Union says strike by Dublin Bus drivers now ?99% certain?

Christopher McKinley

In anticipation of possible strike action tomorrow Dublin Bus have announced that no Nitelink services will operate toninght.

In a statement on Twitter the company said that ?due to probable industrial action (whereby) services may not operate tomorrow, no Nitelink services will operate tonight?.

The Irish Times takes no responsibility for the content or availability of other websites.

The announcement comes after Siptu transport organiser, Willie Noone, said it?s now ?99 per cent certain? that Dublin Bus drivers will go on strike tomorrow.

?I can?t see how anything is going happen between now and midnight,? he said. Siptu and National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) drivers at the State company are set to go on strike tomorrow in a long-running row over ?11.7 million in cost saving measures.

An expectation that talks between both sides could take place at the Labour Relations Commission today is receding.

Mr Noone said members of Dublin Bus had already taken pay cuts and had not been given many options regarding the cost savings.

Last night Dublin Bus wrote to all their employees urging them not to engage in industrial action.

If the industrial action does go ahead the strikers will start picketing outside bus garages at midnight.

Public demand for bus services was also expected to be high this weekend with both the Oxegen festival and All-Ireland football quarter finals taking place tomorrow.

The strike will affect an estimated 200,000 public transport users and cost Dublin Bus approximately ?200,000 per day.

The halting of bus services in the capital is also expected to disrupt businesses.

Unions have overwhelmingly rejected a Labour Court supported plan which includes reduced overtime, reductions in bank holiday payments and in annual leave.

Dublin Bus said that they have no choice but to implement the measures in order to stabilise the company?s finances.

A Dublin Bus spokeswoman said that the strike would cause disruption to customers and further losses for the company.

She said her information was that the unions planned to strike and said the company was urging them strongly not to.

?It?s really, really, disappointing, counterproductive and damaging?.

?We?d be hopeful that common sense would prevail,? she said. ?Striking is not going to solve the problem and the financial situation will worsen as a result of the strike?.

She said Dublin Bus was willing to enter talks if they were ?constructive around achieving the savings necessary?.

?Dublin Bus does not have a problem with talking,? she said. ?We?ve had exhaustive talks. We?ve exhausted the industrial relations mechanism?.

The company said that bus drivers? core pay of around ?40,000 per annum would not be cut while management and executives faced pay cuts of 3 per cent to 5 per cent. She also said that only about 25 per cent of drivers opted for overtime.

?We have nowhere else to go. We have met the unions 60 times and were at the LRC seven times and at the Labour Court,? she said.

There are also concerns the dispute may affect train users. NBRU assistant general secretary Dermot O?Leary said Irish Rail members would not stand ?idly by? while cuts were imposed on employees at their sister company Dublin Bus.

Both Siptu and the NBRU have said drivers had lost up to ?250 a week from cuts in 2009 and faced a ?94 cut for each day of the six Bank Holidays they worked per year, along with a cut of ?35 if they work a rest day.

Fianna Fail transport spokesman Timmy Dooley urged Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar to intervene and said an ?act of leadership? was required to bridge the divide.

On Thursday the Minister urged both sides to do everything to agree the necessary savings and avoid disruption. ?Payroll savings are needed to protect existing service levels. There have already been substantial fare increases,? he said.

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/851/f/10838/s/2f82f4dd/sc/8/l/0L0Sirishtimes0N0Cnews0Cireland0Cirish0Enews0Cunion0Esays0Estrike0Eby0Edublin0Ebus0Edrivers0Enow0E990Ecertain0E10B1484187/story01.htm

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From soybeans to baseball, Henry has had success

Boston Red Sox majority owner John Henry watches a baseball game between the Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning at Fenway Park in Boston, Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox majority owner John Henry watches a baseball game between the Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning at Fenway Park in Boston, Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BOSTON (AP) ? John W. Henry took a backward ballclub in a dilapidated park and transformed it into a two-time World Series champion that is one of baseball's model franchises.

As the owner of The Boston Globe, he will try to turn around a newspaper that ? like many other major metro dailies ? is shedding staff, subscribers and advertisers as it makes the transition into the Internet age.

Henry agreed to buy the Globe along with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and the Boston Metro for $70 million, a fraction of the $1.1 billion The New York Times Co. paid 20 years ago. Henry apparently made this deal without his Red Sox partners, though he said in a statement that more information will soon be available "concerning those joining me in this community commitment and effort."

The son of southern Illinois soybean farmers now worth an estimated $1.5 billion, Henry was a minority owner of the New York Yankees and the sole owner of the Florida Marlins when he led a group that bought the Red Sox for $660 million in 2002. (The original group included The New York Times, which sold the last of its 17.5 percent ownership last year.)

They soon set out to preserve Fenway Park while taking a wrecking ball to most everything else that had mired the franchise in failure for more than eight decades.

Henry, who made his money by taking a mathematical approach to the commodities markets, brought a similar method to the baseball diamond, hiring the statistically savvy Theo Epstein, then 28 years-old, as the youngest general manager in baseball history. They hired statistical pioneer Bill James as a consultant, putting the Red Sox at the forefront of the revolution that had just begun to take hold in front offices long dominated by old-time and hidebound scouting types.

But, perhaps more importantly, the new owners turned what had long been a stagnant family business into a revenue spigot.

They took NESN, which had been almost exclusively an outlet for Red Sox and Boston Bruins games, into a full-fledged sports network. (Not every effort ? like the sports-themed dating show "Sox Appeal" ? was a success.) And they spent more than $285 million turning the once-doomed Fenway Park into a modern ? well, as modern as a 100-year-old ballpark can be, anyway ? sporting venue.

With seats above the Green Monster and a roof deck in right field, a high-tech scoreboard and new concourses and concessions, Fenway sold out 820 consecutive games ? by official count, anyway ? the longest such streak in professional sports history. Thousands more file through the turnstiles 12 months a year, paying up to $16 just to see the park when it is empty.

Though fans sometimes chafed at the team's new businesslike approach, the initiatives helped pay for a player payroll that grew from $75.5 million in 2000 to more than $130 million by 2004. That year, the Red Sox won the World Series for the first time in 86 years, ending one of the longest title droughts in sports.

They won again three years later.

Henry was also a different kind of owner than Bostonians had grown accustomed to.

While most owners of the local franchises had treated their teams like family fiefdoms or corporate cash registers ? or both ? Henry engaged with fans, chatting with them on Internet message boards (he would also became an early adopter on Twitter). He spent less time in his luxury box and more in his dugout-side seats, and was once seen running the bases on the Fenway diamond with the woman who is now his wife.

And Henry kept looking beyond baseball.

Through a sister company, the Red Sox owners bought into NASCAR as co-owners of Roush Fenway Racing; soccer, by purchasing the Liverpool FC of the English Premier League; and basketball, through a sponsorship deal with LeBron James. Their business offshoot, known as New England Sports Ventures, has also dabbled in marketing for college sports and professional golf.

