Fanatix The Portugal captain turns his talent to another sport.
Real Madrid supremo Cristiano Ronaldo dropped in on the LA Dodgers during the Spanish?s side?s current tour of the USA and showed off his skills by juggling a baseball with his feet. The 28-year-old, who has emerged this summer as a transfer target for former side Manchester United, was also given the honour of starting the match between the Dodgers and New York Yankees by throwing the first pitch.
It might be a bit much to say that one of the new features packed into Android's 4.3 upgrade is controversial, but it's definitely one worth knowing a little bit more about. As those who have taken a spin around the Android 4.3 ROM have noticed, Google has made a change to devices' Wi-Fi settings in Android 4.3.
"To improve location accuracy and for other purposes, Google and other apps may scan for nearby networks, even when Wi-Fi is off," describes Google.
Android Police's Ron Amadeo notes that the move is actually probably designed to save one's battery life instead of wasting it, given that the only other way for one's smartphone to discern one's location is to kick on the battery-draining GPS. However, he also calls out Google's interesting use of language in its disclaimer ? specifically, the "other purposes" bit.
"Those 'other purposes' probably (that means this is the speculation part) involves shipping that Wi-Fi location data back to Google, which is how the Wi-Fi location service currently functions. The only way to use Wi-Fi hotspots for location data is to build a map of SSID (hotspot name) locations. You do that by running around with a GPS and Wi-Fi chip and virtually stick Wi-Fi pins on a map," Amadeo writes.
To check and see whether your phone has this feature enabled by default (a number do not), you'll have to navigate through to the very bowels of your Android operating system's settings ? Google doesn't exactly make this feature all that easy to flick on and off. Here's how:
Fire up the Settings app and tap your finger on the Wireless and Networks option. Tap on the Wi-Fi option, and then tap on the Menu button on your phone's lower-right-hand corner (the triple-dots icon). When the submenu pops up, tap your finger on the Advanced option. From there, you'll want to make sure to check the "Scanning always available" option if you want to participate in the new Android 4.3 feature. Otherwise, if it's checked, you need merely to uncheck it to ensure that "Wi-Fi off" really means "Wi-Fi off."
It's important to reiterate that numerous reports have come in from Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Galaxy Nexus owners ? to name a few ? who all indicate that this feature remains off by default when they've updated their devices to Android 4.3. Which is to say, it's more important that you know about this potentially useful setting than to freak out about it, but it's also worth checking this, and many of Android's other "Advanced" wireless configuration options, when you've upgraded your mobile OS!
Former White Stripes singer Jack White has provided an answer in court to his former wife Karen Elson, who had a restraining order issued against him last week and has petitioned that he submit to a psychiatric exam.
Rolling Stone obtained court documents from Davidson County Circuit Court in Nashville in which White objects to being characterized as an unfit father to their two children. In the countermotion, his lawyer Cathy Speers Johnson writes, "The reason for filing this response is that Mr. White does not want to be portrayed as something he is not, violent toward his wife and children."
The note also refers to emails the pair sent one another, including one dated May 19, 2013, where she calls him an "amazing father." The motion for a psychiatric exam is described as "inflammatory . . . . disingenuous, fraudulent and retaliatory and simply designed to malign him in the public record or to gain an upper hand in this litigation."
He said he did not oppose the restraining order, but objected to limited communication with his children.
White noted that Elson left the children in his care after signing the restraining order affidavit and then went on a "work/pleasure trip" in New York. "One who was truly fearful of another would not leave their children alone with that person for 10 days," the response noted. "The truth of the matter is that Ms. Elson is not fearful for herself or the parties' minor children."
In Elson's filing, she had referred to a musician White had particular enmity toward ? going so far as to wanting to have his child removed from a class where that musician's child was also taking part ? and White's countermotion revealed that the singer in question was The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach.?
In one email, writes?The Hollywood Reporter, White called Aeurbach a "derogatory name" and said he didn't want to spend the next 12 years of their children's schooling "with people trying to lump us together."
White's spokesperson told THR that he would only comment in court filings on the case, and Auerbach's spokesperson said he had no comment. Auerbach?is also going through a divorce, as announced in February.
Although Windows Media Player has been reinvented numerous times, it's still a frustrating app to use. And in Windows 8, the basic music player just doesn't have enough features to keep us tuned.
So we thought it would be a great idea to round up the best of the rest - the greatest alternatives for music playing and editing on your PC. Here's the list.
1. Get sorted with iTunes
It might be an Apple product, but we'd be remiss to not talk about iTunes. It does it all: it's a music player, a media browser and organiser, and a tool to help set up your iPod, iPhone and iPad.
The iTunes Store helps you to discover and buy new music, too. The latest version has a new stripped-down look, with a simpler, cleaner interface. Most of the key playback options can be controlled from the Mini Player, creating and managing playlists is easier than before, and the store works more like it does on iPhones and iPads, which makes a lot of sense.
iTunes is all about Apple devices of course, and it does its best to get you into the store (you can't get album art until you're logged into an account, for instance).
2. Move it with Musiczen
If your music folder has got into a real mess, with MP3s scattered everywhere, then getting them properly organised can seem like a real challenge - until you run MusicZen. Point the program at your chaotic folder and it will scan all your MP3s automatically, reading their tags, then copying (or moving) them to new folders based on the artist, album, song title and more.
