Germany moves to dilute criticized 'Google law' - The Local

Germany?s ruling centre-right coalition is set to water down proposed legislation that would force internet search engines and news aggregators like Google to pay publishers for displaying snippets of their content.

The law regulating so-called ancillary copyright (Leistungsschutzrecht), which is scheduled to pass parliament on Friday, would no longer apply to extremely short passages.

?Single words or the smallest text excerpts? would be exempt from the law, Manuel H?ferlin, internet expert for the Free Democratic Party, told the DPA news agency late on Tuesday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition of Christian and Free Democrats proposed the Leistungsschutzrecht law to ensure press publishers were fairly compensated for their content, for example when a short summary of a news article appears on search engines or news aggregators.

But critics of the bill have dubbed it the ?Lex Google? because they say Germany?s beleaguered publishers are hoping to milk the successful US internet giant.

The company has mounted vigorous opposition to the legislation, saying content providers benefitted from traffic directed from snippets on its search engine and Google News.

?It was important to me to find a solution that allows the display of search results without making a visit to the original site superfluous,? H?ferlin said.

The VDZ and BDZV publisher associations reacted coolly to the proposed changes to the bill.

?We assume the ancillary copyright law first and foremost creates the legal foundation for press publishers to protect the work of publishers and journalists in the digital age,? they said in a joint statement.

Google had no immediate comment on the matter.

DPA/The Local/mry

Source: http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20130227-48211.html

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Fujitsu Arrows X F-02E hands-on: a powerhouse flagship with a 1080p display

We'll get this out of the way upfront: you will probably never be able to buy this phone. And by "you" we mean the American consumer. The Arrows X F-02E will, at least for the immediate future, be a NTT DoCoMo only device. But, now that you know not to get your hopes up, lets get a feel for just what you'll be missing. Fujitsu's waterproof flagship is powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core Tegra 3 and 2GB of RAM. And that horsepower is put to good use pushing pixels to a brilliant five-inch 1080p display. We'd stop short of saying its the best phone screen we've seen, but it's definitely in the running. Colors are bright, text is crisp and viewing angles need to be seen to be believed. Thankfully, all that lovely screen real estate isn't being eaten up by some insanely outdated version of Android. On board you'll find Android 4.1.2 -- not the latest and greatest, but at least it's Jelly Bean.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Xu_rUALmTZI/

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Words to Leave off Your R?sum

When it comes to looking for a job, what you don't say can be just as important as what you do say. Here are nine phrases and words to leave off your r?sum?.

Try ??

Try simply shows a lack of belief, passion, commitment, and confidence ? all the qualities you need to succeed in today's tight job market. While try is the most dangerous word that an employee or job seeker can use in the workplace, there are certainly other danger words that also indicate negativity, uncertainty or controversy at work and can also doom your chances of getting (or keeping) a job. ? Brad Hoover, CEO of Grammarly

Clich?s ???????????????

Don't use common buzzwords?such as innovative, team player and results-oriented. These and others are so overused that they're now seen as clich?s and have lost their impact altogether. Rather, list specific accomplishments. Instead of saying you have extensive experience in sales, note that you've worked in sales for 10 years, hit your quota the last 12 quarters and note specific deals you've closed. As a hiring manager I want real details of past jobs, such as how many people you supervised or specific ways you helped increase profitability.? Darnell Clarke, author of self-published "Employmentology: A Practical Systematic Methodology of Finding Employment by a Hiring Manger"

References available upon request
When it comes to developing a strong r?sum?, there are many words and phrases which shouldn?t be included in this professional document. One of the most outdated happens to be the phrase: "references available by request." You?re not doing yourself a favor by wasting precious space on your r?sum? to include a phrase that is clearly understood by hiring managers and recruiters. If a hiring manager is interested in contacting your references, they will request the information from you. ? Heather Huhman, founder and? president of?Come Recommended

Irrelevant and outdated experience

Oftentimes I will see candidates that still have their high school work experience on their r?sum?. This is a huge mistake since it looks like the candidate is reaching for items to include on their r?sum?. Rather, include any recent projects that challenged you and include a similar skill set for the position you are applying for. ? Patrice Rice, CEO and founder of Patrice & Associates

Objective

Candidates should never put an objective on their r?sum?. Their objective is to get the job. It has been my experience that hiring managers simply do not care about a job seeker's objective. What they want to see are your skills and experience. ? Stefanie Carrabba, senior consultant at Eliassen Group

Responsibilities include

In today's tough job economy job seekers need r?sum?s that are leaner and cleaner than ever before, so they command the attention of busy hiring personnel. This is why the phrase "responsible for'' should never occur in a r?sum?. This tired and completely impractical expression is going to be translated into completely average at and will most certainly cause hiring managers to toss the r?sum? aside. Wasting prime r?sum? real estate with basic tasks, duties, or responsibilities is a sure way to harm a job search since nobody is interested in reading a career obituary of basic requirements. ? Adrienne Tom, founder and certified professional resume writer (CPRW) at Career Impressions

Vague claims

I was going through a large number of r?sum?s last week for a search project that I am working on and about 75 percent of the candidates had the phrase "transformational leader'" on their r?sum?. No explanations of how they were transformational or what that meant. That phrase is overused and doesn't specifically mean anything that translates to a specific experience. My recommendation is to remove this from your r?sum? and more specifically describe the skill set. ? Kimberly Bishop, founder and CEO of Kimberly Bishop Executive Recruiting

Love

As in I'd love to work for a company. I see it all the time when people ask me to take a look at their r?sum? and/or cover letter. You love your significant other, your kids, your family. You shouldn't put love on a cover letter or r?sum?! ? Dayna Steele, speaker and author of "101 Ways to Rock Your World" (iUniverse 2012)

