Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Mass. voters head to polls to pick new US Senator

This panel of May 2013 file photos shows Republican Gabriel Gomez, left, and Democrat U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, right, candidates for U.S. Senate in the June 25, 2013 special election, being held to fill the seat vacated when John Kerry was appointed as secretary of state. (AP Photos/File)

This panel of May 2013 file photos shows Republican Gabriel Gomez, left, and Democrat U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, right, candidates for U.S. Senate in the June 25, 2013 special election, being held to fill the seat vacated when John Kerry was appointed as secretary of state. (AP Photos/File)

Massachusetts Senate Democratic candidate Ed Markey, left, meets and greets grassroots volunteers and supporters at the Pickle Barrel Restaurant & Deli, in Worcester, Mass., Monday, June 24, 2013. Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez made appeals to voters Monday in the final hours before Massachusetts' special election for the U.S. Senate, where turnout is expected to be light, a contrast to the high-profile special election in the state three years ago. (AP Photo/Worcester Telegram & Gazette, John Ferrarone)

Gabriel Gomez, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in the Massachusetts open seat special election, greets supporters, Monday, June 24, 2013, at the Four Square restaurant in Braintree, Mass. Gomez faces Democrat Rep. Ed Markey in Tuesday's election. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

Massachusetts Senate Democratic candidate Ed Markey, right, meets and greets grassroots volunteers and supporters at the Pickle Barrel Restaurant & Deli, in Worcester, Mass., Monday, June 24, 2013. Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez made appeals to voters Monday in the final hours before Massachusetts' special election for the U.S. Senate, where turnout is expected to be light, a contrast to the high-profile special election in the state three years ago. (AP Photo/Worcester Telegram & Gazette, John Ferrarone)

Gabriel Gomez, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in the Massachusetts open seat special election, greets supporters, Monday, June 24, 2013, at the Four Square restaurant in Braintree, Mass. Gomez faces Democrat Rep. Ed Markey in Tuesday's election. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

(AP) ? Massachusetts voters are heading to the polls to pick a new U.S. senator.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Edward Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez scrambled to energize supporters and mobilize get-out-the-vote efforts in the hours leading up to Tuesday's special election to succeed John Kerry in the U.S. Senate.

Both candidates made a series of campaign stops Monday, culminating with election eve rallies while their campaigns cranked up their all-important ground games designed to get as many of their voters to the polls as possible on a day when statewide turnout was expected to be light.

Gomez was scheduled to vote early Tuesday in his hometown of Cohasset, with Markey casting his ballot later in the morning in Malden.

Markey, 66, has led in the polls, but said he's taking nothing for granted.

"There is no overconfidence in this entire operation," Markey told reporters after an evening rally Monday in Malden.

The longtime Democratic member of the Massachusetts U.S. House delegation explained that his campaign has called or rang the doorbells of 3 million prospective voters in the last four days.

"That's the sign of an organization working hard right up to the finish line," he added.

Gomez, 47, is a political newcomer and former Navy SEAL who worked for a Boston-based private equity firm before jumping into the race.

Gomez was also urging his supporters to get themselves to the polls and to remind their friends and family members to vote, too.

"Tell your friends. Tell your friends to tell their friends they need to vote," Gomez said at a rally in Quincy with former GOP U.S. Sen. Scott Brown on Monday evening.

"They think there's going to be a low turnout. There may be a low turnout on their side. That's fine with me. But I know our side and it's a broad side," he added.

Massachusetts state Secretary William Galvin said Monday that he expected a lackluster turnout on Tuesday, with no more than 1.6 million of the state's 4.3 million registered voters to cast ballots in the special election, well below the 2.2 million who voted in a 2010 special election, won by Brown, to succeed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Based on a number of factors, including absentee ballots and the relatively few inquiries to his office about the election, the current race was not matching the intensity of the 2010 election, Galvin said.

Markey has held a fundraising advantage throughout the campaign, having spent more $8.6 million on the race through the end of the last reporting period on June 5, compared to $2.3 million by Gomez, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Also on the ballot Tuesday is Richard Heos, who is affiliated with the Twelve Visions Party.

Temperatures are predicted to climb into the 90's again Tuesday.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-06-25-Massachusetts%20Senate/id-c13042e5e5f14c78b3a0c86f51b1138f

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Uses For Dental Floss: 12 Quick Tricks Around The House (PHOTOS)

From Networx's Sayward Rebhal:

Dental floss is something you should always have around ? and hopefully you?re using it every day to clean between your teeth. But beside the dental duty, floss is also awesome as a stand-in for all sorts of common items. From hanging photos (Boston general contractor Tom Silva of This Old House recommends it over wire because dental floss does not mar wall paint) to acting as a micro-spatula, read on to find out all the ways that floss can help you around the house. Like . . .

List and captions courtesy of Networx

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/23/uses-for-dental-floss_n_3480319.html

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Patient factors play key role in emergency department imaging

Patient factors play key role in emergency department imaging [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Linda Brooks
lbrooks@rsna.org
630-590-7762
Radiological Society of North America

OAK BROOK, Ill. Despite concerns to the contrary, very little of the variation in Emergency Department (ED) imaging utilization is attributable to physician experience, training or gender, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

Imaging exams like X-rays and CT scans are common in the ED. In 2010, slightly more than 47 percent of all ED visits in the United States had an imaging exam associated with them.

"Analyzing and understanding drivers of use of imaging in the ED is important for several reasons," said Christopher L. Sistrom, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., from the departments of radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla. "There's a balance of cost and benefits to the patient, institution and payer, as well as the overarching issue of radiation exposure."

Previous studies have found substantial variation in imaging rates across and within EDs, suggesting different tendencies among physicians when ordering imaging. However, much of the existing research is limited, according to Dr. Sistrom.

"A lot of literature on imaging variability can lead to a false assumption that doctors are primarily responsible," he said. "The problem is that it is difficult to fully describe and quantify variability at the different levels it can occur."