The program is incredibly simple, so you'll have your MP3s reordered in no time. If you've been amassing a collection of tunes over the years, MusicZen is essential.
3. Find songs on YouTube
There are plenty of YouTube search tools around, but MP3jam is a little different from most; instead of helping you access videos more easily, this program is all about music. Just enter a search term - an artist, song name or album title - and it'll quickly return any results, some of which even have album art.
Considering how many artists are forthcoming about uploading their newest tracks to Youtube these days (and considering the number of exclusive remixes you'll find on there), this is invaluable. Each song title has a 'Play' button, allowing you to stream it from the web.
4. The classic player
With 16 years of development under its belt, it's no surprise that Winamp - which can only be described as a classic in software terms - is one of the most capable music players around. The program supports more than 60 audio and video formats.
It can quickly scan your PC for audio files (or import your iTunes library), then organise your music in many different ways. You can create playlists, update and edit your MP3 tags, read more about your favourite artists, and access thousands of free audio and video channels.
5. Import and organise
iTunes is a great choice if you want to work with iOS devices, but if you have an Android phone or tablet - or you're just looking for a better way to organise your ever-expanding music collection - then it could be time to give MediaMonkey a try instead.
The program quickly imports even the largest music libraries, and can then automatically rename your MP3s, moving them into a logical folder structure, fixing tags and notifying you of any duplicates.
There are lots of playlist options, and the core player offers lots of features and can be extended with a huge range of effects. If you want to share your music, it's easy to sync with Apple or Android (and other) devices, or UPnP/DNLA compatible devices such as TVs, Blu-ray players and more.
6. Rename your tracks
Advanced Renamer is a powerful tool for renaming, copying or moving files. If your MP3 library is a mess, then it can give your files new names based on audio tags, change the case of a file name, add or remove text, change a file's attributes or timestamps, and even copy or move MP3s to new locations based on their tags (a specific folder for that artist or album, for example). It's one of the most useful tools if you're serious about keeping your music collection in check.
7. Keep it simple
If other MP3 organisers and players seem too bulky and complicated, you might prefer Foobar2000. Just like other music management tools, this program helps you build and organise your music library, create playlists and sort out your tags. The interface is very configurable, and its excellent music player supports lots of formats, gapless playback, gain to level out volume across tracks and more.
Despite all this, Foobar2000 requires only 7MB of hard drive space, and can even be installed in 'portable' mode, so it won't touch your Registry or install any extra components that might clutter your hard drive. It also has a refreshingly simple interface.
8. Quick conversion
Just as its name suggests, Freemake Audio Converter is an excellent tool for converting audio files into a more useful format. If you have a portable music player or smartphone that can't play some of your tunes, Freemake could well be the answer to your musical prayers.
Freemake includes support for writing most formats, including MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, AAC, M4A and OGG files. Various audio settings (bitrate, sample rate, channels) are there to help you get the best compromise between sound quality and file size, so you can even use it to shrink your files down to fit onto a smaller player.
9. Record and edit
Audacity is a capable and feature-packed audio editor, but is still relatively straightforward to use. Import an MP3 file and you'll see the usual waveform-type display. It's easy to zoom in and select the area you need, and then you can cut or delete it, or perhaps copy or paste it elsewhere.
If you need more power, the Effects menu reveals 40 options, including change pitch, equalisation, normalise and more. It's great for making your own music or podcasts.
10. Play almost anything
If you're looking for a player that's simple and easy to use, but also has some power when you need it, then why not grab a copy of VLC Media Player. You can use the program as a very simple on-demand player. Select one MP3 or an entire album and it'll begin playing, and you can reduce the interface to just a single toolbar and some album art, allowing you to enjoy your music without cluttering your desktop and distracting you.
Despite its simplicity, the program works with just about every media type, including MP3 files, video, CDs and more. There's simple media library management, playlist creation and tag editing. Its graphic equaliser, compressor and spatialiser help deliver great sound, the interface is extremely configurable, and plug-ins add more power when you really need it. What more could you want?
Alrosa plans to hold a rough diamond tender in Israel, during the summer edition of the US & International Diamond Week, in August. This endeavour culminated after a series of talks between Yuri Okoyomov, vice-president of Alrosa and Yair Sahar, president of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE). Featuring in the August tender will be individual, large diamonds, larger than 10.8 carats. Viewing of the tender lots is scheduled from August 20-29, at the offices of Archos Diamonds (Israel), Alrosa's representative office in the Ramat Gan diamond exchange complex. In the current year, 2013, Alrosa and IDE have held three successful tenders with two additional tenders, including one in August.
"Alrosa is very pleased to continue its cooperation with the Israel Diamond Exchange and in particular with the effective and fruitful talks we have held with IDE president Yair Sahar, who has proven an excellent partner in this project. This project has across-the-board support of the Alrosa management, and in particular of our company's president, Fyodor Andreev," Mr. Okoyomov said in a statement.
"Alrosa fully recognizes Israel's stature as a major, dynamic diamond manufacturing and trading hub that is among the leading centers in the world. We are confident that next month's tender will serve toward the further broadening and strengthening of our mutual business interests and will bode well for the future", added Mr. Okoyomov.
