All of Facebook's Phone Secrets, Divulged

DEAR ABBY: I have a relative who is very ill. She's not expected to survive. She has a 1-year-old daughter, "Whitney," and a husband who isn't particularly interested in parenting once his wife is gone. My husband and I have a 3-year-old, and my husband would like to have more children. I love this relative and the little girl, but I'm not interested in raising another child. I'm fine with just one.My husband feels we have the love and resources to provide Whitney with a good life. I respect the fact that he feels this way, but I work full time. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/facebooks-phone-secrets-divulged-194650848.html

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Duke Tops Michigan State 71-61: Seth Curry Leads Blue Devils Past Spartans

Mike Rosario

Mike Rosario (3) dunks against Florida Gulf Coast during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Mike Rosario, Michael Frazier II

Florida's Mike Rosario (3) and Michael Frazier II (20) react during the second half of a regional semifinal game against Florida Gulf Coast in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Mike Rosario

Florida's Mike Rosario (3) reacts during the second half of a regional semifinal game against Florida Gulf Coast in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Scottie Wilbekin, Bernard Thompson

Florida's Scottie Wilbekin (5) is defended by Florida Gulf Coast's Bernard Thompson (2) during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, right, talks to Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo after their regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Tyler Thornton, Adreian Payne

Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) grabs a rebound as Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) misses a dunk during the second half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Tyler Thornton, Derrick Nix, Adreian Payne

Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) and Michigan State forward Derrick Nix (25) reach for a rebound as Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) misses a dunk during the second half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Branden Dawson, Tom Izzo

Michigan State forward Branden Dawson (22) reacts as he walks past head coach Tom Izzo during the second half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Scottie Wilbekin, Sherwood Brown

Florida's Scottie Wilbekin (5) shoots as Florida Gulf Coast's Sherwood Brown (25) defends during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Tyler Thornton

Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) reacts after a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Scottie Wilbekin, Chase Fieler

Florida's Scottie Wilbekin (5) and Florida Gulf Coast's Chase Fieler (20) go after a loose ball during the second half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Rasheed Sulaimon, Adreian Payne

Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon grabs a rebound in front of Michigan State forward Adreian Payne during the second half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Michael Frazier II, Eddie Murray, and Scottie Wilbekin

Eddie Murray (23) is defended by Florida's Michael Frazier II (20) and Scottie Wilbekin (5) during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Casey Prather

Florida's Casey Prather (24) shoots in traffic during the first half of a regional semifinal game against Florida Gulf Coast in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Mike Krzyzewski

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and players on the bench react during the second half of a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Eddie Murray, Erik Murphy

Florida Gulf Coast's Eddie Murray (23) dunks as Florida's Erik Murphy (33) defends during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Tom Izzo

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Denzel Valentine

Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine (45) reacts during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Adreian Payne, Mason Plumlee

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) reacts as he dunks during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. Watching at left is Duke's Mason Plumlee (5). (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Billy Donovan

Florida head coach Billy Donovan during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Adreian Payne, Mason Plumlee, Rasheed Sulaimon

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) reacts as he dunks during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. Watching are Duke players Mason Plumlee (5) and Rasheed Sulaimon (14). (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Casey Prather, Christophe Varidel

Florida's Casey Prather (24) dunks as Florida Gulf Coast's Christophe Varidel (5) defends during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Casey Prather, Christophe Varidel

Florida's Casey Prather (24) shoots over, Florida Gulf Coast's Christophe Varidel (5) during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Adreian Payne, Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) goes up with a shot against Duke forward Mason Plumlee during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. Watching is Duke's Ryan Kelly (34). (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Scottie Wilbekin, Brett Comer

Florida Gulf Coast's Brett Comer (0) is defended by Florida's Scottie Wilbekin (5)during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Adreian Payne, Rasheed Sulaimon

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne, right, grabs a rebound against Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Keith Appling, Seth Curry

Michigan State guard Keith Appling (11) blocks a shot by Duke guard Seth Curry (30) during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Billy Donovan

Florida head coach Billy Donovan during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

A Florida Gulf Coast cheerleader takes the court during the first half of a regional semifinal game against Florida in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Adreian Payne

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) reacts during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Chase Fieler

Florida Gulf Coast's Chase Fieler (20) reacts against Florida during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Seth Curry

Duke guard Seth Curry (30) reacts during the first half of a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Will Yeguete, Eddie Murray

Florida's Will Yeguete (15) and Florida Gulf Coast's Eddie Murray (23) go after a loose ball during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Will Yeguete, Eddie Murray

Florida's Will Yeguete (15) and Florida Gulf Coast's Eddie Murray (23) go after a loose ball during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Andy Enfield

Florida Gulf Coast head coach Andy Enfield reacts to action against Florida during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Denzel Valentine, Tyler Thornton

Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine and Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) scramble for a loose ball during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Adreian Payne, Ryan Kelly

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) drives the ball past Duke forward Ryan Kelly during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Naadir Tharpe, Ben McLemore

Kansas' Naadir Tharpe, left, and Ben McLemore right react in the lockeroom after losing 87-85 to Michigan in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Tom Izzo

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts as he directs his team during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Elijah Johnson, Kevin Young, Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor

Kansas' Elijah Johnson, left, Kevin Young (40), Perry Ellis (34) and Jamari Traylor (31) sit in the lockeroom after losing 87-85 to Michigan in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Patric Young, Chase Fieler, Erik Murphy

Florida's Patric Young (4), Florida Gulf Coast's Chase Fieler (20) and Erik Murphy (33) go after a loose ball during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Mike Krzyzewski

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski talks to his players during a time out in the first half of a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Branden Dawson, Rasheed Sulaimon

Michigan State forward Branden Dawson (22) blocks a shot by Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon (14) during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Keith Appling

Michigan State guard Keith Appling (11) reacts to a call during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Fred Richardson III (5)

Oregon guard Fred Richardson III (5) scores past the defense of Oregon forwards E.J. Singler (25) and Ben Carter (32) during a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. Louisville won 77-69. (AP Photo/ The Oregonian, Bruce Ely) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; THE MERCURY OUT; WILLAMETTE WEEK OUT; PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP OUT.

