More Problems Aboard Carnival Cruise Ships

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="The Carnival Dream docked in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, in December 2010." height="476" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/03/15/ap100105029316-d03bd2de32f32f7d88a916a688fe1033499409dc-s40.jpg" width="640" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.5;">For the past month, management at Carnival Cruise Lines has been in a nearly constant state of damage control.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><br /><div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 80.25pt; margin-top: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the past month, management at Carnival Cruise Lines has been in a nearly constant state of damage control.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 15.6pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the past week alone, three of the cruise line's giant floating playgrounds have experienced embarrassing malfunctions that have at least inconvenienced, if not angered, many passengers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 15.6pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's the latest status report: On Saturday, Carnival Elation had to be escorted by tug because of a problem in its steering system. Since Wednesday, Carnival Dream has experienced power interruptions at the island of St. Maarten, stranding more than 4,000 passengers. And now, Carnival Legend is limping home to Tampa at reduced speed because of an issue with one of its propulsion units.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 0.0001pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All this, of course, follows by barely a month the so-called "<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/02/13/171905480/carnival-apologizes-for-triumph-conditions-cancels-14-upcoming-cruises" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #4774cc; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">cruise from hell" aboard the Carnival Triumph</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>after an engine room fire left the vessel adrift in the Gulf of Mexico with 4,200 passengers aboard.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 15.6pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Christopher Muller of Boston University's School of Hospitality tells CNN that the latest wave of issues at Carnival appear to be a management problem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 15.6pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"They are doing something wrong with preventative maintenance," he says. "Carnival has so many working ships that to say the fleet is in distress is maybe a little bit broad, but clearly something is not right."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 15.6pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Carnival has blamed the problems aboard the Carnival Dream, docked in St. Maarten, on a malfunction that occurred in the ship's emergency diesel generator during a routine safety test.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 0.0001pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"At no time did the ship lose power, and the ship's propulsion systems and primary power sources were not impacted,"<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.carnival.com/Core/FAQ.aspx?faq=update#q-1370045" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #4774cc; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Carnival said on its website.</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>"However, for a period of time last night, there were interruptions to the elevators and restroom services. Toilets and elevators are currently working, and have been since about 12:30 a.m."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 0.0001pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On Friday, the cruise company announced that<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/morning_call/2013/03/carnival-dream-passengers-flying-to.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #4774cc; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">12 commercial planes would take the Carnival Dream's 4,363 passengers back to Orlando</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>— the closest major airport.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Carnival Legend's problems, though at sea not in port, appear to be more in the way of an inconvenience. One of the</span></span><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111;"></span><br /><div style="background-color: white; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 0.0001pt 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">ship's two<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.abb.com/cawp/db0003db002698/b4c6f2757969bba6c12571f100410217.aspx" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #4774cc; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Azipods</span></a>, a directional propulsion unit, was experiencing an unspecified<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Carnival-Legend-experiencing-technical-issue/-/1637132/19325528/-/b2ju0sz/-/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #4774cc; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">"technical issue"</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>that has forced the ship to reduce its speed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 0.0001pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even before the latest problems,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/02/15/172108211/as-cruise-industry-grows-so-have-its-problems" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #4774cc; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">questions have been raised</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>about the cruise industry in general and specifically Carnival, the largest line in the industry.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 0.0001pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Update at 11 a.m. ET: Carnival Lowers Earnings Forecast:</span></strong><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 0.0001pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Carnival's share price is down 2.3 percent and the company says it expects net revenue yields to be flat this year, versus an earlier forecast that they would rise 1 percent to 2 percent,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/15/carnival-results-idUSL1N0C73CD20130315" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #4774cc; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Reuters reports.</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin: 0cm 80.25pt 15.6pt 0cm; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The cruise line cites weakness in Europe and pricing promotions. But as the news agency notes: "Carnival, which operates lines including Holland America, Costa and its namesake line, is grappling with a series of recent headline-grabbing mishaps involving its ships that have dented demand for its vacations."</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6rem;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; float: none; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1.3em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 107px; max-width: 690px; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px 15px; position: static; vertical-align: baseline; width: 690px;"><br /></div></div>

Carnival Cruise More Problems Aboard Carnival Cruise Ships

For the past month, management at Carnival Cruise Lines has been in a nearly constant state of damage control. For the past month, managemen...