Mr. Sahar IDE president Yair Sahar mentioned that the exchange is working hard to intensify and diversify Alrosa's business activities in the Israeli diamond center. "Israel's diamond expertise, experience and abilities in diamond manufacturing remain unparalleled. Therefore, to sustain and develop our industry, we are consistently and continuously seeking not only to increase the supply of rough but also to diversify it the best we can. Our cooperation with Alrosa and the ensuing organization of rough diamond tenders, are part the efforts of the IDE's board and management to create tangible added value for the members of our exchange," Sahar said.
Two Asheville Tourists baseball players are accused of raping a woman at their apartment.
The Asheville Police Department says Michael Mason and Jesse Meaux were charged Thursday with two counts of first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sex offense. Both of the relief pitchers are 23 years old. They are being held at the Buncombe County jail on $100,000 bond each.
A court hearing is set for Friday.
According to arrest reports released by the department, the alleged rape occurred early last Saturday.
The Colorado Rockies said in a statement that the Major League team and its affiliate are shocked and deeply concerned by the allegations. It has suspended both players. Both organizations are working with authorities.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
NEW YORK (AP) ? The price of oil is suddenly marching upward again.
Oil rose $2.86 a barrel Thursday, for a two-day gain of $4.81, or 4.7 percent. That erased a $4 decline in the week ended Tuesday.
Positive signs on the global economy were the catalyst Thursday. Data from China and Europe showed improvement in manufacturing. In the U.S., in addition to a strong report on manufacturing, a drop in unemployment claims indicated a strengthening job market.
Even with those signs of improvement, global central bankers show no inclination of easing up on measures that have kept interest rates at historic lows ? and prompted investment in riskier assets like oil and stocks.
On Thursday Mario Draghi, head of the European Central Bank, indicated it is nowhere near withdrawing its help for the euro area's economy. On Wednesday the U.S. Federal Reserve hinted that it's not ready to slow its bond-buying program, which has kept long-term rates low in an effort to boost borrowing and spending.
At the gas pump, drivers paid an average of $3.63 Thursday, down 3 cents from a week ago, but still 11 cents higher than at this time a year ago.
Benchmark oil for September delivery gained 2.7 percent to close at $107.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
On Friday attention will be focused on the release of hiring figures for July, which will be examined for hints about future energy demand in the world's No. 1 economy.
Brent crude, traded on the ICE Futures exchange in London, rose $1.84 to finish at $109.54 per barrel.
In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:
? Heating oil was up 4 cents to end at $3.10 a gallon.
? Natural gas fell 6 cents to finish at $3.39 per 1,000 cubic feet.
? Wholesale gasoline rose 3 cents to end at $3.03 a gallon.
We just got a very intimate look at the just announced Moto X, a flagship device from Motorola. Needless to say, it?s going to be fighting against some of the greats in the space, and with that in mind, people are going to wonder if it?ll have enough power in its punch to dethrone the mighty iPhone 5 from its throne. It?s Motorola?s long awaited flagship against the iPhone 5, so we?re taking a sneak peek at how the two compare against one another.
Display:
From a far glance, we can?t deny the fact that our eyes are more attracted to the 4.7-inch 720p AMOLED display of the Moto X, since its vibrant colors just reels us in much more than anything else. With the Apple iPhone 5, it bears a modest 4-inch Retina Display (640 x 1136 pixels) that continues to give us colors that are more realistic looking, but for some reason, our eyes still favor the saturated tones put out by the Moto X. Naturally, details are pretty much identical with the two.
Design:
Here?s the thing, the iPhone 5 absolutely has the premium element on its side, since its brushed aluminum rear casing just delivers that polished quality ? whereas with the Moto X, it employs a rubbery composite frame. However, the Moto X offers better ergonomics with its curved rear casing, which enables us to grasp the handset in a more natural position. Out of everything, though, we?re mesmerized to find that the Moto X is extremely convincing with its overall size, as it?s just a smidgen larger than the iPhone 5, which interestingly enough hosts a smaller 4-inch display.
Another item worth mentioning about the Moto X, we like how there?s a personalized touched with it as well. Unlike the iPhone, which is only available in black or white, there?s an insane level of customization attached to the Moto X. Sure, its construction might not feel as sturdy as Apple?s pride and joy, but heck, some people will surely appreciate the options available with Moto Maker ? Moto?s online portal for designing the handset from scratch.
Interface:
Quite frankly, we already know where this is headed. Android continues to show accelerated growth with its functionality ? despite the fact that iOS still has some better looking and performing apps than Android. And with the introduction of the Moto X, they?re clearly focusing a lot of effort with the experience, as some of its new features really puts it ahead of what Apple has on the iPhone 5 right now. From Touchless Controls to its Active Display, there?s no denying that the gap is widening even more between these two rival platforms.
They don?t sport the most threatening hardware under their hoods, but their processors are effective enough to deliver remarkable performances. In fact, they?re able to run most tasks with the same level of finesse and ease ? then again, it?s hard to distinguish what the Moto X can do at this point, since we haven?t spent enough time dealing it with some intensive processes.
Expectations:
Finally, Motorola has a device that can tangle with the iPhone 5?s reach, namely due to the handset?s upcoming availability with all major wireless carriers in the US. There have been many devices to eclipse the iPhone in terms of hardware and software experiences, but as we?ve come to see time after time, they still are unable to dethrone it from the top of the ladder. In order to do so, the Moto X requires that balanced set of features and performance to prove that it?s a worthy candidate in making the challenge very interesting.
