Sunday 30 June 2013

Report: U.S. taps 500M German phone, Internet links in month

BERLIN (Reuters) - The United States taps half a billion phone calls, emails and text messages in Germany in a typical month and has classed its biggest European ally as a target similar to China, according to secret U.S. documents quoted by a German newsmagazine.

The revelations of alleged U.S. surveillance programs based on documents taken by fugitive former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden have raised a political furor in the United States and abroad over the balance between privacy rights and national security.

Exposing the latest details in a string of reputed spying programs, Der Spiegel quoted from an internal NSA document which it said its reporters had seen.

The document Spiegel cited showed that the United States categorized Germany as a "third-class" partner and that surveillance there was stronger than in any other EU country, similar in extent to China, Iraq or Saudi-Arabia.

"We can attack the signals of most foreign third-class partners, and we do it too," Der Spiegel quoted a passage in the NSA document as saying.

It said the document showed that the NSA monitored phone calls, text messages, emails and internet chat contributions and has saved the metadata - that is, the connections, not the content - at its headquarters.

On an average day, the NSA monitored about 20 million German phone connections and 10 million internet data sets, rising to 60 million phone connections on busy days, the report said.

While it had been known from disclosures by Snowden that the United States tapped data in Germany, the extent was previously unclear.

News of the U.S. cyber-espionage program Prism and the British equivalent Tempora have outraged Germans, who are highly sensitive to government monitoring having lived through the Stasi secret police in the former communist East Germany and with lingering memories of the Gestapo of Hitler's Nazi regime.

A Spiegel report on Saturday that the NSA had spied on European Union offices caused outrage among EU policymakers, with some even calling for a suspension to talks for a free trade agreement between Washington and the EU.

In France, Der Spiegel reported, the United States taps about 2 million connection data a day. Only Canada, Australia, Britain and New Zealand were explicitly exempted from spy attacks.

Snowden, a U.S. citizen, fled the United States to Hong Kong in May, a few weeks before the publication in the Guardian and the Washington Post of details he provided about secret U.S. government surveillance of internet and phone traffic.

He has been holed up in a Moscow airport transit area for a week after U.S. authorities revoked his passport. The leftist government of Ecuador is reviewing his request for asylum.

(Reporting by Annika Breidthardt; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-taps-half-billion-german-phone-internet-links-093938180.html

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Co-Founder ?Who Made Numbers God? At Zynga Joins Bee Cave Games As Advisor/Investor

Screen Shot 2013-06-28 at 6.14.04 PMEx-Zynga co-founder and godfather of metrics-based game development Eric Schiermeyer is now an investor and advisor to Bee Cave Games, makers of play-money gambling Facebook game Blackjack Casino. Schiermeyer left Zynga a while back. Bee Cave Games CEO Erik Bethke tells me Schiermeyer's advisor gig is a weekly role and his investment is part of a forthcoming funding round in the low millions.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/0EvHVmPK-QA/

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Saturday 29 June 2013

Russian pro-, anti-gay activists clash, police detain dozens

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Police detained dozens of people when pro- and anti-gay activists clashed in the Russian city of St Petersburg on Saturday, just two weeks after parliament passed a law banning homosexual "propaganda".

Critics say the bill - a nationwide version of laws in place in cities including St Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin's hometown, - effectively bans gay rights rallies and could be used to prosecute anyone voicing support for homosexuals.

Up to 100 people took part in the march to protest against the law, confronted by an equal number of anti-gay activists, who threw eggs, smoke flares and stones at them.

Police intervened with batons to stop the violence and detained dozens of people.

"We staged the rally to support our rights and express our protest against the homophobic law," Natalya Tsymbalova, a gay activist said by telephone from a police station, adding that the rally did not infringe Russian law.

The march was organized by the group "Ravnopraviye" (Equal Rights).

The incident highlights increasing intolerance in Russian society towards gay people and a toughening of laws aimed at stifling any dissent against the rule of Putin in general.

The bill passed by the lower house on June 11 bans the spreading of "propaganda for non-traditional sexual relations" to minors and sets heavy fines for violations. It has yet to be signed into law by Putin.

There are no official figures on anti-gay crime in Russia, but in an online poll last year, 15 percent of about 900 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender respondents said they had been physically attacked at least once in the previous 10 months.

Putin, who has embraced the Russian Orthodox Church as a moral authority and harnessed its influence as a source of political support, has championed socially conservative values since starting a new, six-year term in May 2012.

(Reporting by Alexander Demianchuk and Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-pro-anti-gay-activists-clash-police-detain-143841111.html

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U.S. charges Chinese wind company with stealing trade secrets

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Chinese wind turbine maker Sinovel Wind Group Co and two of its employees were charged with stealing trade secrets from U.S.-based AMSC by the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Thursday.

A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin returned an indictment leveling theft charges on Sinovel, two of its employees and a former employee of AMSC, a Devens, Massachusetts-based company that provided wind turbine design, engineering services and power electronics and controls to Sinovel. Authorities said the theft allegedly cost AMSC $800 million. (http://r.reuters.com/jud39t)

Sinovel officials were not immediately available for comment.