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The Ides of March All-Stars

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="Julio Franco" src="http://simlb.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/julio-franco-ap2.jpg?w=610&h=470" /><br /><span style="background-color: #c52e1b; color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Julio Cesar Franco gave pitchers plenty of reasons to be wary during his professional career that spanned three decades. (AP)</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">For some arcane reason — maybe to prove that I read Shakespeare in high school like everyone else — “Beware the Ides of March” is a phrase I wait all year long to drop on friends. After all, it’s worth paying mind to the calendar to check if you’re about to fall victim to a political assassination, as Roman emperor Julius Caesar did in 44 BCE. Generally, it’s not the case, but I have to wonder if ballplayers named Julius or Caesar — or their Latin equivalents, Julio and Cesar — feel a bit of added concern.</span><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">And with that standing as perhaps the worst lede in Hit and Run history, we turn to Baseball-Reference.com. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?sourceid=Mozilla-search&search=julius" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the annals of major league history</a>, there have been just nine major league ballplayers with the given name of Julius, only two of whom used it as their first name during their careers: Julius Willgrod, who played 10 games in the National League way back in 1882, and Julius Matos, a futility infielder who hit .244/.278/.310 in 104 games for the Padres and Royals in 2002-2003. By the time they reached the majors, others had opted for derivatives such as Jule (Mallonee, a White Sox outfielder in 1925), Julie (Freeman, another 1880s player), and June (Greene, a pitcher/pinch-hitter from 1928-1929).</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Some took an even more novel approach. Icicle Reeder had one of the coolest nicknames around, though perhaps his name referred to his 4-for-26 showing in his six-game career in the 1880s. Moose Solters stuck around the AL for nine seasons (1934-1941, 1943) as a decent outfielder who drove in 100 or more runs four times. Julius Henry Fournier, a pitcher for the Reds in 1894, and Julius Neal Watlington, briefly a Philadelphia A’s catcher in 1947, used their middle names rather than their first ones. <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Et tu, Watlington?</em></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span id="more-4736" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Several other players have had Julius as a middle name, including current Diamondbacks shortstop Didi Gregorius, a native of the Netherlands whose real name is Mariekson Julius Gregorius. The most famous of these is perhaps the ultimate Ides of March player: Cal McLish. A pitcher who spent 15 years in the big leagues between 1944 and 1964, with time out for the military and the open-classification Pacific Coast League, McLish’s short first name is a comical contrast to the mouthful that is his given full name: Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish. A few months ago, blogger<a href="http://valueoverreplacementgrit.com/2012/12/27/the-most-memorable-names-project-cal-mclish/" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Diane Firstman</a> pieced together the story behind that name:</div><blockquote style="background-color: white; border-left-color: rgb(30, 77, 121); border-left-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 2px; color: #1e4d79; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; margin: 30px 0px 30px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px; quotes: ''; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-style: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He has stated that the origin of his lengthy name is that his father was given permission to name the newborn, and he took full advantage of the opportunity. <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/30/local/la-me-cal-mclish-20100830" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">McLish said</a>. “There were eight kids in the family, and I was No. 7 and my dad didn’t get to name one of them before me. So he evidently tried to catch up.” His father was three-quarters Choctaw Indian. McLish once related, “I don’t know why he named me Calvin Coolidge. He never voted Republican in his life, in fact, he was a Democrat. Just like the name, I guess. And I suppose that’s why he slipped Julius Caesar in there, too.”  <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tuskahoma</em> means “<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=MfcAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA155&dq=%22red+warrior%22+choctaw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=k5LcUKTxLYfp0QGq_4C4BA&ved=0CF4Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=%22red%20warrior%22%20choctaw&f=false" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">red warrior</a>” in the Choctaw language and is a<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskahoma" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> community in Oklahoma</a>.</div></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Of course, there has been no shortage of players named Julio — <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?search=julio" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">too many to list</a>, in fact. Among active ones, the Rangers’ Julio Borbon, the Astros’ J.D. (Julio Daniel) Martinez and the Braves’ Julio Teheran are carrying on the tradition. The best of them in baseball history is clearly <a href="http://mlb.si.com/2012/12/12/jaws-and-the-2013-hall-of-fame-ballot-part-iv-more-stray-hitters/" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Julio Franco</a> — Julio Cesar Franco, at that. A three-time All-Star who played for eight different major league teams, Franco spent an astounding 31 years in professional baseball, from his signing out of the Dominican Republic by the Phillies in 1978 to his retirement from the Mexican League in 2008, when he was 49 years old. He made stops in Japan and Korea along the way, racked up well over 3,000 total hits (2,586 at the major league level, data is incomplete for his years abroad), and is still the oldest major leaguer to hit a home run.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Also deserving of mention among the Julius-derived first names are the Julians. The only one of the four to earn All-Star honors is Julian Javier, the starting second baseman for three Cardinals pennant winners and two champions from 1960-1972. The most recent is pitcher Julian Tavarez, who pitched from 1993-2009 and was <a href="http://thegoldensombrero.com/archives/1190" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">often mistaken for Freddy Krueger</a> from <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nightmare on Elm Street</em> movies. Julian Valentine Wera, a third baseman for the Yankees in the late 1920s, went by Julie, while Julian Jawonn Redman was better known as Tike during his eight-year career (2000-2007) as an outfielder.