In the new study, Dr. Sistrom and colleagues analyzed 88,851 ED visits during 2011 at Massachusetts General Hospital. They used an analytical tool known as hierarchical logistic regression to identify multiple predictors of the probability that imaging was ordered during a given visit.

"That's what makes our paper unique," Dr. Sistrom said. "Hierarchal modeling allows us to ask very specific questions about the relative contributions of various factors to imaging use."

The overall rate of imaging utilization in the Massachusetts General ED was 45.4 percent in 2011, similar to the 2010 national average of 47.2 percent. Analysis of the data revealed that physician-related factors like gender, experience and training did not correlate with imaging use.

"The key finding in our study is that doctors don't make much difference in imaging utilization," Dr. Sistrom said. "Our data showed that doctors are responsible for about one percent of the variability in probability of having an imaging exam during an ED visit."

Instead, patient and visit factors were the predominant predictors of the likelihood of imaging for a given ED visit. These factors include prior visit, referral source, arrival mode and clinical reason for the visit.

The workload of the ED was another significant factor in imaging use. When the ED was the least busy, the odds of low-cost imaging were 11 percent higher than the reference standard. A busier ED resulted in a tendency towards more high-cost imaging.

The new study shows that medical management efforts looking to reduce imaging utilization may be misguided in focusing on remediating ED physicians.

"To reduce imaging utilization, a lot of people in quality improvement and medical management might try to identify high outliers and punish them," Dr. Sistrom said. "In settings like the one we studied, that strategy won't get you anything but angry doctors."

###

"Use of Imaging in the Emergency Department: Physicians Have Limited Effect on Variation." Collaborating with Dr. Sistrom were Hannah J. Wong, Ph.D., Theodore I. Benzer, M.D., Ph.D., Elkan F. Halpern, Ph.D., Dante J. Morra, M.D., M.B.A., G. Scott Gazelle, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., Timothy G. Ferris, M.P.H., M.D., and Jeffrey B. Weilburg, M.D.

Radiology is edited by Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc.

RSNA is an association of more than 51,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

For patient-friendly information on imaging exams, visit RadiologyInfo.org.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


Patient factors play key role in emergency department imaging [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Linda Brooks
lbrooks@rsna.org
630-590-7762
Radiological Society of North America

OAK BROOK, Ill. Despite concerns to the contrary, very little of the variation in Emergency Department (ED) imaging utilization is attributable to physician experience, training or gender, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

Imaging exams like X-rays and CT scans are common in the ED. In 2010, slightly more than 47 percent of all ED visits in the United States had an imaging exam associated with them.

"Analyzing and understanding drivers of use of imaging in the ED is important for several reasons," said Christopher L. Sistrom, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., from the departments of radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla. "There's a balance of cost and benefits to the patient, institution and payer, as well as the overarching issue of radiation exposure."

Previous studies have found substantial variation in imaging rates across and within EDs, suggesting different tendencies among physicians when ordering imaging. However, much of the existing research is limited, according to Dr. Sistrom.

"A lot of literature on imaging variability can lead to a false assumption that doctors are primarily responsible," he said. "The problem is that it is difficult to fully describe and quantify variability at the different levels it can occur."

In the new study, Dr. Sistrom and colleagues analyzed 88,851 ED visits during 2011 at Massachusetts General Hospital. They used an analytical tool known as hierarchical logistic regression to identify multiple predictors of the probability that imaging was ordered during a given visit.

"That's what makes our paper unique," Dr. Sistrom said. "Hierarchal modeling allows us to ask very specific questions about the relative contributions of various factors to imaging use."

The overall rate of imaging utilization in the Massachusetts General ED was 45.4 percent in 2011, similar to the 2010 national average of 47.2 percent. Analysis of the data revealed that physician-related factors like gender, experience and training did not correlate with imaging use.

"The key finding in our study is that doctors don't make much difference in imaging utilization," Dr. Sistrom said. "Our data showed that doctors are responsible for about one percent of the variability in probability of having an imaging exam during an ED visit."

Instead, patient and visit factors were the predominant predictors of the likelihood of imaging for a given ED visit. These factors include prior visit, referral source, arrival mode and clinical reason for the visit.

The workload of the ED was another significant factor in imaging use. When the ED was the least busy, the odds of low-cost imaging were 11 percent higher than the reference standard. A busier ED resulted in a tendency towards more high-cost imaging.

The new study shows that medical management efforts looking to reduce imaging utilization may be misguided in focusing on remediating ED physicians.

"To reduce imaging utilization, a lot of people in quality improvement and medical management might try to identify high outliers and punish them," Dr. Sistrom said. "In settings like the one we studied, that strategy won't get you anything but angry doctors."

###

"Use of Imaging in the Emergency Department: Physicians Have Limited Effect on Variation." Collaborating with Dr. Sistrom were Hannah J. Wong, Ph.D., Theodore I. Benzer, M.D., Ph.D., Elkan F. Halpern, Ph.D., Dante J. Morra, M.D., M.B.A., G. Scott Gazelle, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., Timothy G. Ferris, M.P.H., M.D., and Jeffrey B. Weilburg, M.D.

Radiology is edited by Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc.

RSNA is an association of more than 51,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

For patient-friendly information on imaging exams, visit RadiologyInfo.org.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/2013-06/rson-pfp061813.php

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Monday, June 24, 2013

CUNY Board Appoints Dr. Rudolph Crew President of Medgar Evers ...

The Board of Trustees of The City University of New York today appointed a nationally prominent educator, Dr. Rudolph F. Crew, Oregon?s chief education officer, former New York City schools chancellor and Miami-Dade school superintendent, as president of Medgar Evers College. Chancellor Matthew Goldstein recommended Dr. Crew after a national search.

YouTube Preview Image

Video of Dr. Crew?s remarks.

