China recovery dogged by doubt as data questioned

A shipping container is craned to a containership at a port in Qingdao in east China's Shandong province Wednesday, April 10, 2013. China reported higher import growth in March on Wednesday in a possible positive sign for its economic recovery but analysts said doubts about the accuracy of Beijing's data made it hard to draw conclusions. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT

A shipping container is craned to a containership at a port in Qingdao in east China's Shandong province Wednesday, April 10, 2013. China reported higher import growth in March on Wednesday in a possible positive sign for its economic recovery but analysts said doubts about the accuracy of Beijing's data made it hard to draw conclusions. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT

A worker walks past shipping containers piled at a port in Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang province, Tuesday, April 9, 2013. China reported higher import growth in March on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 in a possible positive sign for its economic recovery but analysts said doubts about the accuracy of Beijing's data made it hard to draw conclusions. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT

BEIJING (AP) ? China's trade expanded in March in a possible positive sign for its recovery but analysts said the data might be inflated and give a distorted picture of the economy's health.

Imports rose 14.1 percent after growing 5 percent rate for the combined January-February period, customs data showed Wednesday, suggesting Chinese manufacturers and consumers might be buying more.

Export growth slowed to 10 percent from the previous two-month period's 23.6 percent. That could add to challenges for newly installed Communist Party leaders as they try to sustain the rebound from China's deepest downturn since the 2008 global crisis and avoid job losses.

Analysts said, though, the data might be distorted by companies misreporting trade or government manipulation, clouding the picture of whether an economic recovery is gaining traction.

Exports probably are even lower than reported, based on what is known about shipments into Hong Kong, said Francis Lun, chief economist of GE Oriental Financial Group in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is Chinese territory and handles a big share of the mainland's trade but is treated as a separate customs region.

"The figures in Hong Kong to and from China do not add up," he said. "Instead of 10 percent growth, you have 2 or 3 percent."

China's economic growth rose to 7.9 percent in the three months ending in December, up from the previous quarter's 7.4 percent. Analysts say the recovery from the country's deepest downturn since the 2008 global crisis is being propped up by government spending and could be vulnerable if trade or state-driven investment weakens.

Commentators raised questions after China's strong trade data failed to match up with much lower figures reported by its trading partners.

Some suggested companies might be reporting phony exports to get tax rebates or to evade Beijing's strict capital controls and move money into China with fictitious billing of foreign customers. Others say Beijing might have exaggerated trade volume to make the economy look healthier during the transition to new Communist Party leaders in recent months.

"Today's trade data release has not instilled any more confidence in either the quality of data or the strength of the recovery," said IHS Global Insight analyst Alistair Thornton in a report.

Other indicators show economic activity recovering but at a slow pace. A survey of manufacturing by a Chinese industry group showed activity improved in March but by only a fraction of one point on a 100-point scale.

Also in March, inflation fell, suggesting consumer demand might be weaker than authorities hoped.

Referring to February's explosive reported export growth, Alaistair Chan of Moody's Analytics said in a report, "It now seems that it was probably due to some issue with the reporting of exports, or possibly over-invoicing as firms evaded capital controls to bring in more foreign capital."

Chinese customs officials defended their data Wednesday at a news conference.

"Every dollar that is listed in the customs trade data can be traced back to an actual declaration form," said Zheng Yuesheng, a spokesman for the bureau. "The exported or imported goods listed on the declaration form have to be something shipped across the border, either in or out."

Beijing's capital controls and tax breaks and other privileges for foreign investors give Chinese companies an incentive to covertly bring in money from abroad. Economists believe a large share of China's reported foreign investment is money sent abroad by Chinese companies and "round-tripped" back into the country.

China's trade is volatile in the first few months of each year as companies shut down for several weeks during the Lunar New Year and then buy raw materials to resume production.

March exports rose to $182.2 billion while imports were $183.1 billion, leaving a rare monthly deficit of $900 million, according to the General Administration of Customs.

The trade surplus with the United States narrowed by 34 percent from a year earlier to $11 billion. The surplus with the 27-nation European Union shrank 35 percent to $5.3 billion.

Exports to Germany, China's biggest European trading partner, fell 7 percent while shipments to France declined 6.7 percent.

___

AP Business Writer Pamela Sampson in Bangkok and researcher Flora Ji in Beijing contributed.

___

General Administration of Customs of China: www.customs.gov.cn

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-10-AS-China-Trade/id-35177d242263472c97879e0b685b90cb

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10-year anniversary of Baghdad fall to US forces

In this Sunday, April 7, 2013 photo, a general view of Firdous Square, where the statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down by U.S. forces and Iraqis on April 9, 2003, in central Baghdad, Iraq. Ten years ago, a statue fell in Paradise Square. Joyful Iraqis helped by a U.S. Army tank retriever pulled down their longtime dictator, cast as 16 feet of bronze. The scene broadcast live worldwide became an icon for a war, a symbol of final victory over Saddam Hussein. But for the people of Baghdad, it was only the beginning. The toppling of the statue on April 9, 2003, remains a potent symbol that has divided Iraqis ever since. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)

In this Sunday, April 7, 2013 photo, a general view of Firdous Square, where the statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down by U.S. forces and Iraqis on April 9, 2003, in central Baghdad, Iraq. Ten years ago, a statue fell in Paradise Square. Joyful Iraqis helped by a U.S. Army tank retriever pulled down their longtime dictator, cast as 16 feet of bronze. The scene broadcast live worldwide became an icon for a war, a symbol of final victory over Saddam Hussein. But for the people of Baghdad, it was only the beginning. The toppling of the statue on April 9, 2003, remains a potent symbol that has divided Iraqis ever since. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)

In this Saturday, April 6, 2013 photo, an Iraqi man pours water onto the grave of his father, who was killed during a fight with U.S. forces, at a cemetery in Baghdad, Iraq. Ten years ago, a statue fell in Paradise Square. Joyful Iraqis helped by a U.S. Army tank retriever pulled down their longtime dictator, cast as 16 feet of bronze. The scene broadcast live worldwide became an icon for a war, a symbol of final victory over Saddam Hussein. But for the people of Baghdad, it was only the beginning. The toppling of the statue on April 9, 2003, remains a potent symbol that has divided Iraqis ever since. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)

In this Sunday, April 7, 2013 photo, homeless Iraqi children play in the rubble of al-Rashid military base belonging to the former Iraqi army, destroyed ten years ago during the air campaign at the beginning of the war, in Baghdad, Iraq. Ten years ago, a statue fell in Paradise Square. Joyful Iraqis helped by a U.S. Army tank retriever pulled down their longtime dictator, cast as 16 feet of bronze. The scene broadcast live worldwide became an icon for a war, a symbol of final victory over Saddam Hussein. But for the people of Baghdad, it was only the beginning. The toppling of the statue on April 9, 2003, remains a potent symbol that has divided Iraqis ever since. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)

In this Saturday, April 6, 2013 photo, Iraqi boys sit next to a mural that used to be painted with the portrait of former dictator Saddam Hussein, which turned into a mural of Shiite clerics Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr, left, and Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, right, in Baghdad, Iraq. Ten years ago, a statue fell in Paradise Square. Joyful Iraqis helped by a U.S. Army tank retriever pulled down their longtime dictator, cast as 16 feet of bronze. The scene broadcast live worldwide became an icon for a war, a symbol of final victory over Saddam Hussein. But for the people of Baghdad, it was only the beginning. The toppling of the statue on April 9, 2003, remains a potent symbol that has divided Iraqis ever since. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)

An orthotist looks at prosthetic legs at the prosthetic limbs hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The toppling of the longtime dictator Saddam Hussein, 16 feet bronze statue remains a potent symbol that has divided Iraqis ever since: liberation for Shiites and Kurds, a loss for some Sunnis and grief among almost everybody over the years of death, destruction and occupation that followed the fall of the capital to U.S. forces on April 9, 2003. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Ten years ago, a statue fell in Baghdad's Firdous Square. Joyful Iraqis helped by an American tank retriever pulled down their longtime dictator, cast as 16 feet of bronze. The scene broadcast live worldwide became an icon of the war, a symbol of final victory over Saddam Hussein.

