10 Things to Know for Today

Store owner Eric Seitz, middle, laughs along with cashiers Tina Long, left, and Candy Browning at a 4 Sons Food Store where one of the winning tickets in the $579.9 million Powerball jackpot was purchased, Nov. 29, 2012, in Fountain Hills, Ariz.(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Store owner Eric Seitz, middle, laughs along with cashiers Tina Long, left, and Candy Browning at a 4 Sons Food Store where one of the winning tickets in the $579.9 million Powerball jackpot was purchased, Nov. 29, 2012, in Fountain Hills, Ariz.(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Members of the Palestinian delegation react as they surround Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, applauding, during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly after a vote on a resolution on the issue of upgrading the Palestinian Authority's status to non-member observer state passed in the United Nations in New York, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) paces on the sideline in the final seconds of their 23-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in an NFL football game, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Rich Addicks)

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about today (times EST):

1. OBAMA TAKES "FISCAL CLIFF" FIGHT OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY

The president will employ campaign-style tactics in the Philadelphia suburbs, hoping to mobilize public support as the year-end deadline for reaching a deal with Congress over taxes and spending cuts looms.

2. WHY U.N. VOTE RECOGNIZING PALESTINE MAY ULTIMATELY DISAPPOINT

Real independence remains an elusive dream until the Palestinians negotiate a peace deal with the Israelis.

3. ISLAMISTS APRROVE EGYPT'S CONSTITUTION

A draft constitution is passed without the participation of liberal and Christian members, a move that further inflames the clash between the opposition and President Mohammed Morsi.

4. WHO MIGHT'VE HIT THE POWERBALL JACKPOT

The Missouri Lottery confirms one winning ticket and is expected to reveal the winner at noon. The second ticket holder, in Arizona, remains a mystery.

5. SENATE REVIVES DEBATE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES

By voting that American citizens suspected of terrorism and seized on U.S. soil may not be held indefinitely, it sets up a fight with the House, which rejected efforts to bar indefinite detention earlier this year.

6. RIGHTS GROUP URGES MORE COMPASSIONATE PRISON RELEASES

For humanitarian and economic reasons, the federal Bureau of Prisons should grant more early releases to incapacitated and terminally ill prisoners, advocacy groups say in a report.

7. MYANMAR TACKLES CITIZENSHIP QUANDARY

In an exclusive report by AP's Todd Pitman, authorities in western Myanmar are tasked with determining who is a citizen. Rohingya Muslims seem to have the most to lose.

8. SOURCE TELLS AP: STRAUSS-KAHN AGREES TO SETTLE WITH ACCUSER

Hotel maid's lawsuit alleged that the former IMF chief tried to rape her in a New York hotel.

9. RESEARCHERS NAIL DOWN SEA MYSTERY

Scientists have figured out how to determine the age of a lobster ? by the number of rings in its eyestalk or in the teeth-like structures found in its stomach.

10. NOT SO SAINTLY NIGHT FOR BREES

The star quarterback throws five interceptions, damaging New Orleans' playoff hopes in a 23-13 loss to rival Atlanta

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-11-30-10-Things-to-Know-Today/id-fb23ad825b7b4e11abfcf7d86614852d

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Rapid changes in climate don't slow some lizards

ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2012) ? One tropical lizard's tolerance to cold is stiffer than scientists had suspected. A new study shows that the Puerto Rican lizard Anolis cristatellus has adapted to the cooler winters of Miami. The results also suggest that this lizard may be able to tolerate temperature variations caused by climate change.

"We are not saying that climate change is not a problem for lizards. It is a major problem. However, these findings indicate that the thermal physiology of tropical lizards is more easily altered than previously proposed," said Duke biologist Manuel Leal, co-author of the study, which appears in the Dec. 6 issue of The American Naturalist.

Scientists previously proposed that because lizards were cold-blooded, they wouldn't be able to tolerate or adapt to cooler temperatures.

Humans, however, introduced Puerto Rican native A. cristatellus to Miami around 1975. In Miami, the average temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius cooler in winter than in Puerto Rico. The average summer temperatures are similar.

Leal and his graduate student Alex Gunderson captured A. cristatellus from Miami's Pinecrest area and also from northeastern Puerto Rico. They brought the animals back to their North Carolina lab, slid a thermometer in each lizard's cloaca and chilled the air to a series of cooler temperatures. The scientists then watched how easy it was for the lizards to right themselves after they had been flipped on their backs.

The lizards from Miami flipped themselves over in temperatures that were 3 degrees Celsius cooler than the lizards from Puerto Rico. Animals that flip over at lower temperatures have higher tolerances for cold temperatures, which is likely advantageous when air temperatures drop, Leal said.

"It is very easy for the lizards to flip themselves over when they are not cold or not over-heating. It becomes harder for them to flip over as they get colder, down to the point at which they are unable to do so," he said.

At that point, called the critical temperature minimum, the lizards aren't dead. They've just lost control of their coordination. "It is like a human that is suffering from hypothermia and is beginning to lose his or her balance or is not capable of walking. It is basically the same problem. The body temperature is too cold for muscles to work properly," he said.

Leal explained that a difference of 3 degrees Celsius is "relatively large and when we take into account that it has occurred in approximately 35 generations, it is even more impressive." Most evolutionary change happens on the time scale of a few hundred, thousands or millions of years. Thirty-five years is a time scale that happens during a human lifetime, so we can witness this evolutionary change, he said.

The lizards' cold tolerance also "provides a glimpse of hope for some tropical species," Leal added, cautioning that at present scientists don't know how quickly tolerance to high temperatures -- another important consequence of climate change -- can evolve.