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There haven’t been any players with the first name of Caesar, though McLish isn’t the only one with that as a middle name; knuckleballer Tom Candiotti, who spent 16 years in the majors between 1983 and 1999 and compiled a 151-164 record, was born Thomas Caesar Candiotti. A dozen different players named Cesar have reached the majors, including All-Stars Cesar Cedeno and Cesar Izturis. Cedeno spent 17 years in the majors, the first 12 of which came with the Astros from 1970-1981; he reached the majors at 19 and was a four-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner by the end of his age 25 season, but injuries and <a href="http://www.generalissimo.com/chinmusic/inside/cedeno.html" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">off-field troubles</a> derailed his route to Cooperstown. Izturis, who has been knocking around the majors since 2001 is currently in the Reds camp; they would be his ninth major league team.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Among retired Cesars, the most prominent ones besides Cedeno are Cesar Geronimo and Cesar Tovar. Geronimo was a four-time Gold Glove winner in a career that ran from 1969 through 1983. He was briefly Cedeno’s teammate in Houston, though my attempts to determine whether those ‘Stros produced the first “double Cesar” lineup have been met with blank stares. He gained more prominence when he was traded to Cincinnati and became the centerfielder on the Big Red Machine that won three pennants and two World Series from 1972-1976. Tovar was an infielder with five teams from 1965-1974 who holds a couple of interesting distinctions. In 1968, while playing for the Twins, he became <a href="http://www.startribune.com/sports/96934744.html?refer=y" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the second player ever</a> to appear at all nine positions in a single game; he even struck out Reggie Jackson with a screwball. He’s also in a three-way tie with Eddie Milner and Hall of Famer Billy Williams for <a href="http://milkeespress.com/lostninth.html" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">breaking up the most-no-hitters</a>, with five — meaning that five times, he collected his team’s only hit of the game. Two of those came in the ninth inning, both against the Orioles (Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar) in 1969. Also worth mention in terms of distinctive footnotes in the record book is Cesar Gutierrez, who went 7-for-7 for the Tigers on June 21, 1970, setting an AL record (and tying the major league record) for hits in a game.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Among the other active Cesars are Cesar Ramos, a lefty reliever for the Rays, and Cesar Carillo, briefly a pitcher for the Padres in 2009 and now a Tigers farmhand; the latter has been linked to the Biogenesis scandal*. Eric Chavez is among the many major leaguers with Cesar as his middle name; in his case, it’s in honor of Mexican-American labor leader Cesar Chavez. Seven other players stand with Franco as Julio Cesars: DePaula (a Twins pitcher in 2007), Gonzalez (an infielder from 1977-1983), Lugo (an infielder for seven teams from 2000-2011), Mateo (a Mariners reliever from 2002-2007), Peguero (a Phillies outfieder in 1992), Ramirez (an outfielder for four teams from 1999-2005) and Solano (a reliever for the Astros and Mariners from 1983-1989).</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">*<strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Update:</strong> No sooner had this entry been published than <a href="http://twitter.com/JeffPassan/statuses/312670659715166209" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">MLB handed down a 100-game suspension</a> to Carillo for a non-analytic positive, something it can do unilaterally because he’s currently a minor leaguer. ”Beware…” indeed.</em></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On another note, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/birthdays.cgi?month=3&day=15" style="border: 0px; color: #ec2c21; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">43 current or former major leaguers</a> have been born on the Ides of March, including Harold Baines, Bobby Bonds, Mickey Hatcher and Kevin Youkilis. Sadly, not a Julius, Caesar, or Julio Cesar in the bunch. There haven’t been any Brutuses at the major league level, either.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Even skipping the birthday boys, we can still put together a complete starting lineup:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">C:</strong> Julius Neal Watlington<br style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px;" /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1B:</strong> Cesar Cedeno<br style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px;" /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2B:</strong> Julian Javier<br style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px;" /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3B:</strong> Cesar Tovar<br style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px;" /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SS:</strong> Julio Franco<br style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px;" /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LF:</strong> Julio Borbon<br style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px;" /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CF:</strong> Cesar Geronimo<br style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px;" /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">RF:</strong> Julius “Moose” Solters<br style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px;" /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SP:</strong> Tom Caesar Candiotti<br style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px;" /><strong style="border: 0px; color: #221f20; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">RP:</strong> Calvin Coolidge Julius Casear Tuskahoma McLish</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If not exactly a true All-Star caliber team, I have to think that lineup could at least hold its own in the World Baseball Classic, a team that could cause opponents to say — wait for it — “Beware the Ides of March!”</div><div class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled" id="jp-post-flair" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;"><div class="sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; border: 0px; clear: both; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;"><div class="robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.129412); border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 5px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 648px; zoom: 1;"></div></div></div></div>

