Professional Business Marketing ? Business people 3/31

Papke attends

Wayne Papke, with Investment Centers of America Inc. in Bismarck, joined top representatives at the recent ICA national educational conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Johnson hired

Nancy Johnson has been hired as executive director of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association.

Johnson has written for publications such as Corn and Soybean Digest magazine and has done consulting for companies in agriculture. She has more than 30 years of experience in agricultural marketing, strategic planning and implementation and the use of media.

Dawson with SWCA

Jim Dawson has joined the Bismarck office of SWCA Environmental Consultants as a project manager to expand services to oil and gas clients in the Williston Basin.

Dawson holds a master?s degree and a bachelor?s degree in geology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

He has more than four decades of experience in Virginia, West Virginia, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, and North Dakota and is a certified hazardous materials manager.

Hoeven gets award

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., retired Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and Rep. Robert B. Aderholt, R-Ala., have been named recipients of the National Emergency Management Association?s 2013 Congressional Award for their commitment to and support of emergency management and homeland security issues and policy.

John Madden, NEMA presidents, said the three were instrumental in helping border states create partnerships with Canadian provinces and streamline homeland security and emergency management grant processes.

Doerr recognized

Gary Doerr, a transportation engineer with the North Dakota Department of Transportation?s bridge division, is this year?s recipient of the Bruce Nelson Distinguished Service Award.

The award presented by the North Dakota Society of Professional Engineers Bismarck Chapter recognizes professional engineers from Chapter 3 for their contributions to NSPE/NDSPE, the engineering profession, their communities and to humanity.

Doerr has served in all leadership positions for Chapter 3 and the state society.

Byers honored

Jon Byers, an assistant attorney general in the North Dakota Attorney General?s Office, received the Outstanding Service Award in Prosecution from the National Children?s Advocacy Center .

It was presented at the 29th National Symposium on Child Abuse in Huntsville, Ala.

Byers was integral in starting the CAC movement in North Dakota and has worked to improve state legislation to protect children.

He serves on the board of the Dakota Children?s Advocacy Center and is an active member of the Children?s Advocacy Centers of North Dakota board and the Alliance for Children?s Justice in North Dakota.

Howard certified

Dr. Richard Howard, an interventional cardiologist with Sanford, is now certified by the National Board of Echocardiography in adult transthoracic echocardiography.

Certification follows training and completion of a competency examination.

Howard is also certified in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology.

Four join DEI staff

Four people recently joined the staff of Dakota Eye Institute in Bismarck.

Gail Sharpe is a technician. From North Carolina, she is a 2012 graduate of the Ophthalmic Medical Assistant Program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, N.C.

Michelle M. Hager is an ophthalmic technician. A North Dakota native, she is a 1999 graduate of Bismarck State College with a degree as a medical administrative assistant. She has six years of eye clinic experience.

Cheryl Rising is a family nurse practitioner. A Minnesota native, she earned her bachelor of science in nursing degree from Moorhead State University and her master?s in the family nurse practitioner program at the University of North Dakota. Rising holds national certification as a family nurse practitioner as well as in neuroscience and geriatric nursing.

Kathy Morrison is a scribe. She has 10 years of experience at St. Luke?s Cataract and Laser Institute in Tarpon Springs, Fla. Morrison is from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Two hired in sales

Christy Gross and Heath Knuth have joined the sales staff at Cedric Theel Toyota in Bismarck.

Gross, a native of Aberdeen, S.D., has been in sales for 15 years.

Knuth recently relocated from Fargo, where he was an elementary school teacher and tennis coach.

Moon with Starion

Jennifer Moon has joined Starion Financial as a personal banker at the south Bismarck location.

Moon has several years of banking and customer service experience. She is a graduate of the University of Phoenix, earning a bachelor?s degree in business management.

Three promoted

Three people have been promoted at Cornerstone Bank in Bismarck.

In the mortgage department, Jon Leet is now VP mortgage loan officer and Joe Sheehan is SVP mortgage banking.

Jeanne Mohn was promoted to AVP senior credit administrator.

Leet started with Cornerstone as a mortgage loan officer in 2008 and has 30 years of banking experience.

In 2008, Sheehan was hired as a VP mortgage banking. He has 15 years of banking experience.

Mohn started as a customer relations representative in 2007.