In buying a newspaper, Henry enters an industry in turmoil and joins a progression of publishers who have tried to figure out how to balance the free-flowing information of the internet with the costs of quality journalism.

While providing no clues, Henry vowed to try.

"The Boston Globe's award-winning journalism as well as its rich history and tradition of excellence have established it as one of the most well-respected media companies in the country," he said in his statement. "This is a thriving, dynamic region that needs a strong, sustainable Boston Globe playing an integral role in the community's long-term future."

___

Follow Jimmy Golen on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jgolen.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-08-03-Boston%20Globe-Henry/id-3f31d85c0e3f401eafec2ac0dd4fe85e

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7 new members set to enter NFL Hall of Fame

The past meets the present this weekend at the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Enshrinement Festival.

Seven new members will be welcomed into the institution on Saturday headlined by the outspoken Cris Carter, who will speak last despite being the only enshrinee in the year's group without a Super Bowl championship on his resume.

Carter will be joined by offensive lineman Larry Allen, defensive tackles Curley Culp and Warren Sapp, left tackle Jonathan Ogden, linebacker Dave Robinson and head coach Bill Parcells in making up the 2013 class.

Carter was unceremoniously dumped by the Philadelphia Eagles and Buddy Ryan back in 1989 with Ryan firing off his now famous quip "all he does is catch touchdowns." In truth Carter was having off-the-field problems with drugs and alcohol, but turned his life around in Minnesota, which picked up the Ohio State product for a paltry $100 waiver fee.

"Minnesota fans didn't judge me when a lot of bad things were being said about me," Carter said on Friday as the gold anniversary festivities for the Hall of Fame kicked off. "They always cheered for Cris. The only thing I really wish is we could've won that championship for those people. What they did for my life, every day I went out there, I played for those people."

Carter now credits Ryan's decision to cut him from the Eagles for helping him turn his life around and has said the Vikings helped him kick a cocaine addiction and get his drinking under control.

"That day, September 19, 1990, when I stopped drinking, that life choice I made on that day is the most significant thing to getting here," an emotional Carter said. "I just started on that day trying not to have a drink for one week ... and here I am, August 1, 2013, and I still haven't had that drink. And I could have ended doing so many different things than what I am right now."

Parcells, who was the coach of the New York Giants at the time, was actually the first to contact Carter after he was released by the Eagles, but Minnesota was ahead of "Big Blue" in the waiver process. When Carter retired after the 2002 season he was behind only Jerry Rice in all-time receptions and touchdowns.

Some claim Carter was even better than Rice.

"The guy I knew would never drop a ball," Chris Spielman, who played with Carter at Ohio State and against him for 10 seasons as a linebacker with the Detroit Lions, told the Akron Beacon Journal. "If I saw it going his direction when we were playing the Vikings, I said, 'Hopefully we'll knock it down before it gets to him.'"

Carter's college roommate William White, an 11-year NFL player, added: "If you put Cris Carter with Joe Montana for 15 years, what do you think he would have done?"

Two of this year's inductees have Dallas Cowboys connections. The 'Boys and Miami Dolphins will help culminate this weekend's festivities at the 50th Hall of Fame Game at Fawcett Stadium on Sunday night.

Allen was a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and seven-time All-Pro with Dallas after being drafted by the club in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft out of tiny Sonoma State. The Los Angeles native was so dominant he's was named to both the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team as well as the 2000s All-Decade Team.

Parcells, meanwhile, although better known for being the two-time Super Bowl- winning coach of the Giants, coached the Cowboys from 2003 to 2006, compiling a 34-30 mark with the team and piloting Dallas to two postseason appearances. Parcells, though, is probably most respected for his willingness to take on rebuilding projects.

"I hate routine. I really do, even it's a successful routine, I don't like it," Parcells said. "I'm just a little ... impatient for the next challenge. That grew as I went along. It did. I can't say that's a great quality."

Ogden was one of the elite left tackles of his generation. He was the first draft pick ever by the Baltimore Ravens and now the franchise's first Hall of Famer after earning a Super Bowl ring in 2000.

"It's somewhat overwhelming," said Ogden. "You look around and there's Joe Greene and Joe Namath. You can't stop naming names."

Sapp, meanwhile, was a standout defensive tackle, who captured a title in 2002 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Robinson was a big part of Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packer teams and was a part of the first two Super Bowl winning teams. Culp was a pass-rushing marvel at defensive tackle for Kansas City who brought home a championship with the Chiefs in 1969.

Source: http://chicagotribune.feedsportal.com/c/34253/f/622872/s/2f84aa90/sc/13/l/0L0Schicagotribune0N0Csports0Cbreaking0Cchi0Enfl0Ehall0Eof0Efame0E20A130Eclass0E20A130A80A30H0A0H8161930Bstory0Dtrack0Frss/story01.htm

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Twins to host baseball provincials

The Mission Twins boys baseball team is hosting the mosquito AAA Tier 2 provincial championship this week, Aug. 1-4, at Mission Sports Park.

The Twins, comprised of boys age 10 and 11, are coached by Ryan Steele, Chad Barker and Yuki Fujie. The team is coming off a terrific regular season where they went undefeated, posting a 6-0 record. They will take on teams from across B.C. at the provincial championship.

Source: http://www.missioncityrecord.com/sports/217419191.html

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Stamkos, St. Louis invited to Team Canada camp

Tribune staff

Published: July 22, 2013

Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning were invited to an orientation camp for the Canadian national team, Hockey Canada announced Monday.

A total of 47 players were invited to the camp, the first step in assembling the team that will represent Canada in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russa. The camp is Aug. 25-28 in Calgary.

Stamkos and St. Louis were among 25 forwards invited. St. Louis played for Canada in the 2006 Olympics.

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Stve Yzerman is Team Canada's executive director.

"I would like to congratulate the players being invited today to our orientation camp," Yzerman said in a statement. "This marks an important step for this program, as it is our only opportunity to be together as a group before Sochi."

The team will be coached by Mike Babcock, coach of the Detroit Red Wings.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tbo/bolts/~3/cMZ0rFkjc6A/

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Washington laments loss of ag trade with Cuba - Fri, 02 Aug 2013 PST

HAVANA ?The aisle of a Havana grocery store is lined with shelf after shelf of cheddar-flavored Pringles. At the deli counter, there are dozens of boxes of frozen fish sticks. Down another aisle, a brand of baby wipes fill the?shelves.

The produce section, meanwhile, is almost bare. A few bags of frozen fruits and vegetables sit in a glass?case.

These limited choices underscore Cuba?s struggle ? it?s a country unable to feed itself but whose political history makes leaders reluctant to work with the United?States.

About a third of Cuba?s land is dedicated to agriculture??

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HAVANA ?The aisle of a Havana grocery store is lined with shelf after shelf of cheddar-flavored Pringles. At the deli counter, there are dozens of boxes of frozen fish sticks. Down another aisle, a brand of baby wipes fill the?shelves.

The produce section, meanwhile, is almost bare. A few bags of frozen fruits and vegetables sit in a glass?case.

