LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Visual-effects workers have already taken to the streets outside the Oscars to protest the layoffs and bankruptcies roiling their industry. Now they're taking the message to Facebook and Twitter in a series of coordinated protests.
To show their solidarity, they are plastering their social media pages with blank green screens. It's a demonstration of what effects-heavy films would look like if there were no longer artists and designers to create elaborate digital worlds and jaw-dropping action sequences.
The color green is not an arbitrary choice. Films like "Life of Pi" and "Avatar" were largely shot against a green screen, with designers creating the backdrops in post-production.
The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Rhythm & Hues Studios this month combined with DreamWorks Animation's decision to cut about 350 jobs or 15 percent of its staff have drawn together a diffuse group of artists and technicians. They believe that studios' thirst for lucrative tax subsidies from countries like Canada and the United Kingdom and the cheaper labor offered in Asia are pushing more and more jobs abroad.
It's also causing highly respected California-based shops like Rhythm & Hues, which was part of the team that won an Academy Award on Sunday for its work on "Life of Pi," to the brink of ruin.
"I hope the protest will result in better treatment of VFX artists," Andrew Hawryluk, a freelance visual-effects artist, told TheWrap. "I consider myself one of the lucky ones to be currently employed, treated very well and paid on time, but there are many VFX workers out who slave away on major projects (with budgets worth hundreds of millions of dollars) for months on end with 80+ hour work weeks, no overtime compensation, and from what I gather from the community, many instances of top companies never paying workers after the projects are over and the freelancers are let go."
The online agitation comes days after roughly 400 protestors rallied outside the Dolby Theater on Sunday where the Academy Awards were being held to protest the financial turmoil many effects companies are experiencing. Their signs carried messages such as "respect for vfx" and "we want a piece of the Pi," according to a report in Variety.
Inside the theater, "Life of Pi" triumphed over the competition to pick up the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. However, the orchestra played over Bill Westenhofer, one of the members of the winning team, as he tried to make a point about the dangers that Rhythm & Hues' failure poses for Hollywood.
Backstage, freed of the time constraints applied to a globally broadcast awards show, he was able to expound on his fears about the bankruptcy filing.
"We're not technicians ... we're artists, and if we don't do something to change the business model, we might lose some of the artistry," Westenhofer said.
Guest Blogger #876, Entry #2143, February 26, 2013
One of the latest trends in home upgrades revolves around creating outdoor rooms that extend your square footage and thus, your livable space. This often includes planning and building an outdoor retreat complete with dedicated seating areas (a patio or deck festooned with comfortable furnishings), a cooking center (whether it?s just a grill or an entire island), ample lighting, water features, and flora and fauna that provide a screen from the neighbors and a treat for the senses. It may sound like a pretty tall order, but when you?re lounging in your chic backyard sipping Mai Tais with the ladies or beers with the bros, you?re going to appreciate the extra ?room? a lot more. And there are several elements you can include to make the space functional and unique. So if you?re waffling on whether or not to add a?gazebo, here are a few benefits you may not have considered.
The first and best reason to install a gazebo in the backyard is to provide protection from the elements. No matter what type of climate you live in, there are bound to be times when you?d like to enjoy the outdoors without having to worry about an assault by the sun or rain. A gazebo won?t stop strong winds or snow flurries from getting in, but if you want a shady vantage from which you enjoy the beauty of your yard during the summer, or if you enjoy drinking your coffee and reading the paper outdoors, even when it?s sprinkling, a gazebo can offer you the shelter you need to make the most of your outdoor space.
2. Kiddie play room.
There are times when every parent has to shove the kids out the door in order to get some stuff done in the house. Having a gazebo in the backyard can give your kids a suitable place to play that protects them from the elements. And you can fix it up in a number of appealing ways. You might train vines up the lattice sides of the structure to create a hidden fort in which kids can have their imaginary adventures. Or you could furnish the space with a table, chairs, and storage for supplies so that kids can get crafty without making a huge mess where you just cleaned indoors.
3. Set dressing.
If you entertain family, friends, and colleagues frequently or you?re planning to host some fancy events in the future (weddings, birthday parties, and the like) you?ll certainly get plenty of use out of your gazebo. It not only provides shelter and utility, but it?s also a beautiful set dressing that can act as a focal point and make any celebration more glamorous.
Any permanent structure you add to your property has the potential to raise the value, especially if it is utilitarian. And while you might not see a huge return on investment by adding a gazebo to your backyard, it could definitely act as a selling point for interested buyers down the road.
For more outdoor home ideas on Stagetecture, click here.
Don't worry if Dubai-based smartphone maker i-mate had slipped your mind. The business unceremoniously collapsed back in 2009 after allegedly suffering a "major fraud" that led it to fire all of its employees. Fortunately, CEO Jim Morrison is back with a new mobile device that, he claims, runs full-fat Windows 8 in the same way that Ubuntu for Android will behave. The i-mate Intelegent is a 4.7-inch handset running the desktop OS on a Clover Trail CPU with 2GB RAM and 64GB storage. The secret, however, is that the $750 handset will slot into a Webtop-esque desktop dock to become your work machine when you get into the office. Morrison has said that there's a factory in California ready to produce 10,000 units a week, and told the Seattle Times that he'd be showing off the device here at MWC. We can't find it on the exhibitor list, but we're about to go hunting...
