IRL: IOGEAR GearPower GMP10K, SteelSeries Free Mobile Gaming ...

Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.

Anyone out there a fan of Sony's mirrorless cameras? How about Canon's premium glass? Good. We knew there'd be some of you. In any case, with this week's IRL, we'll be sharing everything you ever wanted to know about the Metabones Speed Booster, which fastens your full-frame EF lenses onto Sony's E-mount NEX cameras. And, of course, what would an IRL column be without an external battery pack? (Seriously, we can't live without 'em.)

IOGEAR GearPower GMP10K

External battery chargers are a dime a dozen. In fact, we've covered quite a few of them in past IRLs, and for good reason: since we travel so much and often find ourselves without a nearby charger, nearly everyone on the team relies on one to get us through trade shows.

I had the opportunity to take IOGEAR's GearPower GMP10K for a spin while traveling in Spain and California, and the external cell came in extremely handy. While your mileage will vary depending on the size of the devices you're charging, its 11,000mAh capacity got me through no less than eight charge cycles with some juice left over. As you can imagine, it's not the smallest external battery charger out there, but at least it fits in my backpack without taking up much room. The $80 pack may be overkill for the casual phone user, but it's definitely worth consideration if you have a packed travel schedule throughout the year.

-- Brad Molen

SteelSeries Free Mobile Wireless Gaming Controller

I just spent an idyllic afternoon with my 2-year-old daughter. We didn't go to the park because it was snowing. We didn't read books because, well, we just didn't fancy it. Instead, we sat on bean bags in the living room and played Proteus on my PC. It's a simple and beautiful game with no goal other than to wander around a magical island. It was the first time the kid ever played a computer game and the first time she held a controller. The one for my Xbox 360 was too big, so we tried a SteelSeries Free Mobile Gaming Controller instead. It was a perfect fit and she quickly got the hang of looking and moving using the analog sticks -- fortunately the game doesn't require any buttons, otherwise things might have gotten too tricky. It was 30 minutes of pure fun and I know she'll want to try it again soon.

From a parenting perspective, I don't know if this is a good idea. Our kindergarten deliberately keeps toddlers away from computers until they get older, on the basis that their real-world coordination should fully develop first. On the other hand, I remember playing 4D Sports Racing and Commander Keen with my little sisters, and I'm convinced it helped our coordination to develop, giving us all a head start when it came to learning to drive, ski and sail. My sisters weren't quite this young, though -- they were 7 or 8 years old at the time, not 2, which means this is uncharted territory in my family. But it's beautiful territory -- an island of falling blossoms and shooting stars -- and I can't think of a good reason to mark it off limits.

-- Sharif Sakr

Metabones Speed Booster

Which Sony NEX user hasn't gazed longingly from time to time at Canon shooters and their collection of sublime L series glass? Sure, there are some excellent E-mount lenses on the market, such as Sony's f/1.8 24mm Carl Zeiss Sonnar. But none of them sets one's heart aflutter like Canon's EF 50mm f/1.2L USM, a pricey lens that brings near-night-vision speed and ultra-fine selective focus. On the other hand, there are many reasons to eschew all things Canon in favor of Sony's E-mount models, like the NEX-C3. By chucking the mirror, these models are much lighter and cheaper than Canon's bulky full-frame DSLRs like the 5D Mark III, have easier-to-use video and seem to take still or moving images just as well as their more upmarket Japanese brethren, optics notwithstanding.

Now, though, there's a way to live in both worlds at once: Metabones' new Speed Booster. It adapts Canon full-frame EF lenses (not EF-S) to Sony's E-mount NEX cameras, with the added benefits of full image stabilization, limited autofocus capability and EXIF data, among others. Amazingly, by working as a so-called focal reducer, the definitely-not-endorsed-by-Canon Speed Booster also ekes out a full extra aperture stop from each lens, turning an f/2 model into f/1.4 for instance, while also increasing the FOV by a factor of 0.71x -- meaning a normal lens stays, well, normal. Finally, the designer of the lens, Caldwell Photographic, claims that the device actually makes attached lenses sharper and has the white paper to prove it.

All that sounds great, but how does it work? I've been using it with that 50mm Canon glass along with a 24mm f/1.4L USM lens and a NEX-5N, and the answer is: very well indeed -- provided you keep your autofocus expectations in check. Metabones says up front that "the autofocus speed is unfit for professional use for sure, and it would disappoint most enthusiasts." And that's true: it's absolutely not suited for action photography. However, for landscapes, still subjects and portraits, once it locks on after a bit of programmed hunting, focus is razor-sharp.

For video work, there's no continuous AF as with native lenses, but it's possible to focus while shooting by pressing the shutter button -- though any hunting will ruin the shot, of course, making manual focus the best option for most. Apart from that, the Speed Booster is one of the few photographic accessories I couldn't wait to use: the fit and finish were impeccable, optical quality appeared excellent, functions like auto-bracketing worked perfectly and changing settings like the f-stop in-camera worked just as it would with a NEX lens. At wide apertures like f/0.9 (!) on the 50L, there was some vignetting, but you would also see that on any full-frame camera, especially on an aperture setting that ridiculously wide open. Otherwise, it gave my Sony shooter much more artistic capability and flexibility while turning it into a low-light monster, literally -- as those L-lenses also dwarfed the wee NEX-5N.

