DNA directly photographed for first time

Fifty-nine years after James Watson and Francis Crick deduced the double-helix structure of DNA, a scientist has captured the first direct photograph of the twisted ladder that props up life.

Enzo Di Fabrizio, a physics professor at Magna Graecia University in Catanzaro, Italy, snapped the picture using an electron microscope.

Previously, scientists had only seen DNA's structure indirectly. The double-corkscrew form was first discovered using a technique called X-ray crystallography, in which a material's shape is reconstructed based on how X-rays bounce after they collide with it.

But Di Fabrizio and his colleagues developed a plan to bring DNA out of hiding. They built a nanoscopic landscape of extremely water-repellant silicon pillars. When they added a solution that contained strands of DNA into this scene, the water quickly evaporated and left behind cords of bare DNA that stretched like tightropes between the tiny mesas.

They then shone beams of electrons through holes in the silicon bed, and captured high-resolution images of the illuminated molecules.

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Di Fabrizio's images actually show a thread of several interwoven DNA molecules, as opposed to just two coupled strands. This is because the energy of the electrons used would be enough to destroy an isolated double helix, or a single strand from a double helix.

But with the use of more sensitive equipment and lower energy electrons, Di Fabrizio thinks that snapshots of individual double helices will soon be possible, New Scientist reports.

Molecules of DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, store the genetic instructions that govern all living organisms' growth and function.

Di Fabrizio's innovation will allow scientists to vividly observe interactions between DNA and some of life's other essential ingredients, such as RNA (r ibonucleic acid ). The results of Di Fabrizio's work were published in the journal NanoLetters.

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50029929/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Samsung phones infringe Apple patents | Legal News

Samsung Galaxy smart phones and tablets infringe Apple patents: Dutch Court

A Dutch court on Wednesday ruled that few of Galaxy smartphones and tablets violate an Apple patent in the most recent round of the mobile giants? legal battle worldwide.

According to the court?s order Samsung has to pay Apple damages, evaluated by the profits made by its sales. This recent suit was in relation to the Android operating system versions 2.2.1 and 3.0 used on Galaxy smartphones and tablets.

This is one among the multiple patent lawsuits between Samsung and Apple in 10 different countries. This is the aftermath of their battle to rule the lucrative mobile market and triumph over consumers with their newest gadgets.

Last month, in an introductory decision a U.S trade panel judge ruled that Samsung infringed Apple patents to make its phones and tablets. Samsung also won a court case last month when a Dutch court ruled the company did not violate an Apple patent using certain multi-touch techniques in manufacturing its smartphones and tablets.

This entry was posted in Legal News and tagged Apple, Apple Patents, Samsung, Samsung Patents by bizandlegis. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.bizandlegis.com/legalnews/2012/11/samsung-infringe-apple-patents/

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Damascus fighting cuts off airport, Emirates suspends flights

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels battled forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad just outside Damascus on Thursday, forcing the closure of the main airport road, and the Dubai-based Emirates airline suspended flights to the Syrian capital.

Residents also reported Internet connections in the capital were down and mobile and land telephone lines working only sporadically in what appeared to be the worst disruption to communications in Syria since an uprising began 20 months ago.

The past two weeks have seen rebels overrunning army bases across Syria, exposing Assad's loss of control in northern and eastern regions despite the devastating air power that he has used to bombard opposition strongholds.

Rebels and activists said the fighting along the road to Damascus airport, southeast of the capital, was heavier in that area than at any other time in the conflict.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a opposition monitoring group, said clashes were particularly intense in Babbila, a suburb bordering the insurgent stronghold of Tadamon.

Nabeel al-Ameer, a spokesman for the rebel Military Council in Damascus, said that a large number of army reinforcements had arrived along the road after three days of scattered clashes ending with rebels seizing side streets to the north of it.

"There are no clashes directly around the airport; the fighting is about 3 or 4 kilometers away," he said via Skype, adding that rebels had taken control of many secondary roads and were expected to advance towards the airport.

He said that he hoped the proximity of the rebels to the airport would dissuade authorities from using it to import military equipment, but the priority now was to block the road.

A Syrian security source told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the army had started a "cleansing operation" in the capital to confront rebel advances.

Residents said the Internet in Damascus crashed in the early afternoon and mobile and land telephone lines were functioning only intermittently.

A blog post on Renesys, a U.S. company which tracks Internet traffic worldwide, said that at 12:26 p.m. in Damascus, Syria's international Internet connectivity shut down completely.

Emirates said it was suspending daily flights to Damascus "until further notice", but other airlines continued operations.

Airport sources in Cairo said an Egypt Air flight that left at 1:30 p.m. (1130 GMT) had landed in Damascus as scheduled.

"The Egypt Air plane has arrived ... and passengers are all safe but the pilot was instructed to take off back to Cairo without passengers if he felt that the situation there is not good to stay for longer," an official at Cairo airport said.

Elsewhere in Damascus, warplanes bombed Kafr Souseh and Daraya, two neighborhoods that fringe the center of the city where rebels have managed to hide out and ambush army units, according to opposition activists.

"NOT LAST DAYS YET"

A senior European Union official said that Assad appeared to be preparing for a military showdown around Damascus, possibly by isolating the city with a network of checkpoints.

"The rebels are gaining ground but it is still rather slow. We are not witnessing the last days yet," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"On the outskirts of Damascus, there are mortars and more attacks. The regime is thinking of protecting itself ... with checkpoints in the next few days ... (It) seems the regime is preparing for major battle on Damascus."

In the north of the country, rebel units launched an offensive to seize an army base close to the main north-south highway that would allow them to block troop movements and cut Assad's main supply route to Aleppo, Syria's biggest city.

The Observatory said that rebel units from around Idlib province massed early on Thursday morning to attack Wadi al-Deif, a base east of the rebel-held town of Maarat al-Numan.

