90 million workers won't be needed by 2020

A study shows that by 2020, tens of millions of people around the world will become jobless. Around 95 low-skill workers will not be needed by employers creating more income inequality in the world.  Through 2030, China and India will add the most college-educated workers to the labor force.

The study says:

"The polarization of incomes between high- and low-skill workers could become even more pronounced, slowing the advance in national living standards, and increasing public-sector burdens and social tensions,.....In some advanced economies, less-skilled workers could very well grow up poorer than their parents, in real terms."

The world already is suffering from growing joblessness. 6% of workers worldwide are unemployed, according to the International Labour Office.

Developing countries need to double or triple the growth rate of the capacity of their high schools and vocational schools, double or triple their labor-intensive exports, and double or triple their investment in infrastructure and housing construction

Newly developed memory could make your smartphone battery last 10 times longer

TOKYO — Good news for users of smartphones and other portable devices constantly frustrated by batteries that don’t seem to last the day.  A new type of energy saving memory has been successfully developed that can extend your battery life from 5 to 10 times.

Typical memory works as an arrangement of “cells” that each save information as a binary value of “1” or “0” which requires some electricity. The problem with this system is that the cells are arranged as a circuit which makes it necessary for the current to pass through every single cell every time information is processed. For most processes, this leads to a massive waste of electricity.

However, a research group at Tohoku University has found a way to only send electricity to the cells that are being processed.  When the cells that need writing are assigned, power is sent only to that sector leaving all the other cells dead. The researchers have accomplished this in one nanosecond.

This technology looks to be ready for commercial application very soon, and undoubtedly manufacturers are dying to get their hands on it. So if you’re planning to replace your mobile device, you may want to wait a bit. It looks like we’re about to see some longer-living smartphones from here on.

RocketNews24

Disney’s first animated character re-animated

Disney's first animated character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
 re-animated in a new movie

Walt Disney’s first animated character is going to be ‘re-born’ in a new movie. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was the forerunner of Mickey Mouse, and is celebrating his 85th anniversary.

Oswald first appeared in 26 episode series in the 1920s and 1930s for Universal Studios, and was highly successful. His huge ears and square red shorts look very much like Disney’s more famous character – Mickey Mouse. And it’s no coincidence, The Hollywood Reporter says.

Walt Disney’s personal sketchbooks and the rights for Oswald remained in the possession of Universal after the animator had a dispute with the studio. Aged 27 Disney left Universal and started on his own production company around Mickey Mouse.

In 2006 Disney regained rights for Oswald from NBC Universal.So to mark the anniversary Disney archivists took out the original Oswald sketches and made an animation film out of them. The new cartoon is titled "Harem Scarem" and sees the rabbit riding a two-humped camel.

Mexico student protests trip up presidential frontrunner

Presidential frontrunner Enrique Pena Nieto,  the candidate of the powerful Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), has met an unprecedented backlash from university students across the country.

A string of marches against the Pena Nieto have rallied tens of thousands of young people.

“We are targeting Enrique Pena Nieto because he represents a decadent system that needs to be renewed. As a candidate, he is at the orders of the media industry and other big businesses. As a president, he will only look out for their interests,” said Julio Colin, a 23-year-old political science major at the Ibero-American University in Mexico City.

Colin is one of the spokesmen of the student-led #YoSoy132 movement, or I Am 132, that has been behind massive demonstrations in the Mexican capital and dozens of other cities around the country.

They accuse Televisa and TV Azteca, the country’s two main TV networks, of favouring Pena Nieto in the contest.

The sudden and enthusiastic anti-media and anti-Pena Nieto rallies have captured global headlines, with some journalists wondering if the 132 movement could block the PRI’s widely-predicted return to power.

Pena Nieto now faces an even more embarrassing bump in the campaign road. The three other Mexican presidential hopefuls have agreed to participate in a third and unscheduled debate organised by #YoSoy132 on Tuesday. While the group pledged to lead a balanced debate, Pena Nieto has so far declined to join in.

“We would like to receive [Pena Nieto’s] confirmation at the last moment, but it does not look like he will accept,” said Colin.  (France24.com)

First test tube baby mother Lesley Brown dies

Louise Brown celebrated her 30th birthday in 2008 with her mum
 Lesley, son Cameron and IVF pioneer Prof Robert Edwards

Lesley Brown, 64, who made history in July 1978 when her daughter Louise was born at Oldham General Hospital as a result of first ever IVF treatment, has died.

She died at the Bristol Royal Infirmary on 6 June with her family by her side, it has been announced.

She successfully conceived following pioneering treatment by Robert Edwards, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2010, and Patrick Steptoe.

She leaves behind daughters Louise and Natalie, who were both born following IVF treatment, her stepdaughter Sharon and five grandchildren.

Her husband died five years ago.

A private funeral service was held in Bristol on Wednesday morning.

Louise Brown said: "Mum was a very quiet and private person who ended up in the world spotlight because she wanted a family so much.

"We are all missing her terribly."