In 2011, AMSC, which mainly supplies electrical systems used in wind turbines, filed several lawsuits in China against Sinovel alleging the illegal use of AMSC's intellectual property.

AMSC, which was formerly known as American Superconductor Corp, said at the time it wanted to recover more than $1.2 billion in damages.

"The fact that Sinovel has exported stolen American intellectual property from China back into the United States - less than 40 miles from our global headquarters - shows not only a blatant disrespect for intellectual property but a disregard for international trade law," AMSC Chief Executive Officer Daniel McGahn said.

AMSC called on President Barack Obama's administration and Congress to re-evaluate the U.S. trade relationship with China.

AMSC said that, over the past two years, more than 500 staff worldwide have lost their jobs following Sinovel's "egregious and unlawful behavior."

The defendants indicted include Su Liying, the deputy director of Sinovel's Research and Development Department, Zhao Haichun, a technology manager for Sinovel and Dejan Karabasevic, a former AMSC employee.

Sinovel, once AMSC's largest customer, contracted with an AMSC employee in Austria to get the software designed for Sinovel's turbines.

"The Sinovel case is a classic example of the growing insider threat facing our nation's corporations and their intellectual property," said FBI Executive Assistant Director Richard McFeely.

AMSC shares were up as much as 7 percent in extended trading.

(Reporting by Thyagaraju Adinarayan and Nichola Groom; Editing by David Gregorio and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-charges-chinese-wind-company-stealing-trade-secrets-114343443.html

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Wall Street Fundamentals Releases New In-Depth Stock Reports on AEE, ETR, EXC and POM

On Monday, the 10-year Treasury yield spiked to 2.644 percent, the highest in nearly two years. The treasury yield has surged over 1 percent from its intraday low of 1.614 percent on May 1st. There are currently 165 companies (roughly 33 percent) in the S&P 500 Index with dividend yields higher than the 10-year Treasury yield, compared to 257 companies at the end of March. The recent surge in yields has triggered a selloff in defensive stocks among investors who flocked to the riskier equities in a low interest-rate environment.

Ameren Corp. (NYSE:AEE - News) shares traded in the range of $33.84 to $33.90 Wednesday before settling to close at $33.84, an increase of 1.29 percent. The stock appears to be facing resistance at the $34.47 and $34.87 levels. The company currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.40 a share, $1.60 annually, for a dividend yield of roughly 4.7 percent. Shares of Ameren have fallen approximately 2.0 percent in the past month.

More information on Ameren and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/AEE

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - News) shares traded in the range of $69.18 to $70.52 Wednesday before settling to close at $70.28, an increase of 1.62 percent. The stock appears to be facing resistance at the $70.50 and $71.14 levels. The company currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.83 a share, $3.32 annually, for a dividend yield of roughly 4.7 percent. Shares of Entergy have gained approximately 2.0 percent in the past month.

More information on Entergy and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/ETR

Exelon Corporation (NYSE:EXC - News) shares traded in the range of $31.14 to $31.50 Wednesday before settling to close at $31.35, an increase of 0.87 percent. The stock appears to be facing resistance at the $31.36 and $31.98 levels. The company currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.31 a share, $1.24 annually, for a dividend yield of roughly 4.0 percent. Shares of Exelon have fallen approximately 9.5 percent in the past month.

More information on Exelon and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/EXC

Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POM - News) shares traded in the range of $19.99 to $20.27 Wednesday before settling to close at $20.19, an increase of 1.41 percent. The stock appears to be facing resistance at the $20.40 and $20.63 levels. The company currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.27 a share, $1.08 annually, for a dividend yield of roughly 5.4 percent. Shares of Pepco have fallen approximately 5.0 percent in the past month.

More information on Pepco and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/POM

Wall Street Fundamentals offers our members a full range of investor services including in-depth equity reports on your favorite companies and timely market updates featuring the hottest stocks trending in the marketplace.

Activate your always free membership by signing up at www.WallStreetFundamentals.com today.

Disclaimer: Information, opinions and analysis contained herein are based on sources believed to be reliable, but no representation, expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, completeness or correctness. The opinions contained herein reflect our current judgment and are subject to change without notice. We accept no liability for any losses arising from an investor's reliance on or use of this report. This report is for information purposes only, and is neither a solicitation to buy nor an offer to sell securities. Certain information included herein is forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements concerning manufacturing, marketing, growth, and expansion. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could affect actual results and cause them to differ materially from expectations expressed herein. Wall Street Fundamentals has no financial relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this release.

Contact:
Wall Street Fundamentals
Website: www.WallStreetFundamentals.com
Email: editor@wallstreetfundamentals.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-fundamentals-releases-depth-stock-reports-aee-123000346.html

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Friday 28 June 2013

Real estate index shows May increase - Ramona Sentinel | Ramona ...

Thursday, June 27?The University of San Diego Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate?s Index of Leading Economic Indicators was released today, showing a 0.6 percent increase in May from the previous month.

The uptick was led by sharp gains in the number of residential building permits issued and local stock prices, USD professor Alan Gin said.

