ROME (Reuters) - Italy's new Prime Minister Enrico Letta pledged to push for a change to the European Union's focus on austerity and pursue growth and jobs in an inaugural speech on Monday laying out the priorities for his coalition government.
Speaking ahead of a confidence vote in the lower house, Letta said Italy could not afford to focus simply on trying to cut its huge public debt and needed a new emphasis on lifting the economy out of recession.
He will be backed by his own center-left Democratic Party, Silvio Berlusconi's center-right People of Freedom (PDL) party as well as centrists led by former prime minister Mario Monti, with a second vote in the Senate on Tuesday.
"We will die of fiscal consolidation alone, growth policies cannot wait any longer," Letta said, noting that the country's economic situation remains "serious" after more than a decade of stagnation.
However he pledged to stick to Italy's budget commitments to its European Union partners, announcing he would visit Brussels, Paris and Berlin this week.
Financial market reaction to Letta's appointment and the end of months of political stalemate after last February's inconclusive election was positive, with bond yields falling and shares rising.
Italy's cost of borrowing dropped to its lowest since October 2010 at an auction of medium and long term bonds on Monday.
But Letta, who was pushed into a coalition with Berlusconi after the center-left fell short of a viable parliamentary majority in February, now faces a battle to maintain the unity of his government while passing potentially difficult reforms.
He paid tribute to two police officers shot by an unemployed man on Sunday as his cabinet was being sworn in and called for a calmer and more responsible political climate.
Responding to Berlusconi's demands for an unpopular housing tax to be scrapped, Letta said payments due in June would be halted prior to a wider overhaul of property taxes but he did not promise to abolish the tax altogether.
He also said he hoped an increase in sales tax, which would see the main rate rise from 21 percent to 22 percent planned for July, could be delayed.
In a speech laying out an ambitious program of reforms, Letta said the welfare system would have to be strengthened, taxes weighing on employment and young people would be cut and measures to get more women into the workforce would be passed.
He promised to change the current electoral law, which contributed heavily to the inconclusive election result in February and left Italy in political limbo for two months as the parties wrangled over forming a government.
He also said he would review the progress of reforms in 18 months' time and if he felt that he had been blocked by other parties he would not hesitate to assume the consequences, an apparent suggestion that he would resign.
(Additional reporting by Catherine Hornby, Gavin Jones, Steve Scherer, Naomi O'Leary)
1 in 3 stroke emergencies don't use EMSPublic release date: 30-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Cathy Lewis cathy.lewis@heart.org 214-706-1324 American Heart Association
American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report
More than a third of stroke patients don't get to the hospital by ambulance, even though that's the fastest way to get there, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.
Researchers studied records on more than 204,000 stroke patients arriving at emergency rooms at 1,563 hospitals participating in the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke quality improvement program in 2003-10.
Emergency medical services (EMS) transported 63.7 percent of the patients, with the rest arriving in various other ways, researchers said.
During a stoke emergency, quick treatment is critical. EMS transported 79 percent of those who got to the hospital within two hours of the start of their symptoms. That resulted in earlier arrival, quicker evaluation and faster treatment, said the researchers who found:
Almost 61 percent of people transported by EMS got to the hospital within three hours of the first symptoms, compared to 40 percent who didn't use EMS;
Almost 55 percent using EMS had a brain scan within 25 minutes of hospital arrival, compared to 35.6 percent who didn't use EMS;
Of patients eligible for a clot-busting drug, 67.3 percent using EMS received it within three hours of symptom onset, compared to 44.1 percent who didn't use EMS.
"EMS are able to give the hospital a heads up, and that grabs the attention of the emergency room staff to be ready to act as soon as the patient arrives," said Jeffrey L. Saver, M.D., senior author of the study and director of the UCLA Comprehensive Stroke Center in Los Angeles, Calif. "The ambulance crew also knows which hospitals in the area have qualified stroke centers. Patients don't lose time going to one hospital only to be referred to another that can provide more advanced care if needed, whether that's drugs to bust up the clot or device procedures to remove it."
Minorities and rural residents were less likely to call for EMS at the signs of a stroke, researchers found.
"A number of factors can fuel the reluctance to call 9-1-1," said James Ekundayo, M.D., Dr.P.H., lead author of the study and assistant professor in the
Department of Family and Community Medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn. "People may not recognize symptoms and may delay seeking medical care or call their doctor instead.
We hear people say they just didn't want to be a bother, but many times there could have been a better outcome if EMS had been called."
About 795,000 Americans experience a new or recurrent stroke each year a stroke every 40 seconds or a related death every four minutes.
Boosting public awareness efforts and education is critical to improving stroke outcomes in the short- and long-term, researchers said.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Together to End Stroke, sponsored nationally by healthcare products leader Covidien, raises stroke awareness and educates Americans that stroke is largely preventable, treatable and beatable. The campaign now includes a free mobile app that highlights the acronym F.A.S.T. to help people recognize a stroke:
Face Drooping Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.
Arm Weakness Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
Speech Difficulty Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "The sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly?
Time to call 9-1-1 If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately.
"Your life, your brain, depends on calling 9-1-1," Saver said. "Know the signs and act fast if you or someone you're with is having stroke symptoms."
###
The American Stroke Association has more information about stroke.
Other co-authors are: Gregg C. Fonarow, M.D.; Lee H. Schwamm, M.D.; Ying Xian, M.D., Ph.D.; Xin Zhao, M.S.; Adrian F. Hernandez, M.D.; Eric D. Peterson, M.D.; and Eric M. Cheng, M.D. Author disclosures and funding are noted on the manuscript.
Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association's policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at http://www.heart.org/corporatefunding.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
1 in 3 stroke emergencies don't use EMSPublic release date: 30-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Cathy Lewis cathy.lewis@heart.org 214-706-1324 American Heart Association
American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report
More than a third of stroke patients don't get to the hospital by ambulance, even though that's the fastest way to get there, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.
Researchers studied records on more than 204,000 stroke patients arriving at emergency rooms at 1,563 hospitals participating in the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke quality improvement program in 2003-10.
Emergency medical services (EMS) transported 63.7 percent of the patients, with the rest arriving in various other ways, researchers said.
During a stoke emergency, quick treatment is critical. EMS transported 79 percent of those who got to the hospital within two hours of the start of their symptoms. That resulted in earlier arrival, quicker evaluation and faster treatment, said the researchers who found:
Almost 61 percent of people transported by EMS got to the hospital within three hours of the first symptoms, compared to 40 percent who didn't use EMS;
Almost 55 percent using EMS had a brain scan within 25 minutes of hospital arrival, compared to 35.6 percent who didn't use EMS;
Of patients eligible for a clot-busting drug, 67.3 percent using EMS received it within three hours of symptom onset, compared to 44.1 percent who didn't use EMS.
"EMS are able to give the hospital a heads up, and that grabs the attention of the emergency room staff to be ready to act as soon as the patient arrives," said Jeffrey L. Saver, M.D., senior author of the study and director of the UCLA Comprehensive Stroke Center in Los Angeles, Calif. "The ambulance crew also knows which hospitals in the area have qualified stroke centers. Patients don't lose time going to one hospital only to be referred to another that can provide more advanced care if needed, whether that's drugs to bust up the clot or device procedures to remove it."
Minorities and rural residents were less likely to call for EMS at the signs of a stroke, researchers found.
"A number of factors can fuel the reluctance to call 9-1-1," said James Ekundayo, M.D., Dr.P.H., lead author of the study and assistant professor in the
Department of Family and Community Medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn. "People may not recognize symptoms and may delay seeking medical care or call their doctor instead.
We hear people say they just didn't want to be a bother, but many times there could have been a better outcome if EMS had been called."
About 795,000 Americans experience a new or recurrent stroke each year a stroke every 40 seconds or a related death every four minutes.
Boosting public awareness efforts and education is critical to improving stroke outcomes in the short- and long-term, researchers said.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Together to End Stroke, sponsored nationally by healthcare products leader Covidien, raises stroke awareness and educates Americans that stroke is largely preventable, treatable and beatable. The campaign now includes a free mobile app that highlights the acronym F.A.S.T. to help people recognize a stroke:
Face Drooping Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.
Arm Weakness Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
Speech Difficulty Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "The sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly?
Time to call 9-1-1 If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately.
"Your life, your brain, depends on calling 9-1-1," Saver said. "Know the signs and act fast if you or someone you're with is having stroke symptoms."
###
The American Stroke Association has more information about stroke.
Other co-authors are: Gregg C. Fonarow, M.D.; Lee H. Schwamm, M.D.; Ying Xian, M.D., Ph.D.; Xin Zhao, M.S.; Adrian F. Hernandez, M.D.; Eric D. Peterson, M.D.; and Eric M. Cheng, M.D. Author disclosures and funding are noted on the manuscript.
Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association's policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at http://www.heart.org/corporatefunding.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The Edge is National Journal's daily look at today in Washington -- and what's coming next. The email features analysis from NJ's top correspondents, the biggest stories of the day -- and always a few surprises. To subscribe, click here.
How a GOP Focus on Minorities Could Pay Off
It may seem contrarian, but Republicans could be well-served by focusing on winning over African-Americans with an aspirational agenda that includes education reform, economic growth and faith-based initiatives.?
In fact, a new Associated Press analysis, which reports record-high turnout among blacks along with lagging white turnout in the 2012 presidential election, underlines the point.
The study suggests that the historic nature of President Obama?s candidacy raised African-American turnout to historic levels that aren?t likely to be replicated.?If a future Republican nominee got merely 10 percent of the black vote, with lower turnout levels, swing states like Ohio, Florida, Virginia and perhaps even Pennsylvania could flip.?A more relatable nominee may also increase turnout among working-class whites.
Latinos, despite their growing numbers, still lag behind in turnout, and immigration reform is one way to focus on that piece of the puzzle.?But policy items like education reform, which may appeal to a broader population of minority voters, could be a productive ticket for Republicans and should not be ignored.
Josh Kraushaar jkraushaar@nationaljournal.com
TOP NEWS
KARZAI: AFGHAN GOVERNMENT ?VERY GRATEFUL? FOR CIA FUNDS.Afghan President Hamid Karzai confirmed a report by The New York Times that the United States has been making monthly payments to the Afghan National Security Council for the past decade, the Associated Press reports. Karzai said that the monthly sums were "a small amount," and have been "very useful, and we are grateful for it." The CIA, which has reportedly provided tens of millions of dollars in payments to the Afghan council, declined to comment on the report. Read more
@ZekeJMiller: Q: ?Was the president aware of the payments [to Karzai]?? Carney: ?You are making an assertion about something I have no comment on.?