Dr Steptoe and Prof Edwards set up the Bourn Hall Clinic in Cambridge two years after Louise Brown's birth. It is now a leading centre for IVF treatment.

Speaking on behalf of Mr Edwards and the team at the clinic, chief executive Mike Macamee said: "Lesley was a devoted mum and grandmother and through her bravery and determination many millions of women have been given the chance to become mothers.

"She was a lovely, gentle lady and we will all remember her with deep affection."

Euclid telescope to probe dark universe

Euclid will conduct its surveys 1.5 million kilometres
from Earth on its "night side" 

Europe has given the final go-ahead to a space mission to investigate the "dark universe".

The Euclid telescope will look deep into the cosmos for clues to the nature of dark matter and dark energy.

These phenomena dominate the Universe, and yet scientists concede they know virtually nothing about them.

European Space Agency (Esa) member states made their decision at a meeting in Paris. Euclid should be ready for launch in 2020.

Esa nations had already selected the telescope as a preferred venture in October last year, but Tuesday's "adoption" by the Science Programme Committee (SPC) means the financing and the technical wherewithal is now in place to proceed.

The cost to Esa of building, launching and operating Euclid is expected to be just over 600m euros (£480m; $760m). Member states will provide Euclid's visible wavelength camera and a near-infrared camera/spectrometer, and its ground and data-handling elements, taking the likely cost of the whole endeavour beyond 800m euros.

Read complete news here

Asian growth surpasses Hispanic

Asians have surpassed Hispanics as the United States' largest group of new immigrants.

The Pew Research Center found that the number of Asian immigrants grew from 19 percent of all new immigrants in 2000 to 36 percent in 2010.

Incoming Hispanic immigrants fell from 59 percent in 2000 to 31 percent.

About 430,000 Asians, or 36 percent of all new immigrants, arrived in the U.S. in 2010, according to the latest census data. That's compared to about 370,000, or 31 percent, who were Hispanic.

International students studying at U.S. colleges and universities also are now most likely to come from Asian countries, roughly 6 in 10, and some of them are able to live and work in the U.S. after graduation. Asian students, both foreign born and U.S. born, earned 45 percent of all engineering Ph.D.s in 2010, as well as 38 percent of doctorates in math and computer sciences and 33 percent of doctorates in the physical sciences.

The Pew analysis, released Tuesday, said the tipping point for Asian immigrants likely occurred during 2009 as illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico sharply declined due to increased immigration enforcement and a dwindling supply of low-wage work in the weak U.S. economy. Many Mexicans already in the U.S. have also been heading back to their country, putting recent net migration at a standstill.

President Barack Obama announced on Friday he was halting deportations for young illegals but the issue is in hot debates.

Experts said there was no single answer for why Asian immigrants surpassed Hispanics, but the sluggish US economy probably played a big role.

"Illegal immigration responds quickly to economic conditions" and the US recession was a likely damper, said Jeanne Batalova, a demographer at the Migration Policy Institute.

US immigration policy tends to favour skilled labour and students, something that works to the advantage of immigrants from Asian countries that have a deep focus on education, she and other immigration experts said.

Pew's report is valuable, Chin said, because "it points out that all undocumented, unauthorised migrants are not Mexican or Hispanic. There are plenty who are Asian or from other countries in the world."

By: Sahibzada Zaheen Iqbal

Headline June 21st, 2012 / The Common Heritage Of Mankind

The Common Heritage 

Of

Mankind

What no Scientist is telling you is one of the scariest parts of the Arctic meltdown: that some 40,000 years old Ebola or anthrax-like virus that we humans have no resistance against, could be lurking in the carcass of one of these long-extinct creatures that are being coughed up. 

Remember that's one way that nature deals with species whose population is getting out of hand. A 300 year old Yakut man's skeleton was recently disgorged by the melting permafrost near Yakutsk; he could have died of smallpox. There was a big epidemic in Yakutia around then, introduced by the Cossacks. So we could see the return of smallpox. 

In the first half of the 20th century, a hundred thousand reindeer a year died of anthrax on the Yamal Peninsula. The spores lie dormant in the soil and periodically break out. More than 10,000 foci of anthrax have been registered in Russia in the last hundred years. 

In Greenlaand, RNA from the tomato mosaic tobamovirus was recently detected in 140,000 year old ice, and a host of bacteria, fungi, yeasts, green algae, cyanobacteria, and mosses are coming up from column that are being drilled in three-million-year-old ice at the mouth of the Kolyma. But meanwhile, and in 2008, Bellinger disclosed as follows: '' 

After lengthy review, this administration concluded in 2004, that it's in the interest of U.S. that the Treaty be ratified, but only in 2007, the White House released a statement, after which a big push started. The Navy wanted it. So did Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, and Conoco Phillips, two Alaska Senators, the environmentalists, Alaska Fisherman, and Fiber Optic Cable companaies like Verizon, who can lay their lines in E.E'Z's. 