There have been rumors that Samsung's new flagship Galaxy phone was not one for Mobile World Congress, but would instead have its own gala on March 14th. We'd heard reports earlier today confirming the date, but now Samsung has made it social media official. Get ready. More »
Breakthrough camera to improve detection of blinding eye disease and diabetes Public release date: 26-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephen Davis s.davis@brienholdenvision.org 61-293-857-356 Brien Holden Vision Institute
The most advanced technology for use in real-time detection and assessment of common blinding eye disease and general health disorders will soon be available to the world
26 February 2013, Sydney, Australia: The most advanced technology for use in real-time detection and assessment of common blinding eye disease and general health disorders will soon be available to the world with stimulus funding provided for development by the Australian Government's CRC Program. The imaging technology of the breakthrough retinal camera is being developed by the Vision Cooperative Research Centre (Vision CRC) based in Sydney with international partners in Australia, US, China, India and Africa.
The world's first intelligent retinal camera will accurately and rapidly detect and eventually diagnose sight-threatening conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. The camera is being designed for ease of use in the most extreme environments so that it can be used by technical support staff and in the most remote and under-served locations, especially to close the gap in eye health in Australian Aboriginal communities.
CEO of Vision CRC and Brien Holden Vision Institute, Professor Brien Holden said today, "Medical devices of this nature are typically researched for use in affluent populations and aimed at high-end commercial returns. This Intelligent Retinal Camera (IRC) system will apply high resolution, multispectral imaging in an economic but high technology instrument that will be affordable and therefore accessible both in remote communities and in community health locations and professional offices throughout the world.
"Living in remote communities seriously disadvantages patients through lack of access to optometrists and ophthalmologists. The IRC will detect, measure and assess the potential for blinding disease thus preventing lengthy delay in getting treatment to those in need in marginalised communities. Aboriginal communities will be among the first to experience and benefit from this technology thanks to the funding from the Australian Government recently announced and the partnership with Aboriginal researchers and community health experts."
"Having spent the last 20 years researching and bringing to market and communities around the world, solutions for correcting refractive error, we are delighted that the Australian Government is backing our plan to piggyback onto the systems developed to deliver vision correction, the capacity to simply and effectively detect and manage blinding eye disease through retinal image analysis," Professor Holden said.
The imaging technology was first designed and developed by Professor Tom Cornsweet, a medical technology veteran and icon based in Arizona, US, in a social enterprise company Quantum Catch LLC that focuses on the design, manufacture, and sale of affordable, high-quality, user friendly automatic medical devices for detection and screening of diseases. At a crucial stage of development of the retinal camera the Fred Hollows Foundation provided funding grants.
"The Vision CRC program has done what CRCs do best bringing Australian and world leading scientists, technologists, engineers, social scientists and business people together to advance the social and economic benefit of Australia and the world," said Professor Holden.
"In this case it is a real dream team. We have brought together Tom Cornsweet, CEO Peter Galen and the team at Quantum Catch; world leading vision technologist, Professor Ho from the Brien Holden Vision Institute; the Institute's Public Health Division led by Amanda Davis in Sydney and Professor Kovin Naidoo from Durban, South Africa; the immense database and clinical research genius of Professor Mingguang He, from China's leading ophthalmology research Institute, the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Centre; our long-standing colleagues at the LV Prasad Eye Institute in India; and the best Australia has to offer through the Centre for Eye Research Australia's Professor Jonathan Crowston; Aboriginal eye health expert Professor Hugh Taylor; Sandra Bailey, CEO the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW and new participant Ninti One; all in one team to help unlock the future of health diagnostics.
"This is especially exciting as it is intended that post-CRC the infrastructure and systems will be in place to develop further diagnostics for many of the most difficult and intractable general health and eye conditions," he added.
###
EDITORS' NOTES
Vision CRC is one of Australia's most successful research organisations at taking innovations to a world market and transforming lives; the CRC and its predecessors having generated over AU$1.25 billion in research funding and earned over AU$230 million in royalties. To learn more go to: www.visioncrc.org
The Brien Holden Vision Institute is a world leading science, technology, education and licensing not-for-profit organisation. To learn more go to: www.brienholdenvision.org
Quantum Catch LLC is a start-up limited liability company registered in Delaware with a research and prototyping laboratory located in Prescott, Arizona. Quantum Catch Corp. is a newly registered US organisation in which Brien Holden Vision Institute became the majority share holder to cement the company's on-going commitment to affordable, socially beneficial, high quality technology infrastructure for health care for all people.
Media Contact: Stephen Davis M: +61 450 661 695 E: s.davis@brienholdenvision.org
Hi res IMAGES available
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Breakthrough camera to improve detection of blinding eye disease and diabetes Public release date: 26-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephen Davis s.davis@brienholdenvision.org 61-293-857-356 Brien Holden Vision Institute
The most advanced technology for use in real-time detection and assessment of common blinding eye disease and general health disorders will soon be available to the world
26 February 2013, Sydney, Australia: The most advanced technology for use in real-time detection and assessment of common blinding eye disease and general health disorders will soon be available to the world with stimulus funding provided for development by the Australian Government's CRC Program. The imaging technology of the breakthrough retinal camera is being developed by the Vision Cooperative Research Centre (Vision CRC) based in Sydney with international partners in Australia, US, China, India and Africa.
The world's first intelligent retinal camera will accurately and rapidly detect and eventually diagnose sight-threatening conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. The camera is being designed for ease of use in the most extreme environments so that it can be used by technical support staff and in the most remote and under-served locations, especially to close the gap in eye health in Australian Aboriginal communities.
CEO of Vision CRC and Brien Holden Vision Institute, Professor Brien Holden said today, "Medical devices of this nature are typically researched for use in affluent populations and aimed at high-end commercial returns. This Intelligent Retinal Camera (IRC) system will apply high resolution, multispectral imaging in an economic but high technology instrument that will be affordable and therefore accessible both in remote communities and in community health locations and professional offices throughout the world.