He and Gunderson are now working on the heat-tolerance experiments, along with tests to study whether other lizard species can adjust to colder temperatures.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Duke University. The original article was written by Ashley Yeager.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Manuel Leal, Alex R. Gunderson. Rapid Change in the Thermal Tolerance of a Tropical Lizard. The American Naturalist, 2012; 180 (6): 815 DOI: 10.1086/668077

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/wBTb_a3_mUU/121126164310.htm

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Rice concession on Libya fails to mollify 3 in GOP

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, center, flanked by fellow committee members, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, following a meeting with UN Ambassador Susan Rice. Rice met with lawmakers to discuss statements she made about the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that left the ambassador and three other Americans dead. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, center, flanked by fellow committee members, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, following a meeting with UN Ambassador Susan Rice. Rice met with lawmakers to discuss statements she made about the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that left the ambassador and three other Americans dead. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

FILE - This April 14, 2012 file photo shows U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice speaking at U.N. headquarters. With congressional opposition softening, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice could find her name in contention as early as this week to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state. Her nomination to the top Cabinet job could signal the potential for a more robust intervention in world crises in President Barack Obama?s second term. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Homeland Security Committee, center, accompanied by fellow Senate Armed Services Committee member, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.,, right, gestures while speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, after a closed-door meeting with UN Ambassador Susan Rice. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Armed Services Committee member, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.,, center, accompanied by fellow Senate Armed Services Committee member, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, following a closed-door meeting with UN Ambassador Susan Rice. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice told lawmakers Tuesday that her initial explanation of the deadly Sept. 11 raid in Libya was wrong, but her concession failed to mollify three Republican senators who signaled they would oppose her possible nomination to be secretary of state.

In a closed-door meeting that Rice requested, the ambassador answered questions from Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte about her much-maligned explanations about the cause of the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. She was joined by acting CIA Director Michael Morell.

"The talking points provided by the intelligence community, and the initial assessment upon which they were based, were incorrect in a key respect: There was no protest or demonstration in Benghazi," Rice said in a statement after the meeting. "While we certainly wish that we had had perfect information just days after the terrorist attack, as is often the case the intelligence assessment has evolved."

Rice's unusual visit to Capitol Hill ? typically only nominees meet privately with lawmakers ? reflects the Obama administration's campaign for the current front-runner to replace Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton against some strenuous GOP opposition.

"We are significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got and some that we didn't get concerning evidence that was leading up to the attack on the consulate," McCain told reporters after emerging from the hour-plus session that he described as candid.

Said Graham: "Bottom line I'm more disturbed now than I was before that 16 September explanation." He said in a later interview that Rice went "far beyond the flawed talking points" and should be held accountable.

"I'm more troubled today," said Ayotte, who argued that it was clear in the days after the attack that it was terrorism and not a spontaneous demonstration prompted by an anti-Muslim video.

The White House remained defiant in its support for Rice, arguing that she was relying on an assessment from the intelligence community and had no responsibility in compiling the information on the cause of the attack. It dismissed what it characterized as a fixation on her national television appearances five days after the raid.

"The focus on, some might say, obsession on comments made on Sunday shows seems to me and to many, to be misplaced," spokesman Jay Carney told reporters at a White House briefing.

House Democrats, including female members of the Congressional Black Caucus, have suggested that the GOP opposition to Rice is sexist and racist. Senate Democrats, who will increase their advantage to 55-45 in the next Congress, said Rice could win confirmation if Republicans recognize the unfairness of penalizing her for the intelligence community's talking points.

"It is so unfair to hold her responsible for something that she didn't produce and which the intelligence community has specifically stood by," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

Despite lingering questions over her public comments after the Benghazi attack, Rice has emerged as the top candidate on a short list of possible successors to Clinton, with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., seen as her closest alternative.

The strong statements from the three senators clouded Rice's prospects only two days after Republican opposition seem to be softening. Rice planned meetings on Wednesday with Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who is in line to become the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Corker said Tuesday that he had concerns with a possible nomination.

"When I hear Susan talk she seems to me like she'd be a great chairman of the Democratic National Committee," Corker said. "There is nobody who is more staff supportive of what the administration does. That concerns me in a secretary of state."

A senior Senate aide said the administration was sounding out moderate members of the Foreign Relations Committee, such as Corker and Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. Assessing the prospects for Rice before Obama makes any announcement would avoid the embarrassment of a protracted fight with the Senate early in the president's second term and the possible failure of the nominee.

On talk shows the weekend following the attack, which took place on the 11th anniversary of 9/11, Rice was given talking points that described the attack as a spontaneous protest of the film, even though the Obama administration had known for days that it was a militant assault.

Republicans called her nomination doomed, leading to a vigorous defense of her by Obama in his first postelection news conference. Since then, GOP lawmakers have appeared to soften their views. McCain, who said earlier this month that would he do everything in his power to scuttle a Rice nomination, had said Sunday that he was willing to hear Rice out before making a decision.

Rice, who at 48 is relatively young, has been known to covet the job for years, but was passed over for Clinton in 2009.

Several diplomats currently serving with Rice said that what she lacked in Clinton's star power, she could make up with a blunter approach that demands attention and has marked her tenure thus far at the United Nations.

___

Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-11-27-Cabinet-Rice/id-20649d4c40e3462bba222d4c0cfc1338

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Generate More Online Revenue With These Simple Web Marketing ...

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Find different uses for affiliate products. Items ordinarily reserved for a particular use can be re-purposed and marketed in a new way. Examples could include a mat designed for shoes that alternates as a tray for water, pet food or draining dishes.

You should know what you target audience will be and apply that information to finding and selecting affiliate partners. This will, of course, draw more visitors, but more importantly, it will communicate to potential customers that you know what they want and need.

Go with an affiliate program from a company with a good sales conversion ratio, if you want to see consistent profit. Try and get one out of every 100 customers to buy something.