Qualitative descriptions

I would leave off any qualitative description that is not accompanied by an example or metric. Some of the words job seekers use in a summary that are glossed over such as seasoned, experienced, creative and innovative. Just give me years of experience and what exactly did you start or improve. ?? Caroline Ceniza-Levine, career and business expert at SixFigureStart

This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow David Mielach on Twitter @D_M89 or BusinessNewsDaily @bndarticles. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/words-leave-off-r-sum-141545023.html

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Griner, No. 1 Baylor women rout Oklahoma 86-64

Baylor guard Alexis Prince drives down the court against Oklahoma during the first half of a NCAA Women's basketball game in Norman, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Baylor guard Alexis Prince drives down the court against Oklahoma during the first half of a NCAA Women's basketball game in Norman, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Oklahoma's Joanna McFarland (53) and Nicole Griffin (4) defend as Baylor forward Brittney Griner (42) looks to pass during the first half of a NCAA Women's basketball game in Norman, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Baylor guard Alexis Prince (12) drives to the basket around Oklahoma guard Morgan Hook (10) during the first half of a NCAA Women's basketball game in Norman, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Baylor forward Brittney Griner, back, shoots over Oklahoma forward Joana McFarland and Aaryn Ellenberg during the first half of a NCAA Women's basketball game in Norman, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) ? Brittney Griner scored 15 points, tied her season-high with 15 rebounds and blocked seven shots to lead top-ranked Baylor to its 25th straight victory, 86-64 Monday night against Oklahoma.

After sitting out the last 11? minutes of the first half with two fouls, Griner returned and hit the first two baskets in a 10-0 run that pushed the Lady Bears' lead out to 47-30. Baylor (27-1, 16-0 Big 12) led by at least 12 the rest of the way,

Griner moved past Connecticut's Maya Moore into fourth in career scoring in women's basketball. Only Jackie Stiles of Missouri State, Patricia Hoskins of Mississippi Valley State and Lorri Bauman of Drake have more than Griner's 3,045 points.

Aaryn Ellenberg had 19 points to lead Oklahoma (19-9, 9-7). Morgan Hook had 15 points and nine turnovers. The Sooners' two post players, Nicole Griffin and Joanna McFarland, combined to go 4 for 23 from the field.

After watching her team's lead shrink from 16 to four while she was out, Griner quickly put the Lady Bears back in control as the national player of the year is accustomed to doing.

Campbell had a pair of baskets during a string of eight straight Oklahoma points that got the deficit down to 57-45 midway through the second half, but Griner stopped the surge with a turnaround jumper in the lane. She also had a layup to start an 8-0 response by the Bears that restored the lead to 69-48.

Destiny Williams chipped in 16 points and Odyssey Sims had 13 points and six assists.

The Lady Bears stumbled with six turnovers in the first 5 minutes, then cleaned up their act to put together a 13-0 run that included a 3-pointer, a fast-break layup and a jumper from the left block by Jordan Madden for a 19-4 edge with 13:25 to go in the first half. But Griner picked up her second foul about 2 minutes later, and coach Kim Mulkey put her on the bench for the rest of the half.

Griner fouled out for just the second time in her college career in the first meeting between the teams this season, even though the Bears were already firmly in control by then, and Mulkey took no chances putting her back in.

About 30 seconds after Griner's second foul, frontcourt partner Brooklyn Pope was called for charging for the second time and also came out.

Baylor didn't make a basket for the first 5 minutes after Griner exited, and Oklahoma took advantage of seldom-used substitutes Kristina Higgins and Sune Agbuke to go on a 14-2 run to get the deficit down to 24-20. Even then, Mulkey didn't make a move to bring Griner back in, and instead it was freshman Alexis Prince that scored eight points over the final 4 minutes of the half to keep the Bears in front 37-30 at halftime.

Oklahoma fell to 0-16 against No. 1 teams.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-25-BKW-T25-Baylor-Oklahoma/id-ca9c49bec56c4dcb8c515ce402651b01

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How to Smile Naturally For Photographs

Looking happy in a photograph is a tall task for many people. But don't worry, because this little video will teach you how to look naturally cheery whenever somebody points a camera your way. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/oFR5bJy9PH0/how-to-smile-naturally-for-photographs

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Slickdeals' best in tech for February 25th: Canon EOS 6D bundle and Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13

Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.

Ready your wallets, folks, because we've got a slew of stellar picks to start the week. A Canon EOS 6D bundle and Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 make it through the vetting process while a Dell monitor and 55-inch Samsung 3D HDTV also get the call. The full list awaits past the break alongside links that are eager to accept your funds.

Filed under: Cameras, Displays, Gaming, Home Entertainment, Laptops

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Source: Slickdeals

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/qDYj2dGHvdw/

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News360 v3.0: a big update to the popular app

News360 chooses to sidestep other apps that focus on social news recommendations, and instead offers user-focused content generation from a wide variety of sources. The aim is to provide multiple angles to the same story, which is said to offer a well-rounded experience. The app continues to offer the same feature set as before, but is now wrapped in a much more attractive user interface.