-- Steve Dent

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/31/irl-iogear-gearpower-gmp10k-steelseries-free-mobile-gaming-controller-metabones-speedbooster/

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NASA JPL controls rover with Leap Motion, shows faith in consumer hardware (video)

If you think using the Leap Motion controller for playing air guitar and typing without a keyboard was cool, try using it to control a NASA rover. Victor Luo and Jeff Norris from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab got on stage at the Game Developers Conference here in San Francisco to do just that with the ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer), which was located 383 miles away in Pasadena. As Luo waved his hand over the sensor, the robot moved in kind, reacting to the subtle movements of his fingers and wrists, wowing the crowd that watched it over a projected Google+ Hangout.

We spoke with Luo and Norris after the panel to gain further insight into the project. As Luo explains, one of JPL's main goals is to build tools to control robots needed for space exploration. Seeing as the gaming industry is already rife with user-friendly controllers ripe for the plucking, it made sense to harness them for the job. "We're very used to the bleeding edge," he said. "From the Kinect to the PlayStation Move, they represent major investments into usability." Hit the jump for our impressions of the simulation software, a look at JPL's grander goal and for video clips of the demo and panel itself.

Filed under: Gaming, Robots, Science

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Source: NASA JPL

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The Fleet of Nigh - Players Wanted

Looking for literate players with a love of science fiction or world building.

Intro:

Life atop the surfaces of planets has ended. The year was 3101 when Earth, founding planet of the Coalition of United Systems, and her people held nearly three dozen worlds under their sway. Without warning, and for reasons entirely lost to all who survived, all sentient life and traces of industrialization vanished. Space stations, and any structures within atmosphere, whether on the surface or not, went with them. Planets were returned to their natural states, and only the far-flung asteroid bases and colonies and fleets of starships remained. These shadows gathered at the major military outpost of Helix where, for a brief time, humanity was once again solidified beneath a single banner: the Union of the Remnant. Eventually this entity dissolved, and from the ashes was born the venerable Fleet of Night. The year is now 22,756 PS (Post-Sweep). Humans, the dominant force in the Fleet, have made contact with innumerable races of aliens, the majority of whom have suffered similar fates as their own. Bolstered by time and number, the Fleet roams the vastness of space, one power among many, as a mobile migratory nation. Can you survive in this era of uncertainty, one amidst billions, or will the weight of Night swallow you?

Link:
roleplay/the-fleet-of-night

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Iran, Syria, N. Korea block first global treaty to control $70 billion arms trade

Maysun / EPA, file

Syrian Army fighters preparing themselves to shoot against Syrian Army positions in Aleppo, Syria, March 11.

By Louis Charbonneau, Reuters

UNITED NATIONS -- Iran, Syria and North Korea on Friday prevented the adoption of the first international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global conventional arms trade, complaining that it was flawed and failed to ban weapons sales to rebel groups.

To get around the blockade, British U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant sent the draft treaty to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and asked him on behalf of Mexico, Australia and a number of others to put it to a swift vote in the General Assembly.

U.N. diplomats said the 193-nation General Assembly could put the draft treaty to a vote as early as Tuesday.

The head of the U.S. delegation, Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman, told a group of reporters, "We look forward to this treaty being adopted very soon by the United Nations General Assembly."

He declined to predict the result of a vote but said it would be a "substantial majority" in favor.

"A good, strong treaty has been blocked," said Britain's chief delegate, Joanne Adamson. "Most people in the world want regulation and those are the voices that need to be heard."

"This is success deferred," she added.

The point of an arms trade treaty is to set standards for all cross-border transfers of conventional weapons.

It would also create binding requirements for states to review all cross-border arms contracts to ensure arms will not be used in human rights abuses, terrorism or violations of humanitarian law.

NRA: Treaty threatens gun rights
Arms control activists and human rights groups say a treaty is needed to halt the uncontrolled flow of arms and ammunition that they say fuels wars, atrocities and rights abuses.

"The world has been held hostage by three states," said Anna Macdonald, an arms control expert at humanitarian agency Oxfam. "We have known all along that the consensus process was deeply flawed and today we see it is actually dysfunctional."

"Countries such as Iran, Syria and DPRK (North Korea) should not be allowed to dictate to the rest of the world how the sale of weapons should be regulated," she added.?

The National Rifle Association opposes the treaty and has vowed to fight to prevent its ratification if it reaches Washington. The NRA says the treaty would undermine domestic gun-ownership rights.

The American Bar Association, an attorneys' lobby group, has said that the treaty would not impact the right to bear arms.

Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images

Demonstrators from Amnesty International call for a global arms treaty in a protest outside the White House, March 22.

The main reason the arms trade talks took place at all is that the United States - the world's biggest arms exporter - reversed U.S. policy on the issue after President Barack Obama was first elected and decided in 2009 to support an arms treaty.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had told Iran's Press TV that Tehran supported the arms trade treaty. But Iranian U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee told the conference that he could not accept the treaty in its current form.

"It is a matter of deep regret that genuine efforts of many countries for a robust, balanced and non-discriminatory treaty were ignored.,? he said.