Use paid advertising to make even more profit from your campaigns. Your ads should target sales driven keywords. This increases the chances of getting the most value out of your traffic, these visitors have already shown to have an interest in the types of products you are selling.

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These steps should have put you on the road to success. Even if you felt confident before, at this point, you should feel like an expert. The tips in this article should help you get a well-defined start in the field of affiliate marketing.

Bordeaux Marketing Group is an internet marketing agency specializing Affiliate Program Management, Online Marketing Expert including Pay Per Click (PPC), Social Media Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). We are recognized by Google as ?Certified Adwords Professional? specializing in Search Marketing (PPC Management). To find out more visit their website at http://www.bordeauxmarketinggroup.com.

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Source: http://bordeauxmarketinggroup.com/blog/2012/11/26/generate-more-online-revenue-with-these-simple-web-marketing-tips/

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Activists: Syrian rebels seize major dam in north

In this image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Syrian rebels capture a helicopter air base near the capital Damascus after fierce fighting in Syria, on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. The takeover claim showed how rebels are advancing in the area of the capital, though they are badly outgunned by Assad?s forces, making inroads where Assad?s power was once unchallenged. Rebels have also been able to fire mortar rounds into Damascus recently. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

In this image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Syrian rebels capture a helicopter air base near the capital Damascus after fierce fighting in Syria, on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. The takeover claim showed how rebels are advancing in the area of the capital, though they are badly outgunned by Assad?s forces, making inroads where Assad?s power was once unchallenged. Rebels have also been able to fire mortar rounds into Damascus recently. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

In this image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Syrian rebels capture a helicopter air base near the capital Damascus after fierce fighting in Syria, on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. The takeover claim showed how rebels are advancing in the area of the capital, though they are badly outgunned by Assad?s forces, making inroads where Assad?s power was once unchallenged. Rebels have also been able to fire mortar rounds into Damascus recently. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

In this image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, smoke rises from buildings due to government shelling in the Damascus suburb of Zabadani, Syria, on Friday, Nov. 23, 2012. At the same time, Syrian forces are raiding another neighborhood showing how fighting is spreading in Damascus, once a stronghold of President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian rebels on Monday captured a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates River in the country's north after days of heavy clashes, carting off boxes of ammunition from defeated regime forces in the latest in a string of recent strategic advances for opposition fighters, activists said.

Also Monday, activists said rebels and pro-government Kurdish gunmen struck a truce to end days of fighting in the town of Ras al-Ayn near the border with Turkey that opposition forces entered earlier this month.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel fighters overran regime defenses and captured the Tishrin Dam, near the town of Manbij, before dawn Monday. Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said the dam supplies several areas of Syria with electricity.

"This is a major blow to the regime," said Abdul-Rahman by telephone, describing the dam as "strategic location" on the Euphrates, which flows from Turkey through Syria and into Iraq.

The rebels have scored a series of hard-fought strategic advances recently, perhaps even seizing the momentum in their relentless battle of topple President Bashar Assad's regime. On Sunday, they captured a regime helicopter base outside Damascus before pulling back for fear of government airstrikes.

Amateur videos posted online showed gunmen inside the dam's operations room as an employee sat in front of five screens speaking by telephone about the level of water behind the dam. Another video showed gunman in front of dozens of green wooden boxes apparently full of munitions.

A gunman opened one of the boxes showing that it contained hand grenades. "The Free Syrian Army has fully liberated the Tishrin Dam," one of the rebels could be heard saying.

The activist videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting about the events depicted. Syria restricts the access of reporters.

Syria's conflict started in March 2011 as an uprising against Assad's regime, but quickly morphed into a civil war that has since killed more than 40,000 people, according to activists. It has also prompted hundreds of thousands of Syrians to flee to neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said airstrikes by regime warplanes killed and wounded several people in the Syrian border town Atmeh on Monday. The agency said some of the wounded were brought to Turkey for treatment, and several people were also heading to the Turkish border to seek refuge. Atmeh is about 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of the Tishrin Dam.

Because it is close to the border, Atmeh has emerged as a key smuggling route for aid and arms to rebel areas in the northern provinces of Idlib and Aleppo and as a base for many rebel groups fighting further south. Residents assumed that their proximity to the Turkish border kept them safe from airstrikes.

"This is the first time the jets have hit us here, but it's probably not the last," said Musab Kadour, an Atmeh resident.

A local official in the Turkish town of Reyhanli confirmed that Turkish F-16 jets flew over the border region Monday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

The Observatory reported air raids on other areas as well, including the northern towns of Maaret al-Numan, Kfar Rouma and Harem.

Also Monday, Kurdish activist Mustafa Osso and the Observatory's Abdul-Rahman said the town of Ras al-Ayn has been quiet since Saturday after fighters from the government-leaning Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, reached an agreement on a truce with rebels, most of them from Islamist extremist groups, including the al-Qaida-inspired Jabhat al-Nusra.

The rebels entered the town earlier this month and have since clashed almost daily with PYD gunmen for control over the area. Both factions add to the complexity of Syria's conflict, which has taken on heavy sectarian ? and ethnic ? overtones.

The fighting in recent days has left dozens of people killed or wounded, and dozens captured on both sides. Osso and Abdul-Rahman said PYD forces and the rebels agreed to exchange prisoners and to withdraw their militiamen from the town.

Abdul-Rahman said the rival parties agreed to form a local council that will run day to day life in Ras al-Ayn. Osso said thousands of people who fled the town, which has a mixed population including Arabs, Kurds, Chechens and Christians, have started returning home.

A journalist in Ras al-Ayn told The Associated Press that the town has been calm since Saturday, adding that cars with PYD gunmen were seen in the streets with loudspeakers urging residents to return to their homes after the truce was reached. He added by telephone that parts of the town were heavily damaged by government air raids earlier this month.