"Living in remote communities seriously disadvantages patients through lack of access to optometrists and ophthalmologists. The IRC will detect, measure and assess the potential for blinding disease thus preventing lengthy delay in getting treatment to those in need in marginalised communities. Aboriginal communities will be among the first to experience and benefit from this technology thanks to the funding from the Australian Government recently announced and the partnership with Aboriginal researchers and community health experts."
"Having spent the last 20 years researching and bringing to market and communities around the world, solutions for correcting refractive error, we are delighted that the Australian Government is backing our plan to piggyback onto the systems developed to deliver vision correction, the capacity to simply and effectively detect and manage blinding eye disease through retinal image analysis," Professor Holden said.
The imaging technology was first designed and developed by Professor Tom Cornsweet, a medical technology veteran and icon based in Arizona, US, in a social enterprise company Quantum Catch LLC that focuses on the design, manufacture, and sale of affordable, high-quality, user friendly automatic medical devices for detection and screening of diseases. At a crucial stage of development of the retinal camera the Fred Hollows Foundation provided funding grants.
"The Vision CRC program has done what CRCs do best bringing Australian and world leading scientists, technologists, engineers, social scientists and business people together to advance the social and economic benefit of Australia and the world," said Professor Holden.
"In this case it is a real dream team. We have brought together Tom Cornsweet, CEO Peter Galen and the team at Quantum Catch; world leading vision technologist, Professor Ho from the Brien Holden Vision Institute; the Institute's Public Health Division led by Amanda Davis in Sydney and Professor Kovin Naidoo from Durban, South Africa; the immense database and clinical research genius of Professor Mingguang He, from China's leading ophthalmology research Institute, the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Centre; our long-standing colleagues at the LV Prasad Eye Institute in India; and the best Australia has to offer through the Centre for Eye Research Australia's Professor Jonathan Crowston; Aboriginal eye health expert Professor Hugh Taylor; Sandra Bailey, CEO the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW and new participant Ninti One; all in one team to help unlock the future of health diagnostics.
"This is especially exciting as it is intended that post-CRC the infrastructure and systems will be in place to develop further diagnostics for many of the most difficult and intractable general health and eye conditions," he added.
###
EDITORS' NOTES
Vision CRC is one of Australia's most successful research organisations at taking innovations to a world market and transforming lives; the CRC and its predecessors having generated over AU$1.25 billion in research funding and earned over AU$230 million in royalties. To learn more go to: www.visioncrc.org
The Brien Holden Vision Institute is a world leading science, technology, education and licensing not-for-profit organisation. To learn more go to: www.brienholdenvision.org
Quantum Catch LLC is a start-up limited liability company registered in Delaware with a research and prototyping laboratory located in Prescott, Arizona. Quantum Catch Corp. is a newly registered US organisation in which Brien Holden Vision Institute became the majority share holder to cement the company's on-going commitment to affordable, socially beneficial, high quality technology infrastructure for health care for all people.
Media Contact: Stephen Davis M: +61 450 661 695 E: s.davis@brienholdenvision.org
Hi res IMAGES available
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
My Quantity a single FSBO Tip? Never sell it oneself! A ?FSBO,? or house ?for sale by owner? can sell quick, and for as considerably as it would have if listed with a real estate agent. Often - but not typically. Take into account the following ten points.
1. Purchasers operate with agents. Most appear at MLS listings. Sell it your self, and they will not see or hear about your property. How do you uncover that ?proper? purchaser or get best dollar when you happen to be invisible to most of the marketplace? sponsors
two. Your FSBO will get decrease offers. Naturally, the buyer thinks you are going to take less because you?re saving the commission! Save a $ten,000 commission, get $10,000 significantly less - where?s the advantage in that?
3. Advertising is expensive. The expenses the real estate workplace normally pays are yours if you sell it yourself. How considerably could you commit on ads if it requires a a year to sell?
four. They have the resources. And you don?t. Agents have books of sold properties to appear at, for instance, to figure out the best price for your home. You can dig via county records, but you do have to worth your time too, correct?
five. They know the market. What is the target marketplace for your residence? Young couples, retirees? What features do they want? You must know these factors prior to you write your advertisements. An knowledgeable genuine estate salesperson will know.
six. They know the laws. What about written disclosures, and who pays for the real estate transfer tax? When you sell it your self you do not get to ignore the laws.
7. Are you a excellent salesperson? Can you create rapport and effectively answer objections? Could your defensiveness scare off a buyer who criticizes your house? Believe back on your own purchases, and you will understand that a good salesperson makes a distinction.
eight. Paperwork. Will you help the buyer appropriately fill out an offer you to buy? An agent would. Do you have the other closing documents ready?
9. Agents negotiate for you. When did you final find out a new negotiating technique? Can you counter-offer you with out scaring off a purchaser? A great salesperson is educated in these abilities.
10. You might not save something. The documents, newspaper marketing, indicators for the yard - it is all your expense when you sell it your self. After your tough work, you might get low gives and negotiate poorly. Honestly, sellers usually net significantly less money from the sale when they attempt to save the commission.
Most ?FSBO? sellers ultimately turn to a real estate agent for aid. You could discover the items an agent does, but is it worth it to commit all that time and perhaps not even save any cash? Never sell it oneself unless you genuinely know what you are doing. That?s my quantity one particular FSBO tip.
In: Aparitii editoriale | | Link ????? 16 vizualizari
The launch of Nvidia's new GeForce GTX Titan graphics card has lit a fire underneath multiple boutique computer manufacturers. Falcon Northwest has built a new version of its Mach V desktop tower?the Mach V (Triple Titan)?to take advantage of the Titan's capabilities, with support for up to three of the new graphics cards and a six-core Intel Core i7 3970X CPU overclocked to 4.7GHz. The system's price tag as configured was $7,394. Yes, you read that right. The three graphics cards account for about $3000 of the eye-popping figure; this much power doesn't come cheap. The system's performance blew away the competition for the most part, setting a new standing for PC gaming. Thus, the Mach V (Triple Titan) takes the Editors' Choice for high-end gaming rigs.