One of those flaws was its failure to ban sales of weapons to groups that commit "acts of aggression," ostensibly referring to rebel groups, he said. The current draft does not ban transfers to armed groups but says all arms transfers should be subjected to rigorous risk and human rights assessments first.

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari echoed the Iranian concerns. "Unfortunately our national concerns were not taken into consideration," he said.

North Korea's delegate voiced similar complaints, suggesting it was a discriminatory treaty.

Russia and China made clear they would not have blocked it but voiced serious reservations about the text and its failure to get consensus.

A Russian delegate told the conference that Moscow would have to think hard about signing it if it were approved.

If adopted by the General Assembly, the pact will need to be signed and ratified by at least 50 states to enter into force.

Related:

'Not good enough': Rights groups blast draft of arms trade treaty

North Korea is no 'paper tiger', warns US official as regime puts rockets on standby

Israel to grill Obama over possible military strike on Iran

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

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Americans back preparation for extreme weather and sea-level rise

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Images told the story: lower Manhattan in darkness, coastal communities washed away, cars floating in muck. Superstorm Sandy, a harbinger of future extreme weather intensified by climate change, caught the country off guard in October.

Unprepared for the flooding and high winds that ensued, the East Coast suffered more than $70 billion in property damage and more than 100 deaths.

Will Americans prepare and invest now to minimize the impact of disasters such as Sandy, or deal with storms and rising sea levels after they occur?

A new survey commissioned by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Center for Ocean Solutions finds that an overwhelming majority of Americans want to prepare in order to minimize the damage likely to be caused by global warming-induced sea-level rise and storms.

A majority also wants people whose properties and businesses are located in hazard areas to foot the bill for this preparation, not the government. Eighty-two percent of the Americans surveyed said that people and organizations should prepare for the damage likely to be caused by sea-level rise and storms, rather than simply deal with the damage after it happens.

Among the most popular policy solutions identified in the survey are stronger building codes for new structures along the coast to minimize damage (favored by 62 percent) and preventing new buildings from being built near the coast (supported by 51 percent).

"People support preventive action," said survey director Jon Krosnick, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and professor of communication, "and few people believe these preparations will harm the economy or eliminate jobs. In fact, more people believe that preparation efforts will help the economy and create jobs around the U.S., in their state and in their town than think these efforts will harm the economy and result in fewer jobs in those areas. But people want coastal homeowners and businesses that locate in high-risk areas to pay for these measures."

The challenges posed by rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms will only intensify as more Americans build along the coasts. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report released March 25 predicts that already crowded U.S. coastlines will become home to an additional 11 million people by 2020.

Survey questions were formulated to assess participants' beliefs about climate change and gather opinions about the impact of climate change, sea-level rise and storms on communities, the economy and jobs.

The survey also gauged public support for specific coastal adaptation strategies and how to pay for them. "People are least supportive of policies that try to hold back Mother Nature," Krosnick said. "They think it makes more sense to recognize risk and reduce exposure."

Among the survey's respondents, 48 percent favor sand dune restoration and 33 percent favor efforts to maintain beaches with sand replenishment, while 37 percent support relocating structures away from the coast and 33 percent support constructing sea walls.

Eighty-two percent of the survey's respondents believe that Earth's temperature has been rising over the last 100 years. However, even a majority of those who doubt the existence of climate change favor adaptation measures (60 percent).

"The question is, how does public support for preparation translate to action?" asked Meg Caldwell, executive director of the Center for Ocean Solutions. "Our impulse is to try to move quickly to put communities back together the way they were after devastation. But that impulse often leads to doubling down on high-risk investments, such as rebuilding in areas likely to experience severe impacts. To move toward long-term resiliency for coastal communities, we need to seize opportunities to apply new thinking, new standards and long-term solutions."

Krosnick presented the survey results this morning at a policy briefing hosted by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The survey was conducted via the Internet with a nationally representative probability sample of 1,174 American adults, 18 and older, conducted by GfK Custom Research March 3-18, 2013. The survey was administrated in both English and Spanish. The survey has a margin of error of +/-4.9 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford University.

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

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

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'Facebook phone' likely to put social network at front of Android

Rosa Golijan , NBC News ? ? ? 23 hrs.

"Come See Our New Home on Android," the invitation sent to members of the press on Thursday declared. Does this mean the long-rumored Facebook phone is about to become official? What is the social network's next move? And does it stand a chance?

Facebook is intending to introduce a modified version of Google's Android operating system, according to sourcing from TechCrunch's Josh Constine, the New York Times' Nick Bilton and Brian X. Chen, and the Wall Street Journal's Evelyn M. Rusli and Amir Efrati. This version of Android will put Facebook front and center and "will debut on a handset made by HTC, according to a Facebook employee and another person who were briefed on the announcement," Chen and Bilton explain.

"Imagine Facebook?s integration with iOS 6, but on steroids, and built by Facebook itself," Constine adds. "It could have a heavy reliance on Facebook?s native apps like Messenger, easy social sharing from anywhere on the phone, and more."

?It?s putting Facebook first,? a person familiar with the matter emphasized to Wall Street Journal reporters. But unlike competitors such as Amazon and Google, it is not putting Facebook itself into the hardware game.