When regime forces withdrew from Kurdish areas in northeastern Syria in July, they were quickly replaced by Kurdish fighters from PYD. Those forces then battled rebel fighters after they pushed their way into predominantly Kurdish areas. The Kurdish group is affiliated with the PKK, rebels fighting for autonomy in the Kurdish-dominated southeast region of Turkey.

The Islamic militants, who are fighting on the side of the rebels, have played a bigger role in the Syrian conflict in recent months and many openly say they want to set up an Islamic state. The opposition is split, with some groups strongly opposed to the influence of extremists.

The Observatory also said that the health of leading opposition figure Abdul-Aziz al-Kheir, who it said is being held by one of the country's security agencies, has deteriorated recently. It did not disclose details of his health problems.

The National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria accused the regime of being behind the disappearance of two of its leaders, including al-Kheir, shortly after they arrived home from China in September.

Al-Kheir, 61, comes from Assad's hometown of Kardaha and belongs to the president's ruling Alawite minority sect. He spent long periods in jail in the past because of his opposition to the regime.

____

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara, Turkey.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-11-26-ML-Syria/id-8c3474df350a4148be8ae002d0445a1b

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BitTorrent's Matt Mason On Rethinking The Music Industry Business ...

From Techcrunch:

It?s been a big year for BitTorrent, said Matt Mason, the company?s executive director of marketing. Mason and his team have been working with big names like DJ Shadow and Tim Ferriss to figure out how to turn file sharing into a source of revenue.

?We don?t want to dictate what the business model is, because we don?t know what it is,? Mason said. ?There?s not a business model for content in the digital world. There?s a new business model for every piece of content you release.?

The emphasis is very much on artist partnerships, not deals with record labels or movie studios. Since most people associate BitTorrent with illegal file sharing, I assumed the big entertainment companies want nothing to do with it, but Mason said that?s not entirely true. (He also pointed out that BitTorrent drove 124 million legal music downloads in the first six months of the year, accounting for nearly one-third of the total 405 million music downloads on BitTorrent that were tracked by Musicmetric.) The bigger problem, he said, is that the entertainment industry?s terms are too onerous: ?The deals just don?t make sense.?

So BitTorrent works with artists on one-off experiments. For example, it collaborated with DJ Shadow and his digital marketing agency Fame House to create a bundle with exclusive content around his release Hidden Transmissions From The MPC Era (1992-1996), and it ran ads for free software alongside those bundles. Mason said the company wasn?t happy with the download interface, so it limited the ads to a few geographies, but even so, the campaign saw 18.5 million impressions, with 4 million people agreeing to check out the free software ? an impressive conversion rate of around 21.5 percent.

Continue reading the rest of the story on Techcrunch

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Source: http://www.thatericalper.com/2012/11/26/bittorrents-matt-mason-on-rethinking-the-music-industry-business-model-the-hustle-is-changing/

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Rose society's annual show ravishes | Otago Daily Times Online ...

Otago Rose Society president Maureen Viggo with a bowl of her flowers, including "Scentasia" roses, which won a floral arrangement class in the society's annual show, held in Dunedin at the weekend. Photo by Peter McIntosh.

Otago Rose Society president Maureen Viggo can count on one thing with roses - they always bring a smile to her face.

Recent unsettled weather and a slightly earlier than usual timing of the society's latest annual show meant entries were down on last year.

This year's show began at Forbury Park Raceway on Saturday.

But despite the weather problems, more than 200 floral entries, with a dazzlingly wide range of colours and perfumes, were on display. About 100 members of the public attended the first day of the two-day show.

"I want people to come in that door and say 'Oh wow!'," she said.

Mrs Viggo's first memory of roses was a powerful one - encountering as a 7-year-old a red hybrid tea rose with an "overwhelming" perfume, she said. It was "Etoile de Hollande", which her mother, Netta Campbell, was growing in her rose garden.

When it comes to roses and rose society exhibitions, many things have changed over the years. Busier lifestyles have meant many gardeners no longer have the time they once had to cultivate huge rose gardens and provide large bunches of up to a dozen roses for display at the annual show.

Today's roses on display may be somewhat fewer, and be combined more often with displays of other flowers, but roses still have the same undeniable appeal for rose fanciers whatever the gender, age and occupation.

For Mrs Viggo, who is also a committee member of the group Heritage Roses Otago, part of the appeal of roses is their fascinating history, including the intriguing stories of how roses came to be named, and the behind-the-scenes quests and dreams of rose breeders.

She said that even if people had a little less time for gardening these days, growing roses was part of maintaining a good work-home life balance.

The rose society was always looking for more members, she said.

"We're a warm, friendly group."

-john.gibb@odt.co.nz

Source: http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/236528/rose-societys-annual-show-ravishes

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NC State fires O'Brien after 6 seasons

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? North Carolina State has fired football coach Tom O'Brien after six seasons, four of which were good enough to get the Wolfpack into a bowl but none that could get them to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Athletic director Debbie Yow made the announcement Sunday, one day after the Wolfpack finished a 7-5 regular season with a win over Boston College.

O'Brien went 40-35 after coming to Raleigh from BC following the 2006 season. He took the Wolfpack to three bowl games, but won't coach in a fourth when N.C. State receives its bid next week.

N.C. State says offensive coordinator Dana Bible will be the interim coach for the bowl game. All other assistants are staying to continue bowl preparations.

"I appreciate the opportunity to have coached at North Carolina State University and I feel that the program is in a better place now than when I started," O'Brien said in a statement issued by the school.

The 64-year-old O'Brien, who went 75-45 in 10 seasons at BC with eight consecutive bowl berths before coming here, said at his December 2006 hiring that it was "N.C. State or bust for me."