Hang with us after the break and see if the redesigned News360 is still a compelling news reader option.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/RaxRe-OSQI0/story01.htm

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TokBox?s WebRTC-Based Video Chat Platform Now Supports Firefox Nightly And Aurora

TokBox, the live video-chat platform that was acquired by Spain’s Telef?nica in 2012, was one of the first companies to fully bet on WebRTC (the Web Real-Time Communication API), the quickly developing standard for plugin-free, in-browser video, audio and text chat. After launching its Chrome integration earlier this year, TokBox today debuted its support for Mozilla’s Firefox, starting with the bleeding-edge Aurora and Nightly editions of the popular browser. Now that TokBox supports Firefox, developers using its WebRTC-based?OpenTok platform can write video-enabled apps that allow for chats between users on iOS, Chrome and Firefox. With WebRTC now being part of Firefox’s early-release?versions, users can expect to see it in the stable version of Firefox somewhere around version 21 or 22 (the stable channel is currently on version 19). As TokBox CEO Ian Small told me last week, his company started working with Mozilla around last November. His team received early access to Mozilla’s WebRTC implementations and worked closely with the team there as Mozilla stabilized its own implementations of the standard. TokBox’s OpenTok platform ensures that developers don’t have to worry about the different WebRTC implementations on different browsers. The platform will also provide numerous additional services that a native WebRTC app doesn’t provide, including, for example, broadcasting to a large group of viewers and video recording. OpenTok, the company says, is currently being used by more than 70,000 organizations, including the likes of Major League Baseball, Ford, Bridgestone and the remote presence startup Double Robotics. “Between Firefox 21 and Chrome 25,” Small told me, “we now have what appears to be a reasonably stable interop situation.” WebRTC, he argued, is still “in its infancy.” The native version in the browser can be used to connect two people, but the standard doesn’t offer features like letting developers connect more than two people at a time or even record sessions. Based on TokBox’s experience with WebRTC, Small also believes that the spec should accommodate alternative video codecs besides the Google-backed VP8 format. In addition, he argues that bandwidth allocation, which would allow apps to devote more bandwidth to the speaker, for example, should be part of the standard. Despite these issues, however, Small believes that WebRTC will see “serious pickup” in the second half of this year, especially now that most of the key mobile and desktop platforms support it.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/VFApXVe796I/

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Was the Flurry of Space Rocks a Coincidence—or a Swarm?

Are we in a "meteor swarm?" The short answer is yes. But it's a bit misleading to put it that way, because "yes" is the normal state of affairs.

The pass of the one-half-football-field-size asteroid 2012 DA14 and the explosion of a meteor 20 to 30 miles above Chelyabinsk, Russia?both on Feb. 15?seems to have been a mere coincidence. What made them unusual is that we happened to notice both of them?the asteroid because amateur astronomers looked at just the right place at the right time, the meteorite because it was large enough to do some damage over a populated area.

Harry "Hap" McSween is a professor of planetary sciences at the University of Tennessee, a co-investigator for NASA's DAWN asteroid-encountering spacecraft, and a leading authority on meteorites. He estimates that thousands of meteorites strike Earth every year. "Most of them are small and they land in the ocean," he tells PM. That stands to reason, since 70 percent of Earth's surface is ocean. There the meteors go unnoticed. "Even the ones that go over continents... many of them burn up in the atmosphere, and then the ones that fall on land, most of them we never find," McSween says. "They're typically small rocks, things like a baseball. They just don't do damage unless they happen to hit a structure."

Sky surveys like the one that found 2012 DA14 en route to Earth last year are continuing to demonstrate just how crowded space around Earth really is, particularly with smaller space rocks. "Most of the bodies that are discovered are more like a kilometer or half a kilometer," McSween says. The smaller ones typically don't get spotted until they are relatively close?if they're seen at all.

Scientists aren't actually sure how large the Russian meteor was before it broke up. "I have heard a number of different estimates," McSween says. "I haven't heard any credible estimates yet." According to John Lewis, professor emeritus of planetary sciences at the University of Arizona and asteroid specialist, how a space rock behaves when it hits our atmosphere?whether it breaks up or lands partially or fully intact, and how much damage it does when it gets to Earth?is a function of its composition as well as its size.

Asteroids composed mainly of metal do the most damage, while the more common rocky ones typically don't get close to the ground intact. McSween figures the Chelyabinsk object was probably of the latter type. "I presume it's a chondrite," he says, "but that's just a guess based on the fact that those are the overwhelming majority of objects to fall." McSween calls chondritic asteroids and meteorites "kind of a cosmic sediment" composed of dust and larger particles clumped together. These are presumed to be the leftovers from the formation of the solar system. "It is common for these bodies to break up during atmospheric passage," he says.

Enterprising locals are apparently picking pieces of the rock that exploded over Chelyabinsk and offering them for sale; McSween is not sure what scientific survey and analysis of the fragments might be under way in Russia. Nor can scientists be sure why Chelyabinsk exploded and created a damaging shockwave over Russia that shattered glass. "It kind of surprised me that it was such a big shock effect," McSween says. "I can understand the noise"?the expected result of a meteor rapidly decelerating in the atmosphere?"but knocking out all those windows was pretty impressive."

As for the near-Earth asteroids that are even bigger than Chelyabinsk, McSween says, "I suspect we've not found more than half." He says a lot more needs to be done to find them, given the risk they pose to planet Earth. "I can't think of anything that might make the world's nations work together than finding a way to avoid annihilation."

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/was-the-flurry-of-space-rocks-a-coincidence-or-a-swarm-15142514?src=rss

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Syria rebels fight for police academy near Aleppo

In this Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 photo, Syrian refugee girls carry over their heads buckets of water as they walk at Atmeh refugee camp, in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, Syria. This rebel-controlled camp only yards from the border with Turkey houses some 16,000 people displaced by the civil war. But the U.N. and other major aid agencies best equipped to handle such a large-scale relief agency cannot reach them because they are inside Syria. That leaves the job to smaller organizations who can only provide a fraction of the needs. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

In this Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 photo, Syrian refugee girls carry over their heads buckets of water as they walk at Atmeh refugee camp, in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, Syria. This rebel-controlled camp only yards from the border with Turkey houses some 16,000 people displaced by the civil war. But the U.N. and other major aid agencies best equipped to handle such a large-scale relief agency cannot reach them because they are inside Syria. That leaves the job to smaller organizations who can only provide a fraction of the needs. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

In this Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 photo, Syrian refugee women, wash their laundry in front of a Turkish military base, seen in the background, at Atmeh refugee camp in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, Syria. This rebel-controlled camp only yards from the border with Turkey houses some 16,000 people displaced by the civil war. But the U.N. and other major aid agencies best equipped to handle such a large-scale relief agency cannot reach them because they are inside Syria. That leaves the job to smaller organizations who can only provide a fraction of the needs. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian activists say rebel fighters have launched a fresh offensive on a government complex near the embattled northern city of Aleppo.