And, and the pastures for the wild reindeer is getting less and less because the taiga is coming up from the south. Grasses, Birches, and some bushes like Willow are covering the lichen. And the reindeer have changed their habits. The quantity of wolves is growing. Before, there were Tundra wolves. 

Now we are getting Taiga wolves too, who run bigger packs and kill many reindeer. What are the old people saying about these changes?? '' Nature is not respecting the people anymore because the people are doing many bad things, killing many animals, cutting many forests, many plants,

Dirtying rivers and lakes. They forget that they live in a natural world and are not respecting old traditions, so nature is returning to people their bad horrible actions.So the elders before us are saying that we have awakened the underworld spirits. Don't take from nature more than you need!!'' 

So, in a world with economic basis of take more and more, this wisdom would easily go a begging!! 

Good Night And God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - The Voice Of The Voiceless

Summer in Dakar: Microlending at a Cultural Crossroads

In early June, Sam Gant ’13 spent an evening in a crowd full of energetic, designer-clad West African hip-hop fans. While the DJs played a combination of Western and traditional music, some performers free-styled in Wolof, a common Senegalese language. That is life at the cultural crossroads that is Dakar, Senegal’s capital city

Thanks to funding from Haverford’s Center for Peace and Global Citizenship (CPGC), Gant is spending his summer in Dakar, interning with Zidisha, Inc., a microlending service that connects lenders in Europe and the United States with burgeoning entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Gant, a political science and French double major, is working with 50 of Zidisha, Inc.’s borrowers, helping them stay on track with repayment and in communication with their lenders. “This job was a great chance to get hands-on experience working with developing entrepreneurs, and has given me a lot of perspective on how local economies function here,” he says.

Life in Dakar demonstrates both sides of the economic gap that Zidisha, Inc. is hoping to bridge. “On my first day in Senegal I went to an upscale mall and had the best gelato I’ve ever had in my life,” says Gant. “And on the same day, I drank bitter tea outside of a fisherman’s hut on the beach and watched fishermen haul brightly painted pirogues out of the water for the night.”

Two very different cultures, Western and traditional Senegalese have formed a unique marriage that is evident in Dakar’s music and fashion, as well as in its business development and even its popular sports. “Traditional wrestling, laamb, is [really popular] here, and when matches happen everyone watches,” Gant says. “The wrestlers are trained both by coaches and by spiritual guides…In that degree the sport hasn’t changed for millennia—except that…the matches are [now] prominently endorsed by Nido Milk and Samsung.”

It’s these collisions of Western and traditional cultures that inspired Gant’s interest in Zidisha, Inc. “It’s important not to neglect the smaller entrepreneurs who want to improve their circumstances,” Gant said. “I’m really happy to be working in a field that knits together economics and venture capitalism with direct human interaction.”

Original source here.

Transylvania University names Dickinson associate dean for religious life

T. Wilson Dickinson, a 2002 graduate of Transylvania University, has been named associate dean for religious life at the university, effective July 7. Dickinson will help the university integrate religious life with the liberal arts. The position is a natural outgrowth of Transylvania's commitment to ecumenism, reconciliation and inclusion in a 21st century context.

“Transylvania is committed to enabling students to know and experience the history and practices of various religious traditions and to interact with people of other faiths and practices,” said President R. Owen Williams. “This provides the tools they need to become informed and proactive leaders in today’s diverse world.”

Dickinson will promote spiritual development, theological reflection and social awareness on campus and will serve as chaplain for the campus community, adviser for student religious organizations and liaison between the university and the various religious bodies of Central Kentucky.

Dickinson received a master of divinity degree from Vanderbilt University and a Ph.D. in religion from Syracuse University. He served as a visiting assistant professor of philosophy at Transylvania during the 2011-12 academic year. Dickinson is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He cofounded Young Adult Ecumenical Forum, which offered conferences for college students of diverse backgrounds to engage in open theological conversation on issues such as poverty, ecological justice, violence and human trafficking. For the past year, Dickinson has been a worship leader at the Fayette County Detention Center.

Dickinson says his passion is counseling and leading students regarding issues of faith in their daily lives, focusing on intellectual inquiry, spiritual practice and social responsibility.

“I anticipate that a synergy will develop between the experiential components of my teaching, student immersion experiences and regular meetings such as quiet reflections, lunch discussions and service projects,” said Dickinson. “Creating communities, groups and practices will help students build bridges in their own lives so as to traverse the gap between college and their future.”

Original source here.

St. Olaf's 'ROI' page gains traction

St. Olaf's newly launched page that outlines employment information for the Class of 2011, The Return on Investing in a St. Olaf Education, has attracted attention from theChronicle of Higher Education and a blog featured on CBS MoneyWatch called The College Solution.

"Late last month St. Olaf College unveiled what is perhaps the most comprehensive Web site created by a college that attempts to answer the return-on-investment question," writes Jeff Selingo in Next, a Chronicle blog. And on her College Solution blog, Lynn O'Shaughnessy calls St. Olaf "trailblazing" for posting "amazingly detailed employment information for all to see.