But for the residents of the capital, it was only the beginning.

The toppling of the statue remains a potent symbol that has divided Iraqis ever since: Liberation for Shiites and Kurds, a loss for some Sunnis and grief among almost everybody over the years of death, destruction and occupation that followed the fall of Baghdad to U.S. forces on April 9, 2003.

"Ten years ago, I dreamed of better life," said Rassol Hassan, 80, who witnessed the fall of the statue from his nearby barber shop. "Nothing has changed since then for me and many Iraqis, it has even gotten worse."

In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the overwhelming majority of Iraqis agree that they are better off today than under Saddam's brutal dictatorship.

"Iraqis will remain grateful for the U.S. role and for the losses sustained by military and civilian personnel that contributed in ending Hussein's rule," he said.

"Iraq is not a protectorate of the United States; it is a sovereign partner," al-Maliki said in response to the contention that Iraq has become more pro-Iran than pro-West. "Partners do not always agree, but they consider and respect each other's views. In that spirit, we ask the United States to consider Iraq's views on challenging issues, especially those of regional importance."

In the past 10 years, Iraqis have seen the country's power base shift from minority Arab Sunnis to majority Shiites, with Kurds gaining their own autonomous region.

"For Kurds there is no regret," said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish legislator. "April 9 is a national liberation day for us."

Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for Iraq's Shiite-led government, said "April 9 is a day of contradictions: We ended the oppression of Saddam" but began the American occupation. Still, he emphasized that Iraqis were looking forward.

"Our fight is . against terrorist groups that kill people and want to prevent them from tasting the freedom they had lost for 30 years (under Saddam)."

A Sunni lawmaker, Hamid al-Mutlaq, was unsparing in his assessment of what happened a decade ago.

"Baghdad, the city of history and civilization, fell into the hands of a brutal occupation that ignored all laws," al-Mutlaq said. "They came as occupiers and killers unlike what they said before. They left us killing, sectarianism and displacement," he added. "It is a black and ominous day in its history. It is a day of slavery."

Baghdad has indelibly changed since the darkest days of the war.

Residents no longer flee their neighborhoods fearing sectarian violence. Bridges joining Sunni and Shiite areas have reopened. Hotels are being renovated as foreign investment trickles in.

But car bombs targeting police, Shiite mosques and government offices, mostly the hallmarks of al-Qaida militants, still ravage the city of some 7 million.

Ten years on, the city is draped in a spider's web of generator cords wrapped over crumbling buildings and crisscrossing above unpaved streets, a sign of the graft-ridden government's failure to restore power or rebuild basic infrastructure.

Shiite power is evident in posters pasted around the city ? on security checkpoints, billboards, concrete walls. Most show the Shiite hero, the Imam Hussein, grandson of the prophet Mohammed with his bearded face draped in a green turban.

Other walls are painted with scenes of ancient Iraqi civilizations. Some offer practical graffiti, such as the phone number of a tow-truck service.

Walls now are also emblazoned with posters of candidates for provincial elections slated for April 20: Turbaned, bearded Shiite clerics mix with clean-shaven, businessmen clad in suits and female candidates in headscarves and tidy makeup.

Amid Baghdad's near-universal neglect runs a divide between jeep-driving elites in guarded streets and the city's poor.

Men and women shove each other aside at a dump on the eastern outskirts of Baghdad, fighting to grab bags of garbage tossed off a truck, searching for cans and plastic to sell to recycling factories. Children in grubby clothes play among garbage, a pool of green sewage stinking nearby.

"Look at my condition!" demanded Ali Hassan, one of those digging through garbage. "Is this how a human should live? Politicians are fighting over jobs while people live in poverty."

There are also flashes of joy in the city hugging the banks of the Tigris river.

Couples stroll riverside walkways, and children play in parks along its banks. Residents traipse through al-Mutanabi street, a pedestrian alley of booksellers.

Books are neatly displayed on tables and floors: Arabic poetry, heavy tomes of Islamic law and etiquette guides. Stationary shops sell calendars featuring bloodied Shiite martyrs and notebooks with covers of the yellow cartoon character "Spongebob Squarepants."

Nearby, families stroll through a museum featuring mannequins in traditional scenes, such as a wedding, circumcision, and a cafe. For an extra fee, visitors may be photographed in colorful costumes and have the photo inserted into a snow globe.

The dozens of young men who helped pull down the 16-foot bronze Saddam statue in Firdous Square 10 years ago were mostly from the nearby Iraqi communist party office.

But the statue was reinforced by metal cables and finally Marines with a crane finished the job. It was meant to be the swift end to an invasion that began only three weeks before.

Another statue made by an Iraqi artist soon replaced Saddam, but was also pulled down. The modernist structure, with branches reaching toward the sky and a crescent moon balancing a ball was supposed to represent the freedom and unity among Iraq's Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.

On Tuesday, the pedestal stood empty, save for a rusted iron bar poking out of it.

_______

With additional reporting by Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad.

Follow Hadid on twitter.com/diaahadid; follow Salaheddin on twitter.com/sinansm

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-09-ML-Iraq-Fall-of-Baghdad/id-34347a20932d4fc88acdb72e8aa9076b

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Apple reaches smartphone patent licensing deal, agrees to pay Japanese company $10 million for rights

You can't normally read about IP and the mobile industry without coming across two endlessly warring tech companies -- especially when Apple is involved. But today marks a different sort of patent exchange for Cupertino: a cooperative one. Japan-based Access Corporation, a mobile software provider, has agreed to license its patent portfolio -- acquired from its purchase of PalmSource (yes, that's the company behind Palm OS) -- to Apple, in a deal valued at about 1 billion Yen (roughly $10 million USD). It's not the first deal of this kind for Access' smartphone IP. Back in 2010, Microsoft entered into a similar arrangement that gave it the rights to the same portfolio. The lesson here, kids? Money, it solves everything.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Apple

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Via: Apple Insider

Source: Macotakara (Translated)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/10/apple-reaches-smartphone-patent-licensing-deal/

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Google, AT&T target Austin for high-speed Internet

By Alexei Oreskovic and Sinead Carew

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc said on Tuesday it plans to bring its ultra high-speed Internet and television service to Austin, Texas, next year, prompting AT&T Inc to reveal its own plans to follow suit - if it gets the same terms from local authorities.

AT&T appeared to be making a political point to highlight the heavy regulations that encumber traditional phone companies, analysts said.

Google promised to begin connecting homes in Austin by the middle of 2014 with a 1-gigabit-per-second Internet service, roughly 13 times faster than the speediest service AT&T had previously committed to offering and about three times faster than the zippiest available from Verizon Communications.

