Perez Hilton Talks Fatherhood ? The New HOT 95-7 ? Celeb Gossip ...

(Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Art of Elysium)

Perez Hilton announced the birth of his first son yesterday.

?I feel like I?ve always been a dad,? Hilton told told Carson Daly at AMP/Los Angeles Thursday morning. ?I was born to be one and I know I always wanted to have a family of my own and I?m just naturally, privately, the nurturing and protecting type, so this comes as no surprise to my friends and family that I would do this.?

Hilton has yet to announce the baby?s name, but he did reveal his nickname for the infant.

?I?m calling him Sweet Pea from now on. I?m Big Pea and he?s Sweet Pea,? he said.

Though Hilton isn?t ready to tell all about his new son, he said he was touched by the outpouring of support.

?I?m actually really flattered that people care,? he said. ?I thought some people would be interested, but I was really surprised by the reaction yesterday. I mean, I was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter for several hours, or I was told.?

(Image Courtesy of PerezHilton.com)

The celebrity blogger did reveal that he?s planning to speak about his whole experience in the future.

?I?m trying to figure out the best way to talk about everything because I feel like it is an interesting and a good story that I want to share with everybody,? he said.

Fatherhood has been a transition for the fitness-focused Hilton but he?s enjoying his newest job title: Daddy.

?I thought there would be a lot more negativity. There was, and there was skepticism, but I thought there would be more of it and I?m surprised and so grateful and thankful that it was overwhelmingly positive. So, thank you to everybody.?

-Sarah Carroll, 97.1 AMP Radio/Los Angeles

Source: http://hothits957.cbslocal.com/2013/02/28/perez-hilton-talks-fatherhood/

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Research explores factors that impact adolescent mental health

Feb. 27, 2013 ? Research indicates that half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, well before adulthood. Three new studies investigate the cognitive, genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to mental health disorders in adolescence.

The studies are published in Psychological Science and Clinical Psychological Science, journals of the Association for Psychological Science.

Social-Information-Processing Patterns Mediate the Impact of Preventive Intervention on Adolescent Antisocial Behavior

Kenneth A. Dodge, Jennifer Godwin, and The Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group

Fast Track is a preventive intervention designed to help children who show aggression at an early age. The intervention addresses kids' social-cognitive processes in several ways, including social-skill training groups, parent groups, and classroom curricula. In this study, the researchers investigated the processes underlying this intervention's success. A total of 891 kindergarteners who were at high risk for adolescent antisocial behavior were randomly assigned to receive either the Fast Track intervention or a control program. The data revealed that children in the intervention showed decreased levels of antisocial behavior at the end of 9^th grade, which was driven, in part, by improvement on three specific social-cognitive processes. These results suggest that social-cognitive processes may play an important role in the development of antisocial behavior in youth.

Published online February 13, 2013 in Psychological Science

A Comparison of Two Models of Urgency: Urgency Predicts Both Rash Action and Depression in Youth

Gregory T. Smith, Leila Guller, and Tamika C.B. Zapolski

Smith and colleagues test two competing theories concerning the trait of urgency. One theory posits that urgency reflects the people's tendency to act rashly or impulsively when they're emotional. Another theory suggests that urgency reflects a general responsiveness to emotions that can lead to rash action (such as heavy drinking or binge eating) or ill-advised inaction (which is associated with symptoms of depression). In previous research, Smith and colleagues found that urgency levels in 5^th grade predicted addictive behaviors (including alcohol consumption, binge eating, and smoking) in 6^th grade, which is consistent with both theories. In this study, the researchers found that level of urgency in 5^th grade also predicted higher levels of depression at the end of 6^th grade. These results support the view that urgency can lead either to rash action or ill-advised inaction. The researchers conclude that urgency may be an important trait in various diagnoses, across both internalizing and externalizing disorders.

Published online February 15, 2013 in Clinical Psychological Science

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Rumination, Distraction, and Depressed Mood in Adolescence

Mollie N. Moore, Rachel H. Salk, Carol A. Van Hulle, Lyn Y. Abramson, Janet S. Hyde, Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant, and H. Hill Goldsmith

About one in 10 adolescents will experience major depression or dysthymia by age 18. Rumination, the process of dwelling on one's feelings and problems, is an established cognitive risk factor for depression. In this study, Moore and colleagues investigated whether response styles associated with rumination might account for some of the genetic vulnerability associated with depression. A total of 756 adolescent twins ages 12 to 14 completed the Response Styles Questionnaire and several measures of depressive symptoms. Brooding was positively correlated with depressive symptoms, while distraction was negatively correlated with the symptoms. About 54% of the variation in depression symptoms could be attributed to genetic variation, while 37% of the variation in reflection and 30% of the variation in distraction were accounted for by genetic variation. Further analyses showed that individual differences in distraction share both genetic and environmental sources of variation with depression. Together, these results suggest that the same genetic factors that contribute to distraction may protect against depression.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

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

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Journal References:

1. K. A. Dodge, J. Godwin. Social-Information-Processing Patterns Mediate the Impact of Preventive Intervention on Adolescent Antisocial Behavior. Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612457394
2. G. T. Smith, L. Guller, T. C. B. Zapolski. A Comparison of Two Models of Urgency: Urgency Predicts Both Rash Action and Depression in Youth. Clinical Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/2167702612470647
3. M. N. Moore, R. H. Salk, C. A. Van Hulle, L. Y. Abramson, J. S. Hyde, K. Lemery-Chalfant, H. H. Goldsmith. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Rumination, Distraction, and Depressed Mood in Adolescence. Clinical Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/2167702612472884

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/depression/~3/DEpGtrxGk8c/130227151258.htm

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Illegal music file-sharing down 'significantly'

Suzanne Choney , NBC News ? ? ? 13 hrs.

