an ideal mobile experience with its interface, and it's pretty creepy to boot. Also, it has a hint system that will help you out when you encounter difficulties, and so you won't get stuck in a room for weeks like you probably did with Myst back in the day.

SNK has a good track record for bringing old games to Android, and they've finally given us Metal Slug 2, a side-scrolling shooter many gamers loved when they were younger. This game is a classic of a genre nearly lost to time, and so it's worth a look for that reason alone. The game comes with a co-op feature, just like the original version, which you can enable via Bluetooth. So you get a great game, and you don't have to feel antisocial toward the people you know in real life in order the play it. That's a rare feat in mobile games, which too often focus on online play rather than couch co-op or local competitive multiplayer. Metal Slug 2 demands your attention.

?

Download the Appolicious Android app

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Nokia to Share Entire Navigation Suite With Other Windows Phones

Nokia has announced that it is to share its Drive, Maps and Transit apps with other Windows Phone handsets. Under the new name Here, users of non-Nokia handsets will finally be able to use the Finns' excellent navigation software. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/wJgshg50KGs/nokia-to-share-entire-navigation-suite-with-other-windows-phones

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Can escape clause save voting rights provision?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration and civil rights groups are defending a key section of the landmark voting rights law at the Supreme Court by pointing reformed state, county and local governments to an escape hatch from the law's strictest provision.

The Voting Rights Act effectively attacked persistent discrimination at the polls by keeping close watch, when it comes to holding elections, on those places with a history of preventing minorities from voting. Any changes, from moving a polling place to redrawing electoral districts, can't take effect without approval from the Justice Department or federal judges in Washington.

But the Voting Rights Act allows governments that have changed their ways to get out from under this humbling need to get permission through a "bailout provision." Nearly 250 counties and local jurisdictions have done so; thousands more could be eligible based on the absence of recent discriminatory efforts in voting.

The viability of the bailout option could play an outsized role in the Supreme Court's consideration of the voting rights law's prior approval provision, although four years ago, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas said the prospect of bailing out had been "no more than a mirage."

The court will hear arguments Wednesday in the case, which is among the term's most important, in a challenge from Shelby County, Ala.

Opponents of the law say they no longer should be forced to live under oversight from Washington because the country has made enormous racial progress, demonstrated most recently by the re-election of President Barack Obama. They object in particular to the 40-year-old formula by which some jurisdictions, most in the Deep South, are swept under the law and others remain outside it.

The administration and its allies acknowledge that there has been progress. But they say minority voters still need the protection the law affords from efforts to reduce their influence at the polls. Last year, federal judges in two separate cases blocked Texas from putting in place a voter identification law and congressional redistricting plan because they discriminated against black and Hispanic residents.

Obama himself talked about the case in a radio interview last week. He told SiriusXM host Joe Madison that if the law were stripped of its advance approval provision, "it would be hard for us to catch those things up front to make sure that elections are done in an equitable way."

Also, the law's defenders say places that have changed their ways can win release from having to get Washington's blessing for election changes. Governments seeking to exit have to show that they and the smaller jurisdictions within their borders have had a clean record, no evidence of discrimination in voting, for the past 10 years.

Shelby County has never asked to be freed from the law, but would seem to be ineligible because one city in the county, Calera, defied the voting rights law and prompted intervention by the Bush Justice Department.

Yet places with a long, well-known history of discrimination probably could find their way out from under federal monitoring, according to a prominent voting rights lawyer who used to work for the Justice Department.

"Birmingham, Ala., where they used to use fire hoses on people, may well be eligible to bail out," said the lawyer, Gerry Hebert. Birmingham officials said they've never considered asking.

The Supreme Court made clear its skepticism about the ongoing need for the law when it heard a similar case in 2009. "Past success alone, however, is not adequate justification to retain the preclearance requirements," Chief Justice John Roberts said for the court. That ruling sidestepped the constitutional issue and instead expanded the ability of states, counties and local governments to exit the advance approval process.

At that point, so few governments had tried to free themselves from the advance approval requirement that, in 2009, Thomas said the "promise of a bailout opportunity has, in the great majority of cases, turned out to be no more than a mirage."

At the time, Thomas said, only a handful of the 12,000 state, county and local governments covered by the law had successfully bailed out.

The overall numbers remain low, but the Obama administration argues that "the rate of successful bailouts has rapidly increased" since the high court last took up the Voting Rights Act nearly four years ago.

In the past 12 months, 110 local governments have been freed from the requirement to show in advance that their proposed election changes are not discriminatory. Places that have won their release from coverage include Prince William County, Va., with more than 400,000 residents, and Merced County, Calif., and its 84 municipalities.