"Clearly what St. Olaf is doing is making the case for a liberal arts degree," writes O'Shaughnessy. "I agree with the liberal arts supporters at St. Olaf and elsewhere who argue that the liberal arts are relevant in today’s job market. Employers are always going to need graduates that think and reason critically and can write cogently."

Trinity College: New Master's Degree Program on Health Care Policy

What better place is there to introduce an innovative program focusing on the economic, ethical, legal and behavioral aspects of the delivery and administration of health care than the Insurance Capital of the United States?

Answer: There is no better place than Hartford. So Trinity has stepped up to the plate, introducing a graduate-level program that will draw on the College’s and city’s expertise, and it is hoped will appeal to many of the region’s stakeholders: health insurance companies, government agencies, legal organizations, health care providers and non-profit organizations.

In creating such a program – which is believed to be unique in Connecticut and possibly in the country -- Trinity is not only bringing together the disparate aspects of the nation’s costly, complex and confusing health care industry, but is addressing an issue that has grown in urgency as 45 million Americans are uninsured and another 25 million are underinsured. Those numbers, alarming as they may be, have shown no signs of shrinking and, in fact, have grown in recent years.

“By developing this program in health care policy, we are trying to provide a center for study, reflection and discussion about the legal, economic, political and ethical issues that are relevant to the delivery of health care in the United States,” said William R. Barnett, director of graduate studies and an architect of the new program.

Students who qualify will receive an M.A. in Health Care Policy, and must have completed all of the requirements for a degree in public policy, including the successful completion of 11 total credits and a master’s thesis. It’s anticipated that about 25 new students will enroll each year.

Trinity has long had a highly successful and respected public policy program, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and this will add yet another dimension. The new M.A. program will begin in earnest in September, although Adrienne Fulco, director of the Public Policy and Law Program and an expert on constitutional law, has gotten a head start. She’s currently teaching a class called “Health Care Reform: The Affordable Care Act Goes to Court.”


“Although we are officially launching the new health policy track in the fall,” said Fulco, “I decided that it was important to offer graduate students the opportunity to study the Affordable Care Act [Obamacare] during the summer term.”


That law, which passed without any Republican votes in either chamber of Congress in 2010, was challenged on constitutional grounds in several states, and was later heard by the Supreme Court. The high court is expected to issue a ruling later this month.

“What is exciting about teaching this course now is that students are studying the Supreme Court’s decision in real time,” said Fulco. During the first part of the course, the students will examine the policy rationale for reforming the U.S. health care system, analyze the law and discuss the principal criticisms. The second part of the course will home in on the Court’s opinion and its policy implications.

“Whichever way the Court decides,” Fulco said, “the ruling will have a direct impact on the presidential election and the lives of every American.”

The fact that health care touches the lives of every American is germane to the new master’s degree program. As Barnett wrote in justifying the need for this program, he noted that life expectancy rates in the U.S. lag behind rates in other developed countries and threaten to decline for the first time in more than 100 years. Chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes – all conditions that are largely preventable through social and behavioral changes – continue to increase. And health care costs per capita and as a percent of the GDP in the U.S. outstrip figures in all other countries, thereby threatening to add significantly to the nation’s public debt.

In light of those developments, a holistic approach to this country’s health care challenges is badly needed. Barnett said the new program “will not replicate other graduate programs in public health or bioethics that typically concentrate more narrowly on issues of clinical practice.”

It’s believed that an M.A. in health care policy will benefit employees and administrators of various organizations as well as individuals and groups who are interested in health care advocacy and who seek to enhance their knowledge and credentials.

“Initiating a master’s program in health care policy is a way for Trinity College to serve the educational needs of legal, insurance, regulatory, non-for-profit, and health care professionals as they seek to grapple with the challenges in this area,” said Barnett.

Among the courses that will be offered are: “Introduction to Health Care Policy;” “Leading Issues in Bioethics, Public Policy and Law;” “Economics and Regulation of Health Care;” “Environmental Science and Health;” “Law of Health Care;” “Health Care in Hartford;” “Reproductive Rights;” “Health Care after 2014;” “Gerontology: the Aging of America;” and “Neuroscience and Health.”

But that doesn’t mean that the program is set in stone. As Barnett put it, the longer the program is in existence, the more it can adapt to meet the needs of students, stakeholders and interested parties.

“As we move forward with our program in health care policy, we will continually solicit the expertise and advice of members of the relevant professions in our area to improve the discussion of health care issues for our master’s students in public policy,” said Barnett.

Manhattam Welcomes Alumni To Campus

From June 1-3, Manhattan College alumni gathered on campus to celebrate the College’s 143rd Reunion Weekend. The weekend of festivities launched on Friday afternoon at Jasper’s Tavern in Café 1853, and the class of 1962 departed for a golden anniversary dinner cruise on the New York Harbor.