Wadi al-Deif has been a thorn in the side of rebel units who first besieged the station in October but met fierce resistance from government forces, backed up by air strikes.

Assad is fighting an insurgency that grew out of peaceful demonstrations for democratic reform but escalated, after a military crackdown on protesters, into a civil war in which 40,000 people have been killed.

Most foreign powers have condemned Assad but stopped short of arming rebel fighters as they fear heavy weapons could make their way into the hands of radical Islamist units, who have grown increasingly prominent in the insurgency.

Rebels decry their supporters for not providing them with surface-to-air missiles that they say they need to counter the air force. But recent looting of anti-aircraft missiles from army bases has allowed them to shoot down helicopters and jets.

"So far, there is no evidence that any of the surface-to-air missiles used to date have come from outside Syria," said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch.

"The limited number of surface-to-air missiles that have shown up all appear to have come from Syrian military stock captured by the armed opposition."

He said the number of these missiles in rebel hands was probably over 20 but that will rise significantly as rebels are capturing military bases on an almost-daily basis.

The relatively small number of anti-aircraft missiles looted so far means that many rebel-controlled areas of the country remain vulnerable to air strikes. The Observatory said 15 citizens, including children and women, were killed during a bombing in Aleppo's Ansari district on Thursday.

Activist video footage showed the bodies of at least four children, wrapped in red blankets and apparently wearing pyjamas. Another video showed the immediate aftermath of the attack, with the bodies of children in the street and covered in cement dust. Half of one young boy's head was missing.

(Additional reporting by Dominic Evans and Erika Solomon in Beirut; Yasmine Saleh in Cairo, Praveen Menon in Dubai and Justyna Pawlak in Brussels; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/damascus-clashes-cut-off-airport-emirates-suspends-flights-141313857.html

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Winning Powerball ticket verified in Missouri (Providence Journal)

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YouTube Japan adds new 'original content' channels: trains, horror and drawing on faces

We've seen our fair share of out-there Japan TV programming -- and that looks likely to increase. YouTube has struck a deal with 13 companies that will add original shows and videos to the constantly-growing Japanese library, new videos promised daily. There's a pretty broad array of partners, with a slight focus on comedy and pop-culture, which should mean a shorter language hurdle for us occasional global viewers. Into high-speed trains? There's a whole channel dedicated to the Land of the Rising Sun's unsung tech export. We've got Catherine The Thirteenth (computer-generated chat show host, obviously) discussing the convenience of iPads after the break, but if we had a say in future channels, it'd throw in more mechanized beetle tanks and robot hotplate chefs.

Continue reading YouTube Japan adds new 'original content' channels: trains, horror and drawing on faces

Filed under: Internet, HD, Google

Comments

Source: YouTube Japan Blog (translated)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/27/youtube-japan-adds-new-channels/

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Obama to meet with CEOs from Goldman, Deloitte on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chief executives from top U.S. corporations, including Goldman Sachs , Deloitte LLP, and Caterpillar Inc , will meet with President Barack Obama on Wednesday to discuss U.S. fiscal problems, the White House said.

Obama's meeting with influential leaders from the corporate world is part of his push for Congress to extend tax cuts for middle income Americans, one flashpoint in a standoff with Congress over the "fiscal cliff" - a series of tax hikes and spending cuts that will go into effect next year if lawmakers and the president cannot come up with a deal to stop them.

Obama's outreach to the business community is meant to garner support for his positions. The leaders he will meet with on Wednesday include:

* Frank Blake, Chairman and CEO, Home Depot Inc

* Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and CEO, Goldman Sachs

* Joe Echevarria, CEO, Deloitte LLP

* Kenneth Frazier, CEO, Merck & Co .

* Muhtar Kent, CEO, Coca-Cola Co

* Terry Lundgren, CEO, Macy's Inc

* Marissa Mayer, CEO, Yahoo Inc

* Doug Oberhelman, CEO, Caterpillar Inc

* Ian Read, CEO, Pfizer Inc

* Brian Roberts, CEO, Comcast Corp

* Ed Rust, CEO, State Farm

* Arne Sorenson, CEO, Marriott International Inc

* Randall Stephenson, Chairman and CEO, AT&T Inc

* Patricia Woertz, CEO, Archer Daniels Midland Co

Obama met with small business leaders on Tuesday and plans to visit a small business in Pennsylvania on Friday to showcase his proposals.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason, editing by Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-meet-ceos-goldman-deloitte-wednesday-012143563--sector.html

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Which NBA Team's Roster Has The Most Shout-Outs In Rap Songs?

Spin:

They say all rappers want to play ball, and all ballers want to rap. Though it's probably not 100 percent true, there has long been an overlap between the NBA and rap music, be it Master P trying out for the Hornets or Shaq dropping as many albums in the '90s as Jay-Z.

Here, we've collected every current NBA player who has been mentioned in a rap song, from the omnipresent LeBron James to preeminent punching bag Darko Milicic.

Read the whole story at Spin

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/28/which-nba-teams-roster-ha_n_2201940.html

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NewsDaily: Greece, markets satisfied by EU-IMF Greek debt deal

Greece, markets satisfied by EU-IMF Greek debt deal

---

By Jan Strupczewski
and Luke BakerPosted 2012/11/27 at 4:58 pm EST

BRUSSELS, Nov. 27, 2012 (Reuters) ? The Greek government and financial markets were cheered on Tuesday by an agreement between euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund to reduce Greece's debt, paving the way for the release of urgently needed aid loans.

A Greek flag flutters in front of the moon in Athens November 26, 2012. REUTERS/Yorgos Karahalis

---

The deal, clinched at the third attempt after weeks of wrangling, removes the biggest risk of a sovereign default in the euro zone for now, ensuring the near-bankrupt country will stay afloat at least until after a 2013 German general election.