Illegal music file-sharing "declined significantly," down by 17 percent in 2012 compared to 2011, according to The NPD Group.

With more services available, such as Spotify, Last.fm and Pandora for streaming and buying music, and giant digital music retailers like Amazon and Apple, consumers have more choices than ever for getting music legally, easily and relatively cheaply.

"For the music industry, which has been battling digital piracy for over a decade, last year was a year of progress," said Russ Crupnick, NPD's senior vice president of industry analysis, in a statement about the research group's findings, part of its "Annual Music Study 2012" report.

NPD's findings come on the heels of a recent report that says music sales actually saw a small gain, 0.3 percent, in 2012 to $16.5 billion, the industry's first revenue increase in 13 years, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

Meanwhile, a new, U.S.-based Copyright Alert System is kicking in this week to target consumers who use peer-to-peer software to illegally share music, as well as movies and TV shows. The alert system will be used by five major Internet service providers to notify a customer whose Internet address has been detected sharing files illegally.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing peaked in 2005, NPD said, when about 20 percent of Internet users ages 13 and older used P2P services, such as LimeWire (now shut down), to download music. In 2012, "that number fell to 11 percent."

P2P services are still out there, of course. But The NPD Group notes that the volume of illegally downloaded music files from P2P sites "also declined 26 percent, compared to the previous year."

Also down: the "number of music files being burned and ripped from CDs owned by friends and family fell 44 percent, the number of files swapped from hard drives dropped 25 percent, and the volume of music downloads from digital lockers decreased 28 percent."

The NPD Group says the main reason for the reduced sharing is the "increased use of free, legal music streaming services. In fact nearly half of those who stopped or curtailed file sharing cited the use of streaming services as their primary reason for stopping or reducing their file-sharing activity."

"In recent years, we?ve seen less P2P activity, because the music industry has successfully used litigation to shut down Limewire and other services," said Crupnick. "Many of those who continued to use P2P services reported poor experiences, due to rampant spyware and viruses on illegal P2P sites."

NPD's research was based on 5,406 completed online surveys in the U.S., a spokesman told NBC News. The survey was done between Dec. 12, 2012 and Jan. 9, 2013.

Check out Technology, GadgetBox, Digital Life and In-Game on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/illegal-music-file-sharing-dropped-significantly-2012-says-npd-1C8590466

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iTunes in the Cloud looks to be hitting more of Europe with TV series, films (update: confirmed)

While stateside users might complain that we get all the good stuff in Europe first, Apple's iTunes in the Cloud for movies and TV shows has finally got around to rolling in to France and other parts of Europe, eons after it came out in the US. We confirmed that the new functionality works in France, which lets you buy films and TV shows from a computer, Apple TV or iOS device, then download it for free from the cloud on another. Others have reported by Twitter that it's working in Holland and Sweden as well, making it the first big move for the service since it rolled into the UK, Australia and Canada last summer. Until now, users in those nations were only able to download books, apps and music purchased in iTunes from the cloud. There's still no word from Apple about the move, however, and the list of supported countries hasn't been updated for those features -- so we'll enjoy it for now and hope Cupertino doesn't change its mind.

Update: We've confirmed with Apple that this rollout has indeed taken place. Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden all get movies in the cloud, while France gets both movies and TV series in the cloud.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, Apple

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Via: TNW

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/27/itunes-in-the-cloud-hits-europe/

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Opera WebKit-based browser hands-on

Think Opera is content at 300 million? That would be a rather silly notion for any company, of course, and naturally the browser is bumping up its efforts by making the jump to WebKit. This move will make Opera even more tempting for Android (phone and tablet) users who would never have given the browser even a sideways glance previously. The newer, fancier Opera throws in a few extra features. First, there's a launch page called speed dial that looks an awful lot like what we've seen in older versions; you can customize a bunch of shortcuts and links based on your overall usage and personal preferences, and toss all of them in folders. There's also an off-road mode, which essentially gives you the option to switch over to Opera Mini for extra data compression for those times you need it -- this obviously comes in handy when you're reaching your data threshold or just in a low-reception area. Lastly, HTML5 support is built in, as we would come to expect with a new browser these days.

Though we were originally told in January that we could expect Android and iOS versions of the browser sometime this month, representatives at the company's booth at MWC noted that what we're seeing is actually a pre-beta version and the final product is "coming soon" with no specific timetable given. This doesn't surprise us, as the demonstration had its fair share of bugs, but we will reserve judgment until we see it in its final form. As we patiently wait for the browser to make its public appearance, you can pine for it by drooling over the images in our gallery below.

Gallery: Opera WebKit-based browser-hands-on

Sean Cooper contributed to this hands-on.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/26/opera-webkit-browser-hands-on/

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NVIDIA back with videos showing off gaming graphics at MWC 2013 ...

NVIDIA is back on their blog today about their new Tegra 4 chips, this time with information about games primed for Tegra powered devices. Games are a great way to show off the computing power of a new chip as NVIDIA demonstrates in a couple videos from Zombie Driver and RU Golf. With more computing power, graphics can display better textures and more polygons, making for smoother results. The new Tegra 4 chip will also let game developers take advantage of features like dynamic lighting to create accurate shadows.