"With Amazon, it's pretty clear," mobile industry consultant Chetan Sharma told NBC News. "They want to sell their content and services. They're building their own devices, which is different from what Facebook is doing."

However, the idea of a modified version of Android may be viewed as an act of hostility directed at Facebook's frenemy, Google.

"The reaction from Google will be interesting to see," Sharma pointed out. "There's obviously overlap ... It seems to Google that it's underpinning their Google+ efforts. Longer term, I don't see them letting it go and letting other people do their work."

But even if Google lets Facebook's plans fly, there are other issues to consider, Sharma says. "If it's just a phone that's going to be pushed by HTC, its chances are going to be limited," he explains. "[HTC] doesn't have the marketing powers." To truly stand a shot, Facebook needs to join hands with carriers.

Of course, some might wonder whether any carriers would be game. After all, Facebook's VoIP efforts and its baked-in Messenger service might conflict with carriers' business agendas, right?

Not necessarily so, says Sharma. "In certain markets [VoIP and Messenger] would be challenging," he elaborates. "In markets where unlimited voice and messaging is already bundled in ? in those scenarios operators have less resistance to the idea. They already make money on voice and messaging and they'll also make money on the data used by Facebook."

Initial whispers don't suggest that "Facebook Home," as the social network's device/software combo is expected to be named, is going to be pitched by any carriers, so we'll have to see how things fare with merely HTC. (Of course, that's assuming all these rumors and reports pan out.)

Things will be official on Thursday, April 4, and we'll be in Menlo Park, Calif., to report live.

Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.

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Nicki Minaj Slams American Idol Act: GET OFF THE STAGE!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/nicki-minaj-slams-american-idol-act-get-off-the-stage/

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SAfrica: Mandela responds positively to treatment

FILE - In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)

FILE - In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 18, 2012 file photo former South African President Nelson Mandela as he celebrates his birthday with family in Qunu, South Africa, Wednesday, July 18, 2012. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)

A hawker passes portraits of former president Nelson Mandela depicted in various stages of his life in a Soweto, South Africa, street Thursday, March, 28, 2013. 94-year-old Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, has been hit by a lung infection again and is in a hospital, the presidency said. Mandela, has become increasingly frail in recent years and has been hospitalized several times in recent months, including earlier this month when he underwent what authorities said was a scheduled medical test. The Nobel laureate is a revered figure in South Africa, which has honored his legacy of reconciliation by naming buildings and other places after him and printing his image on national banknotes. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

A child looks through a fence at a portrait of former president Nelson Mandela in a Park in Soweto, South Africa, Thursday, March, 28, 2013. 94-year-old Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, has been hit by a lung infection again and is in a hospital, the presidency said. Mandela, has become increasingly frail in recent years and has been hospitalized several times in recent months, including earlier this month when he underwent what authorities said was a scheduled medical test. The Nobel laureate is a revered figure in South Africa, which has honored his legacy of reconciliation by naming buildings and other places after him and printing his image on national banknotes. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

A child stands in front of a portrait of former president Nelson Mandela in a Park in Soweto, South Africa, Thursday, March, 28, 2013. 94-year-old Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, has been hit by a lung infection again and is in a hospital, the presidency said. Mandela, has become increasingly frail in recent years and has been hospitalized several times in recent months, including earlier this month when he underwent what authorities said was a scheduled medical test. The Nobel laureate is a revered figure in South Africa, which has honored his legacy of reconciliation by naming buildings and other places after him and printing his image on national banknotes. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Nelson Mandela was back in the hospital for the third time in four months Thursday, and the 94-year-old former South African president was reported to be responding well to treatment for a chronic lung infection.

South Africa's presidency said that doctors were acting with extreme caution because of the advanced age of the anti-apartheid leader, who has become increasingly frail in recent years.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was admitted just before midnight to a hospital in Pretoria, the South African capital. He has been particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment for fighting white racist rule in his country.

"The doctors advise that former President Nelson Mandela is responding positively to the treatment he is undergoing for a recurring lung infection," the presidency said in a statement. "He remains under treatment and observation in hospital."

Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994, is a revered figure in his homeland, which has named buildings and other places after him and uses his image on national bank notes.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sad," Obed Mokwana, a Johannesburg resident, said after hearing that Mandela was back in the hospital. "I just try to pray all the time. He must come very strong again."

In December, Mandela spent three weeks in a hospital in Pretoria, where he was treated for a lung infection and had a procedure to remove gallstones.

Earlier this month, he was hospitalized overnight for what authorities said was a successful scheduled medical test.

Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj, referring to Mandela by his clan name "Madiba," said the latest stay was not for previously planned treatment.

"No, this wasn't scheduled. As you will appreciate the doctors do work with a great sense of caution when they are treating Madiba and take into account his age," he said. "And so when they found that this lung infection had reoccurred, they decided to have him immediately hospitalized so that he can receive the best treatment."

He said there had been a global outpouring of messages expressing concern for Mandela's health.

President Jacob Zuma wished Mandela a speedy recovery.

"We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts. We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery," his office quoted him as saying.

In February 2012, Mandela spent a night in a hospital for minor diagnostic surgery to determine the cause of an abdominal complaint. In January 2011, he was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for what officials initially described as tests but turned out to be an acute respiratory infection. He was discharged days later.