Mabin attends

Mike Mabin, president of Agency MABU, recently attended a national marketing workshop for agency principals. Presented by Second Wind, it focused on digital and transmedia marketing.

Artham certified

Dr. Surya Artham, an interventional cardiologist at Sanford Clinic in Bismarck, has completed his board certification for cardiovascular disease through The American Board of Internal Medicine.

The certification requires previous certification in internal medicine and the completion of oral and written examinations.

Artham joined Sanford Health in 2012.

Aldinger recognized

Eric Aldinger of Planningteam Financial Advisors in Bismarck, was recognized as Investment Centers of America Inc.?s most promising new representative at the company?s national conference in Scottsdale, Ariz. The annual event earlier this month featured workshops and educational sessions.

Thompson chosen

Sandy Thompson has been named by the state Department of Human Services as regional director of West Central Human Service Center in Bismarck and Badlands Human Service Center in Dickinson.

Thompson had been the director of the Specialized Child and Family Services unit at the Bismarck human service center for nearly 15 years. Her appointment follows the retirement of Tim Sauter.

Thompson is a licensed addiction counselor with more than 20 years of experience.

She has a master?s degree in management from the University of Mary and a bachelor?s degree in addiction studies from Minot State University.

Sales leaders

Shirley Thomas and Heidi Hilzendeger are Bianco Realty?s associates of the month for having the most sales in February.

They have been licensed Realtors since 2001 and 2012, respectively.

Urlacher recognized

Loran Urlacher has been named aviation technician of the year by the North Dakota Professional Aviation Mechanics Association and was honored at the North Dakota Upper Midwest Aviation Symposium.

Urlacher has been an aircraft mechanic for 22 years and has worked for Bismarck Aero Center for the last three years. He is the shop supervisor to seven maintenance technicians.

Safe driving cited

Four interstate drivers with Jobbers Moving Storage, Bismarck, have received safe driving awards from Allied Van Lines, for which Jobbers is an agent: Mike Loran, 28 years; Larry Ormsby, 12 years; Susan Holliday, five years; and Jarvis Leintz, two years.

Pfeifer promoted

Courtney Pfeifer was recently promoted to general manager at The Ground Round in Bismarck.

A Bismarck native, Pfeifer has more than 10 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. At Ground Round, she worked as the assistant manager before becoming the assistant general manager.

4 get Toyota awards

Four employees at Cedric Theel Toyota in Bismarck were recently recognized by Toyota for hard work, dedication and determination in 2012.

Recipients of the Sales Society Bronze are Chad Kay, Ben Sandstrom and Jennifer Holzer.

Serena Jangula was awarded the Comptroller Excellence 100 Percent.

Source: http://lowbrowse.org/business-people-331.html

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Pope makes Easter pleas for Mideast peace

Pope Francis holds a San Lorenzo's soccer team jersey after celebrating his first Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 31, 2013. Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St. Peter's Square, packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists and Romans and bedecked by spring flowers.Wearing cream-colored vestments, Francis strode onto the esplanade in front of St. Peter's Basilica and took his place at an altar set up under a white canopy. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis holds a San Lorenzo's soccer team jersey after celebrating his first Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 31, 2013. Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St. Peter's Square, packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists and Romans and bedecked by spring flowers.Wearing cream-colored vestments, Francis strode onto the esplanade in front of St. Peter's Basilica and took his place at an altar set up under a white canopy. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis hugs a child after celebrating his first Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 31, 2013. Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St. Peter's Square, packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists and Romans and bedecked by spring flowers.Wearing cream-colored vestments, Francis strode onto the esplanade in front of St. Peter's Basilica and took his place at an altar set up under a white canopy. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis, holding the pastoral staff, celebrates the Easter mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 31, 2013. "Our daily problems and worries can wrap us up in ourselves, in sadness and bitterness, and that is where death is," he said. "Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life!" said Pope Francis during the Easter vigil. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis, holding the pastoral staff, walks past the closed icon of Jesus as he celebrates the Easter mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 31, 2013. "Our daily problems and worries can wrap us up in ourselves, in sadness and bitterness, and that is where death is," he said. "Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life!" said Pope Francis during the Easter vigil. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis, holding the pastoral staff, celebrates the Easter mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 31, 2013. "Our daily problems and worries can wrap us up in ourselves, in sadness and bitterness, and that is where death is," he said. "Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life!" said Pope Francis during the Easter vigil.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Francis delivered a plea for peace in his first Easter Sunday message to the world, decrying the seemingly endless conflicts in the Middle East and on the Korean peninsula after celebrating Mass at an outdoor altar before more than 250,000 people in flower-bedecked St. Peter's Square.