Tom Izzo

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo directs his team during the first half of a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Derrick Nix, Tyler Thornton

Michigan State forward Derrick Nix (25) and Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) fight for a rebound during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Keith Appling, Quinn Cook

Michigan State guard Keith Appling, left, and Duke guard Quinn Cook battle for a loose ball during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Mike Krzyzewski

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski directs his team during the first half of a regional semifinal against Michigan State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Corey Person, Trey Burke

Michigan's Trey Burke, second from left, is lifted by Corey Person after beating Kansas 87-85 in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas.(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Glenn Robinson III, Caris LeVert, Nik Stauskas

Michigan's Glenn Robinson III (1), Caris LeVert (23) and Nik Stauskas (11), celebrate after beating Kansas 87-85 in overtime of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/30/duke-michigan-state-seth-curry-big-night_n_2985053.html

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'The Voice' Beats 'American Idol' In Ratings For First Time

'Idol' ratings continue their decline as 'Voice' has strong first week.
By Gil Kaufman

Shakira and Usher on "The Voice"
Photo: Trae Patton/ NBC

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704636/the-voice-american-idol-ratings.jhtml

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Bank of Cyprus big savers to lose up to 60 percent

Personas hacen fila mientras un guardia de seguridad abre la puerta de una sucursal del banco Laiki en Nicosia, el viernes 29 de marzo de 2013. Los bancos abrieron normalmente por segundo d?a pero contin?an los l?mites a los retiros de dinero ante la crisis financiera. (AP Foto/Petros Giannakouris)

Personas hacen fila mientras un guardia de seguridad abre la puerta de una sucursal del banco Laiki en Nicosia, el viernes 29 de marzo de 2013. Los bancos abrieron normalmente por segundo d?a pero contin?an los l?mites a los retiros de dinero ante la crisis financiera. (AP Foto/Petros Giannakouris)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? Big depositors at Cyprus' largest bank may be forced to accept losses of up to 60 percent, far more than initially estimated under the European rescue package to save the country from bankruptcy, officials said Saturday.

Deposits of more than 100,000 euros ($128,000) at the Bank of Cyprus will lose 37.5 percent in money that will be converted into bank shares, according to a central bank statement. In a second raid on these accounts, depositors also could lose up to 22.5 percent more, depending on what experts determine is needed to prop up the bank's reserves. The experts will have 90 days to figure that out.

The remaining 40 percent of big deposits at the Bank of Cyprus will be "temporarily frozen" until further notice, but continue to accrue existing levels of interest plus another 10 percent.

The savings converted to bank shares would theoretically allow depositors to eventually recover their losses. But the shares now hold little value and it's uncertain when ? if ever ? the shares will regain a value equal to the depositors' losses.

Emergency laws passed last week empower Cypriot authorities to take these actions.

Europe has demanded that big depositors in the country's two largest banks ? Bank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank ? accept across-the-board losses in order to pay for Cyprus' 16 billion euro ($20.5 billion) bailout. All deposits of up to 100,000 are safe, meaning that a saver with 500,000 euros in the bank will only suffer losses on the remaining 400,000 euros.

Cypriot officials had previously said that large savers at Laiki ? which would be absorbed in to the Bank of Cyprus ? could lose as much as 80 percent. But they had said large accounts at the Bank of Cyprus would lose only 30 to 40 percent.

Analysts said Saturday that imposing bigger losses on Bank of Cyprus customers could further squeeze already crippled businesses as Cyprus tries to rebuild its banking sector in exchange for the international rescue package.

"Most of the damage will be done to businesses which had their money in the bank" to pay suppliers and employees, said University of Cyprus economics Professor Sofronis Clerides. "There's quite a difference between a 30 percent loss and a 60 percent loss."

With businesses shrinking, the country could be dragged down into an even deeper recession, he said.

There's also concern that large depositors ? including many wealthy Russians ? will take their money and run once capital restrictions that Cypriot authorities have imposed on bank transactions to prevent such a possibility are lifted in about a month.

Cyprus agreed on Monday to make bank depositors with accounts over 100,000 euros contribute to the financial rescue in order to secure 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) in loans from the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund. Cyprus needed to scrounge up 5.8 billion euros ($7.4 billion) on its own in order to clinch the larger package, and banks had remained shut for nearly two weeks until politicians hammered out a deal, opening again on Thursday.

But fearing that savers would rush to pull their money out in mass once banks reopened, Cypriot authorities imposed a raft of restrictions, including daily withdrawal limits of 300 euros ($384) for individuals and 5,000 euros for businesses ? the first so-called capital controls that any country has applied in the eurozone's 14-year history.

Under the terms of the bailout deal, the country' second largest bank, Laiki ? which sustained the most damaged from bad Greek debt and loans ? is to be split up, with its nonperforming loans and toxic assets going into a "bad bank." The healthy side will be absorbed into the Bank of Cyprus.

On Saturday, economist Stelios Platis dismissed the rescue plan as "completely mistaken" and criticized Cyprus' euro area partners for insisting on foisting Laiki's troubles on the Bank of Cyprus.