?With May?s advance, the outlook for the local economy remains unchanged from recent reports,? Gin said. ?Good growth is expected in the local economy through the end of 2013 and into at least the first part of 2014.?

The number of residential building permits issued in May topped 1,000 in a month for the second time this year. Not since 2007 had a single month had that many, he said.

Building permit totals so far in 2013 are up 50 percent over last year, according to Gin.

The professor said an improved overall economy has put more people to work and earned them greater incomes, which has increased demand for housing.

That, in turn, has created more jobs in real estate and construction businesses, he said.

Gin said local stock prices rose 1.88 percent in May, reflecting an increase in the broader market in May.

On the labor front, the number of filers for unemployment insurance rose last month, but the amount of help-wanted advertising also went higher, he said.

The index stood at 126.4 in May, its highest mark since December 2007.

Related posts:

  1. Report shows crime increase for Ramona
  2. New sentencing date set for real estate agent in conspiracy case
  3. Ramona real estate agent pleads guilty in kickback scheme
  4. Real Estate Association welcomes 2011-12 board
  5. Ramona Real Estate Association plans three events this month

Short URL: http://www.ramonasentinel.com/?p=24926

Source: http://www.ramonasentinel.com/2013/06/27/real-estate-index-shows-may-increase/

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Two-Pronged Anxiety Treatment Aids Older Adults - Health News ...

THURSDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) ? A combination of antidepressant therapy and counseling is an effective way to treat anxiety in older adults, a new study finds.

Together, these treatments keep seniors anxiety-free for a longer time than either medication or counseling alone, according to the researchers.

The investigators studied 73 people, aged 60 and older, with generalized anxiety disorder, a problem that affects about 5 percent of seniors. All the patients began the study by taking the antidepressant escitalopram (Lexapro) for three months.

After that time, the patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group simply continued taking the antidepressant for another 16 weeks, while the second group continued taking the drug but also received 16 weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy.

During cognitive behavioral therapy, patients learned about the nature of anxiety, worked on relaxation techniques, such as deep, slow breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, and were also taught problem-solving skills, the study authors explained in a Washington University School of Medicine news release.

After four months, participants were randomly divided again, with half continuing on the antidepressant for another seven months and half getting an inactive placebo. At the end of 13 months the researchers compared results.

?Those individuals who had both the drug and cognitive behavioral therapy also had a lower relapse rate, and if they did relapse, it happened later,? Dr. Eric Lenze, a professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in the news release.

Taking the antidepressant lowered anxiety levels, but the improvement was much greater in patients who also received cognitive behavioral therapy, according to the study, published online recently in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

However, not all older adults benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy, Lenze said.

?Antidepressant medication and cognitive behavioral therapy appear to work well in combination, but if an older adult has begun to develop dementia related to Alzheimer?s disease or some other illness, it appears even small amounts of cognitive impairment from those disorders can interfere with the benefits this combination of therapies provides,? Lenze explained.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about anxiety disorders.

Source: http://news.health.com/2013/06/27/two-pronged-anxiety-treatment-aids-older-adults/

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Thursday 27 June 2013

Pro football player Hernandez charged with murder

ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) ? New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder in the shooting death of a friend prosecutors say had angered the football player at a nightclub a few days earlier by talking to the wrong people.

Hernandez, 23, was taken from his North Attleborough home in handcuffs just over a week after Boston semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd's bullet-riddled body was found in an industrial park about a mile away.

Less than two hours after the arrest, the Patriots announced they had cut Hernandez, a 2011 Pro Bowl selection who signed a five-year contract worth $40 million last summer.

Lloyd was a 27-year-old athlete with the Boston Bandits who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee. He was shot repeatedly in the back and chest, authorities said.

Hernandez could get life without parole if convicted.

"It is at bottom a circumstantial case. It is not a strong case," his attorney, Michael Fee, said at a court hearing during which Hernandez was ordered held without bail on murder charges and five weapons counts.

Lloyd's family members cried and hugged in the courtroom as prosecutor Bill McCauley outlined the killing. Two relatives were so overcome with emotion that they had to leave the courtroom.

McCauley said the crime stemmed from a night out at a Boston club called Rumor on June 14. He said Hernandez was upset about certain things, including that Lloyd had talked to some people Hernandez "had troubles with."

Two days later, McCauley said, on the night of June 16, Hernandez texted two friends from out of state and asked them to hurry back to Massachusetts.

Surveillance footage from outside Hernandez's home showed him leaving with a gun, and he told someone in the house that he was upset and couldn't trust anyone anymore, the prosecutor said.

The three men picked up Lloyd at his home around 2:30 a.m., according to authorities. As they drove around, they discussed what happened at the nightclub, and Lloyd started getting nervous, McCauley said.

Lloyd texted his sister, "Did you see who I am with?" When she asked who, he answered, at 3:22 a.m., "NFL," then, a minute later, "Just so you know."

Within a few minutes after that, people working the overnight shift at the industrial park reported hearing gunshots, McCauley said.

Investigators did not specify who fired the shots and did not identify the two other people who were with Hernandez.