The Austin launch would be Google's first move to expand its "Google Fiber" service beyond Kansas City, Missouri, introduced last year. Google says the Fiber Internet service is 100 times faster than today's average broadband performance.

But as Google unveiled its plans at an event in Austin that featured Texas Governor Rick Perry, Austin's mayor and other city officials, AT&T issued a challenge to the city to provide a more level playing field.

"AT&T's expanded fiber plans in Austin anticipate it will be granted the same terms and conditions as Google on issues such as geographic scope of offerings, rights of way, permitting, state licenses and any investment incentives," AT&T said in a statement.

The No.2 U.S. telecommunications firm did not provide a time frame for its own planned Gigabit network, which it said would not materially alter its anticipated 2013 capital expenditures.

"AT&T is making the point that they could make a lot more investments in many of their communities, absent the regulatory burdens which every community puts on providers," said Raymond James analyst Frank Louthan.

While Louthan said he did not know what the terms of Google's Austin deal were, he pointed out that Google received various benefits in Kansas City, including preferential right-of-way access, access to data centers, and reduced pole access rates.

"This immediately puts the city of Austin in a box," said Louthan. "They realize that if they actually give that to AT&T and build it, Google may not come."

Austin City spokesman Doug Matthews said there was no "special incentives" for Google. "The negotiated agreement we had with Google, by state law we're obligated to provide to anybody else who wants to offer the same service," Matthews said.

"If AT&T is interested in providing a similar service we're happy to talk to them about that," Matthews said. He noted that Google was committed to connect up to 100 public facilities under the terms of the agreement.

Google, the world's No. 1 Internet search engine, launched its first Google Fiber service in Kansas City in November. The company initially billed the service as a test project to spur development of new Web services and technology but now says it views Google Fiber as a viable business.

The ultra high-speed connections and television offerings are aimed at surpassing those of current providers, such as cable and telecommunications companies, such as AT&T and Time Warner Cable Inc.

As in Kansas City, consumers in Austin will be able to get standalone Gigabit Internet service or a bundle that includes nearly 200 high-definition television channels. Pricing in Austin is still to be determined, Google said.

Google said it will also offer Austin residents free Internet service, at a slower 5 megabit per second rate for seven years, provided they pay a one-time construction fee that was not specified. In Kansas City, the fee is $300.

The city's authorities, as opposed to federal regulators, hold the oversight power over the terms and conditions for AT&T's and Google's projects.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has been a big proponent of growing high-speed internet access across the country and on Tuesday, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel welcomed the news from Austin.

"Every effort we can make to make sure we have the highest speeds available is a good one," Rosenworcel said on the sidelines of the National Association of Broadcasters trade show in Las Vegas. "I think it is such an important economic imperative that we need to fire on all fronts at once."

Google shares finished Tuesday up $2.80, or less than 1 percent, at $777.65. Shares of AT&T closed the session up 14 cents, or less than 1 percent, at $37.76.

(Additional reporting by Alina Selyukh in Las Vegas and Corrie MacLaggan in Austin; Editing by Kenneth Barry, Eric Walsh and Bob Burgdorfer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-expand-high-speed-internet-tv-austin-texas-175159657--sector.html

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Iran says 37 killed in earthquake in south

An Iranian woman reacts as she sits among the rubble of buildings after an earthquake struck southern Iran, in Shonbeh, Iran, Tuesday, April 9, 2013. A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more in a sparsely populated area in southern Iran on Tuesday, Iranian officials said, adding that it did not damage a nuclear plant in the region. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency, Mohammad Fatemi)

An Iranian woman reacts as she sits among the rubble of buildings after an earthquake struck southern Iran, in Shonbeh, Iran, Tuesday, April 9, 2013. A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more in a sparsely populated area in southern Iran on Tuesday, Iranian officials said, adding that it did not damage a nuclear plant in the region. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency, Mohammad Fatemi)

An Iranian woman receives medical treatment after an earthquake struck southern Iran, in Shonbeh, Iran, Tuesday, April 9, 2013. A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed dozens and injured hundreds more in a sparsely populated area in southern Iran on Tuesday, Iranian officials said, adding that it did not damage a nuclear plant in the region. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency, Mohammad Fatemi)

Map locates an earthquake which struck Iran

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed at least 37 and injured hundreds more in a sparsely populated area in southern Iran on Tuesday, Iranian officials said, adding that it did not damage a nuclear plant in the region.

The report said the earthquake struck the town of Kaki some 96 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Bushehr, a town on the Persian Gulf that is home of Iran's first nuclear power plant, built with Russian help.

"No damage was done to Bushehr power plant," Bushehr provincial governor Fereidoun Hasanvand told state TV. He said 37 people had died so far and 850 were injured, including 100 who were hospitalized.

The plant's chief, Mahmoud Jafari, confirmed the site's condition to semi-official Mehr news agency, saying that it is resistant to earthquakes of up to magnitude eight.

Water and electricity were cut to many residents, said Ebrahim Darvishi, governor of the worst-hit district Shonbeh.

The UN's nuclear watchdog agency said on its website that it had been informed by Iran that there was no damage to the plant and no radioactive release and, based on its analysis of the earthquake, was not seeking additional information. The International Atomic Energy Agency statement indicated that it was satisfied there was little danger.

Shahpour Rostami, the deputy governor of Bushehr province, told state TV that rescue teams have been deployed to Shonbeh.

Three helicopters were sent to survey the damaged area before sunset, said Mohammad Mozaffar, the head of Iran's Red Crescent rescue department. He said damage was particularly bad in the village of Baghan.

Kaki resident Mondani Hosseini told The Associated Press that people had run out into the streets out of fear.

Dozens of aftershocks have been reported by the official IRNA news agency since the earthquake, which occurred at 16:22 local time, 11:58 GMT.

Iran announced three days of mourning.

The quake was felt across the Gulf in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where workers were evacuated from high-rise buildings as a precaution.

Earlier on Sunday a lighter earthquake jolted the nearby area. Iran is located on seismic faults and it experiences frequent earthquakes.

In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6 magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam.

In Russia, the head of the state agency responsible for the Bushehr project said the reactor was not producing fission by chain reaction when the tremor occurred.

"Personnel at the station are continuing to work in a normal regime, the radiation conditions are within the norms of natural background," Igor Mezenin was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency.

____

AP writers George Jahn in Vienna and James Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-09-ML-Iran-Earthquake/id-d1e31362d15847809431a1920479ba7d

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Apps help U.S. consumers rent from each other

By Natasha Baker

TORONTO (Reuters) - Whether it is houses, cars, luxury clothing or sports equipment, more consumers are opting to rent, borrow or lease than buy, and a range of new apps are helping them do it online.

In the last two years, more than half of Americans surveyed said they had rented items they would have purchased in the past, according to a poll about buying habits commissioned by solar panel rental company Sunrun.

The trend toward renting was highest in people 55 years and older, the poll of 2,252 Americans found.

"There's a return to simplicity, a return to cutting down on waste and being a little bit smarter about how you spend your money and what you buy," Sunrun co-founder Lynn Jurich said.

Getaround, which is available for iPhone users and on the web, is a free car-sharing app that allows users to rent vehicles from other people. Users can find nearby cars, reserve them and unlock them with the app. Another free app called RelayRides provides a similar service.