Clerides said it appears that some euro area countries such as Germany and Finland wanted to see the end of Cyprus as an international financial services center, while others, such as eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem, wanted to use the country as an "guinea pig" to send the message that European taxpayers would no longer shoulder the burden of bailing out problem banks.

But German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble challenged that notion, insisting in an interview with the Bild daily published Saturday that "Cyprus is and remains a special, isolated case" and doesn't point the way for future European rescue programs.

____

AP business correspondent Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-30-Cyprus-Financial%20Crisis/id-88c40e0f669442f5bbe5758ba0eac40c

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Did Obama miss his moment on guns? (CNN)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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GWH News and Notes: Ric Flair's Son Found Dead at 25

Ric Flair?s Son Found Dead at 25

From Legacy Talent and Entertainment: "We are heartbroken to confirm that Ric's son, Reid Fliehr, has passed away today March 29, 2013 in Charlotte, NC. The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing. Reid was 25 and an incredible son, brother, friend, and professional wrestler. No words can describe the grief that Ric and his family are experiencing and they do request privacy during this devastating time."

Source: http://www.gwhnews.com/2013/03/ric-flairs-son-found-dead-at-25.html

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Outrage, sadness as Americans barred from adopting Russian children

NBC News

Sonia greets her new parents, Kristina and Rich England.

By Jim Maceda, Correspondent, NBC News

BRYANSK, Russia --?Kristi and Rich England of Marshall, Minn., shook with nerves and joy on their fourth and last trip to an orphanage in Bryansk, in?rural Russia. ?

They were finally taking Sonia, a partially blind and hyperactive 3-year-old, home with them.?The tearful Feb. 12 meeting, punctuated by Sonia?s screams of ?mama? and ?dada,? was all the more emotional because the Englands knew that they were the last lucky couple to leave Russia with an adopted child.?

?So many other families have seen their children and have loved their children and can?t bring them home,? said Kristi England, 34, a family doctor. ?It?s so unfair in so many ways.?

Those already undergoing the costly process of adopting a child from Russia found out Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a law barring any future adoptions, canceling the ones in progress. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.

The process wasn?t easy ? the Englands endured multiple background checks and spent at least $50,000 to ensure that Sonia, now called Sophia, could go home with them.

But the ban signed into law on Dec. 28 barring all U.S. adoptions ? which numbered more than 60,000 over the past two decades ? has marooned hundreds of families in the middle of adopting, and stranded thousands of children in orphanages throughout Russia.??

"We should do all we can so that orphaned children find a family in our country, in Russia," President Vladimir Putin said in defense of the ban.

Fueling the outrage in Russia over the fate of children adopted by Americans, Russian media reported earlier this week that Alexander Abnosov, 18, showed up in the Volga River port town of Cheboksary saying his adoptive family had mistreated him. He had left Russia five years earlier, having been adopted by a family outside Philadelphia, but said he fled after suffering from verbal abuse by his adoptive mother. ?

"She would make any small problem big and always try to find a reason to shout at you," he told Russia?s state-owned Channel 1.

While UNICEF estimates there are about 740,000 children not in parental custody in Russia, only about 18,000 Russians are on the waiting list to adopt.?

But while Putin denies any direct connection, Kremlin-watchers say the ban is really about geopolitics and not about protecting kids.

NBC News

Russian child psychologist Valentina Rakova Valentina (left) stands with Kristina and Richard England and newly adopted Sonia in an orphanage in Bryansk, rural Russia.

They say it was retaliation by Moscow for an American law banning any Russian human rights violators from U.S. soil, enacted after the suspicious death in prison of Sergey Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer working for Heritage Fund, an American private equity firm.?

Russian media didn't hesitate to bolster the official line. ?

Despite the negative reports, child psychologist Valentina Rakova, who has worked in the Bryansk orphanage for 30 years, says the ban is terrible for children.?

?Here in Russia we have many examples of bad parents -- even worse than these American cases -- where kids are just tossed out,? she said as she coiffed Sonia, who requires special medical attention.

?A child like Sonia, no Russian would accept her,? Rakova said. ?Before the ban, orphans were offered to Russian families but no one took them in.??

Rakova's experience confirms the U.N.'s statistics. As far as she has seen, Americans are far more likely to adopt children who are ill or suffer from a disability.

Becky Preece, a housewife from Nampa, Idaho, is one such American. ?

She was finally able to take home 4-year-old Gabe, who has Down syndrome, in February, after years of filling out paperwork and a court battle. ?

Preece, who like the Englands beat the ban by days but was then delayed by red tape, said she saw a complete disconnect between the horrors of Russia?s adoption ban and the kindness and hospitality of the Russians themselves.?

NBC News

Becky Preece from Nampa, Idaho, adopted 4-year-old Gabe just days before the ban on Americans adopting Russian orphans went into force.

?It?s not a matter of the people,? she said while walking with the little boy in the thick Moscow snow.

?It?s politically charged and it?s something that is hard for us to understand because it?s so different from the experience that we?ve had here.?

Preece said she was excited to get Gabe into school back home, and watch him bond with his new brother who also has Down syndrome.?

?They need the infrastructure, they need the kind of support that we get at home for our children,? she said.?

But for the hundreds of American families who missed the cut and are now unable to bring their adoptive children home, the future could mean months -- even years -- of waiting and praying that the two superpower rivals find common ground before more of society?s most vulnerable pay the price.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jim Maceda is a London-based correspondent who has covered the Soviet Union and Russia since the 1980s.?