In arguing unsuccessfully for bail, Hernandez's attorney said the athlete is unlikely to flee, is a homeowner, and lives with his fiancee and an 8-month-old baby. He also said Hernandez had never been accused of a violent crime.

As he was led from his home in the morning, Hernandez was wearing a white V-neck T-shirt, with his arms inside the shirt and behind his back. He spit into some bushes on his way to a police cruiser.

Later, as he was taken from the North Attleborough police station to court, two dozen supporters cheered, some yelling, "We love you Aaron!"

"Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation," the Patriots said in a statement announcing he had been cut.

The team added: "We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do."

The Patriots drafted Hernandez, who is originally from Bristol, Conn., in 2010 out of the University of Florida, where he was an All-American.

During the draft, one team said it wouldn't take him under any circumstances, and he was passed over by one club after another before New England took him in the fourth round.

Afterward, Hernandez said he had failed a drug test in college ? reportedly for marijuana ? and was up front with teams about it.

In other off-the-field troubles, a Florida man filed a lawsuit last week claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after they argued at a strip club in February.

And The Boston Globe reported that Hernandez lost his temper and threatened a teammate during an argument in the team's weight room shortly after he was drafted.

Hernandez became a father on Nov. 6, and said he intended to change his ways: "Now, another one is looking up to me. I can't just be young and reckless Aaron no more. I'm going to try to do the right things."

___

Associated Press writers Bridget Murphy in Boston and Howard Ulman in North Attleborough contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pro-football-player-hernandez-charged-murder-204828502.html

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This 4 Minute Video of GoPro Footage Prove Humans Are So Awesome

Every once and a while we need a reminder to be more awesome by doing more awesome. Jump off a cliff. Sky dive. Race a plane. Ride a bike. Surf. Anything. When you attach a GoPro to your head and put a thumping electronic beat as your soundtrack, life will always seem so awesome.

The video, made by YouTube user Gerry B, puts together various GoPro videos together to prove how awesome people can be. The sole purpose of a GoPro is to capture humans being ridiculous and plus, it's always good to live a life that dreams about being in a YouTube video. [Gerry B via The Awesomer]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-4-minute-video-of-gopro-footage-prove-humans-are-s-591697014

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Texas executes woman, 500th in state

(Reuters) - Texas on Wednesday executed by lethal injection a woman convicted of stabbing her elderly neighbor to death in 1997, the first U.S. execution of a woman in nearly three years, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.

Kimberly McCarthy, 52, was pronounced dead at 6:37 p.m. CDT (2337 GMT) at a Texas state prison, the department said. She was convicted of killing Dorothy Booth, 71, in 1997, cutting off her ring finger and stealing a diamond ring that she then pawned.

McCarthy was the eighth person executed in Texas this year and the 500th put to death in the state since the United States restored capital punishment in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Executions of women remain rare in the United States. Of the 1,338 inmates executed since the death penalty's reinstatement, only 13 have been women. Before McCarthy, the last woman executed was Teresa Lewis by Virginia in September 2010.

(Reporting by Lisa Maria Garza; Editing by Dina Kyriakidou)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-executes-woman-first-u-nearly-three-years-002840570.html

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Wednesday 26 June 2013

Puig leads Dodgers to 3-1 win over Giants

Los Angeles Dodgers' Yasiel Puig hits an RBI single during the eighth inning of their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Monday, June 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Yasiel Puig hits an RBI single during the eighth inning of their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Monday, June 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Yasiel Puig gestures as he hits an RBI single during the eighth inning of their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Monday, June 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Yasiel Puig, right, hits a solo home run as San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, left, catches and home pate umpire Lance Barksdale watches during the first inning of their baseball game, Monday, June 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Yasiel Puig, left, is congratulated by manager Don Mattingly after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of their baseball game, Monday, June 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Yasiel Puig, right, runs to first as he hits a solo home run San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner watches during the first inning of their baseball game, Monday, June 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

(AP) ? One by one, Los Angeles Dodgers opponents are learning the perils of challenging Yasiel Puig.

The rookie sensation hit his seventh home run in 20 major league games and added a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning against Madison Bumgarner, leading the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night.

"Yasiel is a phenomenal talent right now," Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said. "The league's trying to figure him out and they're trying to see what the best way to approach him is. But he's making them go back and scratch their heads a lot, because he's hitting everything and hitting it hard. I'm just really happy he's on our side. The way he plays the game is just infectious, and the energy he brings to our lineup is something that was sorely missed.

Nick Punto, who replaced third baseman Juan Uribe in a double switch, led off the eighth with an opposite-field double down the right-field line. Mark Ellis sacrificed Punto to third and reached safely when Bumgarner threw high to first for an error.

Puig greeted George Kontos with a line-drive single to left that scored Punto.

"He's someone who really thrives in the moment," A.J. Ellis said. "One of my best friends in baseball is the Double-A manager for the Diamondbacks, Andy Green. And when I called him and asked him what he thought about Puig, the thing that impressed him the most was that Puig never shied away from the big stage. It seemed like his best at-bats in a game came in the late stages and those clutch situations. And we're seeing that right now. There's no secret that he loves the spotlight."