The director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, says the complex includes a police academy and several smaller army outposts in charge of protecting it west of the city.

Rebels have been trying to storm the strategic installation for months. They were shelling the facility with tanks on Sunday, but remain outgunned by the regime which has responded with airstrikes, Abdul-Rahman said.

The rebels control large swaths of land outside Aleppo and whole neighborhoods inside the city, which has been a major battlefield in civil war since July.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-24-ML-Syria-/id-725fda071bd2422eacd348d8d8deb9fc

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Best apps to help you prepare your taxes

Melanie Pinola , Lifehacker ? ? ? 11 hrs.

Question: I'm getting ready to do my taxes soon and would like to know if there are any good mobile apps or websites that will make this less painful and stressful (besides the obvious tax prep tools, of course). Help me get all the stuff I need organized!

Answer: Ah, tax season. Just the thought of it gives some of us headaches. The good news is there are lots of free and inexpensive apps and tools that can greatly simplify this awful process, from getting organized to filing your return. Here's what we recommend.

Get your tax documents in order

If you have an uncomplicated return (one W2, for example, and take the standard deduction), congratulations: You don't have to worry much about organizing your tax records. For everyone else, though, managing the piles of receipts and other documents is a big part of the pain. Several apps can help with that.

Evernote: The Swiss Army knife of note taking and capture tools, Evernote excels at keeping your documents categorized into notebooks. You can set up a tax notebook and then either sub-notebooks or tags for different categories like income statements, interest earned, charitable contributions, and the like. Combine Evernote with compact scanner Doxie or ScanSnap, and you can quickly file your receipts in Evernote. Another strategy is to use webapp automation serviceIFTTT to automatically send any emails you tag in Gmail with a tax label to your Evernote tax notebook. Handy!

Shoeboxed: If scanning and managing all those papers isn't your thing, take a look at receipt scanning solution Shoeboxed. As we've previously mentioned, you can mail, email, or upload your receipts to Shoeboxed and they'll OCR and categorize the documents for you. You can export those receipts to popular tax programs, as well as Evernote, and mobile apps are available. A free account lets you store 5 documents per month, while premium plans starting at $9.95 give you more capacity.

Slice: Slice is a brilliant receipt and package tracking webapp and mobile app. It scans your Gmail for receipts and gives you an overview of your entire purchase history. Last year, I used the convenient listing to find tax-deductible receipts I had forgotten about.

Expensify (pictured right): If you can take deductible expenses like car mileage and meals and entertainment expenses when you travel for business, Expensify has your back. The mobile apps and web receipts extension capture all those stray receipts and attachments and can turn them into IRS-approved eReceipts. It's a great app for independent contractors.

Your personal finance program and financial accounts: Of course, don't forget to consult your personal finance tool, such as popular Mint or Quicken to see spending by category and find all those deductible expenses. Both can port your information to TurboTax.

Also, your year-end statements from your credit card or bank can also come in handy if you're hunting down your tax-related expenses. (American Express has an awesome searchable and sortable view of statements by category.)

TaxCaster by TurboTax (pictured right): Want a sneak peek at how much of a refund (or tax bill) you'll get this year? This free tax refund calculator will estimate your taxes based on your quick inputs. It's available online, for Android, and for iOS.

Bloomberg BNA Quick Tax Reference: This app for Android,iPhone, and BlackBerry gives you instant access to tax rates and other handy information, such as IRA limits, mileage rates, and more. It's developed for financial professionals, but also offers useful tools like quickly calculating your total tax.

TaxACT Central: A companion app to the popular, free tax filing service, TaxACT Central can answer your tax questions and keep you organized, with a convenient checklist of what you need to file. You don't have to use TaxACT for filing to make use of the Android or iPhone app.

File your taxes and monitor your refund

We generally recommend going to a tax professional unless you have a very simple return. If yours isn't complicated, though, mobile and desktop apps can streamline filing your return and tracking your refund.

TurboTax SnapTax (pictured right): You can file your taxes in as little as ten minutes using this simple Android and iPhone app. Snap a photo of your W2, answer a few questions, and file right from the phone or online. (Isn't the future great?) This app is only for those who: make under $100,000 ($120,000 if married); only have W2, interest, or unemployment income; and don't own a home. Free to try, but $24.99 to file both federal and state.

H&R Block also offers mobile tax apps. The 1040EZ for Smartphone prepares your simple federal and state returns for free on Android and iPhone. There's also a iPad app not limited to 1040EZ returns, with free federal filing for simple returns and an additional fee for state filing.

Of course, both of these tax services (and many others) have desktop and/or webapps. Not all tax preparation software will give you the same results, though.ConsumerSearch has rounded up reviews of the top four tax prep applications, and Get Rich Slowly has an excellent (yet older) price comparison of these solutions and services.

IRS2Go: From Uncle Sam himself, IRS2Go doesn't let you file taxes from the Android oriPhone apps, but you can check the status of your refund, get tax law updates, request a copy of your tax records in the mail, and watch IRS YouTube videos. (Perhaps not the most exciting download, but we are talking about the IRS and taxes here.)

Grab these apps and put them in a new tax organization folder and you'll be set for this tax season and beyond.