Related:

Boy's Christmas wish: Adoption of little brother caught in US-Russia spat

Thousands march in Moscow to protest Russian adoption ban

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Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a273b3e/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C30A0C1750A4450A0Eoutrage0Esadness0Eas0Eamericans0Ebarred0Efrom0Eadopting0Erussian0Echildren0Dlite/story01.htm

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New system to restore wetlands could reduce massive floods, aid crops

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Engineers at Oregon State University have developed a new interactive system to create networks of small wetlands in Midwest farmlands, which could help the region prevent massive spring floods and also retain water and mitigate droughts in a warming climate.

The planning tool, which is being developed and tested in a crop-dominated watershed near Indianapolis, is designed to identify the small areas best suited to wetland development, optimize their location and size, and restore a significant portion of the region's historic water storage ability by using only a small fraction of its land.

Using this approach, the researchers found they could capture the runoff from 29 percent of a watershed using only 1.5 percent of the entire area.

The findings were published in Ecological Engineering, a professional journal, and a website is now available at http://wrestore.iupui.edu/ that allows users to apply the principles to their own land.

The need for new approaches to assist farmers and agencies to work together and use science-based methods is becoming critical, experts say. Massive floods and summer droughts have become more common and intense in the Midwest because of climate change and decades of land management that drains water rapidly into rivers via tile drains.

"The lands of the Midwest, which is one of the great food producing areas of the world, now bear little resemblance to their historic form, which included millions of acres of small lakes and wetlands that have now been drained," said Meghna Babbar-Sebens, an assistant professor of civil and construction engineering at Oregon State. "Agriculture, deforestation, urbanization and residential development have all played a role.

"We have to find some way to retain and slowly release water, both to use it for crops and to prevent flooding," Babbar-Sebens said. "There's a place for dams and reservoirs but they won't solve everything. With increases in runoff, what was once thought to be a 100-year flood event is now happening more often.

"Historically, wetlands in Indiana and other Midwestern states were great at intercepting large runoff events and slowing down the flows," she said. "But Indiana has lost more than 85 percent of the wetlands it had prior to European settlement."

An equally critical problem is what appears to be increasing frequency of summer drought, she said, which may offer a solid motivation for the region's farmers to become involved. The problem is not just catastrophic downstream flooding in the spring, but also the loss of water and soil moisture in the summer that can be desperately needed in dry years.

The solution to both issues, scientists say, is to "re-naturalize" the hydrology of a large section of the United States. Working toward this goal was a research team from Oregon State University, Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, the Wetlands Institute in New Jersey, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They used engineering principles, historic analysis and computer simulations to optimize the effectiveness of any land use changes, so that minimal land use alteration would offer farmers and landowners a maximum of benefits.

In the Midwest, many farmers growing corn, soybeans and other crops have placed "tiles" under their fields to rapidly drain water into streams, which dries the soil and allows for earlier planting. Unfortunately, it also concentrates pollutants, increases flooding and leaves the land drier during the summer. Without adequate rain, complete crop losses can occur.

Experts have also identified alternate ways to help, including the use of winter cover crops and grass waterways that help retain and more slowly release water. And the new computer systems can identify the best places for all of these approaches to be used.

###

Oregon State University: http://www.orst.edu

Thanks to Oregon State University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127505/New_system_to_restore_wetlands_could_reduce_massive_floods__aid_crops

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Unlike AT&T, Verizon reportedly putting promotional muscle behind BlackBerry Z10 launch

By Jason Szep SIT KWIN, Myanmar (Reuters) - The Muslims of Sit Kwin were always a small group who numbered no more than 100 of the village's 2,000 people. But as sectarian violence led by Buddhist mobs spreads across central Myanmar, they and many other Muslims are disappearing. Their homes, shops and mosques destroyed, some end up in refugee camps or hide in the homes of friends or relatives. Dozens have been killed. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/unlike-t-verizon-reportedly-putting-promotional-muscle-behind-142056565.html

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Marilyn Monroe ?Crazy? Letter Up For Auction

Marilyn Monroe “Crazy” Letter Up For Auction

Marilyn Monroe wrote of her despair and the feeling she was going “crazy” in letters to her acting mentor. The actress, who died from an overdose, opened up in the sad letters about her struggles in front of the camera. The handwritten letter is expected to sell for $30,000 to $50,000 in the May 30 ...

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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/marilyn-monroe-crazy-letter-up-for-auction/

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Gay marriage foes draw fire for linking rivals to Nazi propaganda effort (Star Tribune)

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Steps which help to create Internet Marketing Plan | DreamGrow ...

If you have a business then it is impossible to stay out of internet marketing. An amalgamation of internet marketing plan with the business plan and its vision can make wonders in promoting and making the business a success. But to make the business grow and prosper you need to have an effective and proper internet marketing plan. This plan should also be good enough and focused to drive internet traffic to your website. To achieve that, the following tips or steps might help to create a good and effective internet marketing plan.

1.?The Vision

Before starting the most important step set the goal or vision. This will act as the starting point and also set goals for your internet marketing strategy. The clearly written vision is not only for you but it should be clearly and concisely communicated to the whole team that will be working for it. With time there can be changes in the goal or vision and necessary changes can be undertaken. This also needs to be effectively communicated with the team for them to understand clearly also. Every activity that is proposed or comes to the mind should be weighted for and against before implementation.

The goal or vision also should include a budget for the marketing activities, as it should not fizzle out after some time.

2.?Target market

Without a complete understanding of the target market any marketing plan is like building castles in thin air. Understanding the consumers, their behavior and the target audience or target market will help you device plans to drive traffic to your site, and thereby greater conversion rate. This knowledge will also help in developing proper goals and plans to achieve them.