Dr. Crew has made it his life work to strengthen America?s public education system during a 30-year career that has spanned classroom teaching and leadership of the nation?s largest school districts. Since 2009 he has been a professor in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. He is also president of the K-12 division of Revolution Prep, which seeks to use technology to improve math instruction and graduation rates in urban school districts. As Oregon?s first chief education officer he was charged by Gov. John Kitzhaber with revamping public education, improving Oregon?s high school graduation rate and refashioning public education from kindergarten through college into an integrated system.

From left to right: CUNY Board of Trustees Vice Chairperson Philip Alfonso Berry, Dr. Rudolph Crew and Medgar Evers College Presidential Search Committee Chairperson and Trustee Valerie Lancaster Beal

From left to right: CUNY Board of Trustees Vice Chairperson Philip Alfonso Berry, Dr. Rudolph Crew and Medgar Evers College Presidential Search Committee Chairperson and Trustee Valerie Lancaster Beal

In a joint statement, Board of Trustees Chairperson Benno Schmidt and Chancellor Goldstein said: ?Dr. Rudy Crew brings to Medgar Evers College an exemplary record of academic, administrative and governmental accomplishment, combined with classroom experience and a strong commitment to students. We are confident that, with his leadership, Medgar Evers College will achieve new levels of excellence for its dedicated students and faculty and strengthen its role with the community. The college was established in 1970 to honor the memory and ideals of the slain civil rights martyr and it is highly appropriate that it will be uplifted by a leader who is deeply committed to academic quality, equal access, and student success.?

Dr. Crew has stated that his mission is to ?improve student achievement, especially for poor and minority students.? To that end he worked closely with all stakeholders, first as New York City schools chancellor and later as superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, to place those cities? lowest-performing schools in virtual districts whose boundaries were defined by student need, not geography, and used research-based practices to accelerate the pace of student learning.

Dr. Crew headed the New York City public schools from 1995-2000 ? the nation?s largest district, with a million students ? where he initiated many reforms, including adoption of curriculum standards for all schools, elimination of tenure for principals, and the introduction of school-based budgeting. As superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools from 2004-2008, with 356,000 students, he strengthened math instruction, created paths for more English-language learners and students of color and poverty to gain college entry with improved ACT and SAT scores, and started The Parent Academy serving more than 100,000 parents with courses and workshops to help them support their students? education.

He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the NAACP Educational Leadership Award, the Arthur Ashe Leadership Award, and the National Superintendent of the Year from the American Association of School Administrators in 2008.

Medgar Evers College, located in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is a growing school of approximately 7,000 students who overwhelmingly are the first in their family to go to college. It offers both associate and baccalaureate degrees. At its founding it was named for the civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1963, with the hope that ?his ideals will inspire students and faculty ? in their pursuit of truth as the surest path to human freedom and social justice.?

The presidency of Medgar Evers College attracted an outstanding pool of more than 50 candidates, approximately the same number who applied for The City College presidency two years ago. The high quality of the three finalists ? all with exemplary qualifications, strong social justice records and a wealth of administrative experience ? testifies to the extensive outreach conducted by the University search committee, which was chaired by Trustee Valerie Lancaster Beal. The search committee selected 14 candidates for extensive interviews and approved three finalists to visit the campus. The committee included Trustees, the presidents of the Medgar Evers? Community Council and the alumni association, elected student government leaders, faculty representatives and a president of a CUNY senior college,

Soon after being named Oregon?s chief education officer in 2012, Dr. Crew ordered a third of the state?s 197 school districts to rewrite their academic goals because they had failed to seek improvement of at least one percentage point in high school graduation rates and third-grade reading and math scores. He also called for boosting educational achievement for the bottom 40 percent of students through greater use of technology and learning outside of class time, after school and during the summer, along with teacher-developed skill-building classes pegged to individual student needs and delivered online.

He has served in leadership positions for other diverse school districts, including Boston, Sacramento, several smaller California districts, and Tacoma, Wash. Dr. Crew has led school reform initiatives for a private foundation, headed the University of Washington?s Institute for K-12 Leadership and has been a university professor. Early in his career, he was a teacher and principal in middle and high schools in Massachusetts and California.

Dr. Crew was deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the Boston Public Schools from 1985 to 1987. He was superintendent of the Sacramento City Unified School District from 1989 to 1993, and then served as superintendent of the Tacoma, Wash., School District from 1993 to 1995, when he was appointed chancellor of New York City?s public schools.

From 2000 to 2001, Dr. Crew was the executive director of the Institute for K-12 Leadership at the University of Washington, Seattle. He served as director of district reform initiatives at the Stupski Foundation from 2001 to 2004, when he was named superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Dr. Crew was president of Global Partnership Schools from 2008 to 2011. His book, Only Connect: The Way to Save Our Schools, was published in 2007. He has served on many boards, including the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Public Education Network.

Dr. Crew received a bachelor?s degree from Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., and a master?s and doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He taught at a career opportunity program in Massachusetts and at an alternative school in Pasadena, Calif., before moving into school and district administration.

CUNY has invested more than $300 million in new and newly renovated campus facilities at Medgar Evers College in recent years, including a new $235 million, state-of-the-art academic building and a $22 million School of Business and student support services building. Meanwhile, the college has expanded its faculty, particularly in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), nursing, business, social work and library science.

The newest faculty hires bring impressive academic and professional credentials to Medgar Evers College, along with research backgrounds in venues as varied as NASA, South Africa and Vietnam, and in disciplines as cutting-edge as stem cells, remote sensing of greenhouse gases and renewable and sustainable energy.

About The City University of New York:
The City University of New York is the nation?s leading urban public university. Founded in New York City in 1847, the University comprises 24 institutions: 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, the William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, the CUNY Graduate School and University Center, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, the CUNY School of Law, the CUNY School of Professional Studies and the CUNY School of Public Health. The University serves more than 269,000 degree-credit students and 218,083 adult, continuing and professional education students. College Now, the University?s academic enrichment program, is offered at CUNY campuses and more than 300 high schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The University offers online baccalaureate degrees through the School of Professional Studies and an individualized baccalaureate through the CUNY Baccalaureate Degree. Nearly 3 million unique visitors and 10 million page views are served each month via www.cuny.edu, the University?s website.
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Source: http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2013/06/24/cuny-board-appoints-dr-rudolph-crew-president-of-medgar-evers-college/

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There'll Be Nowhere to Hide When These Robot Apes Take to the Trees

If you thought the prospect of being chased down by one of DARPA's terminator-wannabes was horrifying, there's a whole new flavor of terror for you to consider: the iStruct robo-ape. It's just barely limping along for now, but it's easy to imagine it galloping out of your nightmares someday soon.

