Valentine's Day 2014, Best and Worst Gift Ideas

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hw164DKkjdl1JBogmsitac9Vs2DuNXXO39SfW18M_5wA7WaCSDRjg_qnojfF5vPBSnavK7IWZDM64EvuocwMwT4JEuylXHYSLFQBiF38dH8aMkmT1L_C4C2-4k-h_LrLCqPoLIisBmLu/s1600/Valentine's+Day+Gift+Ideas.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hw164DKkjdl1JBogmsitac9Vs2DuNXXO39SfW18M_5wA7WaCSDRjg_qnojfF5vPBSnavK7IWZDM64EvuocwMwT4JEuylXHYSLFQBiF38dH8aMkmT1L_C4C2-4k-h_LrLCqPoLIisBmLu/s400/Valentine's+Day+Gift+Ideas.png" width="320" /></a>Cheeeeeeeers Bitches and a Happy Tuesday to you all.<br /><br />Not only is today Tuesday, it is January 14th which means not only is it, <i><a href="http://www.cute-calendar.com/event/national-dress-up-your-pet-day/11002-usa.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Dress Up Your Pet Day</span></a></i> for those of you who are so inclined to embarrass your pet by dressing him or her up, but…<br /><br />January 14th is also, <i>One Month Before the Day You Either Get Hot Sex or Smacked in the Face by Your Wife/Girlfriend/Mistress on Valentine’s Day Day.</i><br /><br />That’s right guys, you have thirty days to prepare for the onslaught of sneers, jeers, or cheers that you receive from the woman in your life and her femme friends. So, I am here to make certain that you will hear nothing but cheers.<br /><br />Oh, and you ladies who have been directed to this blog entry?  Disregard it, because well, as well all know, you do nothing on Valentine’s Day other than bitch about what you didn’t get from that special man in your life, so…<br /><br />To wit and heretofore, are my best and worst gift ideas for the guys to buy for Valentine’s Day 2014...<br /><br />Yesterday, I mentioned flowers in a <i>Facebook</i> comment of mine, women seem to dig flowers.  Terrible idea.<br /><br />Flowers are temporary, die quickly, and with their death, so does your relationship.  If you want to give a woman something that temporarily fills them up, yet leaves them satisfied, send them a grilled ham ‘n’ cheese sandwich and some fries.  And?<br /><br />Knowing my buddy Jayman as I do, he would say…<br /><br /><i>“And don’t go on the cheap, send them a fresh, crisp pickle spear along with it!!”</i><br /><br />Some guys <strike>are goaded</strike> <strike>feel like because they are pussy whipped they have to</strike> want to go big time into buying overpriced jewelry for Valentine’s Day…Don’t…Do…It!! Bad gift idea.<br /><br />When a guy buys his honey fancy jewelry, she will at first go nutsy Fagan all over it, but then she will pause, and think…<br /><br /><i>“That lying bastard must be cheating on me in order to buy me something this fancy.”</i><br /><br />If you do want to buy your lady something shiny to wear, buy her a pair of steely, sparkling handcuffs.<br /><br />Along with the cuffs, you could give her a sweet card that reads…<br /><br /><i>“You have made my heart your prisoner, and now, will you please be mine?”  </i>See?  That’s HOT!!<br /><br />And if she doesn’t like them, you can always give them to your mistress, which was your final intention and hope anyway.<br /><br />Speaking of mistresses…If you have a wife and a mistress, be a good guy and gift give equally.  You don’t want to hurt the feelings of either of them, so…<br /><br />Give them the same gift.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05Dcmt6L7pKa9Z_iuk0tIrOSy7fIBuR7oSV5sLmii32bkUOGhctOjHuhVHU47s9q1SAx4WQj_alvsaPIeuZXdLk3fRDQoFgoIpvlbbH-sNEO0a3aHvnkyF12B7xzDmMn8LD5DlCRVNkkL/s1600/Heart+Shaped+Pizza+Valentine's+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05Dcmt6L7pKa9Z_iuk0tIrOSy7fIBuR7oSV5sLmii32bkUOGhctOjHuhVHU47s9q1SAx4WQj_alvsaPIeuZXdLk3fRDQoFgoIpvlbbH-sNEO0a3aHvnkyF12B7xzDmMn8LD5DlCRVNkkL/s400/Heart+Shaped+Pizza+Valentine's+Day.jpg" width="400" /></a>Buy each of them a ticket for a seven day Caribbean cruise so while both are asea, you can pick up a new girlfriend in addition to your mistress and wife, thereby completing the hat trick, Holy Trinity, and batting for the cycle of lewd behavior.<br /><br />Just make sure the tickets for the wife and mistress are for different cruises. You wouldn't want your wife and mistress to spontaneously meet, talk nonchalantly, and during their friendly discourse, discover that you were the one who bought both tickets.<br /><br />And?  If all of this advice is too much to digest and seems too complicated for you guys out there, do what my BFF Schmoop and I do on Valentine’s Day.<br /><br />Order a pizza, drink some beer, peruse Facebook, and laugh at all of the posts reflecting the joy and sadness of which ladies got the bonanza, and which ladies got the heartache.<br /><br /><i>Cheers!!</i><br /><br /><i>Matt-Man</i><br /><br /><a href="mailto:mattmaniws@ymail.com">mattmaniws@ymail.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">@mattman_iws</span></a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mattmaniws" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">My Facebook Page</span></a></div>

Valentine's Day 2014, Best and Worst Gift Ideas

Cheeeeeeeers Bitches and a Happy Tuesday to you all.Not only is today Tuesday, it is January 14th which means not only is it, Dress Up Your Pet Day for those of you who are so inclined to embarrass your pet by dressing him or her up, but…January 14th…