Ides of March The Ides of March All-Stars

Julio Cesar Franco gave pitchers plenty of reasons to be wary during his professional career that spanned three decades. (AP) For some arcan...

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O'Neill: Euro may not exist by 2020

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="234" id="ep_329" width="416"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="movie" value="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_embed_2x_container.swf?site=cnn&profile=desktop&context=embededition&videoId=business/2013/03/14/marketplace-europe-economic-recovery-crisis.cnn&contentId=business/2013/03/14/marketplace-europe-economic-recovery-crisis.cnn" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_embed_2x_container.swf?site=cnn&profile=desktop&context=embededition&videoId=business/2013/03/14/marketplace-europe-economic-recovery-crisis.cnn&contentId=business/2013/03/14/marketplace-europe-economic-recovery-crisis.cnn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="416" wmode="transparent" height="234"></embed></object><br /><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(CNN)</strong> -- Jim O'Neill, the Goldman Sachs economist who famously captured the globe's shifting economic power when he coined the "BRIC" acronym, now says the euro may not exist by 2020.</div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;">O'Neill's views were aired at the Spring Ambrosetti Forum, where delegates gathered by the peaceful Lake Como. But unlike its serene waters, many delegates felt the future of the European Union -- which has been destabilized by economic crisis and political infighting -- remained murky.</div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;">O'Neill, speaking to CNN at the forum, said: "If we carry on the same way as we are, by 2020 the euro might not exist."</div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div></div>

EURO O'Neill: Euro may not exist by 2020

(CNN)  -- Jim O'Neill, the Goldman Sachs economist who famously captured the globe's shifting economic power when he coined the &quo...