For consumers interested in ride-sharing, SideCar and Lyft, both available for iPhone and Android, help people hitch rides for a fee. The service can be less expensive than taxis and gives riders an opportunity to meet new people.

The apps use social networks, such as Facebook, to show the identity of the user and provider, and any mutual associations, to make people feel more comfortable doing business with strangers online, said Arun Sundararajan, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business and an expert on digital economics.

"Relationships and ties that exist in the real world are now available to marketplaces to take advantage of. They don't have to build trust from scratch to get people to participate," he said.

On DogVacay, an iPhone and web app that helps vacationing pet owners find temporary care for their dog, identities are verified via Facebook and telephone interviews.

Car-sharing apps such as Getaround provide insurance coverage for both the car owner and driver for liability, collision and theft. Airbnb, an app for private rental accommodations, offers property owners up to a $1 million insurance guarantee.

While a downturn in the economy and a return to simplicity may be fueling the trend and the apps that support it, Sundararajan believes demand will continue, even if the economy bounces back strongly.

"In many ways, it's just as much about getting access to greater variety and quality," he said.

(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apps-help-u-consumers-rent-other-185746417.html

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Porsha Stewart Divorce Takes Ugly Turn With Kordell Stewart's Latest Allegations

Porsha Stewart and her soon-to-be ex-husband Kordell's divorce proceedings have taken a bit of an ugly turn.

The Atlanta housewife, who said she was 'blindsided' by the filings has been leaning on the support of her friends, family and fans in the wake of the devastating news. But the reality star has been hit with another game-changing play from her retired NFL-ex.

According to new documents, the former pro-athlete claims that Porsha stays out partying all night long and neglects "her responsibilities to her stepson,' TMZ reports.

Shots were originally fired when the Bravo star asserted her estranged spouse was locking her out of their shared home and bringing another woman there. But Stewart responded, saying he locks the house for security reasons and that the other woman is in fact a nanny he was forced to hire since Porsha has failed to carry out her "duties."

Kordell asked the court to deny Porsha spousal support, saying she is a celebrity who is capable of earning her own income.

Who's side are you on? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/07/porsha-stewart-divorce-kordell-stewart-allegations_n_3032855.html

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Moving cells with light holds medical promise

Apr. 8, 2013 ? Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown they can coax cells to move toward a beam of light. The feat is a first step toward manipulating cells to control insulin secretion or heart rate using light.

Their research is published April 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition.

"We have succeeded in using light as a kind of on-off switch to control cells' behavior," says principal investigator N. Gautam, PhD, a professor of anesthesiology. "Much of the way cells behave is due to their ability to sense signals in the environment. In these experiments, what the cells sense is the presence of light."

The new research focuses on immune cells. By adding a light-sensitive protein to the cells, the scientists could direct cells to move simply by shining a laser in the direction they wanted a cell to travel.

"We were interested in the idea that you could activate receptors on a single area of a cell's exterior," says Gautam. "It's what happens naturally when an immune cell senses something amiss in its environment and then migrates toward that potential trouble, perhaps a bacterial infection or inflammation."

The researchers used genetic engineering techniques to introduce a light-sensing protein, called an opsin, into immune cells. Humans and other animals make opsins in the eye, and when activated by light, they allow cells in the eye to translate light signals into vision.

Gautam and the study's first author, Ajith Karunarathne, PhD, postdoctoral research associate in anesthesiology, introduced several different opsins into immune cells. After demonstrating that those cells had an affinity for light, the researchers performed the same experiment with nerve cells, with equal success. The idea is to "trick" the cells into thinking that the opsin is a normal receptor protein.

The light-sensing opsin they snuck into immune cells and nerve cells belongs to a family of receptors that recently has been in the spotlight. These are G protein-coupled receptors whose importance was recognized in the awarding of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The same receptors play a key role in vision, smell, behavior and mood, regulation of the immune system, heart rate and the spread of some tumors.

In another recent study, also in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition, Gautam's team made nerve cells grow branches, called neurites, when the cells were exposed to light. Currently, the laboratory is working with cardiac cells to test whether light signals can speed up or slow down the rate at which heart cells pulse.

"Eventually, we would like to introduce multiple light-sensing proteins into these cells," says Karunarathne. "The idea would be to use two different wavelengths of light. That way, when you shine one light for example, it could signal the first light-sensing protein to make the heart beat faster. Then a different wavelength of light could be used to slow down the heart rate."

In future studies, the researchers plan to use the same kind of strategy to learn whether light can influence insulin secretion and the regeneration of nerve cells. They also are using the approach to study signaling circuitry in cells to find out how networks of molecular pathways control cell behavior.

"This strategy can be valuable," Gautam says. "We can control migration of cells, which is important not only to the immune system but also during embryonic development to ensure that cells that make the heart, liver and other organs go to the right place. It's also key in cancer metastasis, when a tumor releases cells that migrate to other parts of the body. We are excited by the many possibilities."

Funding for this research comes from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH grant numbers are GM069027 and GM080558.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington University School of Medicine. The original article was written by Jim Dryden.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Karunarathne WKA, Giri L, Patel AK, Venkatesh KV, Gautam N. Optical control demonstrates switch-like PIP3 dynamics underlying the initiation of immune cell migration. PNAS, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1220755110

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/VA20H9rmQZM/130408152910.htm

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Top US commander in SKorea cancels trip to US

BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) ? The top U.S. military commander in South Korea has canceled a trip to Washington to testify before Congress because of tensions with North Korea.

In an email Sunday to The Associated Press, Army Col. Amy Hannah says Gen. James Thurman will remain in Seoul next week as -- quote -- "a prudent measure."

Thurman has asked the Senate Armed Services Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense to excuse his absence until he can testify at a later date.

He was scheduled to testify on Tuesday and Wednesday.

South Korea also announced that its top military commander has put off a planned Washington visit because of the tensions.

The North has threatened to launch attacks on South Korea and the U.S.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-07-AS-US-SKorea/id-b5242374338449cfa7f20393392a98f1

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Something About Japan: Sonic Team?s Sugar Rush

This week, Japanese news site 4gamer.net?sat down with Wreck-It Ralph producer Clark Spencer and Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka to find out how Disney went about licensing game characters such as Sonic The Hedgehog to appear in the film. Wreck-It Ralph was released in Japan at the end of March, as Sugar Rush.

?Games have been around for 40 years now, and the people who grew up with Pac-Man, Dig Dug and Pong are now in their 40s and 50s,? explained Spencer when asked why Disney had decided to set the film in a videogame world. ?And since kids today play games too, that means both generations are familiar with gaming culture ? which made it the perfect theme for a movie.?

Clark said that he and director Rich Moore knew right away that they needed to use real-life game characters in the film, to add an air of authenticity and to make it more fun.

?I knew that licensing characters from outside companies would not be impossible, because of films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Toy Story,? he said. ?But I was still pretty nervous about whether we?d be able to pull it off.??Clark said that he attended E3 and spoke with several game developers to gauge how their characters might be used in a film, showing them storyboards and artwork during backroom presentations.

?I didn?t get any answers right away, but several of the people I spoke to said they thought it was a good idea and that they were interested in discussing it further,? said Clark. ?As a producer I thought the seed had been well sown.?