3.?The Competitors

Understanding the market competition and knowing them provides additional knowledge that helps sustaining competition in the market. Reports on the competitor?s business, marketing plans and relevant information will give you an extra edge over them. This will also ensure you to avoid the loopholes or problems they have.

4.?The Solutions

There may be numerous businesses in the same niche, and providing customers and consumers with the same service or products. There is a huge possibility that they all provide them at almost the same price. So to stand out in the rest, the best way is to provide solutions to their problems also. Make sure that you provide solutions to their problems and have a dedicated page to address their problems. Establish yourself as an expert in that field. Also make sure that instead of bragging about your product or company, the content speaks what the company will do for its clients and how the clients will benefit from their product or service. Most consumers tend to look for information regarding their benefit.

5.?The Funnel

Using a funnel or an inverted pyramid to filter clients is a proven and an excellent strategy. The wide top of the pyramid or cone opens with low cost or freebie for the clients and the narrower segments slowly makes way for the costlier offers or products. Depending on the response, the strategies can be further developed, modified and planned.

6.?The Brand

The brand name for your trade or service is very important. This will also play an important role in using the domain for your website. Another important need is a perfect tagline that will be your identity in a line. Both these combined together makes your identity in the market and tells about your service and product to the customers.

7.?The Website

The website needs to be visually appealing to customers and consumers. It should have all the things to attract the customer?s attention, and it should also be graphic enough for the customer to understand what you have to offer. Moreover the page should be light in weight so that it does not take infinite time to load. Ensure that the pages also open fast on mobile or handheld devices.

Remember that content still holds the key, and make sure to describe the offers, services and products properly. Keep in mind that the content is more into informing clients about the offers and benefits and not tall tales about yourself.

Add pages for customer feedback and helpline pages for prompt customer interaction. Also ask for reviews and comments from customers or visitors. Ask them to subscribe for free services like upcoming offers, newsletters and so on.

8.?Business Managing Mechanism for online trades

Ensure that the site is safe and have required certificates on display to gain customer confidence. Also use best possible technology for safer internet buying and selling from your website. This is very important and also use best possible softwares for generating receipts and responses for buyers.

9.?Other marketing options & cost and Resources

Check out other marketing plans that can be implemented. Using pay-per-click or affiliate plans. Using social media and social bookmarking to plan an efficient internet marketing needs to be considered. Proper and good SEO needs to come into play as well. Look for every possible opportunity and option that might actually help you market on the internet effectively.

Once all these are done identifying the cost is very important. The in-house human capital and monetary strength needs to be ascertained. Calculate and budget for every step needs to be efficiently distributed. Outsourcing some work at cheaper options can be a good idea.

10.?To-Do list

Finalize the to-do list with all the nitty gritty details. It is best to use software to keep all the detailed data, and update it regularly. Divide the work to teams and take regular updates from each team to keep track of progress.

Final Word

The most important thing for success in internet marketing strategy involves the continuous monitoring of the data available and redesigning or strengthening areas that are working fine or not working. Measuring marketing plans and adjusting accordingly is also one of the better ways. Stay clear of any black hat SEO techniques of scam that might guarantee you instant results. Make your team co-operative and let them have a clean understanding of the goals and plans. Also they should be clear about their responsibilities.

But the best step is to put you in the consumer?s shoes and imagining what benefits and deals would attract them and design steps and plans accordingly.

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About The Author: Kelly is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, travelling and reading books. She contributes in KEL Attorneys. Check here for more on KEL Attorneys

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Posted on: March 28, 2013

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Source: http://www.dreamgrow.com/steps-which-help-to-create-internet-marketing-plan/

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'Ladies Man: A MADE Movie' Teaches Us The Finer Points Of Seduction

The latest MTV original movie takes on a topic many of us are far too familiar with. In "Ladies Man: A MADE Movie," Toby wants to become a "stud" and convince all of the girls that he's friends with to see him in a different light (i.e. not as their gay best friend). To do [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/03/28/ladies-man-a-made-movie-teaches-us-the-finer-points-of-seduction/

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NEC looking to hawk mobile division to PC partner Lenovo, says Bloomberg

Though we don't get to see its smartphone wares too often stateside or in Europe, NEC has always said its mobile division was a big part of its business. Now it looks to be trying to fob that arm off to PC venture partner Lenovo, according to unnamed Bloomberg sources. The Japanese company is also said to be eying potential domestic buyers, and Reuters recently reported that it's selling retail subsidiary NEC Mobiling to the tune of $850 million. The move is said to be in the works to bolster profitability after two straight years of smartphone operation losses and 10,000 layoffs, but as always, such unattributed material needs to be digested with beaucoup salt.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Lenovo

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Source: Reuters

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/29/nec-looking-to-hawk-mobile-division-to-lenovo/

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PFT: Lattimore cheered on at Pro Day workout

AP

When owners and teams treat football like a business, media and fans shrug.? When players do, it?s regarded as an affront to the integrity of the game.

It?s not fair, but that?s the way it is.? And Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer needs to brace himself for that reaction as he tries to force his way out of Oakland.

It?s obvious Palmer wants out.? Two years ago, he finagled his exit from Cincinnati by feigning retirement.? The strategy looked to be a failure until Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell broke his collarbone and former Raiders coach Hue Jackson lost his damn mind, giving up a first-round pick and a second-round pick for a quarterback who isn?t the guy he used to be.

Now, Palmer is turning up his nose at $10 million from the Raiders, which sets the stage for the Raiders eventually to cut him ? and for Palmer to play for someone else.

As Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports explains it, Palmer wants to play for a contender, even if it means being a backup.? (Cough . . . Seahawks and Pete Carroll . . . cough.)? Of course, Palmer won?t get $10 million to be a backup, but his willingness to walk away from football in order to get out of Cincinnati proves that he?d be willing to walk away from $10 million in order to get a shot at winning.

Palmer?s posture also reflects a belief that, despite the hiring of G.M. Reggie McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen, Palmer doesn?t see the silver-and-black bus getting turned around in the immediate future.? Otherwise, he?d gladly take $10 million to stay put.

The problem is that the Raiders currently hold all the cards.? With no seven-figure trigger in Palmer?s deal, the $13 million doesn?t become fully guaranteed until Week One, which means the Raiders can cut him much later in the offseason, if they draft a quarterback early ? or if they eventually decide Terrelle Pryor can get the job done.? The only risk the Raiders are taking is that, if Palmer drops a dumbbell on his foot or pops an Achilles tendon in offseason conditioning drills or otherwise suffers a season-ending injury while on the clock, the Raiders will owe Palmer his full salary.

That could set the stage for a Steve McNair-style lockout.? Even without Palmer being barred from the building (which would violate the CBA), Palmer is making his second power play in two years.

When a team does it, we applaud.? Fair or not, Palmer should prepare for the jeers and the boos and the accusations of being a chronic quitter.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/27/lattimore-hears-applause-at-pro-day-workout/related/

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Change (talking-points-memo)

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U.S. Strategic Helium Reserve Dwindles, Prompting Supply Concerns And Legislative Action

By John Kemp
LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - Bipartisan bills introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate aim to avert the imminent shutdown of the Federal Helium Reserve, which provides a third of all the gas consumed worldwide, and develop a proper market to avoid a long-term crunch in supplies of one of the world's most critical raw materials.
Helium is best known for filling party balloons and making people talk with a squeaky voice.
But its properties as the second-lightest element, chemically unreactive, and with a boiling point just 4 degrees above absolute zero, give it an essential role in a range of cutting-edge scientific applications.
The biggest uses are to cool the superconducting magnets used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners; help manufacture semiconductors and fibre optic cables; and, purge and pressurise the liquid hydrogen/oxygen propulsion systems used on space rockets, including the giant Delta IV launch vehicles that put spy satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Prices for refined helium sold to end-users have quadrupled from $40 per thousand cubic feet in 2000 to $160 in 2012, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which warned the Natural Resources Committee of the House of Representatives last month of "urgent issues facing the Bureau of Land Management's storage and sale of helium reserves."
Availability has fluctuated wildly in the last seven years. Problems at helium refineries in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, as well as start up delays with new refining facilities in Qatar in 2006, led to shortages and rationing.
Reliable and affordable supplies are essential. But more than 40 percent of the helium used in the United States, and roughly a third of the gas consumed worldwide, is sourced from a stockpile in northern Texas left over from the Cold War.
As a result, helium is one of the last commodities where the government still drives prices. The price charged by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which runs the Federal Helium Reserve, effectively sets minimum prices charged for helium around the world.
However, legislative authorisation for sales from the reserve will expire in the next few months, leaving lawmakers scrambling to extend the sales programme temporarily, while putting in place proper price incentives and a market to enable a private helium production industry to flourish in the long term.

WHY HELIUM MATTERS SO MUCH
"The availability of helium at low prices and the stability of the market ... contributed to the rapid growth of MRI as a (medical) diagnostic tool in the 1980s," according to the U.S. National Research Council's report on "Selling the Nation's Helium Reserve." By 2010, when the report was published, there were already more than 22,000 MRI machines in the U.S. and abroad.
In recent years, MRI makers have adapted their systems to use smaller quantities of helium and recycle more of it. But there is no substitute at the present time. Without an adequate helium supply, MRI scanners would cease working.
Helium is irreplaceable in many other applications. "Helium is just one of a number of gasses used to make our memory chips, but it's absolutely vital. To put it simply, without helium, we cannot operate," one American semiconductor manufacturer warned the Natural Resources Committee.
In 2011, Brookhaven National Laboratory was forced to delay restarting its particle accelerator, the second most powerful in the world, following an electrical fault, because of delivery problems obtaining fresh supplies of helium.

RECOVERABLE SOURCES OF GAS
The atmospheric concentration of helium, about 5.2 parts per million, is too low to make it economic to extract helium from air.
Usable helium comes instead from the decay of uranium, thorium and other radioactive elements deep underground. Most of it is lost to the atmosphere, but small quantities are trapped in the same underground formations as natural gas and carbon dioxide, where it can be recovered along with natural gas.
Most gas fields do not produce helium in sufficient concentrations to make it worthwhile separating out. But a few contain much higher concentrations that support commercial helium extraction. Exxon's Riley Ridge field in Wyoming contains 0.6 percent helium. Some fields in southern Kansas contain as much as 1.9 percent.
Helium can be extracted as a by-product at natural gas processing plants that extract liquids like ethane, propane and butane. If the concentration is high enough, it may be worth constructing specialist facilities to remove it. Most helium is currently produced this way, which requires a minimum concentration of about 0.3 percent.
In future, however, the most promising source of helium is the giant liquefaction plants used to produce LNG. Helium is left as a gas when methane is chilled to become a liquid. LNG facilities may be able to extract helium commercially at concentrations of just 0.04 percent.