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Why you should still consider the Galaxy S3 over the Galaxy S4

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; color: #768696; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 24.383333206176758px;">In this edition of Ask Maggie, CNET's Marguerite Reardon explains why wireless consumers looking for a good bargain should consider the Samsung Galaxy S3, even though the new Galaxy S4 has been announced.</span><br /><br /><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The new Samsung Galaxy S4 has launched, but savvy wireless customers looking for a bargain may still want to consider last year's Galaxy S3.</div><div class="cnet-image-div image-REGULAR float-right" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: right; float: right; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin: 20px 2px 20px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 300px;"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="225" src="http://asset0.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/11/20/AskMaggieFDpromo.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="300" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In this edition of Ask Maggie, I help a reader decide if the newly upgraded flagship Samsung smartphone is worth the hype. There's no question the device is a marked improvement over its predecessor the Samsung Galaxy S3. But the upgraded specs and added bells and whistles might not mean as much to the average consumer, who will likely be just as happy with last year's model, which costs less money.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I also offer another reader my perspective on whether I think smartphone cases are necessary or not.</div><h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #768696; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 28px; margin: 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Galaxy S3 vs. Galaxy S4</h2><i style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dear Maggie,<br />Dear Maggie, I have never owned a smartphone before. And I have been considering getting a Samsung Galaxy S3. But now that the Galaxy S4 is coming out, I am wondering if I should get that device instead. I've been considering getting a Galaxy. Is the S4 enough of an upgrade or should I just stick with the S3? I read an early story you wrote that said the price on the S3 is likely to come down. So I was wondering what you think now that the S4 has been announced.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Thanks,<br />Sam</div></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"></span><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dear Sam,<br />The <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Galaxy S4</a> is a terrific phone. And it's a decent upgrade to the Galaxy 3. But Samsung has not revolutionized the smartphone with this new device. In fact, side by side the Galaxy S4 looks very similar to the <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/samsung-galaxy-s3-review/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Galaxy S3</a>. Samsung has used the same sturdy plastic for the S4 that it used in the S3. The home screen button and other buttons are in the same place on the S4 as they are on the S3.</div><div class="cnet-image-div image-REGULAR float-none" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; float: none; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin: 10px auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="436" src="http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/03/15/Galaxy_S4_and_S3.jpeg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="610" /><div class="image-caption" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The new Samsung Galaxy S4 (left) and its predecessor, the GS3</div><span class="image-credit" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Credit: CNET/Sarah Tew)</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">That said, there are some hardware differences between the devices. While the devices look the same, the S4 is actually a tad lighter and thinner than the S3. And the guts of the phone are different as well. As my CNET Reviews colleague Jessica Dolcourt said in her first-take review of the product, Samsung seems to have taken every feature to an extreme on the S4.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><blockquote style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.247059) 0px 1px 1px inset; background-color: whitesmoke; border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.247059) 0px 1px 1px inset; clear: both; margin: 20px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 20px; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px 1px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"<i style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The screen is larger (5 inches vs. 4.8 inches), the resolution greater (1,080p vs. 720p), the battery capacity higher (2,600mAh vs. 2100mAH), the processor faster (1.9GHz quad-core or 1.6GHz octa-core vs.1.5GHz, dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (U.S. version); proprietary 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos), and the rear-facing camera stuffed with more megapixels (13 megapixels vs. 8 megapixels.) But, once you've gone through the features checklist (which also includes lots of internal and external storage space and RAM), it's the software extras that Samsung continues to lean on to keep its phones one step ahead of the competition."</i></div></blockquote><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(For a full comparison between the two phones, <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-6452_7-57570796/comparing-the-samsung-galaxy-s4-and-the-galaxy-s3/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">check out this story by Lynn La, a CNET Reviews editor</a>.)</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Some of these new software features include a TV control app, a built-in translation tool, and an app that tracks your eye movement so that you can control the device. One example of how you'd use this is that you can pause a video simply by looking away from the screen. There are also some gesture capabilities and a hover feature that lets you wave your finger over something on the screen to preview an item.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jessica points out in her review that these software additions are nifty, but they aren't likely to sway consumers when they're deciding which device to buy. And I would agree with her. In fact, I talked to Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart at the Samsung event and he thinks that users may show off some of these "gee whiz" features to their friends when they first get the new device, but they'll likely never use them again.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What's more, even though these software updates were shown off on the Galaxy S4, it doesn't mean that they will be limited to the S4. Drew Blackard, director of product planning for Samsung Mobile in the U.S, said that many of these software features will also make their way into other Samsung devices, such as the Galaxy S3 and the <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-note-unlocked/4505-6452_7-35003942.html" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Galaxy Note</a> phablets.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"The goal is to bring as many features as possible down to the other flagship devices," he said. "Of course, it will be dependent on hardware requirements. But we will definitely bring some of these functionalities to other Samsung devices through software upgrades."</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Which device is right for you?</b></div>It's a really tough decision. As I said before, the Galaxy S4 is a terrific device. And it's clearly a step above the S3 when it comes to the overall specifications. But you have to ask yourself if that's what is most important to you. Are you the kind of person who buys the top-of-the-line<a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/car-tech/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">car</a>? Do you need the latest and greatest TV, laptop, camera, or other gadget on the market? Or are you more concerned with getting the most bang for your buck and paying a reasonable price?<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There are plenty of people who need to have the latest technology, whether that's in a car, sporting equipment, or gadgets. If you're that kind of person, get the Galaxy S4.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But if you are like me, and you're a bit more frugal, then I'd consider the Galaxy S3. Here's why: For the average wireless consumer, the specifications available on the Galaxy S3 are more than adequate. And because it's last year's model, you're going to be able to get a really terrific price on it.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Prices have already started falling. A couple of weeks ago when I advised a reader to wait for the Galaxy S4 announcement, you could get the Galaxy S3 on AmazonWireless for AT&T for $79.99 with a two-year contract. Now that price has already dropped to $49.99 for a new device with a two-year contract on AT&T.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CNET's video hands-on with the S4:</div><div class="videoPlayer" style="border: 0px; clear: none; float: none; margin: 15px 5px 20px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div adpreroll="true" adtargettype="Page" class="inline-VideoPlayer" contenttype="id" contentvalue="50142827" doautoplay="false" id="universalVideoid50142827" interactiveconsole="none" playersize="blogMedium" playlistdisplay="over" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="universalVideoWrapper" id="universalVideoWrapper1" style="background-color: black; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; height: 289px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 460px;"><object data="http://i.d.com.com/av/video/cnettv/6/20130305/player.swf" height="289" id="GeckoVideoPlayer1" name="GeckoVideoPlayer1" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="460"></object></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Unlocked Galaxy S3 phones are selling for about $350 on eBay. Factory unlocked Galaxy S3 devices on Amazon are priced at $500. When the device was first introduced last year, an unlocked version was about $700 and carriers offered it for $200 with a two-year contract.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Samsung hasn't announced pricing for the new Samsung Galaxy S4 yet, but I'd expect it to be in the same ballpark as other high-end smartphones, which typically cost $200 with a two-year contract and around $700 without a contract.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But there are couple of things to keep in mind. For one, there is a chance that the Galaxy S3 won't get operating system software upgrades as quickly as the newer Galaxy S4. Still, that might not matter much. Keep in mind the S4 will ship with the newest available Google <a href="http://www.cnet.com/android-atlas/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Android</a>software available today Android 4.2.2, but in May Google is expected to announce a new version of the software at its Google I/O conference in San Francisco. This means that S4 customers will also have "outdated" software only a month or two into sales of the device.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For the average consumer, these upgrades often aren't significant enough to make a major difference, especially for people who are using a smartphone for the first time. In fact, some of those consumers would probably rather have fewer software upgrades than more since software upgrades sometimes change the look and feel of a device.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">And for the more tech-savvy subscribers who are concerned about having the latest Android software update, there is always the option of "rooting" the device and installing the upgrade yourself.