?At first they told me that since the film is centred around the villain of a videogame, they would like Dr Eggman to appear,? recalled Iizuka, who has been involved in the series since Sonic 3 & Knuckles and is now in charge of all things Sonic. ?The idea of also using Sonic was discussed later. I didn?t meet Spencer at that E3, so I heard about this afterwards. I was extremely concerned that they would need to tune the CG model of Dr Eggman to suit the movie. But I was relieved when I saw that the CG model they made was very faithful. And because they?d re-created Eggman with such reverence, I was happy for them to use Sonic too.?

Spencer said that Disney had a thorough approval process with each of the partner companies to ensure they were satisfied with how their characters were being used, and took great care to ensure relationships developed smoothly as the production went on.

?There was a scene where we wanted to have Sonic?s rings burst out of him, but when Sega checked the animation they would not approve it, because of the way the rings came out [unprovoked],? said Spencer when asked for some examples of changes Disney was asked to make by the game companies. ?They pointed out that Sonic only loses his rings when he gets hit, so we fixed the scene.?

?Oh,? laughed Iizuka, ?that ring comment actually came from me.?

?We also got a comment back [from Nintendo] saying, ?Bowser is holding his cup the wrong way; Bowser would hold his cup like this? ? so we changed it accordingly.?

Spencer said that Wreck-It Ralph features 62 licensed game characters, many of whom you see in Game Central Station, the hub that connects each of the disparate game worlds in the film.??Characters like Sonic, Bowser and Pac-Man ? every gamer knows these characters, so I was delighted that we could license them in the movie,? said Spencer. ?I felt lucky to be able to use characters from games I played as a kid, and deeply honoured.?To decide which characters to have appear, first we canvassed the staff. We put a notice on the billboard in the animation studio asking people to write their favourite game characters from their youth and from recent games, and that was a valuable reference.?

Spencer laughed when asked why Zangief was cast as a bad guy in the film, appearing in a scene where various villains attend group therapy to absolve their guilt over a fondness for crushing skulls with their bare hands.

?That caused quite a stir on the internet,? he said. ?People across the States were hotly debating whether or not Zangief is a villain. I got to see a variety of opinions! Actually the screenplay writer is a big fan of the Street Fighter series and he really wanted to use Zangief in the film. He said that Zangief had originally looked more villainous than he does now. So we had him appear at the help group to back up Ralph. In the film, Zangief has a conflicted self-image because he is thought of as a bad guy.?

?Although I was continually checking the parts of the movie that used our characters, I didn?t know the whole story until I saw the completed film,? said Iizuka. ?I enjoyed it so much. And by the way ? Sonic and Eggman are not the only characters from the Sonic series in the film. See if you can spot anyone else!?

Source: http://www.edge-online.com/features/something-about-japan-how-sonic-team-helped-wreck-it-ralph/

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NKorea aggression could strengthen US-China bond

WASHINGTON (AP) ? North Korea's latest outburst of nuclear and military threats has given the U.S. a rare opportunity to build bridges with China ? a potential silver lining to the simmering crisis that could revitalize the Obama administration's flagging policy pivot to Asia.

The architect of the administration's Asia policy described a subtle change in Chinese thinking as a result of Pyongyang's recent nuclear tests, rocket launches and abandonment of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 war with South Korea.

Pyongyang has taken similar actions in the past, prompting Washington to step up military readiness in the region to soothe allies South Korea and Japan. But in an unusual rebuke this week, Beijing called North Korea's moves "regrettable" ? amounting to a slap from Pyongyang's strongest economic and diplomatic supporter.

"They, I think, recognize that the actions that North Korea has taken in recent months and years are in fact antithetical to their own national security interests," former Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told a panel Thursday at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

"There is a subtle shift in Chinese foreign policy" toward North Korea, said Campbell, who retired in February as the administration's top diplomat in East Asia and the Pacific region. "I don't think that provocative path can be lost on Pyongyang. ... I think that they have succeeded in undermining trust and confidence in Beijing."

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland described "good unity" between the U.S. and China in responding to North Korea.

"The issue here is to continue to recognize that the threats we share are common, and the approaches are more likely to be more effective if we can work well together," she told reporters Thursday.

President Barack Obama recently called China's new president, Xi Jinping, as part of an effort to brief the Chinese about American plans to take steps to deter the threats coming from the North, The New York Times reported on its website Friday night.

For now, the crisis has given new rise to the White House's decision to bolster U.S. economic and security in the region that for years was sidelined as a priority by war and terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa.

Much of the policy has centered on China ? both in strengthening diplomatic ties and economic trade. But China is an unreliable American ally and has been suspicious about the U.S. entreaty, which it sees as economic competition on its own turf.

Now, North Korea's threats have focused China and the U.S. on a regional security threat instead of an economic rivalry.

"Part of the pivot is to also take a more active interest in the security issues in Asia," Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who chairs a committee overseeing East Asia, said in an interview this week. "And clearly, North Korea is the most difficult country and one that represents security issues for the countries in Asia, as well as indirectly affects U.S. interests."

"With North Korea making these noises, it will require the U.S. to deal with security issues in Asia," Cardin said.

North Korea has ratcheted up an almost daily string of threats toward the U.S., South Korea and Japan and moved a missile with "considerable range" to its east coast, South Korea's defense minister said Thursday. But he emphasized that the missile was not capable of reaching the United States, and officials in Seoul and Washington agree there are no signs that Pyongyang is preparing for a full-scale conflict.

Last year, North Korea launched two long-range rockets ? it claims they were satellites but were widely believed to be missiles ? and in February announced it conducted an underground nuclear test. A month later, the country declared its 1953 armistice with South Korea void. And this week, Pyongyang said it would restart a shuttered nuclear reactor and ramp up production of atomic weapons material, and began turning away South Korean workers from jointly run factories in the North.

Much of the bellicosity is seen as an effort to shore up loyalty among citizens and the military for North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un. But U.S. and U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang after the February nuclear test fueled tensions and began the unusually high level of threats.

It's also a response to annual U.S.-South Korean military drills that ? intentional or not ? antagonize the North. The ongoing drills have shown a conspicuous display of firepower, including flying American bombers and fighter jets in recent weeks over South Korea and off the Korean peninsula's coast, where a U.S. missile-defense ship also has been deployed.

North Korea's military issued a statement saying its troops have been authorized to counter U.S. "aggression" with "powerful practical military counteractions," including nuclear weapons. Experts doubt Pyongyang is able to launch nuclear-tipped missiles, although the extent of its nuclear arsenal is unclear.

China historically has been lax on enforcing international sanctions against the North. But in what the U.S. took as a positive development, China signed on to stiffer measures in the latest round of U.N. Security Council sanctions announced after the February nuclear test, and there are initial indications that it's increasing cargo inspections. Whether this will lead to concrete steps that will crimp North Korea's weapons' programs and illicit trade in arms, however, remains to be seen.

Patrick Cronin, an Asia expert at the Center for a New American Security and a senior State Department official during the George W. Bush administration, said Beijing also is helping set up back-channel negotiations with North Korea to ease the tensions.

But ultimately, he said, the U.S. isn't likely to succeed in winning China over as a reliable partner against North Korea beyond the current flare-up.

"There is an opportunity for the U.S. and China to renew cooperation on a North Korean strategy," Cronin said. "But we can't put all of our hopes on that cooperation, because it's been less than satisfying in the past. There are limits to how far China and the U.S. have coincidental interests with regard to North Korea. But it's not enough ? because, more likely, we're likely to fail."