These limited choices underscore Cuba?s struggle ? it?s a country unable to feed itself but whose political history makes leaders reluctant to work with the United?States.

About a third of Cuba?s land is dedicated to agriculture, most of it to grow sugar. Cuban farmers also grow tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, beans and potatoes. But it?s not enough to feed 11.2 million?people.

For years, Washington farmers have?helped.

Cuba imports about 80 percent of its food.In spite of an embargo against the communist country, Cubans depend increasingly on imports from the United States. For years, the U.S. was the main provider of food to Cuba. While the U.S. hasn?t boasted that title since 2010, a representative from the U.S. Interests Section in Havana said American agricultural exports to Cuba have increased by about 15 percent per year during the last three?years.

But that growth left out Washington, which once counted Cuba among its top five export markets for peas. The state hasn?t sent fruits or vegetables there since 2007 when a crackdown on the 51-year-old embargo that occurred in 2004 helped dry up Washington?exports.

Former U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash., and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., were among those who pushed to reopen trade routes between Cuba and the U.S. in the late 1990s. That resulted in an exception applied to the embargo in 2001 allowing the United States to ship food and medicine to Cuba in exchange for cash paid?upfront.

After that trade deal, Washington exports of peas, lentils, cherries and apples steadily?increased.

?I think it was good for Americans, good for farmers, good for Cubans, and I thought it was good policy,? Nethercutt?said.

Now, it?s too expensive for Washington farmers to ship produce to Cuba due to added costs , said Robert Hamilton, Gov. Jay Inslee?s trade policy?advise.

?It?s not worth it,? Hamilton?said.

Nethercutt maintains that reopening trade with Cuba would benefit Washington?farmers.

?The best thing any member of Congress or the Senate can do is assist the people you represent,? Nethercutt said. ?If it?s been restricted, it?s a function of ? members of our state delegation to fight like crazy for the Obama administration to take action to encourage?sales.?

And even though Cuba?s market is small, with a population of about 11 million people, Hamilton said the agriculture sector isn?t going to refuse that market. ?Every little bit helps,? he?said.

Only a few blocks from the Havana grocery store stands a small fruit stand, bustling with Cubans doing their shopping. There are no apples or peas here; this is all locally grown fruit that thrives in the?Caribbean.

All the produce sold here goes through the government, the owner said. Business has been steady in the three years she?s run the shop. But, ?My business would be better if more of the product came from other countries,? she?said.

Editor?s Note: City desk intern Kaitlin Gillespie studied in Havana, Cuba in May with The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State?University.

Source: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/aug/02/washington-laments-loss-of-ag-trade-with-cuba/

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Welcome Judge Chen! - Patent Law Blog (Patently-O)

This morning the Senate unanimously confirmed Raymond T. Chen for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.? Soon-to-be Judge Chen comes to court with extensive experience in patent law including both private practice and governmental service (most recently as the Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property Law and Solicitor for the United States Patent and Trademark Office).?

Congratulations Judge Chen!

A brief bio from a February 2013 White House press release:

Raymond T. Chen currently serves as the Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property Law and Solicitor for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a position he has held since 2008.

Chen received his B.S. in electrical engineering in 1990 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his J.D. in 1994 from the New York University School of Law. ?After graduating from law school, he joined Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, a boutique intellectual property law firm in Irvine, California, where he prosecuted patents and represented clients in intellectual property litigation.? From 1996 to 1998, Chen served as a Technical Assistant at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, performing the functions of a staff attorney.? At the end of his two-year term, he joined the USPTO as Associate Solicitor and remained in that role until his promotion to Solicitor in 2008.?? Since joining the USPTO, Chen has represented the agency in numerous appeals before the Federal Circuit and personally argued over 20 cases, issued guidance to patent examiners to ensure consistency with developing law, advised the agency on legal and policy issues, and helped promulgate regulations.? He has co-chaired the Patent and Trademark Office Committee of the Federal Circuit Bar Association and is a member of the Advisory Council for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

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Source: http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2013/08/welcome-judge-chen.html

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Cleveland Police Chase Violations: 75 Officers Violated Orders In Deadly Pursuit, City Officials Say

CLEVELAND -- A review of a deadly police chase in Cleveland last fall has found that 75 patrol officers violated orders and police department rules, city officials said Friday. Nineteen officers face disciplinary hearings.

In the November chase, a fleeing driver and passenger were killed when officers fired 137 shots at them. The 23-minute pursuit involved five dozen cruisers and wove through residential neighborhood before ending in gunfire.

Police Chief Michael McGrath said at a news conference Friday that the violations ranged from insubordination to failure to obtain permission to leave the city. By way of example, he said, an officer might have been driving 100 mph on a side street and was told to stop, but didn't.

Some officers were cited for multiple violations, he said, but none of the violations was so serious they warranted termination. Punishments could range from a written reprimand to a suspension. Multiple offenders were referred to the public safety director for hearings because their punishment could go beyond a 10-day suspension.

City officials say one of the 75 offending officers has since left for Cleveland's fire department but still faces disciplinary action.

Police previously announced punishments for 12 supervisors stemming from the chase. One sergeant was fired. A captain and lieutenant were demoted, and nine sergeants were suspended.

Also, a county grand jury is investigating possible criminal wrongdoing among the 13 officers who fired their weapons as the chase ended in a school parking lot in East Cleveland.

The nighttime chase began when an officer thought he heard a gunshot from a car speeding by the police and courts complex in downtown Cleveland. A parking lot attendant thought it might have been a car backfire, a theory endorsed by the driver's family.

The officer jumped into his patrol car and radioed for help. The chase went through crowded residential neighborhoods, headed onto busy Interstate 90, and eventually into East Cleveland.

Driver Timothy Russell, 43, was shot 23 times and passenger Malissa Williams, 30, was shot 24 times. No weapon or shell casings were found in the fleeing car.

Police say they don't know why Russell didn't stop. Russell had a criminal record including convictions for receiving stolen property and robbery. Williams had convictions for drug-related charges and attempted abduction.

The union has said the shootings were justified because the driver tried to ram an officer.

Of the 277 officers working that night, at least 104 were involved in the pursuit in some capacity, McGrath said Friday. Not all were there for the duration of the chase. Officers dropped off, others left at the instructions of their supervisor and some just blocked intersections.

McGrath called the shootings a "tragedy" for the victims and their families, the community, and the officers and their families. He said it was the job of the mayor, public safety director and himself to get the facts.

"And if we made mistakes or if we have policies that need to be fixed, we'll do that," he said.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/02/cleveland-police-chase-violations_n_3697060.html

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Alouettes replace head coach Hawkins with GM Popp

MONTREAL -- The Dan Hawkins era lasted only five games in Montreal.

The Alouettes, who have struggled to a 2-3 record to start the season, announced Thursday that Hawkins has been fired.

Jim Popp will step in as head coach for the third time in his 18 years as general manager of the Canadian Football League club.

The firing came during a bye week in the Alouettes schedule. The team's next game is Aug. 8 against the Toronto Argonauts.