Motorola Moto X vs Apple iPhone 5 first look Fullscreen
I was so busy yesterday with the new Crochet Buzz show and preparing for the last webinar for the blog challenge that I completely forgot to post the linky.
Okay, so I?m preparing to do a 15 week blog tour and releasing my book on the first of August ? Yes, just little preoccupied.
This is a Bloglovin? Linky which unlike other linky?s you link to your blog url, your store url, or your bloglovin url NOT the blog post. The purpose is to follow each other?s blogs and stores.
Welcome to Bloglovin? Blog Hop #12
Hosted by
Mel?s Daisy Patch
?I?m changing things up a little this month. The hops for this month will be for your Bloglovin? account, your blog, your shop or all three.
Rules
1. Grab the button above and put it on your side bar, in your linky list, or?in a post so everyone knows where you link up.
2. Follow your host and co-hosts on Bloglovin? or their Blog. Please leave us a comment so we know you are new and can come visit you also.
3. Link up your Bloglovin? URL, Blog URL, Shop URL or all three. Please DO NOT link up a specific post just the blog URL. Please save the specific posts for The?Monday Funday Hop.
4. Hop around and visit some of the other blogs listed. ?Who knows, you might make some lifelong friends in the process. Make sure to leave them a comment so they can visit you as well.
5. Please visit our sponsors pages also.?
Note: ?All links are being checked for spam sites and malware sites. If you click on a link and it leads somewhere it shouldn?t please contact your host so we can delete it.
Your Host:
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If you are interested in Co-Hosting please contact the host by using the contact page HERE. THERE IS NO FEE FOR CO-HOSTING. I will add new co-hosts weekly and the hop will run for a month.
If you would like to sponsor the hop, please contact me with the link above. Your ad will be placed just below the linkup image below for everyone to see and on the sidebar for the month. Sponsorship is $5.00 for the month and all you have to do is sit here on the post and look pretty.?
Apple recently announced sales of 14.6 million iPads during the quarter, which was down a few million from the previous quarter and the same time period the year before. But Cupertino has nothing to worry about when compared to Microsoft, which is clearly struggling to move its Surface tablet, according to new financial filings.
In its quarterly Form 10-K filing, Redmond revealed that Surface revenue was $853 million between Oct. 2012 and June 2013.
That might not seem too shabby, but Microsoft recently incurred a $900 million charge for Surface RT inventory adjustments, and boosted advertising costs for Windows 8 and the Surface by $898 million.
According to May data from IDC, Microsoft shipped 900,000 Surface tablets during the first quarter, with reports of 1.5 million sold between October and March.
The news comes shortly after Microsoft dropped the price on the Surface RT tablets by $150. The 32GB iteration of the tablet dipped from $499 to $349, while the 64GB was slashed from $649 to $499.
During a recent earnings call, Microsoft's CFO said the price cut would increase the viability of the struggling device in the market.
In July, Microsoft teamed up with third-party sellers to help move more Surface tablets. Through the Microsoft Devices Program, the 10 chosen companies can resell Surface Pro and Surface RT devices to commercial customers, helping to activate a chain of sales to businesses, schools, and universities.
For more, see PCMag's reviews of the Surface RT and Surface Pro.
Microsoft's launch of Office Mobile for Android just a few weeks after the iPhone version illustrate how the software giant is gradually coming around to the reality that it may not be the big dog on post-PC platforms.
In the end, Microsoft Office Mobile for Android and iPhone are nice hedges should Windows Phone and Windows 8 fail to garner significant mobile share. Mary Jo Foley noted that Microsoft has a roadmap for stronger core Office apps for Android, iPhone and iPad, but appears to be giving those products some time possibly for the Windows mobile ecosystem to develop further.?
The Android and iPhone versions of Office are tethered to an Office 365 account and optimized for Word, Excel and PowerPoint editing. Selling Office outright on those platforms would be a better move.
But here's the catch. Microsoft wants the best Office experience on its mobile platforms, but needs more share. If Microsoft's mobile efforts on smartphones and tablets fail to develop garnering Office 365 subscriptions isn't a bad consolation prize.
What will be interesting to watch is the adoption of Office Mobile for Android and iPhone. Will Microsoft garner new cloud Office subscriptions or largely cater to existing customers?
Bottom line: Microsoft is a software vendor and can still make gobs of money with Office on any platform. The best bet for Microsoft is to spread its bets around.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Monday shot back at critics who claim Obamacare is leading to higher healthcare costs, slower job growth and rising numbers of part-time workers, saying the latest economic statistics show none of those effects.
Nearly one-third of the sharp rise in part-time workers seen in employment numbers for June was due to federal employee furloughs caused by automated spending cuts, rather than employers shifting to part-time workers due to concern about President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, a senior administration official said.
The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, also predicted that July job numbers due on Friday would show a similar increase in part-time workers due largely to the furlough of 650,000 Defense Department employees.
Federal furloughs are the result of automated across-the-board spending cuts, known as the sequester, which went into effect earlier this year after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction package.
Republicans and other critics of Obamacare have cited the jump in part-time workers as evidence that employers have been cutting back on hours to avoid higher healthcare costs under Obamacare, which will require businesses with 50 or more full-time workers to provide health insurance in 2015.