1996 HELIUM PRIVATISATION ACT
Helium's strategic importance was realised during the First World War, when it was used as a safer alternative to hydrogen to lift reconnaissance and weather balloons.
The 1920 Mineral Leasing Act reserved all helium produced on federal lands for the federal government. In 1925, the Helium Act declared helium was a critical war material, controlled production and curbed exports.
Production underwent a massive expansion during the Second World War, then again during the 1950s and 1960s as part of the cold war space race and missile programme.
The 1960 Helium Amendment Act gave natural gas producers financial incentives to separate helium and sell it to the federal government. It also established a strategic helium storage facility in the Bush Dome Reservoir, a partially depleted gas field near Amarillo in Texas.
Several companies built separation facilities at the most promising gas fields in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Roughly 36 billion cubic feet of helium were bought by the government and injected into Bush Dome.
The stockpile borrowed almost $300 million from the U.S. Treasury to acquire and fill the facility. The aim was to pay the money back plus interest, as well as cover all operating costs, when the helium was eventually sold to consumers such as NASA and the Department of Defense. The loans were supposed to be repaid by 1985.
By 1973 it had become clear helium demand would never be as high as originally forecast. New injections into the reservoir matched withdrawals. The stockpile remained about 35 billion cubic feet throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The deadline for repayment was eventually extended to 1995. But by 1995, the amount owed had spiralled to $1.3 billion, including accumulated interest, and it became clear the "helium debt" would never be cleared.
The Clinton administration and Congress decided to get out of the helium business. The 1996 Helium Privatisation Act ordered the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to close all government-owned facilities for refining helium.
It froze the helium debt, and ordered the Bureau to start selling crude helium from the reserve at a steady rate over 10 years starting no later than 2005 at prices sufficient to repay the debt and cover operating costs.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
The law directed BLM to carry out stockpile sales "with minimum market disruption," but it has not worked out as intended.
The cost-recovery pricing formula ensured BLM was originally charging much more for its helium than other suppliers, minimising the market impact. BLM sales were originally priced at about double the normal market rate.
But BLM has become such an enormous seller, in a market with few other competitors and substantial barriers to entry, that other suppliers have taken it as a benchmark, and moved their own prices higher to match it. Helium prices have shifted upwards as a result.
The main companies involved in refining and distribution are Air Products and Chemicals, Linde, Praxair and American Air Liquide.
Meanwhile, helium demand has been growing more rapidly than expected, especially outside the U.S. in the burgeoning semiconductor and technology industries of Asia.
Worldwide consumption rose 3.6 percent per year between 1990 and 2008, from 3.28 billion cubic feet to 6.3 billion, including a growth spurt of 7.8 percent per year between 1996 and 2001, according to the National Research Council.
The Bureau has raised far more money from its sales than expected, meaning it will meet its target of paying off the helium debt early. At the end of September 2012, the outstanding helium debt had been reduced to just $44 million. BLM will meet its repayment deadline within a matter of months, far ahead of the original deadline of 2015.
Once the debt is repaid, the helium programme will terminate automatically under the law. Any further sales revenues will go straight to the Treasury. Unless Congress appropriates money, there will be no money to pay the salaries of the 51 full-time equivalent employees and other operating expenses, including running a crude helium enrichment unit and pipeline infrastructure.
Far more helium has been withdrawn from the reserve, earlier, than policymakers intended. "By 2008, the market price for helium began to hover near the BLM's price, leading to greater withdrawals ... than anticipated," a senior Interior Department official told the House Committee hearing.
The strategic reserve is dwindling. Much of it is being turned into refined helium and exported. By the end of September 2012, BLM had sold 16.2 billion cubic feet and had just 11.4 billion left in the conservation reserve.
As reserves have fallen, fears have grown about the long-term security of U.S. supplies. And because the BLM has become a huge supplier, it has stunted the growth of private helium production.
Similar bills introduced into the House of Representatives and published in draft form in the Senate, both with cross-party support, would try to solve some of the problems.
Both would extend the authority for stockpile sales, for one further year (the House version) or until the end of September 2014 (Senate bill).
Thereafter, the bills would permit further sales, but require at least some of them take place on an auction basis. There are some differences in the details. But the intention is to create a proper market and enable price discovery, with the ultimate aim of stimulating the creation of a private helium industry.
Both bills order BLM to disclose more information about its holdings and transactions to help create a proper market. Finally, the bills aim to encourage research into new ways to separate helium, particularly from reservoirs with low concentrations, in a bid to improve long-term security.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/27/us-strategic-helium-reserve_n_2961771.html

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BRICS Leaders Optimistic About New Development Bank (Voice Of America)

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Blake Shelton zings new 'Voice' coaches: I think they suck!

By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

"The Voice" is back! On Monday night, the talent competition returned with a new batch of singing hopefuls and two new coaches -- Usher and Shakira. So what did veteran coach Blake Shelton think of the newbies sitting beside him?

"I think they suck. How's that sound?" Shelton said with a smile during a Tuesday morning visit to TODAY.

But on a more serious note, the country crooner admitted he and returning coach Adam Levine now have some stiff competition when it comes to swaying singers to join their teams.

"I think they're doing way better than Adam and I expected," he explained. "I mean, the first couple of auditions, we were sitting there, like, 'Oh, yeah. This is going to be easy.' (But) you could tell they'd done their homework. They knew what was up, and they made it hard for us -- and embarrassing at times. ... We thought we had somebody won over just because we'd been there longer. That wasn't the case."

In addition to giving Shelton and Levine a tough fight for contestants, Usher and Shakira even gave them a run for the spotlight on the show's stage during a group performance of the Beatles hit "Come Together."