The class of 1987 commemorated their 25th anniversary at a special silver dinner in Café 1853, and made a donation to the College in the amount of $50,000. Classes marking their 15th-45th anniversaries enjoyed a dinner reception in Dante’s Den. Young alumni from 2002-2012 danced the night away in Smith Auditorium and enjoyed karaoke and a photo booth.

With more than 400 alumni visiting Riverdale, Saturday’s schedule included a buffet breakfast, estate planning seminar, a lunchtime barbecue on the Memorial Hall courtyard, and a wine tasting. President Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., also recognized members of the class of 1962 with Brother C. Thomas Jubilarian Medals at the 50th anniversary brunch. On behalf of the class of 1962, class co-chairs Joseph Dillon, president of the alumni society, and Thomas Muldoon presented a generous donation for $425,000 to the College.

In addition, a few of the College’s most talented students and alumni presented an afternoon performing arts showcase. The evening events began with a reunion vigil Mass presided over by Fr. Joseph A. Franco ’97, and concluded with dinner on the Quadrangle followed by dessert and dancing.

The alumni relations office thanks everyone who attended and helped make the weekend so memorable. Stay tuned for upcoming details about alumni reunion weekend 2013.

Original source here.

Google Maps to feature canals and rivers

Google has embarked on a project to map towpaths in England and Wales, as part of a plan to get more people on to rivers and canals.

Later this year, Google Maps will be updated to enable users to plan journeys that include bridges, locks and the 2,000 miles of canal and river paths across England and Wales.

The project is being launched today with the Canal and River Trust, which begins its stewardship of the nation's waterways next month. It takes over from British Waterways and the Waterways Trust in England and Wales to become responsible for the nation's third largest collection of listed structures, as well hundreds of important wildlife habitats.

Tony Hales, the chairman of the trust, said: "We are delighted that these exciting partners have come on board as we launch. This is a huge vote of confidence in the Canal and River Trust and recognition of the important role it will play as the guardian of one of the nation's environmental treasures."

Ed Parsons, a geospatial technologist at Google UK, said of the project: "Canal towpaths offer green routes through our towns and cities, and by working with the Canal and River Trust we're adding towpaths to Google Maps and encouraging people to discover their local waterway."

News Media Social networking Louise Mensch launches rival to Twitter

Tory MP Louise Mensch has made her debut as an internet entrepreneur, with the launch of a new social network hoping to win over Twitter addicts "who find Twitter frustrating".

Mensch launched the US-only social network, the almost eponymous Menshn.com, on Tuesday as a topic-based site allowing people to debate by subject rather than monitor a stream of often divergent tweets.

Mensch told the Guardian that the site was not named after her. "It's a play on the word mention," she said. "We like it and think it will work fine on a chat site".

With 60,000 Twitter followers, Mensch's decision to take on Twitter could be considered surprising given that she has used the social network to help raise her profile far beyond the normal backbench MP.

Mensch said the site would likely seek venture capital funding in the future because it has "fairly large commercial applications".

Honda to recycle rare earths to be green

TOKYO — Honda Motor Co said Wednesday it will start recycling rare earths and other key materials in hybrid auto batteries this year—a key innovation in the Japanese automaker’s effort to be green.

Japan is dependent on imports, mostly from China, for rare earth elements, which are essential for making high-tech products, but a steady supply has been periodically threatened over political disputes with China.

Honda officials said the company was targeting September or October to begin recycling of rare earths. They said it would be a first for the auto industry.

Honda President Takanobu Ito said:
“In the long term, we hope to move to renewable energy sources that won’t harm the environment.”

Ito outlined Honda’s efforts to reduce pollution and global warming, including experimental projects to combine solar with its fuel-cell cars—what he called the Honda “dream” to derive energy solely from nature and emit just water.

Fuel cells are powered by the energy created when hydrogen combines with oxygen to produce water. They are still too expensive for commercial use and remain experimental.

Ito said Honda’s roots lie in its determination to develop a fuel-efficient gasoline engine to clear U.S. pollution-control regulations of the 1970s. Honda’s CVCC engine was the first in the world to clear the standard. Japan later adopted similar pollution regulations.

Honda recovered from last year's earthquake and tsunami, which disrupted the supply of auto parts and sent sales plunging.


January-March profit rose 61% from the previous year, and it’s projecting record global sales of 4.3 million vehicles for this fiscal year.

Bentley shows fastest Continental yet

Bentley's new GT Speed model is the fastest and most powerful the company has ever produced.

Bentley released details of its 2013 Continental GT Speed, which can hit 205 mph.  

Bentley has come a long way from the 4 1/2 Liter Blower, by about 376 horsepower. The new GT Speed, announced today, generates 616 horsepower from its twin turbocharger W-12 engine. Bentley says that's good for a top speed of 205 mph.

Bentley engineers managed to coax an extra 24 horsepower over the previous GT Speed out of this engine, and get the torque up to 590 pound feet. The zero to 60 mph rating is 4 seconds, not as fast as many other supercars, but the GT Speed should weigh in over 5,000 pounds, similar to the standard Continental GT W-12. Bentley did not release full specifications on the GT Speed.