The White House on Monday released data that it said shows no evidence that the law known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has accelerated healthcare costs, reduced full-time employment or punished small businesses including restaurants.
The data showed that personal expenditures on healthcare goods and services grew at 1.1 percent during the year ending in May, the lowest rate in 50 years measured by the inflation gauge known as personal consumption expenditures.
Alan Krueger, chairman of White House Council of Economic Advisers, said in a government blog posting that slower healthcare cost growth could remain for some time.
"The fact that the slowdown in cost growth reflects changes in both prices and utilization of medical care -- and that the slowdown is apparent in many different aspects of the healthcare system -- further suggests that structural changes are under way," Krueger said.
Figures released by the White House also showed slower growth in health insurance costs for small employers and a faster rate of job growth among businesses with low rates of employer healthcare coverage. Healthcare reform opponents have pointed to both groups as being hard hit by higher costs and slower job growth as a result of Obamacare.
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(Reuters) - A securities analyst accused of leaking secret information in 2009 about a potential partnership between Yahoo and Microsoft to an SAC Capital Advisors hedge fund manager and other traders was arrested and charged in California, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Sandeep Aggarwal, who worked as an analyst covering technology stocks before moving to India to start his own internet company, was arrested on Monday by FBI agents in San Jose while visiting the United States. He made his initial appearance in San Francisco federal court on Tuesday, charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud related to insider trading.
Aggarwal, 40, did not enter a plea to allegations that he passed non-public information to about a dozen hedge fund managers including SAC portfolio manager, Richard Lee, who pleaded guilty last week days before the hedge fund itself was indicted on Thursday in New York.
SAC spokesman Jonathan Gasthalter's declined to comment on Tuesday.
The hedge fund and its founder Steven Cohen, one of Wall Street's most successful investors, have been investigated by the FBI and market regulators for about a decade in a crackdown on insider trading.
Aggarwal, wearing jeans and a dark blue short-sleeved polo shirt in court, was ordered released on a $500,000 bond by magistrate judge Nandoor Vadas and told to appear Friday in federal court in New York, where prosecutors have won about 60 insider trading convictions in the past five years.
One of the conditions of Aggarwal's release was that he would have no contact with SAC Capital or with Lee, the former SAC employee he is accused of tipping. Aggarwal is a citizen of India with permanent U.S. residency status.
His lawyer Sanaz Nikaein told the court that her client was planning to cooperate with the FBI after agents first approached him in February and that his arrest had come as "a surprise to his attorney, to his wife and to himself."
Aggarwal's lawyer in New York, Sam Braverman, said he was reviewing the charges.
"Mr. Aggarwal will gladly come to New York to address the charges directly," Braverman said in an emailed statement.
MICROSOFT AND YAHOO LINK
Aggarwal worked in 2009 as a research analyst covering technology at the firm Collins Stewart in San Francisco. He was quoted frequently by the press and even commented publicly on the possibility of a partnership between the internet company, Yahoo, and the computer company, Microsoft. He left Collins Stewart in March 2010.
Aggarwal is accused of tipping Lee and other hedge fund employees about private negotiations between the two companies for the partnership.
Collins Stewart was acquired by Canaccord Genuity in March 2012. A spokesman for Canaccord, Scott Davidson, said "we have cooperated fully with the investigation."
A statement by Microsoft on Tuesday said the company had "zero tolerance for insider trading, and we assisted the government with this investigation."
The criminal complaint against Aggarwal said he told "approximately 14 traders or portfolio managers at various hedge funds" details about the potential partnership.
According to the criminal complaint, Aggarwal told Lee his "best industry contact" who was a "senior guy at Microsoft" said the two companies had resumed their talks, and that senior executives from Yahoo were visiting Microsoft's headquarters, elevating the seriousness of the negotiations.
The former Microsoft employee, who is not identified in the complaint but is described as a long-time friend of Aggarwal's, is cooperating with the government.
The complaint said Aggarwal also gave the information to a trader at another hedge fund, which was not identified in the court document. A representative of the hedge fund later contacted Aggarwal's employer and reported the suspicion that Aggarwal was disseminating non-public information.
He also faces a civil suit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The $14 billion SAC Capital has also been charged with securities fraud and wire fraud. The indictment said the firm fostered a corrupt business culture in which portfolio managers were encouraged to use any means possible to find an "edge" in stock trading.
The criminal charges, along with an administrative proceeding accusing SAC founder Cohen of failing to properly supervise his employees, are connected to 10 former SAC employees have been charged or implicated for insider trading.
"Like many others before him, Sandeep Aggarwal allegedly broke the law and provided material non-public information on a Microsoft-Yahoo deal," said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos. "When questioned by his employer about the source of the information, he lied."
(Reporting by Emily Flitter and Jonathan Stempel in New York and Dan Levine in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Bill Rigby in Seattle; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz and Grant McCool)
Kerry builds a US-Arab superstructure to direct Israel-Palestinian talks - White House reservations
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu?s willingness to ?do everything? to avoid giving the Palestinians a pretext for not turning up for their first encounter with Israeli negotiators in Washington Tuesday, July 30, bodes ill for Israel?s bargaining position right from the start. So too does his proposal to include jailed Israeli Arabs among the 104 Palestinian prisoners to be released. Several threats from Ramallah not to make the Tuesday date had their effect.