?MISHA?: I HAD NO ROLE IN BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING. The mysterious ?Misha? who reportedly helped to radicalize Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is Mikhail Allakhverdov, The New York Review of Books? Christian Caryl reports. ?I wasn?t his teacher. If I had been his teacher, I would have made sure he never did anything like this,? Allakhverdov said. ?I?ve been cooperating entirely with the FBI. I gave them my computer and my phone and everything I wanted to show I haven?t done anything. And they said they are about to return them to me. And the agents who talked told me they are about to close my case.? Read more
GARY PETERS TO ANNOUNCE SENATE BID. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich., will announce this week that he will run to replace retiring Sen. Carl Levin, sources tell The Hotline, giving Democrats another top recruit in a state critical to their hopes of keeping the Senate next year. Peters, a three-term House member from the Detroit suburbs, will be the first major-party candidate to jump in the race. And he's likely to have the Democratic primary to himself. Republicans have yet to settle on a candidate of their own. Reps. Mike Rogers and Justin Amash are both considering a bid. Read more
NBA?S COLLINS INSPIRED BY JOE KENNEDY TO COME OUT. National Basketball Association player Jason Collins, who came out as gay in a Sports Illustrated story published Monday, was influenced by the decision of his former college roommate, Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., to march in Boston?s Gay Pride parade last year, The Washington Post reports. ?I?m seldom jealous of others, but hearing what Joe had done filled me with envy. I was proud of him for participating but angry that as a closeted gay man I couldn?t even cheer my straight friend on as a spectator,? Collins wrote. The White House commended Collins?s decision today. Read more
As only he could, FiveThirtyEight?s Nate Silver breaks down Collins?s chances of signing with another team.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH AT SANFORD-COLBERT BUSCH DEBATE. The only debate in the special congressional race between Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican, and Democratic candidate Elizabeth Colbert Busch is Monday night at 7 p.m., and The Washington Post?s Sean Sullivan has five things to watch out for, including whether Sanford can shift the momentum and how Colbert Busch will perform under the spotlight. Read more
MORE GROUPS PLOT TO DODGE SEQUESTER CUTS. Now, with two sequester adjustments?the FAA and meat inspectors?on the books, other special-interest groups, unions, and lobbyists are planning to rev up their efforts to undo the cuts bit by bit or, in this case, by a few billion dollars here or there. The actions of the FAA in the past week, alongside airline groups and unions, offer a playbook for others to use as they too seek exemptions, National Journal?s Nancy Cook reports.?Read more
OBAMA AT WHCD: ?WE CAN DO BETTER.? President Obama closed his remarks at the White House Correspondents? Dinner not with humor but with ?a 607-word morality bomb,? National Journal?s Ron Fournier writes. ?If we?re only focused on profits or ratings or polls,? the president noted, ?then we?re contributing to the cynicism that so many people feel right now.? The remarks, which received less attention than the evening?s jokes, ?may stand as one of the best rhetorical moments of Obama?s presidency, a clearheaded indictment of four national institutions (the media, the entertainment industry, big business, and the political system), coupled by a prescription for revival,? Fournier writes. Read more
O?CONNOR HAS MISGIVINGS ABOUT BUSH V. GORE. During a recent interview with the Chicago Tribune editorial board, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O?Connor expressed reservations over the Court accepting Bush v. Gore in 2000. "It took the case and decided it at a time when it was still a big election issue. Maybe the court should have said, 'We're not going to take it, good-bye,'" O?Connor told the board. ?It turned out the election authorities in Florida hadn't done a real good job there and kind of messed it up. And probably the Supreme Court added to the problem at the end of the day.? Read more
HOUSE DEMOCRATS LINK CLIMATE CHANGE TO ?TRANSACTIONAL SEX,? DISEASE. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., along with 11 Democratic cosponsors, introduced a resolution recently highlighting the particular dangers of climate change for women and asserting support for the plight of female farmers. According to the resolution, women who are ?food-insecure,? and ?with limited socioeconomic resources may be vulnerable to situations such as sex work, transactional sex, and early marriage that put them at risk for HIV, STIs, unplanned pregnancy, and poor reproductive health.? Read more
TOMORROW
CONSUMER-CONFIDENCE NUMBERS OUT. The monthly gauge of consumer sentiment is due out tomorrow, and the numbers from the Conference Board are expected to show a slight rise from March?from 59.7 to 62.0, according to The Wall Street Journal. Read more
KERRY TO HOST MEETING WITH JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER. Secretary of StateJohn Kerry will hold a bilateral meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh at the State Department. Closed press. He will also hold a bilateral meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, also at the State Department.
QUOTABLE?
?My wife, my family, I got one of the biggest liberal families in the world, but I had more money when Bush and Reagan was president. I shouldn?t have said that, my wife is going to kill me for that.? ? Former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson on Obama. (National Review)
BEDTIME READING
FROM DRUG-WAR INFORMANT TO FUGITIVE. ?On the run from his native country and abandoned by his adopted home,? Luis Octavio L?pez Vega, 64, lives in intentional obscurity, his former face vanished with a face-lift over a decade ago, writes Ginger Thompson for The New York Times. But what separates L?pez from numerous other immigrants living unregistered in the western United States is that L?pez is hiding from the authorities with whom he once worked closely. L?pez was a senior adviser to Mexico?s drug czar of the 1990s, Jes?s Guti?rrez Rebollo, while also working as a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration informant. When Rebollo was arrested in 1997 in what was considered the biggest drug-trafficking case in Mexican history, the DEA secretly helped L?pez and his family escape across the border in exchange for his cooperation with the investigation. Then the agency severed its ties. L?pez has been a fugitive ever since and the DEA denies any knowledge of his whereabouts. Read more
PROFILE AT A GLANCE: ANTHONY FOXX
Why he is in the news:President Obama nominated him to serve as Transportation secretary (The New York Times)
Current job: Mayor of Charlotte, N.C.