An eight speed automatic transmission from ZF also lets Bentley claim a 12 percent improvement in fuel economy, although given the size of the car and engine, don't expect to get better than 20 mpg.

As with the standard Continental GT, the GT Speed comes standard with an all-wheel-drive system, to help put all that power to use.

Under Volkswagen's provenance, Bentley should have access to some very good cabin tech. A picture of the cabin shows a navigation head unit integrated into the dashboard. Bentley has also worked with Naim, a high-end stereo manufacturer, to create excellent sound systems in the car. The GT Speed should show the same high level of quality craftsmanship in the coachwork for which Bentley has become known.

For those thinking 12 cylinders is too much, Bentley introduced a V-8 version of the Continental GT, but that only only makes 500 horsepower.

Source: cnet

Microsoft will withdraw later from tablet market: Acer founder

Ah, so that's the strategy. Microsoft is pulling a Google: use a branded product to lead the way, then step back. So, Acer's founder claims.

Microsoft Surface. Acer founder claims Microsoft's entry into the tablet market is temporary.

Microsoft's objective in unveiling its new Surface tablet is to prod device makers to bring out Windows 8 tablets, then withdraw from the tablet market once that's accomplished, according to reported comments from Acer founder Stan Shih.

Microsoft "has no real intention to sell own-brand tablet PCs," according to a report in Taipei-based Digitimes, citing Shih.

"Once the purpose is realized, Microsoft will not offer more models," the report said.

Shih reportedly goes on to say that the strategy was conceived as way to "encourage" device makers to bring out Windows 8 tablets. And Microsoft has "no reason" to sell hardware because it is less profitable than licensing software, adding that Shih "analyzed" Microsoft's strategy in order to reach this conclusion.

Needless to say, this is a positive take on Microsoft's strategy. A more cynical view holds that Microsoft is offering its own branded tablet to better compete against Apple and Android. And that a Microsoft-branded tablet undermines PC makers, who were given little warning and now must compete against each other and Microsoft at the same time.

That said, Dell offered an upbeat-sounding official comment today. "Microsoft is an important partner to Dell and we look forward to delivering a full slate of Windows 8 tablets -- and other products -- later this fall," Dell said in response to an e-mail query.

And Acer's Shih had more to say in this vein. "Vendors adopting Windows 8 should interpret Microsoft's intentions positively, as they will benefit from Microsoft's marketing," Shih reportedly indicated.

That sounds a lot like Google's lead-by-example strategy. Google has already done this with its Nexus phone and a Nexus tablet is imminent, according to reports.

Source: cnet

RIM reportedly cutting jobs in small batches

Layoffs may be part of the much-anticipated cuts related to a broad restructuring intended to save the struggling handset maker $1 billion. 

It appears that Research In Motion has quietly begun its much-anticipated layoffs as part of a cost-cutting restructuring.

The struggling BlackBerry maker has been laying off employees in batches of at least 10 for the past several weeks, people familiar with the situation told The Wall Street Journal. Employees in RIM's quality control, operations, and parts departments have been targeted so far, according to the report.

RIM has initiated a broad restructuring in an effort to save $1 billion by the end of the fiscal year. After laying off 2,000 employees last year, the company is rumored to be eyeing another 2,000 job cuts in the current restructuring.

The company has been struggling to bring back lost market share and sales for its once popular BlackBerry devices, but it's not having much luck in an industry ruled by Apple and Android. Fourth-quarter reports show a company loss of $125 million and a 25 percent drop in revenue.

The company has also experienced an exodus of key executives in recent months. The company's chief legal adviser announced her resignation last month after 12 years with the company, a week after the company lost its London-based head of global sales.

Source: cnet

Until I Die (Revenants, #2) by Amy Plum

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

Initial D (2005)

Initial D is a 2005 Hong Kong film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It is a film adaptation of the Japanese Initial D manga and anime series.

Plot: Taking place in the Gunma prefecture in Japan, the film concerns a young tofu-delivery driver named Takumi Fujiwara, trained from a young age and way before he could drive to deliver tofu to the peak of Mt Akina and unknown. He had been trained to an incredible level of skill in taking on the five hairpin corners plus using the gutter techniques of Mt. Akina (Mt. Haruna in real-life). The film chronicles his evolution from an uninterested delivery boy into a hardened tōge racer, also showing how he learns techniques of racing without affecting his delivery load.

Takumi drives his father, Bunta Fujiwara's Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (AE86) which is seemingly unmodified but is perfectly suited for the downhill corners of Mt. Akina, which gains the attention of local street racers all across the prefecture. Some ultimately challenge Takumi to races on Akina's downhill, including Takeshi Nakazato who leads the NightKids team and drives a Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32). Ryosuke Takahashi, leader of the RedSuns team and a driver of the Mazda RX-7 (FC) helps out Takumi along the way by giving him advice and teaching him about car mechanics. Takumi agrees to race Ryosuke in three weeks.

