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রবিবার, ৭ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

The Final Four by the numbers

David J. Phillip / AP

University of Louisville players work during practice Friday, April 5, in Atlanta for their NCAA Final Four college basketball semifinal game against Wichita State.

By Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News

Your favorite player's number isn't the only one you'll need to know if you want to impress at Final Four viewing parties this weekend. About 100,000 fans are expected to flood into Atlanta from Saturday to Monday to cheer on college basketball's biggest stars. The Louisville Cardinals will face the Wichita State Shockers, and the Michigan Wolverines will come up against the Syracuse Orange.

The NCAA said it has trucked in an additional 18,218 additional seats to add to the 74,000-capacity Georgia Dome, from which face-painted spectators can peer down at the spankin' new $100,000 court.

Sure, you can scrape by reciting stats and recounting stunning moments from championship games past. But any sports fan worth his or her salt knows those. Here are the numbers you need to know what's really going on behind the scenes during the year's most anticipated weekend of college hoops:

2,700 ? Feet scalpers are required to stay from the complex that includes the Georgia Dome in order to ply their trade under Peach State law. State regulations require that unofficial ticket-hawkers steer well clear of the Georgia World Congress Center, which includes the stadium.

29 ? Inches the championship court is elevated above the stadium floor. The final team standing literally gets to take the field ? it's given the option of taking the court home. If the national champion declines, the NCAA sells the court after the tournament.

32,942 ? Amount in dollars on StubHub for a single ticket to view the semifinals and the championship from a posh suite. The average price tag for a semifinals seat in 2013 was an all-time high of $1,190, according to secondary-market aggregator TiqIQ.com.

315 ? Lowest price in dollars for a single semifinals ticket on TicketLiquidator.com, for a seat way up in the Dome's stratosphere. Or luckless fans can try and strike a deal with those friendly scalpers lingering a few blocks from the stadium.

1,125 ? Credentialed members of the pencil-pushing, camera-toting media who will be jostling for laptop real estate over the weekend. One of the most popular annual sporting events in the United States, the Big Dance's finale also draws in a sizable contingent of foreign media.

155,000 ? Weight in pounds of the monster video board looming over the court, blowing the athletes to superhuman size. And so fans don't miss a single moment, 660 television monitors also dot walls throughout the stadium.

30 ? Length in seconds of a campaign finance ad the Fair Elections for New York Campaign is planning to run during the Syracuse-Michigan matchup Saturday. (Also, approximate length of bathroom break fans will take during said ad.)

1904 ? Year the school that would become Wichita State adopted the team nickname "Shockers," for the harvesting, or "shocking," of wheat that went on in fields not far from the school. The men's basketball team, then playing for what was known as Fairmount College, first took the court in 1906.

32,952 ? Feet of soft drink supply lines that snake to drink dispensers through the stadium to provide sugary soda pop nectar to throats hoarse from rooting on the team. The 21-year-old Dome is better known for hosting football games, but it has been home to three previous Final Four matchups.

11,088 ? Distance in feet that fans have to drive from the Dome to get a chili dog at Hotlanta's nearest Varsity drive-in restaurant. The chain's been dishing up slaw dogs and orange shakes for Atlanta customers since 1928.

1 ? Ubiquitous hand gesture (the high-five) that Louisville claims was invented by its 1978-79 men's basketball team. That team, also known as the Doctors of Dunk, featured players Wiley Brown and Derek Smith, who allegedly came up with the celebratory slap. (Other sources claim Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke of the Los Angeles Dodgers invented the high-five during the 1977 baseball season.)

3.9 ? Dollar amount, in millions, that Louisville coach Rick Pitino pulls down as his base salary. That makes him the biggest earner before performance bonuses of this year's Final Four coaches. It also explains those snazzy white suits.

1 ? Television and six-pack of light beer required to enjoy the game in the comfort of one's own home.

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শনিবার, ৬ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