Born: April 30, 1971 (Age 41)
Education: B.A. in history, Davidson College; J.D., New York University (City of Charlotte)
Married to: wife Samara; two children
Career Highlights
Led bid and chaired host committee for the 2012 Democratic National Convention
Led city?s economic turnaround, adding 13,000 jobs (The New York Times)
Working to expand Charlotte Douglas International Airport (Charlotte Observer)
Spearheading expansion of city?s light-rail system
Of Interest
First black student body president at Davidson College
At 38, was youngest-ever mayor of Charlotte
Announced in early April that he would not seek reelection, citing family considerations (release)
Considered a rising star in Democratic Party (National Journal)
TODAY?S PHOTO GALLERY
SARAH PALIN HATED NERD PROM, BUT THESE PEOPLE DIDN?T. The Washington Post photographers blanketed the White House Correspondents? Association Dinner, from the red carpet, to the dinner itself, to the boozy after-parties. Because what other red carpet would feature both George Stephanopoulos and the Duck Dynasty cast; what other dinner party would feature New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg seated next to Barbra Streisand; and what other event?s after-party would feature a hug between Jon Bon Jovi and Geraldo Rivera?
The iPhone 5 has finally come to T-Mobile, and if you're in the market for a?smartphone?from Apple, pay attention. T-Mobile's iPhone is the same iPhone 5 that you've seen elsewhere, with better voice quality at a lower price. That's a terrific combination for anyone currently shopping for an iPhone.
Revisiting the iPhone 5 Apple's phones don't vary much from carrier to carrier, as Apple doesn't allow any bloatware or changes in design. So take a look at my reviews of the iPhone 5 for Verizon Wireless and AT&T. T-Mobile gets the same metal-and-glass design, the same 4-inch screen, the same 8-megapixel camera, and most importantly, the same iOS 6 operating system, with its easy-to-use grid of icons and unbeatable array of apps.
It's worth noting the iPhone's particular strengths and weaknesses versus newer, leading Android phones like the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4, though. On a broad level, iOS is very easy to use, but much less customizable than Android is today.
In terms of hardware, the smaller screen is an obvious difference; at 1,136 by 640 pixels it's lower-resolution than the 1080p screens on competing phones, although it's hard to perceive the difference between the iPhone's 326 pixels per inch and the Galaxy S 4's 440ppi. The 4-inch screen size makes it more comfortable for one-handed use than some of today's larger phones, but people who prefer big touch keyboards or lots of real estate for webpages will be frustrated.
The phone's 1.3GHz Apple A6 processor doesn't match the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 models on raw benchmarks like Geekbench, but the iPhone 5 matched the Galaxy S 4 on the Browsermark Web browser benchmark and got close to Snapdragon-powered phones on the GLBenchmark graphics benchmark. The smaller screen helps with performance, of course, as the iPhone is only pushing about a third as many pixels as the 1080p phones do.
The one area where the iPhone falls definitively short is on battery life. Its 7 hours, 36 minutes of talk time and about 3 hours of HSPA+ video streaming is far short of the 10 hours, 50 minutes of talk time and 4 hours, 48 minutes of streaming on the Galaxy S 4. Bigger phones allow for bigger batteries.
Call Quality and Internet Here's where we get to the differences with the T-Mobile version, because this is a new iPhone, just invisibly. Unlike on previous GSM iPhones, the T-Mobile iPhone unlocks HSPA+ 42 support on the 1700Mhz AWS band. Combine that with support for 1700MHz LTE as well, and you get an iPhone able to hit T-Mobile and AT&T networks nationwide, as well as foreign HSPA+ networks if unlocked.?
If you're buying an iPhone for T-Mobile, it is very, very important that you get one with 1700MHz HSPA+ support. All iPhones sold through T-Mobile should have the right bands, but I've heard that some Apple stores are still selling older units that don't support T-Mobile's frequency. Double check, because if you don't have AWS, you're in the slow lane.
Speeds were stunning, even without LTE. T-Mobile only officially has LTE in seven cities, but HSPA+ is nationwide. I got download speeds between 8-13Mbps in midtown Manhattan using Ookla's Speedtest.net app, which fulfill anyone's definition of 4G. Uploads on HSPA+ are slower, though, between 0.3 and 1.5Mbps. The company has said it will cover 100 million Americans with LTE by midyear and 200 million by the end of 2013.
Signal strength was good. I compared the iPhone 5 to a Galaxy S 4 in a weak signal area, and both phones lost their ability to make calls at about the same time.
This iPhone also supports HD Voice, which isn't on any other iPhone. For now, to make an HD Voice call you'll need to be talking to another HD Voice phone on T-Mobile, which means an iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy S 4, HTC One S, HTC One, or Nokia Astound.
Calls made from the iPhone 5 to a Galaxy S 4 with HD Voice had unusually rich voice tone, especially in the treble, although there was a touch of scratchiness high up in the audio range. Without HD Voice, calls showed a little bit of compression garble and background noise leakage in noisy areas. The speakerphone is nice and punchy, with just a touch of background hiss.
Overall, this is a fine voice phone, but not quite up to the Galaxy S 4's level in terms of clarity and noise cancellation. Compared to other iPhones across carriers, though, T-Mobile's model wins because of the clarity of HD Voice.
Service Plans T-Mobile's real selling point is its service plans. Let's start with the price of the phone itself. T-Mobile sells the iPhone for $579 outright, with no contract, or $99 plus $20 per month for 24 months. On the three other major carriers, no-contract iPhones generally cost $649 and the two-year-contract versions cost $199 plus an invisible subsidy built into your service plan. Cricket is the only carrier with a much cheaper no-contract iPhone, at $499.99, but it's on a generally much slower network.
We crunched the numbers when T-Mobile announced the iPhone and found that T-Mobile's model is consistently cheaper than the three other major networks. Over two years on the sample plan we examined, you'd pay $2,160 for a T-Mobile iPhone, as opposed to $239.76 more on Sprint, $479.76 more on AT&T, and $480 more on Verizon.
T-Mobile's sticking point, of course, is coverage. While the carrier's network in major U.S. cities is generally very good, T-Mobile's network doesn't cover as many rural square miles as AT&T's and Verizon's, especially in regions like northern New England, northern Michigan, west Texas, and the Great Plains. As always, it's best to ask people who live near you how they're doing with T-Mobile service.?