Asia expert and peace activist Hyun Lee agreed that Washington will be unlikely to turn Beijing against North Korea in the long run. But she said China does not want to see a stepped-up U.S. military presence in the region, and Beijing certainly doesn't want a war on its borders.

China "doesn't want to deal with headaches like the tension between the U.S. and North Korea," said Lee of the Working Group for Peace and Demilitarization in Asia and the Pacific. "I think China is trying to restrain both sides."

___

Follow Lara Jakes on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/larajakesAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-aggression-could-strengthen-us-china-bond-072505915--politics.html

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Choosing the Perfect Domain Name for Your Blog or Business ...

Choosing a blog name is one thing that any blogger shouldn?t rush into because a blog name is the first foundation for building a successful blog. In this article I will be sharing with you the important steps to follow when choosing a blog name or domain name for your business either online or offline.

When it comes to choosing a domain name for your new blog or offline/online business, most people get confused as what they plan to use is already taken by someone else. It?s for this reason people go with wrong domain names but before you choose, you should consider these few points.

It should be short

A short blog name or domain name is easy to remember than a long domain name, only choose a name that will be easily remembered by your blog visitors in case they want to revisit your blog again. Remember that not all blog readers will remember your blog url or name if it is too long so always go for a short and easy to remember blog or domain name.

Must Read: 10 Important Points To Write a Great Blog Post

The name should be self descripsive

Your blog name should be able to describe what your blog is about to your blog readers an example of a descriptive domain name is dailyblogtips.com. This is a self descriptive domain name which tells every first time visitor what the blog is about. A descriptive domain name describes what your blog is about to a first time visitor just at the first sight of the domain name, people can figure out what your blog is about if it is self descriptive and they will be patient to read your blog if they are interested in what blog url stated to them.

Must Read: How Many Blogs Should You Have to Make Money Online?

Register a .com domain name

A .com domain is the most visited extension of a blog and almost all popular blogs focus on a .com domain name. When browsing on the internet, most internet surfers usually type every domain name with a .com extension at the end because they are too familiar with it. It is the most popular and most used extension so it?s much more preferable.

Easy spellings

You should consider using an easy to spell word for your domain name, you can use a word from English or let?s something from the dictionary. This will help people know the spelling of your domain name because some blog names are very hard to spell e.g pagamaragrasive.com which is very difficult to spell and remember. For this reason, you must consider choosing a name that?s easy to spell.

No hypens

To me, hypens are considered as a pretty bad practice for a domain name. It makes a blog lose most of its daily, monthly, and even yearly blog visitors for nothing. A domain with hypens looks like this blogging-foundation.com and most times, users forget to add this hyphen.

This tips will guide you in choosing a perfect blog name or domain name for your business, a perfect name is a perfect business foundation, and remember a perfect name is the first foundation for any blog or website. Make sure you carefully choose a perfect domain name either for your online or offline business.
My question for you: What name have you decided or chosen for your blog and how perfect is the name? Share your thoughts with us.
If you enjoyed this article make sure you share this post with friends.

Source: http://www.doncaprio.com/2013/04/choosing-a-perfect-domain-name-for-your-blog-or-business-website.html

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Sahara went from green to desert in a flash

Science file

This is a view of the Great Sand Sea of Egypt from the Gilf Kebir Plateau in the Sahara desert.

By Becky Oskin
LiveScience

From lakes and grasslands with hippos and giraffes to a vast desert, North Africa's sudden geographical transformation 5,000 years ago was one of the planet's most dramatic climate shifts.

The transformation took place nearly simultaneously across the continent's northern half, a new study finds. The results will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

The findings come from analyses of dust blown west from Africa and dropped into the Atlantic Ocean. Researchers sifted through 30,000 years of dust and ocean bottom muck retrieved with ocean drilling ships. The changing levels of windblown dust in the ocean sediments provide scientists with clues to Africa's climate and how it has changed over time. Simply put, a lot of dust means drier conditions and less dust means a wetter environment.

The wet period, called the African Humid Period, started and ended suddenly, confirming previous studies by other groups, the sediments revealed. However, toward the Humid Period's end about 6,000 years ago, the dust was at about 20 percent of today's level, far less dusty than previous estimates, the study found.

The study may give scientists a better understanding of how changing dust levels relate to climate by providing inputs for climate models, David McGee, an MIT paleoclimatologist and lead study author, said in a statement. Sahara desert dust dominates modern-day ocean sediments off the African coast, and it can travel in the atmosphere all the way to North America.

McGee and his colleagues are now testing whether the dust measurements can resolve a long-standing problem: the inability of climate models to reproduce the magnitude of wet conditions in North Africa 6,000 years ago.

Email Becky Oskin or follow her @beckyoskin. Follow us?@OAPlanet, Facebook?or Google+. Original article on LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a66b191/l/0Lscience0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A50C17620A1760Esahara0Ewent0Efrom0Egreen0Eto0Edesert0Ein0Ea0Eflash0Dlite/story01.htm

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Heidi Heitkamp, Joe Donnelly endorse gay marriage (Washington Post)

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Cowboy Classic Next Up For Men's Golf

April 8, 2013

Santa Clara, Calif. ? In their final tournament before the West Coast Conference Championship, the Santa Clara men's golf team travels to Arizona to compete in the University of Wyoming Cowboy Classic presented by Cleveland Golf on April 8-9 on the North Course of the Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale.

The 24-team field will attempt to navigate the par-70, 7,133 yard layout for three rounds over two days. Teams will play 36 holes on Apr. 8 with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. (PDT) and a single 18-hole round also starting at 7:30 a.m. on Apr. 9. Team scoring will consist of counting the four best scores of each five-man team.

WCC members Saint Mary's, No. 22 in the recent Golfstat.com rankings and the highest ranked team in the field, and Gonzaga will also be competing in their final tune-ups before joining the Broncos in Bremerton, Wash., on the Gold Mountain Golf Club course for the WCC Championship April 15-17. Other participating teams ranked in the top-100 include: Tulsa (46), Wichita State (63), Colorado (64), Arizona (68), Colorado State (69) and UC Santa Barbara (99).

The Broncos, ranked No. 138, posted one of their best team scores of the spring season carding a second-round 297 in their last event, the UCI Anteater Invitational on March 25. "We had a very good round," said head coach Rob Miller. "One we hadn't seen this calendar year. It was nice to see that." Santa Clara placed eighth in the event for its fifth top-10 finish of the season.

Freshman Martin Keskari has been the Broncos' top individual scorer in each of the last four events with two top-10 finishes. His 73.48 stroke average is nearly two strokes better than Carlos Briones, who is second on the team with an average of 75.33.

Cowboy Classic Tournament Information

Dates: Monday and Tuesday, April 8-9, 2013

Site: Talking Stick Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Host: University of Wyoming

Details: The tournament will consist of 54 holes, 36 on the first day and 18 on the second.

Tournament Field (Golfstat ranking): Wyoming (170), Arizona (68), Air Force (117), Gonzaga (139), Colorado (64), Old Dominion (128), Northern Colorado (146), Weber State (189), UC Santa Barbara (99), Nevada (118), Boise State (183), Santa Clara (138), Kansas State (115), Colorado State (69), UTEP (121), Cal State Northridge (205), Utah State (185), Wichita State (63), Utah (140), Idaho (114), Hawai'i (168), Tulsa (46), Saint Mary's (22), UC Riverside (207).