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With Windows 8 ‘tanking hard,’ Microsoft preps Windows 9 for 2015 (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-36HI4pAYgCoEuYP8EA7G9Kd0zgdEYCcCewReLW5K1Xi8XsAnF9Z-QlqUOfo3Y6C4ndDYhu2GF_Mju_eop-d3M9I2lq3X3xJwe2jO4elFdn11EcEx0-nI4FUcKp5tlRJKmxZqAkMVdSs/s1600/win.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-36HI4pAYgCoEuYP8EA7G9Kd0zgdEYCcCewReLW5K1Xi8XsAnF9Z-QlqUOfo3Y6C4ndDYhu2GF_Mju_eop-d3M9I2lq3X3xJwe2jO4elFdn11EcEx0-nI4FUcKp5tlRJKmxZqAkMVdSs/s320/win.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_67269" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Whomever <a data-rapid_p="9" href="http://bgr.com/2014/01/09/microsoft-ceo-search-gates-ballmer/" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Microsoft appoints as its new CEO</a>, it looks like they’ll have to start work immediately cleaning up <a data-rapid_p="10" href="http://bgr.com/2013/12/04/windows-8-hatred-explained/" id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_67280" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">the mess left by Windows 8</a>. Paul Thurrott writes that <a data-rapid_p="11" href="http://bgr.com/tag/microsoft" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Microsoft</a> is hard at work preparing a major new Windows release for April 2015 that is now codenamed “Threshold.” Thurrott says there’s a great sense of urgency surrounding the new release because “<a data-rapid_p="12" href="http://bgr.com/tag/windows-8" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Windows 8</a> is tanking harder than Microsoft is comfortable discussing in public, and the latest release, Windows 8.1, which is a substantial and free upgrade with major improvements over the original release, is in use on less than 25 million PCs at the moment.”<span id="more-2749765"></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">So what can we expect from Threshold? Thurrott says that it will be Microsoft’s attempt to basically airbrush Windows 8 out of the public’s memory, which is why Microsoft will likely brand it as Windows 9. Other than that he says that “maturing and fixing the ‘Metro’ design language used by Windows will be a major focus area of Threshold” although he admits that “it’s not clear what changes are coming, but it’s safe to assume that a windowed mode that works on the desktop is part of that.”</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_67386" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Other than that, though, it sounds as though Microsoft is still working out the details of what the new Windows will look like. Thurrott says it may be a “make or break release” for Microsoft and says that the company wants it to be to Windows 8 what Windows 7 was to Vista.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_67368" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><br /></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_67357" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><strong>This article was <a data-rapid_p="14" href="http://bgr.com/2014/01/13/microsoft-windows-9-release-date/" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" title="Microsoft Windows 9 release date: April 2015">originally published on BGR.com</a></strong></div></div>

With Windows 8 ‘tanking hard,’ Microsoft preps Windows 9 for 2015 (BLOG)

Whomever Microsoft appoints as its new CEO, it looks like they’ll have to start work immediately cleaning up the mess left by Windows 8. Paul Thurrott writes that Microsoft is hard at work preparing a major new Windows release for April 2015 that is …

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What's on tap at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qBItIklsDUq7R7s-d56tT-eCXaYB3zs7czm5GpmcQhRDHjrCVlYglxXx5w5PnMbJ5RBax8fRePop08GXHa0iCj3Dljr4JupQLizhCGguVOOTNdhn1Iy8B1yMYVcL5hFjdvGJ4iFnwT0/s1600/nam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qBItIklsDUq7R7s-d56tT-eCXaYB3zs7czm5GpmcQhRDHjrCVlYglxXx5w5PnMbJ5RBax8fRePop08GXHa0iCj3Dljr4JupQLizhCGguVOOTNdhn1Iy8B1yMYVcL5hFjdvGJ4iFnwT0/s320/nam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_58646" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">There's something new for everyone, from penny-pinched first-time buyers to those for whom, as they say, price is no object, and all in between at the 2014 North American Auto Show in Detroit this week.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_58669" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Brawny but light: Ford takes a radical step, swapping out steel for aluminum in the body of the bedrock F150 pickup to improve gas mileage. Will it still be tough enough for the toughest customers, builders and farmers?Here is where the spotlights will shine brightest:</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_58689" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Italianate-Chrysler: Newly under full ownership of Fiat, Chrysler puts Euro-sleek lines on its midsize 200, taking aim at the more stately competition that the previous Sebring-rooted 200 could not keep up with.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_58699" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Corvette gets more muscle: GM has added horsepower and torque under the hood and an even more aggressive profile in the Corvette high performance Z06</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Jazzed-up Honda Fit: the mini-soccer Mom hatchback gets more energetic lines in a sweeping upgrade that also promises more space, a smoother ride and better mileage</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rally beast: Subaru has remade the WRX, which does not mean it is any less homely - just more powerful, more agile, and likely to remain the favorite of rally drivers worldwide</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Audi's mini-crossover concept: this could be the coming 2016 Q1, a "shooting brake"-styled crossover with enough lines from the TT - and close to its size - to keep "Transporter" Jason Statham looking cool enough.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Kia carved for speed, with a Stinger: Kia's teaser photos for the GT4 Stinger concept support its description as "sculpted": a hot pocket-rocket for the youth market with a turbocharged 315 horsepower 2 liter engine.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The future of Maxima: Nissan unveils its new sport sedan, expected to be the first taste of a revamped Maxima for 2015.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Mercedes C Class gets promoted: For years the entry-level Benz, the brand new C Class is larger and comes with more options once reserved for the S and E classes,while the smaller CLA takes its place on the first step of the Mercedes ladder</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">More speedy choices from BMW: a new 2 series to replace the 1; and a new M3 and M4</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">American luxe: Cadillac shows the ATS Coupe</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Volvo's SUV future: the concept XC Coupe</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_58719" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Also new: IInfiniti's Eau Rouge concept for the Q50; a midsize pickup from GMC, after years of supersizing; Porsche's new 911 Targa; a successor to the Toyota Supra; and Ford re-unveils the all-new Mustang, introduced in December at the Los Angeles auto show.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_58719" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/39-tap-2014-detroit-auto-show-075003632.html">http://news.yahoo.com/39-tap-2014-detroit-auto-show-075003632.html</a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_58719" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><br /></div></div>

What's on tap at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show (BLOG)

There's something new for everyone, from penny-pinched first-time buyers to those for whom, as they say, price is no object, and all in between at the 2014 North American Auto Show in Detroit this week.Brawny but light: Ford takes a radical step, swa…