Design and Features
The Mach V uses the same vertical chassis design as the Maingear Shift Super Stock (Core i7-3930K) ($5289 4.5); both cases orient video cards and components upwards to take advantage of the fact that hot air naturally rises. From the outside, the chassis design is simple, even understated, but the hardware inside the box is some of the most powerful that money can buy. There's 32GB of DDR3-1866 RAM, the aforementioned Intel Core i7-3970X, and a 256GB Crucial M4 SSD, backed up by a 2TB Western Digital Caviar Green hard drive. The entire system is powered by a 1200W PSU; optical storage comes courtesy of a 16x Asus DVD-RW drive.
The disadvantage to this triple-GPU configuration is that the GPUs consume every available slot; there's literally no room for any additional hardware. Falcon Northwest makes up for the lack of free PCI-Express ports with a whopping nine USB 2.0 ports and six USB 3.0 ports. Two of the latter are mounted at the top of the case for convenient access while working.
The vertical design presents two other challenges. First, a desk that's designed to exhaust hot air at the back may end up trapping that air if the system exhausts at the top. Second, there's the cabling issue. If you don't have many external drives or peripherals, the Mach V presents a very clean, crisp profile. Add three monitors' worth of cables, a few external drives, and a keyboard + mouse, and the top of the system looks like a rat's nest.
The trade-off is that cooling performance is typically better in a vertical case?and with three GPUs and a 4.7GHz overclocked CPU, the Mach V needs to balance cooling performance and noise. It does so quite well. The next-generation GPU Boost technology built into the Titan family keeps each GPU's temperature pegged at 80C. Customers can override this manually if they wish, but the system automatically adjusts frequencies to ensure that even a three-GPU system runs no risk of overheating.
Performance
The three Titan graphics cards are the showcase of the system and its strongest point. The Mach V (Triple Titan) sweeps even the Maingear F131 Super Stock (GTX Titan) in our 3D benchmark tests. Its 3DMark 11 Extreme score of 12,505 is 18% faster than the previous record-holder ? the Falcon Northwest Mach V (Intel Core i7-3770K), which was equipped with a pair of dual-GPU GTX 690s (four GPUs in total). In Aliens vs. Predator at 1,920-by-1,080 with 4x anti-aliasing (AA) and 4x anisotropic filtering (AF) turned on, the Mach V (Triple Titan) turned in 222 frames per second (fps) compared with the dual-Titan-equipped Maingear F131's 182fps. Performance in version 3.0 of Unigine's Heaven benchmark test at 1,920-by-1080 with 4x AA / AF was 198fps, compared to 155fps for the Maingear F131.
In other areas, the Maingear F131 and Mach V (Triple Titan) came in neck and neck. Both systems completed a Handbrake decode in 23 seconds. The Maingear F131 led in PCMark 7 (6,523 vs. 6,241 for the Mach V) and in Photoshop CS6 (2 minutes, 35 seconds to apply a dozen filters, vs. the Mach V's time of 2:41). The Mach V (Triple Titan) outperformed Maingear F131 in Cinebench, where the hexa-core 3970 got to stretch its legs. The multithreaded Cinebench R11.5 score for the Mach V (Triple Titan) was 13.62. Only the Origin Genesis (Core i7-3930K), with its 4.9GHz CPU, was faster.
Those performance figures provide an accurate model of how the Falcon-Northwest compares to other gaming systems. What they don't explain is how Falcon and its boutique competitors have leveraged the new cards to create better gaming experiences. We had the opportunity to test the Mach V in a 5,760-by-1,080 configuration across three 27-inch displays. A standard 1,920-by-1,080 display contains two megapixels? 5,760-by-1080 more than triples that, to 6.2MP. For comparison, 2,560-by-1,600 is 4 MP.
Yes, three GTX Titan GPUs pushing nearly 200fps in Heaven is impressive. What's more impressive yet is seeing the Mach V (Triple Titan) maintain 90fps in the same benchmark test when running across three displays at once. It's not a capability that's limited to synthetic benchmark tests?while multi-monitor gaming is still not standard, many recent titles like Shogun 2, Serious Sam BFE, World of Warcraft, and Batman: Arkham City all support it.
With three GTX Titan GPUs, the Falcon Northwest Mach V (Triple Titan) is capable of fielding game experiences that other configurations don't offer. Serious Sam BFE at 5,760-by-1,080 with 4x super-sampled AA, 16x AF, and all GPU and CPU options set to maximum, for example, still maintains a consistent 75fps.
The three-monitor experience isn't perfect?the view on the side panels is often distorted and, in some games, magnifies the landscape and enemies to appear closer than they are. Despite these flaws, multi-monitor gaming support is growing, and the immersion in these games is superior to single-panel play. Game for a few hours across three monitors, and you'll find that dropping back to one is jarring.
That said, what's also jarring is the Mach V (Triple Titan)'s price tag. At $999 each, there's no such thing as a cheap Titan GPU, but gamers who are interested without having quite that much scratch to spare should consider a single GPU configuration built around one of Falcon's lower-cost alternatives like the Tiki or FragBox.