Course: Talking Stick Golf Club North Course

Yardage/Par: 7,133/Par 70

Website: www.talkingstickgolfclub.com

Phone Number: (480) 860-2221?

Source: http://www.santaclarabroncos.com/sports/m-golf/2012-13/releases/20130406ha4sqe

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XcelMobility Enhances Its Mach5 Online Product Portal Delivering ...

Xcel Introduces ?Happy Birthday? Application Keeping It at the
Forefront of the World?s Largest Mobile Growth Market

REDWOOD CITY, CA?(Marketwired ? Apr 4, 2013) ? Xcel
Mobility Inc.(
OTCQB:
XCLL) (
OTCBB:
XCLL) (?Xcel? or the ?Company?), a
leading developer of mobile internet products and services, is
pleased to announce it has enhanced its suite of mobile web-based
technologies and products with the introduction of its ?happy
birthday? gaming application, delivering one of today?s most
actively used online applications to the most rapidly growing
mobile marketplace ? China.?

The Happy Birthday application can be downloaded for free at

www.mach5.cnand users can elect to pay for the customizable
features, such as adding music, video, or photos.?Delivered by
the Company?s new Japanese partner, United Communications, Inc.
(?UCI?), the Happy Birthday application can be easily and securely
played on any Apple iOS or Google Android phone.?Smart phone
devices have now reached over 246 million people in China, growing
at a record rate of 401% year over year (Flurry Mobile).

?We are extremely excited to incorporate one of today?s most
desired mobile applications into our online portal, which is
becoming increasingly recognized as the new ?go-to? online
destination in China for enhanced mobile connectivity,? commented
Ryan Ge, Chief Executive Officer XcelMobility, Inc.

Ge continued, ?Since launching the portal in November 2012, we
have garnered a strong amount of interest from the Chinese mobile
user base, which is increasingly looking to take their mobile
experience to the next level by incorporating today?s most advanced
software and applications onto their smartphones.?We believe
we will see continued success with our product portfolio as best of
breed mobile app developers continue to partner with us due to our
strong marketing channels and ability to quickly and professionally
localize their apps and games for the large China market.?

Xcel?s online product portal features all of the Company?s
flagship Mach5 applications, which all offer the unique ability to
deliver a faster and more secure desktop experience on mobile
devices.?The newest birthday application is one of many new
applications expected to join the Mach5 product suite in order to
bring today?s newest games, specialty content and cutting-edge
software together in one premier online destination.

About XcelMobility Inc.??

Xcel Mobility is a leading developer of mobile internet
products and services, specifically focused on China?s burgeoning
mobile market where mobile device users access the internet at
double the rate than those in the U.S.?The Company has
developed an online product portal,

www.mach5.cn, where resellers, developers and consumers, can
access its cutting-edge suite of Mach5 products, including the
Mach5 Accelerator ? Xcel?s flagship product that significantly
accelerates internet access ? and the Mach5 LBS ? Xcel?s newest
technology which allows developers and businesses to easily add
advanced location capabilities to their mobile apps.?With the
introduction of the Mach5 LBS, Xcel has become the leader in
providing location-based services for China?s mobile market as it
offers developers an easy and efficient means for incorporating
real-time mapping to mobile applications.?

The combination of smartphone proliferation, a surge in
application storefront launches and new developments in hybrid
positioning technologies are expected to help drive revenues from
mobile location-based services (MLBS) around the world to more than
$12.7 billion by 2014 (Juniper Research). Through the Company?s
deep relationships with China?s leading mobile operators and its
ability to incorporate today?s most interactive and technologically
advanced social and gaming applications to its suite of mobile
internet products and services, it is rapidly securing a leadership
position in China?s mobile market.?For more information visit:

www.xcelmobility.com.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains ?forward-looking
statements? as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United
States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this
press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking
statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans,
expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such
forward-looking statements include, among other things, the
development of new business opportunities, zero operational impact
and projected costs, future operations, revenue, profits, gross
margins and results of operations. Actual results could differ from
those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous
factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent
uncertainties associated with new projects and development stage
companies. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date
of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the
forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual
results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking
statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans,
expectations and intentions contained in this press release are
reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans,
expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors
should consult all of the information set forth herein and should
also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual
report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from
time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Source: http://www.noticiasereleases.com/xcelmobility-enhances-its-mach5-online-product-portal-delivering-new-applications-to-the-chinese-mobile-marketplace/

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Why Is Youth Unemployment So Low In Austria? A Critical Assessment

There has been a substantial debate of youth issues on SEJ [Youth Unemployment Debate]. This is a further contribution seen from the perspective of a so-called ?success? country.

In principle, there are two ways to answer the question raised in the title:

I.????????? To be frank: nobody really knows!

Whenever you take a closer look at any argument put forward to answer this question, you will soon realize its limitations and drawbacks, whether the argument refers to the famous dual system, to the social partnership, or to active labour market programmes, etc.

II.??????? ?Measurement issues

Youth unemployment rates are NOT an accurate measure to grasp the situation of young people in the labour market because these data basically are blurred by decisions to further attend schools or universities and by allocation issues such as counting apprentices as being full-time employed [Watt 25/07/21012]. This is valid for more or less every country. Taking a broader picture into account, i.e. NEET rates, employment rates, unemployment ratios and unemployment rates, it would be fair to say: the labour market situation for young people is particularly favourable in the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Germany, according to an unweighted average of these indicators.

But if labour market conditions for young people are defined relative to the overall labour market situation in a country to highlight the situation of 15-24 years old persons ? as is done by the green line in the figure above ? Austria moves somewhat closer to the EU27 average. Seen from this perspective, the situation for young people is particularly bad in Sweden, Luxemburg, and Italy; this comes somewhat as a surprise.

And there are more measurement issues involved in the Austrian case: ?if we counted young people who are looking for apprenticeship places as unemployed, something which is not done at the moment, and assumed that apprentices are half of the time in work and half of the time in education or on-the-job training, then the unemployment rates for 15-24 age bracket would rise from 7.3% (national figure) to 9.3%. In addition to that, if young unemployed people participating in active labour market programmes were counted as unemployed (which is not done anywhere in the EU), Austria would face a further increase in the youth unemployment rate up to a level of 14%. This is almost twice the figure which is regularly published.

III.????? Tentative answers, many caveats

Outcomes of compulsory schooling

The PISA results of young people at the age of 15-16 are far from satisfactory: Austria is way behind the PISA champions such as Finland, but also Switzerland and Germany. In the reading domain, Austria lags behind Finland by 66 points (470 to 536), by 45 points in mathematics, and by 60 points in science. But even worse is the performance of the so-called low achievers, some of whom only lack adequate support and encouragement from their teachers, for example in reading: some 10% of all pupils have a score of less than 334 points, 28% stay below 407 points, which is the cut-off point for the first out of six proficiency levels; the OECD averages are 6% and 19%, for Finland 2% and 8%, respectively. These shocking figures are not much better in maths and science and a result of early selection of different educational routes after primary schools and strong inheritance effects along social hierarchies. The table below (taken from Hoeckel 2010) shows the distribution of reading competences by types of school. It reveals that young people at the age of 15-16 with low proficiency levels end up in compulsory schools and as apprentices ? this is an important fact as far as the whole transition system from school to work is concerned (see below). So all in all, school results constitute a disadvantage for Austria.