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Now, I realize that to some people who look at this they will say that a price difference of $150 is not that much, when you consider that no matter what you pay for your device, you'll still be paying on average $2,160 to $2,400 for your wireless service over the life of a two-year contract.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Those folks have a point. But also I don't think that $100 or $150 difference on a device is insignificant. When you consider that many people upgrade devices every 18 months to 2 years, it adds up. I don't know of any other gadget in my life that I am willing to repurchase and replace every two years for $200.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Still, the real cost difference between last year's model and this year's new phone can be seen when you think about buying an unlocked and unsubsidized phone. As I mentioned previously, the Galaxy S3 was around $700 at full price when it was first introduced. And now you can find a new one for $350 on eBay or about half the price.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The bottom line is that I think you should go for the older Galaxy S3 over the Galaxy S4. You'll save some money, and I don't think you'll ever notice that you are sacrificing performance or functionality.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Good luck!</div><div class="inline-slideshow" section="post.gallery" style="border: 0px; float: left; margin: 20px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 620px;"><h4 style="border: 0px; color: #768696; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3333em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 500; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 540px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10016132.html" style="border: 0px; color: #768696; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Meet the stunning Samsung Galaxy S4 (pictures)</a></h4><div class="galleryCount" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 10px; top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="currentlyViewing" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1-2</span> of <span class="totalCount" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">21</span></div><div class="scrollingArrows" style="background-image: url(http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tron/overlays/bkg-highlight-620.png) !important; background-position: 50% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat !important; border-top-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-top-style: solid; 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float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 10px 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10016132-14.html" style="border: 0px; color: #39434c; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="157" src="http://asset0.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/03/14/whitesmoke_35627724_41_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 157px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" width="220" /></a></li><li style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 10px 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10016132-15.html" style="border: 0px; color: #39434c; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="157" src="http://asset1.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/03/14/whitesmoke_35627724_42_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 157px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" width="220" /></a></li><li style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 10px 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10016132-16.html" style="border: 0px; color: #39434c; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="157" src="http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/03/14/011Samsung_Galaxy_S4_35627724_additional_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 157px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" width="220" /></a></li><li style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 10px 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10016132-17.html" style="border: 0px; color: #39434c; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="157" src="http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/03/14/whitesmoke_35627724_37_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 157px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" width="220" /></a></li><li style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 10px 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10016132-18.html" style="border: 0px; color: #39434c; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="157" src="http://asset1.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/03/14/whitesmoke_35627724_35_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 157px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" width="220" /></a></li><li style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 10px 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10016132-19.html" style="border: 0px; color: #39434c; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="157" src="http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/03/14/whitesmoke_35627724_36_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 157px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" width="220" /></a></li><li style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 10px 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10016132-20.html" style="border: 0px; color: #39434c; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="157" src="http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/03/14/whitesmoke_35627724_44_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 157px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" width="220" /></a></li><li style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 10px 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6452_7-10016132-21.html" style="border: 0px; color: #39434c; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="157" src="http://asset0.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/03/14/whitesmoke_35627724_52_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 157px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" width="220" /></a></li></ul></div></div><h2 style="border: 0px; clear: both; color: #768696; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 28px; margin: 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The great smartphone case/no-case debate</h2><i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dear Maggie,<br />I own a Galaxy Note 2. My question is this. Now that high-end phones are being built with high-quality glass and other high-end materials, is it really necessary to put a cover on the phone anymore?</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Thanks,<br />Bryan</div></i><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dear Bryan,<br />I have always thought that cases for smartphones were largely "unnecessary." Why? Your phone already comes in a case. And it should be strong enough to withstand basic wear and tear. What's more, as manufacturers do their best to make devices lighter and thinner, it makes little sense to slap on a heavy, thick case that will just bulk it up.</div><div class="cnet-image-div image-LARGE2 float-none" style="border: 0px; clear: both; float: none; margin: 10px auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px;"><img alt="Trying to break Gorilla Glass at Corning&#39;s CA facilitiy" class="cnet-image" height="407" src="http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/01/27/IMG_5092_610x407.JPG" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="610" /><div class="image-caption" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Corning's Gorilla Glass is certainly stronger than the typical stuff.</div><span class="image-credit" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Credit: Lynn La/CNET)</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In the five-plus years that I have owned a smartphone, I have never had any problems with a screen getting scratched or any other major damage to my phone. Keep in mind that I also have never dropped my device on the sidewalk, run into wall while holding my device, nor have I spilled anything on it either. I guess maybe I have been lucky and I really need to find a wooden table to knock on before I jinx my good fortune.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But I've always felt like putting a cover on your device is like wrapping your furniture in plastic to make sure it doesn't get stained. I'd rather just enjoy the device I have instead of worrying about the damage that actually using it will incur.</div><div class="cnet-image-div image-MEDIUM float-right" style="border: 0px; clear: right; float: right; margin: 20px 2px 20px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 270px;"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="270" src="http://asset1.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/06/21/Speck_SamsungGalSIII_fam001_270x270.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="270" /><div class="image-caption" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Speck Family of Galaxy S3 cases.</div><span class="image-credit" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Credit: Speck Products)</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">To answer your question, I think the improved materials that many companies are using with these new devices is great. Corning Gorilla Glass is a big step forward. And now there's talk of a new material, <a href="http://cnettv.cnet.com/virtually-indestructible-sapphire-smartphone-screen/9742-1_53-50141889.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">laboratory-grown sapphire glass</a>, which is supposedly two to three times stronger than Gorilla Glass. I applaud these efforts. And I think whatever can be done to improve the materials to make smartphones more durable is important.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There are also tons of devices that are now being developed that are water-resistant or waterproof. There are companies that specialize in providing waterproof coating on the inside and outside of devices to keep moisture out. I expect these technologies will be used more often in devices in the future.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Of course, my strong stance on going coverless is just my opinion. And there are plenty of people who disagree with me, including many of my own CNET colleagues. I did a very informal poll the other day in the office to see what others thought about whether it's still necessary to have a case on their devices. And almost everyone disagreed with me. CNET Reviews editor Jessica Dolcourt and CNET TV correspondent Bridget Carey told me that they prefer to have their devices covered. They claim that many of the new phones are slippery, which makes them harder to hold onto and more prone to drops.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Another reason they like cases is to protect their investment. Bridget said she has a case on her iPhone because she expects to resell it when she wants to buy a new phone. CNET Reviews editor Brian Bennett said that anyone with kids should definitely have a cover since it's often those little hands that end up dropping your device.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Even though I still feel pretty strongly about going without a case for my smartphone. I do see their points. So my advice is that if you think you might want to resell your device in the future, or you think it's too slippery to hold onto, or you live in a house with little kids who may throw your smartphone across the room, then investing in a case is probably a good idea. Otherwise, forget spending your money on a case and just enjoy your phone.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Good luck!</div><br /><br /></div>