Hanley Ramirez drove in the final run two batters later on a liner toward the middle that shortstop Brandon Crawford knocked down with a lunging attempt before getting the out at first.

Kontos was recalled from Triple-A Fresno before the game, while Jean Machi was sent back to the Giants' Pacific Coast League club. Kontos was optioned to the minors on June 11, the day he received a three-game suspension for throwing at Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen. But since he is appealing the penalty, Kontos is eligible to play until his case is heard by Major League Baseball.

Paco Rodriguez (2-2) got two outs and Kenley Jansen worked the ninth for his fifth save.

The Dodgers' third straight victory tied their longest winning streak this season, which came back in early April. This was their ninth attempt at matching it.

"We've been trying to get over this three-game hump for a while, so it was important for us to break through today," A.J. Ellis said. "We just want to carry the momentum into tomorrow."

Bumgarner (7-5) was charged with three runs ? two earned ? and five hits in seven-plus innings with five strikeouts in his 100th big league start. The 23-year-old left-hander engaged in another tense duel with Hyun-Jin Ryu in a rematch of their April 2 meeting, when Bumgarner spoiled the Korean-born lefty's major league debut with eight innings of two-hit ball and retired 18 consecutive batters during a 3-0 win at Dodger Stadium.

Ryu allowed a run, eight hits and four walks in 6 2-3 innings. He was lifted by manager Don Mattingly after Buster Posey reached second on a fly to right field that Puig was just about to catch when his backside made contact with the auxiliary scoreboard and the ball fell behind him. The play was originally ruled an error, then changed to a double by official scorer Don Hartack.

Ronald Belisario then came on and struck out Hunter Pence.

The Giants began a 10-game road trip with a familiar face back in the lineup: Pablo Sandoval was reinstated from the disabled list Monday after missing 14 games because of a left foot strain. He went 2 for 4.

Puig drove a 1-1 pitch the other way into the lower seats in the right-field corner with one out in the first.

"It's pretty amazing the way he handles that ball away," A.J. Ellis said. "He loves to extend those arms and he's got so much power, foul pole to foul pole. It's another thing that makes him such a rare talent."

The home run ended Bumgarner's 16-inning scoreless streak against the Dodgers, and was their only hit until Puig's two-out single in the sixth.

"I feel like every pitch I made to Puig, I threw where I wanted to and just mixed it up on him," Bumgarner said. "He got me the first at-bat and I didn't expect him to do that. He's obviously good, or else he wouldn't be doing what he's doing. It's going to take everybody a couple of times facing him to see what he's trying to do. I think it's pretty clear what he's trying to do, but it's just a matter of seeing him a few more times."

The Giants tied it in the second inning with an RBI double inside third base by Andres Torres that scored Joaquin Arias from first base ? but Arias strained his left hamstring on the play and came out of the game.

Crawford, who replaced Arias at shortstop, flied out with the bases loaded to end the third after Ryu got a visit from pitching coach Rick Honeycutt.

The Giants had the bases loaded again in the fifth, but only because Posey slipped and fell rounding third base on a one-out single by Sandoval before scampering back to the bag. Crawford followed with a comebacker to Ryu, who calmly threw to the plate to begin an inning-ending double play.

"He realizes the key situations of the game, and when he needs a groundball and when he needs a strikeout," A.J. Ellis said. "I mean, this guy's pitched on the world's stage forever, and he's had bigger games than this and was representing a lot more people than just us. It was a great performance by him to keep us in the game. Getting that big double-play ball from Crawford on the comebacker, that was the biggest at-bat of the game."

NOTES: Puig was 3 for 4 in his first game against the rival Giants. ... Pence was 2 for 2 with a walk against Ryu, and has six hits in eight at-bats against the lefty overall. ... Ryu is 0-1 with a 2.73 ERA in four starts since beating the Angels 3-0 with a two-hitter for his first major league complete game.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-25-Giants-Dodgers/id-a4c91e0341364c4b8fe41710b04f0d48

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Flu shot effective regardless of circulating flu strain, research finds

June 25, 2013 ? New research out of St. Michael's Hospital has found that despite popular belief, the flu shot is effective in preventing the flu, even if the virus going around does not match the vaccine.

"It's quite common for people to say they are not going to get the flu shot this year because they've heard it does not match the strain of flu going around," said Dr. Andrea Tricco, the lead author of the paper and a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital. "However, we've found that individuals will be protected regardless of whether the flu strain is a match or not."

The review of the literature analyzed more than 40 years of data, from 1971 to 2011, and included 47 influenza seasons and almost 95,000 healthy people.

Dr. Tricco and colleagues were particularly interested in flu seasons when the flu vaccines were not matched well to circulating strains. They wanted to understand whether the flu vaccines would still be effective when the strains were not a match.

Vaccines work by giving the body an inactive, or non-infective, form of the flu virus so that the body can produce antibodies. When an individual comes into contact with the virus in the future, the body can use the natural antibodies it has created to fight it off.

The study looked at the two most popular vaccine formulations in Canada -- Trivalent inactive vaccine for adults and live-attenuated influenza vaccine for children. They found that both vaccines provided significant protection against matched (ranging from 65 per cent to 83 per cent effectiveness) and mismatched (ranging from 52 per cent to 54 per cent effectiveness) flu strains.