More from LifeHacker:

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/best-apps-help-you-prepare-your-taxes-1C8506274

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LSU's Bennie Logan says the hard work and dedication is just beginning for him now that he's at the NFL combine: Video

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How dangerous are near-Earth asteroids? 5 key questions answered.

On Feb. 15, asteroid 2012 DA14, discovered a year ago, cleared Earth by a scant 17,200 miles. The same day, a smaller, unrelated asteroid that no one saw coming exploded 12 to 15 miles above Russia?s Chelyabinsk region. The shock wave shattered windows, injuring more than 1,000 people. Events that day highlight the risk that near-Earth objects (NEOs) can pose ? although to some extent, humans can counter them.

- Pete Spotts,?Staff writer

This image shows a simulation of asteroid 2012 DA14 approaching from the south as it passes through the Earth-moon system, last Friday. (JPL-Caltech/NASA/AP)

1. What are near-Earth objects, and how big are they?

NEOs are asteroids and comets whose orbits bring them close to Earth. They range in size from about three feet to several miles across. The asteroid or comet that punched a 110-mile-wide crater in the Yucat?n Peninsula 65 million years ago, doing in the dinosaurs, has been estimated at six miles across.

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Ford putting the 'stock' back in stock car racing

Paul A. Eisenstein , The Detroit Bureau ? ? ? 33 min.

What is today one of the most popular sporting events in America has some humble roots, NASCAR tracing back to the days when moonshiners would tune up their cars to outrun the ?revenuers? and then give each a challenge to see who was fastest.

But the days when the familiar sporting event could claim to field ?stock cars? is long past. When NASCAR organizers began ordering the switch to the so-called ?Car of the Future,? a few years back, the design may have been safer and better on track, but about the only thing it had in common with the cars of today were decals designed to make it look, sort of, like the Fords, Chevrolets and Toyotas you?d find in a showroom.

That triggered a backlash from fans, something that was measurable in both race attendance and TV viewership, and it has forced NASCAR and its teams to do a little soul-searching ? as Ford is demonstrating with its latest stock car entry which actual shares at least a few body panels with an actual Fusion sedan.

The Detroit Bureau: Spy Shots: Prepping the Next Ford Mustang

?This is a day so many of us at Ford and Ford fans have been waiting for,? said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. ?When we first unveiled the 2013 NASCAR Fusion in Charlotte in January 2012, we said we wanted to help return the ?stock car back to NASCAR.? Without question, with this car, we have.?

The high-dollar motorsports league isn?t totally returning to its roots. You won?t see bootleggers out on the track, and under the skin the new cars are still what NASCAR refers to as the ?Gen 6? race car. But manufacturers now can customize 13 individual exterior surfaces to bring the look and shape of their entries a bit closer to their production models ? without having to resort to lame tricks like decaled headlamps.

Ford experimented with the idea of going back to stock car design in the secondary Nationwide racing series several years ago and ?saw the exciting reaction from the fans, and even from people who didn?t follow NASCAR,? said Allison, adding that it showed the maker that ?We were on the right track,? quite literally.

The Detroit Bureau: 200 mph, $200,000 Bentley Flying Spur

Ford has spent about two years developing the new NASCAR Fusion, revealing it to NASCAR and its team members in June 2011 and then giving the new design a public preview in January 2012 at the Detroit Auto Show. It has continued tinkering with the car, focusing especially on aerodynamics as that can make or break the chances of a race car moving at 200 mph.

The Fusion will make a high-profile racing debut at this coming weekend?s opening NASCAR race at the Daytona International Speedway. It will face a tough challenge from Chevrolet, notably from the GoDaddy.com team led by Danica Patrick who has become the first woman ever to land the pole position in the historic race.

But Ford is confident it won?t be embarrassed, the new NASCAR Fusion being used by such prestige tames as Roush Fenway Racing, Penske Racing, Wood Brothers Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, Germain Racing and Front Row Motorsports.

The Detroit Bureau: Chinese May Take Over Plug-in Hybrid Maker Fisker

Ford cars have taken the checkered flag at three of the last four Daytona races.

The decision to go with the new design isn?t altruistic. While Ford officials may appreciate NASCAR heritage they also want to maintain the popularity of the sport ? and hope that this spills over to their brand. In recent years, it?s become less clear that the old adage, ?Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,? still holds true.

Nonetheless, ?We know nearly 40 percent of new car intenders are race fans, and of those, almost 84 percent follow NASCAR,? said Allison. ?Racing helps drive our business. We know Ford race fans consider, shop and buy more Fords than the general public. So bringing back this kind of relevancy to NASCAR is the X factor.?

Incidentally, while cars like the Gen 6 Fusion may look more like street models then they have in some years, don?t expect to find one at the showroom. Under the skin they use an entirely different sort of construction ? as you?d expect of vehicles that often tangle with one another at well into triple-digit speeds. Even the engines are unique. NASCAR only last year began using a version of fuel injection, for example, a technology that the last U.S. street vehicle abandoned in the early 1990s. But the Sprint Cup cars still feature live rear axles and four-speed gearboxes, technologies generally considered way out of date.

Copyright ? 2009-2012, The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/ford-putting-stock-back-stock-car-racing-1C8452388

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Ex-Canada ambassador slighted by Affleck's "Argo"

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012 file photo, former Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor and his wife Pat, pose for photographers at the premiere of the film Argo in Washington. Taylor, Canada's former ambassador in Iran, who protected Americans at great personal risk during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979, says if "Argo" wins the Oscar for best picture on Sunday there would be something wrong with director Ben Affleck if he didn't mention Canada, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012 file photo, former Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor and his wife Pat, pose for photographers at the premiere of the film Argo in Washington. Taylor, Canada's former ambassador in Iran, who protected Americans at great personal risk during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979, says if "Argo" wins the Oscar for best picture on Sunday there would be something wrong with director Ben Affleck if he didn't mention Canada, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

TORONTO (AP) ? The Canadian former ambassador to Iran who protected Americans at great personal risk during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis says it will reflect poorly on Ben Affleck if he doesn't say a few words about Canada's role if the director's film "Argo" wins the Oscar for best picture Sunday.