Along with the enhancements, NVIDIA also released some information about five games that will be released soon specifically targeted at Tegra-powered devices, including:

• Burn Zombie Burn from Tick Tock Games, your typical zombie-fighting console game;
• Carie: Blood Mansion from Neowiz will include an exclusive map for Tegra device users in this action adventure game. Tegra device owners will also be able to enjoy high-res textures, enhanced physics simulations and optimized fire and smoke effects;
• RPG CODEX: The Warrior from Devclan and Playbean is an action/fighting title in which the player is battling a variety of monsters. The title will take advantage of real-time dynamic shadows and HDR lighting;
• Dead on Arrival 2 from N3V Games, another game pitting the player against zombies, this one taking advantage of high-res models;
• RU Golf from Nutgee takes the Tegra platform to a different genre where the cartoon/anime graphics take advantage of dynamic specular lighting, shadows, bloom and lens flare effects.

You can check out the comparisons between the current capabilities of Tegra devices compared to the new Tegra 4 chips in the videos below. Be sure to check back for more MWC 2013 coverage.

source: NVIDIA

? See more articles by Jeff Causey

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Source: http://www.talkandroid.com/151975-nvidia-back-with-videos-showing-off-gaming-graphics-at-mwc-2013/

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Libon adds 30 more international calling countries to its premium version

Since it's customary to bring a gift when you're visiting far-flung nations, Libon couldn't turn up to MWC empty handed. That's why it's announcing that premium users are gaining some new features to widen the WhatsApp and Viber-rival's appeal. If you have coughed up, then you'll be entitled to call more than 30 extra countries, and those Libon Minutes can now be spent contacting domestic landlines and mobiles, too. Anyone who signs up to the service will get a month of premium features gratis before needing to subscribe for $2.99 (£1.99, €2.69) a month. Want to know more? You should know where we've placed the PR by now.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/libon-premium-upgrades-mwc/

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Carestream Health for sale, may fetch $3.5 billion - sources

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Carestream Health Inc, which provides medical imaging systems and other healthcare technology solutions, is looking for a buyer in a deal that could fetch as much as $3.5 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Carestream, which was acquired by private equity firm Onex Corp for $2.35 billion in 2007, has hired Goldman Sachs Group, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse Group to run a sale process, the people said.

The Rochester, New York-based company was formed in 2007 when the Canadian buyout firm bought Eastman Kodak Company's health group and renamed the business Carestream. The company provides digital X-ray systems, molecular imaging systems and dental imaging products, software and services.

The auction of Carestream, which is in early stages, has drawn initial interest from several large private equity firms, the people said, adding that industry buyers are less likely to participate given the company's low to negative growth.

First-round offers are due this week, one of the people added.

Carestream has around $450 million in annual earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and could be sold for 7 to 8 times EBITDA, two of the people said.

All the people asked not to be named because the auction is not public. A Carestream spokesman said the company does not comment on rumor or speculation. Onex could not be immediately reached for comment, while Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Credit Suisse declined to comment.

(Reporting by Soyoung Kim in New York; Editing by Gary Hill and Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-carestream-health-sale-may-fetch-3-5-200937944--sector.html

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Jordan: No news of activist held in Saudi Arabia

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? Jordan says it has no official word from Saudi Arabia about one of its citizens apprehended by authorities there 50 days ago.

Jordanian foreign ministry spokeswoman Sabah Rafie told the Associated Press Monday that Jordan has yet to receive a formal response regarding the detention of Khaled Natour at Riyadh airport.

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, his offices, and the Jordanian ambassador to Saudi Arabia have made repeated queries but to no avail, she said.

Youth activist Natour has protested outside the Saudi embassy in Amman against the Saudi-led military force that quashed protests in Bahrain. He later travelled to Saudi Arabia on a work visa but was detained upon arrival in Riyadh.

Al-Rafie said Natour's father contacted the ministry Sunday and wept because he has no news of his son.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jordan-no-news-activist-held-saudi-arabia-141850936.html

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Colorado snowstorm triggers blizzard warnings, slows air traffic

DENVER (Reuters) - A wind-driven snowstorm blanketed eastern Colorado on Sunday, creating blizzard conditions on the High Plains and prompting the cancellation of 200 flights in and out of Denver International Airport, authorities said.

Governor John Hickenlooper ordered all non-essential state workers to report to work two hours later than scheduled on Monday to give Denver snow plow drivers more time to clear city streets.

By early evening, 10 inches of snow had accumulated in the Denver metropolitan area, as snowfall tapered off. Blizzard conditions will remain through the night on the eastern Colorado plains, weather forecasters said.

"It's still snowing out there and there's been a lot of blowing and drifting that's made the roads tough," National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Gimmestad said.

The Denver International Airport remained open but travelers could expect delays of up to two hours as crews de-iced departing aircraft and plowed the runways, said spokeswoman Laura Coale. The airport typically handles about 1,500 flights on a Sunday.

The Western region was pummeled while New England dodged what forecasters had feared would become a major snowstorm for the third consecutive weekend.

The New England storm blew further east and left much of the region coping only with a slushy mix on Sunday.

Boston's Logan airport reported only minor delays, except for flights to storm-socked Denver, and major regional utilities NStar and National Grid reported only scattered outages.

The snow was a welcome sight for farms in eastern Colorado, which has been in the grip of a multi-year drought.

Areas south and east of Denver on the plains were under a blizzard warning until 11 p.m. local time (0100 EST Monday), the weather service said.

A deep, low-pressure system near the Four Corners borders of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah had stalled, dumping heavy snow in eastern Colorado, the weather service's Jim Kalina said.