He also had surgery for an enlarged prostate gland in 1985.

The apartheid government released Mandela in 1990. Four years later, he became the nation's first democratically elected president under the banner of the African National Congress, helping to negotiate a relatively peaceful end to apartheid despite fears of much greater bloodshed. He served one five-year term as president before retiring.

Perceived successes during Mandela's tenure include the introduction of a constitution with robust protections for individual rights and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a panel that heard testimony about apartheid-era violations of human rights as a kind of national therapy session.

Mandela last made a public appearance on a major stage when South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.

Until his latest string of health problems, Mandela had spent more time in the rural village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province, where he grew up. He was visited there in August by then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Doctors said in December that he should remain at his home in Johannesburg to be close to medical facilities that can provide the care he needs.

___

AP Senior Producer Ed Brown contributed to this report from Durban, South Africa.

Associated Press

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My Biggest Fitness Inspirations | Afrobella

CBS Sunday Morning is one of my favorite shows, and I set my DVR so I can watch it AND sleep in every weekend. It?s such a great show that covers so many topics. This last Sunday, there was a feature on ubiquitous fitness personality Jillian Michaels (click to watch it if you want to). It was about her many many DVDs, and fitness pills and potions she endorses, and how hard she?s worked to build her brand, and how ? despite what we see on The Biggest Loser ? Jillian Michaels is at heart, a misunderstood woman who takes the tough love method we see on television to heart because she once was a bigger teenager and knows tough love works.

I was fascinated by the story, but still somehow unmoved. I?m not meaning to disparage Jillian Michaels at all ? her DVDs and fitness books stay in the top 10 for a reason, but hers is not a journey I can personally relate to, and her method that has ever worked for me. My goal?isn?t?dramatic weight loss or physical reinvention. My goal is an overall improvement in my health and fitness. I completely disagree with yelling and using anger as a motivating tool in working out, that?doesn?t?inspire me at all. What does inspire me, is seeing real role models with real results that have come from consistently putting in work. No surgery. No pills. No crazy diet plans. Nothing unhealthy or extreme.

Top ? Erika of A Black Girl?s Guide to Weight Loss, bottom left Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey, right Renisha James

I am inspired by women who I know, who have transformed themselves both externally and internally, with hard work and exercise and consistent effort. I am inspired by women who I know, who have managed to put fitness at the forefront of their lives despite the difficulties and demands of real life. Let me tell you about the three women who are my personal fitness inspirations, and hopefully they can inspire you too. Because of these ladies, I know my own fitness journey is possible if I dedicate myself to it.

Erika of A Black Girl?s Guide To Weight Loss.

When I first heard about Erika?s weight loss journey ? you can see it right at the top of her blog, first of all. And she did it all with consistent hard work and teaching herself healthier ways to eat. When I first heard about Erika?s weight loss journey, it seemed impossible. But she did it, without gimmicky diets or unhealthy exercise habits. Erika?isn?t?one who believes in fads or programs with fancy names. She?doesn?t?get caught up in crazes. Her blog tackles the psychological aspects of fitness and what it takes to dedicate yourself to changing your physique. A LOT of what she?s written about resonates with me, and her recipes are amazing! You can follow her on Twitter @BGG2WL and here?s her Facebook page. And she just started a YouTube channel which is as amazing as I expected it to be! Check her out there, and on Ebony.com!

Click here to visit her official site. And you can follow her @BGG2WL on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey AKA ?Beautiful Brown Baby Doll? .

Anyone who?s managed to lose more than 100 pounds by changing their life to include a healthy diet and exercise gets major kudos from me, and not only has Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey done that, she?s managed to keep the weight off and inspire others while doing it. She?s a force to be reckoned with. On Facebook she keeps her followers on track throughout the day by asking them what they?re eating and sharing positive messages. Her YouTube channel is vibrant, fun, touching and always honest and relatable. She tackles tough topics, like how to heal from unsupportive friends and family, and the difference in how the opposite sex treats her now. She?s not afraid to be emotionally honest about her experience, and I love that about her. Encouragement, positivity, and honesty!

Click here to visit her official site. And you can follow her @ButflBrwnBabyDoll on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Renisha James of Renewed Fitness

Renisha is SUCH an inspiration to me on so many levels. I know her personally and have seen how fitness has transformed her life, her personality, and her outlook on the future. But that alone isn?t what has made her one of my fitness inspirations. Renisha didn?t have a dramatic weight loss story of her own, but making fitness and healthy living the focus of her life has taken her to some incredible places, and her life?s work is to inspire other people to be fit and healthy as well. From Renisha, I?ve learned how taking fitness seriously can change your personality for the better and make you a more focused, centered and confident person. I?ve worked out with Renisha, talked to her about my life and my own journey, and she?s really helped me to get my mind right about my health. Her blog is awesome and she?s about to star in French art film Bobby Seale Polyptych. Click here for details on that!

Click here to visit her official site. And you can follow her @RenewedFitness on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

My goals aren?t to?metamorphosize?into a different person, it?s just to take better care of this body that is my temple. Currently I am working out regularly with a personal trainer ? the awesome Jen Zea, who teaches classes at PhyziqueChicago.com.?When I work out with her, I feel positive, recharged, capable and BETTER.?The three women above inspire me to do better and try harder. It?s a journey, but I?m back on it. And I feel good about it!