Francis shared in his flock's exuberance as they celebrated Christianity's core belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead following crucifixion. After Mass, he stepped aboard an open-topped white popemobile for a cheerful spin through the joyous crowd, kissing babies and patting children on the head.

One admirer of both the pope and of the pope's favorite soccer team, Argentina's Saints of San Lorenzo, insisted that Francis take a team jersey he was waving at the pontiff. A delighted Francis obliged, briefly holding up the shirt, and the crowd roared in approval.

Francis has repeatedly put concern for the poor and suffering at the center of his messages, and he pursued his promotion of the causes of peace and social justice in the Easter speech he delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the same vantage point above the square where he was introduced to the world as the first Latin American pope on March 13.

The Roman Catholic leader aimed his Easter greetings at "every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons." Francis prayed that Jesus would inspire people to "change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace."

As popes before him have, he urged Israelis and Palestinians to resume peace talks and end a conflict that "has lasted all too long." And, in reflecting on the two-year-old Syrian crisis, Francis asked, "How much suffering must there still be before a political solution" can be found?

The pope also expressed desire for a "spirit of reconciliation" on the Korean peninsula, where North Korea says it has entered "a state of war" with South Korea. He also decried warfare and terrorism in Africa, as well as what he called the 21st century's most extensive form of slavery: human trafficking.

The first pontiff to come from the Jesuits, an order with special concern for the poor, and the first pope to name himself after St. Francis, a medieval figure who renounced wealth to preach to the down-and-out, Francis lamented that the world is "still divided by greed looking for easy gain."

Earlier, wearing cream-colored vestments, Francis celebrated Mass on the esplanade in front of the basilica at an altar set up under a white canopy. He frequently bowed his head as if in silent reflection.

The sun competed with clouds in the sky Sunday, but the square was a riot of floral color in Rome, where chilly winter has postponed the blossoming of many flowers. Yellow forsythia and white lilies shone, along with bursts of lavender and pink, from potted azalea, rhododendron, wisteria and other plants.

Francis thanked florists from the Netherlands for donating the flowers. He also advised people to let love transform their lives, or as he put it, "let those desert places in our hearts bloom."

The Vatican had prepared a list of brief Easter greetings in 65 languages, but Francis didn't read them. The Vatican didn't say why not, but has said that the new pope, at least for now, feels at ease using Italian, the everyday language of the Holy See. Francis also has stressed his role as a pastor to his flock, and, as Bishop of Rome, Italian would be his language.

The pontiff improvised his parting words to the crowd. He repeated his Easter greeting to those "who have come from all over the world to this square at the heart of Christianity" as well as to those "linked by modern technology," a reference to TV and radio coverage as well as social media.

Francis added that he was especially remembering "the weakest and the neediest" and praying that all of humanity be guided along "the paths of justice, love and peace."

In another departure from Easter tradition, Francis won't be heading for some post-holiday relaxation at the Vatican's summer palace in Castel Gandolfo, in the hills southeast of Rome. That retreat is already occupied by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who went there in the last hours of his papacy on Feb. 28. Benedict became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the position, and eventually is to move back to the Vatican, after a convent there is readied for him.

Francis so far has declined to move into Benedict's former apartment in the Apostolic Palace, into the rooms whose studio overlooks St. Peter's Square. He is still in the Vatican hotel where earlier this month he was staying along with other cardinals participating in the secret conclave to choose Benedict's successor.

While Francis has just begun to make his mark on the church, it is plain he has little desire to embrace much of the pomp customarily associated with the office.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-31-Vatican-Easter/id-c2101bf8bd25477caff866d640526422

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Jason Sudeikis & Olivia Wilde Visit Disneyland!