"That setup makes it a snow event mostly for areas east of the Continental Divide," Kalina said.

No road closures were in effect, although roads were snow packed and icy throughout the state, said Mindy Crane, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

A snow plow was involved in an accident with another vehicle near Empire, putting the motorist in the hospital, she said.

The storm front was forecast to move southeast out of Colorado and into the Texas panhandle by Monday, the weather service said.

(Additional reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by Edith Honan and Vicki Allen)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-snowstorm-triggers-blizzard-warnings-slows-air-traffic-093034534.html

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Razzie Award Winners 2013: Twilight Wins the Worst

The Razzie Awards, in their 33rd year of "incinerating cinema sins," announced the recipients of the worst film achievements in 2012 on Oscar Eve, Saturday, February 23, 2013. This year, the winner of the Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel category was chosen by our devoted Rotten Tomatoes readers by online ballot.

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 swept the evening, "winning" Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Kristen Stewart) Worst Supporting Actor (Taylor Lautner) Worst Screen Couple (Lautner and 12 year-old Mackenzie Foy), Worst Screen Ensemble, Worst Remake/Rip-Off or Sequel and Worst Director (Bill Condon).

Earning his second consecutive Worst Actor award is Adam Sandler for That's My Boy. Here is the full list of recipients:

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926902/news/1926902/

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Guess Who Got to Sit Next to Michelle Obama at the Governor's Ball

As the rest of the country gawked at dresses on the red carpet, President Obama welcomed the governors from all 50 states to the White House on Sunday evening. It was a fancy affair with tuxedos and sequins. Michelle wore earrings the size of small chandeliers and to her right, looking rather sharp himself, was a smiling, bow-tied Chris Christie. The New Jersey governor and the president have been in an extended hugfest since Hurricane Sandy charged up the East Coast, and the seating arrangement surely meant to send a message of bipartisanship.

RELATED: Obama and Christie, Climate Change, and the Knicks-to-Nets Defectors

Obama's speech matched that message. "I'm looking for good partners, because while nobody in this room sees eye to eye on everything, we know that when we work together, Democrats and Republicans, north, south, east and west, we can accomplish so much more than we can on our own," said the president. "We're stronger when we work together as a team."

RELATED: Christie's New Jersey Goes for Obama

The dinner is the high point of the the annual meeting of the National Governors Association, and Obama will have more to say on Monday morning when he speaks the same group again. In many ways, Sunday night's speech will serve as a pep talk for that Monday meeting, when the president is expected to hit on the very touchy subject of the massive budget cuts that take effect on March 1. If Congress can't reach a deal by then, the country's going to see an $85 million reduction in government spending.

RELATED: Chris Christie Finally Wins Bruce Springsteen's Affection

Around the same time that the president was speaking, the Obama administration released state-by-state reports detailing exactly how the so-called sequester will affect everyone. Obama's been personally appealing to lawmakers as well. ?"We just need Republicans in Washington to come around,"?he said in his weekly radio address on Saturday.?"Unfortunately, it appears that Republicans in Congress have decided that instead of compromising -- instead of asking anything of the wealthiest Americans -- they would rather let these cuts fall squarely on the middle class."?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/guess-got-sit-next-michelle-obama-governors-ball-020923451.html

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Horrifying crash at Daytona exposes risks to fans

Kyle Larson's car (32) gets airborne during a multi-car wreck on the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/David Graham)

Kyle Larson's car (32) gets airborne during a multi-car wreck on the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/David Graham)

Kyle Larson (32) goes airborne into the catch fence in a multi-car crash including Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), Parker Kilgerman (77), Justin Allgaier (31) and Brian Scott (2) during the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Kyle Larson's car is on fire as he slides down the track with Regan Smith after being involved in a crash at the conclusion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Kyle Larson climbs out of his car after being involved in a crash at the conclusion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Track workers repair the safety fence along on the front grandstands, where Kyle Larson's car hit it on the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? The risks of racing extend beyond the drivers.

Fans can wind up in the danger zone, too.

A horrifying crash on the last lap of a race at Daytona International Speedway injured at least 30 fans Saturday and provided another stark reminder of what can happen when a car going nearly 200 mph is suddenly launched toward the spectator areas.

The victims were sprayed with large chunks of debris ? including a tire ? after rookie Kyle Larson's machine careened into the fencing that is designed to protect the massive grandstands lining NASCAR's most famous track.

"I love the sport," said Shannan Devine, who witnessed the carnage from her 19th-row seat, about 250 feet away. "But no one wants to get hurt over it."

The fencing served its primary purpose, catapulting what was left of Larson's car back onto the track. But it didn't keep potentially lethal shards from flying into the stands.

"There was absolute shock," Devine said. "People were saying, 'I can't believe it, I can't believe it. I've never seen this happen, I've never seen this happen. Did the car through the fence?' It was just shock and awe. Grown men were reaching out and grabbing someone, saying, 'Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!' It was just disbelief, absolute disbelief."

From Daytona to Le Mans to a rural road in Ireland, auto racing spectators have long been too close to the action when parts start flying. The crash in the second-tier Nationwide race follows a long list of accidents that have left fans dead or injured.

The most tragic incident occurred during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, when two cars collided near the main stands. The wreck sent debris hurtling into the crowd, while one of the cars flipped upside down and exploded in a giant fireball.

Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh were killed, and 120 fans were injured.

The Daytona crash began as the field approached the checkered flag and leader Regan Smith attempted to block Brad Keselowski. That triggered a chain reaction, and rookie Kyle Larson hit the cars in front of him and went airborne into the fence.