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/geEw3IWeRQE/therell-be-nowhere-to-hide-when-these-robot-apes-take-512187351

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You're Funny, Huawei

huawei_mediapad_7_vogue_1-580x388And you thought holding a Galaxy Note II to your ear made you look like a tool. Meet the Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue, a tablet from a company that is clearly in touch with the needs of the common man.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/blYMmg-F99Y/

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Picture Perfect Weather Offers Hope To Shore Town Merchants

(Credit: Suzanne Monaghan)

(Credit: Suzanne Monaghan)

By Suzanne Monaghan

SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. (CBS) ? The first weekend of summer brought picture perfect weather, which lured large crowds to the Jersey Shore.

?May I see your beach tag,? says Carol, a tag inspector in Sea Isle City. It?s been a busy weekend for her. ?It?s been beautiful since Thursday. We couldn?t ask for more pleasant weather.?

The nice weather is turning around a season that got off to a slow start. That?s a welcome change for Chantel Smith. She opened The Perfect Brew Coffee House and Cafe along the beach in Sea Isle City in May.

?The weekends have been slow because of the rain and it?s been cold,? Smith says, ?but every beautiful day, people are flocking to the beach.?

Including Butch and his family, who decided to take a day trip to the shore.

?It?s nice and cool, the sun is out, there?s not a cloud in the sky,? says Butch. ?So we?re really excited.?

But the weather hasn?t cooperated for much of the season.

?The weather has been kind of crazy on the weekends, but the last couple days have been great,? says Robert Heide, who has owned Touch of Fashion for seven years.??Memorial Day was a little iffy with the weather, but we?re getting there. We?re getting better. [There?s] a lot of hope and we?re looking for a great season.?

Many merchants say if this turn around in the weather continues, sales will be a ?shore? thing.

Source: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/06/23/picture-perfect-weather-offers-hope-to-shore-town-merchants/

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Blues great Bobby 'Blue' Bland dies at age 83

Celebs

6 hours ago

GRENADA, Miss. -- Bobby "Blue" Bland, a distinguished singer who blended Southern blues and soul in songs such as "Turn on Your Love Light" and "Further On Up the Road," died Sunday. He was 83.

Rodd Bland said his father died due to complications from an ongoing illness at his Memphis, Tenn., home. He was surrounded by relatives.

On Jan. 15, 1992, Bobby "Blue" Bland, left, receives his award for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from B.B. King during induction ceremonies in New York.

Mark Lennihan / AP file

On Jan. 15, 1992, Bobby "Blue" Bland, left, receives his award for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from B.B. King during induction ceremonies in New York.

Bland was known as the "the Sinatra of the blues" and was heavily influenced by Nat King Cole, often recording with lavish arrangements to accompany his smooth vocals. He even openly imitated Frank Sinatra on the "Two Steps From the Blues" album cover, standing in front of a building with a coat thrown over his shoulder.

"He brought a certain level of class to the blues genre," said Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell, son of legendary musician and producer Willie Mitchell.

Bland was a contemporary of B.B. King's, serving as the blues great's valet and chauffeur at one point, and was one of the last of the living connections to the roots of the genre. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and was an influence on scores of young rock 'n' rollers.

Born in Rosemark, Tenn., he moved to nearby Memphis as a teenager and became a founding member of the Beale Streeters, a group that also included King and Johnny Ace. Upon his induction, the Rock Hall of Fame noted Bland was "second in stature only to B.B. King as a product of Memphis' Beale Street blues scene."

After a stint in the Army, he recorded with producer Sam Phillips, who helped launch the careers of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, in the early 1950s with little to show for it. It wasn't until later that decade Bland began to find success.

He scored his first No. 1 on the R&B charts with "Further On Up the Road" in 1957 and it was around this time he got his nickname, taken from his song "Little Boy Blue" because his repertoire focused so closely on lovelorn subject matter. Beginning with "I'll Take Care of You" in early 1960, Bland released a dozen R&B hits in a row. That string included "Turn On Your Love Light" in 1961.

Some of his best-known songs included "Call on Me" and "That's the Way Love Is," both released in 1963, and "Ain't Nothing You Can Do" in 1964.

"Lead Me On," another well-known song, breaks the listener's heart with the opening lines: "You know how it feels, you understand/What it is to be a stranger, in this unfriendly land."

Bland wasn't as well known as some of his contemporaries, but was no less an influential figure for early rock 'n' roll stars. Many of his songs, especially "Further On Up the Road" and "I Pity the Fool," were recorded by young rockers, including David Bowie and Eric Clapton.

"He's always been the type of guy that if he could help you in any way, form or fashion, he would," Rodd Bland said.

AP Music Writer Chris Talbott contributed to this report.

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/blues-great-bobby-bluebland-dies-age-83-6C10423620

Jaimie Alexander

Bret Michaels survives bus crash

21 hours ago

Image: Bret Michaels.

Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Bret Michaels.

Bret Michaels is one lucky guy.

After a string of health scares and another bus accident back in 2009, the singer has escaped serious injury again, after his tour bus hit several deer on the way to his show in Biloxi, Miss., Friday morning.

NEWS: Bret Michaels talks trashing a hotel room with Charlie Sheen

"Except for some bumps and bruises I am thankful there were no serious injuries," Michaels told Celebuzz. "It is unfortunate for the deer, but thankfully due to modern RV technology and a steel firewall we are all OK. I have every intention to make tonight's show in Biloxi and the tour will continue."

The former Poison frontman only sustained minor cuts and bruises, according to the site.