In his statement Sunday, O'Brien said he is looking "forward to life after football."

His teams were just 22-26 in ACC play and finished above .500 in the league just once, going 5-3 in 2010. He was 1-14 in Atlantic Division road games.

Only three ACC teams ? No. 13 Florida State (10-2), No. 15 Clemson (10-2) and rival North Carolina (8-4) ? had better overall records this season than the Wolfpack, who were 4-4 in the league.

That was good for third in the Atlantic Division behind Florida State and Clemson ? exactly where they were picked in the preseason poll.

But consistency was a problem all season.

They opened with a 14-point loss to a Tennessee team that went on to finish 5-7. They blew a late 10-point lead and allowed an ACC-record 566 yards passing in a loss at Miami. They were routed at home 33-6 by a last-place Virginia team that had lost six straight and they gave up 62 points in a loss at Clemson.

Not even a thrilling upset of then-No. 3 Florida State on Oct. 6 could save O'Brien's job.

O'Brien also faced some questions in the spring of 2011, when he parted ways with three-year starting quarterback Russell Wilson, who was attempting to play both minor-league baseball and football at the high FBS level.

Wilson transferred to Wisconsin for his senior season, led the Badgers to the Rose Bowl and wound up winning the job with the Seattle Seahawks.

O'Brien's choice certainly appeared justified when Mike Glennon ? who took over for Wilson ? led the ACC in passing this season, averaging 304 yards.

The school says a national search for O'Brien's replacement will begin immediately.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nc-state-fires-obrien-6-seasons-192817354--spt.html

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Middle East nuclear talks will not occur next month

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Talks planned for next month on banning nuclear weapons in the Middle East will not take place, the United States said on Friday, a development likely to anger Arab states but please Israel.

The State Department announced that the mid-December conference on creating a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, or WMD, would not occur and did not make clear when, or whether, it would take place.

Earlier this month, diplomats told Reuters that the talks were likely to be postponed, rather than canceled outright.

"As a co-sponsor of the proposed conference ... the United States regrets to announce that the conference cannot be convened because of present conditions in the Middle East and the fact that states in the region have not reached agreement on acceptable conditions for a conference," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

Nuland said that "a deep conceptual gap persists in the region" on how to handle regional security and arms control, adding that "outside states cannot impose a process on the region any more than they can dictate an outcome."

The plan for a meeting to lay the groundwork for the possible creation of a WMD-free Middle East was agreed to at a May 2010 conference of 189 parties to the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT.

The United States, feared the conference, which was to be held in Finland, could be used as a forum to bash Israel, a concern likely to have increased after eight days of fierce Israeli-Palestinian fighting that ended with a ceasefire on Wednesday.

Iran and Arab states often say Israel's presumed nuclear arsenal poses a threat to Middle East peace and security. Israel and Western powers see Iran as the main nuclear proliferation threat. Tehran denies any atom bomb ambitions.

The State Department said it would keep working to try to bring about a meeting, adding such a gathering must take into account the security of all the states in the region and operate on the basis of consensus - effectively guaranteeing Israel, and everyone else, a veto.

"We would not support a conference in which any regional state would be subject to pressure or isolation," Nuland said, in a clear reference to U.S. concerns that other participants might gang up on Israel.

U.S. and Israeli officials have said a nuclear arms-free zone in the Middle East could not be a reality until there was broad Arab-Israeli peace and Iran curbed its nuclear program.

Like nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, Israel has never signed the NPT. It neither confirms nor denies having nuclear arms, although non-proliferation and security analysts believe it has several hundred atomic weapons.

Even if the talks eventually occur, Western diplomats and others expect little progress any time soon due to the deep-rooted animosities in the region, notably the Arab-Israeli conflict and Israeli concerns about Iran's nuclear program.

The Islamic state is in a stand-off with world powers that suspect it is seeking the means to produce nuclear arms. Israel has not ruled out military action against Iranian nuclear sites.

(Reporting By Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/middle-east-nuclear-talks-not-occur-next-month-030738220.html

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Pass road test video help, car & motorcycle road secrets, DMV ...

You are here: Home / College University / Pass road test video help, car & motorcycle road secrets, DMV testing exam, g2 m2 exit license guide

Pass my road test video! How to pass your driving test. Passing your driver or motorcycle G2 road test study guide.

Hey New Driver! Getting ready to take your road test to get your license? Nervous? Oh yeah, we understand that feeling. Your hands are clammy, your heart is pounding and you?re crossing your fingers that you don?t pass out from fright when the tester climbs into your car and tells you to start your engine. Guess what? You have every right to be nervous because almost 50% of new drivers fail their first road test. Yep, I said HALF of the new drivers fail. What if I told you that I could help you pass your road test on the very first try, better than learning from a handbook or a driver?s ed class? Would you be interested? Of course you would! You?re no dummy and you WANT to pass that test the VERY FIRST TIME!

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Chris Brown and Drake Cleared of Charges in Club Brawl

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/11/chris-brown-and-drake-cleared-of-charges-in-club-brawl/

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Obama handed a victory to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood (Powerlineblog)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/265736062?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Wal-Mart India suspends CFO and legal team in corruption probe ...

Wal-Mart?s woes in India just got a whole lot worse.

Both houses of the country?s Parliament were to meet yesterday, the start of the winter session and the first meeting since the government in September announced a plan to allow foreign firms to take majority stakes in retail stores. But parties opposing the reform disrupted the session and forced an adjournment. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, trying to hang onto India?s once-miraculous growth story (and his own reputation), invited the opposition over for dinner to talk things out?but that, too, ended inconclusively.