But Ken Taylor ? who said he feels slighted by the movie because it makes Canada look like a meek observer to CIA heroics in the rescue of six U.S. citizens caught in the crisis ? is not expecting it.

"I would hope he would. If he doesn't than it's a further reflection," Taylor said. "But given the events of the last while I'm not necessarily anticipating anything."

Taylor kept the Americans hidden at the embassy in Tehran and facilitated their escape by getting fake passports and plane tickets for them. He became a hero in Canada and the United States after. The role he played in helping the Americans to freedom was minimized in the film.

"In general it makes it seem like the Canadians were just along for the ride. The Canadians were brave. Period," Taylor said.

Affleck's thriller is widely expected to win the best-picture trophy. Two other high-profile best-picture nominees this year, Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" and Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," have also been criticized for their portrayal of some factual issues.

Affleck said in a statement Friday night he thought his issue with Taylor had been resolved.

"I admire Ken very much for his role in rescuing the six houseguests. I consider him a hero.?In light of my many conversations as well as a change to an end card that Ken requested I am surprised that Ken continues to take issue with the film," he said in a statement. "I spoke to him recently when he asked me to narrate a documentary he is prominently featured in and yet he didn't mention any lingering concerns.?I agreed to do it and I look forward to seeing Ken at the recording."

Taylor noted that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter appeared on CNN on Thursday night and said "90 percent of the contributions to the ideas and the consummation of the plan was Canadian," but the film "gives almost full credit to the American CIA."

Carter also called "Argo" a complete distortion of what happened when he accepted an honorary degree from Queen's University in Canada in November.

"I saw the movie Argo recently and I was taken aback by its distortion of what happened because almost everything that was heroic, or courageous or innovative was done by Canada and not the United States," Carter said.

Taylor said there would be no movie without the Canadians.

"We took the six in without being asked so it starts there," Taylor said. "And the fact that we got them out with some help from the CIA then that's where the story loses itself. I think Jimmy Carter has it about right, it was 90 percent Canada, 10 percent the CIA."

He said CIA agent Tony Mendez, played by Affleck in the film, was only in Iran for a day and a half.

The movie also makes no mention of John Sheardown, a deputy at the Canadian embassy who sheltered some of the Americans. Taylor said it was Sheardown who took the first call and agreed right away to take the Americans in. Sheardown recently died and his wife, Zena, called the movie disappointing.

Friends of Taylor were outraged last September when "Argo" debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. The original postscript of the movie said that Taylor received 112 citations and awards for his work in freeing the hostages and suggested Taylor didn't deserve them because the movie ends with the CIA deciding to let Canada have the credit for helping the Americans escape

Taylor called the postscript lines "disgraceful and insulting" and said it would have caused outrage in Canada if the lines were not changed. Affleck flew Taylor to Los Angeles after the Toronto debut and allowed him to insert a postscript that gave Canada some credit.

Taylor called it a good movie and said he's not rooting against it, but said it is far from accurate.

"He's a good director. It's got momentum. There's nothing much right from Day 1 I could do about the movie. I changed a line at the end because the caption at the end was disgraceful. It's like Tiananmen Square, you are sitting in front of a big tank," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-23-Canada-Argo%20Slight/id-244998ce05c44a6aa87166bc7f0656c6

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US troops in Niger to set up drone base

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama said Friday that about 100 American troops have been deployed to the African nation of Niger. Two U.S. defense officials said the troops would be setting up a base for unarmed drones to conduct surveillance.

Obama announced the deployment in a letter to Congress, saying that the forces "will provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali, and with other partners in the region."

The move marks a deepening of U.S. efforts to stem the spread of al-Qaida and its affiliates in the volatile region. It also underscores Obama's desire to fight extremism without involving large numbers of U.S. ground forces.

The drone base will allow the U.S. to give France more intelligence on the militants its forces have been fighting in Mali, which neighbors Niger. Over time, it could extend the reach not only of American intelligence-gathering but also U.S. special operations missions to strengthen Niger's own security forces.

One of the two U.S. defense officials who discussed the development confirmed the American troops would fly drones and other surveillance platforms from Niger military airstrips, tracking militant and refugee movement inside Mali and around the border. The U.S. will share that intelligence with Niger's military, the official said.

Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the project.

The drones at the Niger base will be unarmed and used for surveillance, not airstrikes. Still, the development of a base in Niger raises the possibility that it could eventually be used for launching strikes.

Obama said in his letter to Congress that the U.S. forces have been deployed with the consent of Niger's government. The forces were also deployed with weapons "for their own force protection and security," the president said.

Last month, the U.S. and Niger signed a status-of-forces-agreement spelling out legal protections and obligations of American forces that might operate in Niger in the future.

Africa is increasingly a focus of U.S. counterterrorism efforts, even as al-Qaida remains a threat in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere. Last month's terrorist attack on a natural gas complex in Algeria, in which at least 37 hostages and 29 militants were killed, illustrated the threat posed by extremists who have asserted power propelled by long-simmering ethnic tensions in Mali and the revolution in Libya.

A number of al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremist groups operate in Mali and elsewhere in the Sahara, including a group known as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, which originated in Algeria and is active in northern Mali. Last month, French forces intervened to stop the extremists' move toward Mali's capital, and Washington has grown more involved by providing a variety of military support to French troops.

France has said it will eventually pull out of its Mali operation so that African forces can help stabilize the West African country.