The entire front end was sheared off Larson's car, and his burning engine wedged through a gaping hole in the fence. Chunks of debris from the car were thrown into the stands, including a tire that cleared the top of the fence and landed midway up the spectator section closest to the track.

"I thought the car went through the fence," Devine said. "I didn't know if there was a car on top of people. I didn't know what to think. I'm an emotional person. I immediately started to cry. It was very scary, absolutely scary. I love the speed of the sport. But it's so dangerous."

The fencing used to protect seating areas and prevent cars from hurtling out of tracks has long been part of the debate over how to improve safety.

Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti lost close friend Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas in the 2011 IndyCar season finale, when Wheldon's car catapulted into the fencing and his head struck a support post. Since his death, IndyCar drivers have called for studies on how to improve the safety barriers.

Franchitti renewed the pleas on Twitter after the Daytona crash, writing "it's time (at)Indycar (at)nascar other sanctioning bodies & promoters work on an alternative to catch fencing. There has to be a better solution."

Another fan who witnessed the crash said he's long worried that sizable gaps in the fencing increase the chances of debris getting through to the stands.

"I've always thought the netting was very wide and pieces could fly through," said Lenny Brown, who was attending races at Daytona for the fourth time.

Among the most frightening accidents involving fans:

? In 1987, Bobby Allison's car lifted off the track at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama while running over 200 mph, careening into the steel-cable fence and scattering debris into the crowd. That crash led to the use of horsepower-sapping restrictor plates at Talladega and its sister track in Daytona, NASCAR's fastest layouts. As a result, the cars all run nearly the same speed, and the field is typically bunched tightly together ? which plenty of drivers have warned is actually a more dangerous scenario than higher speeds.

? That same year, at the Indianapolis 500, a fan was killed when struck by a tire that came off Tony Bettenhausen's car. The tire bounced off the front of Roberto Guerrero's car and flew to the top row of the grandstand.

? In 1998, three fans were killed and six others were injured in CART's IndyCar race at Michigan International Speedway when Adrian Fernandez crashed, sending a tire and other parts into the stands.

? The following year, three fans were killed at Charlotte Motor Speedway during an Indy Racing League event when debris from an accident flew into the stands. The track never held another IndyCar race.

? In 2009, Talladega was the scene of another scary crash during a NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Carl Edwards' car sailed upside-down into the front-stretch fence on a furious dash to the finish line, showering the stands with debris. Seven fans sustained minor injuries.

? In 2010 at a National Hot Rod Association event in Chandler, Ariz., a woman was killed by a tire that flew off Antron Brown's crashing dragster at Firebird International Raceway. The wheel bounced a couple of times and soared over the grandstands ? missing the bulk of the spectators ? before it hit the woman.

? Also in 2010, at an off-road racing event in the Southern California desert, a truck flew off a jump and landed on a group of spectators, sending bodies flying. Eight were killed, 10 injured. There also have been deaths at the Baja 1000 and Dakar Rally, the two most famous off-road races, though multiple-death crashes into the crowd like the one in the Mojave Desert are rare.

? Last year, in a rally car race in Ireland, a car went out of control on a rural road and crashed into a crowd of about 30 spectators, killing two people and seriously injuring seven. Witnesses said the car crashed through a fence and into the onlookers before coming to rest on its side beside a home.

At Daytona, workers scurried to patch up the damaged fencing and left little doubt that the biggest race of the weekend, Sunday's Daytona 500, would go on as planned.

Brown, who saw the crash from his 38th-row seat in the Petty grandstand, said he would be back in the same section for the season-opening Sprint Cup event. He has no qualms about his safety, sitting so high up, but said he would think twice about the seats he had for the race two years ago.

"The last time I was here, we were only about six rows up," Brown said. "I had even told some people before the crash, 'I would never sit that close to the track ever again.'"

But someone surely will ? mindful of the risks but eager to be among more than 100,000 fans cheering on stock car racing's biggest stars.

"Here we are, playing money to sit next to cars going 195 mph," Devine said. "We do it because we love it. That's what we expect."

___

Associated Press writer Jerome Minerva in Daytona Beach contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-23-NASCAR-Fan%20Accidents/id-bf9b9040418c440ea68802cc194933d3

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Events: Folk Alliance Music Conference: Toronto, Canada

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Volkswagen earnings up 41 percent in 2012

BERLIN (AP) ? German automaker Volkswagen AG said Friday its net profit increased 41 percent for 2012, but earnings fell a little short of analysts' expectations and the company issued a cautious forecast for this year.

Full-year earnings rose to ?21.7 billion ($28.7 billion) from ?15.4 billion the previous year; analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected them to come in just above ?22 billion. Earnings were boosted last year in part by an accounting boost from the complex deal that made Porsche one of Volkswagen's 12 brands.

Revenues were up 21 percent, rising to ?192.7 billion from ?159.3 billion. The number of vehicles delivered worldwide last year by the group topped 9 million for the first time, rising 12.2 percent to nearly 9.3 million as growing demand in North America and Asia offset more sluggish sales in Europe, where many countries are in recession.

The company said it expects revenue and deliveries to customers to exceed last year's level in 2013 but that, "given the ongoing uncertainty in the economic environment," its aim is to match the 2012 level of operating profit.

Last year's operating profit came in at ?11.5 billion, a 2.1 percent increase over 2011. Volkswagen proposed raising the dividend on ordinary shares to ?3.50 from the previous year's ?3.00 and on preferred shares to ?3.56 from ?3.06.