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Rodman 'sorry' after controversial North Korea trip (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaZzWeB22rqq1UdTxDnipMD3MsBtHH2IN-BsKCJHhC7uXZTtnhjO2mz9BI-2QzZ0bl9t0VDwHSLE6sNaHY6w6IiBP5FUa0DX2EYiJDNujqQz-NbRV5EJJwtg1ZHLHDK9aEOmf9SYYocI/s1600/rod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaZzWeB22rqq1UdTxDnipMD3MsBtHH2IN-BsKCJHhC7uXZTtnhjO2mz9BI-2QzZ0bl9t0VDwHSLE6sNaHY6w6IiBP5FUa0DX2EYiJDNujqQz-NbRV5EJJwtg1ZHLHDK9aEOmf9SYYocI/s320/rod.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_50266" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Beijing (AFP) - An emotional Dennis Rodman appeared to break down Monday as he apologised on his return from a controversial trip to North Korea, where he sang "Happy Birthday" to regime leader Kim Jong-Un.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_50276" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rodman was also accused of pandering to North Korean authorities during the trip, which featured an exhibition basketball match involving other NBA stars to mark Kim's birthday.The former NBA star was widely criticised for refusing to bring up human rights abuses or the plight of a US missionary detained in North Korea during his week-long visit, but said he would return again next month.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_50296" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I love my country, America, I love it and I will never trade it for nothing in the world," the pierced and heavily tattooed ex-Chicago Bull told reporters at Beijing airport.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_50306" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has described Rodman's actions as "treason".</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rodman said he wanted to "show people that no matter what is going on in the world, for one day... not politics, not all this stuff..." before launching into an apology.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp portrait onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="8" data-uuid="63d6e6b3-53bd-3245-b636-85edf0a68519" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/kcna-handout-photo-taken-january-8-2014-shows-photo-062527919.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (front R) is photographed&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 429px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (front R) is photographed&nbsp;&hellip;" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="429" src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/uOqjY4MY9Eixt1zSZi15mA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTQyOTtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/1d1f90687239831f64bafd3484553875176051c1.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (front R) is photographed with former US basketball star Dennis Rodm …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I am sorry. I am not the president. I am not an ambassador. I am Dennis Rodman. Just an individual, just showing the world the fact that we can actually get along and be happy for one day," Rodman said, before his voice broke and he put his hands to his face.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The player known as "The Worm" was returning from his fourth visit to the reclusive state in 12 months.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"It is amazing that I had the opportunity just to go to North Korea, and for the Marshal (Kim) just to give me an opportunity just to be in his presence and in his city," he said, adding that he would visit the North again next month for "another game". He gave no further details.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rodman has developed an unlikely relationship with the young North Korean leader since making his first trip there last February, when he declared Kim a "friend for life".</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">He enlisted an eclectic group of ex-NBA players for the exhibition match last Wednesday, before which he serenaded Kim -- in scenes compared to Marilyn Monroe singing to JFK -- and appeared to bow.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="9" data-uuid="b1a62bc8-7775-356f-ad90-5d876cf91d5f" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-c-wife-photo-032013553.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C), his wife Ri Sol-Ju&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 227px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C), his wife Ri Sol-Ju&nbsp;&hellip;" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="227" src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/iMrHvaw7_EpXZH4YjJIYPw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTIyNztxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/a536dbdd33b87fec934802544b6a1a01ee2ad42c.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C), his wife Ri Sol-Ju (L) and former US basketball star Dennis Rod …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Former New York Knicks power forward Charles Smith told CNN Sunday that the players had been asked to return to the nuclear-armed state.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Another of Rodman's teammates, Eric 'Sleepy' Floyd, told ESPN that he was "misled" about the trip and he tried to leave the day after the players arrived last Monday as he was "uncomfortable" with not being given "all the information" about the itinerary.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Floyd said he believed he would be working with "kids" rather than attending a "birthday celebration" for Kim.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rodman was Monday ushered through a heavy media presence by security and his entourage, which includes Joseph Terwilliger, a bearded tuba-playing neuroscience professor from Columbia University in New York.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The former power forward, who was wearing dark glasses, a blue tracksuit top and orange scarf, was asked whether he raised the issue of Kenneth Bae, who was detained by North Korean authorities.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="10" data-uuid="c805b381-ddf2-35c4-bc58-bce068a741b9" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/former-us-basketball-player-dennis-rodman-c-arrives-photo-134606451--nba.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="Former US basketball player Dennis Rodman (C) arrives&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 201px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="Former US basketball player Dennis Rodman (C) arrives&nbsp;&hellip;" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="201" src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/pPNtTkSmlEIlIKmvDhe4qg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTIwMTtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/d77a18310d9ab3ef7298aa30e6d28e388b385cd8.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">Former US basketball player Dennis Rodman (C) arrives at Beijing International Airport from North Ko …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In an interview with CNN last week, Rodman delivered an angry tirade in which he appeared to suggest that the missionary merited his 15-year prison sentence.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything," Rodman said, in comments echoing those of his publicist last week.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_50316" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I’m sorry, it's not my fault. I’m sorry... I just want to do some good stuff, that's all I want to do, basketball, that's all," he added.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Kim, who was educated in Switzerland, is reported to be a huge fan of basketball and especially of the Chicago Bulls, with whom Rodman won three NBA titles alongside Michael Jordan in the 1990s.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Bae was arrested in November 2012 as he entered Rason, a port in the northeast of the hardline Communist state.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_50320" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">North Korea, which bans religious proselytising, says that Bae was a Christian evangelist who brought in "inflammatory" material.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_50320" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/rodman-39-sorry-39-controversial-north-korea-trip-054800662--nba.html">http://news.yahoo.com/rodman-39-sorry-39-controversial-north-korea-trip-054800662--nba.html</a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_50320" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><br /></div></div>

Rodman 'sorry' after controversial North Korea trip (BLOG)

Beijing (AFP) - An emotional Dennis Rodman appeared to break down Monday as he apologised on his return from a controversial trip to North Korea, where he sang "Happy Birthday" to regime leader Kim Jong-Un.Rodman was also accused of pandering to Nort…