If you've got the funds, this is an excellent system. It's a configuration that can handle multi-monitor gaming, 3D gaming, or both without breaking a sweat. Given the strength of the underlying hardware, this Mach V could be the center of a gaming platform for years to come. Buyers who prefer to buy a high-end system and use it for a number of years rather than upgrading on a regular basis should give the Mach V (Triple Titan) serious consideration. Of course, if you want to use this to replace the high-end gaming rig you bought last year because that system was the "fastest," that's also your prerogative. Regardless, with its record-breaking performance, triple-monitor capability, and smart power-saving functionality, the Falcon Northwest Mach V (Triple Titan) earns our Editors' Choice for high-end gaming desktops.
More Desktop Reviews: ??? Falcon Northwest Mach V (Triple Titan) ??? Zotac ZBox Nano AD12 Plus ??? HP Pavilion 20-b010z ??? HP Envy Phoenix h9-1320t ??? Dell Inspiron One 23 ?? more
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Lyoto Machida took a split decision over Dan Henderson in the co-main event at UFC 157 on Saturday. The judges saw it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Machida.
Machida was elusive as usual in the first round, but Henderson was able to sneak in and land a few kicks and punches. At the end of the round, Machida took Henderson down with a leg trip and landed strikes.
The second round showed Machida still being elusive and keeping his distance from Henderson. Machida tried for a front kick several times, but couldn't land it. Meanwhile, Henderson couldn't land much.
Henderson is known for his big, overhand punches. Most of the time, when he throws it, it can mean the end of a fight. However, he had trouble getting close enough to Machida for the overhand to work.
In the third round, Machida moved in for a takedown but ended up with Henderson on top. Henderson used elbows from the top, but Machida was able to get out with less than two minutes left in the fight.
Before the fight, UFC president Dana White said that the winner of this bout will get the next title shot. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will put the title up against Chael Sonnen in April, but the next fight will likely go to Machida.
Machida was once the UFC light heavyweight champion, but lost the title to Rua in 2010. Since then, he has wins over Randy Couture and Ryan Bader, but losses to current champion Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson. It will be his third chance at the light heavyweight title. He won it with a knockout of Rashad Evans in 2009, but lost to Jones in 2011.
Henderson had a long layoff between fights. His last bout was one of the best in MMA history. In November of 2011, Henderson defeated Mauricio Rua in a five-round decision. Since then, Henderson had a fight lined up with Jones in September, but had to pull out at the last minute because of a knee injury. His record falls to 29-9. He's 42 years old, and against Machida, looked slow and old for the first time in his career.
The Lord Mayor was greeted by HE Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of TDIC and Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), alongside TDIC's senior management.
Sheikh Sultan expressed the significance of cultural exchange between the UAE and the world as Saadiyat contributes a major part in this aspect through its world-class museums, such as the Zayed National Museum being developed in collaborations with the expertise of the British Museum.
The Lord Mayor visited Saadiyat Construction Village and expressed his admiration over this high-quality, modern community project designed to international standards, which TDIC opened in 2009, to accommodate construction workers employed on Saadiyat's developments.
The Lord Mayor met with construction workers as he toured the various state-of-the-art social, recreational and educational facilities. With a capacity to accommodate up to 20,000 workers, Saadiyat Construction Village has become an exemplifying model in the region especially for its broad range of conveniences, such as multilingual libraries, computer and Internet access, gymnasiums, and floodlit sporting area with four cricket pitches, basketball court and tennis court.
During the visit the Lord Mayor of London, said, "I was extremely impressed by the facilities at Saadiyat Construction Village. It's now a model of best practice in supporting workers who are doing a fantastic job in helping Saadiyat Island to become a centre for tourism, culture and leisure facilities."
The Lord Mayor also toured Manarat Al Saadiyat's exhibition, 'The Saadiyat Story', which depicts the development of island as it emerges as an unparalleled international destination of cultural, tourism and residential offerings.
During the tour he received an update on the Saadiyat Cultural District which will also be home to other cultural projects, including Guggenheim Abu Dhabi museum, a performance arts centre, and Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, where construction work is well underway following the recent appointment of a contractor in January 2013.
The visit by the Lord Mayor of London helped to further enhance the links between the City of London and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi - with a particular focus on how the City can support projects such as those being developed by TDIC.
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) -- North Korea will soon allow foreigners to tweet, Skype and surf the Internet from their cellphones, iPads and other mobile devices in its second relaxation of controls on communications in recent weeks. However, North Korean citizens will not have access to the mobile Internet service to be offered by provider Koryolink within the next week.
Koryolink, a joint venture between Korea Post & Telecommunications Corporation and Egypt's Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding SAE, informed foreign residents in Pyongyang on Friday that it will launch a third generation, or 3G, mobile Internet service no later than March 1.
The announcement comes just weeks after North Korea began allowing foreigners to bring their own cellphones into the country to use with Koryolink SIM cards, reversing a longstanding rule requiring most visitors to relinquish their phones at customs and leaving many without easy means of communication with the outside world.
The two changes in policy mean foreigners in North Korea will have unprecedented connectivity while living, working or traveling in a country long regarded as one of the most isolated nations in the world.
However, wireless Internet will not yet be offered to North Koreans, who are governed by a separate set of telecommunication rules from foreigners. North Koreans will be allowed to access certain 3G services, including SMS and MMS messaging, video calls and subscriptions to the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper ? but not the global Internet.
The lack of Internet access in North Korea has put the country at the bottom of Internet freedom surveys. Though North Korea is equipped for broadband Internet, only a small, approved segment of the population has access to the World Wide Web.
During a visit to Pyongyang early last month, Google's executive chairman pressed the North Koreans to expand access to the Internet. Eric Schmidt noted that it would be "very easy" for North Korea to offer Internet on Koryolink's fast-expanding 3G cellphone network.