"Tomorrow, a new day starts for all Greeks," Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told reporters at 3 a.m. in Athens after staying up to follow the tense Brussels negotiations.

After 12 hours of talks, international lenders agreed on a package of measures to reduce Greek debt by more than 40 billion euros, projected to cut it to 124 percent of gross domestic product by 2020.

In an additional new promise, ministers committed to taking further steps to lower Greece's debt to "significantly below 110 percent" in 2022.

That was a veiled acknowledgement that some write-off of loans may be necessary in 2016, the point when Greece is forecast to reach a primary budget surplus, although Germany and its northern allies continue to reject such a step publicly.

Analyst Alex White of JP Morgan called it "another moment of ?creative ambiguity' to match the June (EU) Summit deal on legacy bank assets; i.e. a statement from which all sides can take a degree of comfort".

The euro strengthened, European shares climbed to near a three-week high and safe haven German bonds fell on Tuesday, after the agreement to reduce Greek debt and release loans to keep the economy afloat.

"The political will to reward the Greek austerity and reform measures has already been there for a while. Now, this political will has finally been supplemented by financial support," economist Carsten Brzeski of ING said.

PARLIAMENTARY APPROVAL

To reduce the debt pile, ministers agreed to cut the interest rate on official loans, extend the maturity of Greece's loans from the EFSF bailout fund by 15 years to 30 years, and grant a 10-year interest repayment deferral on those loans.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Athens had to come close to achieving a primary surplus, where state income covers its expenditure, excluding the huge debt repayments.

"When Greece has achieved, or is about to achieve, a primary surplus and fulfilled all of its conditions, we will, if need be, consider further measures for the reduction of the total debt," Schaeuble said.

Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said ministers would formally approve the release of a major aid installment needed to recapitalize Greece's teetering banks and enable the government to pay wages, pensions and suppliers on December 13 - after those national parliaments that need to approve the package do so.

The German and Dutch lower houses of parliament and the Grand Committee of the Finnish parliament have to endorse the deal. Losing no time, Schaeuble said he had asked German lawmakers to vote on the package this week.

Greece will receive 43.7 billion euros in four installments once it fulfils all conditions. The 34.4 billion euro December payment will comprise 23.8 billion for banks and 10.6 billion in budget assistance.

The IMF's share, less than a third of the total, will be paid out only once a buy-back of Greek debt has occurred in the coming weeks, but IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the Fund had no intention of pulling out of the program.

Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann welcomed the deal but said Greece still had a long way to go to get its finances and economy into shape. Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger told reporters the important thing had been keeping the IMF on board.

"It had threatened to go in a direction that the IMF would exit Greek financing. This was averted and this is decisive for us Europeans," he said.

The debt buy-back was the part of the package on which the least detail was disclosed, to try to avoid giving hedge funds an opportunity to push up prices. Officials have previously talked of a 10 billion euro program to buy debt back from private investors at about 35 cents in the euro.

The ministers promised to hand back 11 billion euros in profits accruing to their national central banks from European Central Bank purchases of discounted Greek government bonds in the secondary market.

BETTER FUTURE

The deal substantially reduces the risk of a Greek exit from the single currency area, unless political turmoil were to bring down Samaras's pro-bailout coalition and pass power to radical leftists or rightists.

The biggest opposition party, the hard left SYRIZA, which now leads Samaras's center-right New Democracy in opinion polls, dismissed the deal and said it fell short of what was needed to make Greece's debt affordable.

Greece, where the euro zone's debt crisis erupted in late 2009, is proportionately the currency area's most heavily indebted country, despite a big cut this year in the value of privately-held debt. Its economy has shrunk by nearly 25 percent in five years.

Negotiations had been stalled over how Greece's debt, forecast to peak at 190-200 percent of GDP in the coming two years, could be cut to a more bearable 120 percent by 2020.

The agreed figure fell slightly short of that goal, and the IMF insisted that euro zone ministers should make a firm commitment to further steps to reduce the debt if Athens faithfully implements its budget and reform program.

The main question remains whether Greek debt can become affordable without euro zone governments having to write off some of the loans they have made to Athens.

Germany and its northern European allies have hitherto rejected any idea of forgiving official loans to Athens, but European Union officials believe that line may soften after next September's German general election.

Schaeuble told reporters that it was legally impossible for Germany and other countries to forgive debt while simultaneously giving new loan guarantees. That did not explicitly preclude debt relief at a later stage, once Greece completes its adjustment program and no longer needs new loans.

But senior conservative German lawmaker Gerda Hasselfeldt said there was no legal possibility for a debt "haircut" for Greece in the future either.

At Germany's insistence, earmarked revenue and aid payments will go into a strengthened "segregated account" to ensure that Greece services its debts.

A source familiar with IMF thinking said a loan write-off once Greece has fulfilled its program would be the simplest way to make its debt viable, but other methods such as forgoing interest payments, or lending at below market rates and extending maturities could all help.

German central bank governor Jens Weidmann has suggested that Greece could "earn" a reduction in debt it owes to euro zone governments in a few years if it diligently implements all the agreed reforms. The European Commission backs that view.

The ministers agreed to reduce interest on already extended bilateral loans in stages from the current 150 basis points above financing costs to 50 bps.

(Additional reporting by Annika Breidhardt, Robin Emmott and John O'Donnell in Brussels, Andreas Rinke and Noah Barkin in Berlin, Michael Shields in Vienna; Writing by Paul Taylor; editing by David Stamp)

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Source: http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/bre8aq0j9-us-eurogroup-greece/

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lesliegliani: annesharma48: Gay/Lesbian relationships | new

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Face of Defense: Soldier Keeps 'Comms Up' for Exercise

Face of Defense: Soldier Keeps ?Comms Up? for Exercise

By Army Sgt. Katryn Tuton
50th Public Affairs Detachment

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Nov. 26, 2012 ? It is an unusual Thursday morning when Army Spc. Sean Locke gets to skip physical training. Usually, he would be outside in the winter cold, more than likely running from one place to another and back again.