The company noted that "we are not completely immune to the intense competition and the impact this has on business."

Volkswagen shares dropped sharply after the earnings statement, falling 6.3 percent to ?165 in Frankfurt trading.

The company did not detail fourth-quarter earnings. Friday's statement of key 2012 figures came ahead of a full annual report planned for March 14.

Volkswagen said its supervisory board has adjusted the rules for executive compensation, with the result that managers' pay will decrease compared with 2011 despite the higher operating earnings.

The company said that CEO Martin Winterkorn's earnings for 2012 total about ?14.5 million, compared with the previous year's ?17.5 million ? a change that had been expected. The management board's total pay will sink to about ?56 million from ?70 million.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-22-Germany-Earns-Volkswagen/id-7014b01d3ee34d7489c58cadc8c586e9

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Beauty Parlor Caters to Cancer Patients

Feb 22, 2013 7:00am

Joining the Oscar-nominated stars on the red carpet this Sunday will be two Long Island beauty salon owners, Cynthia Sansone and Rachel DeMolfetto. Sansone and DeMolfetto, who are sisters, are the subject of the Oscar-nominated short documentary ?Mondays At Racine.? The film follows the cancer patients who come to the sisters? beauty parlor once a month for a day of free beauty treatments.

The sisters came up with the idea more than 10 years ago as a way to honor their mother, who passed away from breast cancer in the 1980s.

Cynthia Sansone says that her mother initially felt like a pariah and an ?alien? after her hair fell out from her cancer treatments.

?We did not have the tools to know how to help her. I remember vividly my father walking her into the house,? said Sansone. ?The grimace on her face.?

Sansone says the idea behind the free day of beauty is to provide a support system for the cancer patients, most of whom are women, as they deal with a life-threatening illness.

?We got the script down on what we need to say to soothe and heal,? said Sansone.??No one wants to [hear], ?You look good.? People want to hear, ?What can I do???

Cynthia Sansone, Rachel DeMolfetto, and Linda Hart in "Mondays at Racine." (Image courtesy of HBO)

The film?s director, Cynthia Wade, said the one common and most surprising response among the cancer patients she interviewed was that they were terrified of losing their hair. One patient even felt like she was being ?erased? as a result of her cancer treatment.

?Every single woman I spoke to said it was much easier to lose their breast than their hair,? said Wade.

Linda Hart has lived with breast cancer for nearly 19 years and has visited the Racine beauty salon once a month, every month for the last few years. In the film the 59-year-old is a striking presence as she counsels younger cancer patients and wrestles with the idea of stopping treatment altogether.

For Hart, going to the Racine salon allowed her to be open about her fears and concerns as a cancer patient and to help others going through the same thing.

?We sat and we cried and talked and laughed, and I felt like I had been there before,? said Hart, speaking about her first visit.

After living with the disease for nearly two decades, Hart says she is encouraged that more women are open about their illness in these support groups.

?Years ago people weren?t talking about, [they] held it in,? said Hart. ?Now [they let it] out. I pray it comes out even more.?

Hart, who has lost her hair, eyebrows and eyelashes to cancer treatment, has also been treated to a full make-over at the salon, providing needed ego boost.

?I really looked great. Afterwards I put the wig on, I felt like a whole person,? said Hart. ?Once I was done-up, I felt alive again.?

Berger hopes that after the Oscars, more cancer patients feel comfortable coming to the salon for a day of beauty and support.

?It?s grown into one of the most wonderful things to be a part of,? said Sansone. ?To anybody if you are diagnosed, do not feel alone. Come and talk, come be with us.?

?

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/02/22/oscar-nominated-doc-spotlights-beauty-parlor-catering-to-cancer-patients/

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Al-Qaida tipsheet on avoiding drones found in Mali

TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) ? One of the last things the bearded fighters did before leaving this city was to drive to the market where traders lay their carpets out in the sand.

The al-Qaida extremists bypassed the brightly colored, high-end synthetic floor coverings and stopped their pickup truck in front of a man selling more modest mats woven from desert grass, priced at $1.40 apiece. There they bought two bales of 25 mats each, and asked him to bundle them on top of the car, along with a stack of sticks.

"It's the first time someone has bought such a large amount," said the mat seller, Leitny Cisse al-Djoumat. "They didn't explain why they wanted so many."

Military officials can tell why: The fighters are stretching the mats across the tops of their cars on poles to form natural carports, so that drones cannot detect them from the air.

The instruction to camouflage cars is one of 22 tips on how to avoid drones, listed on a document left behind by the Islamic extremists as they fled northern Mali from a French military intervention last month. A Xeroxed copy of the document, which was first published on a jihadist forum two years ago, was found by The Associated Press in a manila envelope on the floor of a building here occupied by al-Qaida of the Islamic Maghreb.

The tipsheet reflects how al-Qaida's chapter in North Africa anticipated a military intervention that would make use of drones, as the battleground in the war on terror worldwide is shifting from boots on the ground to unmanned planes in the air. The presence of the document in Mali, first authored by a Yemeni, also shows the coordination between al-Qaida chapters, which security experts have called a source of increasing concern.

"This new document... shows we are no longer dealing with an isolated local problem, but with an enemy which is reaching across continents to share advice," said Bruce Riedel, a 30-year veteran of the CIA, now the director of the Intelligence Project at the Brookings Institution.

The tips in the document range from the broad (No. 7, hide from being directly or indirectly spotted, especially at night) to the specific (No 18, formation of fake gatherings, for example by using dolls and statues placed outside false ditches to mislead the enemy.) The use of the mats appears to be a West African twist on No. 3, which advises camouflaging the tops of cars and the roofs of buildings, possibly by spreading reflective glass.