The role of the famous apprenticeship system

What are the key success factors of the apprenticeship training system? There are several of them (ILO 2012): firstly, one should mention the 3-4 years training on the job, using the workplace as a crucial learning resource 4 days a week, and one day in a vocational school. This training is tailored very closely to enterprises? needs, by its very nature ? therefore, there is no need to ask ?Are these qualifications relevant for further careers?? Secondly, and to counter the interests of employers, there is a strong and longstanding legal basis (?Berufsaus?bildungsgesetz 1969?) which makes sure that the acquired skills follow standardized curricula (on ISCED 3B level) that lead to a diploma and recognized certificates for full professional qualifications in a trade. Everybody knows, for example, what a cook or a welder is supposed to be able to do, at least as far as minimum standards are concerned. Thirdly, to strike a fair balance between the interests of those employers in favour of company-specific qualifications and the interests of apprentices in favour of transferable skills, social partnership institutions are at hand. Fourthly, one has to mention the low entry wage of some 12-46% of average wages of qualified personnel in the same profession as the apprentice (first year of training ? 300-800, third year ? 550-1600). These are similar rates to those in Switzerland and Germany (Steedman 2010, Ryan et. al. 2010). Last, but not least: the apprenticeship system offers careers for young people with weak school results and from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are often just fed up with school. And indeed, 26% of all apprentices at the age of 15-16 have only a proficiency level of 1 out of 5 in PISA reading, compared to 2% of students in academic secondary schools and 3% in higher technical and vocational colleges (see table above). This is a key result of early segregation.

But what about the drawbacks of the apprenticeship system? Again, there are several of them: firstly, over the years employers have become more and more reluctant to provide a sufficient number of apprenticeship places. In the last thirty years, these places have been reduced from 194,000 to 128,000. Several thousand young people are not able to find a regular place in a firm or have to look for a state-financed alternative. Secondly, Austria supports the whole system with ? 320 million per year (or ? 650 million when costs for vocational schools are included), i.e. some 0.1-0.2% of GDP. Otherwise the system would have come to a standstill already. Thirdly, there are high drop-out rates of some 17% (?vorzeitige Aufl?sung?) and some 20% fail their final exams. These disappointing outcomes might point to the problem of a lack of quality assurance in apprenticeship training, particularly in SMEs and in vocational schools (Hoeckel 2010). Fourthly, as far as access to the system is concerned, migrants are under-represented, a clear signal of discrimination. And finally, many apprentices change their professions during their careers, a fact that is partly reflected in higher than average unemployment rates when they are in their fifties (see graph below). As evaluations show (Hofer/Lietz 2004), people with apprenticeship diplomas perform better than unskilled labour as far as unemployment and earnings are concerned, after partly correcting selection. High school graduates do better than apprentices in their employment career but not with respect to earnings.

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VET schools and colleges

Approximately 40% of learners in the tenth year of school are in the apprenticeship system, but another 40% attend either a VET school at ISCED 3B level or colleges at ISCED 4A level. They prepare not only for work in advanced occupations? but in the case of colleges also for university. These career paths are considered particularly successful because of highly relevant curricula and a good reputation of graduates. Two years after exams, most of the graduates are either in further (tertiary) education or employed, very few are unemployed or out of labour force. These schools are considered the real national champions.

Active labour market programmes for youth

In many ways, labour market policies have to make up for failures in an insufficient school system. This is particularly the case in Austria.? In 2012, some ? 612 million have been allocated for youth measures (? 322 million for supporting the apprenticeship system), some 110,000 young people took part in active programmes (i.e. 18.6% of the labour supply of people below the age of 25; according to LMP data, in Austria some 10% of the labour supply participated in programmes compared with an EU average of 14.4% in 2007). ?Supra-Company-Based?-apprenticeship places (?BA), ?Integrated Vocational Training Programmes? (IBA), ?Productive Schools?, ?Youth Coaching? are all measures designed to support vulnerable groups and dropouts in finding their way into regular jobs. According to evaluations, not all of them are effective in a strict sense; for example, active search and training for young women work, wage subsidies do not. But they serve their purpose in a broader sense to convey the crucial message to the young generation ? that the state cares about their future.

Overall economic situation in Austria

Although there are differences in the relation between youth and adult unemployment rates (see figure above), there is a strong correlation between both of them (of 0.77) in a cross-country perspective. Overall labour market conditions are a good predictor for the labour market situation of young people. And there are several aspects worth mentioning why the Austrian economy is in good shape [Schweighofer 27/11/2012]: this is a result of different factors like an export-oriented growth strategy, social partnership to balance divergent economic interests, and the right balance of protection, innovation and coordination.?

IV.????? Transferability ? lessons to be learned

There are several points to be highlighted: firstly, it is extremely difficult to transfer key institutional features from one country to another, in particular when they are deep-rooted in traditions and cultures. Secondly, it has to be stressed that some countries, like Greece and Spain, are in a situation of severe economic depression. Therefore it is nearly impossible to transfer experience from a country like Austria that has never experienced this kind of disaster. BUT there are, of course, some positive lessons: school outcomes are extremely important. But take care that curricula are relevant for labour market needs. Provide different measures and policies for potential problem groups. Reflect on introducing key aspects of apprenticeship system and VET schools and colleges ? but make sure they fit in with national institutions and policy understanding. The involvement of employers and striking the right balance of interests is key.

V.??????? Conclusions

Firstly, youth unemployment is so low in Austria because the overall labour market is in good condition. Secondly, this is a result of a broad consensus in Austria across all political parties to fight unemployment immediately and forcefully with all means at hand. Thirdly, this is particularly true for youth unemployment: here several policies work hand in hand ? active programmes for youth ? the apprenticeship system ? the VET schools and colleges ? and tertiary VET. These are the key factors for success (see Lassnigg 2012, 2013).

VI.????? References

Hoeckel, Kathrin (2010), Learning for Jobs, OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training ? AUSTRIA, June 2010.

Hofer, Helmut, Lietz, Christine (2004), Labour Market Effects of Apprenticeship Training in Austria, in: International Journal of Manpower, 2004, 25, 1, p. 104-122.

ILO (2012), Overview of Apprenticeship Systems and Issues, ILO Contribution to G20 Task Force on Employment, September 2012.

Lassnigg, Lorenz (2012), Die berufliche Erstausbildung zwischen Wettbewerbsf?higkeit, sozialen Anspr?chen und Lifelong Learning ? eine Policy-Analyse, in: Nationaler Bildungsbericht 2012, Kapitel 8.

Lassnigg, Lorenz (2013), Austria?s Success on the Youth Labour Market ? not Systemic but Voluntaristic, Draft, www.equi.at.

Matsumoto, Makiko, Hengge, Martina, Islam, Iyanatul (2012), Tackling the youth employment crisis: A Macroeconomic Perspective, in: Employment Sector Employment Working Paper No 124, ILO.

Ryan, Paul, Wagner, Karin, Teuber, Silvia, Backes-Gellner, Uschi (2010), Trainee Pay in Britain, Germany and Switzerland: Markets and Institutions, in SKOPE Research Paper No 96, July 2010.

Steedman, Hilary (2010), The State of Apprenticeship in 2010, A Report for the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network, LSE.

Tritscher-Archan, Sabine, Nowak, Sabine (2011), VET in Europe ? Country Report Austria, ReferNet Austria 2011.

Source: http://www.social-europe.eu/2013/04/why-is-youth-unemployment-so-low-in-austria-a-critical-assessment/

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