But there is a good reason why he?s not running at 6 a.m. In addition to being a computer systems repairer, he also is a member of Task Force Bragg?s assault command post.

The roughly 60 members of the ACP are a vital element of maintaining 18th Airborne Corps forced entry capabilities into a hostile country. They work hand in hand with the paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division and support the infantry element with communications, medical, intelligence and command capabilities.

So, instead of PT, Locke reported to his company area to test and prepare the radios that will tumble out of airplanes in the rucksacks of paratroopers.

?I?m proud to be a part of the [ACP], because only a select amount of people get to do it,? said Locke, who serves with Company C, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 18th Airborne Corps. ?My company commander came to me personally and asked if I wanted to be a part of it, so I feel privileged to have the opportunity to do this.?

After preparing for the night?s exercise, the regular work also has to be done. Before he could get out of the room where the radios are secured, another soldier asked for Locke?s help installing a radio into a vehicle for a weapons qualification range that afternoon.

?That?s just part of my job,? said Locke, who installed a radio into Humvee and established communications with range control. ?I set up the radio last week, so I was asked again because they knew I could do it.?

Later, at a nearby baseball field, Locke and the rest of the communications team set up their radios in a dugout to stay out of the rain. With antennas sticking out through the chain-link fence, the soldiers practiced jumping out of planes and organizing themselves on the drop zone.

All radios successfully communicated with the Fort Bragg Operations Center, and the paratroopers repacked their gear into their rucksacks. They loaded onto buses for the short ride to Green Ramp, where their C-130 Hercules aircraft was staged.

The soldiers waited in the passenger terminal until the sun went down, but at 6 p.m. the jump was cancelled because cloud cover was too low for jumpmasters to ensure the drop zone was clear of hazards.

Locke shrugged off the cancellation.

?I honestly don?t mind,? he said, laughing. ?It?s good training, and I understand why we do it, but it hurts when you hit the ground with an additional 70 pounds of gear.?

Instead of completing the exercise with the airborne jump, the group moved to a nearby field and simulated landing on the drop zone.

Using night-vision goggles to see in the dark, the team rallied at a designated point and headed in small groups toward the patrol base that was being set up. After an accountability check for personnel and equipment, the radiomen started working toward establishing communications with the Fort Bragg Operations Center and the designated secure tactical satellite.

Locke unfolded a small antenna and began radio checks. Within a few minutes, he gave a thumbs-up and called ?comms are up? to the operations commander.

?Commo is our weapon,? said Army Col. Bruce Parker, operations officer for 18th Airborne Corps and commander of the exercise. ?If we can?t talk, then we aren?t any good. ?Our whole job is to get out here and establish communications, be able to shape conditions for the unit that?s jumping in with joint fires, joint intelligence, so we are feeding them information. If you can?t talk, you are just another rifleman on the drop zone, no matter what your rank.?

Communication is important because it?s the only way leaders can communicate and work as one team, said Locke, who along with five other soldiers was able to establish comms with the operations center. But the two soldiers establishing contact with the tactical satellites weren?t having as much luck.

?The cloud cover is making the signal come in and out. We can?t get a solid lock,? said Army Spc. Robert Mitzek, the satellite RTO for the command group.

While the soldiers continued to try to establish satellite communication, others performed medical evacuation and perimeter security training.

Thirty minutes later, Parker called everyone together to discuss the exercise?s successes and challenges. Then the group loaded back onto the buses and returned to the company area. The radios and weapons were secured, and after a short briefing, the soldiers were released to go home.

When Locke got home around 11:30 p.m., he found that his wife, Heather, had left food out for him.

?The hours are just part of being in the Army,? Locke said. ?What matters is that the training teaches us something, and there were soldiers out there that had never done this in the dark. It?s always good training when at the end of it we can say we learned something.?

Source: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=118622

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War On Christmas: A Narrative (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

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Asian shares, euro rise on Greek debt deal

TOKYO (Reuters) - The euro hit a one-month high, commodities rose and Asian shares climbed for a seventh consecutive day on Tuesday as global lenders reached a deal on new debt targets for Greece and a political agreement on disbursing the next installment of aid.

European shares will likely track Asian peers higher, with financial spreadbetters predicting London's FTSE 100 <.ftse>, Paris's CAC-40 <.fchi> and Frankfurt's DAX <.gdaxi> to open as much as 0.7 percent higher. <.l><.eu><.n/>

U.S. stock futures were up 0.3 percent, hinting at a firm Wall Street open.

After 12 hours of talks at their third meeting in as many weeks, Greece's international lenders agreed on a package of measures to cut Greek debt to 124 percent of gross domestic product by 2020, and pledged to take further steps to lower the debt below 110 percent of GDP in 2022.

Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said ministers would formally approve the release of crucial aid for debt-stricken Greece, removing uncertainty over whether Athens could avoid a near-term bankruptcy.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.miapj0000pus> gained 0.7 percent to a near three-week high, led by a 1 percent advance in Korean shares <.ks11> and a 0.7 percent rise in Australian shares <.axjo>. Indian shares <.bsesn> also jumped 1.2 percent.

Shanghai shares <.ssec> bucked the trend to fell 1 percent to their lowest since 2009, dragged by weakness in growth-sensitive companies.

"Overhanging the market for a little while has been these macro concerns, so progress towards sorting the situation out gives room for the market to move higher," said Phillip Weinberg, director at BestEx.

Investors' focus is likely to shift now to another major concern hanging over markets, a looming U.S. fiscal crisis.

Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Monday called on President Barack Obama to detail long-term spending cuts to help solve the country's fiscal crisis, while holding firm against the income tax rate increases for the wealthy that Democrats seek.