Meanwhile, the retail giant, which in India operates under a joint venture known as Bharti Wal-Mart, suspended chief financial officer Pankaj Madan and four members of its legal team following an internal investigation into corrupt business practices. The Economic Times first reported the development but several people with knowledge of the matter confirmed the suspensions to Quartz.

Internal investigations revealed that government agencies were being paid bribes in order to get clearances for licenses and building approvals for its stores, according to these people, who requested anonymity. A company spokeswoman did not respond to email and text messages for comment, nor did Madan and other suspended staff members. Their suspensions are pending investigation.

MarketWatch reported that the company confirmed the suspensions, quoting a Bharti Wal-Mart spokeswoman?s email: ?We are committed to conducting a complete and thorough investigation. Walmart and Bharti have suspended a few associates pending the outcome of the investigation.?

This week, Wal-Mart Asia CEO Scott Price addressed employees after the suspensions and reiterated that the company will operate only on the right side of the law, no matter how difficult it is. ?He said the company will have zero tolerance to any violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the company is making significant investments in ensuring this.

?We will not tolerate non-compliance anywhere or at any level of the company. We are working diligently to strengthen our compliance programmes and dedicating considerable resources to this effort. In fact, the company has spent more than USD35 million on its global FCPA compliance review efforts over the past 18 months,? the company said in a statement last week.

India is ranked 95^th out of 175 countries in the corruption perception index, and it is widely held that running a business without bribing government officials is nearly impossible here.

This is the second country in which Wal-Mart has faced allegations of corruption. After a scandal in Mexico that found payments were made to local officials as the retailer aggressively expanded, Wal-Mart initiated internal investigations in Brazil, China and India. Investigations in the Indian arm have been going on for a couple of months, and escalated last week, when the Hong Kong-based Price arrived.

The suspensions are just the latest in a string of problems Bharti Wal-Mart has been facing in India. Investments by foreign companies in multi-brand retail stores in India had been limited to wholesale outlets as a protectionist measure to save small shop owners from big retail. Then in September, the government announced retail would be open to 51% equity investment from foreign companies.

Bharti Wal-Mart is a 50-50 joint venture established in 2007 between Bharti Enterprises and Wal-Mart. Currently, Wal-Mart operates two cash- and-carry outlets, which are essentially wholesale stores, in India. It also provides back-end support in merchandising and logistics to multi-brand retail stores. These retail stores themselves are run by Bharti under the brand name Easy Day.

However, the company is now being investigated for violating the regulation and investing over $100 million in a unit owned by Bharti Enterprises. This was done through a complex mechanism involving debentures which could later be converted to equity. ?The allegation is that this money was invested in 2010 when FDI was disallowed in the sector.

The suspension of the CFO and the investigation into bribery, however, is unrelated to that probe.

The government has called for an all-party meeting on Monday to assuage the concerns of the opposition. The uncertainty about foreign retail and therefore Wal-Mart?s investments in India continue. Other large retailers including Tesco, Ikea and Carrefore are also awaiting Parliament support of the bill before committing to invest in India.

Source: http://qz.com/30440/wal-mart-india-suspends-cfo-and-legal-team-in-corruption-probe/

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Volkswagen to invest 50 billion euros over next three years

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's Volkswagen plans to invest 50.2 billion euros ($64.7 billion) in its automotive business in the coming three years as it strives to become the world's largest car maker this decade.

"Despite the challenging economic environment, we are investing more than ever before to reach our long-term goals," Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn said in a statement on Friday.

Of the overall figure earmarked for 2013 to 2015, 24.7 billion euros will go toward modernizing and extending the product range for Volkswagen's (VW) 12 brands.

While the multi-brand group is less exposed to austerity-hit Europe than rivals PSA Peugeot Citroen and Fiat , finding the cash to achieve its goal is becoming harder and it has to balance keeping a tight rein on short-term costs with the need to develop new products.

Stepping up investments on products and technology is seen allowing VW to consolidate its lead over stricken Mediterranean peers, which have slowed or shelved whole vehicle programs, engine technologies and platform revamps while grappling with high fixed costs in a shrinking European market.

VW's strong sales elsewhere have allowed it to offer cut-price deals and swell its share of the battered European market to almost a quarter.

As the company strives to replace Toyota Motor Corp as the world's No.1 auto maker no later than 2018, it keeps increasing its presence outside Europe, building or planning new factories in markets such as China, Mexico and Russia.

Under the new investment plan, some 14.5 billion euros will go toward cross-product investments such as a new plant for Audi in Mexico, expansion of Porsche's Leipzig plant and increased production of automatic gearboxes, VW said.

Last year, VW had said it would invest 62.4 billion euros in the five years from 2012 until 2016.

In addition, 9.8 billion euros will be invested in new production facilities and products at joint ventures in China from 2013 to 2015. As these joint ventures are not consolidated, their spending is not part of VW's overall plans.

($1 = 0.7761 euros)

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Mark Potter)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/volkswagen-invest-50-2-billion-euros-over-next-110918846--finance.html

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2 killed, 60 wounded in Afghan suicide attack

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? A suicide attacker detonated a car laden with explosives Friday in eastern Afghanistan, killing two civilians and wounding about 60 others, officials said.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying in a statement that the attack was in response to the recent execution of four Taliban detainees at the Afghan government's main detention center in Kabul.

The men were convicted and sentenced to death in Afghan courts for a variety of crimes, including murder, rape, kidnapping, robbery and cruelty against children. The Taliban condemned the hangings, saying the detainees were prisoners of war who were unjustly jailed.

Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for Wardak province, said the blast went off shortly before 7:30 a.m. on a street where international and Afghan security forces have a coordination office. He said at least two people were killed and 60 others were wounded in the explosion.