Shelby County says that even with the recent jump in bailouts, "only a tiny percentage" of governments have found their way out of oversight from Washington.

The advance approval was adopted in the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to give federal officials a potent tool to defeat persistent efforts to keep blacks from voting.

The provision was a huge success, and Congress periodically has renewed it over the years. The most recent time was in 2006, when a Republican-led Congress overwhelmingly approved and President George W. Bush signed a 25-year extension.

The requirement currently applies to the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. It also covers certain counties in California, Florida, New York, North Carolina and South Dakota, and some local jurisdictions in Michigan and New Hampshire. Coverage has been triggered by past discrimination not only against blacks, but also against American Indians, Asian-Americans, Alaskan Natives and Hispanics.

The 10 covered towns in New Hampshire are poised to become the next places to win their release from the law. An agreement between the Justice Department and the state is awaiting approval from a federal court in Washington.

Critics of the law contend the Justice Department is highlighting the escape hatch and agreeing to allow places such as the New Hampshire towns to exit to try to make the entire law look more palatable to the court.

Alaska Attorney General Michael Geraghty says in his court filing in support of Shelby County that the Justice Department "commonly agrees to bailouts for jurisdictions that are not legally entitled to receive them."

But supporters of the law argue in response that the federal government's willingness to agree to free places from the need to get permission shows that the voting rights act is flexible and helps focus attention on potentially discriminatory voting schemes.

___

Online:

Voting Rights Act: http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/sec_5/about.php

Supreme Court: http://tinyurl.com/a4kmqsd

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/escape-clause-save-voting-rights-provision-132218205--politics.html

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Source: http://colnotion.com/index.php?do=/blog/146927/reason-why-most-people-are-preaching-about-marketo-experts/

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NSF - Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness

Climate science and energy awareness are complex topics, with rapidly developing science and technology and the potential for controversy. How can educators effectively bring these important subjects into their classrooms? There are many ways to approach climate and energy depending on the grade level, course topics and instructional method. Yet no matter the pedagogic setting, using a literacy-based approach can provide a sound foundation to build learners' understanding of these topics.

The following set of climate literacy and energy awareness principles provides a framework for teaching the science behind these issues. Each summary links to a more detailed discussion of what makes the topic important, why it can be challenging to teach, and suggestions for grade-level specific teaching strategies and links to relevant teaching materials. External Link: Learn more about the origin of the Climate Literacy Principles

The Essential Principles of Climate Literacy

1. The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth's climate system.

a. Sunlight reaching the Earth can heat the land, ocean, and atmosphere. Some of that sunlight is reflected back to space by the surface, clouds, or ice. Much of the sunlight that reaches Earth is absorbed and warms the planet.

b. When Earth emits the same amount of energy as it absorbs, its energy budget is in balance, and its average temperature remains stable.

c. The tilt of Earth's axis relative to its orbit around the Sun results in predictable changes in the duration of daylight and the amount of sunlight received at any latitude throughout a year. These changes cause the annual cycle of seasons and associated temperature changes.

d. Gradual changes in Earth's rotation and orbit around the Sun change the intensity of sunlight received in our planet's polar and equatorial regions. For at least the last 1 million years, these changes occurred in 100,000-year cycles that produced ice ages and the shorter warm periods between them.

e. A significant increase or decrease in the Sun's energy output would cause Earth to warm or cool. Satellite measurements taken over the past 30 years show that the Sun's energy output has changed only slightly and in both directions. These changes in the Sun's energy are thought to be too small to be the cause of the recent warming observed on Earth.

While sunlight energizes the Earth's climate system, seasonal cycles, orbital cycles and other variables affect the energy balance on the Earth's surface. Learn more about teaching about the Sun's energy

2. Climate is regulated by complex interactions among components of the Earth system.

a. Earth's climate is influenced by interactions involving the Sun, ocean, atmosphere, clouds, ice, land, and life. Climate varies by region as a result of local differences in these interactions.

b. Covering 70% of Earth's surface, the ocean exerts a major control on climate by dominating Earth's energy and water cycles. It has the capacity to absorb large amounts of solar energy. Heat and water vapor are redistributed globally through density-driven ocean currents and atmospheric circulation. Changes in ocean circulation caused by tectonic movements or large influxes of fresh water from melting polar ice can lead to significant and even abrupt changes in climate, both locally and on global scales.