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Below-par Djokovic, Williams dodge heat, shocks (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_mROdmIeYI7LjwNBE_3LH3tF-8fug-OMHEk3MA_VxCV5-dSBVnsX0_fnQbYe6Y5AAGOw_WBj3K9rtnftTvsVorOLanEy9_cBvULYx5h-L3XKJzBpPtCJ7qo4pFFo_oI9FwxgscUdkqQ/s1600/ten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_mROdmIeYI7LjwNBE_3LH3tF-8fug-OMHEk3MA_VxCV5-dSBVnsX0_fnQbYe6Y5AAGOw_WBj3K9rtnftTvsVorOLanEy9_cBvULYx5h-L3XKJzBpPtCJ7qo4pFFo_oI9FwxgscUdkqQ/s320/ten.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_42323" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Melbourne (AFP) - Novak Djokovic's Boris Becker era got underway in low-key fashion as a clinical Serena Williams and Li Na showed their intent on an eventful first day at the Australian Open Monday.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_42374" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Williams put Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty to the sword but Djokovic, playing his first competitive match under new coach Becker, was surprisingly sloppy as he took nearly two hours to subdue Slovakia's Lukas Lacko.As temperatures soared and big names fell by the wayside, Djokovic and Williams dodged the day-time heat to open their campaigns with wins on a balmy evening at Rod Laver Arena.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"It's my first competitive match this season after a five to six week break and I was rusty in the first two sets," admitted the Serb, seeking a fourth straight Melbourne title.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I was struggling to find rhythm on my backhand side."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Despite the relatively below-par 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 win, Djokovic was in no danger of joining Petra Kvitova, Venus Williams and Sara Errani among the casualties on day one.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="8" data-uuid="006262ad-9b18-3de1-b2bb-32ae45752ddf" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/china-39-li-na-plays-shot-against-croatia-photo-004324022--ten.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="China&#39;s Li Na plays a shot against Croatia&#39;s&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 213px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="China&#39;s Li Na plays a shot against Croatia&#39;s&nbsp;&hellip;" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="213" src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/jniF_Q7JsdfOY_yzHRwx4w--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTIxMztxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/a5612a561f4a6e488a6cd22424d09cbf8f7735df.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">China's Li Na plays a shot against Croatia's Ana Konjuh during their women's singles mat …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The unseeded Venus Williams, wilting in the midday heat, lost to Russia's Ekaterina Makarova over three sets while Italian seventh seed Errani went out to Julia Goerges.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">And former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the sixth seed, fell victim to a sensational upset when she was ambushed 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 by unheralded Thai Luksika Kumkhum.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I think that probably I wanted it too much, and then everything just fell down," said the crestfallen Czech.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">China's Li, last year's runner-up, escaped the 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) heat by racing through her opener against 16-year-old Ana Konjuh 6-2, 6-0.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I think it was very lucky we played today. Tomorrow will be the worse," said Li, adding that she moved her practice on Tuesday, when temperatures are forecast to soar, to an earlier slot. "I didn't want to kill myself on the court," she said.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="9" data-uuid="3951c0c1-30bf-34c1-9c9f-f8b002a1cce8" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/serena-williams-us-plays-shot-during-her-women-photo-114932947--ten.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="Serena Williams of the US plays a shot during her women&#39;s&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 228px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="Serena Williams of the US plays a shot during her women&#39;s&nbsp;&hellip;" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="228" src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/HslaXpg4RQML40TiZTyAsA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTIyODtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/ec9e836daf42a6f6acc05e8ff473716def830713.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">Serena Williams of the US plays a shot during her women's singles match against Australia's  …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The ice packs were already out on day one with the Netherlands' Kiki Bertens needing attention and having her blood pressure measured during her defeat to former world number one Ana Ivanovic.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Top 10 men's players Stanislas Wawrinka, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet went through, accompanied by Jerzy Janowicz and Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In-form Wawrinka had it easy when Andrey Golubev retired when a set down, while Ferrer and Berdych won in straights against Alejandro Gonzalez and Aleksandr Nedovyesov respectively.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Gasquet shrugged off a rib problem which kept him out of last week's Kooyong Classic final to beat fellow Frenchman David Guez in straight sets.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">And Britain's Heather Watson and Laura Robson both fell at the first hurdle, leaving Wimbledon champion Andy Murray as the country's lone singles representative.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Officials had words of reassurance for the players ahead of Tuesday's expected high temperatures, saying nobody had ever died from extreme heat at a tennis tournament.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"We have had players almost die from drinking too much. So the danger is overdrinking, not underdrinking and becoming dehydrated," said the tournament's chief medical officer, Tim Wood.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"Given the length of time tennis matches generally go for and the sweat rate of most normal, healthy athletes, they won't get to a state where they get too critically dehydrated."</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_42403" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The tournament has a well-earned reputation for extreme heat. In 2009, Djokovic became a high-profile casualty when he pulled out of his title defence in the quarter-finals, complaining of heat exhaustion.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_42388" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Djokovic is bidding to become the first player in the Open era to win the title four times in a row, while Williams can equal Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's haul of 18 majors.</div></div>

Below-par Djokovic, Williams dodge heat, shocks (BLOG)

Melbourne (AFP) - Novak Djokovic's Boris Becker era got underway in low-key fashion as a clinical Serena Williams and Li Na showed their intent on an eventful first day at the Australian Open Monday.Williams put Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty to …

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Real Interest on Government Debt per Capita

<i><a href="http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/01/when-will-interest-on-us-national-debt.html">When Will Interest on US National Debt Exceed $1 Trillion?</a></i> - Mish<br /><br />As a holder of long-term government debt, I have three different questions in mind.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivj0mNrfGNkdSeBGBgxPfXpfI5XBVAkLFyro8iF1ohseYkOILMLKX9k4MaHkLZMOpmFJX7i2oNErRTLfGe6Db12U1c2O-g_GQcFyMk7HHaQOxUSf0m3ZP1i-r0-aGA067gNbityHXO4Co/s1600/Interest+Expense+on+Government+Debt.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivj0mNrfGNkdSeBGBgxPfXpfI5XBVAkLFyro8iF1ohseYkOILMLKX9k4MaHkLZMOpmFJX7i2oNErRTLfGe6Db12U1c2O-g_GQcFyMk7HHaQOxUSf0m3ZP1i-r0-aGA067gNbityHXO4Co/s320/Interest+Expense+on+Government+Debt.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />1. When can we expect to break free from the long-term trend channel?<br />2. When can we expect ZIRP to permanently end?<br />3. Of all the things I could worry about in this economy, where should the risk of rising interest rates (and expense) rank on my list?<br /><br />My answers of "not soon", "not soon", and "low" may differ from yours of course. I'll be much more worried when the majority agrees with my answers. And when do I expect that to happen? Not soon.<br /><br />This is not investment advice.<br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/ir/ir_expense.htm">Treasury Direct: Interest Expense on the Debt Outstanding</a><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/CPIAUCSL">St. Louis Fed: CPI</a><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/POP">St. Louis Fed: Population</a>

Real Interest on Government Debt per Capita

When Will Interest on US National Debt Exceed $1 Trillion? - MishAs a holder of long-term government debt, I have three different questions in mind.Click to enlarge.1. When can we expect to break free from the long-term trend channel?2. When can we e…