While following the path of a street racer, Takumi must deal with his alcoholic father and his girlfriend Natsuki Mogi (Anne Suzuki) who's with an older man (who drives a Mercedes-Benz S-Class) at a love hotel for two weeks as he takes on more difficult challenges.

With all the talk on Takumi's AE86, Takumi's close friend Itsuki Tachibana buys a new car after his Nissan Silvia gets totalled. He wounds up buying but swindled (mentioned by Itsuki's father) getting a faulty AE86 instead. Takumi was lured by Itsuki to teach driving down Mt Akina, but halfway through, a member from the Emperor Team taunts them and almost made them crash, which makes Takumi angry and successfully getting back at the Emperor Team's racer, where his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV crashed.

First look at Jimmy Choo's arty collab with Rob Pruitt

The first images of footwear guru Jimmy Choo's team-up with contemporary artist Rob Pruitt have been revealed, with the eagerly anticipated collection comprising shoes and bags adorned with the artist's trademark panda motifs.

A team-up between Jimmy Choo and Pruitt was first announced back in April, and the recently unveiled line showcases highlights such as the iconic Jimmy Choo Anouk pump reimagined with the artist's signature use of dégradé color in orange, pink, and yellow overlaid with French lace.

Pruitt, who is best known for his glittering panda bear paintings and large-scale dégradé canvases, created several original designs that were realized for the capsule collection -- which makes nods to his playful artistic themes. The artist created a unique duo of angel and devil pandas symbolizing the dual personalities of the Jimmy Choo woman, and these feature heavily in the line of 19 styles of shoes, bags and accessories.

"The panda is a recurring image seen throughout the body of my artwork. It's a symbol that reminds us both to tread lightly and to appreciate the adorable. They represent the harmony of yin and yang," said the artist.

"We are really excited by the collection as it reflects everything that captivated us about collaborating with Rob Pruitt: his energy, use of colour and the festive exuberance of his prints and materials," explained creative directors Sandra Choi and Simon Holloway.

Pruitt's line will be part of Choo's 2013 Cruise collection, with products set to hit Jimmy Choo boutiques and online this November.

The high-end shoe label has worked with contemporary artists and photographers including Nan Goldin, Marilyn Minter and Richard Phillips in the past.

Other luxury brands to have recently formed arty collaborations include Hermès and Christian Dior. Earlier this year the former announced a limited-edition scarf team-up with Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, while Dior joined forces with German artist Anselm Reyle on a collection of accessories including handbags and shoes last December.

FBI worried about new IP scheme

With the recent unveiling of the newest Internet protocol system, trillions upon trillions of devices are being paved access to the Internet for the unforeseeable future. And right on cue, the FBI is already up in arms over IPv6.

If you were to do a little casual searching for something that could relate to criminals or terrorists you might show up on the FBI's radar, and tools that have been in place for years let them associate your computer's IP address with a name, company or location. But a new Internet protocol threatens existing methods, and the FBI warns that unless existing Internet management companies make some changes, it will become far more difficult to track down criminals the way they do today.

IPv6 is a new version of the numbering system that underlies Internet addresses. The previous version has actually run out of unique numbers to issue for websites and servers, but the new one is much more future-proof. The problem is that existing bookkeeping methods for recording and retaining IP addresses aren't going to be sufficient for the new system.

As an FBI spokesman tells CNET:

Today there are complete registries of what IPv4 addresses are "owned" by an operator. Depending on how the IPv6 system is rolled out, that registry may or may not be sufficient for law enforcement to identify what device is accessing the Internet.

Robo-goo-goo: Totbot replicates infant speech

Scientists have been racking their brains for years, trying to figure out how we learn to talk. Now they have created a “child-bot” that can learn to speak like a baby.

After a few minutes conversation with human “teachers”, the robot learns to understand the most frequently-heard syllables and is able to reproduce some basic words.

The study, published in the science journal PLoS One, has shed some light on how babies develop from babbling to saying their first words.

Scientists at the University of Hertfordshire in England built a three-foot-tall robot, which they christened DeeChee and which can reproduce any syllable in the English language.

The research used human volunteers to teach the robot simple words for colors and shapes.
At the beginning of the experiment DeeChee could only understand an unbroken stream of sounds, but was programmed to break them up and store them in its memory. Later on it could replicate words like “red” or “green” in the conversation.

DeeChee was also taught by the volunteers to recognize words of encouragement like “well done” and “good”.

The kid-bot could transform babble into coherent words in just a couple of minutes, the researchers found.

Caroline Lyon, one of the scientists behind the research, says that one of the reasons babies use nouns like “mama”, “dada” and “red” first is that they are easier to recognize than linking words like “of” and “at”, which are spoken in hundreds of different ways and can sound different to a new speaker.    Read more here

Jiaolong resurfaces after second dive

China's deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong has reached a depth of 6,965 meters below sea level during its second dive into the Mariana Trench. The feat has surpassed a fresh national record set earlier on Tuesday.
China’s deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong and its three crew members have risen from almost 7,000 meters below sea level in the Mariana Trench after setting the country’s newest dive record.