The offence, which was Montreal's strength under former coach Marc Trestman, looked disorganized and lifeless under Hawkins, who was coaching a professional team for the first time in his career.

Owner Bob Wetenhall asked Popp to step in.

"Jim is the person most responsible for the success we have had over all these years," Wetenhall said in a statement. "I feel confident that he is the best person to coach our team at this time and I am very appreciative of him being willing to make this additional contribution to our franchise.

"He has the respect of our players as well as mine."

Hawkins was hired Feb. 19 after working as a broadcaster. He had previously coached mainly U.S. college teams, taking Boise State to four Western Athletic Conference titles from 2002 to 2005 before compiling a disappointing 19-39 record at Colorado from 2006 to 2010.

It was the second time in a row Montreal hired a coach with no CFL experience.

But while it worked with Trestman, who won two Grey Cups in a five-year stint before being named head coach of the NFL's Chicago bears, Hawkins did not appear comfortable with the 12-man game.

He bowed out a winner, however. Despite the team's spotty play, the Alouettes are in second place in the weak East Division and are coming off a nervy 32-27 win over 1-4 Edmonton.

Popp first stepped in as coach to finish off a disastrous 2001 campaign under Rod Rust, but Don Matthews took over the following season.

He took over as coach again when Matthews fell ill during the 2006 season and brought the Alouettes to the Grey Cup game.

He stayed on for 2007, in which the rookie-laden club that was missing starting quarterback Anthony Calvillo for much of the season went 8-10 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Winnipeg.

It was the team's only losing record since it returned to Montreal after a 10-year hiatus in 1996. Popp has been general manager all of that time.

His CFL regular-season coaching record is 10-13, with a 1-3 mark in playoff games.

The team did not say if Popp would coach on an interim basis or when the search for a new head coach would begin.

Source: http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=428903

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Zimbabwe: Disputed poll poses fresh divisions

Voters look at posted results outside a polling station in Harare, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013 President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party said Thursday, that it has withdrawn an unauthorized message on its Twitter feed claiming a resounding victory in the country's national elections. (AP Photo)

Voters look at posted results outside a polling station in Harare, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013 President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party said Thursday, that it has withdrawn an unauthorized message on its Twitter feed claiming a resounding victory in the country's national elections. (AP Photo)

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in Harare, Thursday, Aug. 1 2013. Tsvagirai said the election is "null and void" due to alleged violations in the voting process, but president Robert Mugabe has denied vote rigging. (AP Photo)

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in Harare, Thursday, Aug. 1 2013. Tsvagirai said the election is "null and void" due to alleged violations in the voting process, but president Robert Mugabe has denied vote rigging. (AP Photo)

Ruling party ZANU PF supporters play soccer , Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013 in Harare, Zimbabwe. President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party said Thursday that it has withdrawn an unauthorized message on its Twitter feed claiming a resounding victory in the country's national elections. (AP Photo)

In this Wednesday, July 31, 2013 photo, voting takes place by candlelight in Harare. President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party said Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, that it has withdrawn an unauthorized message on its Twitter feed claiming a resounding victory in the country's national elections. (AP Photo/Clarissa Sosin) SOUTH AFRICA OUT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) ? Allegations of vote-rigging flowed in Zimbabwe on Thursday, with reports of fake registration cards, voters turned away from the polls and people appearing on voters' lists four times with different IDs. Even before results were announced, the main opposition camp said longtime President Robert Mugabe stole the election, which his supporters denied.

Either way, the country faces fresh political uncertainty. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the main challenger to Mugabe, said the elections on Wednesday were "null and void" due to violations in the voting process, and a poll monitoring group that is not affiliated with the state also said the poll was compromised by a campaign to stop voters from casting ballots.

The elections posed one of the biggest challenges to Mugabe's 33-year grip on power on this former British colony, but claims by his opponents that the election was tainted and declarations of victory by the president's supporters suggested his political career was far from over.

Tsvangirai boycotted a presidential run-off vote in 2008 to protest violence against supporters but said in the run-up this year he was confident Zimbabweans would vote for change, even in the most difficult conditions.

"The shoddy manner in which it has been conducted and the consequent illegitimacy of the result will plunge this country into a serious crisis," Tsvangirai said of the election Wednesday.

Tendai Biti, a top official in Tsvangirai's party, said even rural residents were told to pretend they were illiterate, and therefore had to be assisted in casting their ballots by officials loyal to Mugabe.

Rugare Gumbo, a spokesman for Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, said accusations of vote-rigging were false.

"We dismiss these allegations with the contempt they deserve because there was absolutely no way of manipulating the system. There was no way of rigging the election," he said.

Zimbabweans braced for tense days ahead. Tsvangirai's party urged supporters not to take to the streets or gather at an open field nicknamed "Freedom Square," its main Harare rallying point, compared by many to Cairo's Tahrir Square, the focal point of Egyptian demonstrations since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The conditions in Zimbabwe are different, though. Mugabe has a strong support base, security forces have traditionally been quick to clamp down on overt dissent and after the 2008 election, Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change joined Mugabe's ZANU-PF party in an uneasy coalition that was regionally brokered.

The coalition ended with the election on Wednesday.

The MDC said in a statement that it received "radical" calls from supporters reflecting "the frustration, hopelessness and anger in every one of us" to actively fight Mugabe's party.

"We understand the tears in everyone's eyes but we certainly do not believe in violence to resolve this," it said.

Tsvangirai's last campaign rally in the open field, opposite the main courthouse in downtown Harare, drew some 50,000 jubilant followers on Monday, in sharp contrast to Mugabe's austere, muted campaign gatherings.

Thabani Nyoni, a civic activist and top researcher at the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, an alliance of 70 rights and pro-democracy groups, predicted that protests against election irregularities would likely emerge once official election results have been confirmed.

The state election commission has promised a full tally of results by Monday. No results have yet been announced.

Voter Matthew Pfuri, a Harare car salesman, said he was shocked by early results coming from polling stations where, under electoral law, summaries are posted outside when initial vote-counting is complete. Mugabe supporters have claimed early, unconfirmed results show them with a decisive lead.

"Maybe it's a good outcome for Tsvangirai. People now know what they are up against and say this blatant abuse can't last much longer," Pfuri said.

Extra police, some in riot gear, were deployed in Harare. One truck of riot police was parked down the street from Tsvangirai's party headquarters.

"If Mugabe's party is celebrating a clean sweep in the elections, why are they sending out trucks of riot police?" asked Jonah Matanga, a nearby street vendor.

Mugabe's party said Thursday it has withdrawn an unauthorized message on its Twitter feed claiming a resounding victory. The ZANU-PF party said it is awaiting the release of results by the state election commission, the only body allowed under the law to announce the outcome.

Solomon Zwana, head of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, said it found a "wide range of problems" in the election and that the poll was compromised by a campaign to stop voters from casting ballots. The monitoring group says as many as 1 million out of more than 6 million eligible voters were not on voters' lists.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-08-01-Zimbabwe-Elections/id-3bbfeed3c653406588d1f97b5587d6ee

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Better US economic growth, earnings push stocks up

NEW YORK (AP) ? Steady growth in the U.S. economy and higher company earnings helped hold the stock market near record levels Wednesday.