Conclusions Apple's iPhone line is more consistent across carriers than any other kind of phone. T-Mobile adds one major feature, HD Voice, and another compelling benefit, a low price. If you're shopping for an iPhone and T-Mobile's network runs well in your area, you'd be silly not to strongly consider this great new option.
The iPhone 5 falls short of Editors' Choice status on T-Mobile, though. While it's a great experience, simple and clean, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 (which we've reviewed for this carrier) and the HTC One (which we haven't tested on T-Mobile, but have evaluated the Sprint model) offer better screens, more customizability, and a bigger window on the world.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Return Of The Jedi, the Ewok-filled amazingness that spelled the end of the original Star Wars trilogy. That film contained one of the most amazing high-speed chases ever seen on film. This is how they brought that death-defying chase to life.
One of the highlights of Return Of The Jedi is the speeder chase between the Rebels and the Empire. The Rebels need to distract the Scout Troopers in order to deactivate the shield generator, which would let the Rebel fleet penetrate the Death Star and defeat the Galactic Empire.
But you knew that already.
In the scene, Luke and Leia jump on their speeders and then race through the forest at seriously crazy high speeds. There are tons of narrow misses and there was obviously no way to safely or realistically do this at those high speeds.
That's because it wasn't close to real. The natural assumption is the chase was filmed on a dirtbike and then the footage was sped up, but there's a problem with that: Dirtbikes aren't exactly the smoothest riding vehicles in the world. The speeders float on the air, which means they need to appear smoother than a motorcycle could ever be.
Just 100 more yards. My left hand is slippery with sweat. Legs tired. Brain hurts most of all. I wonder if really intense concentration produces any lingering harmful effects...look at Bobby Fisher! (At a camera speed of only 3/4 frame per second, a thousand feet of precise walking gets you just 16 feet of VistaVision in the can, and every take you forget a few more important phone numbers, or a family birthday.) Is it worth it? At this rate I will be illiterate in a week and a vegetable in two.
Not only was cameraman Garrett Brown wearing the steadicam, he also had two gyroscopes attached to it for extra stabilization, although a slight amount of wobble was still wanted to make it semi-realistic. He also had to concentrate on the target like a sniper. One misstep would mean a ruined take and another slow trudge through the forest. At 3/4 speed, Brown says that 1,000 feet of walking got him 16 usable feet of footage.
Brown was personally skeptical of the idea when it was presented to him. But instead of saying no, he decided to go for it. What resulted was a cameraman walking slowly through the forest with a ton of equipment, where any slight error would cause him to start over again.
The 3/4 speed footage was sped up 30 times in order to make the film the standard 24 frames per seconds. That also made the speed appear to be a mind-boggling 120 MPH through the forest. Brown had to repeatedly walk through the forest in order to get the right shots. Filming at a slow speed like that also didn't let them calculate for exposure, but it seems that their guesswork was spot on and the corrections done in post production made for a great looking scene.
Was the agony of walking through the forest super slowly and making hundreds of cuts to get a three minute chase worth it? Damn right it was.
LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Poker devotees will soon be able to skip the smoky casino and legally gamble their dollars away on the couch ? at least in the state of Nevada.
A Las Vegas-based social gambling company is expected to launch the first legal, real-money poker website in the United States on Tuesday morning.
The site, run by Ultimate Gaming, will accept wagers only from players in Nevada for now, but likely represents the shape of things to come for gamblers across the country.
Internet poker, never fully legal, has been strictly outlawed since 2011, when the Department of Justice seized the domain names of the largest offshore sites catering to U.S. customers and blacked them out.
This crackdown, dubbed "black Friday," left poker fanatics with two options: They could either get dressed and visit a visit a card room, or break the law and log into an offshore site.
More recently, the federal government softened its stance on Internet betting, and three states ? New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada? have legalized some form of online wagering within their borders.
With Tuesday's launch, Nevada wins the race to bring Texas Hold 'em back to the Internet.
"There was black Friday, and now we're going to have 'trusting Tuesday,'" said Ultimate Gaming CEO Tobin Prior. "Players won't have to worry if their money is safe. They are going to be able to play with people they can trust and know the highest regulatory standards have been applied."
The site, UltimatePoker.com, will look familiar to those who participated in the poker craze of the 2000s. Only the account setup and login process have changed. Instead of checking a box certifying they are older than 18, players will have to endure a lengthy account setup process involving a Social Security number and a Nevada address. Only those older than 21 will be allowed to play.
Ultimate Gaming and the two dozen other companies still fine-tuning their Nevada poker sites hope they will win the trust not only of players, but of regulators and politicians.
"It's an opportunity to show the world how to properly run online poker," Ultimate Gaming chairman Tom Breitling said.
Several cash-hungry states are weighing legislation that would allow them to tap into what is expected to be a multibillion-dollar market. Some bills would legalize only poker, as Nevada has, while others would throw open the gates to all casino games, including slots, as New Jersey and Delaware have done.
Earlier this year, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval approved legislation that gives him the ability to sign deals with other governors to facilitate interstate Internet gambling.
Online gamblers around the world currently wager an estimated $35 billion each year, according to the American Gaming Association. A fully realized U.S. online poker market could generate $4.3 billion in revenue its first year, and $9.6 billion by year five, according to London-based research firm H2 Gambling Capital.
Still, with federal efforts to legalize Internet poker stalled, it may be a while before a critical mass of states link together to lure professional players back from overseas and drive up jackpots.
Nevada, a state of just 2.8 million, attracts 47 million visitors a year? more than the population of California. But who wants to go on vacation just to fire up their laptop and play some virtual cards?