The Taliban said two suicide bombers were involved in the attack in Maidan Shahr, the capital of Wardak province. The insurgent group claimed the two attackers killed tens of Afghan and international troops, although the Taliban often exaggerate the number of casualties caused in their attacks.

Afghan and international forces have been working to root out insurgents in Wardak province to keep them from moving north into the Afghan capital. The international forces are scheduled to turn over security responsibility to local troops by the end of 2014.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-killed-60-wounded-afghan-suicide-attack-062725376.html

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Lawsuit against Madonna dismissed in Russia

FILE - U.S. singer Madonna performs during her concert at concert Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia, in this Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012 file photo. A Russian court has dismissed a lawsuit that sought millions of dollars in damages from Madonna for allegedly traumatizing minors by speaking up for gay rights during a concert in St. Petersburg. (AP Photo/ Olga Maltseva, File)

FILE - U.S. singer Madonna performs during her concert at concert Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia, in this Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012 file photo. A Russian court has dismissed a lawsuit that sought millions of dollars in damages from Madonna for allegedly traumatizing minors by speaking up for gay rights during a concert in St. Petersburg. (AP Photo/ Olga Maltseva, File)

Plaintiffs present video of a Madonna concert during a court hearing in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. The court is considering an appeal by Russian activists who claimed that Madonna was promoting homosexuality in violation of a local law. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) ? A Russian court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit that sought millions of dollars in damages from Madonna for allegedly traumatizing minors by speaking up for gay rights during a concert in St. Petersburg.

The ruling came after a one-day hearing that bordered on the farcical. During it, plaintiffs claimed that Madonna's so-called "propaganda of perversion" would negatively affect Russia's birthrate and erode the nation's defense capability by depriving the country of future soldiers. At one point, the judge threatened to expel journalists from the courtroom if they laughed too much.

In the end, the Moskovsky district court in St. Petersburg threw out the Trade Union of Russian Citizens' lawsuit and the 333 million rubles ($10.7 million) it sought from the singer for allegedly exposing youths to "homosexual propaganda."

Madonna did not attend the trial, and her publicist Liz Rosenberg said Thursday the star wouldn't comment about it.

Anti-gay sentiment is strong in Russia, particularly in St. Petersburg, where local legislators passed a law in February that made it illegal to promote homosexuality to minors. Six months later, Madonna criticized the law on Facebook, then stood up for gay rights during a concert in St. Petersburg that drew fans as young as 12.

"Who will children grow up to be if they hear about the equal rights of the lesbian lobby and manly love with traditional sexual relations?" one of the plaintiffs, Darya Dedova, testified Thursday. "The death rate prevails over the birth rate in the West; young guys are becoming gender neutral."

The plaintiffs submitted evidence about gay culture drawn from Wikipedia pages, claiming that a real encyclopedia could not have articles about homosexuality.

"We aren't against homosexual people, but we are against the propaganda of perversion among minors," Dedova told the court. "We want to defend the values of a traditional family, which are currently in crisis in this country. Madonna violated our laws and she should be punished."

Madonna, who performed in Moscow and St. Petersburg in August as part of her world tour, also angered Russian officials by supporting jailed members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot. The American said during her Moscow concert that she would "pray for them," then turned around so the audience could see the words "Pussy Riot" written on her back. The singer also donned a ski mask similar to those worn by Pussy Riot.

Despite international outrage, three of that band's members were sentenced to two years in jail on hooliganism charges for performing a "punk prayer" at Moscow's main cathedral, during which they pleaded with the Virgin Mary to deliver Russia from President Vladimir Putin. One of the Pussy Riot members was later released from jail on appeal, but the other two were sent to prison camps to serve their sentences.

___

Seddon reported from Moscow.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-11-22-Russia-Madonna-Trial/id-7972d832b5994847ae71d27941f6f88e

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90% Of 18-29 Year-Olds Sleep With Their Smartphones - Business ...

A cool infographic by Online Psychology Degree shows the extent to which smartphones have basically become a new bodily appendage:

• 90% of 18-29 year olds sleep with their smartphones
• 1 in 3 people would rather give up sex than their phone
• 95% of people use the phone for something just before going to bed
• Half of people check their phones immediately if they wake up during the night

Unfortunately, our bodies haven't quite adapted to the change yet:

• 63% of people aren't getting enough sleep
• Too much screen time reduces melatonin, the chemical that makes you sleep
• Not sleeping makes you stressed and depressed
• Sleeping fewer than 6 hours a night raises your heart attack risk by 50%

Check out the infographic here.

SEE ALSO: A Short 'Power Pose' Changes Your Body Chemistry And Your Life

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/90-of-18-29-year-olds-sleep-with-their-smartphones-2012-11

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Sam Houston State vs. Texas A&M: Manziel extra point dominates discussion after blowout Aggie win

Fun side note or disrespectful finger in the eye? Johnny Manziel's failed extra-point attempt dominates the postgame debate.

In the wake of last week's monumental victory over Alabama, Texas A&M largely avoided the expected letdown by defeating the overmatched Sam Houston State Bearkats, 47-28. The Aggies jumped out to a 47-0 lead, including four scores in a nine-minute stretch in the second quarter that caught the attention of SB Nation's Texas A&M blog Good Bull Hunting:

After a sluggish start, we finally came to life in the second, scoring four touchdowns in about nine minutes. The collective sigh of relief coming out of Kyle was pretty much audible in several Texas cities. Also the number of teams in the top 2 that lost last night. We were knocking off #1 before it was fashionable, folks. Now everyone's copied us and Bama is back in the title hunt.

Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel completed 14 of 20 pass attempts for 267 yards and three touchdowns, adding 100 yards rushing on 16 attempts. If Manziel made a mistake, it was missing an unexpected extra-point attempt in the second half. Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin said he sent his star quarterback out to attempt the kick to break up the monotony of the season. Other analysts felt the attempt was disrespectful to the Bearkats. Good Bull Hunting weighed in on the "controversy":

I really don't see this as an insult to SHSU as those who gave feedback during the game did. Bertolet had already missed one on the day (and several on the season), and Manziel almost pushed it through. It's not like this game was on a national stage.

The win takes Texas A&M to 9-2 on the season, with the Aggies' finale against Missouri scheduled for next Saturday.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Source: http://houston.sbnation.com/texas-a-m-aggies/2012/11/18/3661494/texas-am-sam-houston-state-2012

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Think Twice Before Buying That Health App | World of Psychology

Last week, Rochelle Sharpe from the New England Center for Investigative Reporting published an article in The Washington Post about the flimsy evidence base for most health apps you can purchase in the iTunes or Google Play Android online stores. Developers have been marketing such apps for years ? most of them having no research to suggest they can do half the things they claim.

Worse yet, neither Apple nor Google appear to care. Neither company responded to Sharpe?s inquiries about why they allow apps to be sold on their storefronts that claim to treat all sorts of medical and mental health problems, without the research to back them up.

So what kinds of things can your smartphone cure or alleviate the symptoms of? You might be surprised at Sharpe?s findings.

Here?s what the non-profit New England Center for Investigative Reporting found in its investigation into health apps:

These apps offer quick fixes for everything from flabby abs to alcoholism, and they promise relief from pain, stress, stuttering and even ringing in the ears. Many of these apps do not follow established medical guidelines, and few have been tested through the sort of clinical research that is standard for less new-fangled treatments sold by other means, a probe by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting has found.

While some are free, thousands must be purchased, at prices ranging from 69 cents to $999. Nearly 247 million mobile phone users around the world are expected to download a health app in 2012, according to Research2Guidance, a global market research firm.

In an examination of 1,500 health apps that cost money and have been available since June 2011, the center found that more than one out of five claims to treat or cure medical problems. Of the 331 therapeutic apps, nearly 43 percent relied on cellphone sound for treatments. Another dozen used the light of the cellphone, and two others used phone vibrations. Scientists say none of these methods could possibly work for the conditions in question.

One out of five. That?s just astounding.

I?m quoted in the article as well:

Virtually any app that claims it will cure someone of a disease, condition or mental health condition is bogus,? says John Grohol, an expert in online health technology, pointing out that the vast majority of apps have not been scientifically tested. ?Developers are just preying on people?s vulnerabilities.?

Satish Misra, a physician and the managing editor of the app review Web site iMedicalApps, adds: ?They take some therapeutic method that is real ? and in some cases experimental ? and create a grossly simplified version of that therapy using the iPhone. Who knows? Maybe it works.? But until testing shows otherwise, ?my feeling would be that it doesn?t.?

I first reported on this issue back in 2009, highlighting the lack of research evidence to suggest that a blue light app being marketed at the time for the iPhone could possibly work. It was being marketed as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder ? a very real and debilitating disorder that can indeed be treated with a specific type of light therapy.

However, this app (and there are still apps like this available for sale in the iTunes and Google Play stores) took a research concept ? being exposed to a certain wavelength of light for a set period of time each day ? and turned it into a product that could be sold to unsuspecting consumers. Except that the developers ignored an important component of the research ? the light needed to be of a certain brightness intensity in order for it to work. As it turns out, the iPhone and Android smartphones at the time couldn?t even produce 10 percent of the brightness needed.

That?s the insidiousness of these apps ? they often take one small component of a research finding, simplify it, and put it into an app. Then they make claims about how their app is backed by research (we see this all the time, too, in ?brain games? apps and websites, as well as in the nutritional supplement market).

Yes, there is some tiny amount of research on phone apps, but very little of that research is about any current app you can find in the iTunes or Google Play (for Android) stores. Developers now try and circumvent U.S. Food and Drug Administration policing by claiming the apps they market for diseases are for ?entertainment purposes only.? I?m sorry, but who finds a blue light entertaining?

Unless you?re trying to increase the size of your breasts? Apparently, there?s an app for that too:

Breast Augmentation, sold on Google Play for 99 cents, attempts to capitalize on the notion that breast-feeding women have larger breasts. While lactating women?s breasts may get bigger when they fill with milk, Breast Augmentation claims that all kinds of women can get larger breasts just by listening to the sounds of a crying baby at least 20 times a day, a claim that experts say has no basis. ?The tone works by stimulating the brain subliminally,? the app?s advertisement says.

A spokesman for the developer, CowKnow, said in an e-mail that despite lack of scientific proof, there have been many positive comments from users. ?I suppose that effects depend on the subject, possible brain suggestion and placebo effect,? the spokesman wrote.

As a consumer, you just have to watch out for any app you find for your smartphone that claims it will cure or treat the symptoms of any disease or mental disorder. Or whose claims just don?t pass the common sense test. The legitimate apps that can actually help treat certain, specific symptoms are so rare, we can compile a list of such apps (and will do so in the future).

In the meantime, check out iMedicalApps, which ?gets health-care professionals to review software applications that mainly interest physicians. Happtique, a subsidiary of the Greater New York Hospital Association, is about to launch the nation?s first app certification service, which will evaluate apps for safety and effectiveness. It will award some apps the high-tech equivalent of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.?

?

Read the full article: Many health apps are based on flimsy science at best, and they often do not work

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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Catch up on other posts by John M. Grohol, PsyD (or subscribe to their feed).

????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 17 Nov 2012
????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Grohol, J. (2012). Think Twice Before Buying That Health App. Psych Central. Retrieved on November 18, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/11/17/think-twice-before-buying-that-health-app/

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Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/11/17/think-twice-before-buying-that-health-app/

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