While some of the tips are outdated or far-fetched, taken together, they suggest the Islamists in Mali are responding to the threat of drones with sound, common-sense advice that may help them to melt into the desert in between attacks, leaving barely a trace.

"These are not dumb techniques. It shows that they are acting pretty astutely," said Col. Cedric Leighton, a 26-year-veteran of the United States Air Force, who helped set up the Predator drone program, which later tracked Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. "What it does is, it buys them a little bit more time ? and in this conflict, time is key. And they will use it to move away from an area, from a bombing raid, and do it very quickly."

The success of some of the tips will depend on the circumstances and the model of drones used, Leighton said. For example, from the air, where perceptions of depth become obfuscated, an imagery sensor would interpret a mat stretched over the top of a car as one lying on the ground, concealing the vehicle.

New models of drones, such as the Harfung used by the French or the MQ-9 "Reaper," sometimes have infrared sensors that can pick up the heat signature of a car whose engine has just been shut off. However, even an infrared sensor would have trouble detecting a car left under a mat tent overnight, so that its temperature is the same as on the surrounding ground, Leighton said.

Unarmed drones are already being used by the French in Mali to collect intelligence on al-Qaida groups, and U.S. officials have said plans are underway to establish a new drone base in northwestern Africa. The U.S. recently signed a "status of forces agreement" with Niger, one of the nations bordering Mali, suggesting the drone base may be situated there and would be primarily used to gather intelligence to help the French.

The author of the tipsheet found in Timbuktu is Abdallah bin Muhammad, the nom de guerre for a senior commander of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen-based branch of the terror network. The document was first published in Arabic on an extremist website on June 2, 2011, a month after bin Laden's death, according to Mathieu Guidere, a professor at the University of Toulouse. Guidere runs a database of statements by extremist groups, including al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, and he reviewed and authenticated the document found by the AP.

The tipsheet is still little known, if at all, in English, though it has been republished at least three times in Arabic on other jihadist forums after drone strikes took out U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen in September 2011 and al-Qaida second-in-command Abu Yahya al-Libi in Pakistan in June 2012. It was most recently issued two weeks ago on another extremist website after plans for the possible U.S. drone base in Niger began surfacing, Guidere said.

"This document supports the fact that they knew there are secret U.S. bases for drones, and were preparing themselves," he said. "They were thinking about this issue for a long time."

The idea of hiding under trees to avoid drones, which is tip No. 10, appears to be coming from the highest levels of the terror network. In a letter written by bin Laden and first published by the U.S. Center for Combating Terrorism, the terror mastermind instructs his followers to deliver a message to Abdelmalek Droukdel, the head of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, whose fighters have been active in Mali for at least a decade.

"I want the brothers in the Islamic Maghreb to know that planting trees helps the mujahedeen and gives them cover," bin Laden writes in the missive. "Trees will give the mujahedeen the freedom to move around especially if the enemy sends spying aircrafts to the area."

Hiding under trees is exactly what the al-Qaida fighters did in Mali, according to residents in Diabaly, the last town they took before the French stemmed their advance last month. Just after French warplanes incinerated rebel cars that had been left outside, the fighters began to commandeer houses with large mango trees and park their four-by-fours in the shade of their rubbery leaves.

Hamidou Sissouma, a schoolteacher, said the Islamists chose his house because of its generous trees, and rammed their trucks through his earthen wall to drive right into his courtyard. Another resident showed the gash the occupiers had made in his mango tree by parking their pickup too close to the trunk.

In Timbuktu also, fighters hid their cars under trees, and disembarked from them in a hurry when they were being chased, in accordance with tip No. 13.

Moustapha al-Housseini, an appliance repairman, was outside his shop fixing a client's broken radio on the day the aerial bombardments began. He said he heard the sound of the planes and saw the Islamists at almost the same moment. Abou Zeid, the senior al-Qaida emir in the region, rushed to jam his car under a pair of tamarind trees outside the store.

"He and his men got out of the car and dove under the awning," said al-Housseini. "As for what I did? Me and my employees? We also ran. As fast as we could."

Along with the grass mats, the al-Qaida men in Mali made creative use of another natural resource to hide their cars: Mud.

Asse Ag Imahalit, a gardener at a building in Timbuktu, said he was at first puzzled to see that the fighters sleeping inside the compound sent for large bags of sugar every day. Then, he said, he observed them mixing the sugar with dirt, adding water and using the sticky mixture to "paint" their cars. Residents said the cars of the al-Qaida fighters are permanently covered in mud.

The drone tipsheet, discovered in the regional tax department occupied by Abou Zeid, shows how familiar al-Qaida has become with drone attacks, which have allowed the U.S. to take out senior leaders in the terrorist group without a messy ground battle. The preface and epilogue of the tipsheet make it clear that al-Qaida well realizes the advantages of drones: They are relatively cheap in terms of money and lives, alleviating "the pressure of American public opinion."

Ironically, the first drone attack on an al-Qaida figure in 2002 took out the head of the branch in Yemen ? the same branch that authored the document found in Mali, according to Riedel. Drones began to be used in Iraq in 2006 and in Pakistan in 2007, but it wasn't until 2009 that they became a hallmark of the war on terror, he said.

"Since we do not want to put boots on the ground in places like Mali, they are certain to be the way of the future," he said. "They are already the future."