"I think the real excitement will be when we get a very populous state like a California or a New York allowing these companies to expand," ITG casino analyst Matthew Jacob said. "But these changes often take longer to occur than people assume. It requires a change in law and then it takes a while from when the law passes until the sites are up and running."
Prior says he intends to make Ultimate Poker profitable within a matter of years, in part through cross-promotion with mixed martial arts giant Ultimate Fighting Championship. The companies share a common owner: Frank Fertitta III and his brother Lorenzo, who also own Station Casinos Inc., an extensive chain that caters to locals in Las Vegas.
The Ultimate Poker logo has enjoyed prime placement in the UFC fight octagon for months. The Ultimate Poker Facebook page, which steers fans to a zero-stakes version of the site, features a mix of UFC glamour shots and stock images of guys in hoodies staring into laptop screens.
"When you look at the demographic of the UFC fan and the online poker player, it's almost a perfect overlap," Breitling said.
In the coming months, Ultimate Gaming will have to prove that its technology and 111 employees can prevent minors and out-of-state players from wagering real dollars, and guard against money laundering.
It will also have to pay 6.75 percent of its revenue in Nevada state taxes.
It's unclear how much of a boon the new market will be to the cash-strapped state. In 2012, the Pew Center on the States analyzed 13 states that had recently legalized new types of gambling, and found that more than two-thirds of "failed to live up to the initial promises or projections."
The gambling industry is hoping the return of Internet poker will revitalize interest in the game and help brick and mortar casinos capture a younger market.
The rise of Internet poker is generally credited with helping spark the poker fad of the last decade. The end of online gambling is thought to have helped quash interest in the game.
In the coming months, the industry will be watching closely to see if poker players come flocking back from their new hobbies, replacement computer games and illegal offshore gambling sites.
"This is a really huge moment for our company, the state of Nevada and the gaming community," Breitling said. "We're hoping to make poker fun again."
___
Hannah Dreier can be reached at http://twitter.com/hannahdreier
Getting match is much more than your outward visual appeal. It also encompasses the quality of life, and also long life. You should express the frame of mind that permits you to implement the adaptations necessary to enable you to proper care correctly yourself. Several types of workouts are for sale to make your workout routines new and exciting.
It might be solid motivator to put goals for your personal exercise regimen. Attempting to make an ambition can help you get past obstructions, instead of turning into fixated to them. A target gives you one thing definite to pay attention to. You will be unlikely to stop on hitting the gym for those who have set up an objective yourself and possess managed to get recognized to others.
It is wise to make sure you are prepared to produce a work out strategy a consistent component in your lifetime. While it is great to put targets, you must make sure that you are creating workout a top concern.
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Volunteer work is an excellent weight to boost your action levels in addition to help you individuals close to you. Volunteers are important for the various kinds of bodily labour that need to be carried out. This will get you suit and give assist to clingy businesses.
Developing more powerful abs is a superb approach to maximize your health and fitness initiatives. You can achieve this by carrying out morning hours stay-ups with weight loads or perhaps not. Your abdominal muscles work as an anchor for several of the other muscle tissue and in addition decide your torso?s range of motion.
Sometimes seeing a specialist for guidance on your fitness goals is the easiest method to construct one of the most doable and healthful targets. In many cases it is actually beneficial to talk with a nutritionist. They will help you realize how to make healthy choices, and provide you with a game title program to start.
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Leg extensions are a simple way to build muscle your quads. A nice, simple workout you could find an equipment for generally in most gyms is lower leg extensions. Press your legs up when you find yourself seated.
You should take time from your working day to workout. Simple changes in your program like, utilizing the staircases at the office instead of the elevator, will prove to add up into exceptional exercise with time.
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The proper stability of healthy proteins, carbohydrates and healthful fatty acids is required from your physique to ensure you to work out effectively and increase your level of fitness. Your daily diet need to comprise of a bit less than fifty percent premium quality protein, regarding a third complicated carbs and also the remainder ought to be consisting of healthy fatty acids. Each meal you take in ought to have a minumum of one way to obtain healthy proteins, since it is the principal building block for muscle.
When you are performing abdominal crunches, breathe out forcefully at the top of the movement. This causes your ab muscle tissue to function more challenging and burns up an increased level of unhealthy calories. Try this technique to raise the strength of your stomach crunches.
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The maxim, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do' also applies to non-human primates, as scientists discover that wild monkeys have an ability to imitate the social eating behavior of other groups of monkeys. ?
By Mai Ng?c Ch?u,?Contributor / April 26, 2013
Vervet monkeys eat bread on a lawn near some tourist bungalows in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Melanie Stetson Freeman / The Christian Science Monitor.
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The tendency to adapt to cultural behaviors in a new place is not unique to us, a new study suggests.
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A study led by psychologists of the University of St Andrews in Scotland finds that vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) in South Africa prefer food that those around them are eating.
The researchers dyed corn pink or blue and trained groups of monkeys to eat corn of one color and avoid the other. When young males migrated from one group to a group that preferred the opposite color, most of them immediately switched to the local preference.
Leading primate experts call this research?evidence of "cultural transmission"?in wild primates, which could also help to explain the evolution of our human desire to search for "local knowledge" when traveling to a new culture.
In a press release from St Andrews, noted primatologist?Frans de Waal?called the research "ione of the few successful field experiments on cultural transmission to date.? De Waal did not participate in the study.?
Carel van Schaik, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Zurich, was also impressed. "Culture was thought to be something only humans had? he told the New York Times. "If you define culture as socially transmitted knowledge, skills and information, it turns out we see some of that in animals. Now this experiment comes along and I must say it really blew me away.?
According to the study's?authors, the discovery demonstrates that social learning and cultural conformity play an important role in the behavior of animals as well as humans.?