I Kind Of Love These ?Exit Traffic Ads? That Show Up When You Leave A Site

“Wow, that was a cool ad” is not something I say often. But I was recently browsing Wookiepedia, a Star Wars Wikia site, and when I clicked an external link it popped up a half-screen interstitial for 15 seconds before redirecting me to my destination. Instead of cluttering its site with more ads, Wookiepedia let me bounce around internally for free, but “charged” me to leave. And I was impressed. Advertising is the lifeblood of the consumer Internet. It finances content and utilities so they can be free and widely accessible. But too much advertising and the user experience degrades. No one wants to sift out value from a sea of marketing. Exit traffic ads seem like an elegant solution. They can take some ad strain off of a webpage and encourage more intra-site browsing. Depending on their implementation, they’re not that obstructive. On Wookiepedia, at least, you can click a “Skip this sd” button to go straight to your destination. Otherwise you can ‘x’ an ad out or click “Want to go back?” to return to the page you were browsing. You can try it yourself by going to Wookiepedia and then clicking one of the “Official Friends” links at the bottom. Some people are going to hate these because they throw up barriers too open web browsing. I understand that. But I think they give businesses design freedom, so they can create a pure on-site experience by offloading the clutter. I want to see more of these exit traffic ads. I feel like they’re a smart alternative or complement to standard display media. They can be big and glossy, and the format ensures they’re noticed unlike most banners. It feels like a fair value exchange, too. A site points me towards something I want to check out, so I don’t feel so bad seeing one of their ads for a few seconds on the way out. I like them a hell of a lot more than the entry traffic interstitial ads that roadblock many content sites (*cough* other tech news blogs *cough*). It might even encourage sites to link externally more often. I can imagine exit traffic ads finding a place on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. These sites are obsessed with design and the onsite user experience, but are keen on new monetization strategies. This ad format could reward them for being content discovery engines, and

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/grt6kutqBDw/

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Obama: Proposed budget not his 'ideal plan'

President Barack Obama speaks at the Denver Police Academy in Denver, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Ratcheting up pressure for Congress to limit access to guns, Obama said that steps taken recently by Colorado to tighten its gun laws show "there doesn't have to be a conflict" between keeping citizens safe and protecting Second Amendment rights to gun ownership. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Confronting bipartisan criticism, President Barack Obama conceded Saturday his proposed budget is not his "ideal plan" but said it offers "tough reforms" to the nation's benefit programs while closing loopholes for the wealthy, a mix that he argued will provide long-term deficit reduction without harming the economy.

In his first comments about a budget he is to release Wednesday, Obama said he intends to reduce deficits while at the same time providing new spending for public works projects, early education and job training.

"We don't have to choose between these goals - we can do both," Obama said in his weekly radio and internet address.

Obama's budget calls for slower growth in government benefits programs for the poor, veterans and the elderly, as well as higher taxes, primarily from the wealthy. Some of its details, made public Friday, drew a fierce response from liberals, labor unions and advocates for older Americans and prompted an unimpressed reaction from Republican House Speaker John Boehner.

"It's a compromise I'm willing to accept in order to move beyond a cycle of short-term, crisis-driven decision-making, and focus on growing our economy and our middle class for the long run," Obama said.

Obama proposes spending cuts and revenue increases that would result in $1.8 trillion in deficit reductions over 10 years, replacing $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts that are otherwise poised to take effect over the next 10 years.

Counting reductions and higher taxes that Congress and Obama have approved since 2011, the 2014 budget would contribute to a total $4.3 trillion in total deficit reduction by 2023.

The key deficit reduction elements of the plan incorporate an offer Obama made to Boehner in December as both men sought to avert an impending "fiscal cliff" of automatic, across the board spending cut and broad tax increases

Obama's plan has two central features -- $580 billion in new taxes that Republicans oppose and a new inflation formula, rejected by many liberals, that would reduce the annual cost of living adjustments for a broad swath of government programs, including Social Security and benefits for veterans.

In his address, Obama said he would achieve deficit reduction by making "tough reforms" to Medicare and by enacting "commonsense tax reform that includes closing wasteful tax loopholes for the wealthy and well-connected."

Obama, however, made no mention of the effect his budget would have on Social Security and on other social safety net programs, a key feature of his proposal and one that drew hostile reaction from some of his most ardent political backers.

Obama rejected a House Republican budget that aims to balance the budget in 10 years with steep cuts in domestic spending. His remarks reflected the White House's argument that Obama's blend of tax increases and spending cuts have widespread public support and will ultimately change the terms of the fiscal debate in Washington.

"My budget will reduce our deficits not with aimless, reckless spending cuts that hurt students and seniors and middle-class families ? but through the balanced approach that the American people prefer, and the investments that a growing economy demands," he said.

Still, Obama has been unable to move House Republicans from their opposition to higher taxes. And his proposed reduction in the growth of benefits drew swift objections from allies.

"The president should drop these misguided cuts in benefits and focus instead on building support in Congress for investing in jobs," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement Friday.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback delivered the Republican radio address, arguing that "the ideas on how to fix the federal government are now percolating in the states."