c. The amount of solar energy absorbed or radiated by Earth is modulated by the atmosphere and depends on its composition. Greenhouse gases? such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane? occur naturally in small amounts and absorb and release heat energy more efficiently than abundant atmospheric gases like nitrogen and oxygen. Small increases in carbon dioxide concentration have a large effect on the climate system.

d. The abundance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is controlled by biogeochemical cycles that continually move these components between their ocean, land, life, and atmosphere reservoirs. The abundance of carbon in the atmosphere is reduced through seafloor accumulation of marine sediments and accumulation of plant biomass and is increased through deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels as well as through other processes.

e. Airborne particulates, called "aerosols," have a complex effect on Earth's energy balance: they can cause both cooling, by reflecting incoming sunlight back out to space, and warming, by absorbing and releasing heat energy in the atmosphere. Small solid and liquid particles can be lofted into the atmosphere through a variety of natural and manmade processes, including volcanic eruptions, sea spray, forest fires, and emissions generated through human activities.

f. The interconnectedness of Earth's systems means that a significant change in any one component of the climate system can influence the equilibrium of the entire Earth system. Positive feedback loops can amplify these effects and trigger abrupt changes in the climate system. These complex interactions may result in climate change that is more rapid and on a larger scale than projected by current climate models.

The natural Greenhouse Effect, regional geography, the oceans, the atmosphere and biota all exert controls over parts of the climate system. Feedbacks between different parts of the earth system can either amplify or mitigate changes in the climate. Learn more about teaching the components of climate system

3. Life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and affects climate.

a. Individual organisms survive within specific ranges of temperature, precipitation, humidity, and sunlight. Organisms exposed to climate conditions outside their normal range must adapt or migrate, or they will perish.

b. The presence of small amounts of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere warms Earth's surface, resulting in a planet that sustains liquid water and life.

c. Changes in climate conditions can affect the health and function of ecosystems and the survival of entire species. The distribution patterns of fossils show evidence of gradual as well as abrupt extinctions related to climate change in the past.

d. A range of natural records shows that the last 10,000 years have been an unusually stable period in Earth's climate history. Modern human societies developed during this time. The agricultural, economic, and transportation systems we rely upon are vulnerable if the climate changes significantly.

e. Life?including microbes, plants, and animals and humans?is a major driver of the global carbon cycle and can influence global climate by modifying the chemical makeup of the atmosphere. The geologic record shows that life has significantly altered the atmosphere during Earth's history.

Interactions between life and climate are complex. The biosphere influences and is influenced by climate, with the carbon cycle being an integral part of biologic, geologic and climatic processes. Learn more about teaching the relationship of climate and the biosphere

4. Climate varies over space and time through both natural and man-made processes.

a. Climate is determined by the long-term pattern of temperature and precipitation averages and extremes at a location. Climate descriptions can refer to areas that are local, regional, or global in extent. Climate can be described for different time intervals, such as decades, years, seasons, months, or specific dates of the year.

b. Climate is not the same thing as weather. Weather is the minute-by-minute variable condition of the atmosphere on a local scale. Climate is a conceptual description of an area's average weather conditions and the extent to which those conditions vary over long time intervals.

c. Climate change is a significant and persistent change in an area's average climate conditions or their extremes. Seasonal variations and multi-year cycles (for example, the El Ni?o Southern Oscillation) that produce warm, cool, wet, or dry periods across different regions are a natural part of climate variability. They do not represent climate change.

d. Scientific observations indicate that global climate has changed in the past, is changing now, and will change in the future. The magnitude and direction of this change is not the same at all locations on Earth.

e. Based on evidence from tree rings, other natural records, and scientific observations made around the world, Earth's average temperature is now warmer than it has been for at least the past 1,300 years. Average temperatures have increased markedly in the past 50 years, especially in the North Polar Region.

f. Natural processes driving Earth's long-term climate variability do not explain the rapid climate change observed in recent decades. The only explanation that is consistent with all available evidence is that human impacts are playing an increasing role in climate change. Future changes in climate may be rapid compared to historical changes.

g. Natural processes that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere operate slowly when compared to the processes that are now adding it to the atmosphere. Thus, carbon dioxide introduced into the atmosphere today may remain there for a century or more. Other greenhouse gases, including some created by humans, may remain in the atmosphere for thousands of years.

While weather is variable on short time scales, Earth's overall climate also varies over longer time intervals. Natural processes that influence changes in climate do not account for recent increases of greenhouse gases, temperatures and sea level rise. Learn more about teaching climate variability

5. Our understanding of the climate system is improved through observations, theoretical studies, and modeling.

A. The components and processes of Earth's climate system are subject to the same physical laws as the rest of the Universe. Therefore, the behavior of the climate system can be understood and predicted through careful, systematic study.