The economy, while still struggling to pick up momentum following the Great Recession, grew at a faster pace than economists had forecast in the second quarter. There was also an encouraging report on hiring.

The news on growth was encouraging, said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital, because it suggested the economy is recovering strongly enough to grow without stimulus from the Federal Reserve. The central bank is buying $85 billion of bonds a month to hold down interest rates and encourage borrowing.

"We did get some surprisingly strong economic numbers today," said Cardillo. "The market is taking this news optimistically. It points to the economy not needing crutches anymore."

The U.S. economy expanded at an annual rate of 1.7 percent from April through June as businesses spent more and the federal government cut less spending, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Economists had expected growth of 1 percent for the period, according to the data provider FactSet.

Stocks stayed higher immediately after the Federal Reserve released its updated policy statement after at the end of a two-day meeting. The central bank said it will keep buying the same amount of bonds to help lower long-term interest rates.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose six points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,692 as of 2:25 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The index had risen as much as 11 points, or 0.7 percent, in early trading.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 24 points, or 0.2 percent, to 15,547. Earlier the Dow was trading above its all-time closing high of 15,567 reached on July 23.

The Nasdaq composite rose 19 points, or 0.5 percent, to 3,636.

On the last trading day of July, the Standard & Poor's 500 index was up 5.4 percent for the month. If it holds those gains, the index will log its best month since Oct. 2011. The stock market has surged in July after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke assured investors that the central bank was in no hurry to withdraw its stimulus.

On the bond market, investors anticipated that the Fed's slightly weaker assessment of the economy would imply a longer period of bond purchases. Bond yields fell as demand increased slightly for U.S. government debt. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.62 percent from 2.66 percent just before the announcement.

The encouraging news on hiring came ahead of the government's monthly jobs survey due out Friday.

U.S. businesses created a healthy 200,000 jobs this month, payroll company ADP said, as companies hired at the fastest pace since December. ADP also raised its estimate of the number of jobs the private sector created in June.

Investors were also tracking company earnings.

Comcast rose $2.21, or 5.2 percent, to $44.89 after the parent company of the NBC network and Universal Studios reported earnings and revenue that exceed analysts' expectations in the second quarter.

Software company Symantec, which makes the Norton antivirus software, surged after the company reported earnings and revenue that beat analysts' forecasts. The stock rose $2.21, or 9.1 percent, to $26.55.

Analysts are currently forecasting that second-quarter earnings rose an average of 4.75 percent for S&P 500 companies, according to S&P Capital IQ. That would be the slowest rate of growth in three quarters.

In commodities trading, the price of oil rose $1.61, or 1.6 percent, to $104.67 a barrel. Gold dropped $12.50, or 1 percent, to $1,312.20 an ounce.

Among other stocks making big moves:

? Air Products & Chemicals rose $3.46, or 3.3 percent, to $109 after the Wall Street journal reported that activist investor William Ackman had bought a 9.8 percent stake in the gas company.

? Herbalife rose $5.21, or 8.7 percent, to $65.25 after CNBC reported that the veteran hedge fund investor George Soros had taken a stake in the company. Herbalife has been at the center of a battle between investors Ackman and Carl Ichan, who are taking opposing positions in the stock.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/better-us-economic-growth-earnings-push-stocks-175220058.html

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French bakers urge the French to eat more bread

But the Monitor's Europe bureau chief finds that baguettes, like all things, should be taken in moderation.

By Sara Miller Llana,?Staff writer / July 31, 2013

The New York Times has a fascinating story this week on the French penchant for bread ? or rather the country?s declining penchant.?

Skip to next paragraph Sara Miller Llana

Europe Bureau Chief

Sara Miller Llana?moved to Paris in April 2013 to become the Monitor's Europe Bureau?Chief. Previously she was the?paper's?Latin America Bureau Chief, based in Mexico City, from 2006 to 2013.

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?The average Frenchman these days eats only half a baguette a day compared with almost a whole baguette in 1970 and more than three in 1900,? the paper reports.

What? I would never guess that from the line at the bakery right down the street, which is always long, and often out the door.

But the story does go a long way to clear up some mysteries that I?ve been encountering on an anecdotal basis here.

In my adult life, eating white bread has been naughty. It?s wheat or nothing, with slices of baguette something just reserved for a special dinner out.?So it was with a degree of glee that I moved here and saw virtually everyone munching off the tips of baguettes while walking down the street. If they can do it, so can we!

And that we did. One of the first things that made us laugh when we moved to France was walking into the kitchen in our temporary apartment and finding that our two-year-old had grabbed a baguette from the table and proceeded to chow down.

Except, it?s now been four months and, unfortunately, a few extra kilos.

I always think of the book ?French Women Don?t Get Fat,? which purports that, among other things, women can eat what they want here because they are slowing down and thoroughly enjoying it.

But I?ve come to learn that they also eat minuscule proportions. When you eat French food ? croissants, buttery sauces, chocolate tarts, and yes, baguettes ? like an American, you are in trouble.

It just so happens that we woke up to this revelation this very week and banned baguettes ? as well as the sweets from the bakery ? from our house. It?s going to be a two-week trial, with the goal of incorporating it back into our lives at much smaller volumes (i.e., we do not need to be eating two baguettes a day between three, one of whom is a toddler).

It?s decisions as such that are apparently worrying the?Observatoire du Pain, the baker?s lobby, which the Times reports recently launched a campaign to draw the French back to bread, as a cheap and healthy option ? and part of simply being French.?

?Coucou, tu as pris le pain?? (?Hi there, have you picked up the bread??) is the campaign?s slogan. Modeled on the American advertising campaign ?Got Milk?? the bread slogan was plastered on billboards and inscribed on bread bags in 130 cities around the country.???

The campaign?s Web site,?www.tuasprislepain.fr, explains that ?France is a ?civilization of bread? and this food is part of the traditional meal ?? la fran?aise.' ?

Bread is described as healthy and useful in avoiding weight gain. ?It is rich in vegetal protein and fiber and low in fat; glucides are a source of energy,? the Web site says, using the French word for carbohydrate.

If people on diets want ?to avoid giving in to something with fat and sugar, bread is there,? it says. ?Its satiating effect allows you to wait for the next meal.?

The campaign reads a bit like desperation, but I don?t think the bread and pastry makers of France need to worry just yet. France, the Times reports, still enjoys the world?s highest density of independent bakeries. And even if the number, 32,000, is down from 54,000 in 1950, there are still too many bakeries for one bread-loving family to easily resist.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/h_Gs7sW3Sfs/French-bakers-urge-the-French-to-eat-more-bread

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Use Group Policy Editor to Run Scripts When Shutting Down Your PC

Windows: To automate some routine tasks that nobody likes doing during the day, you can use Group Policy Editor to make your PC run a script when you shut it down or log off a user account.