Netanyahu sent an open letter to the Israeli people Saturday night, July 27, explaining his ?incredibly difficult decision? to free the 104 prisoners as a gesture ahead of the renewal of peace talks. ?Sometimes prime ministers are forced to make decisions that go against public opinion ? when the issue is important to the country,? he wrote.
That letter arouses less sympathy than concern. It confirms the impression that the Palestinians only have to threaten to walk out of the negotiations in order to extort concessions from Israel, in the knowledge that US Secretary of State John Kerry or his ?special envoys? will move in fast to save the process.
If so, how far will Netanyahu go when the substantive talks begin? ?By including Israeli Arabs in the prisoner deal, is he saying that the Israeli Arab population is part of a future deal with the Palestinians and their regions are on the table for potential land swaps??
If so, he is handing out freebies far too early in the game.
Because, according to debkafile?s sources, the Tuesday meeting in Washington is just a preliminary step to prepare the procedures and modalities for the process. That is all Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and the prime minister?s political adviser Yitzhak Molcho, for Israel, and Yasser Abd Rabbo for the Palestinians will be asked to do in Washington.
For now, the terms of reference for the negotiations have yet to be determined and President Barack Obama has yet to sign?the formal letters of assurance promised to Netanyahu and the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.
There are reasons for this delay. Secretary Kerry wants to be certain that the talks will show real progress before he asks the president to offer formal assurances to the two leaders. There is another reason too.
debkafile?s Washington sources also report that although Obama gave Kerry a free hand for restarting the peace track, he is slowing the Secretary down with reservations of his own, especially with regard to the Secretary?s choices of special envoys to lead the four specialist negotiating tracks or mechanisms.
Leading candidate for the political mechanism is his longtime close adviser on Middle East issues Frank Lowenstein, former Senate Foreign Relations committee chief of staff who acted as policy advisor to Senator Kerry. Another candidate is Martin Indyk,?twice ambassador to Israel. It?is not clear which would be the senior.
The White House would prefer a member of the National Security Council rather than a State Department loyalist in the seat assigned to Indyk.
Tagged for the military-security track is retired Marine general John Allen, former commander of US forces in Afghanistan and former supreme commander of NATO.
An appointee of this high rank to supervise the negotiations on security matters is intended to give the US the leverage to dictate the pace of this track and override efforts by Israeli security and military officials to bring their will to bear.
The Israeli side will not like this appointment. ?
The third mechanism will deal with economic issues and the fourth, under the heading of general subjects, will be the framework for Arab League delegates, and especially Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to take a hand in the process and determining its outcome. ?
John Kerry has constructed an intricate edifice over and above the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, a kind of US administration superstructure with Arab components, to stand over the Israeli government and its prime minister and the Palestinian Authority and its chairman.
Regardless of he powerful machine Kerry is building to steer the negotiating parties and bend them to Washington?s will, ?Netanyahu is already racing ahead to put before the cabinet meeting Sunday, July 28, a proposal for a popular referendum that will be called to approve an accord negotiated with the Palestinians. There is a long way to go before that point is reached ? if ever.
Leticia Baes, of the Phillipines, poses for a photo at the bases of the Statue of Liberty on July 4. Tourists spent $56.9 billion in New York, generating $10.9 billion in tax revenue for the state. That's $300 million more than Florida collected for its $71.5 billion in tourist spending.
Consumers may find it's getting tougher to stick to their travel budget.
It's not just pricey airfare, hotel rooms or car rentals, although those rates have been rising. The less-noticed budget buster: more taxes and fees levied on such purchases.
States, counties and cities continue to weigh taxes and surcharges aimed specifically at travelers:
Effective July 1, Northern Virginia's "transient occupancy tax" on hotels rose 3 percent, to 8 percent total.
Voters in Selma,Calif., will vote in November on whether to double the lodging tax there to 12 percent.
In Orange County, Fla., lawmakers have proposed adding a $2-per-day car-rental surcharge.
"The trend is for more and more local jurisdictions to impose these," said Carol Kokinis-Graves, a senior writer analyst with tax advisory firm CCH.
State budget woes often trickle down to the local level in the form of cuts to local government. Extra charges on hotel rooms and car rentals are one way to make up for lost revenue or fund planned projects, she said.
They can make a big difference. According to the U.S. Travel Association, in 2011 both North Dakota and South Dakota tallied $2.6 billion in tourist spending. But North Dakota generated $415 million in tax receipts from those transactions?$133 million more than South Dakota.
Big windfall for the Big Apple Tourists spent $56.9 billion in New York, generating $10.9 billion in tax revenue for the state. That's $300 million more than Florida collected for its $71.5 billion in tourist spending.
It doesn't hurt that locals are unlikely to pay the extra taxes in question. "This is certainly an area [of legislation] generally accepted by voters and policymakers as easy to pass," said Joe Bates, vice president of research for the Global Business Travel Association.
The result can be a lengthy list of state, county and local taxes and fees that pop up on the final travel bill. According to a 2012 GBTA study, the cost to rent a car in Denver, for example, includes the state sales tax (2.9 percent), a regional transportation district tax (1 percent), a scientific and cultural facilities district tax (0.1 percent) and a special tax to finance construction of the Colorado Convention Center (7.25 percent), as well as a flat $2 daily fee to fund transportation projects. Collectively, they add $8.31 to the typical daily cost to rent a car.