Galaxy S4 Why you should still consider the Galaxy S3 over the Galaxy S4

In this edition of Ask Maggie, CNET's Marguerite Reardon explains why wireless consumers looking for a good bargain should consider the ...

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TYGA Cops IMPOUNDED My LAMBORGHINI

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="031613_tyga_towed_launch" src="http://ll-media.tmz.com/2013/03/16/031613-tyga-towed-launch-1.jpg" /><br /><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Tyga</strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">'s Friday night was worse than yours -- the rapper was stripped of his white Lamborghini after it was IMPOUNDED by cops ... and TMZ got it all on tape. </span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Law enforcement sources tell us... Tyga was pulled over around 11:00 PM for an unknown traffic violation in Hollywood. But when cops asked him for license and registration, Tyga had NEITHER ... no current registration AND the rapper was unlicensed to drive. </span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">We're told Tyga was not arrested for the violations -- but the police issued him a citation and had his primo ride impounded ASAP. He was also given a field sobriety test, as seen in the footage, but was not busted for DUI.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">After the ordeal, Tyga vented his frustration on Twitter, saying, "#F*** LAPD." </span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Word to the wise ... if you wanna drive a car ... invest in a license.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /><br />Read more: <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2013/03/16/tyga-lamborghini-impounded-cops-lapd/#ixzz2NjOlGvKU" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">http://www.tmz.com/2013/03/16/tyga-lamborghini-impounded-cops-lapd/#ixzz2NjOlGvKU</a><br />Visit the TMZ Store: <a href="http://tmzstore.com/" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://tmzstore.com</a></span></div>

TMZ TYGA Cops IMPOUNDED My LAMBORGHINI

Tyga 's Friday night was worse than yours -- the rapper was stripped of his white Lamborghini after it was IMPOUNDED by cops ... and TMZ...

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Rapper Lil Wayne Hospitalized For Seizures For Second Time This Week

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><h2 class="dek" style="border: 0px; color: #363636; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">The rapper is in the hospital for the second time in a week—and was forced to respond to claims that he may be near death. Allison Samuels reports.</h2><div><img alt="Lil Wayne" src="http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2013/03/16/rapper-lil-wayne-hospitalized-for-seizures-for-second-time-this-week/_jcr_content/body/inlineimage.img.503.jpg/1363448281922.cached.jpg" /></div><div><figure class="multimedia section" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><figcaption class="figcaption" style="border: 0px; color: #666666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">Lil Wayne performs at the Lacoste/GQ Super Bowl Party in New Orleans, LA, Feb. 2, 2013. (Gustavo Caballero/Getty)</div></figcaption></figure><a href="" name="body_text0" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">No one can argue that Dwayne Carter, aka Lil Wayne hasn’t had one tough week. The four-time Grammy award winning rapper was rushed to Cedar-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles early on Tuesday after suffering a series of unexplained seizures but released the next day. Then on Friday afternoon the 30-year-old was rushed to the hospital again with similar symptoms — but this time celebrity news site TMZ reported the rapper and designer was near death. and had been given his last rites with family members at his side.</div></div><a href="" name="body_text1" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">The report of the star’s condition set the Twitter world abuzz, forcing those in Lil Wayne’s Cash Money record company and ultimately the rapper himself to deny the claim.</div></div><a href="" name="body_text2" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">Late Friday afternoon Lil Wayne tweeted from his verified account the message: “I’m good everyone. Thx for the prayers and love.’’</div></div><a href="" name="body_text3" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">Others, including the President of Wayne’s record imprint “Young Money’’ Mack Maine and a spokesperson from the Cash Money Records echoed Wayne’s upbeat health forecast.  Maine added that he and Wayne were watching the Syracuse game on television.</div></div><a href="" name="body_text4" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">But while the rapper who’s been in the music business since the age of nine did his best to reassure his fans he was alive and well those close to him say his health continues to be a major concern and add that he remains a very sick young man under doctor’s care.</div></div><a href="" name="body_text5" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">One savvy Twitter fan went so far to as to suggest that Wayne was indeed still in the hospital and that they’d traced the tweet released on Friday back to the Cedar Sinai by tracking the latitude/longitude information used in the user’s Twitter account.</div><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">“He’s had those seizures a few times this year already and they are scary as hell when they happen,’’ said a friend from the rapper’s camp. “He can’t stop shaking when they happen and you don’t know what to do.  No one seems to know what it is but it ain’t good. We know that.’’</div></div><a href="" name="body_text7" style="color: black; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">Lil Wayne has admitted in the past that he’s struggled for years with a serious addition to ‘syrup.’  Popular in the Deep South the ‘syrup’ or the ‘drank’ is a powerful mixture of promethazine and codeine and is usually prescribed by doctors for severe colds and pneumonia. Other drugs can be added to the syrup as well for a greater high. Wayne told Rolling Stone magazine that he gave up the drinking the mixture a few years back but some believe that liquid is still the source of his current health woes.</div></div><a href="" name="body_text8" style="color: black; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">“He did that stuff for a long time and I’m not sure when he stopped,’’ said one friend. “Who knows what impact it had on his health long term? Everybody is different in how the stuff hits them and if you do for a long time who’s to say it won’t mess your system up in all kind of ways? We just don’t know right now.’’</div></div><a href="" name="body_text9" style="color: black; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">The rapper supposedly broke his addiction just as he began his 12-month jail sentence on weapons charges in 2010.</div></div><a href="" name="body_text10" style="color: black; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">Despite his short stint in jail and his recent health woes, Lil Wayne continues to be one of music’s biggest stars and is set to release his tenth album, “I Am Not A Human Being,’’ on March 26th.</div></div><a href="" name="body_text11" style="color: black; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; visibility: hidden;"></a><div class="text parbase section" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">“We’re all just praying for him to be alright,’’ said a Carter family member. ‘’He’s a good guy and growing up in a tough business. It hasn’t always been easy but he just needs to get back on his feet.’’</div></div></div></div></div>