"As the saying goes, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,'" said co-author Andrew Whiten in the St Andrews press release. "Our findings suggest that a willingness to conform to what all those around you are doing when you visit a different culture is a disposition share by other primates."?
The study was published on April 25 by the journal Science.
Whiten and his colleagues conducted field experiments at the Inkawu Vervet Project in the Mawana private game reserve in South Africa. At first, they induced conformity in four groups of wild vervet monkeys with 109 animals in total.
The team fed the first two groups of monkeys with a box of corn dyed blue and another dyed pink. The blue corn was soaked in bitter aloe leaves and to be made distasteful to the monkeys, so they soon ate only pink corn. For two other groups, pink corn was made bitter, and the monkeys learned to prefer blue corn. Once the monkeys were trained, the researchers stopped adding the aloe to the corn.?
Four months later, 27 infants were born. When they were able to eat solid food, the researchers supplied baby and adult monkeys with blue and pink corn. The adult animals stuck to their favorite color, and 26 of the infants ate only the corn the adult?monkeys liked.?
During the mating season, 10 male monkeys joined other groups that ate corn with a color different from the one their native group did. What surprised the researchers was that seven migrants quickly took up the locally-preferred corn, suggesting that they conformed to the cultural norm of their new group. With no higher ranking monkey present, the other two soon followed suit.
Researchers said the single monkey who continued to choose the same color as in his original group was perhaps taking the top rank in his new group, a factor that might explain his nonconformist behavior.
?The willingness of the immigrant males to adopt the local preference of their new groups surprised us all," said co-author Erica van de Waal, in the press release. "The copying behaviour of both the new, na?ve infants and the migrating males reveals the potency and importance of social learning in these wild primates, extending even to the conformity we know so well in humans.?
She said the study was?one of the very few successful controlled experiments in the wild, which "hints at a level of conformism most of us, until now, held not possible."
The cultural learning ability discovered in vervet monkeys is reminiscent of a well-known study of Japanese macaques?in the 1950s, in which one monkey was observed washing her food, a practice that spread throughout the troop and was passed on to subsequent generations. ?
Monkeys aren't the only animals observed transmitting cultural information. Another study conducted by a different group of scientists at the University of St Andrews found that whales learned feeding techniques?from their peers. Through analysis of a 27-year database on whale behavior collected in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, the researchers find that?lobtail feeding had spread to 37 percent of the whale's population.?
Susan Perry, an anthropologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, finds the whale study to be "a highly convincing case for a foraging tradition in a cetacean."
Just over a year ago Google snapped up a little social outfit called Meebo, quickly dismantling most of the firm's services. The lone survivor? The Meebo Bar, an unobtrusive social toolbar that offers Facebook, Twitter and Google+ connectivity as well as minimal advertising. Nothing lasts forever though -- Meebo has announced that the Meebo Bar will stop functioning on June 6th 2013. It's a bit of a bummer for sites that employ the tool, but at least they won't have to do anything to deactivate the service: Meebo says the code should become inert as soon as the service discontinues. The team says it plans to focus its efforts on Google+ Sign-In and Google+ plug-ins, which it sees as the best way to serve desktop and mobile publishers in the future.
Apr. 28, 2013 ? s living in areas near natural gas operations, also known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are concerned their illnesses may be a result of nearby drilling operations. Twenty-two percent of the participants in a small pilot study surmise that hydrofracking may be the cause of such health concerns as sinus problems, sleeping difficulties, and gastrointestinal problems.
The findings will be presented at the American Occupational Health Conference on April 28 in Orlando, Florida.
Scientists collected responses from 72 adults visiting a primary care physician's office in the hydrofracking-heavy area of Bradford County, Pa., who volunteered to complete an investigator-faciliated survey.
"Almost a quarter of participants consider natural gas operations to be a contributor to their health issues, indicating that there is clearly a concern among residents that should be addressed," says Poun? Saberi, MD, MPH, the study's principal investigator with the department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. She is also an investigator with the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) at Penn.
Within these 22 percent of responders, 13 percent viewed drilling to be the cause of their current health complaints and 9 percent were concerned that future health problems can be caused by natural gas operations. The previous health complaints by participants were thought to be anecdotal in nature as they were individual cases reported publicly only by popular media.
"What is significant about this study is that the prevalence of impressions about medical symptoms attributed to natural gas operations had not been previously solicited in Pennsylvania. This survey indicates that there is a larger group of people with health concerns than originally assumed," explains Saberi.
The survey included questions about 29 health symptoms, including those previously anecdotally reported by other residents and workers in other areas where drilling occurs. Some patient medical records were also reviewed to compare reported symptoms with those that had been previously documented. "Sinus problems, sleeping difficulties, and gastrointestinal problems were the most common symptoms reported on the Bradford survey," notes Saberi. "Of the few studied charts, there were no one-to-one correlations between the participants' reported symptoms on the survey and the presenting symptom to the medical provider in the records. This raises the possibility of communication gaps between residents with concerns and the medical community and needs further exploration. An opportunity exists to educate shale region communities and workers to report, as well as health care providers to document, the attributed symptoms as precisely as possible."
The CEET team also mapped the addresses of patients who agreed to provide them in relation to drilling to determine if proximity to drilling operations may relate to health problems.
"We hope this pilot study will guide the development of future epidemiological studies to determine whether health effects in communities in which natural gas operations are occurring is associated with air, water, and food-shed exposures and will provide a basis for health care provider education," says CEET director Trevor Penning, PhD. "The goal of science should be to protect the public and the environment before harm occurs; not simply to treat it after the damage has been done."