The paper was published online in the journal BMC Medicine today.

"Looking at matches and mismatches can be a difficult process because it's not a yes or no variable," Dr. Tricco said. "Often we're looking at the degree of match between a flu strain and what's included in a vaccine because strains drift from year to year."

Dr. Tricco said that the study's results are mainly applicable to the seasonal flu in otherwise healthy children and adults.

The study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/hgD7CR0J29Q/130625162235.htm

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Suntory Beverage prices $4 billion IPO near bottom of range

By Taiga Uranaka and Ritsuko Shimizu

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Suntory Beverage and Food Ltd will raise 388 billion yen ($4 billion) after it set its IPO price near the bottom of its marketing range, hurt by concerns about its valuation and weak appetite amid market volatility.

The food and soft drinks unit of Suntory Holdings Ltd set the price of its initial public offering at 3,100 yen per share, compared with its 3,000-3,800 yen indicative range, it said in a regulatory filing on Monday.

The maker of Boss canned coffee had been seeking as much as 470 billion yen in Asia's biggest IPO so far this year, to bolster its war chest for acquisitions in emerging markets like Southeast Asia and boost its competitiveness against rivals like Kirin Holdings Co Ltd .

"It's obviously a sign that the stock is not popular among institutional investors," said a hedge fund manager based in Singapore, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

"Given its valuation compared with its peers and high volatility in the market, I think even the price of 3,100 yen is too high for many institutional investors," he said.

The IPO price values Suntory Beverage at a price-to-earnings ratio of 23 based on its 2013 profit forecast. That is higher than 17 at domestic rival Asahi Group Holdings and 16 at Kirin, according to Thomson Reuters data.

At the IPO price, Suntory Beverage would have a market capitalization of 958 billion yen, behind Kirin's 1.5 trillion yen and Asahi's 1.2 trillion yen.

Suntory Beverage's IPO was also seen as a test of investor appetite for new listings at a time of high volatility in Japanese stock markets. The benchmark Nikkei <.n225> has lost about 18 percent since hitting a 5-1/2 year high in late May.

Still, the offering is almost twice the size of the $2.1 billion IPO by the infrastructure fund of Thailand's BTS Group Holdings Pcl , the second-biggest Asia IPO this year, and provides Suntory with the funds to ramp up its acquisition drive.

OVERSEAS EXPANSION

Privately held Suntory Holdings is led by President Nobutada Saji, the 67-year-old grandson of the company's founder. The group, which is known for its Premium Malt's beer and whisky, gets half of its revenue from non-alcoholic drinks unit Suntory Beverage.

Suntory Beverage said it expects its net profit to rise 50 percent to 35 billion yen and its revenue to increase 14 percent to 1.13 trillion yen this year. It has set a target for annual revenue growth of at least 5 percent over the next three years.

In Japan, Suntory is the second-largest soft drinks maker after Coca-Cola Co and the gap in their market share has been narrowing. "In terms of domestic share, Coca-Cola is 27.9 percent and Suntory 19.6 percent. The gap used to be much bigger," said Kazuhiro Miyashita, editor of a trade magazine.

Still, Suntory and its rivals see little room for growth in their saturated home market and have set their sights overseas in recent years.

Suntory acquired soft drinks maker Orangina Schweppes and New Zealand's No. 2 beverage firm Funcor Group, both in 2009. In 2011, it entered into a joint venture with Indonesian food and beverage group GarudaFood. Suntory has said that it is also eyeing the Middle East, Africa and Latin America through acquisitions.

But industry officials and analysts say that acquisitions, especially in Southeast Asia, are increasingly costly and difficult to execute.

Such concerns came to light earlier this year when Kirin lost the chance to buy Singapore-listed Fraser and Neave Ltd's (F&N) food and beverage business after Thailand's TCC Assets Ltd and Thai Beverage PCL successfully acquired the control of F&N.

Kirin sold its 15 percent stake in F&N to TCC Assets after a Thai beer baron won a two-month bidding war with an Indonesian group, a major setback for the Japanese company to gain quick access to the market.

"There are a host of enthusiastic buyers, and sellers tend to be bullish," Masaaki Kitami, an analyst at Merrill Lynch Japan Securities Co, said of the intensifying competition for beverage-company acquisitions in that region. ($1 = 97.4750 Japanese yen)

(Additional reporting by Emi Emoto and Nathan Layne; Editing by Chris Gallagher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suntory-set-price-4-8-billion-ipo-bolstering-040509583.html

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Tuesday 11 June 2013

SRJC finds synergy for food and agriculture programs ? North Bay ...

SANTA ROSA ? Santa Rosa Junior College has brought its culinary arts and agriculture departments under unified leadership, aligning those programs to emphasize for students the sometimes invisible relationship between farming and food.

Dr. Ganesan Srinivasan, who joined the junior college as its new dean of agriculture last year, began an expanded role guiding programs in the school?s culinary realm on January 1st.