"You see, you don't change America by changing Washington ? you change America by changing the states," he said. "And that's exactly what Republican governors are doing across the country ? taking a different approach to grow their states' economies and fix their governments with ideas that work.

Brownback, a former House member and U.S. senator, called for a "taxing structure that encourages growth, an education system that produces measurable results, and a renewed focus on the incredible dignity of each and every person, no matter who they are."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-06-Obama/id-25a7ee8b866d4bb090abbf954e4c1b63

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ৪ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Study shows mental illness associated with heavy cannabis use

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

People with mental illnesses are more than seven times more likely to use cannabis weekly compared to people without a mental illness, according to researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) who studied U.S. data.

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance globally, with an estimated 203 million people reporting use. Although research has found links between cannabis use and mental illness, exact numbers and prevalence of problem cannabis use had not been investigated.

"We know that people with mental illness consume more cannabis, perhaps partially as a way to self- medicate psychiatric symptoms, but this data showed us the degree of the correlation between cannabis use, misuse, and mental illness," said Dr. Shaul Lev-ran, Adjunct Scientist at CAMH and Head of Addiction Medicine at the Sheba Medical Center, Israel.

"Based on the number individuals reporting weekly use, we see that people with mental illness use cannabis at high rates. This can be of concern because it could worsen the symptoms of their mental illness," said Lev-ran, who conducted the research as a post-doctoral fellow with the Social Aetiology of Mental Illness (SAMI) Training Program at CAMH.

Researchers also found that individuals with mental illness were 10 times more likely to have a cannabis use disorder.

In this new study, published in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry, CAMH researchers analyzed data from face-to-face interviews with over 43,000 respondents over the age of 18 from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Using structured questionnaires, the researchers assessed cannabis use as well as various mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol use disorders and personality disorders, based on criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).

Among those will mental illness reporting at least weekly cannabis use, rates of use were particularly elevated for those with bipolar disorder, personality disorders and other substance use disorders.

In total, 4.4 per cent of individuals with a mental illness in the past 12 months reported using cannabis weekly, compared to 0.6 per cent among individuals without any mental illness. Cannabis use disorders occurred among 4 per cent of those with mental illness versus 0.4 per cent among those without.

Researchers also noted that, although cannabis use is generally higher among younger people, the association between mental illness and cannabis use was pervasive across most age groups.

They emphasize the importance of screening for frequent and problem cannabis use among those with mental illness, so that targeted prevention and intervention may be employed.

###

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health: http://www.camh.net

Thanks to Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127567/Study_shows_mental_illness_associated_with_heavy_cannabis_use

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Hillary Clinton's second memoir expected in 2014

NEW YORK (AP) ? Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has a book deal.

She is working on a memoir and policy book about her years as secretary of state, Simon & Schuster told The Associated Press. The book has yet to be titled and is tentatively scheduled for June 2014. Financial terms were not disclosed. Clinton reportedly received $8 million for the 2003 memoir, "Living History," also published by Simon & Schuster.

"Hillary Clinton's extraordinary public service has given her a unique perspective on recent history and the challenges we face," Jonathan Karp, president and publisher of the Simon & Schuster Publishing Group and the book's editor, said in a statement Thursday. "This will be the ultimate book for people who are interested in world affairs and America's place in the world today."

By launching her book tour in June 2014, Clinton will travel the country as Democrats work to recapture the House in the fall midterm elections. Her itinerary will be closely scrutinized for any signs she may run for president in 2016 ? any book tour events in early voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina would receive broad attention.

As with "Living History," Clinton was represented by Washington attorney Robert Barnett, who has handled deals for President Barack Obama and Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton. Karp previously served as editor for another Barnett client, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, and his memoir "True Compass."

Hillary Clinton, 65, stepped down as secretary of state earlier this year after serving throughout Obama's first term. Polls indicate she would be a leading contender for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, but she has yet to announce a decision about a bid. Clinton was defeated by Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2008.

Her book will likely be anticipated on several levels ? as a possible signal of a presidential run; as the latest chronicle of one of the most eventful public lives of the past quarter-century; as the continuation of a tradition of secretary of state memoirs that includes Dean Acheson's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Present at the Creation" and works by Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright and Clinton's immediate predecessor, Condoleezza Rice.

According to Simon & Schuster, Clinton will write about everything from the killing of Osama bin Laden and the Arab Spring to China and climate change. She "will share her views as to what it takes for the United States to secure and sustain prosperity and global leadership. Throughout, Secretary Clinton will offer vivid personal anecdotes and memories of her collaboration with President Obama and his national security team, as well as her engagement with leaders around the world."