The previous dive in the day reached a depth of 6,908 meters, where the crew collected water samples and placed markers.
The dive had been expected to re-check the hydraulic system and test various functions and the safety of the submersible at great depths. The Jiaolong will attempt four more dives, to reach its ultimate goal of 7,000 meters below sea level between mid-June and early July.  (http://english.cntv.cn)

Nike, Adidas lead suppliers' battle for gold

(Reuters) - U.S. market leader Nike and German rival Adidas are locked in their own Olympic battle to boost athletes' performance and squeeze maximum value out of next month's Games in London.

The Games provide a showcase for new fashions and advances in technology which sportswear suppliers hope will drive sales at a time of economic turmoil in many of their markets.

Unlike soccer's World Cup, Olympic venues carry no perimeter advertising, making the suppliers of kit and shoes the most visible brands when the eyes of the world are on the Games.

"This puts the likes of Nike, Adidas and Puma firmly in the spotlight in the most emotionally-charged moments," said Danny Townsend, president EMEA and South Asia at brand analysis company Repucom.

"Endorsement deals with athletes who are likely to gain substantial coverage, such as Usain Bolt or Jessica Ennis, pack an immense punch," he added.

"Our projections from the Beijing Games indicate around 3.6 billion people worldwide saw at least some TV coverage which gives a strong indicator to the power of this presence. This level of brand exposure is a potent force in driving sales."

Jamaican triple gold medalist Bolt is the poster boy for Germany's Puma, the third largest sporting goods company behind local rival Adidas.

Adidas has invested heavily to be the official sportswear partner of the Games, with 84, 000 volunteers and 5,000 to wear its familiar three-stripe outfits.

Adidas estimates the interest generated by the Games will bring it an extra 100 million pounds ($157 million) of sales in the UK, helping it on its way to overtake rival Nike as market leader there.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Nike remains the global market leader, with annual sales of almost $21 billion against $17 billion for Adidas. Puma, formed in 1948 after brothers fell out at Adidas, is a distant third with sales of $3.8 billion.

Nike's sales jumped 15 percent in the quarter to end-February, while Adidas reported a 14 percent rise in the first three months of the year. Puma managed only a six percent increase, trailing its larger rivals in Europe, China and the United States.

Nike, which sponsors the U.S. Olympic team, says the Games give it the chance to build a buzz around its products.

"It's like a concept car model - we get to debut these innovations on the world's best athletes, then commercialize the opportunity by providing those technologies to athletes everywhere," said Nike UK head of PR and communications Ryan Greenwood.

For its part, Adidas has made 41 different shoes that will be worn by athletes competing in 25 disciplines.

The one thing they all have in common is their weight, they are on average 25 percent lighter than the equivalent shoes worn in Beijing.

"Every 100 grammes saved in weight is equivalent to 1 percent better performance," Cartwright said.

The group has also created what it calls the lightest ever sprint spike, at 99 grammes.

Heat beat Thunder to move one win from NBA title

(Reuters) - The Miami Heat moved within one win of claiming the NBA title after getting a rousing performance from unheralded guard Mario Chalmers to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-98 on Tuesday for a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

The Heat, who lost last year's championship in six games to the Dallas Mavericks, closed in on the title by playing with a fierce determination that extended beyond their Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

"We're focused. We're thinking about Game Five right now," said Bosh, all business after the exciting victory on their home court.

Stalwarts James and Wade made crucial plays down the stretch, but it was Chalmers who supplied the steady firepower that enabled the Heat to hold off the Thunder, who got a sensational effort from Russell Westbrook, who scored 43 points.

"I just try to step up," said Chalmers, who shot 9-of-15 from the floor including 4-of-5 in the fourth quarter. "I've always been a person to try to step up in big moments, and what bigger moment besides tonight and Thursday to step up."

James, after going to the bench late in the fourth quarter with cramping in his legs, returned to hit a key three-pointer that snapped a 94-94 tie and Wade followed with a bold drive to the hoop to put Miami five points ahead.

Lifting the Heat all through the fourth quarter was Chalmers, who scored 12 of his 25 points in the last period.

France face Spain after Sweden upset, Fortune favours England

Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic's spectacular goal helped condemn France to the Group D runners-up spot and a Euro 2012 quarter-final against Spain.

France's defeat allowed England, who beat Ukraine, to leapfrog them and take top spot in the group.

France struggled to get going and Ola Toivonen went close for Sweden when his shot stuck the outside of the post.
Ibrahimovic eventually punished France when he brilliantly volleyed in from 15 yards from a Sebastian Larsson cross.
Olivier Giroud headed high for France before Larsson smashed in a close-range shot for Sweden's second.
Central defender Philippe Mexes receive a yellow card meaning he is suspended for the game against Spain.

Wayne Rooney headed England into the quarter-finals of this gripping Euro 2012, although they needed a touch of good fortune to survive a first-half storm and a second-half controversy when Ukraine were denied a legitimate goal.