To set up a script to run as soon as you shut down your PC, follow these instructions:

1. Open GPE by entering "gpedit.msc" (no quotes) into the Run dialog (Win+R).
2. In the left panel, select "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration."
3. Double-click "Scripts (Startup/Shutdown)" in the right panel.
4. Double-click "Shutdown"
5. Click "Add..."
6. Navigate to the folder containing the script you want to run.
7. Click "OK."

You can also use this method to run scripts when logging out of a user profile. This is handy for performing regular maintenance tasks or cleaning up your workspace when you're done, or simply running apps that you don't want running while you're using your machine. Unfortunately, the Group Policy Editor is only available on Professional or Ultimate versions of Windows.

Nifty Way to Automatically Run a Windows Script or Program Whenever You Turn Off the PC | Gizmo's Freeware

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/BqAIT9F6LG4/use-group-policy-editor-to-run-scripts-when-shutting-do-980849001

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Fandom Roleplays

I have recently been playing a lot of video games (steam has been having a sale...and I'm rather weak when it comes to cheap video games...) I have also been rather bored, so I figured I'd start making up a fandom roleplay thread. New things will be added as I start wanting to do more, and not all of these will be based off of video games and only a few will call for canon characters. Anyways, here is my list of preferences...

• I will warn you all before you get too far, I do prefer romance in my roleplays, sorry, I'm more interested in them.
• Be able to give back what I give you, I would like you to be able to post a minimum of five hundred words or three paragraphs. I can post anywhere from three to five paragraphs, depending on how much I am given and I would like to have larger posts. Please just be reasonable.
• Please be open to playing both genders!
• There will be MxM pairings and MxF pairings, sorry I'm not too good with FxF pairings.
• I am fine with blood, gore and swearing but I don?t go into detail about sex(this is more about inexperience than anything else), not saying that it can't happen between our characters.
• I don't mind OOC talk so if you are one of those people that like to talk to others outside the roleplay, I'm absolutely fine with that.
• I don?t want any love at first sight kind of things going on, there are times where characters already know each other and have hidden crushes, but I would like to bring out the hidden crush thing, instead of within the first few posts they've already decided to date.
• So I know you've read all these tell me your favorite flavor of cake or pie, I will not respond if you do not have this.
• If you have any ideas for the role-play or you want to say ?Hey, how about we do this?? I?m not going to tell you it?s a bad idea, I might even add on to that idea, or we can work something out, I want this to be fun for both of us.
• I am still a student, so there are times where I won?t be able to respond, and there are times I won?t be able to get to my computer, and I know you?re going to have times like that too, so we?ll both have to be patient, even if it is an exciting part in our role-play, but please if you are going to be gone for an extended time tell me and I'll do the same for you.
• If there is anything else you want to know please feel free to ask me, I don?t bite.

-Portal
I would love to do a Portal roleplay, but with the robots being more like androids, and look like humans. I would love to do a pairing with the main character and Wheatley. I'd like to be the main character if you wanted to do this. I was thinking that this could continue after Portal 2, Wheatley would have somehow crashed onto Earth, probably in the field that Chell ended up in. There could be other things that go along with this, but I'd like to talk about plot and stuff with my partner. Perhaps we could even do a pairing with two OCs in this universe, depending on the sort of plot line that can be thought of.

-Psychonauts
This would be based off of the PS2 video game, it's a rather lovely game. Anyways we could do a roleplay based on two or four (if we wanted to double) OCs going through Whispering Rock Summer Camp, or we could do a roleplay with the pairing Raz x Lilli where I wouldn't mind playing Raz or we could do Sasha x Milla and I wouldn't mind playing either. Any other ideas would be interesting to go with.

-Percy Jackson Series
I was thinking a group of campers could go on a quest to build the perfect warrior. Since there is a lot of armor/weapons in greek mythology that are quite interesting and would be fun to put modern twists to them. As for why they are getting the equipment to make could be for a lot of reasons, I'd love to hear some suggestions on that. Along with what kind of timeline we should go with for this roleplay according to the books, or make this some sort of Alternate Universe. Any other kind of input would be fantastic.

-Batman
I'm willing to do a roleplay with the villains, OCs or Canons. I would also love to do a crossover with a Batman x Superman pairing, I would like to play Superman.

-The Darkness
Based on the comics only. I would be willing to go OCs on this or I could try my hand at roleplay Jackie.

-Pokemon
I would rather keep this to OCs and usually only the first two or three generations. I would love to do some sort of MxM with this, that would be kind of fun. I'm fine with trainer x trainer, trainer x gym leader, or really anything that can be thought of. I'm not into really roleplaying pokemon, but might consider it if it has something to do with Pokemon Mystery Dungeons. We could also do Rangers as well, if that is something you want to do.

-Fairy Tales
I wouldn't mind taking some classic fairy tales and twisting them into something modern, or sci-fi, or anything really. This goes for FxM and MxM, both could be quite interesting and fun.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/GoTDLtpJ0T0/viewtopic.php

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Berlusconi's political fate in hands of high court

In this photo taken on Friday, July 19, 2013 Silvio Berlusconi attends a voting session at the Senate in Rome. Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire media baron and former premier, sometimes quipped that he was running out of money after two decade of steadily paying millions of euros (dollars) to a stable of Italy's leading lawyers to defend him in a raft of criminal cases. The legal team earned its keep, either eventually scoring acquittals or devising strategies that helped stretch out the court calendar for so long the cases died when statutes of limitations ran out. But this time, they failed to deliver him from final judgment day for a guilty verdict that arrives Tuesday at Italy's highest court, and Berlusconi's no longer joking. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

In this photo taken on Friday, July 19, 2013 Silvio Berlusconi attends a voting session at the Senate in Rome. Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire media baron and former premier, sometimes quipped that he was running out of money after two decade of steadily paying millions of euros (dollars) to a stable of Italy's leading lawyers to defend him in a raft of criminal cases. The legal team earned its keep, either eventually scoring acquittals or devising strategies that helped stretch out the court calendar for so long the cases died when statutes of limitations ran out. But this time, they failed to deliver him from final judgment day for a guilty verdict that arrives Tuesday at Italy's highest court, and Berlusconi's no longer joking. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

ROME (AP) ? Silvio Berlusconi's political fate is in the hands of Italy's highest court, which is preparing to hear arguments in the former premier's fraud conviction.

Berlusconi has been convicted of tax fraud in a complex TV rights transaction for his Mediaset network, and sentenced to four-years in prison with a five-year ban on public office. This is his final appeal.

The Court of Cassation on Tuesday hears arguments in the case and is expected to issue a decision later in the day or Wednesday.

Berlusconi has no official role in Italy's uneasy coalition government, but remains influential and was key to the center-right's close second-place finish in February elections. He has a seat in Italy's Senate, which he would have to vacate if the lower courts' verdicts are confirmed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-07-30-EU-Italy-Berlusconi/id-0970bfc8545e4d5a8c26e0c098500ffc

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Selena Gomez Plots To Leave You 'Exhausted' With Stars Dance Tour

'I want it to be like a giant rave,' Gomez tells MTV News.
By Christina Garibaldi, with reporting by Lauren Child

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1711379/selena-gomez-stars-dance-tour.jhtml

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Thousands protest in Peru as president feels heat

LIMA: Peruvian police used tear gas and water cannon Saturday to drive back thousands of demonstrators protesting against what they said were President Ollanta Humala's unkept promises on schools and jobs.