Lil Wayne Rapper Lil Wayne Hospitalized For Seizures For Second Time This Week

The rapper is in the hospital for the second time in a week—and was forced to respond to claims that he may be near death. Allison Samuels r...

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8 Ways to Jumpstart Your Weight Loss

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="8 Ways to Jumpstart Your Weight Loss" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV55YrQCsiC36_ZfZfGWkNeIe4rC2KJTVqkbBekJO_2VVpKi-Yo1_C6R1B-b_XGfOVlnGorgruiCK_kc6pubdRPuYSvfS0pVQ6sRdDYjjlNGe9es8lByZ4YQUw88xT3mDqNVbZ-LFWas/s1600/jumpstartweightloss.jpg" title="8 Ways to Jumpstart Your Weight Loss" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Now before summer, the perfect occasion to start fresh and lose weight. For millions of Americans and world, losing weight is a healthy resolution they would like to start making progress on instantly, but it’s important to realize that slowly and steadily shedding any post-holiday pounds is healthier and more effective than any kind of rapid weight loss. I’ve discovered a few tips. They're broad-based, founded on my reading of hundreds of much more specific, narrow studies, and tons and tons of clinical experience. All you have to do is follow these guidelines:</span></b></div><br /><br /><center><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-5028478688240504"; /* AdSense in Post */ google_ad_slot = "6975892477"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280; //--></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /></center><br /><br /><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Stop using vegetable oils</span></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Such as sunflower, Use olive oil instead</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Eat protein at every meal</span></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Studies show that higher protein diets make it easier to lose fat. Protein boosts the metabolism (in one study as much as 100 percent for 24 hours), and increases satiety, making it more likely that you won't overeat. A higher protein diet could be just what you need to break that plateau.</span><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Make Movement a Must </span></span></b><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Regular exercise! Schedule at least 20 minutes of either cardiovascular or core-strengthening exercise on most days of the week. When you can’t do that, make an effort to simply move more, so at least you’re squeezing some physical activity in. For cardio-conditioning, your best bet is interval exercises, in which you alternate short bursts of intense activity (15 to 60 seconds each depending on your fitness level) with easier recovery periods, since an interval workout can help you burn fat and calories faster than exercising at a steady pace. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Reduce starch</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">When you do eat starches, choose from “real” carbohydrates. Best choices are oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beans and legumes. (These foods are low on the glycemic index and packed with fiber.) </span><br /><br /><center><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-5028478688240504"; /* AdSense in Post */ google_ad_slot = "6975892477"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280; //--></script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /></center><br /><br /><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Change Bad Habits</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Lack of sleep and too much stress can be real diet busters. If you’re chronically sleep-deprived, it could be affecting the plane, since studies show that lack of sleep can cause weight gain. Schedule a shut-down routine to help ensure that you go to bed at roughly the same time every night. You might even consider setting an alarm to remind yourself to turn off your computer, television, or smartphone at least an hour before bedtime. Stress too should be dealt with, since it often is the source of reflexive and mindless eating. </span><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Eliminate Cravings</span></span></b><br /><span style="font-size: large;">You can tackle pesky cravings by removing bad carbohydrates, like those made with refined white flour and white sugar, from your diet . . . permanently. Bad carbs have had their nutrients, including fiber, stripped during processing, so when you eat them, your body digests them rapidly and this causes your blood sugar to spike, which can lead to unhealthy cravings for more of the same. Instead, choose good carbs like whole grains, vegetables, beans and other legumes, and fruits because they are nutrient-dense, high in fiber, and, unlike bad carbs, will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and keep you feeling fuller longer.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Eliminating alcohol</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Alcohol has a higher calorie count per gram than protein or carbohydrates – and it offers very little in the way of nutrients for the equivalent calories.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Reward Yourself</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Spend a day getting pampered at the spa or salon; purchase a new outfit for your slimmer figure; enjoy a night out dancing with friends! </span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>

Jumpstart Weight Loss 8 Ways to Jumpstart Your Weight Loss

Now before summer, the perfect occasion to start fresh and lose weight. For millions of Americans and world, losing weight is a healthy reso...

Read more »