Who are your biggest fitness inspirations?

Tags: exercise, Featured, fitness, full-image, health, health and fitness, inspiration, Inspiring Women

Category: Body, Featured, Issues, Life

Source: http://www.afrobella.com/2013/03/28/my-biggest-fitness-inspirations/

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Terminal cancer sufferer checks prom off her bucket : theCHIVE

March 28, 2013 | In: Awesome, Beautiful

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When 14-year-old Katelyn Norman learned that her bone cancer was going to take her life, she drew up a list of her final wishes ? attending the prom was at the very top of her list. But as her friends gathered at a venue in LaFollette, Tennessee on Tuesday night to throw the prom in her honor, Katelyn had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital after she began struggling to breathe. So, thinking fast, classmates and relatives brought the party to her bedside instead, bringing balloons, music and her smartly-dressed date to make sure she didn?t miss out on completing her bucket list.

Katelyn has been fighting osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer, for two years but doctors told her last week that it has spread to her heart, arteries, pelvis and spine and that there is nothing more they can do. An instructor at Katelyn?s school and prom coordinator, told WATE-TV, ?Once you meet her your life will never be the same, she has such an impact.? The Campbell County mayor, William Bailey, also headed to the prom ? where he announced Tuesday ? March 26 ? would be known as ?Katelyn Norman Day?. Her best friend Brandon Huckaby, 16, added ?She doesn?t care that she?s suffering. She cares that other people are suffering and she wants to stop that.? That?s the kind of person Katelyn is.

It?s powerfully evident how the community and the nation are getting swept up in supporting and sending Katelyn their prayers, support, and their love. Katelyn?s mother, Erica Nelson, said they hope to complete as many activities as possible as she spends her last days at home. ?She doesn?t let the fact that the doctors said she won?t last very long bother her,? her friend Brandon added, ?She has an attitude that, ?I?m Katelyn. I?m bald, I?m beautiful and I will beat this.?

And though it is sad that sometimes it takes the most tragic of events to reveal the most wonderful qualities of the human spirit, it is beautiful to be reminded of the special bond between all of us that makes this planet one worth living on. God bless you, Katelyn. I hope you get everything out of this life you desire and I send all my love and prayers to you.

You can donate to Katelyn?s bucket list fund HERE.

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Katelyn is presented a sash at her prom in hospital on Tuesday night. Her father kisses her.

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JROTC prepares an official entrance to the prom

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Friends and family entering the prom

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Katelyn entering her prom

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Her date presents her with a corsage

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Staff and family members gather for the prom

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Posing with a nurse

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Outside the hospital, thousands of people lined along Highway 63 as part of a candle-lit vigil for Katelyn, who had insisted that a party continue in her absence.

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Healthier days: Friends and family have said that Katelyn is headstrong, upbeat and one-of-a-kind

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Bald is beautiful

You can donate to Katelyn?s bucket list fund HERE.
Found via Dailymail.co.uk

Source: http://thechive.com/2013/03/28/terminal-cancer-sufferer-checks-prom-off-her-bucket-list-thanks-to-a-loyal-and-loving-community-16-photos-video/

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Sanjay Dutt says he'll go to prison as ordered

Indian Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, right, breaks down as his sister Priya Dutt tries to console him during a press conference at his residence in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 28, 2013. Dutt said he has not sought pardon for a 1993 weapons conviction and will serve his prison sentence as ordered by India's Supreme Court. Dutt broke his silence a week after the court sentenced him to five years in prison for illegal possession of weapons supplied by Mumbai crime bosses linked to a 1993 terror attack that killed 257 people. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, right, breaks down as his sister Priya Dutt tries to console him during a press conference at his residence in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 28, 2013. Dutt said he has not sought pardon for a 1993 weapons conviction and will serve his prison sentence as ordered by India's Supreme Court. Dutt broke his silence a week after the court sentenced him to five years in prison for illegal possession of weapons supplied by Mumbai crime bosses linked to a 1993 terror attack that killed 257 people. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Priya Dutt tries to console her brother Indian Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, center, after he broke down during a press conference at his residence in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 28, 2013. Dutt said he has not sought pardon for a 1993 weapons conviction and will serve his prison sentence as ordered by India's Supreme Court. Dutt broke his silence a week after the court sentenced him to five years in prison for illegal possession of weapons supplied by Mumbai crime bosses linked to a 1993 terror attack that killed 257 people.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, right, breaks down as his sister Priya Dutt tries to console him during a press conference at his residence in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 28, 2013. Dutt said he has not sought pardon for a 1993 weapons conviction and will serve his prison sentence as ordered by India's Supreme Court. Dutt broke his silence a week after the court sentenced him to five years in prison for illegal possession of weapons supplied by Mumbai crime bosses linked to a 1993 terror attack that killed 257 people.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, center, gestures to the media after he broke down during a press conference as his sister Priya Dutt, left, stands next to him at his residence in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 28, 2013. Dutt said he has not sought pardon for a 1993 weapons conviction and will serve his prison sentence as ordered by India's Supreme Court. Dutt broke his silence a week after the court sentenced him to five years in prison for illegal possession of weapons supplied by Mumbai crime bosses linked to a 1993 terror attack that killed 257 people.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, right, breaks down as his sister Priya Dutt tries to console him during a press conference at his residence in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 28, 2013. Dutt says he has not sought pardon for a 1993 weapons conviction and will serve his prison sentence as ordered by India's Supreme Court. Dutt broke his silence a week after the court sentenced him to five years in prison for illegal possession of weapons supplied by Mumbai crime bosses linked to a 1993 terror attack that killed 257 people.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

MUMBAI, India (AP) ? Breaking down repeatedly, popular Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt said Thursday he will serve his prison sentence for a 1993 weapons conviction in a case linked to the deadliest terror attack in Indian history.