?In a region known for its deep respect for food and agriculture, Dr. Srinivasan said that the approach has not only enhanced the education of students in each discipline, but also provided additional real-world insight to those looking to start businesses in the specialty foods, beverage and restaurant arena.

?They see what it costs to produce food with locally grown, organic produce,? he said. ?Here, people value their food. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for quality food and wine.?

The convergence is among the latest evolutionary steps for two programs that have drawn significant attention in recent years, spurred by developments like the opening of a new $20 million culinary arts center in January 2012 and a steady stream of award-winning products from the school?s 365-acre Shone Farm near Forestville.

B. Robert Burdo Culinary Arts Center

While the B. Robert Burdo Culinary Arts Center and Shone Farm are significant assets on their own, Dr. Srinivasan said that the existence of both under the umbrella of Santa Rosa Junior College allows for a level of coordinated sophistication that is rare among institutions of higher learning.

?Even large schools don?t have the kind of facilities we have,? he said.

Under the overlapping departments, students in the agriculture and culinary arts programs have worked closely to offer new products at the culinary arts center?s restaurant while finding ways to utilize food waste at Shone Farm, he said.

For the first time, grass-feed beef produced at Shone Farm is now being offered at the culinary center?s restaurant. The farm has also provided fresh produce to the facility, a practice that has directly involved students there.

?The students can come to Shone Farm and harvest fresh produce, then serve it as a salad the next day,? he said.

While not structured as a profit-making venture, revenue from both the culinary center and products from Shone Farm has been steadily climbing since Dr. Srinivasan first joined as dean of agriculture last year, he said.

In general, sales of Shone Farm products are up approximately 50 percent, he said. That includes sales of wine produced at the farm, which has been available at high-end grocery stores in the region and recently became available at Whole Foods markets in both Santa Rosa and Petaluma. The farm?s vineyards and winery produce 300 to 400 cases annually of pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, with the pinot winning a gold medal at the San Francisco Chronicle?s 2013 wine competition.

Another Shone Farm item ? olive oil ? has drawn intense demand after garnering a double gold award in professional competition at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair last year. After producing only 15 cases and less than 200 bottles of a three-varietal blend in 2011, Shone farm will create three varieties and 100 cases this year, Dr. Srinivasen said.

The farm?s community-supported agriculture produce delivery program has also added customers, with the addition of Agilent?s Santa Rosa campus helping to bump customers up from 70 last year to more than 100 today, he said.

The search for profit has provided real-world experience for students, with revenues available for reinvestment into programs and facilities for both agriculture and culinary arts programs.

?We?re not increasing revenue for the sake of revenue. Consumers realize that by supporting agriculture, they are supporting students,? he said.

Revenue has also increased year-over-year at the Culinary Arts Center which Dr. Srinivasen estimated generated more than $200,000 in sales in 2012 ? its first year in operation. Reservations for the facility?s restaurant are frequently required two weeks in advance, and high demand has inspired plans to expand with an outdoor pizza oven in the near future.

With a deeper knowledge of concepts from farming, culinary program graduates are better able to serve a consumer that has grown increasingly savvy towards the origin of their food, said Betsy Fischer, who teaches front house and restaurant operations while managing the school?s Culinary Career Center.

?I think knowledge about good food and where it comes from is what conscientious food service employers and restaurant diners are seeking,? Ms. Fischer said. ?Culinary grads don?t need to have knowledge of ?farming? but an appreciation for the concept of local, organic and delicious.?

The success of student-led ventures in agriculture, food and wine production points to a certain cache for the Sonoma brand both inside and outside the county, Dr. Srinivasen said. The region has proven an effective springboard for food and beverage companies that emphasize the relationship between ingredients and products, highlighting the importance of educational efforts to connect the two concepts.

?When you go and ask consumers what they equate Sonoma County with, wine and food are very high,? said Tim Zahner, head of marketing at the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau. Increasingly, travelers are expecting that the farm and vineyard will be part of the experience as well, he said.

Source: http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/74389/srjc-finds-synergy-for-food-and-agriculture-programs/

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Monday 10 June 2013

Gas prices holding steady in RI

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Gas prices are holding steady in Rhode Island for the third straight week.

The latest survey by AAA Southern New England, released Monday, finds that the average cost of a gallon of regular, self-serve in the state is $3.59.

Local prices are up 4 cents in the last month. The current average is 4 cents less than the national per-gallon average of $3.63.

Rhode Islanders were paying an average of $3.60 a gallon a year ago at this time.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gas-prices-holding-steady-ri-181131713.html

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Neighbor: Calif. gunman's mother in mourning

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) ? An acquaintance says the mother of the gunman who killed five people in Santa Monica, Calif., is in mourning and is trying to make sense of what happened.

Neighbor Beverly Meadows says she spoke with Randa Abdou on Monday. Abdou cut short a family visit in Lebanon and spoke to investigators Sunday.

Meadows says Abdou will not be returning to her Los Angeles apartment anytime soon and has no plans to talk to news media.

Abdou's 23-year-old son John Zawahri, shot his father and brother, leaving their home in flames Friday before opening fire on strangers in cars, a bus and on the Santa Monica College campus.