"Now people will start focusing on the U.S. fiscal cliff and there could be some nervousness there, particularly if it drags on," said Burrell & Co dealer Jamie Elgar of Australian shares.

The euro gained as much as about 0.3 percent to $1.3010, its highest level since October 31, in reaction to the Greek news, before paring gains to be up 0.1 percent at $1.2982.

"The euro gained but the rise is small, and it's unlikely that it will climb further, with big funds winding down their positions ahead of the year-end. Any rise will be countered by selling to cap the euro's upside," said Hiroshi Maeba, head of FX trading Japan for UBS in Tokyo.

He cautioned that the euro still faced downside risks as the latest agreement does not offer a fundamental resolution to the euro zone's debt crisis.

"While the Eurogroup has set December 13 for formal approval of the disbursement, and Germany's planned parliamentary vote later this week will be watched with interest, for markets the deal should put Greece largely on the backburner for a couple of months before it starts missing its fiscal targets again," Sean Callow, senior currency strategist at Westpac bank in Sydney, said in a note.

He doubted if the euro's short-covering will produce sustained trade beyond $1.3050/$1.3100.

Japan's Nikkei stock average <.n225> rose 0.5 percent, just below Monday's seven-month closing high. The benchmark has climbed more than 8 percent in two weeks as the yen has weakened on expectations of easier monetary policy with the likely election of a new government. <.t/>

WEAK USD, CHINA HELP COMMODITIES

The dollar inched up 0.2 percent against the yen to 82.22 yen. The euro rose 0.3 percent against the yen to 106.72.

Traders said some investors unwound long positions in the dollar built up in recent weeks on expectations the Bank of Japan would come under pressure for more aggressive easing.

The dollar eased 0.1 percent against a basket of key currencies <.dxy>, helping to underpin dollar-based commodities.

U.S. crude futures rose 0.3 percent to $88.03 a barrel and Brent was up 0.2 percent to $111.09.

Spot gold was up 0.1 percent to $1,749.65 an ounce, just below a six-week high of $1,754.10 hit on Friday.

London copper hit a near one-month high of $7,821.50 a metric ton (1.1023 tons) as the Greek debt deal added to confidence over copper demand after recent positive data from its top consumer China.

Sentiment may be further underpinned by a report saying China has approved construction of two city subway projects worth 49 billion yuan ($7.87 billion), adding to the list of recent railway project approvals aimed at boosting growth in the world's second-biggest economy.

In another possible sign that the economy is regaining traction, China's industrial profits in October were up 20.5 percent from a year earlier, accelerating from 7.8 percent growth in September.

Asian credit markets firmed slightly, narrowing the spreads on the iTraxx Asia ex-Japan investment-grade index by 1 basis point.

(Additional reporting by Victoria Thieberger in Melbourne; Editing by Edwina Gibbs & Kim Coghill)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asian-shares-euro-rise-greek-debt-deal-030405052--finance.html

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Kevin McHale's daughter dies at 22

HOUSTON (AP) ? The daughter of Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale has died at 22.

The death of Alexandra "Sasha" McHale was announced by the team Sunday. No other details were released.

Kevin McHale has been on leave since Nov. 10 to deal with what the team called a personal family matter.

Team owner Leslie Alexander said in a statement that he extends his "deepest condolences" over the loss of the McHales' "beautiful daughter." He called Kevin and wife Lynn "loving and dedicated parents who will need our continued support throughout this very difficult time." He said the "entire organization is mourning."

Kelvin Sampson has been the interim coach. There is no timetable for Kevin McHale's return.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kevin-mchales-daughter-dies-22-181616237--spt.html

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National Adoption Day | Generation J.D.

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://thedailyrecord.com/generationjd/2012/11/25/national-adoption-day/

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Rap Beats - Are you aware How you can Make Them?

Rap beats are a kind of music that can make people to go mad and excited, it is a musical style in which rhyming speech or rhythmic speech is rapped to musical accompaniment. With the popularity of rap music, many new composers are interested in creating their own beats and the following are some to the tips to the new producers as to how to make them:

Developing basic knowledge: The first and foremost thing to be done by a person to become a rap beat producer/composer is to develop his/her basic knowledge about the genre and this can be done by reading different related books and talking to legends in the field for getting their advice and tips. Basic courses are also available to know about the genre.

Registering with Future Producers Forum: Music veterans can be contacted by registering with the Future Producers Forum. With the help of registering in these forums, the beginners can get their doubts clarified, regarding composing from experts in the field. The beginners can also see the doubts of other composers clarified by the experts from which they can learn more. Registering with Future Producers Forum will be of use both to producers deciding to compose beats through software and to producers deciding to compose rhythms with the use of conventional method.

Reading books: Different books are available in the market, which gives guidelines as to how to make music under different genres like hip hop beats. It is better to read these kinds of books which will be helpful in getting the basic technical knowledge for getting started with the making of any genre of rhythm.

Listening to music composed by legends: Listening to music is very much essential. The more the beginner listens the more notes, he/she will be able to compose music. The beginner will be able to get a deep understanding about the craft by listening to creations of different producers again and again. It is better to spend some times daily for listening before beginning the production. This will give him/her different ideas for composing. While listening, it is better to analyze the different instruments and elements used in the song. For instance, it is better to deeply listen to the different instruments like drums, saxophone, etc. being used in the music and how well the instruments are being used for composing. There are websites specially meant for enabling music enthusiasts to listen to different genres of beats like rap and hip hop beats.

This content has been taken from http://www.amazines.com/article_detail_new.cfm/5109997?articleid=5109997

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1440615/rap-beats-are-you-aware-how-you-can-make-them.htm

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Crowdfunding Startup Razoo Makes Philanthropy Easy | Social ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Crowdfunding Startup Razoo Makes Philanthropy Easy. donations-welccome Half of American adults plan on giving to charity this holiday season, according to a recently published survey by Razoo, an online crowdfunding ...