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Madeleine McCann Cops Poised to Make Arrests in Her Disappearance (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbFOlj7cfyK0QWevg8WxNI7qRCdAqSLOiZ0VSqNOcLuuiM792o4bJa7dPutXvyvioH_upTWC1Me_-FunZSFOt5jBY9r0j3hQXiE4T50A6umHFs6iKTanZoZAVemW2C4svwinccLqlT8A/s1600/madd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbFOlj7cfyK0QWevg8WxNI7qRCdAqSLOiZ0VSqNOcLuuiM792o4bJa7dPutXvyvioH_upTWC1Me_-FunZSFOt5jBY9r0j3hQXiE4T50A6umHFs6iKTanZoZAVemW2C4svwinccLqlT8A/s320/madd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_29228" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">London police appear poised to make an arrest in the disappearance of <a data-rapid_p="8" href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/madeleine-mccann.htm" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Madeleine McCann</a>, the girl who was 3 when she vanished while on a Portuguese vacation with her family nearly seven years ago.</div><div class="body-slot-mod" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em 10px; max-width: 300px;"><div class="yom-remote"><div class="" id="mediacontentrelatedstory_container"><section class="yom-mod " data-ylk="mid:mediacontentrelatedstory;mpos:1;elm:hdln;elmt:ct;cat:Related Stories;rspns:nav;t1:a3;itc:0;sec:lst-ct;" id="mediacontentrelatedstory" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></section></div></div></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_29253" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The arrests of a trio of <a data-rapid_p="9" href="http://news.yahoo.com/International/maddy-mccann-cops-release-sketches-kidnap-suspects/story?id=20563026" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">alleged burglars</a> who had been active in the neighborhood would be the result of <a data-rapid_p="10" href="http://news.yahoo.com/International/maddy-mccann-tips-pour-televised-appeal-info/story?id=20574576" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Operation Grange</a>, the reopening of the McCann investigation three years ago.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_29263" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"We can confirm that a second International Letter of Request has been sent to the Portuguese authorities by the Crown Prosecution Services this week... in connection with Operation Grange,'' Scotland Yard told ABC News in a statement. The authorities would not discuss any further details.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_29273" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The McCann family spokesman refused to comment about the investigation.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_29283" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I'm afraid we are saying nothing about any aspect of Operation Grange whilst the police work continues, least of all about any tabloid speculation surrounding it,'' the spokesman told ABC News.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Scotland Yard is reportedly working with Portuguese police to find, detain and question three men believed to be burglars who were operating in the area where Madeleine and her family were on vacation in Portugal.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Last year, Scotland Yard said one of their significant lines of inquiry was the four-fold increase in burglaries in the resort where the McCanns had been staying, peaking in April 2007. Madeleine disappeared in May 2007. Two of the burglaries took place in April in the apartment block where the McCann family was staying. In both of the April burglaries entry was gained via a window.After pouring over records containing hundreds of cell phone numbers used during the time Maddie vanished, police found a high number of calls were made between these men in the hours after her disappearance.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Madeleine was just days away from her fourth birthday when she vanished from her hotel room bed while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were immediately named suspects by Portuguese police, but were eventually cleared.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">For the past seven years since her disappearance, the McCanns have campaigned to keep her name and picture in the news, most recently making a heartfelt plea to anyone who has any information on her disappearance on Britain's version of America's most wanted late last year. The show featured a re-enactment of the most detailed sequence of events the night she went missing, generating more than 300 phone calls and 170 emails with specific lines of inquiry relating to Maddie's case.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Last July, when Scotland Yard decided to move from a review to an investigation, Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said he believed there is a possibility she is alive.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_29302" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">''There is no clear, definitive proof that Madeleine McCann is dead, so on that basis I still genuinely believe that there is a possibility that she is alive,'' Redwood said.</div></div>

Madeleine McCann Cops Poised to Make Arrests in Her Disappearance (BLOG)

London police appear poised to make an arrest in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the girl who was 3 when she vanished while on a Portuguese vacation with her family nearly seven years ago.The arrests of a trio of alleged burglars who had been …

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Mother Arrested After 6-Year-Old Amber Alert Girl Found (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUM1MILJmfX8v2cmmStV8bsFNEq1DaHwC3s5ym5aW_ujASpzeW0IaiKWEy_aPyPaIejkvNBHQRc4s8f-J3DPZesl9eA1WtvRlm8MTyo9DNeOrM7O_wxCT40CJ9LsJua3C9XlSMhbmnA4/s1600/gi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUM1MILJmfX8v2cmmStV8bsFNEq1DaHwC3s5ym5aW_ujASpzeW0IaiKWEy_aPyPaIejkvNBHQRc4s8f-J3DPZesl9eA1WtvRlm8MTyo9DNeOrM7O_wxCT40CJ9LsJua3C9XlSMhbmnA4/s320/gi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_22835" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The mother of a 6-year-old Massachusetts girl has been charged with <a data-rapid_p="8" href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/crime.htm" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="external">kidnapping</a> after she allegedly abducted her daughter to avoid losing her to state child protective services.</div><div class="body-slot-mod" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em 10px; max-width: 300px;"><div class="yom-remote"><div class="" id="mediacontentrelatedstory_container"><section class="yom-mod " data-ylk="mid:mediacontentrelatedstory;mpos:1;elm:hdln;elmt:ct;cat:Related Stories;rspns:nav;t1:a3;itc:0;sec:lst-ct;" id="mediacontentrelatedstory" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></section></div></div></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_22845" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The district attorney overseeing the case said officials believed the girl had been in "immediate danger."</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_22855" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Alize Whipple, 6, was found at a relative's home in Shelby, N.C., Saturday along with her mother Leeanna Wilson, 50, who was stripped of custody of the girl on Friday.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_22865" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Alize had last been seen boarding a school bus to go home on Wednesday.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_22875" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Police issued the Amber Alert Friday after the Department of Children and Families went to court to legally take custody of the girl, according to the Fitchburg Police Department. They would not comment on why social services decided to take legal custody of the girl.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Wilson was charged with kidnapping and reckless endangerment, Worchester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">He told ABC affiliate <a data-rapid_p="10" href="http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/central-massachusetts/ambert-alert-issued-for-missing-fitchburg-girl/-/11983998/23876450/-/tdeu5w/-/index.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="external">WCVB-TV</a> in Boston that there were allegations of abuse in Wilson's home.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"When she was notified she was going to lose custody of the child, that's when all of this started," Early said in a press conference. "Once this Amber Alert went out we received approximately 100 tips that led us to safe return of this child."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Officials from the state Department of Children and Families decided to move Alize into state custody after visiting Wilson's home on Wednesday, according to WCVB-TV.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"We believed that the child was in imminent danger, that's when the Amber Alert was requested," said Early.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Wilson has other children and Early said she was "known" to the state's Department of Children and Families since the 1990s, according to WCVB-TV.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Alize's step-aunt Debbie Jackson told WCVB-TV that she was happy the pair were "safe" in custody, but questioned why Wilson was charged with kidnapping, since the state did not have legal custody of the girl until Friday.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"You guys went after the fact and went ... got custody of her after she had already gone with the child," Jackson said of the Department of Children and Families.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Jackson also questioned why the Amber Alert was not issued till Friday.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_22929" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Early said in a press conference the requirements to issue an Amber Alert were not met until Friday.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_22919" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Alize was with a foster family in North Carolina today and Jackson told WCVB-TV she plans on trying to get custody of the girl.</div></div>

Mother Arrested After 6-Year-Old Amber Alert Girl Found (BLOG)

The mother of a 6-year-old Massachusetts girl has been charged with kidnapping after she allegedly abducted her daughter to avoid losing her to state child protective services.The district attorney overseeing the case said officials believed the girl…

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Monday, Monday

<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.archidose.org/wp/">A Weekly Dose of Architecture</a> Updates:</span><br /><br />This week's dose features the <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2014/01/13/hohenrausch-3/">Höhenrausch.3</a> in Linz, Austria, by Various Architects and Artists:<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2014/01/13/hohenrausch-3/"><img alt="this week's dose" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jan14-13.jpg" title="This week's dose" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The featured past dose is the <a href="http://www.archidose.org/Aug08/25/dose.html">Field Installation 14</a> in Houten, Netherlands, by JSA Rotterdam:<br /><a href="http://www.archidose.org/Aug08/25/dose.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.archidose.org/Aug08/25/image03.jpg" title="The featured past dose" width="640" /></a><br /><br />This week's book review is <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2014/01/13/s-am-11-lookout/"><i>S AM 11 / Lookout. Architecture with a View</i></a> by Hubertus Adam (L):<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2014/01/13/s-am-11-lookout/"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SAM_N%C2%B011_UG_P_FILE_U1_CMV.jpg" title="This week's book review" /></a> <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2013/07/01/postmodernism-was-almost-all-right-s-am-10-building-images/"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/sam-10.jpg" title="This week's book review" /></a><br />(R): The featured past book review is <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2013/07/01/postmodernism-was-almost-all-right-s-am-10-building-images/"><i>S AM 10 / Building Images: Photography Focusing on Swiss Architecture</i></a> by Hubertus Adam, Elena Kossovskaja.<br /><br />: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">American-Architects <a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/pages/50x50">Building of the Week</a>:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/projects/44003_Turnagain_Beach_House">Turnagain Beach House</a> in Anchorage, Alaska, by kpb architects:<br /><a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/projects/44003_Turnagain_Beach_House"><img alt="this week's Building of the Week" src="http://www.american-architects.com/files/projects/44003/images/kpb-Turnagain-001.jpg" title="Current Building of the Week on american-architects.com" width="640" /></a>