'It leaves travelers with a bit of a bad taste in their mouth' Fees tend to surprise travelers. "Most people don't even think about it until they leave," said Jason Clampet, co-founder of travel advice site Skift.com. "You check out of the hotel or you return your car, and then you look at the line item. It leaves travelers with a bit of a bad taste in their mouth."
Businesses tend to be more aware than consumers of the impact of taxes on their budget, said Bates. They usually consider such charges when deciding where to hold a large staff meeting or conference. Taxes on travelers to Chicago are 81 percent higher than those in Fort Lauderdale, he said.
That's less useful for consumers set on a particular destination, although it's still possible to book to limit some taxes and fees.
The easiest switch is comparing costs across car rental locations, said Clampet. Airport pickup often entails more fees, something easily assessed at booking. (But some cities tack on fees regardless. Boston levies a $10 surcharge on all car rentals.)
Lodging is tougher. Some states, like Connecticut, assess lodging taxes at the state level, and prohibit additional local taxes. Most,however, give counties and cities leeway to add their own charges?which can be tough to track.
"Local tax information is notoriously difficult to find and maintain," said Kokinis-Graves. "There are still some local jurisdictions that do not have an online presence." Even online travel booking sites often hedge their bets, providing estimates of tax owed, with the caveat that local taxes and fees may be added at the time of travel. Travelers' best bet may be to leave extra room in their budget for the unexpected.
?By CNBC.com's Kelli B. Grant. Follow her on Twitter @KelliGrant.
After making more widespread use of the Loop Vectorizer, developers at Apple in Google are at least agreeing that LLVM's SLP Vectorizer should be more widely-used as well.
The LLVM SLP Vectorizer was covered earlier this year on Phoronix (and benchmarked) with its premiere in LLVM 3.3. The SLP Vectorizer is about "Superworld-Level Parallelism" and works towards vectorizing straight-line code over LLVM's already present and proven Loop Vectorizer. The SLP Vectorizer can vectorize memory access, arithmetic operations, comparison operations, and other select operations.
For now in LLVM (3.3 and SVN), the SLP Vectorizer isn't the default but must be enabled via the -fslp-vectorize and -fslp-vectorize-aggressive compiler switches for LLVM/Clang. However, LLVM/Clang developers have been discussing enabling this option for at least the -O3 optimization level.
Earlier this month I wrote initially of the discussion about enabling the LLVM SLP Vectorizer. Apple's Nadav Rotem on Sunday morning reignited the discussion with a new mailing list post to highlight their latest test data.
Nadav Rotem wrote, "As you can see [from the new compiler benchmark results], there is a small number of compile time regressions, a single major runtime *regression, and many performance gains. There is a tiny increase in code size: 30k for the whole test-suite. Based on the numbers below I would like to enable the SLP-vectorizer by default for -O3."
Google's Chandler Carruth followed up with, "I also have some benchmark data. It confirms much of what you posted -- binary size increase is essentially 0, performance increases across the board. It looks really good to me. However, there was one crash that I'd like to check if it still fires. Will update later today (feel free to ping me if you don't hear anything.). That said, why -O3? I think we should just enable this across the board, as it doesn't seem to cause any size regression under any mode, and the compile time hit is really low."
So it seems many are in agreement with enabling the SLP Vectorizer by default for the -O3 optimization level but it's possible that the straight-line code vectorizer could also be enabled for other optimization levels too if this Google compiler engineer gets his way. This change is likely for LLVM/Clang 3.4, which will likely be released around the end of the calendar year.
Coming up soon will be new LLVM 3.4 SVN benchmarks on Phoronix while for now you can see our early benchmark results that are quite positive towards improved performance in LLVM/Clang 3.4. LLVM 3.4 is also really important for AMD R600 GPU users.
Rest in tranquility, iPad little. Google killed you. Your question next: Is it murder or manslaughter ? or justified homicide, putting the Apple company tablet out of our agony?
Three days with all the new Nexus Several, I can?t imagine why Apple company let Search engines, and companion ASUS, seize back-to-school purchasing with the tablet. I don?t relate just to your instrument regarding destruction though the means. Your 2013 edition is widely available through main US retailers, including Amazon online and Best Buy. By just about all indications there?s inventory to meet demand, not really the typical offer shortages, although the 64gb WiFi product is not available this weekend coming from many stores ? but Yahoo and google Play can be stocked.
Now will be a really good period for The apple company to launch a whole new iPad tiny. Waiting to produce iOS 7 is really a mistake, but it is one My spouse and i expect the actual fruit-logo company to produce. I probably would not recommend iPad mini over Nexus 7 in order to anyone. Last week, my child asked for your Apple product to take back to college. She can have the Google android, and will appreciate me correctly later.
Google declared the tablet?on July 24, along with sales targeted for the Thirtieth, but they started early; about Friday.?Outstanding, emotive marketing and advertising video Fear Less, along with new textbook purchases as well as rentals, is sure sign Nexus 7?s release timing is very deliberate. Yahoo knows mothers and fathers and pupils will shop for tech methods over the next week. Nexus 7 isn?t only launched, it is widely available the following, as Google also electronic systems up distribution elsewhere.