"As the world becomes increasingly connected, the North Korean decision to be virtually isolated is very much going to affect their physical world and their economic growth," he wrote in a Jan. 20 blog post after returning to the United States. "It will make it harder for them to catch up economically. It is their choice now, and in my view, it's time for them to start, or they will remain behind."
Soon after Schmidt's visit, Google unveiled maps of North Korea with more details based on contributions from foreigners using satellite images and publicly available information to map the country. Before, North Korea was left mostly blank in Google Maps but with the update, Pyongyang and major North Korean cities are shown with street names, parks, roads, train stops and monuments.
Cellphone use has multiplied in North Korea since Orascom built a 3G network more than four years ago. More than a million people are now using mobile phones in North Korea, where the network now covers most major cities, according to Orascom.
Chinese-made Huawei cellphones sold by Koryolink are not cheap, with the most basic model costing about $150, and the governments restricts North Koreans from phoning abroad or foreigners from their cellphones. Still, mobile phones have become a must-have accessory among not only the elite in Pyongyang but also the middle class in cities such as Kaesong and Wonsan.
Foreigners, meanwhile, can now purchase SIM cards at the airport or at Koryolink shops for 50 euros ($70). Calls abroad range from 0.38 euros a minute to Switzerland and France and more than 5 euros a minute to the U.S. Calls to South Korea remain prohibited.
Starting next week, foreigners will be allowed to purchase monthly mobile Internet data plans for use with a USB modem or on mobile devices using their SIM cards. Prices for the service haven't been announced yet.
The expansion of cellphone and Internet services ? at least for foreigners ? comes as North Korea promotes the development of science and technology as a means of improving its moribund economy.
Late leader Kim Jong Il was revealed to have been a Mac user. His Macbook Pro, or a replica, is enshrined at the Kumsusan mausoleum where his body lies in state.
Current leader Kim Jong Un, meanwhile, was shown in a recent photo with a more mobile computing accessory: a smartphone.
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Follow AP's bureau chief for Pyongyang and Seoul at www.twitter.com/newsjean
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (AP) - Truckers nationwide have railed against a Warner Robins ordinance aimed at banning long-term parking in city lots.
Warner Robins City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday banning trucks from parking for more than two hours without permission from the owner of the lot. Truckers are federally ordered to take 10-hour rest breaks and the city is home to several large industrial companies and a military base.
Councilman Mike Brashear and other city officials told the Telegraph of Macon they've received messages from concerned truckers from across the country looking to weigh in on the ordinance.
City officials say the ordinance stemmed from concerns over prostitution and public nuisances. Business owners say that hasn't been a problem.
City officials say they will reach out to truckers at a council meeting Tuesday.
FATAL-CHATHAM CRASH
2 killed in Chatham County crash
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Police in Chatham County say Interstate 516 has reopened in both directions after a deadly crash.
The highway was shut down for more than three hours after a crash that left two people dead Friday afternoon.
Police spokesman Julian Miller says a pickup truck crossed the center line and hit three vehicles - including a motorcycle.
Police say a child and two adults were hospitalized with serious injuries. Authorities have not released the names of the people who died in the crash.
The cause of the crash is unclear and the accident is under investigation.
LOWES STABBING
Ga. man sentenced in Lowe's stabbing
MACON, Ga. (AP) - The Houston County District Attorney's office says a man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for shoplifting and stabbing a Lowe's employee.
Judge George Nunn sentenced 63-year-old Robert Alvin Broady Friday on charges of aggravated assault and shoplifting.
The man is eligible for parole and is ordered to serve seven years of probation after begin released.
The Telegraph of Macon reports Broady and a co-defendant, Alfred Thomas - who was sentenced to 30 years in prison - had stolen cordless drill from the store several times before the stabbing in February of 2012.
Police have said Broady pulled a knife on an employee and stabbed him in the chest before the two fled the scene. Tips from the public led to their arrest.
CHARLTON-MOTEL FIRE
Ga. officials rule arson in Folkston motel blaze
FOLKSTON, Ga. (AP) - The state Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner has ruled that an arsonist destroyed a motel in south Georgia.
Commissioner Ralph Hudgens says the blaze at the Relax Inn in Folkston originated in an empty storage room around 7 p.m. Thursday.
The fire gutted the building and the roof collapsed. Officials say rewards of up to $10,000 may be given for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
Hudgens says first-degree arson is a felony punishable by between one and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
Folkston is about 45 miles northwest of Jacksonville, Fla.
EMORY PRESIDENT-SLAVERY
Emory president's essay draws criticisms
ATLANTA (AP) - The president of Emory University is taking heat from faculty after he wrote an essay citing the three-fifths compromise on slaves as an example of finding common ground in politics.
A faculty group has voted to censure Emory President James Wagner and students are planning a protest next week. Wagner was writing about the value of finding common ground when he mentioned the compromise of 1787. The compromise allowed states to count three-fifths of the slave population toward representation in Congress, giving southern states more power.
Wagner later wrote an apology, saying he was sorry for the hurt caused by not communicating his beliefs more clearly. In the apology, he said he considers slavery to be heinous and inhuman.
DEKALB SCHOOLS-PROBATION
Gov. Deal to decide fate of school board members
ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is set to announce whether he'll suspend members of the DeKalb County School Board.
Deal is set to make a decision Monday. During a roughly 14-hour hearing Thursday, the Georgia Board of Education voted to suspend 6 of 9 school board members. Suspensions were not recommended for the board's three newest members, who were hired after problems within the district began surfacing.
An audit of the school system found evidence of fiscal mismanagement and unethical practices. In a report, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools officials said despite attempts, costs and resources used to change the board's culture, the effort appears to have been a waste.