This is just the latest in a series of scares for Michaels.

PHOTOS: Bret Michaels tweets Eva Longoria birthday greetings with a picture of Kim Kardashian

In 2010, he was hospitalized for appendicitis, a stroke, and a brain hemorrhage, which he suffered after banging his head at the Tony Awards in 2009.

And in 2011, he underwent surgery after doctors found a hole in his heart.

Just call him Mr. Unbreakable.

PHOTOS: Check out Bret Michaels' big moments!

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/bret-michaels-survives-bus-crash-minor-injuries-6C10418979

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Bautista, Blue Jays beat Orioles for 10th straight

TORONTO (AP) ? Jose Bautista hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays won their 10th straight game Saturday, beating the Baltimore Orioles 4-2.

Maicer Izturis hit a solo homer in the fifth and Bautista had a two-run drive for Toronto, on its longest winning streak since a 10-game run late in 2008. The Blue Jays, who are 14-4 this month, are one victory from matching the franchise record. Toronto had 11-game winning streaks in 1987 and 1998.

The Blue Jays led 2-1 heading into the eighth but Taylor Teagarden tied it with a homer off reliever Darren Oliver.

Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez left after Munenori Kawasaki hit a one-out single in the bottom half. Darren O'Day came on and got Rajai Davis to ground into a fielder's choice, but Bautista followed with a two-out homer just inside the left-field foul pole on a 3-2 pitch. The homer was his 16th of the season.

Oliver (3-1) worked one inning and Casey Janssen finished for his 17th save in 18 chances.

Gonzalez (5-2) allowed three runs and three hits in 7 1-3 innings. The right-hander, who won his previous three starts, lost for the first time since May 3 at the Los Angeles Angels.

The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the first when Melky Cabrera drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third on Adam Lind's two-out single and scored on a wild pitch.

The Orioles tied it in the fifth after Chris Davis reached on second baseman Emilio Bonifacio's error. He went to second on a grounder and scored on Travis Ishikawa's single.

Izturis put the Blue Jays back in front by homering on the first pitch of the fifth.

Baltimore left the potential tying run stranded at third base in the seventh but knotted it at 2 in the eighth on Teagarden's one-out homer.

Blue Jays starter Chien-Ming Wang left to a standing ovation after giving up one run and five hits in 6 1-3 innings. The right-hander, who walked none and struck out two, has a 2.61 ERA in three starts with Toronto.

NOTES: Blue Jays RHP Kyle Drabek (elbow surgery) is set to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment with Class-A Dunedin on Saturday. ... Orioles C Matt Wieters got the day off, while Chris Davis started at DH. He doubled and scored a run, but struck out to end the game. ... Baltimore RHP Freddy Garcia is expected to start Sunday's series finale against RHP Josh Johnson, meaning LHP Zach Britton will start for the Orioles against Cleveland on Monday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bautista-blue-jays-beat-orioles-10th-straight-201132934.html

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How To Find The Right Teacher In Martial Arts | Content for Reprint

Author: Andrew Toth | Total views: 181 Comments: 0
Word Count: 1050 Date:

It goes without saying that not all teachers (of any subject) are equal and that is probably multiplied to the nth degree in the martial arts which doesn't allow for standardization to quite the same degree as other subjects might. There are of course ongoing attempts at standardization and classification but the martial arts are still very much of a melting pot and one is often left wondering who is teaching what and where did it come from.

Enter the beginner?

Given this prodigious output of styles and teachers, how is a beginner, who knows virtually nothing about the martial arts?how is such a person to find the right teacher?

And is that the right question?

Maybe there is no "right" teacher. Maybe the right teacher for me is not the right teacher for you.

So it can get a bit complicated?

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Questions such as these simply do not arise for most people. They join their neighborhood club, pay their fees, get graded a few times, get a nice colored belt maybe even a trophy or two, tell their friends they are a brown belt in such and such a style and?that is all they want. And I'm not here to argue with that, but?

If you're real serious, if martial arts is your reason for living, you will need to find the Right Teacher and that means that you will have to do some serious searching. Both internally and externally.

Why?

Because the Right Teacher will not appear miraculously on the horizon when you first decide to be the next Bruce Lee. And so, almost by default, beginners tends to think of their first teacher as THE RIGHT TEACHER! Which is understandable because they don't know any better. They have nothing to compare their first teacher to, so the first teacher is THE BEST. The beginner is totally convinced of that.

However, as time moves on the beginner may begin to experience some disquiet. Some things don't add up. The first teacher may be a bit overweight, or not as fit as he could be. Maybe he doesn't answer questions satisfactorily?but hey! nobody's perfect and all things considered the first teacher is still The Best, and that's all there is to it, right? Nonetheless there is talk...there is talk of another teacher down the road who is (blasphemy!) even better. The beginner puts all those preposterous notions aside of course, but...

There are now some cracks in the facade.

Not fatal, but it is through these cracks that the doubts seep in.

That, at least, is what happened to me. I was absolutely convinced that my first teacher was the best, but?I checked out the new teacher down the road (no harm in that, is there?). Then I joined up and started the cycle all over again. And then again and again and again?

I tried judo, ju-jutsu, Hsing-i, Pa-kua, Tai chi, Shaolin and a number of other styles the names of which I now forget. Nothing changed. The teachers were all promising to begin with and, truth be told, they were all quite capable in their own way and I learned a lot from each and every one of them but they were only technicians. They knew the techniques, and that is all they knew. And I wanted more, so I moved on. Just what I wanted I was still not sure of?

An astute reader will now see the obvious. One's Search, one's Quest, is part of one's over-all Training. A very important part. Why?

Because it is all part of a learning curve. You are learning not only new techniques but you are learning something infinitely more important: the Art of Discernment! The Art of separating the wheat from the chaff. The Art of separating the Real from the False?

And yes, it is also the Art of recognizing the Real Teacher when he or she finally appears.

You see, that is the secret. Finding the right teacher is only the half of it. Recognizing them to be such is by far the more difficult and important half.