B. Environmental observations are the foundation for understanding the climate system. From the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the Sun, instruments on weather stations, buoys, satellites, and other platforms collect climate data. To learn about past climates, scientists use natural records, such as tree rings, ice cores, and sedimentary layers. Historical observations, such as native knowledge and personal journals, also document past climate change.

C. Observations, experiments, and theory are used to construct and refine computer models that represent the climate system and make predictions about its future behavior. Results from these models lead to better understanding of the linkages between the atmosphere-ocean system and climate conditions and inspire more observations and experiments. Over time, this iterative process will result in more reliable projections of future climate conditions.

D. Our understanding of climate differs in important ways from our understanding of weather. Climate scientists' ability to predict climate patterns months, years, or decades into the future is constrained by different limitations than those faced by meteorologists in forecasting weather days to weeks into the future.

E. Scientists have conducted extensive research on the fundamental characteristics of the climate system and their understanding will continue to improve. Current climate change projections are reliable enough to help humans evaluate potential decisions and actions in response to climate change.

Changes in the climate system are recorded by observations, direct measurements, and the geologic record. Computer models can be used to reconstruct past climates, project future climate scenarios, and guide decisions. Learn more about teaching with this principle

6. Human activities are impacting the climate system.

a. The overwhelming consensus of scientific studies on climate indicates that most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the latter part of the 20th century is very likely due to human activities, primarily from increases in greenhouse gas concentrations resulting from the burning of fossil fuels.

b. Emissions from the widespread burning of fossil fuels since the start of the Industrial Revolution have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Because these gases can remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years before being removed by natural processes, their warming influence is projected to persist into the next century.

c. Human activities have affected the land, oceans, and atmosphere, and these changes have altered global climate patterns. Burning fossil fuels, releasing chemicals into the atmosphere, reducing the amount of forest cover, and rapid expansion of farming, development, and industrial activities are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and changing the balance of the climate system.

d. Growing evidence shows that changes in many physical and biological systems are linked to human caused global warming. Some changes resulting from human activities have decreased the capacity of the environment to support various species and have substantially reduced ecosystem biodiversity and ecological resilience.

e. Scientists and economists predict that there will be both positive and negative impacts from global climate change. If warming exceeds 2 to 3?C (3.6 to 5.4?F) over the next century, the consequences of the negative impacts are likely to be much greater than the consequences of the positive impacts.

Greenhouse gas emissions and large changes in land cover are linked to a warming climate and have widespread impacts throughout the Earth system. Learn more about teaching how humans effect the climate

7. Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human lives.

a. Melting of ice sheets and glaciers, combined with the thermal expansion of seawater as the oceans warm, is causing sea level to rise. Seawater is beginning to move onto low-lying land, contaminating coastal fresh water sources and gradually submerging coastal facilities and barrier islands. Sea-level rise increases the risk of damage to homes and buildings from storm surges such as those that accompany hurricanes.

b. Climate plays an important role in the global distribution of freshwater resources. Changing precipitation patterns and temperature conditions will alter the distribution and availability of freshwater resources, reducing reliable access to water for many people and their crops. Winter snowpack and mountain glaciers that provide water for human use are declining as a result of global warming.

c. Incidents of extreme weather are projected to increase as a result of climate change. Many locations will see a substantial increase in the number of heat waves they experience per year and a likely decrease in episodes of severe cold. Precipitation events are expected to become less frequent but more intense in many areas, and droughts will be more frequent and severe in areas where average precipitation is projected to decrease.

d. The chemistry of ocean water is changed by absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere is causing ocean water to become more acidic, threatening the survival of shell-building marine species and the entire food web of which they are a part.

e. Ecosystems on land and in the ocean have been and will continue to be disturbed by climate change. Animals, plants, bacteria, and viruses will migrate to new areas with favorable climate conditions. Infectious diseases and certain species will be able to invade areas that they did not previously inhabit.

f. Human health and mortality rates will be affected to different degrees in specific regions of the world as a result of climate change. Although cold-related deaths are predicted to decrease, other risks are predicted to rise. The incidence and geographical range of climate-sensitive, infectious diseases? such as malaria, dengue fever, and tick-borne diseases?will increase. Drought-reduced crop yields, degraded air and water quality, and increased hazards in coastal and low-lying areas will contribute to unhealthy conditions, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.

Impacts of a warming climate include sea level rise, declining availability of freshwater resources, increasing extreme weather, acidification of the oceans, disruption to ecosystems and effects to human health and agriculture. Learn more about teaching the consequences of climate change

The Guiding Principle for Informed Climate Decisions

Humans can take actions to reduce climate change and its impacts.