The school system was put on probation through the end of 2013 and risks losing accreditation.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
4.15 pm: Ashwin to Henriques, out Lbw!! Hitting Henriques' back leg and Ashwin provides the much needed breakthrough. He gets his 6th wicket too. A flighted delivery turning in from outside off, Henriques lunges out to play a hard sweep but misses. The ball strikes the back thigh in front of off stump and Marais Erasmus thinks for a bit before raising his finger. End of an excellent knock on debut from Henriques. Henriques lbw b Ashwin 68(132) [4s-5] Live Score
3.15 pm: Ravindra Jadeja and Ishant Sharma brought into the attack as Clarke and Henriques dig in their heels. Australia are currently at 266/5.
2.15 pm: Ashwin was the star for India in the session once again but Australia have managed to hang in thanks to the vital 62 run stand between Clarke and Henriques. The former, though lucky to still be batting, has batted well and will be the key to Australia's fortunes. There is a lot on offer for the spinners on the pitch and it is bound to be a very interesting contest. Join us for the last session in just a short while. Live Commentary
12.45 pm: Ashwin to Wade, out Lbw!! Five for the home boy. It's his 6th five-fer in Tests. Wade is disappointed. It was nicely tossed up from round the wicket, it pitches on middle, turns a shade and strikes Wade in front of middle and leg. Wade did have a good stride forward but Dharmasena decides to go with the bowler after a long thought. Wade lbw b Ashwin 12(35) [4s-1]?
12.28 pm: Ashwin to David Warner, out Lbw!! What a game Ashwin is having already. This looked plumb too. It was pushed through quick and sliding on straight from round the wicket. Warner was caught in the crease again and pays the price for it. The ball skids through and strikes Warner low on the front pad in front of middle stump. Ashwin has picked 4/31 so far and has put India firmly on top. Warner lbw b Ashwin 59(93) [4s-6] 5 most famous India wins over Australia
12.15 pm: Ashwin to Shane Watson, out Lbw!! Watson looks disappointed but it was plumb otherwise. No bat on that show the replays. This one slid on low and hit Watson on the front pad and in line with the off stump. Definitely going on to hit middle and off too. Ashwin is elated and rightly so. He's having a good first Test at his home ground. It's just the start India needed after lunch. Shane Watson lbw b Ashwin 28(60) [4s-3] .?
Leg Spinner R Ashwin has had a brilliant day with 5 Aussi scalps
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11.45 am: The Aussies should be pretty happy with the position they are in. The openers came out and showed no signs of nervousness. They were confident and went hard at every bad delivery. Ashwin's entry provided lethal break-throughs. Warner, who was a little edgy to start with, capitalised on the life Sehwag provided by dropping him at first slip. He reached his 6th Test fifty and motored along with Watson who looked very solid at the other end. The wicket is offering turn and bounce. It will be interesting to see how it behaves as the day progresses. The match will resume at 12.10 pm.? 5 ugliest India-Australia cricket moments
10.40 am: Wicket No. 2 for Ashwin, and it's more to do with the batsman's error and the pitch this time around. The ball turned across and stayed low, Hughes was looking to crack that through the off-side, stretched and played away from the body with minimum feet movement, gets a thick inside edge, the ball pitches and goes back to hit the leg stump. This is a Day 1 wicket, imagine how tough it will be for the batsmen as the game progresses.?
10.15 am: Ashwin claims Ed Cowan scalp. Excellent bowling and superb wicket keeping by MS Dhoni gives India a much needed break-through. Ashwin deceived the batsman in the air, he stepped down again looking to go big, the ball turned across sharply and there was some extra bounce too, Dhoni was ready for it this time around, shows quick reflexes and whips the bails in a flash to send the danger man Cowan back to the hut. Ed Cowan st Dhoni b Ashwin 29(45) [4s-4 6s-1]?
9.35 am: Ed Cowan and David Warner are the openers for Australia. Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus are the umpires for today's game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened India's attack.
9.00 am: The first Test match between India and Australia saw the visiting side winning the toss and electing to bat.
Clarke: "We're definitely going to bat first. The wicket looks extremely dry. I don't think we can prepare a practice wicket this dry. The conditions are very different from what we come across in Australia. We have a young team and that's the challenge. I hope we can put on a good performance with the bat. The people in Chennai have looked after us like gold, we've had great practice wickets here. As announced earlier, we are just going with one spinner in Lyon and three pacers."? Why Sachin can play for 7 more years
Dhoni: "We would have batted as well. If it turns from Day 1, toss will not have much of an impact but it would have been good to bat first. The preparation has been good. We had a couple of days of practice in Bangalore and here in Chennai. We got the center wicket practice which we love a lot. We have put in a lot of effort and hope it shows. We have a good mixture of youngsters and experienced players. Shikhar Dhawan, Dinda, Ojha and Rahane are not playing today."
Australia (Playing XI): Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke(c), Matthew Wade(w), Moises Henriques, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon?
Photos posted to a Chinese Internet forum of what appears to be the back casing of a future iPad Mini are leading some to speculate that the next version of Apple's smaller tablet may have a Retina display.
On the forum, the images show what seems to be an iPad Mini rear casing with a blue Apple logo and the word "iPad" in blue. Current iPad Minis, Apple Insider points out, have either black or silver detailing.
But the photos also seem to show that the casing is thicker than the one used for the current-generation iPad Mini, and that's led to theories that, because the full-size Retina-quality iPad was thicker than its non-Retina predecessor, the next Mini will also have an upgraded display.
This, of course, would be just the latest fodder for those who think Apple will release an iPad Mini with a Retina display. Rumors to that effect began appearing just days after the first version of the device went on sale. In November, the Chinese-language DoNews site reported that iPad Mini display maker AUO was working on a 2,048x1,536-pixel resolution display for the next iteration of the device.