Police say he was heavily armed and carrying 1,300 rounds of ammunition when officers killed him in the campus library.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/neighbor-calif-gunmans-mother-mourning-204749811.html

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Monday 3 June 2013

Isner saves 12 match points _12! _ but Haas wins

PARIS (AP) ? Over and over and over again in his latest hard-to-believe five-setter, John Isner was a single point from losing to 35-year-old Tommy Haas. And over and over and over again, Isner put off defeat, saving a record 12 match points.

Twelve!

He could not find a way to win, though. And he could not save Haas' 13th match point.

Haas became the oldest man to reach the French Open's fourth round since 2007, putting his dozen wasted chances in the fourth set behind him, then coming back from a break down in the last set to beat Isner 7-5, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-7 (10), 10-8 on Saturday.

And so the American best known for winning a nothing-comes-close 70-68 fifth set at Wimbledon in 2010 departs with a five-set loss for a fifth consecutive Grand Slam tournament.

"These long matches seem to follow me," Isner said, his words drawn out slowly.

"In hindsight, probably would have been better to lose in straight sets," Isner said, rubbing his left cheek with his palm, "because I feel terrible right now."

He paused and, sounding like a person trying to convince himself, added: "But I'll recover."

The match lasted 4 hours, 37 minutes. That's nothing, of course, compared to the 11-plus hours Isner played across three days during his 70-68 victory over Nicolas Mahut in the first round at Wimbledon three years ago.

Haas, like everyone else, associates Isner with that marathon to top all marathons.

"I was definitely hoping it wasn't going to go like in Wimbledon with him and Mahut. I was probably going to wave the white flag before that," the 12th-seeded Haas said. "That was not going to happen to me."

Isner led 3-0 and 4-1 in the fifth set but let Haas get back into things with a break to 4-3. Ahead 5-4 as Haas served, Isner earned his first ? and only ? match point. With the roles now reversed, the American failed to take advantage, flubbing a backhand on a 12-stroke exchange.

The International Tennis Federation said the most match points saved in any men's match on record were the 11 erased by Adriano Panatta when he wound up defeating Kim Warwick in Rome in 1976. In the 2000 French Open final, Magnus Norman saved 10 match points before losing to Gustavo Kuerten on the 11th.

Neither Haas nor the 19th-seeded Isner realized just how many there were Saturday.

"I lost track totally," Haas said.

Well, here's a recap: Nine match points came in a single game, when Isner served while trailing 6-5.

"It kept going to deuce, break point, deuce, break point," Haas said.

Three more came in the tiebreaker. Haas, a four-time Grand Slam semifinalist, was up 7-6 when Isner hit an ace. Then, with Haas getting a chance to serve while ahead 8-7, the German double-faulted. And at 9-8, Haas pushed a backhand into the net.

Isner eventually converted his third set point, at 11-10, with a service winner, and a wide smile creased his face.

The match was more than 3? hours old.

"It's obviously a great match to be a part of, especially at such a big event, against somebody that is very used to those kinds of matches," Haas said. "Unfortunately, one has to lose, and I think it would have been more upsetting for me in this case after having many chances in the fourth set there."

Haas was only 2 for 22 on break-point chances until converting his 23rd when Isner put a volley into the net. Haas then served out the victory.

By the end, the older Haas looked to be the fresher man against Isner, who is 28. At the changeover before the last game, the 6-foot-9 Isner chose not to even sit in his sideline chair, leaning over with his hands on his knees and his chest heaving.

"I was laboring a bit at the end, that's for sure," said Isner, who noted that he felt cramping in his legs.

He had spent plenty of time on court a day earlier: Isner never had come back to win after dropping the first two sets until he did it Friday against Ryan Harrison. Isner couldn't quite pull off that trick twice in a span of about 30 hours.

Before that Harrison victory, Isner also had dropped six five-setters in a row, including one at each Grand Slam tournament in 2012. He skipped the Australian Open this January because of a right knee injury.

On Saturday, Isner hit 27 aces over the course of the late afternoon and early evening on Court 1, which is known as the "bullring" because of its oval shape. A large segment of the crowd, pulling for Haas, broke into clap-accompanied chants of "Tom-my! Tom-my!"

The most effective part of Isner's game is his serve, which comes from such a height that it is difficult for nearly any opponent to deal with, no matter the surface. That's why it's such a challenge to break Isner ? or win tiebreakers against him.

His collection of five-set epics ? he is now 5-12 in such lengthy matches; Haas is 21-20 ? includes a loss to Rafael Nadal in the first round of the 2011 French Open, which remains the only time the tournament's seven-time champion has been pushed the distance in Paris.

In Paris a year ago, Isner lost 18-16 in the second round to Paul-Henri Mathieu, a Frenchman ranked outside the top 250 at the time. That one lasted 5 hours, 41 minutes, making it the second-longest match, by time, in French Open history.

While Isner again will head home after a five-set setback ? leaving zero American men in the tournament ? Haas plays on. He'll face No. 29 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia for a berth in the quarterfinals.

"Tommy, he stayed the course," Isner said, "and he deserves the win."

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/isner-saves-12-match-points-12-haas-wins-213403719.html

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