___

AP Intelligence Writer Kimberly Dozier contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-22-US-Niger/id-d99f2870140c4e94a5e840a1987a81d3

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Miramar military working dogs take over The Great Escape

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. ? He assisted in the arrests of more than five people and more than 100 narcotic detections. He participated in more than 1,000 training sessions during his five-year duty here with the Provost Marshal?s Office Kennel.

Meet Lutyo, a military working dog and a 7-year-old German Shepherd.

?[Lutyo is] great,? said Cpl. Nicholas Aguirre, Lutyo?s handler and a Banning, Calif., native. ?He has a great drive and is one of the hardest hitting dogs at the kennel. I?ve been working with him for a month now, trying to build a good rapport, to show him that he can trust me, and so I can trust him.?

With this kind of professional animal, good rapport can mean a world of difference ? especially when the dog is as enthusiastic about his work as his handler.

?Lutyo is very strong, independent and he?s one of our better dogs,? said Officer Eric Vega, a handler with the PMO Kennel and an Anaheim, Calif., native. ?Drugs or bombs, Lutyo is really confident of his abilities. He doesn?t need constant reassurance from his handler like some other dogs do and that proves how confident he is.?

In combination with Lutyo?s hard working nose and Aguirre?s know how, some problems just don?t stand a chance. This duo?s ability showed during a narcotic detection exercise at The Great Escape, Feb. 13.

?It was no surprise when Lutyo breezed through the problem we had for the dogs and handlers,? said Vega. ?He puts out 110 percent effort every single time, and so does Cpl. Aguirre.?

During the training, Aguirre and Lutyo searched for the scents of drugs they would look for when called while on patrol. Training like this is necessary to keep dogs and handlers from losing their abilities, explained Vega.

Before the training even begins, handlers hide tins called aids containing the drugs in various places throughout the recreational center. Once hidden, the dogs and their handlers come in to solve this scent-finding puzzle.

The dog?s specific job is to find the scent of the aid. To do this, the dog brackets back and forth along a field looking for the ?scent cone.?

The aid is the tip of the scent cone, the scent flows outward in a cone-like shape, but as the scent gets further away from its origin it gets weaker. The closer the dogs get to the training aid, or narcotic, the stronger and more reliable the scent becomes, leading the dog to the aid.

Once the dog finds the scent at its strongest point, the dog receives his reward and the aids or narcotics are properly removed.

Sometimes, while performing these kinds of detections in the field, defense of their handlers becomes necessary. Either a suspect becomes violent to themselves, others or to the handlers while trying to escape, making aggression and bite training crucial in neutralizing the threat.

Aggression training is also performed on a regular basis, allowing dogs and handlers alike to keep themselves ever ready for missions ahead.

After training more, Aguirre and Lutyo will undergo certification tests to ensure they can search for drugs and criminals aboard the air station without the aid of another handler; and without being questioned if they are good enough.

With both handler and dog?s drive to be the best they can, MCAS Miramar should be in good hands ? and paws.

Connected Media

Source: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/102428/miramar-military-working-dogs-take-over-great-escape

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Alabama Baseball: Tide ready for first road series of the season at Florida Atlantic

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The 4-0 Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team will be on the road this weekend to play the Florida Atlantic Owls in their first series away from home this season. First pitches are set for Friday at 5:30 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m.

It was the Owls, who got Alabama off to a bad start last season when they swept the Tide in the opening three-game series of the season for both teams at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The sweep proved to be indicative for the Tide?s season.

But this year?s Alabama team is different as they head into this weekend series in Boca Raton, Fla. riding their best start to a season since the 2011 campaign.

The Tide is coming off a 10-8 win over the No. 21 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Tuesday night after a strong overall team performance held off a late rally by the Golden Eagles to win 10-8.

Senior catcher Brett Booth proved to be someone, who can lead the team not only off the field, but on the field as well after going 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and a solo home run to left-center field to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning for the Tide. He now leads the team with a .636 batting average.

UA head coach Mitch Gaspard said this is the best he?s ever seen him play at Alabama.

?The game has slowed down for Brett both [on] offense and defense,? he said. ?He?s been a calming force for this team.?

It was an early season win that could be a positive sign of things to come for the Tide, Gaspard said.

?I think this is the win that you kind of go, ?OK, our team?s for real now,?? he said. ?And it helps us moving on to starting a big week taking it on the road to Florida Atlantic, [who] we certainly had struggles [with] last year.?

The Owls (3-1) too, are playing solid baseball to start the season, having swept the Cincinnati Bearcats this past weekend before falling 5-4 to the No. 20 Miami Hurricanes at home Wednesday night in eleven innings.

Alabama will be facing a Florida Atlantic team that has allowed only 15 runs through four games this season. However, the 35 runs the Tide has put on the board offensively this season has them confident for the road ahead.

?I think you just see the potential the offense has,? Booth said. ?This is a young team, young offense but I think we are keeping pace with other teams. Other teams score, we score. We have a lead, we keep extending it. We play for nine innings. That?s hard to do ? when you can put nine innings of offense on ? whether we are scoring or putting pressure on them ? that?s big.?

Senior right-hander Charley Sullivan (0-0) will make his second start of the season Friday night. Sophomore left-hander Jon Keller (1-0) and sophomore right-hander Spencer Turnbull (0-0) will follow on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Follow Kevin on Twitter.

Source: http://bamahammer.com/2013/02/22/alabama-baseball-tide-ready-for-first-road-series-of-the-season-at-florida-atlantic/

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Judge Sides With Greenlight, Blocks Apple From Holding Shareholder Vote On Proposal Over Preferred Stock

The "silly sideshow" around Greenlight Capital and Apple issuing preferred stock, as Apple CEO Tim Cook put it, will go on according to a ruling today by U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in NYC today. Sullivan sided with Greenlight Capital manager David Einhorn, blocking Apple from being able to proceed with a shareholder vote on whether or not the company can issue preferred stock.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/dn2s98mlIoA/

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HP's 1Q offers glimmer of hope, stock surges

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Slumping personal computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co.'s latest quarterly results provided a glimmer of hope after months of gloomy news.