__

Associated Press writers Baba Ahmed in Timbuktu, Mali, Robert Burns in Washington and Dalatou Mamane in Niamey, Niger contributed to this report.

The document can be seen in Arabic and English at http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_international/_pdfs/al-qaida-papers-drones.pdf.

___

Rukmini Callimachi can be reached at www.twitter.com/rcallimachi

Baba Ahmed can be reached at www.twitter.com/babahmed1

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/al-qaida-tipsheet-avoiding-drones-found-mali-173015912.html

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Katherine Webb, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ndamukong Suh Become Latest Sports Celebrities to Perform Harlem Shake (Video)

It?s officially an epidemic.

Various sports figures joined comedian?Louie Anderson for a new pollside version of a the Harlem Shake to promote ABC?s new show?Splash.

Miss Alabama (and A.J. McCarron girlfriend) Katherine Webb?joined former Lakers great?Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Detroit Lions lineman?Ndamukong Suh, who were all willing to show off their wacky moves.

Check out the mayhem in the video below.

Source: http://nesn.com/2013/02/katherine-webb-kareem-abdul-jabbar-ndamukong-suh-become-latest-sports-celebrities-to-perform-harlem-shake-video/

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Q&A: Weighing the value of less effective flu shot

This season's flu shot seemed to do little to protect people over 65 from the worst and most dominant flu strain spreading around, a small government study found. Vaccinated people in that age group had only a 9 percent lower chance of going to the doctor with flu symptoms from the main virus than people who didn't get the shot.

The vaccine was much better at protecting younger people.

Q: If the flu shot did such a poor job for older folks, why should they get it?

A: Government doctors and other health experts say it's better than nothing. And some scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention think it's possible that even this less effective vaccine may have lessened symptoms. But they don't know that for sure.

Q: How well did the vaccine work for younger age groups?

A: It offered "moderate" protection, the CDC says. For all ages who were vaccinated, there was a 56 percent chance of avoiding getting sick with the flu from any of the three strains in circulation. Generally a flu vaccine is considered pretty good if it's more than 60 percent effective.

Q: Why didn't the vaccine do a better job this year?

A: Scientists don't know. But it is much harder to make an effective vaccine against ever-shifting flu viruses than for diseases like measles, polio and diphtheria. Vaccines are generally 90 to 95 percent effective for those other diseases.

Q: Why was the shot especially weak at protecting older people?

A: Older, worn-out immune systems have a harder time responding to flu vaccines. Protection for those over 65 is considered good if they have a 30 or 40 percent lower chance of getting sick enough to see the doctor. This year, the vaccine provided about 27 percent protection against all three strains ? but again, for the most dominant virus it was only 9 percent effective. On the upside, for people in their 50s and early 60s, protection against the worst virus was actually 50 percent.

Q: Can't we make a better vaccine?

A: Researchers are working on it. There is a higher-dose version for older people, but it's not clear how widely available it was and the study of vaccine effectiveness was too small to show whether it made a difference.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/q-weighing-value-less-effective-flu-shot-220951106.html

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Q&A: Weighing the value of less effective flu shot

This Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013 photo shows vials of flu vaccine in Philadelphia. This season's flu shot did almost no good at protecting people over 65 from the worst and most dominant flu strain spreading around, according to a government study released Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Vaccinated people in that age group had only a 9 percent lower chance of going to the doctor with flu symptoms from the dominant virus than people who didn't get the shot. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

This Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013 photo shows vials of flu vaccine in Philadelphia. This season's flu shot did almost no good at protecting people over 65 from the worst and most dominant flu strain spreading around, according to a government study released Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Vaccinated people in that age group had only a 9 percent lower chance of going to the doctor with flu symptoms from the dominant virus than people who didn't get the shot. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

This season's flu shot seemed to do little to protect people over 65 from the worst and most dominant flu strain spreading around, a small government study found. Vaccinated people in that age group had only a 9 percent lower chance of going to the doctor with flu symptoms from the main virus than people who didn't get the shot.

The vaccine was much better at protecting younger people.

Q: If the flu shot did such a poor job for older folks, why should they get it?

A: Government doctors and other health experts say it's better than nothing. And some scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention think it's possible that even this less effective vaccine may have lessened symptoms. But they don't know that for sure.

Q: How well did the vaccine work for younger age groups?

A: It offered "moderate" protection, the CDC says. For all ages who were vaccinated, there was a 56 percent chance of avoiding getting sick with the flu from any of the three strains in circulation. Generally a flu vaccine is considered pretty good if it's more than 60 percent effective.

Q: Why didn't the vaccine do a better job this year?

A: Scientists don't know. But it is much harder to make an effective vaccine against ever-shifting flu viruses than for diseases like measles, polio and diphtheria. Vaccines are generally 90 to 95 percent effective for those other diseases.

Q: Why was the shot especially weak at protecting older people?

A: Older, worn-out immune systems have a harder time responding to flu vaccines. Protection for those over 65 is considered good if they have a 30 or 40 percent lower chance of getting sick enough to see the doctor. This year, the vaccine provided about 27 percent protection against all three strains ? but again, for the most dominant virus it was only 9 percent effective. On the upside, for people in their 50s and early 60s, protection against the worst virus was actually 50 percent.

Q: Can't we make a better vaccine?

A: Researchers are working on it. There is a higher-dose version for older people, but it's not clear how widely available it was and the study of vaccine effectiveness was too small to show whether it made a difference.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-02-21-US-MED-Flu%20Vaccine-QandA/id-35d6c95e2e9a4dc3a685fbfd7022da3b

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