Monday, Monday

A Weekly Dose of Architecture Updates:This week's dose features the Höhenrausch.3 in Linz, Austria, by Various Architects and Artists:The featured past dose is the Field Installation 14 in Houten, Netherlands, by JSA Rotterdam:This week's book review…

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Power under the hood, luxury inside at Detroit auto show (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbArIdMST3yNk1Xa0HeVPtIayxqcQifO_UsF0rfgj3IIPG4Khsq3myOaUrpTn6cYTirEmGR23XcwNPYrI-N6v4qhf0BuHYu6bEWLHZmqH3nN1RwSNag3bPVYn4AeOFWCBxtltHPO6wT4/s1600/car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbArIdMST3yNk1Xa0HeVPtIayxqcQifO_UsF0rfgj3IIPG4Khsq3myOaUrpTn6cYTirEmGR23XcwNPYrI-N6v4qhf0BuHYu6bEWLHZmqH3nN1RwSNag3bPVYn4AeOFWCBxtltHPO6wT4/s320/car.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_16964" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Detroit (AFP) - The Detroit auto show opened with a renewed optimism Monday as confident carmakers forecast more growth and unveiled powerful new trucks, sexy sports cars and an abundance of luxury.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_16976" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The bullish mood is on show in the Motor City, where more than a dozen carmakers will be unveiled during two days of press previews.After years of mass layoffs and painful restructuring which brought the US auto industry to its knees, the darkest days of the recession are receding into the rear-view mirror amid booming sales.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_16996" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Manufacturers may struggle to capture the attention of the 5,000 journalists amidst back-to-back reveals and they have poured more than $200 million into dazzling displays.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_17006" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">General Motors logged an early win after its Chevrolet brand swept the car and truck of the year awards with the Corvette Stingray sports car and the Chevy Silverado pickup truck.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"Chevrolet is in the midst of the most aggressive product transformation in the brand’s more than 100-year history," Chevy chief Alan Batey said.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="8" data-uuid="3a3a27a7-ed93-309d-b850-7148f32ae8b3" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/chief-engineer-gm-39-full-mid-size-trucks-photo-151732086.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="Chief Engineer of GM&#39;s full and mid-size trucks,&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="Chief Engineer of GM&#39;s full and mid-size trucks,&nbsp;&hellip;" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="200" src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/aee3gFkSfmabEs9zE0z2vQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTIwMDtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/c2ccd6058630d6caf94b5338cd81f32f9ba1d236.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">Chief Engineer of GM's full and mid-size trucks, Jeff Luke (C) accepts the North American Car an …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"The Corvette and Silverado truly embody the passion, commitment and focus that is driving us to deliver the most expressive designs, innovative technologies and engaging performance in every vehicle that wears the bowtie."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">All eyes were on Ford, however, as it unveiled a new F-150 pickup, redesigned with a plethora of new technology and features and a drastically lower body weight to help boost fuel economy.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Replacing steel with aluminum -- which helped Ford slash the truck's weight by 700 pounds (317 kilos) -- is seen as a big risk, because truck buyers are so focused on strength, towing capacity and performance.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The F-150 has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for 32 consecutive years and is a critical part of Ford's portfolio.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The number two US automaker insisted that the new model is the "the toughest, smartest and most capable F-150 ever."</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp portrait onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="9" data-uuid="3abe4550-1d0f-36ea-a120-6323e85a2124" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/mary-barra-ceo-general-motors-gm-attends-unveiling-photo-151732330.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors (GM), attends the&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 365px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors (GM), attends the&nbsp;&hellip;" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="365" src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/I4HK5iV3bRubmgwXdbHtDw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTM2NTtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/bc6a967269b0b4c04bc9a2ef0961aba32ad0f325.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors (GM), attends the unveiling of the North American Car and Truck of …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Toyota revved up its design credentials with a provocative new concept for a sports car aimed at helping to reshape the previously staid Japanese automaker's reputation.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">A race car pit crew opened a shiny red box to reveal the gull-winged FT-1 sports concept -- Future Toyota 1.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Chrysler unveiled its hotly-anticipated revamp of the 200 sedan, which aims to bring a new level of luxury and styling to its midsized offering with an entry price of just $21,700.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"We designed a car to take on every other vehicle in its class, feature by feature and prove that a quality sedan doesn't have to cross an ocean to be worthy of an American driveway," Chrysler brand chief Al Gardner told reporters.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Mercedes got a jump on its competitors by hiring Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child to serenade its sleek and luxurious new C class sedan at an elegant invite-only event at the Westin Hotel on Sunday.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">General Motors sought to steal some of Ford's truck thunder by revealing its GMC Canyon, a mid-sized pickup truck, on Sunday at a revitalized industrial complex.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">But all eyes were on incoming chief executive officer Mary Barra, the first woman to be tapped to lead a major automaker.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Barra -- who was previously in charge of global product development and has been hailed within the industry as a "car guy" -- signaled that the accountants will not be allowed to dominate business plans.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"At today's GM, our products are the result of putting the customer at the center of everything we do. That has fostered a bold new culture at our company, a culture that promotes innovation and encourages risk taking," she said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">After years of painful restructuring and mass layoffs, the Detroit Three automakers are racking in massive profits as major product revamps allowed them to take advantage of resurgent demand.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_17022" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">US auto sales have finally returned to the levels seen in the 14 years prior to the devastating 2008 crash, growing 7.6 percent to 15.6 million vehicles in 2013. They are forecast to keep growing this year, but at a slower pace.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_17032" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">And nearly every automaker in the highly competitive market -- which offers consumers a choice between 340 different models -- has been able to profit from the growing sales.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_17032" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/confidence-canapes-ahead-detroit-auto-show-034546891.html">http://news.yahoo.com/confidence-canapes-ahead-detroit-auto-show-034546891.html</a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_17032" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><br /></div></div>

Power under the hood, luxury inside at Detroit auto show (BLOG)