Clinton, who already has started writing the book, was often praised as a hard-working and effective secretary of state. But it's unclear whether she will cover one of the bleakest events of the past four years ? the attack last fall against the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, which left four Americans dead and led to widespread criticism of security procedures and allegations by Republicans of an election-year cover-up of an act of terrorism.

Simon & Schuster's announcement mentions the 2011 overthrow of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, but not the Benghazi attack. The publisher did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the attack.

The announcement also says nothing about Clinton's 2008 presidential run, an intense and sometimes bitter campaign that led to widespread reports of animosity between Clinton and Obama.

A person familiar with the book said that Clinton does not plan to write about the 2008 campaign or any possible future runs. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the book and requested anonymity to discuss it.

Clinton is a well-established author. Her "Living History" was a million-seller that was highly publicized, if only for her thoughts on her husband's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Her other books, all from Simon & Schuster and all released while she was the first lady, include her best-seller about raising children, "It Takes a Village"; "Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets"; and "An Invitation to the White House: At Home With History."

___

Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-hillary-clinton-book-expected-2014-120225734.html

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PayPal tests merchant financing as Kabbage raises debt

By Alistair Barr

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - EBay Inc's payments business, PayPal, already lends money to online shoppers, but it is now starting to finance the merchants who sell on the company's online marketplaces.

PayPal has already tested a financing program for eBay sellers in the UK and it plans similar tests in the United States this year, a company spokesman said on Tuesday.

"Marketplaces is a great innovation lab for us to test new experiences," Gary Marino, senior vice president, global financial services at PayPal, said at eBay's investor day last week. "We've done it successfully with credit and we are experimenting with many new capabilities which will drive share like small business lending."

The UK program and the up-coming U.S. test focus on merchants selling on eBay.com, which number in the millions. The PayPal spokesman said the UK test was only available to a small number of merchants who were pre-selected.

"The pilot program has now ended," he added. "We are working on full rollout plans."

Banks and other providers of loans for merchants pulled back after the 2008 financial crisis, leaving an opening for alternative sources of financing. Factoring, a common source of financing in the retail business that is provided by lenders such as CIT Group and Wells Fargo, can be tough to tap for smaller merchants.

The combination of fast-growing online shopping and a lack of credit for smaller businesses has created strong demand for new types of financing among sellers that ply their trade on Amazon.com, eBay.com and other marketplaces.

KABBAGE RAISES DEBT

Internet firms have already stepped in to satisfy demand from these merchants, who need financing to pay upfront for inventory, buy supplies and even hire extra staff, especially ahead of the annual holiday shopping rush.

Amazon.com Inc, the world's largest Internet retailer, launched a merchant financing program before the holidays last year called Amazon Lending.

On Wednesday, Kabbage Inc, a start-up focused on providing financing to online merchants, said it closed a $75 million credit facility, its largest to date, to fund more advances to merchants selling via online marketplaces including Amazon.com and eBay.com.

"There is a clear void in the market as traditional financing sources remain reluctant to lend," said Tom Affolter, principal at Victory Park Capital, an alternative asset-management firm that led the Kabbage debt financing.

Existing equity investor Thomvest Ventures contributed a significant amount to the $75 million debt financing. Kabbage declined to say how much. Thomvest Chairman Peter J. Thomson is a director of Thomson Reuters Corp, which owns the publisher of this report.

Kabbage, which is also backed by BlueRun Ventures, United Parcel Service Inc and TPG Capital Founder David Bonderman, made 39,048 advances to merchants last year and expects to make almost 100,000 in 2013, Co-Founder Marc Gorlin said. Kabbage has not disclosed the dollar amount of money it has advanced.

PAYPAL'S UK PROGRAM

PayPal's Marino founded Bill Me Later, an online consumer credit business that eBay acquired in 2008. This business, which lends money to shoppers on eBay.com and other websites, is one of the company's fastest growing operations.

BML, as it is known, has helped boost sales on eBay.com, while lowering PayPal's funding costs.

Advancing money to online merchants may increase sales on eBay.com, according to R.J. Hottovy, an equity analyst at Morningstar.

"Allowing merchants to purchase additional inventory, or increase advertising budgets, should theoretically lead to additional eBay listings," he added.

In the UK, PayPal teamed with United Kapital, a financial-service firm that specializes in merchant cash advances.

The UK program offered merchants up to 25,000 pounds from United Kapital to spend on anything related to their business, including advertising, buying new products to sell, website re-design, refurbishing physical stores and hiring staff.