Source: http://www.justmeans.com/Crowdfunding-Startup-Razoo-Makes-Philanthropy-Easy/56866.html

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TEXT-S&P summary: Sound Global Ltd.

(The following statement was released by the rating agency)

Nov 23 -

===============================================================================

Summary analysis -- Sound Global Ltd. ----------------------------- 23-Nov-2012

===============================================================================

CREDIT RATING: BB-/Stable/-- Country: China

===============================================================================

Credit Rating History:

Local currency Foreign currency

06-May-2012 BB-/-- BB-/--

===============================================================================

Issues:

Rating Rating Date

US$150 mil 11.875% nts due 08/10/2017 B+ 19-Jul-2012

Rationale

The rating on Sound Global Ltd. reflects the company's exposure to

intensifying competition in China's highly fragmented wastewater treatment

industry. Sound Global's limited revenue base and the risks from the company's

overseas engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) projects also

constrain the rating. Favorable industry prospects, and Sound Global's revenue

visibility, track record, and low debt leverage temper these weaknesses. We

assess the company's business risk profile as "weak" and its financial risk

profile as "aggressive."

We expect the competition in China's water and wastewater treatment industry

to increase over the next 12-24 months. Sound Global's revenue base and

privately owned status could limit its ability to compete with large

government-related entities with better access to capital and close

relationships with local governments. Local governments are the main customers

of water and wastewater treatment projects. A significant portion of these

projects uses the build, operate, and transfer (BOT) model, which requires

significant capital investment upfront.

Sound Global is likely to face heightened country risk, execution risk, and

project concentration risk when it expands to overseas EPC projects. The

company has a limited record in overseas EPC projects; it has undertaken two

such projects in the past three years. Overseas EPC projects also tend to be

larger than domestic ones in terms of contract value. Sound Global aims to

engage in one or two overseas EPC projects every year to sharpen its execution

capability.

Strong policy support from the Chinese government is likely to boost demand

for the country's water and wastewater treatment industry. The government has

planned significant investments and tightened water discharge standards to

address severe water shortage and water pollution. We expect water and

wastewater treatment solution providers, such as Sound Global, to benefit

from: (1) an increase in treatment capacity in both urban and rural areas; (2)

an upgrade of existing treatment facilities to meet tightened discharge

standards; and (3) the governments' and industrial corporations' outsourcing

of operations and management of treatment facilities.

In our view, Sound Global's backlog of EPC projects provides good revenue

visibility for the next 12-24 months. Recently, the company won several

projects including sewage treatment plant network projects in 14 rural areas

in Siyang county and a BOT project in municipal wastewater treatment upgrading

in Hangcheng city in Shaanxi province. Sound Global's order backlog remains

stable. As of Sept. 30, 2012, the order book has a contract value of about

Chinese renminbi (RMB) 2.6 billion. The company's record in domestic EPC

projects and its integrated platform--including design, manufacturing, as well

as operation and management--help to moderate industry competition.

In our base-case scenario, we expect Sound Global to continue to grow over the

next two years. We also expect the company's ratio of adjusted debt to EBITDA

to be about 2.5x-3.0x in the next 12 months. Nevertheless, the ratio could

temporarily and slightly exceed 3x if Sound Global cannot effectively buy back

its outstanding convertible notes of RMB622 million as of Sept. 30, 2012, from

the secondary market. Still, considering the company's large cash position, we

expect its debt repayment ability in the next 12 months to remain adequate.

Sound Global's EPC businesses do not require high cash expenditure. The

company tends to maintain high cash balance that can sustain its growth in the

BOT business. It also has some flexibility to manage the growth in BOT

projects and cash flow adequacy.

Liquidity

Sound Global's liquidity is "adequate," as defined in our criteria. We expect

the company's sources of liquidity to cover its uses by more than 1.2x in the

next 12 months. Our liquidity assessment is based on the following factors and

assumptions:

-- Sources of liquidity include cash and funds from operations of RMB479

million.

-- As of Sept. 30, 2012, Sound Global has cash and cash equivalent of

about RMB2,617.8 million, short-term loans of about RMB345.9 million, and

outstanding convertible notes of RMB622 million.

-- Uses of liquidity include planned capital expenditure, working capital

needs, and debt repayments. The company will also need funds for dividend

distribution.

-- We expect net sources to remain positive even if EBITDA declines by

15%.

Outlook

The stable outlook reflects our expectation that Sound Global will maintain a

stable to steadily rising backlog of domestic EPC projects. We also expect

prospects for the water and wastewater treatment industry to remain favorable.

A steadily growing business and consistent financial management are also

likely to help the company maintain its financial risk profile.

We could lower the rating if any of the following occurs:

-- Sound Global's backlog of EPC projects significantly deteriorates.

This could happen if newcomers or large peers become aggressive in expanding

market share. Difficulty in obtaining external funding for its BOT projects

could also lower the company's backlog of EPC projects.

-- Sound Global's financial strength weakens significantly such that its

ratio of adjusted total debt to EBITDA is more than 4x for a sustained period.

A significant increase in the company's debt and its inability to maintain

steady business growth could cause such deterioration.

-- Sound Global's funding capability weakens materially due to

heightening risks in overseas EPC projects.

The likelihood of an upgrade in the next 12 months is limited. Nevertheless,

we could raise the rating if: (1) Sound Global expands its revenue base while

maintaining its fair diversification and current leverage; (2) the company

builds up its record in overseas EPC projects; and (3) it significantly

increases the share of recurring revenue to total revenue.

Related Criteria And Research

-- Criteria Methodology: Business Risk/Financial Risk Matrix Expanded,

Sept. 18, 2012

-- Liquidity Descriptors For Global Corporate Issuers, Sept. 28, 2011

-- 2008 Corporate Criteria: Analytical Methodology, April 15, 2008

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/text-p-summary-sound-global-ltd-075709064--sector.html

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JobsOhio group starts ad campaign promoting Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Ohio's private job-creation entity has launched a $1.4 million ad campaign to promote economic development in the state.