Let me ask you a question: how often does a student find the right teacher and continue to walk on by and not know the difference?

It happens more often than you might think! I've seen it again and again and again!

The thing to bear in mind is that the Right Teacher may not be (and usually isn't) the Hollywood stereotype. The Right Teacher may be an unassuming little fellow who runs a little corner store, is disarmingly self-effacing and has maybe one or two students who are equally unimpressive. In short this is not really the sort of person who matches your mental image of a deadly warrior. Or he may be crude and rude and obnoxious. And (blasphemy again!) he may not have your best interests at heart!

In other words, not all Masters fit the Hollywood mold! You really do have to keep your wits about you on this because the Right Teacher will confound your expectations nearly every time!

The "secret" then is to keep training, keep looking and to develop the Power of Discernment so that you can see below superficial appearances. (This will stand you in good stead not only in your search for a teacher and but also when you are in a fight!)

There is a saying that when the student is ready, the Teacher will appear. And that will happen when the student has developed a keen sense of discernment.*

*Author's note: by discernment I do not mean cynicism. The "been there, done that" attitude will not help you find a Teacher and if perchance you do, that Teacher will not be interested in teaching you. Real discernment has a quality of humility: you don't know the answer, you don't even know if there is an answer, but you will not stop searching.

Andrew Toth is the author of the book, Shaolin Temple Kung Fu, which is arguably the most advanced book available on the subject of martial arts. It is a must for anyone who is serious about this subject. You can read it HERE

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1: How Seiko Kinetic Watches Compare With Citizen Eco-Drive For Divers

Both these companies make great products, but they do so utilizing completely different technologies So which is best, and further more which is the better choice when considering purchasing a dive watch

2: What 2008 Snowboard Binding is Right for You?

It is recommended that you buy boots before purchasing a pair of snowboard bindings. Finding the best-fitted boots makes it easier for you, since you can fit your snowboard bindings snugly without worrying about the shoes being too big or too small.

3: The Role of Agility Training for Tennis Players

Agility is such an important component when it comes to an athlete being fast. Tennis requires the athlete to be fast over short distances, in multiple directions and have the ability to develop explo

4: Decathlon Secrets: World's Greatest Athlete

The Decathlon crowns the World's Greatest Athlete. Why? Because the Decathlon is a true test of every attribute of an athlete.The Decathlon tests strength, mental toughness, consistency, commitment,

5: Motorcycle History - The Honda CBR600 Series

The Honda CBR600 series has been touted as one of the best sport motorcycles in the industry. In fact, the Honda CBR600RR (the race replica version of Honda's CBRFx series motorcycles) has won every Supersport World Championship title from 2002 to 2008. But how did it all start? Here is a brief history of the Honda CBR600 series and how it has evolved throughout the years.

Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/recreation-and-leisure/sports/how-to-find-the-right-teacher-in-martial-arts.htm

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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Edward Snowden heads for asylum: Does the US have any options?

Faced with espionage charges, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden left Hong Kong Sunday for asylum, reportedly in South America. This could leave the US with few options as it tries to prosecute the man who leaked details about top secret surveillance programs.

By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / June 23, 2013

A banner supporting Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, is displayed in Hong Kong's business district. Snowden has left Hong Kong seeking asylum in another country.

Kin Cheung/AP

Enlarge

National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, aided by the WikiLeaks whistleblower organization, has left his hideout in Hong Kong and is hop-scotching his way to South America ? all of which has left US officials scrambling for recourse following their failure so far to bring Mr. Snowden back to the US for prosecution on charges of espionage.

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"We will continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel," Justice Department spokeswoman Nanda Chitre said in a statement Sunday. Neither the White House nor Secretary of State John Kerry had any more to say on the subject by midday.

According to reports by Chinese and Russian news agencies, Mr. Snowden is traveling by commercial air ? first to Moscow, then to Havana, and finally to Caracas, Venezuela, where he is expected to be granted asylum.

?Mr. Edward Snowden, the American whistleblower who exposed evidence of a global surveillance regime conducted by US and UK intelligence agencies, has left Hong Kong legally,? WikiLeaks said in a statement Sunday. ?He is bound for a democratic nation via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from WikiLeaks.?

Meanwhile, as he was beginning the latest leg on his journey from relative obscurity to worldwide notoriety, the former NSA contractor was revealing more of what he says is a vast network of US surveillance of telephone and Internet information around the world.

In an interview piece published Sunday, the South China Morning Post quoted Snowden as saying the US government is hacking Chinese mobile phone companies to steal millions of text messages.

?There?s far more than this,? Snowden said, referring to his earlier claims that the US had targeted Hong Kong and mainland China. ?The NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cell phone companies to steal all of your SMS data.?

It?s just the latest twist in a saga that began earlier this month when Snowden revealed himself as the former NSA analyst who?d exposed top secret US surveillance programs ? first to the Washington Post and the British newspaper the Guardian, then via a 12-minute video in which he declared, ?I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things.?

Since then, he?s been praised as a heroic whistleblower by supporters and reviled as a traitor by critics and many US lawmakers eager to see him returned to this country for prosecution.

The situation had left President Obama in the tricky position of balancing national security in a post-9/11 world with the rights of privacy cherished by most Americans as well as Obama?s own calls for openness in government.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/-rg0AV5wBUA/Edward-Snowden-heads-for-asylum-Does-the-US-have-any-options

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Okay, Yeah The Surface Of Venus Looks Really Hot

Okay, Yeah The Surface Of Venus Looks Really Hot

It's kind of hard to scope things out on Venus because the surface probes we send get obliterated pretty quickly by the heat. Pictures of Venus' surface do exist, though, and this one shows "large circular domes" that look pretty darn hot. The domes are thought to be magma erupting through vents, in a process that happens on Earth too, called volcanism. Get it? Volcanoes? Get it? Okay. Moving on.