Merchants applied online by entering their PayPal account details. If approved, the size of the advance they got was based on their past PayPal sales receipts. Merchants got a decision within 72 hours of applying, according to PayPal.

The advances were paid into merchants' PayPal accounts. They were charged a fee based on their credit risk.

In a working example provided by PayPal, a merchant got an advance of 12,000 pounds. The fee for this was 3,240 pounds, or 27 percent of the amount advanced.

Merchants could then choose to re-pay the money as a percentage of their daily PayPal sales receipts. In the example provided, the merchant agreed to a 12 percent rate, meaning 12 percent of their daily sales were used to repay the advance.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr; Editing by Bernard Orr and Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/paypal-tests-financing-online-sellers-kabbage-raises-debt-123353926--sector.html

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U.S. Attorney's Office asks judge to toss motion to ... - Crime Blog

Screengrab of Barrett Brown from a YouTube video posted on September 12

Journalist-turned-hacktivist Barrett Brown has been in a federal detention center since September, when FBI agents raided his apartment while he was engaged in an online chat. And he will remain there until at least September, when he?s due to stand trial for more than a dozen criminal charges, among them threatening an FBI agent, conspiring to release the personal information of a U.S. government employee, identity theft and releasing credit card information.

Brown, the not-a-spokesman for Anonymous and the subject of a D cover story in 2011, has now become an international story: A lengthy piece on the U.K. Guardian?s website appeared on March 21 beneath the headline ?The persecution of Barrett Brown ? and how to fight it,? and insists Brown?s being punished by the government for trying to reveal ?the secret relationships and projects between ? intelligence firms and federal agencies.?

Aside from its myriad indictments, the federal government hasn?t said much about its case against Brown ? or what it?s after. But according to a motion to intervene and quash subpoena filed yesterday, the government is attempting to get its hands on records related to domain name server Cloudflare ? and, more specifically, those involving someone named Sebastiaan Provost, who, according to the motion, ?built newsgathering websites for Mr. Brown.? Jason Flores-Williams, a New Mexico attorney, filed the motion.

The U.S. Attorney?s Office promptly responded, asking the judge to dismiss the motion. Sarah Saldana?s office offers several reasons, among them Flores-Williams isn?t licensed to practice law in Texas and he
?failed to explain why it was not possible to confer with the government? before he filed his motion. U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay has yet to rule.

Flores-Williams is among a handful of activists attorneys who co-founded the Whistleblowers Defense League, whose creation was announced yesterday. Their website says the WBDL ?stands with those brave souls willing to act against and expose the damaging corporate and political forces injuring our democracy.?

In a press release, WBDL co-founder and attorney Jay Leiderman, who has represented Brown in the past, says, ?The internet is the new frontier for civil rights. This indictment of Barrett Brown, like Ai Weiwei, is an affront to democracy. We have to stop this government from criminalizing dissent in our society.?

Doug Morris, the public defender representing Brown, says it ?appears the government is trying to get information from these folks, and they believe it?s related to Mr. Brown. That?s what it tells me.? And, for now, that?s all he knows about Flores-Williams? motion. Morris also doesn?t want to comment on how his client is doing behind bars. For that information we must instead turn to Vice, which published an interview with Brown last week ? shortly after Brown?s mother pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice by hiding computers for her son.

?I don?t want to talk to you about the case or the people involved at this point, but obviously I?m not terribly worried about it,? he insisted. When asked why not, he responded: ?Just because of my knowledge, I know how long they were in there monitoring our stuff. ? I know what documents and records of my activities are available. They?re trying to claim that I intentionally tried to spread credit card information, but I was opposed to that. And I was on record being opposed to it. They?re just not aware of that. They don?t have their [expletive] together in terms of going through what they spied on me regarding ? and I obviously know what?s there in that evidence so ? I?ve always been opposed to spreading credit cards.?

Brown, ruled competent last January to stand trial, was initially scheduled to go to trial in March. But his attorney asked the judge for the OK to put it off until September, which gave them more time for discovery.

?Every case is unique,? says Doug Morris. ?If you have an illegal reentry case, that doesn?t take a long time. Felony possession of a handgun ? did you have the gun or not? But if it?s computer-generated, there?s a lot of discovery, and it takes time.?

Brown remains behind bars because, according to U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Stickney?s September ruling, ?Mr. Brown is a danger to the safety of the community and a risk of flight.?

Motion to Intervene and Govt Response

Source: http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2013/04/u-s-attorneys-office-asks-judge-to-toss-motion-to-intervene-in-the-case-of-detained-hacktivist-barrett-brown.html/

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