A. Climate information can be used to reduce vulnerabilities or enhance the resilience of communities and ecosystems affected by climate change. Continuing to improve scientific understanding of the climate system and the quality of reports to policy and decision-makers is crucial.

B. Reducing human vulnerability to the impacts of climate change depends not only upon our ability to understand climate science, but also upon our ability to integrate that knowledge into human society. Decisions that involve Earth's climate must be made with an understanding of the complex interconnections among the physical and biological components of the Earth system as well as the consequences of such decisions on social, economic, and cultural systems.

C. The impacts of climate change may affect the security of nations. Reduced availability of water, food, and land can lead to competition and conflict among humans, potentially resulting in large groups of climate refugees.

D. Humans may be able to mitigate climate change or lessen its severity by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations through processes that move carbon out of the atmosphere or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

E. A combination of strategies is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The most immediate strategy is conservation of oil, gas, and coal, which we rely on as fuels for most of our transportation, heating, cooling, agriculture, and electricity. Short-term strategies involve switching from carbon-intensive to renewable energy sources, which also requires building new infrastructure for alternative energy sources. Long-term strategies involve innovative research and a fundamental change in the way humans use energy.

F. Humans can adapt to climate change by reducing their vulnerability to its impacts. Actions such as moving to higher ground to avoid rising sea levels, planting new crops that will thrive under new climate conditions, or using new building technologies represent adaptation strategies. Adaptation often requires financial investment in new or enhanced research, technology, and infrastructure.

G. Actions taken by individuals, communities, states, and countries all influence climate. Practices and policies followed in homes, schools, businesses, and governments can affect climate. Climate-related decisions made by one generation can provide opportunities as well as limit the range of possibilities open to the next generation. Steps toward reducing the impact of climate change may influence the present generation by providing such benefits as improved public health infrastructure and sustainably built environments.

This principle emphasizes that human actions make a difference, in scales ranging from personal lifestyle behaviors to societal and political decisions. Learn more about teaching how humans can take actions

The Principle for Energy Awareness

Being aware of the role of energy in the Earth system and human society allows us to take actions to conserve, prepare, and make informed energy choices.

A. Energy drives the Earth system.

B. The primary sources of energy used by society are non-renewable sources, such as fossil fuels and nuclear, and renewable sources, such as solar, wind, hydro and biomass.

C. Humans' use of energy has consequences on the environment that sustains them.

D. The distribution of stored non-renewable and renewable energy sources varies around the planet, resulting in distribution and transmission costs.

E. There are significant social, political and equity issues associated with the human use of and access to energy.

F. Developing a sustainable energy supply that minimizes impacts on the environment will require informed decision-making, technological and societal innovation, and improved efficiency.

Challenging to teach, energy is a topic that spans many disciplines. Human society derives energy from diverse sources and regions, and humans' use of energy creates a variety of environmental, social and equity issues. Learn more about teaching energy awareness

NOTE: The Principle for Energy Awareness has been developed by the CLEAN Team to help frame energy-related topics. It is anticipated that a companion to the Essential Principles of Climate Literacy for energy will be developed in the coming months, providing a more formal educational framework.

Source: http://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/index.html

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AT&T LTE coming to GM's 2015 fleet

Ready to trade your old car in for a shiny new mobile hotspot? AT&T and GM are using the international platform that is Mobile World Congress to announce a partnership that'll bring the carrier's LTE network to "millions of cars" under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac umbrellas. The rollout is set to hit the 2015 models due out in 2014 in the US and Canada. The partnership with GM-owned OnStar will bring AT&T connectivity to a variety of services, including safety, diagnostics, infotainment and safety -- the carrier's president of emerging enterprises and partnerships, Glenn Lurie, told us that the latter was a chief concern for his company. "First and foremost is making the car safer," he explained, referencing the company's "It Can Wait," anti-driving-while-texting campaign. Such will certainly be a concern when the company realizes its dreams of turning GM vehicles into mobile hotspots.

Details of the partnership are forthcoming, though Lurie insists that AT&T will be "working on every aspect of what's going into the vehicle," including opening up SDKs and APIs for developers in an attempt to, "futureproof the car for things to come." As far as futureproofing after market vehicles, Lurie says, "we are working and looking at all opportunities in the after market space. We are absolutely working with partners on the after market." More info from GM and AT&T can be had after the break.

Daniel Cooper contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, AT&T

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/KbfLIhK32hY/

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