Detroit (AFP) - The Detroit auto show opened with a renewed optimism Monday as confident carmakers forecast more growth and unveiled powerful new trucks, sexy sports cars and an abundance of luxury.The bullish mood is on show in the Motor City, where…

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Don't Piss Off The Maintenance Guy

He could be evil like me.<br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /> <blockquote>A certain private Catholic school was recently<br /><br />faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning <br /><br />to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine provided <br /><br />it was of a natural or neutral skin tone, but after they put on their <br /><br />lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of <br /><br />little lip prints.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Every night the maintenance man would remove them; and the next day the <br /><br />girls would put them back. Finally, the principal, Sister Mary, decided <br /><br />that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and <br /><br />met them there with the<br /> maintenance man. She explained that all these lip <br /><br />prints were causing a major problem for the custodian, who had to clean the <br /><br />mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little <br /><br />princesses).<br /><br /> <br /><br />To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, Sister Mary<br /><br />asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He <br /><br />took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the <br /><br />mirror with it.<br /><br />Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.<br /><br />''There are teachers...... And then there are educators!"</blockquote>

Don't Piss Off The Maintenance Guy

He could be evil like me. A certain private Catholic school was recentlyfaced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine provided it was of a natural or neut…

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Ex-Biogenesis director says he gave A-Rod HGH, testosterone (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPbSkVZsn4oYHZ9qWhyMs46TJ5z2ovA_QQzf8vJ8yPZ-NrmBf3wWv2pcgol_aIeah4PHYdwmP67kIK-yrWswpt1ny1ImPOx5Lw9m-9_nCCZ8Ndk9KxbmUwbIert6uq6m85Zz_rJITYQc/s1600/aar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPbSkVZsn4oYHZ9qWhyMs46TJ5z2ovA_QQzf8vJ8yPZ-NrmBf3wWv2pcgol_aIeah4PHYdwmP67kIK-yrWswpt1ny1ImPOx5Lw9m-9_nCCZ8Ndk9KxbmUwbIert6uq6m85Zz_rJITYQc/s320/aar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_11517" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">New York (AFP) - Anthony Bosch says he ran a secret doping program for US athletes out of his Miami clinic, including one specifically tailored for Alex Rodriguez that included testosterone and human growth hormone.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_11546" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"Alex cared. Alex wanted to know. He would study the product. He would study the substance. He would study the dosages," Bosch said.Speaking publicly for the first time, the former Biogenesis director told American news programme "60 Minutes" that he was being paid $12,000 a month in cash by Rodriguez before a probe by Major League Baseball into performance-enhancing drugs forced them to halt their complex doping scheme.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The show, which aired Sunday night, also detailed Bosch's falling out with Rodriguez and the bribes and death threat that Bosch says he received after they stopped working together.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Bosch, the main witness against Rodriguez in the major league probe, said the New York Yankee third baseman's main motivation for taking performance-enhancing drugs was so he could become the first American baseball player to hit 800 home runs.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"He wanted to achieve all his human performance or in this case, sports performance objectives. And the most important one was the 800 home run club. Which was only going to have one member, Alex Rodriguez," Bosch said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">After Bosch was exposed, Rodriguez and 13 others were suspended. All accepted their fate except Rodriguez who appealed. Rodriguez was given a harsher ban after evidence showed he tried to interfere with the probe.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Bosch spent five days testifying at Rodriguez's appeal hearing which the public was barred from attending.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-slideshow go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize " data-list-id="d5e9fcb9-9840-3e6e-b7f0-31d6c1a76f02" data-rapid_p="8" data-type="slideshow" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/alex-rodriguez-1384971483-slideshow/" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="Alex Rodriguez"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 196px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="Alex Rodriguez" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="196" src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/BhrW53d2ZTodKMl2zycsdA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTE5NjtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/3cb3d20f9048a101480f6a7067004742.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2013 file photo, New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez reacts after striking  …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Bosch said he personally injected Rodriguez and once had to draw blood from Rodriguez in the men's stall of a bathroom at a nightclub.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Bosch says he gave Rodriguez a cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs, including a testosterone lozenge the slugger could ingest in the dugout or on the field during games.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"They're so small that you could literally while sitting in the dugout take it, put it in your mouth, and people could think it’s sunflower seeds or a piece of candy or a piece of gum, for that matter," Bosch said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"It gives him more energy. It gives him more strength. It gives him more focus. And in combination with the growth hormone, that combination would make playing the game of baseball a lot easier."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Bosch said he has hundreds of text messages that he exchanged with Rodriguez to back up his claim. He said they would use code words for the illegal drugs such as "cohete" for injectable drugs and "night cream" for testosterone.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">He said Rodriguez's people tried to buy his silence by offering to fly him to Colombia where they would pay him over $20,000 a month and when things quiet down he could return to America and receive another $150,000.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Bosch declined and said he then started to worry for his safety. He said his then girlfriend received a text message saying that he would not live to see the end of the year.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The MLB Players' Association issued a statement Sunday, criticizing Bosch for talking to "60 Minutes".</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"It is unfortunate that Major League Baseball apparently lacks faith in the integrity and finality of the arbitrator's decision and our Joint Drug Agreement, such that it could not resist the temptation to publicly pile-on against Alex Rodriguez," the release said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"It is equally troubling ... that Tony Bosch, MLB's principal witness, is appearing on the program with MLB's blessing."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rodriguez, who has vehemently denied that he took performance-enhancing drugs while a member of the Yankees, says he will pursue the case in US federal court.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rodriguez, the highest-paid player in MLB, was slapped with a record 162-game doping suspension by an arbitrator on Saturday, banning him for the entire 2014 season and playoffs.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz upheld most of the 211-game ban imposed upon Rodriguez last August for his role in the Biogenesis doping scandal.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Despite the reduction in total games missed, the suspension remains the longest in the history of MLB for doping, and "A-Rod" remains the highest-profile baseball player ever banned.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_11598" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rodriguez, whose 654 career homers are 108 shy of Barry Bonds' all-time record, will lose $25 million in salary from the Yankees this year, or about $154,000 for every game missed in 2014 under the record 10-year deal for $275 million he signed in 2007.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_11598" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><br /></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_11598" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">YahooNews</div></div>

Ex-Biogenesis director says he gave A-Rod HGH, testosterone (BLOG)

New York (AFP) - Anthony Bosch says he ran a secret doping program for US athletes out of his Miami clinic, including one specifically tailored for Alex Rodriguez that included testosterone and human growth hormone."Alex cared. Alex wanted to know. H…