The fiscal first-quarter numbers announced Thursday topped the forecast of HP's own management, as well as stock market analysts.

That's an about-face from the previous two quarters, when HP announced losses totaling $15.3 billion as the company accounted for past acquisitions gone awry, to the shock of Wall Street.

Like other PC makers, HP has also been struggling to adapt to a shift toward smartphones and tablet computers, which are siphoning sales away from desktop and laptop machines made by HP and other companies.

Those problems are still plaguing HP, but the signs of progress in the latest quarter indicated that the company's turnaround efforts are running ahead of schedule. CEO Meg Whitman has consistently said it may be several years before HP is on solid ground again.

"The patient showed some improvement," Whitman said in a Thursday interview. "I don't want to get out over my skis"

The company's stock price surged $1.09, or 6.4 percent, to $18.19 in extended trading.

HP earned $1.2 billion, or 63 cents per share, in the three months ending in January. That was a 16 percent decrease from nearly $1.5 billion, or 73 cents per share, at the same time a year earlier.

If not for certain accounting items, HP said it would have earned 82 cents per share. That was well above the average estimate of 71 cents per share among analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Revenue fell 6 percent to $28.4 billion, about $470 million above analyst projections.

It's the sixth consecutive quarter that HP's revenue has dropped from the previous year.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-21-US-Earns-Hewlett-Packard/id-f968ca69adf94470916a11a7f501ebee

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Led By Vine Investor Adam Ludwin, Albumatic Launches A Collaborative Photo Album App That People Might Actually Use

One of the startup ideas that I've been hearing about for years is the social photo album ? a service that doesn't just let you share photos with your friends, but also create albums with them. Adam Ludwin and Devon Gundry have seen a lot of those startups, too, but they're trying to crack the problem with their new startup Albumatic. Ludwin (a principal at RRE Ventures, where he led the seed round in Twitter-acquired social video startup Vine) told me that when he and Gundry (a musician who also started a social media company with actor Rainn Wilson) first started thinking about the app, they realized there were a bunch of other products that never got significant consumer traction ? the most high-profile flameout was probably Color. And they decided that the key factor was location.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/6ROHgjGEr6o/

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Cricket-Amla half-century propels South Africa against Pakistan

By Nick Said

PRETORIA | Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:03am GMT

PRETORIA Feb 22 (Reuters) - An attacking half-century from Hashim Amla helped South Africa recover from the early loss of both openers as they reached 104 for two at lunch on the first day of the third test against Pakistan at Centurion on Friday.

The elegant Amla (50 not out) combined with Faf du Plessis (29 not out) to improve South Africa's position after they had been 38-2.

Captain Graeme Smith (5) and Alviro Petersen (10) both struggled early on as Pakistan's bowlers used the seamer-friendly conditions to their advantage inside the first hour.

The home side had been dealt a selection blow before the match when veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis was forced out after picking up a calf strain while bowling in the nets on Thursday.

Kallis was replaced by debutant paceman Kyle Abbott as South Africa opted to weaken their batting line-up in favour of bolstering their attack on a bowler-friendly wicket.

Petersen's miserable series continued when he was trapped plum lbw by Rahat Ali, who returned to the side after missing the second test in Cape Town.

Petersen has now scored just 75 runs in five visits to the crease this series and was undone by a ball that pitched on middle stump and straightened back into him.

Smith battled for 47 minutes to reach five before he became debutant Ehsan Adil's first wicket in test cricket with just the third ball of the seamer's spell when a touch of away movement found his edge and looped towards Younus Khan at second slip.

Du Plessis arrived at number four in the place of Kallis and after a slow start crashed three boundaries off one Adil over to get his innings up and running.

It seemed to release the pressure and Amla began to play his shots as well, punishing any width offered by the Pakistan bowlers.

It took just 17 overs before off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was introduced but he was attacked immediately by the batsmen, who were eager not to let him settle after his 10-wicket haul in Cape Town.

Ajmal's four overs cost 20 runs as the Proteas pair used their feet well to launch him over the inner ring.

South Africa lead the three-match series 2-0 having won the first test in Johannesburg by 211 runs, before completing the series win with a four wicket victory in Cape Town. (Editing by Tom Pilcher; nick.said@thomsonreuters.com +27832722948 Messaging nick.said.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/UKCricketNews/~3/6OtZdDn0kB8/cricket-pakistan-idUKL4N0BM4MC20130222

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Keep Track of Your "Um's" and "Ah's" to Improve Your Everyday Speech

Most of us fill our conversations with a lot of filler. Whether it's "um's," "ah's," or "like," it's one of those things that makes our speech a little harder to follow. Productivity blog Lifehack recommends you keep track of that stammering to help get rid of them.

The occasional "um" is common, and we all do it to buy time while we think of something to say. You don't really need to fill that space with sound, and a couple seconds of silence while you think of something to say isn't going to hurt the conversation. A prolonged "um" might though. To get rid of it, Lifehack recommends tracking every time you say it:

One way of actively paying attention and correcting your habit, is by wearing an elastic band around your wrist during your leisure time. Whenever you catch yourself on saying "um", simply shift the elastic band to your other wrist. This practice trains your mind to notice your use of "um", and eventually omit it.

It's a pretty simple little trick, and it goes inline with previous tips like recording your speech, and taking your hands out of your pockets to increase confidence.

Powerboost Your Speech With One Simple Trick | Lifehack

Photo by Wonderlane.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/TT7osgV5cKE/keep-track-of-your-ums-and-ahs-to-improve-your-everyday-speech

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