On the eve of Independence Day celebrations, some 6,000 marchers heeded a call by the country's largest union confederation, CGTP, to turn out in force.

Those taking to the streets included university students, non-governmental activists and human rights groups.

In addition to a national doctors' and nurses strike, Humala now faces unions calling for a rethinking of a new law they fear will force the government to lay off huge numbers of state workers.

Students, meanwhile, are upset about a bill in the legislature that they fear will undercut the autonomy of universities.

Source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/c/33039/f/533965/s/2f3e4bef/sc/6/l/0Ltimesofindia0Bindiatimes0N0Cworld0Crest0Eof0Eworld0CThousands0Eprotest0Ein0EPeru0Eas0Epresident0Efeels0Eheat0Carticleshow0C21417250A0Bcms/story01.htm

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Hurley Love: Week 30 Health and Fitness

Well...July is on it's way out and August will be here so soon.
This week we enjoyed some candy while watching our nightly shows. Is it wrong that I was eating Good and Plenty's while enjoying Extreme Weightloss?!
Ha!
Have you seen that show? I LOVE IT!! It is so motivating to see those transformations, and much more positive than Biggest Loser.

This week in fitness was hard. I so desperately wanted to get in my 13 miles. I feel like Tahoe kinda messed with my stamina, since I was only running on the ?treadmill. So hopefully this week I can get in that long run. However, I still got in my 100 miles this month!!

Fitness

Saturday: 4 miles

Sunday: 4.5 miles

Monday: 9 mile run, 2 miles to and from work (1 mile each way)

Tuesday: 1 hour of yoga (Yoga with Adriene)

Wednesday: 3.3 mile run in the darn heat, 1 mile walk

Thursday: 5 mile walk, TIU TRI workout

Friday: (planned) Run!!

How was your week in fitness? What motivates you to stay active and fit?

Source: http://hurleylove.blogspot.com/2013/07/week-30-health-and-fitness.html

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Bottom Feeding: The latest Chinese investment craze, downtown Detroit housing

Downtown Detroit has long been one of the nation?s worst housing markets. Home values have plummeted. Vacancies abound. And foreclosure numbers are through the roof. Not that that?s surprising; who?d want to live in a neighborhood with soaring unemployment and the highest rate of violent crime in the US?

The bad news for Detroiters is that the city?s bankruptcy will likely only deepen the decay of its downtown housing market.

That might deter most prospective home buyers. But some look at Detroit?s hard times and see profit.

Specifically, bargain-hunting Chinese investors. Since the bankruptcy was announced, Caroline Chen, a real estate broker in Troy, Michigan, says she?s received ?tons of calls? from people in mainland China.

?I have people calling and saying, ?I?m serious?I wanna buy 100, 200 properties,?? she tells Quartz, noting that one of her colleagues recently sold 30 properties to a Chinese buyer. ?They say ?We don?t need to see them. Just pick the good ones.??

China has the most expensive housing on the planet. Plus, capital controls make it difficult to invest large sums in overseas stocks or property. That?s why when a CCTV broadcast aired in March?after the emergency takeover was announced?saying that for the price of a pair of leather shoes, you could buy two Detroit houses, Chinese investors got excited.

Read More @ Source

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blacklistednews/hKxa/~3/hVNLliWpZnM/M.html

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Fantasy baseball Roundtable: What should owners do with Braun?

Ryan Braun's suspension this year doesn't mean he won't contribute to fantasy teams next season.

Morry Gash/AP

Alright, after weeks of speculation, Ryan Braun has officially been suspended for the season -- should his owners stash him or trash him? And what about the other players with possible Biogenesis connections -- are they worth hanging onto? Our fantasy experts Michael Beller and Eric Mack have answers.

Do you have a fantasy question you want our experts to answer? Leave it in the comments below or find Beller and Mack on Twitter. Check back every Wednesday to see if your question made the Roundtable cut.

This week's fantasy prep: Weekly Planner | Waiver Wire | Pitching Report | Injury Report | Roundtable

1. Should owners in keeper leagues stash Braun? Should they consider trading for him?

Mack: Despite his suspension, many fantasy owners and analysts will still consider Ryan Braun a first-round pick next year. That makes him a clear keeper, assuming you don't question whether his production was tied solely to performance-enhancing drugs. One would have to assume the PEDs he took were more for recovery and prevention from injury. When healthy, Braun performs like a first-round draft pick, but his owner cannot bank on him being health 100 percent of the time. It happens to all 30-somethings, which is how old Braun will be next year. Tentatively consider him a late first-round pick in 2014 right now -- because the injury risk is there -- and stash him in all keeper leagues at that value.

Beller: Yeah, I mean, it stinks for Braun's owners that they've lost him for the rest of this year, but don't let that blind you to what he can still do for you in 2014 and beyond. He's still going to be, at worst, just ranked just inside the top 20 next year. Like Mack says, he'll probably be considered a late first rounder. That's the kind of guy you stash in a keeper league, taking the roster hit this year. And yes, I definitely think it's worth kicking the tires on Braun, especially if you're out of it this year and his owner is in the thick of the playoff race. Play up the notion of winning now (something every fantasy owner should embrace) and see if you can't get yourself a 2014 first-round pick at a nice discount.

2. Now that the MLB has shown it is serious about suspensions, what should owners do about the other players with Biogenesis ties, such as Nelson Cruz and Everth Cabrera?

Mack: Await your fate, and unfortunately, the expectation is now a suspension. Many were dead wrong on baseball being unable to levy suspensions for the Biogenesis allegations, yours truly in particular. Depending on the substances, you probably should anticipate that Cruz and Cabrera will draw 50-game suspensions. Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon have already served suspensions -- which seemingly triggered the Biogenesis bust -- so it's unlikely they'll have to serve the 100-game ban that comes with a second offense. Alex Rodriguez, meanwhile, looks like he is in danger of missing the rest of this season and perhaps more. Owners might not be able to get anything in return for these guys, but by all means, put them on the trading block.

Beller: I was right there with Mack. I didn't think there was any chance the Biogenesis guys would get suspended, and MLB proved us all wrong, with authority, on Monday. Now that we know Braun's penalty, it's hard to imagine Cruz and Cabrera avoiding the wrath of the MLB drug czars. The problem is, you're probably not going to be able to convince a rival owner to trade you anything of value for either of them. At this point, you'll likely just have to bite the bullet and enjoy the production they provide for as long as they can provide it. As Mack points out, I wouldn't necessarily try to deal Colon, though. There's a good chance the league will decide he has already served his sentence for this offense.

3. Who do you have your eye on with the trade deadline just one week away?

Mack: Fantasy football players.