Dutt broke his silence a week after the Supreme Court sentenced him to five years in prison for illegal possession of weapons supplied by Muslim mafia bosses in Mumbai who were linked to the 1993 terror attack that killed 257 people.

"I respect the Supreme Court's verdict. I have not applied for any pardon," an emotional Dutt told reporters at a news conference held outside his home in Mumbai, India's entertainment capital and home to Bollywood, India's prolific Hindi film industry.

"There are many other people who deserve pardon," he said.

Dutt broke down repeatedly while reading out a statement and hugged his sister, Priya Dutt, who is a Congress party lawmaker from Mumbai.

Dutt said he and his family were devastated by the verdict.

"Right now I am a shattered man. My family is shattered," he said.

Dutt, 53, had appealed an original conviction on the charge of possessing an automatic rifle and a pistol that were supplied to him by men subsequently convicted in a series of bombings that hit Mumbai. A separate charge of conspiring to commit a terrorist act was never proven and he was only convicted of the weapons charge.

The actor has maintained that he knew nothing about the bombing plot and that he asked for the guns to protect his family after receiving threats during sectarian riots in Mumbai. His mother was Muslim and his father Hindu.

The trial stemming from the Mumbai bombings lasted more than 18 years, during which Dutt's acting career soared. He played the lead in several blockbuster films, earning a huge following. He gained enormous popularity for a series of Hindi films in which he played the role of a reformed thug who follows the teachings of nonviolence advocate and Indian independence hero Mohandas Gandhi.

Dutt served 18 months in jail before he was released on bail in 2007 pending the appeal, so three and a half years remain.

The aging actor, who now mainly plays character roles, said he hopes to complete as many of his pending film projects in the four weeks that the court has allowed him before he reports to prison.

"I've got a few days left. I have a lot of work. I have to finish all that work. And I want to spend some time with my family," Dutt said.

Trade analysts say Dutt's jail term will be a huge financial blow for the industry.

Two of Dutt's films are being readied for release, but several other projects are midway and are likely to be delayed.

Legal experts said although Dutt had not sought pardon, any other concerned citizen could apply on his behalf.

Markandeya Katju, a retired Supreme Court judge, said he planned to write separately to the Indian president and to the governor of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, seeking a pardon on Dutt's behalf.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-28-India-Sanjay%20Dutt/id-a663cd91f0a9488b9a9353a2686c5e15

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Dana White?s latest video blog shows he is a fan of shooting guns, riding motorcycles and apple-picking

With no fight this week, UFC president Dana White released a video blog that shows what he and his "idiot friends" do when visiting his place in Maine. Yes, there's plenty of NSFW language. Take a look and see what White and his friends are up to, including:

1. Talk one friend into trying the spiciest hot sauce ever.
2. Blow things up.
3. Shoot guns while calling each other a nickname for a cat.
4. Apple-picking, though it doesn't look like they're picking honeycrisp apples, the finest of all apple varieties.
5. Milk goats in a way that looks pretty uncomfortable for the goat.
6. Drive motorcycles.

[Also: Nick Diaz can cry foul all he wants, but he's not getting a rematch with GSP]

And a little advice for Nick the Tooth. I was once told at an Indian restaurant, after eating very spicy food, that beer or soda pop are your best bets to cool a burning mouth.

Memorable Moments from Yahoo! Sports:

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/dana-white-latest-video-blog-shows-fan-shooting-164921000--mma.html

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Google Starts Testing Google Shopping Express In SF, With Free Delivery At Target, Walgreens, Staples And More

Google is finally opening up its Google Shopping Express service to the public today, with the same day delivery service being made available as a test to select users in San Francisco and the Peninsula from San Mateo to San Jose. Participating retailers include, as we've previously reported:?Target, Walgreens, Staples, American Eagle, Toys?R?Us/Babies?R?Us, Office Depot, San Francisco?s Blue Bottle Coffee, Raley?s Nob Hill Foods, and Palo Alto Toy & Sport.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/FMw-KSJXJuk/

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Google Maps now delivering live transit info in New York, DC and Salt Lake City

Good news for us mass transit riders -- well, those of us in a couple of select US cities, at least. Google Maps is getting more live contextual info in New York, Salt Lake City and Washington DC. Riders will be able to check out live departure times for seven subway lines in the Big Apple and buses and trams in Utah's most populous city. Over in our our nation's capitol, Metrorail passengers will get access to alerts including unplanned delays and track work. Maps now has transit info for 800 cities in 25 countries, accessible through the company's Android and iOS apps.