The Magellan spacecraft circled Venus from 1990 to 1994 and used radar to map its surface. The picture above is computer generated based on those data. To get a sense of scale, the circular domes on Venus are estimated to be about 15.5 miles across, so we're not talking about some little magma bubble here. How long until Earth is just as inhospitable? [APOD]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/okay-yeah-the-surface-of-venus-looks-really-hot-548934139

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Midshipmen identified in sexual assault case

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) ? A grandfather of a former U.S. Naval Academy football player said Friday that his grandson is one of the three midshipmen charged in the sexual assault of a female student but that the young man told him he had nothing to do with the allegations.

The midshipman, Tra'ves Bush, declined to comment when reached on his cellphone Friday by The Associated Press.

"I'm not speaking on anything regarding that situation," he said.

His grandfather, Jackson Bush, said in a telephone interview from Johnston, S.C., that Tra'ves Bush had an appointment with an attorney Friday. He said his grandson had a previous relationship with the woman making the accusations. But he said his grandson told him he doesn't know anything about the assault she says took place at off-campus house in Annapolis in April 2012.

"He knew the girl, but he didn't know that anything like that had taken place," Jackson Bush said, referring to the allegations.

Two people with direct knowledge of the case identified the other two midshipmen as Josh Tate and Eric Graham. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they believe it is the Naval Academy's place to give the names, which it hasn't done yet. Relatives of the other two students could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Capital of Annapolis first reported the same names.

Academy spokesman John Schofield said names of military personnel are not made public until cases have advanced to a court-martial. Earlier this week, the academy announced that the case will go to Article 32 hearings, which are held to determine if there is evidence to proceed to a court-martial.

The midshipmen have been charged with two violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. One charge involves rape, sexual assault or other sexual misconduct. The other is for making a false official statement.

The woman, through her attorney, said the assault occurred in April 2012. The woman says she woke up with bruises after a night of heavy drinking and later learned from friends and social media that three football players she considered friends were claiming to have had sex with her while she was intoxicated and blacked out.

Tate was listed as a junior outside linebacker whose hometown was Nashville, Tenn., according to the 2013 roster information on navysports.com. Graham and Bush weren't on the current list. But Graham was listed on the 2012 roster as a senior cornerback from Eight Mile, Ala. Bush was listed on that roster as a senior safety from Johnston, S.C., and that he was one of Navy's best defensive players the previous season.

According to previous information released, two of the students were football players this past season, but they are not on the team anymore. Another is still on the team, but he has been suspended pending the outcome of the case.

Jackson Bush said his grandson had been scheduled to graduate this year, but his graduation was put on hold until the case is resolved.

The case has brought renewed attention to how the nation's military academies handle reports of sexual assaults. The service academies have struggled for years with sexual assault and harassment allegations, and a string of sexual assault cases has recently drawn attention in Congress and at the Pentagon and The White House. Many of the assault cases involve alcohol.

A court-martial in an unrelated allegation of abusive sexual contact case from the academy is scheduled for next week. Midshipman Patrick Slack is charged with abusive sexual contact, burglary and unlawful entry. William Ferris, Slack's attorney, said his client is accused of touching a female student's breast. The court-martial is scheduled to begin Wednesday.

Other Navy football players have faced assault allegations in the past.

In 2006, Lamar Owens Jr., the team's starting quarterback, was acquitted of rape but found guilty of lesser charges in a military court. He was expelled from the school. Another one-time member of the team, Kenny Ray Morrison, was convicted in 2007 of sexually assaulting a female classmate at a Washington hotel. He was sentenced to two years in the Navy brig.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/midshipmen-identified-sexual-assault-case-232732047.html

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How Many Nuclear Weapons Does the US Have? Don't Ask a Congressman (ABC News)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/314369734?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Saturday, June 22, 2013

UK regulator orders Google to delete private data

LONDON (AP) ? Britain's data regulator has ordered Google to delete personal data scooped up in its Street View project ? or face contempt of court.

The Information Commissioner's Office on Friday served Google Inc. with an enforcement notice. Google now has 35 days to kill material hoovered up in the project that featured camera-toting vehicles shooting images of the world's streets.

To make sense of the pictures, Google had to be able to precisely place where the properties being photographed were located. Using a computer program, the vehicles taking the images used local Wi-Fi outlets to place the properties, and in doing so, collected data from the Wi-Fi networks.

Google promised to destroy the data but found a cache of the material was found last year. It pledged again it would comply.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-regulator-orders-google-delete-private-data-125919025.html

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Senators urge inclusion of food safety in Smithfield review

By Doug Palmer

(Reuters) - A bipartisan group of 15 U.S. senators urged the Obama administration on Thursday to consider whether the proposed sale of Smithfield Foods Inc to the Chinese meat company Shuanghui International posed a threat to the U.S. food supply that could justify blocking the deal.

"We believe that our food supply is critical infrastructure that should be included in any reasonable person's definition of national security," the senators said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, whose department chairs the interagency panel that reviews foreign investment for national security threats.

Smithfield, based in Smithfield, Virginia, is the world's largest producer and processor of pork. Shuanghui is planning to acquire it for $4.7 billion in what would be the biggest takeover of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm.

"We strongly encourage you to include the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration in any CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) review of this transaction," the senators said.

The group included 15 of the 20 members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, including the Democratic chairman, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and the panel's top Republican, Thad Cochran of Mississippi.

They said the Agriculture Committee had not taken a formal position on the proposed sale but planned to "further examine how this transaction is reviewed and how these transactions will be reviewed in the future," given the potential for other foreign purchases of U.S. food assets.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, were among the five Agriculture Committee members who did not sign the letter.

The CFIUS review process does not typically include either the USDA or FDA, although the statute allows the president to bring in additional agencies on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to Treasury, other CFIUS members include the Departments of Justice, Homeland, Security, Commerce, Defense, State and Energy as well as the offices of the U.S. Trade Representative and Science and Technology Policy.

The senators urged Lew to make the USDA one of the lead agencies in the Smithfield review and to consider "the broader issues of food security, food safety and biosecurity" posed by the proposed takeover.