Imagine individuals taking Nexus 6 to school who may have gone iPad mini. Advertising and syndication make the distinction. Apple?s tablet could be the elephant within the room, from a share of the market perspective, and also surely will not likely lose tons of weight as a consequence of Google?s gadget. But any sales losses are pointless, if only there were a more competitive ? and cost-effective ? iPad mini ready with regard to back to university.
Epic Competition
Let?s compare the 2 tablets.
iPad tiny specs:?7.9-inch back-lit IPS display (1024 x 768 solution, 163 pixels per ?); A5 dual-core processor; 1GB Ram memory; 16GB, 32GB or 64GB storage; 5-megapixel rear-facing and One particular.2MP front-facing cameras; Wireless; WiFi A/N; HSPA+/LTE (upon three versions); accelerometer; GPS; gyroscope; microphone stand; and iOS 6. Measures Two hundred x 134.6 x .28mm and also weighs 308 grams.
iPad small 16GB Wi-fi: $329 iPad mini 32GB WiFi: $429 iPad tiny 16GB WiFi/LTE: $459 iPad mini 64GB Wireless: $529 iPad small 32GB WiFi/LTE: $559 apple ipad mini 64GB WiFi/LTE: $659
Nexus Several specs: 7-inch back-lit Insolvency practitioners display (1920 by 1200 decision, 323 ppi);?1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Professional quad-core processor; Adreno 320 graphics; 2GB Random access memory; 16GB or perhaps 32GB safe-keeping; 5MP rear-facing and 1.2MP front-facing cameras; Bluetooth (support regarding Bluetooth Intelligent), WiFi A/N; HSPA+/LTE (about some types);?accelerometer; GPS; gyroscope; magnetometer; microphone; near field communications; wireless charging; and also Android 4.3. Measures?114 a 200 by 8.Sixty five mm and weighs Two hundred and ninety grams.
The new N7 costs more than it?s forerunner ? $30 for the starter WiFi, for instance. Google?s Nexus Seven price increase surprises however timing is perfect. The high-end LTE style, while costing more than its HSPA+ predecessor, is very the value in comparison to the entry-level mini.
So regarding $349, you can buy any 7-inch HD capsule from Yahoo, with quick processor, 32GB storage and LTE, or for $20 a smaller amount a 6.9-inch iPad little with 1440 by 768 quality, 16GB and WiFi. The actual comparable design to Nexus Several is $559. For that budget-conscious, and who isn?t when back-to-school purchasing, Google?s entry tablet charges $100 less than Apple?s, but with superior cpu and display resolution.
Apple, as well as most Android manufacturers, can not compete with Yahoo on tablet pricing. That gives Nexus 7 massive opportunity to gain market share, given that the display screen is Hi-def, global LTE can be acquired, more merchants sell these devices and service Search engines Now rises as the fantastic app.
Google does not make money from products but via contextual content, companies and promoting wrapped around them. Hence the company can keep margins slim on the components, unlike The apple company which makes many profits from hardware sales. The fruit-logo business can never remain competitive on price and have a gadget ready for back-to-school buying. This is a sour plants for the time of year.
First Impressions
Colleague Alan Buckingham produces ? 1st formal overview of the new Nexus 6, but I will be remiss not necessarily expressing a thing about the encounter.
There?s little for you to dislike about Nexus 7, except if you?re attached with another system, such as iOS, as well as insist on one thing larger. From 323 pixels per in ., the High-definition display awes the eye area. Meanwhile, just like its precursor, the tablet suits comfortably a single hand, as well as two-thumb typing is simple.
I find the brand new Nexus 7 very comfortable to carry, and the tablet feels extremely light. It?s a perfect throw-in-a-purse-or-backpack dimensions. The more I prefer the tablet, the greater the size can feel right.
This is the place where much: We recently repurposed my daughter?s outdated 32GB iPad 2 for around-the-house make use of, such as looking up recipes. These days is heavy for the purpose, nevertheless paid for and also otherwise certainly not used. One or two hours after receiving Nexus 6, I carted about down to Best Buy to industry in the iPad 2. I took in the tablet a couple weeks back and got a $200 supply, which I turned down. Ha! New offer: $170! Simply no thanks to that! I Craigslisted with regard to $250 and offered the Apple mackintosh tablet Feb 5th night. I am going to use the income to buy another Nexus 7, laptop computer suited to the duty set towards the iPad 2.
Google Right now and speech search are major causes. I can?t overstate value of the services on the form aspect. The Fear Significantly less advert is actually exceptionally great marketing. The recording communicates many benefits, particularly through those two features, which, granted, are available in other Androids (as well as iOS, if you like, although not as available). But they sense just right upon Nexus 7. Believe Star Journey TNG.
The Star Trek vision regarding responsive processing rapidly goes from sci-fi to every day reality.?Google stands apart for driving forward Celebrity Trek-like human responsiveness. Currently and words search exceed others; an individual command activities and ask for responses, rather than touch with kids finger.?The two providers are a watershed development that basically changes exactly how people talk with tech products. Together, they make Nexus 7 particular and specially suited to students? wants ? or my very own (or your own house), in the kitchen and around the house.
Google?s marketing tagline for the unit is perfect for the rewards: For what concerns. The tablet?s performance is quick, the size just right for hands and fingers and assisting services remarkably useful. All of this while ipad tablet mini gives last year?s screen regarding next-decade pricing (think inflation).
Nexus Several could be late-summer?s surprise sleeper struck.