And more recently, there's been talk in Asia that if Apple does release an iPad Mini with a retina display, the tablet would carry a higher price than the original model.
TORONTO (Reuters) - The main Canadian stock index rose on Friday as heavyweight energy shares climbed with oil prices and financial stocks were up ahead of their earnings season, and the index ended the week with a slight gain despite sharp mid-week falls.
Canadian banks rode higher on broadly positive sentiment for equities. Their quarterly earnings season starts next week, and some investors expect dividend increases.
"Banking stocks, for the most part, are on the positive side," said Fred Ketchen, director of equity trading at ScotiaMcLeod. "There has been some speculation that a couple of the banks will be increasing their dividend."
Bank of Nova Scotia gained 0.7 percent to C$60.34, Royal Bank of Canada added 0.4 percent to C$64.22, and Bank of Montreal was up 0.6 percent at C$63.09.
The energy sector gained as the price of crude oil rebounded after two days of heavy losses.
Suncor Energy Inc had the single biggest positive effect on the index, moving 1.4 percent higher to C$31.95.
"We may be reinitiating the uptrend," said Douglas Davis, chief executive at Davis-Rea. "Possibly it's just a bounceback after two bad days, but it doesn't look like that."
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.gsptse> bounced off a five-week low hit on Thursday, and ended up 61.66 points, or 0.49 percent, at 12,701.63. It notched a gain of 0.12 percent for the week.
Davis said the beaten-down oil and gas sector might win back favor as problems getting Canadian oil to market dissipate with increased rail volume and the likelihood of a U.S. government green light for the Keystone XL pipeline project to carry crude from the Alberta oil sands to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
"If Keystone stumbles, we stumble ... but I would bet on it going through," he said.
The index's gain echoed moves in U.S. and European markets, although Canadian miners bucked the trend, with heavy selling in fertilizer companies in particular. <.n><.eu/>
Fertilizer producer Agrium Inc was the heaviest weight on the index, down 5.2 percent at C$103.14.
Agrium reported record high fourth-quarter profit after normal trading hours on Thursday but was hurt by an analyst downgrade of many of the leading names in the fertilizer sector, including Potash Corp , which fell 1 percent to C$39.96.
The market mostly brushed off data that showed the Canadian economy registered its lowest inflation in more than three years in January and its largest drop in retail sales in almost three years in December.
"I don't see anything that is really outstanding on the positive side...when you look at things going on in the Canadian economy," ScotiaMcLeod's Ketchen said.
Congrats to Terrance and Gina who were both baptized this weekend at the Hazel Dell Campus!? So amazing to hear their stories and see the change that Jesus is done in their lives!? My favorite part is that neither of them who say they have it all together and that is exactly what baptism is?a declaration of a dependence on God, not an arrival at perfection.? Any time you are ready to make that declaration, sign up to be baptized at www.coffeechurch.com.? We?ll fill the hot tub and make it happen!? Pictures coming soon!!
I got to introduce Lorraine, 94 years old, and Loretta, 91 years old, to each other on Sunday.? Both of them attend our church with their grandkids?isn?t that SO cool?? God changes lives and hearts and that impacts GENERATIONS!? As the first Christian in my family, it is not lost on me that my grandkids will be different because of my decision to follow Jesus.
The 3-5th Grade boys had a Nerf Gun War Party after church on Sunday.? Awesome young men!!!!
We are looking forward to next Sunday for our Annual Celebration Meeting.? It?s a great time to get to hear about all that God is doing at our church!? We are meeting at Hazel Dell at 4:00 pm and Battle Ground at 7:00 pm.? You are welcome to attend either campus (or both!) as the information will be the same, although campus specific staff will be sharing at their campus only (ie, Kim will share about Kid City at HD and Vanessa at BG).??Everyone will be sharing on behalf of the church as?a whole!??We?ve had a couple of people ask why we don?t have one meeting.? Short answer:? we don?t fit in one building at one time.? That?s a good problem!??This solution?of two meetings also alleviates some drive time for most people, which is a good deal!
If you have a preschool age student, we will be opening registration for the North Creek Learning Center on March 1.? This?week day preschool is located at our Battle Ground location and has been an asset to?the community for?17 years.? We look forward to continuing on?with the?legacy passed along to us!??More info to come soon!
As a church?the challenge has been set before us to memorize a chapter in the book of James?are you up for it?? I?took on?chapter 5?if you choose that chapter, start in the middle and work backwards.? The first?few verses are a tongue twister and it?s discouraging!? It?s easier to get some success under your belt and then tackle the rest.? Here?s a good life lesson: do hard things.??it?s worth the work!? The easy way will probably not help you to?grow and become all that God has for you!? P.S.? Our Kid?s pastors are encouraging all the?K-5th graders to memorize James 1.? I?m pretty confident that the kids will be amazing at?it!!!
I love how Jesus changes lives!
I hope that this week brings about a new resolve in your heart to be unstoppable for Him.? Be blessed!
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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Lyoto Machida took a split decision over Dan Henderson in the co-main event at UFC 157 on Saturday. The judges saw it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Machida.
As a church?the challenge has been set before us to memorize a chapter in the book of James?are you up for it?? I?took on?chapter 5?if you choose that chapter, start in the middle and work backwards.? The first?few verses are a tongue twister and it?s discouraging!? It?s easier to get some success under your belt and then tackle the rest.? Here?s a good life lesson: do hard things.??it?s worth the work!? The easy way will probably not help you to?grow and become all that God has for you!? P.S.? Our Kid?s pastors are encouraging all the?K-5th graders to memorize James 1.? I?m pretty confident that the kids will be amazing at?it!!!