No, but seriously, the trade deadline has lost some of its luster. Matt Garza was a legitimate trade that altered the fantasy landscape, but those have become fewer and further between in recent years. Alfonso Soriano will be intriguing for AL-only owners, but the only player we can really seeing getting a significant boost will be Yovani Gallardo. If he gets dealt to a contender and gets hot, he can be a big-time fantasy catalyst down the stretch. Barring that, you have to watch the closer movement -- like always. Fantasy value can be created and destroyed at the position quickly every day, though -- it doesn't take a trade (see Jason Grilli -- forearm strain).

Beller: I'm keeping a close eye on Jake Peavy. The White Sox have been terrible this year, and with their aging roster, it will likely take more than a year for them to turn it around. In other words, Peavy probably won't be part of another winner on the South Side of Chicago, and they might as well cash him in for a haul of prospects. It's hard to bet on a pitcher getting more wins with a new team, but it can't hurt for him to get out of Chicago. Two teams rumored to have interest are the Red Sox and Cardinals, and either would be great landing spots for the veteran righty, especially St. Louis. Be alert, NL-only leaguers. Peavy would be worth emptying your FAAB budget.

4. Let's say you have enough roster space to speculate on one closer-in-waiting. Who is it and why?

Mack: Jose Cisnero. The Astros are a floundering franchise, and they should probably capitalize on closer Jose Veras' career year by dealing him for long-term help before the trade deadline. Cisnero isn't a great arm, but he does have a reasonable chance of taking over as a closer in the coming week. That would be your best bet right now. If you're looking longer term, perhaps Bruce Rondon of the Tigers is your man. He isn't pitching consistently enough to serve as a closer for the contending Tigers, but he has the potential to grow into that role before the end of the season if the Tigers don't add a veteran closer via trade.

Beller: For me, it's Pedro Strop. It would be a complete shock if the Cubs didn't trade Kevin Gregg by next week, and manager Dale Sveum said Strop is likely to take over ninth-inning duties if and when Gregg is shipped out of town. Strop has made nine appearances with the Cubs since being part of the trade that sent Scott Feldman to the Orioles, and has yet to allow a run. He has 10 strikeouts against two walks in 7.2 innings in that stretch. If you're looking for a guy who isn't closing now but might be next week, he's your best bet.

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/fantasy/news/20130724/fantasy-baseball-roundtable-ryan-braun/

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Internet marketing firm Red Ventures to add 20 jobs in Wilmington

photo NANCY PIERCE

Red Ventures is adding 20 jobs in Wilmington.

Fort Mill, S.C.-based Red Ventures is expanding its Wilmington sales team, a move that means 20 new jobs.

According to spokesperson Kylie Craig, the internet marketing firm?s impending hires are the direct result of Red Ventures? 2012 acquisition of HomeInsurance.com.

?Since then, the business has grown incredibly,? she says, adding that the HomeInsurance workforce has expanded beyond Wilmington and is now also in Fort Mill. ?And our Wilmington team is knocking it out of the park.?

The jobs are all inside-sales positions offering hourly pay and uncapped commission. Average earners typically make between $40,000 and $60,000, she says. Inside-sales associates also have the opportunity to gain ownership of the company, she adds.

But will the extra 20 jobs mean a physical expansion in Wilmington?

?We are not expanding yet, but I definitely emphasize the ?yet,?? she says. ?We are looking to find new people, bring them in, and then just grow our presence in Wilmington.?

Hiring stories have been commonplace at Red Ventures lately, as our sister paper, Charlotte Business Journal, recently reported the company?s intention to hire 50 at its corporate campus.

Interested job seekers are encouraged to learn more by registering for an ?interview day? on the company website.

Currently, the company has 60 employees in Wilmington and 1,100 employees at the Fort Mill headquarters. As a whole, Red Ventures counts 1,950 employees in Miami, San Antonio, Fort Mill and Wilmington. More than 600 of those hires happened in the last six months.

Lauren Ohnesorge covers technology, biotechnology and Durham County.

Source: http://feeds.bizjournals.com/~r/bizj_triangle/~3/N4D93KN_4EA/internet-marketing-firm-red-ventures.html

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Google wants to put free hotspots around San Francisco?

Google

Gerry Shih Reuters

4 hours ago

Samsung

The city of San Francisco says it will consider Google's proposal.

SAN FRANCISCO ? Google is offering $600,000 to set up free wireless Internet hotspots in 31 public spaces in San Francisco, but city officials said they need to review annual maintenance costs before it could be approved.

Google has previously funded public wireless projects in its home city of Mountain View, California, in New York Chelsea's neighborhood and around Boston's South Station. The search giant is based 30 miles away from San Francisco but employs hundreds of workers who commute from the city.

San Francisco officials say public Internet service is long overdue for a city that has eclipsed Silicon Valley as the epicenter of the startup ecosystem in recent years, attracting a dramatic influx of venture capital investment and young tech workers.

"There are cities not only here in the U.S. but in many, many foreign countries where free Wi-Fi is ubiquitous. We have a lot of work to do," Supervisor Mark Farrell, who spearheaded the negotiations with Google, said by telephone Wednesday.

Mission Dolores Park, the weekend Mecca of San Francisco's young tech crowd, would be among the areas covered by the plan, as would tourist destinations including Alamo Square as well as Washington Square in North Beach. Some less affluent areas such as the historic Portsmouth Square in Chinatown and the Tenderloin Recreation Center would also be included.

In a statement, Google executive Veronica Bell said the company hopes the free Wi-Fi will be "a resource that the city and other local groups will be able to use in their efforts to bridge the digital divide and make their community stronger."

Because it controls so much of the Web, Google benefits from an increase in Internet use. The company reported $50 billion in revenue in 2012, mostly by selling ads targeting Internet traffic. According to a new study released this week, Google's various properties account for a quarter of all U.S. Internet traffic.

The company said it would not own or manage the network. The angel investor Ron Conway, one of Mayor Ed Lee's staunchest political allies, is coordinating the project through his non-profit SF.Citi.

Members of the local board of supervisors, who still have to formally approve the gift, said the project would undergo a normal review process to make sure that government contracts to install and maintain the service are properly awarded. In 2006, a similar plan to install wireless coverage in San Francisco was scuttled after the deal came under political scrutiny. Officials also said they would review the details of the system's maintenance costs.

In the case of New York City, the network in Chelsea cost $115,000 to build but $45,000 a year to maintain.

San Francisco parks director Phil Ginsburg called Google's gift "no strings attached" and said the city could bear the maintenance costs. Google's donation would cover two years' worth of maintenance costs, which amount to $50,000, he said.

Ginsburg said officials picked 31 locations out of the city's 200 public spaces based on a criteria of geographic and economic diversity. Some areas, including Golden Gate Park, were too big to cover with the sum donated by Google.

Installation of the equipment could begin as early as December and be completed by mid-2014, Farrell said.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663301/s/2f1f7785/sc/5/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cgoogle0Ewants0Eput0Efree0Ehotspots0Earound0Esan0Efrancisco0E6C10A741186/story01.htm

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