They also suggested the U.S. government should require certain safeguards, if the deal was approved, to ensure Shuanghui complied with U.S. food safety and biosecurity standards.

"We welcome a full review and fair consideration of the Shuanghui-Smithfield combination from the U.S. government," a Smithfield spokeswoman said, noting the company would continue to collaborate with Congress and CFIUS.

"We believe the proposed combination does not present any national security concerns, is good for U.S. farmers and agriculture, and will advance U.S.-China relations," the spokeswoman said.

RISING 'TO OUR STANDARDS'

U.S. Treasury Department spokeswoman Holly Shulman declined to comment on the senators' letter, citing confidentiality requirements of CFIUS reviews.

"By law, information filed with CFIUS may not be disclosed by CFIUS to the public. Accordingly, the Department does not comment on information relating to specific CFIUS cases, including whether or not certain parties have filed notices for review," Shulman said.

Nancy McLernon, president of the Organization for International Investment, which represents foreign companies that invest in the United States, said she believed the Smithfield purchase would be approved and there was already no question that Shuanghui would have to abide by U.S. law.

"When foreign companies invest here, it's not a race to the bottom. It's about having them rise to our standards, because we have laws and regulations that they have to abide by. That's the price of entry into our market," McLernon said.

Treasury should respond quickly to the senators' letter so "the concerns don't spiral out any further," McLernon added.

CFIUS could sign off on the deal by mid-July if the companies satisfactorily answer all its questions in an initial 30-day review. But some analysts expect the investigation will go into a second phase, which could take up to 45 additional days.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer and Ros Krasny; Editing by Peter Cooney and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senators-urge-inclusion-food-safety-smithfield-review-011910470.html

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A Typeface Designed To Thwart Spying Computers

A Typeface Designed To Thwart Spying Computers

If people are snooping on your textual communications and you don't like it, there are a couple of things you can do. You can try to block the prying eyes, you can stop saying things you don't want to be seen, or you can make your messages make no sense to the outside. The anti-authoritarian typeface ZXX is shooting for that last one.

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/hk0wwKVKM64/a-typeface-designed-to-thwart-sneaky-spying-computers-543341176

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Clueful Privacy Advisor (for Android)


Malware is the big bad boogeyman [of Android, but a far more common problem happens to be apps that just ask for a few too many permissions. In the worst case, malicious apps can take advantage of SMS permissions to send premium messages and sign you up for unwanted services. In other scenarios, you might just not want to own a game that wants access to your address book.

Clueful (free, Google Play) from Bitdefender, aims to keep you informed about your app permissions by classifying them by security risk and giving you an overall privacy score. The higher your score, the closer you are to security perfection.

Easy to Use
When you launch Clueful, the app quickly scans the apps on your device and returns your privacy score. Mine was a surprisingly low 56 out of a possible 100, mostly because of the 15 apps Clueful classified as a "moderately risk." A button at the top of the screen lets you filter by specific types of risks (like "are viruses") or sort apps by level of risk from the tabs on the bottom of the screen.

The important stuff is on the pages for individual apps, where Clueful provides what it calls "clues" about what the apps are doing and why it might be dangerous. You can remove an app by tapping the uninstall button. There's also a sharing button that will either read Like! or Dislike! depending on how many issues Clueful has with the app. It's cute, but it's mostly an ad for Clueful pushed out via the sharing service of your choice.

You'll probably be surprised by some of the results. For instance, I had no idea that Polaris Office could make calls or send SMS messages. Frankly, that worries me a little bit. Other apps, like Viber, need SMS or call permissions, but Clueful still lists them as potentially risky.

While not really anti-malware software, Clueful will keep a watchful eye on all your new apps. When I installed a suspicious app, Clueful immediately pushed a message to the notification tray.

Hard to Master
The problem with Clueful is that you might not feel like you have enough information to make a decision about keeping or uninstalling an app. In the case of Vine, it vaguely warns that the app can read my contacts. "Many apps have legitimate reasons to do so," it says. "Others do not." Below, it warns that Vine uploads my device ID to a specific Web address (data.flurr.com), but I'm not sure what that means.

And to be clear, this is a problem isn't unique to Clueful but exists in just about every security advisor app. You'll probably have to do some Google searching to find out more about the risks that advisor apps flag.

The way it's currently designed, Clueful seems to encourage you to seek alternatives to apps that could be leaking your personal information. For instance, now that I know Polaris Office has SMS permissions, maybe I should find an office suite which doesn't.

However, that rules out the possibility that I've weighed my options and have decided to trust a particular app. With Clueful, I can't raise my score if I've decided to stick with Polaris Office. Bitdefender didn't include an ignore button, a tactic used by other security suites like avast!.

This is especially odd since the app calls the app information it provides "clues," implying that we should solve the mystery ourselves. Though security is its own reward, when you do the research and make an informed decision to keep an app, Clueful doesn't reward you.

Admittedly the permissions information is the most important part of the app, and the security score doesn't really matter. However, the score does reinforce the idea that there is some kind of platonic ideal of digital privacy which I suspect can only be attained by forsaking all digital technology and living in a hole.

A Dedicated Tool
Bitdefender offers a number of security apps like Clueful that do specific tasks at different price points. Think of it as security ala care. As a result, Clueful feels a little thin compared to free security apps like TrustGo or paid apps like our Editors' Choice Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus.

While Clueful is useful, I'd like to see it provide a little more context. Individual comments about each app that go further than the automated warnings Clueful currently has would go a long way toward guiding users to an informed decision. An ignore button could make the app more responsive, but may muddy the idea of maintaining digital privacy.

With that in mind, Clueful feels like a tool for those uninitiated in security; a gateway to higher levels of understanding (or paranoia, take your pick). If you're already hip to security, stick with a full-featured Android suite. If you're more interested in getting specific security features, or just an easy way to keep grandma's phone stays safe, take a clue from Clueful.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/GDoK4HcYUgE/0,2817,2420616,00.asp

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