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Target apologizes for data breach, retailers embrace security upgrade (BLOG)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVa84Bkx4LSmOG7Uu4y8k2bnN6H6AuYxFD5ySjNOZsz32xm-v9AJVg_vV3m1tqXbdvnf9QqZa5bIjvM996HmA2fc9JupqE6ViNFYVP_BO7HwlRSgTT2UQEZIQ2-1t8Q36gJikJsls1PH8/s1600/targ.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVa84Bkx4LSmOG7Uu4y8k2bnN6H6AuYxFD5ySjNOZsz32xm-v9AJVg_vV3m1tqXbdvnf9QqZa5bIjvM996HmA2fc9JupqE6ViNFYVP_BO7HwlRSgTT2UQEZIQ2-1t8Q36gJikJsls1PH8/s320/targ.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_6083" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">By Ross Kerber, Phil Wahba and Jim Finkle</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_6065" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The company has so far disclosed that the breach started in late November and lasted 19 days over the peak holiday shopping season, resulting in the theft of about 40 million credit card records and 70 million other records containing customer data.BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Target Corp began a major public relations effort on Monday to apologize to customers for an unprecedented cyber attack on its network, but the No. 3 U.S. retailer was vague in providing details about what it knew and when.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Target is trying to woo back customers after sales dropped off at the end of the holiday season. Its campaign included full-page newspaper advertisements on Monday apologizing for the attack and the first interview since the breach by chief executive Gregg Steinhafel.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">He told CNBC TV business network that Target wanted to lead the retail industry's move to adopt payment card technology that stores customer information on computer chips and requires users to type in personal identification numbers.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">On Sunday, a top executive with the National Retail Federation called for tougher security standards that could mean more spending for the industry, its banks and business partners following the breaches at Target and other retailers in the United States.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Steinhafel said he was proud of the way Target employees had responded once the breach was confirmed, yet he provided few details about what had happened.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Target disclosed on December 19 that it was victim to one of the biggest credit card breaches on record. It said it ran for 19 days in the busy holiday shopping season through December 15.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"We're going to get to the bottom of this," Steinhafel told CNBC. "We're not going to rest until we understand what happened and how that happened."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The company declined to say precisely when it first came to suspect its systems might have been compromised.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In the CNBC interview, Steinhafel said the company "confirmed" that it had been victim of a breach on December 15, but he provided no account of what happened in preceding weeks.</div><div class="body-related" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative;"><a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-rapid_p="8" data-uuid="cfe4cb8b-ca09-3b3e-a98e-5b1bf310947f" href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/file-photo-shopper-entering-neiman-marcus-store-oak-photo-172658284.html" style="color: #324fe1; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="File photo of a shopper entering a Neiman Marcus store&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"><div class="cta-overlay" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.24s linear; font-size: 13px; height: 224px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: background-color 0.24s linear; width: 300px;"><span class="clearfix title cta-text medium" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; color: white; font-size: 16px; left: 5px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 5px; transition: opacity 0.24s linear; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 270px; zoom: 1;"></span><span class="cta-text xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.24s linear; bottom: 5px; color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 42px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; transition: opacity 0.24s linear;">View gallery</span><span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.16s linear; background-color: #324fe1; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: -1000em; transition: opacity 0.16s linear; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span></div><img alt="File photo of a shopper entering a Neiman Marcus store&nbsp;&hellip;" class="body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="224" src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/AxkkPnshsM7ACTIPL7ewiw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTIyNDtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-01-13T172658Z_5_CBREA0B07LJ00_RTROPTP_2_NEIMANMARCUS-DATABREACH.JPG" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important;" width="300" /></div></a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;">A shopper enters a Neiman Marcus store in Oak Brook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in this May 2, 2 …</div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"December 15. That was the day we confirmed that we had an issue," he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Sources familiar with the investigation have previously told Reuters that Target learned about the attack only after receiving warnings from financial industry sources who reported seeing a surge in fraudulent credit card activity from accounts of customers who had shopped at the retailer.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Another retailer, Neiman Marcus, disclosed on Friday that it was warned about a possible breach in mid-December and that an outside forensics firm confirmed a breach on January 1, saying it found evidence that some payment card data may have been compromised.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Target and Neiman Marcus are not the only U.S. retailers whose networks were breached over the holidays, according to sources familiar with attacks on other merchants that have yet to be publicly disclosed.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Smaller breaches at least three other well-known U.S. retailers took place over the holiday season and were conducted using similar techniques as the one on Target, according to the people familiar with the attacks. Similar breaches may have occurred earlier last year.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Stores and card processing companies have reported a steady stream of security breaches for years without a major backlash from consumers, such as those disclosed by TJX Cos in 2007 and by Heartland Payment Systems Inc in 2009.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">But the latest thefts could mark a watershed moment for security standards as calls grow for changes in the protection of consumer information.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">'CHIP-AND-PIN' CARDS</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">One sign of the change is the new enthusiasm for "Chip-and-PIN" payment cards, which have computer chips built into them and require users to type in PINs.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Mallory Duncan, general counsel of the National Retail Federation that represents Target, Wal-Mart and other stores, said on Sunday that the trade group encouraged its members to upgrade to the higher-security cards even though they cost more than old systems that store data on magnetic stripes.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The breaches are "unfortunate but we're not entirely surprised," Duncan said at his organization's annual convention in New York.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"The technology that exists in cards out there is 20th-century technology and we've got 21st-century hackers," he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Duncan said the trade group had only made its backing for the higher-security cards public since the Target breach. Banks have quietly begun to offer the cards but mainly for customers to use while traveling. Big U.S. card networks led by Visa Inc will not require the higher security until next year at the earliest.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">It is not clear that "Chip-and-PIN" technology would have prevented the breaches at Target and elsewhere. At the very least they make stolen data harder to re-use, a reason the technology has caught on widely in Europe and Asia.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">They have met with much less enthusiasm in the United States, in part because losses to fraud - just 5 cents for every $100 spent via plastic - have been manageable for merchants and their banks. But rising fraud rates, and the risk of identity theft, could change the calculation.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The new scrutiny began after Target disclosed its breach. Investigators believe hackers used malware that captured data on customers from the magnetic stripes on their payment cards.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Duncan said no other members had told the NRF they had been breached.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Executives of several other companies said over the weekend that they were not aware of breaches at their companies. The executives included representatives of Sears Holdings Corp, JCPenney Co, Macy's Inc and Gap Inc.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Still, the breach was the talk of the retail conference with 29,000 attendees. Several speakers cited it in remarks and some tried to distance their companies from vulnerabilities.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Stan Lippelman, vice president of marketing at Bass Pro Shops, a privately-held outdoor goods seller, said: "We feel very comfortable with where we are at. But...the fact that it happens to Target means it can happen to anybody, right?"</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1389638629115_6709" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">(Additional reporting by Dhanya Skariachan in New York,; Bill Trott in Washington and; Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bangalore; Editing by Stephen Coates and Grant McCool)</div></div>

Target apologizes for data breach, retailers embrace security upgrade (BLOG)

By Ross Kerber, Phil Wahba and Jim FinkleThe company has so far disclosed that the breach started in late November and lasted 19 days over the peak holiday shopping season, resulting in the theft of about 40 million credit card records and 70 million…

Read more »