Comments

Source: Google

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/27/google-maps-transit/

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Gay marriage case's Edie Windsor: marriage 'magic'

WASHINGTON (AP) ? When Edith Windsor got engaged in the 1960s to the woman who eventually became her wife, she asked for a pin instead of a ring. A ring would have meant awkward questions, she said: Who is he? Where is he? And when do we meet him?

On Wednesday, the 83-year-old stood on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, the face of a case that could change how the U.S. government treats married gay couples. She wore a grey pants suit, a pink and orange scarf and her engagement pin, a circle of diamonds.

Windsor, whose wife, Thea Spyer, died in 2009, sued to challenge a $363,000 federal estate tax bill she got after Spyer's death. The pair married in Canada in 2007. Had Windsor been married to a man, she would not have paid any estate tax.

Windsor said the spirit of her partner of 44 years was watching and listening Wednesday, and she called marriage a "magic word."

"For anybody who doesn't understand why we want it and why we need it, OK, it is magic," she told reporters.

Windsor is asking the court to strike down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage for purposes of federal law as the union of a man and a woman. She said the argument before the court went well.

"I think it went great. I think it went beautifully," she told reporters in front of the court after the argument.

Windsor, who goes by Edie, said public acceptance of gay marriage and gay people has changed since the time when she had to hide behind a pin.

"As we increasingly came out, people saw that we didn't have horns. People learned that we were their kids, and their cousins and their friends," she said.

When the couple's wedding announcement ran in The New York Times in 2007, she said, they received congratulations from hundreds of people, from schoolmates to colleagues.

Plaintiff Edith Windsor waves to supporters outside after arguments in her case against the Defense of Marriage Act at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, March 27, 2013. For the second day running,... more? Plaintiff Edith Windsor waves to supporters outside after arguments in her case against the Defense of Marriage Act at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, March 27, 2013. For the second day running, the Supreme Court on Wednesday will confront the issue of gay marriage, hearing arguments on a U.S. law that denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW SOCIETY) less? Even 10 years ago, Windsor said, she would have been "hiding in the closet." But Wednesday she said she was "thrilled and exalted and humbled, very humbled" to be at the court.

___

Follow Jessica Gresko on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gay-marriage-cases-edie-windsor-marriage-magic-203852659--politics.html

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WADA backs HGH test against 'extremist' NFLPA

By STEPHEN WILSON

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:29 p.m. ET March 27, 2013

LONDON (AP) - The World Anti-Doping Agency has defended its test for human growth hormone and accused the NFL players union of being "extremist" for questioning its validity.

WADA director general David Howman tells The Associated Press the test for HGH was endorsed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in its ruling Tuesday in the case of an Estonian cross-country skier.

The court lifted the three-year suspension imposed by the International Ski Federation on two-time Olympic cross-country champion Andrus Veerpalu for use of HGH, citing "procedural flaws." But CAS said it believed Veerpalu did take HGH and backed the testing method.

Howman says "there is no question as to the validity of the test."

The NFL players union said the CAS ruling "validates the players' demands for scientific validity, full due process rights, and a transparent system."

Howman says "I would expect the players association to take a stance which is extremist which is the way they've operated the last few years."

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51350789/ns/sports-nfl/

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Lance Armstrong faces possible criminal case in Spain

Lance Armstrong is being investigated for possible criminal charges in Spain, ABC News has learned.

Sources both in the United States and Spain said the investigation relates to Armstrong's doping activities, which were spelled out in a U.S. Anti Doping Agency report.

READ MORE: Armstrong Admits to Doping

Spanish sources believe crimes may have been committed in Spain and they are currently investigating to decide if charges should be brought against Armstrong and Spanish associates who worked with him on the U.S. Postal Service cycling team, the sources told ABC News.

The investigation is ongoing in multiple regions of Spain -- Alicante, Valencia, Girona and Tenerife.

An attorney for Armstrong did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Armstrong was a resident of Girona, Spain, for several years during his reign as the Tour de France champ.

Spanish law does not make it a crime for an athlete to use performance enhancing drugs for personal use. In certain cases, athletes can be fined and have their licenses suspended.

However, if investigators can prove "trafficking, distribution and commercialization of doping drugs," that is a criminal offense carrying as many as two years in prison and fines of as much as 400,000 euros.

The investigation is described as being in a "very active and sensitive" phase.

In 2004, Armstrong lived in Spain with the singer Sheryl Crow. Floyd Landis, Armstrong's former cycling teammate, has told ABC News that during that period he babysat Armstrong's "blood fridge" in Spain "to make sure the temperature remained constant" when Armstrong traveled out of town with Crow.

Armstrong 'Left It All on the Table' With Winfrey

Spain is currently front and center on the world stage as it bids for the 2020 Olympics. The country has been seen as soft on sports doping in the past and has been working to change that image.

In an interview with a German television station, the director of Spain's anti-doping authority, Ana Munoz, said, "What I can tell you so far is that we are following up on the Armstrong case. Not only because we were involved in the investigation back then but also because we are really interested that every person, Spanish or not, who has committed a crime in our country be prosecuted."

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lance-armstrong-faces-possible-criminal-case-spain-022407918--abc-news-topstories.html

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