The Bradford County health concerns pilot study is one of three hydrofracking studies currently underway at CEET, one of 20 Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCC) in the US, funded by the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
CEET is also partnering with Columbia University's EHSCC to measure water quality and billable health outcomes in areas with and without hydrofracking on the Pennsylvania-New York border. Using a new mapping tool developed by Harvard University, CEET and Harvard researchers are creating maps of drilling sites, air quality, water quality, and health effects to locate possible associations. Initial studies will focus on Pennsylvania. Results of both studies are expected in early 2014. These collaborative studies are funded by pilot project funds from the respective EHSCCs, which in turn obtain their financial support from NIEHS.
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Oakland, CA?April 10, 2013 Mills College will mark its 125th Commencement on Saturday, May 18, 2013, with an address given by Holly Gordon. Gordon, an award-winning television and film producer, is the executive director of 10x10?a global social action campaign to educate girls in developing nations.
After many years producing ABC News programs such as World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Good Morning America, 20/20, and Primetime, Gordon is now the executive producer of the groundbreaking documentary Girl Rising. Combining the power of the media with film production, Girl Rising premiered this spring, delivering the compelling message that ?one girl with courage is a revolution.?
When Gordon witnessed the ways that educating girls can change the world, she quickly realized that she not only had the ability?but the responsibility?to do even more for the cause of girls. She co-founded the 10x10 campaign, which uses dynamic storytelling to educate girls and change the world. Contributions to the 10x10 Fund for Girls? Education are distributed among 10x10?s high-impact network of nonprofit partners: A New Day Cambodia, CARE USA, United Nations Foundation/Girl Up, Partners in Health, Plan International USA, Room to Read, and World Vision.
Gordon has been recognized by Newsweek/The Daily Beast as a Woman of Impact for her work on 10x10 and Girl Rising. While overwhelming evidence shows that around the world girls face barriers to education that boys do not, the film illustrates how educated girls can become strong, productive, enlightened, and contributing members of society. That evidence and the driving message behind Girl Rising speak to the mission of Mills College where, for 161 years, generations of graduates have positively impacted their communities, their countries, and social justice efforts around the globe.
Called a landmark documentary, Girl Rising harnesses celebrity impact and social media to convey its message. The voices of Cate Blanchett, Priyanka Chopra, Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway, Salma Hayek, Alicia Keys, Chlo? Moretz, Liam Neeson, Frieda Pinto, Meryl Streep, and Kerry Washington tell how, through strength of spirit and the power of education, remarkable girls can change their lives and help eliminate poverty, injustice, and violence.
The inspirational film has garnered significant media coverage and?long before production efforts were complete?was hailed by the New York Times as ?one of the hottest ?cause? documentaries in years.? Soon, a social media buzz led to nearly 2,000 scheduled screenings of Girl Rising in less than one month.
?Holly Gordon?s efforts are a testament to the empowering nature of education,? said Mills College President Alecia DeCoudreaux. ?Her message will resonate with Mills graduates who place high value on learning and on making the world a better place.?
The Mills College Commencement ceremony will begin at 9:45 am, Saturday, May 18, 2013, on Holmgren Meadow with a graduating class that includes 280 undergraduate women and 250 graduate women and men. The event is open to the public.
About Mills College Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California, Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering a dynamic progressive education that fosters leadership, social responsibility, and creativity in approximately 950 undergraduate women and 600 graduate women and men. The College ranks as one of the Best 377 Colleges in the country and one of the greenest colleges in the nation by The Princeton Review. U.S. News & World Report ranked Mills one of the top-tier regional universities in the country and lists it among the top colleges and universities in the West in the ?Great Schools, Great Prices? category. For more information, visit www.mills.edu.
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A Culture Ministry official says exhibition organizers wanted to avoid scandalizing female visitors.
Greek Deputy Culture Minister Costas Tzavaras, who visited the Muslim country last month for the exhibition opening, objected, saying the works should be displayed as they were or shipped home.
So the statues were returned to Athens last week, the official said on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak on the record.
Qatari officials could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night.
The statues date to the 6th and 2nd centuries BC. They were among nearly 600 antiquities brought from Greece for the "Olympics - Past and Present" exhibition.
?For the first time, an exhibition showcases the cultural history of the ancient and modern Olympics on such a scale, not to mention a special section on Qatar?s participation in the world-class event,? said Dr. Christian Wacker, Director of the Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum. ?ExxonMobil has shown its dedication to sports in Qatar in various local events and we welcome the opportunity to cooperate with such a committed partner.?
Of course, the Qatar isn't the only place where nude statues are objectionable. According to The Daily Mail, a 40-foot statue of Vivienne Westwood was banned from a "Punk: Chaos to Couture" exhibit scheduled to open May 6 at London't Metropolitan Museum of Art.
JERUSALEM (AP) ? A fire erupted Sunday at the prison where former Israeli President Moshe Katsav is serving time, but he was not among the 11 people who suffered light injuries, authorities said.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said seven jailers, a prisoner and three firefighters suffered smoke inhalation, but the ex-president was not hurt.
Itsik Gorlov, a spokesman for the prisons service, said the blaze broke out at a factory at Maasiyahu prison in central Israel. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.
Katsav was Israel's president from 2000 to 2007. He has been serving a seven-year sentence since 2011 after being convicted of rape and other charges, though he has repeatedly professed his innocence.
Israel on Sunday was battling a series of brushfires caused by the combination of hot, dry weather and the Lag Baomer holiday, in which revelers traditionally celebrate with bonfires.
Georgia from ZEN & TECH joins Rene to talk about the true cost of freemium iPhone and iPad games. Why did freemium games come into being, how did they grow to dominate the charts, what causes us to keep feeding them, and when do they cross the line? Also: A surprise visit from Kevin Michaluk of CrackBerry!
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Public release date: 30-Apr-2013
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