JobsOhio's Thrive in Ohio ads run through early December. Officials say they're designed to spread the word about Ohio people and businesses thriving economically and draw others to Ohio.

The campaign includes a mix of television, print and online advertising. It features a 30-second television commercial on most major networks in the state and print ads in major newspapers in Ohio and around the country. A ThriveInOhio.com website has also been launched to share success stories.

Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald criticized the campaign as promoting Gov. John Kasich using public money.

JobsOhio President John Minor said the spots show Ohioans are getting back to work and businesses are growing.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jobsohio-group-starts-ad-campaign-promoting-ohio-145642435--finance.html

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Baby Colobus Monkey on Display at St. Louis Zoo

There is a cute new addition on display at the St. Louis Zoo's primate house.

Kivuli is a baby colobus monkey that was born on Halloween. Her name suits her well because it's Swahili for "ghost" or "shadow."

Colobus monkeys are born with white hair and a pink face, but become primarily black with white hair around their faces and tails by the time they are 6 months old.

Kivuli's parents are 13-year-old mother Cecilia and 6-year-old father Kima. This is the first baby Cecelia has ever had.

"Primates rely heavily on learning through experience," Joe Knobbe, St. Louis Zoo manager of primates, said. "Cecelia is being a great mother to her infant thanks to the wonderful example of parenting she's learned from Roberta."

The baby's birth is part of the Associate of Zoos and Aquariums' Colobus Species Survival Plan, which is a program to manage a genetically healthy population of black and white colobus monkeys in North American zoos, according to the zoo.

These endangered monkeys are native to the forests of east and central Africa.

Another baby female colobus monkey, Pili, seen in the video below, was born at the zoo June 30. Kivuli and Pili share the same father.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/baby-colobus-monkey-display-st-louis-zoo-183739525--abc-news-topstories.html

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Top Online Marketing News November 23, 2012

Content Marketing Media Matrix For Small Businesses

This new infographic from PRWeb?( a TopRank Online Marketing Client) provides a guide to finding what type of content is best for promoting your business depending on your audience as well as you?re services or products. ?Use this infographic to find out what will work best for your content marketing strategy.

DMA Finds Marketers Bullish on Growth of Digital and Direct Marketing
According to this recent article, 75% of marketers say that they?re bullish about growth prospects for digital and direct marketing. ?This is slightly up from a previous survey taken 2nd quarter, in which 72% said that they were bullish about growth prospects. ?Via BtoB.

5 Tips for Creating Pinterest Images That People Love to Share
Good images on social sites like Pinterest can increase your traffic, get you a higher number of pins and repins, and ultimately improve your presence on Pinterest. ?This article shares 5 tips for creating Pinterest-friendly images. ?Via Social Media Examiner.

Yahoo?s Ad Sell-Through Rate on Its Log-in Page Has Plummeted
A recent report shows that Yahoo?s log-in page ? where users sign into their Yahoo services and email ? only had an ad present for 47% of the days in the first half of fourth quarter. ?Via Adage.

Longer Online Videos Beg for New Ad Strategy
Online audiences are not only consuming more and more videos, they?re staying glued to the screen for much longer. ?This presents a new opportunity for advertisers and marketers to rethink their ad strategies. ?Via ClickZ.

TopRank Team News

Jolina Pettice ? Reality Check: Is Small Business Saturday Actually Working?
As we head into the shopping season, we have been discussing with many of our small business clients how to take advantage of Small Business Saturday.?From campaigns to email marketing to content; are you counting on Small Business Saturday to drive sales and acquire new customers??Check out this post from Inc. about the inception of this movement and whether it?s proving effective for the small business owner.?Via Inc.

Rob Bayne -?Majestic SEO New Feature: Bucket Lists!? Don?t Just See Links, Manage Them
If you are doing Penguin analysis, link building, or competitor research, a new feature of MajesticSEO you will probably want to become familiar with is the bucket list.? Similar to making something a favorite or bookmarking, adding a link to your bucket allows you to not only keep track of that link, but also to run bulk reports and comparisons on everything in your bucket. ?Via Majestic SEO.

Brian Larson ? Are You Paying Too Much for Your PPC Keywords?
Bid management tools can be critical to keeping SEM costs in check by effectively managing keyword bids. But alas, not all tools are created equal. Search Engine Land analyzes Forrester?s research on the best PPC bid management providers in this post from Chris Sherman. Is your provider on the list? ?Via Search Engine Land.

Sam Giehll ? Marketing and Thanksgiving: A Tempest of Myths and Facts
When it comes to your metrics and marketing efforts, there is a fine line between fact and myth. This post addresses facts ? like the existence of social media ROI ? and wraps them up in a metaphorical Thanksgiving themed bow. An excellent read for the holiday, or any day. ?Via Adobe.

Evan Prokop ? Mobile Proves to Be Incredibly Profitable for Auto Dealers
Summary: A recent study showed that an astonishing 40% of people searching for cars on mobile end up buying a car the same day and 36 percent within the hour.? Interestingly, only 1% of mobile users reported using an auto industry app. ?Via Search Engine Watch.

Time to Weigh In:?What types of images have you found appeal most to your Pinterest audience, Facebook Fans, and Twitter Followers? ?How do you think Yahoo?s low ad sales will affect the number of people using their service? ?Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Source: http://www.toprankblog.com/2012/11/online-marketing-news-nov232012/

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America?s first socialist republic (Powerlineblog)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/265591151?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Hamas-Israel ceasefire takes hold but mistrust runs deep

CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) - A ceasefire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers took hold on Thursday after eight days of conflict, although deep mistrust on both sides cast doubt on how long the Egyptian-sponsored deal can last.