"It was really cool," Shelton recalled. "I think it was the first time Usher ever played and sang live (at the same time) before. He was having a ball with that. You know, that's the cool thing about when we do live performances. They kind of just leave it up to us to do whatever we want to do musically. And so, of course, Adam always wants to play the drums so he can be the loudest."

According to host Carson Daly, who continued his week-long co-hosting stint on TODAY Tuesday, the performance was part of what makes "The Voice" stand out among other reality TV talent competitions.

"We have these coaches, who are four of the biggest artists on planet Earth," he said. "And it's a big sort of point of differential between us and other shows -- the fact that we can do these big, supergroup performances. We like to do them as often as possible."

See what's next from the coaches and the talent when "The Voice" airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.

How do you think the new coaches did? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Questionable Entries Prompt Google To Retract Some Glass Explorer Invitations

Google made plenty of nerds happy earlier this week when it began reaching out to the 8,000 people that would have the privilege of spending $1,500 on the company's head-mounted Glass display, but that thrill wound up being short-lived for some. About seven hours after announcing that the outreach to would-be Glass Explorers began, the Glass team once again took to the project's Google Plus page to admit they needed to rescind some of those invitations.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/UAqMP8hih0Y/

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GM in next phase of hoped for Buick revival

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stop me if you've heard this one before: There's this famous car brand whose average driver is more familiar with Social Security than social media.

General Motors Co. will make another attempt to get Buick to appeal to younger buyers with freshened up versions of the Regal midsize sports sedan and the LaCrosse large luxury car. GM unveiled the pair Tuesday ahead of the New York auto show.

Youth has been the theme of several of Buick marketing campaigns during the last three decades, with famous pitchmen from Tiger Woods to Shaquille O'Neal. Sales have even risen recently after a dramatic and lengthy decline. But even with that recent success, odds are against GM making Buick a go-to option for large numbers of drivers below the age of 40.

Buick, once coveted for its understated elegance, used to be a dominant brand. In 1984, GM sold 942,000 Buicks in the U.S., according to Ward's AutoInfoBank. But many Buick buyers died, and younger people opted for SUVs and cooler European cars. Sales tumbled, bottoming out at just over 102,000 in 2009. GM only kept the brand alive because it became a huge seller in China.

The company doesn't expect Buick sales to approach 900,000 per year again. But executives say they can still make a lot of money selling the higher-priced luxury vehicles with lower sales numbers.

GM is giving the LaCrosse a more sculpted, modern look. It gets updated LED daytime running lamps and tail lights and a larger front grille. On the inside, it gets new, more supportive seats and a modernized center stack with fewer buttons than the current car. The interior will have more of a luxury feeling to differentiate it from the sportier Regal.

The Regal gets similar cosmetic changes on the outside. Inside, more supportive seats and a simpler dashboard and center console give it a sportier look. GM's 2.4-liter four-cylinder "e-Assist" engine, with a small electric motor that helps boost gas mileage, becomes standard. A new, more powerful version of GM's 2-Liter turbocharged engine, with 259 horsepower, is in the sportier models, the turbo and GS.

GM says the Regal will be more responsive, refined and efficient than the previous model.

The LaCrosse goes on sale late this summer and the Regal comes out in the fall. Prices and gas mileage weren't released, but GM hinted at efficiency and price increases. The current Regal starts at $29,015, while the LaCrosse starts at $31,660.

The LaCrosse, a new model in 2009, and the Regal, new in 2010, have helped Buick's sales rise during the past three years, and reached 180,000 in 2012. Other catalysts were the new Verano, a compact based on the Chevrolet Cruze, and the Enclave, a big crossover SUV, that got a facelift last year. Also, Buick's new Encore small SUV is just starting to hit showrooms.

The new products have helped to change Buick's demographics. In 2006, Buick buyers on average had celebrated 64 birthdays. Last year that fell to 57, according to the company. The average car buyer in the U.S. is 52, according to the TrueCar.com auto pricing site.

Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick marketing in the U.S., said Buick was the only luxury brand to lower its average age in the past five years. The Verano has helped ? small cars tend to draw younger buyers. But Buick still wants to catch more people in their 40s. Regal buyers, on average, were 55 last year, according to the Polk research firm. The average age of a LaCrosse buyer was almost 63.

But the new cars haven't helped Buick sales keep up with the industry. Last year, Buick sales grew only 1.6 percent while total U.S. auto sales rose 13 percent. Spokesman Nick Richards blames the slow growth on a cut in low-profit sales to fleet buyers such as rental car companies as GM tries to boost the brand's resale values. He says retail sales to individual buyers rose about 6 percent.

So far this year, though, sales are up 22 percent, DiSalle said. The brand, he said, now has five models to sell, when last year at this time it had only three. "We certainly have the ability here to go to market with broader market coverage," he said.

Still, Buick's models combined were outsold last year by single models from other automakers. Ford, for instance, sold just over 241,000 Fusion midsize cars last year, beating Buick by itself. But Buick did outsell some competing luxury brands including Acura, Infiniti and Lincoln.

Four years ago, Buick's future was in doubt. Members of the Obama administration's autos task force thought about getting rid of Buick during GM's government-funded trip through bankruptcy court. But the brand survived because of a strong following in China. Chinese drivers bought more than 700,000 Buicks last year, up 8 percent from 2011.

In the U.S., Buick likely won't approach those numbers because the stodgy image clings to the brand.

"The vehicles themselves are very suited for young driving habits. Good fuel economy, performance, nice looking," said Rebecca Lindland, owner of Rebel Three Consulting of Greenwich, Conn.

"But it's still not cool to be in a bar and say you have a Buick."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gm-next-phase-hoped-buick-070157837.html

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