Even after the ceasefire came into force late on Wednesday, a dozen rockets from the Gaza Strip landed in Israel, all in open areas, a police spokesman said. In Gaza, witnesses reported an explosion shortly after the truce took effect at 9 p.m (1900 GMT), but there were no casualties and the cause was unclear.

The deal prevented, at least for the moment, an Israeli ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave following bombing and rocket fire which killed five Israelis and 162 Gazans, including 37 children.

But trust was in short supply. The exiled leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, said his Islamist movement would respect the truce if Israel did, but would respond to any violations. "If Israel complies, we are compliant. If it does not comply, our hands are on the trigger," he told a news conference in Cairo.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had agreed to "exhaust this opportunity for an extended truce", but told his people a tougher approach might be required in the future.

Both sides quickly began offering differing interpretations of the ceasefire, brokered by Egypt's new Islamist government and backed by the United States, highlighting the many actual or potential areas of discord.

If it holds, the truce will give 1.7 million Gazans respite from days of ferocious air strikes and halt rocket salvoes from militants that unnerved a million people in southern Israel and reached Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time.

"Allahu akbar, (God is greatest), dear people of Gaza you won," blared mosque loudspeakers in Gaza as the truce took effect. "You have broken the arrogance of the Jews."

Fifteen minutes later, wild celebratory gunfire echoed across the darkened streets, which gradually filled with crowds waving Palestinian flags. Ululating women leaned out of windows and fireworks lit up the sky.

Meshaal thanked Egypt for mediating and praised Iran for providing Gazans with financing and arms. "We have come out of this battle with our heads up high," he said, adding that Israel had been defeated and failed in its "adventure".

Some Israelis staged protests against the deal, notably in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi, where three people were killed by a Gaza rocket during the conflict, army radio said.

Netanyahu said he was willing to give the truce a chance but held open the possibility of reopening the conflict. "I know there are citizens expecting a more severe military action, and perhaps we shall need to do so," he said.

The Israeli leader, who faces a parliamentary election in January, delivered a similar message earlier in a telephone call with U.S. President Barack Obama, his office said.

"AN OPEN PRISON"

According to a text of the agreement seen by Reuters, both sides should halt all hostilities, with Israel desisting from incursions and targeting of individuals, while all Palestinian factions should cease rocket fire and cross-border attacks.

The deal also provides for easing Israeli restrictions on Gaza's residents, who live in what British Prime Minister David Cameron has called an "open prison".

The text said procedures for implementing this would be "dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire".

Israeli sources said Israel would not lift a blockade of the enclave it enforced after Hamas, which rejects the Jewish state's right to exist, won a Palestinian election in 2006.

However, Meshaal said the deal covered the opening of all of the territory's border crossings. "The document stipulates the opening of the crossings, all the crossings, and not just Rafah," he said. Israel controls all of Gaza's crossings apart from the Rafah post with Egypt.

Hamas lost its top military commander to an Israeli strike in the conflict and suffered serious hits to its infrastructure and weaponry, but has emerged with its reputation both in the Arab world and at home stronger.

Israel can take comfort from the fact it dealt painful blows to its enemy, which will take many months to recover, and showed that it can defend itself from a barrage of missiles.

"No one is under the illusion that this is going to be an everlasting ceasefire. It is clear to everyone it will only be temporary," said Michael Herzog, a former chief of staff at the Israeli ministry of defence.

"But there is a chance that it could hold for a significant period of time, if all goes well," he told Reuters.

Egypt, an important U.S. ally now under Islamist leadership, took centre stage in diplomacy to halt the bloodshed. Cairo has walked a fine line between its sympathies for Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood to which President Mohamed Mursi belongs, and its need to preserve its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and its ties with Washington, its main aid donor.

Announcing the agreement in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said mediation had "resulted in understandings to cease fire, restore calm and halt the bloodshed".

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, standing beside Amr, thanked Mursi for peace efforts that showed "responsibility, leadership" in the region.

The Gaza conflict erupted in a Middle East already shaken by last year's Arab uprisings that toppled several veteran U.S.-backed leaders, including Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, and by a civil war in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad is fighting for survival.

In his call with Netanyahu, Obama in turn repeated U.S. commitment to Israel's security and promised to seek funds for a joint missile defence program, the White House said.

BUS BOMBING

The ceasefire was forged despite a bus bomb explosion that wounded 15 Israelis in Tel Aviv earlier in the day and despite more Israeli air strikes that killed 10 Gazans. It was the first serious bombing in Israel's commercial capital since 2006.

Israel, the United States and the European Union all classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. It seized the Gaza Strip from the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007 in a brief but bloody war with his Fatah movement.

"This is a critical moment for the region," Clinton said. "Egypt's new government is assuming the responsibility and leadership that has long made this country a cornerstone for regional stability and peace."

In Amman, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urged both sides to stick to their ceasefire pledges. "There may be challenges implementing this agreement," he said, urging "maximum restraint".

(Additional reporting by Noah Browning in Gaza, Ori Lewis, Allyn Fisher-Ilan and Crispian Balmer in Jerusalem, Yasmine Saleh, Shaimaa Fayed and Tom Perry in Cairo, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Margaret Chadbourn in Washington; Writing by Alistair Lyon and David Stamp; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gaza-shakes-israelis-killed-clinton-seeks-truce-001606371.html

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Orange launches Libon, offers HD VoIP calls, messages and visual voicemail (video)

Libon is a new VoIP client with surprising roots -- it was developed by the R&D arm of one of Europe's largest mobile networks, Orange. Of course, you could argue that such apps are bad for carriers, because it encourages people to gobble up pricey data capacity -- so why build one? We spoke to Valeé chief Giles Corbett and spent a few days testing it out ahead of its launch to find out more.

Continue reading Orange launches Libon, offers HD VoIP calls, messages and visual voicemail (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

Comments

Source: Libon (App Store)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/21/libon/

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