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis show their silly sides! Check out more pics of Hollywood's tightest twosomes

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/star-snapshots-celebrity-couples-photos-2013/1-b-469173?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Astar-snapshots-celebrity-couples-photos-2013-469173

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Key groups reach immigration deal as overhaul advances

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prospects for a broad U.S. immigration overhaul brightened on Saturday after major U.S. business and labor groups reached an agreement on a guest-worker program, a source familiar with the deal said.

The agreement was reached on Friday night in a conference call between the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue, and the president of the AFL-CIO labor organization, Richard Trumka, with New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer acting as the mediator, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A guest-worker program has been a major stumbling block to efforts by a bipartisan group of senators known as the Gang of Eight to reach a compromise on a way to create a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, most of whom are Hispanics.

Labor unions have argued against a guest-worker program, worrying that a flood of low-wage immigrant laborers would take away jobs from Americans. The agreement covers the pay levels for low-skilled temporary workers and the types of jobs that would be included.

Schumer briefed White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on Saturday on the breakthrough, the source said.

The agreement still must be approved by the Gang of Eight senators, four Democrats and four Republicans. If they do so as expected, Senate legislation on a broad new immigration law would be advanced in the Senate in the coming weeks.

In recent days, the immigration effort had been stalled by failure to forge an agreement on the guest-worker program, although the White House insisted that progress was being made.

President Barack Obama wants to fulfill a campaign pledge by gaining passage of a law that would create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants currently in the country. He has vowed to do what he can on immigration through executive actions in the absence of legislation.

Immigration long has been a controversial issue in the United States and previous efforts to craft a comprehensive overhaul of American immigration laws have failed, with Democrats and Republicans remaining far apart.

Many Republicans previously had taken a hard position against illegal immigrants. Obama's unsuccessful Republican challenger last year, Mitt Romney, had advocated "self-deportation" of illegal immigrants. Republicans in Arizona and other states passed tough laws cracking down on illegal immigrants.

But the mood for a deal is ripe because Republicans saw Hispanic Americans vote overwhelmingly for Obama and other Democratic candidates in last November's elections and they need to woo this increasingly important voting bloc.

Many Republicans see gaining favor with the Hispanic voting bloc, which accounts for 10 percent of the U.S. electorate and is growing, as a matter of political survival.

Republicans want to ensure that security along the U.S.-Mexican border is improved before immigrants can get on a path to citizenship. Obama feels security is sufficient but this disagreement is not seen as a deal-breaker.

"We're seeing right now a good bipartisan spirit," Obama told Spanish-language network Univision on Wednesday. "I want to encourage that and hopefully we'll be able to get it done."

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/business-labor-groups-reach-immigration-deal-overhaul-advances-193136796.html

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NATO strike kills at least one child in Afghanistan

By Mustafa Andalib

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A NATO helicopter killed at least one child and nine suspected Taliban fighters in Afghanistan's east on Saturday, officials and local residents said.

Last month Afghan President Hamid Karzai forbade Afghan forces from calling for NATO air support and forbade international forces from using air strikes "in Afghan homes or villages" after Afghan forces called in a strike that killed 10 civilians.

NATO initially said that Saturday's strike was in support of Afghan troops - which would be in contravention of the president's orders - but later said new information showed the helicopter had struck the insurgents separately.

"This was an independently acquired and engaged target," said ISAF spokesman Major Adam Wojack.

There were conflicting reports on the death toll from the air strike. A Reuters reporter saw the bodies of two children. One was in school uniform. Local elder Jan Mohammad and other residents said he was killed in the air strike.

The reporter also saw the hand and foot of a toddler at the site of the air strike, but the circumstances of the death were not immediately clear.

Senior police detective Colonel Mohammad Hussain said nine Taliban and one school-age child were killed in the air strike. He also said a woman was killed and eight civilians were wounded in a firefight between Afghan security forces and insurgents.

The deaths, on the outskirts of the capital of Ghazni province, will reopen an often heated debate between those who blame NATO air strikes for civilian deaths and others who argue NATO air support is vital to protect Afghan security forces.

A statement from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said: "We are aware of reports of civilian casualties resulting from an engagement in Ghazni district, Ghazni province, this morning in which an Afghan security force was attacked by insurgents and returned fire.

"We can also confirm that later in the morning, in the same area, an attack helicopter engaged a group of insurgents with direct fire, killing or wounding several."

"We take all allegations of civilian casualties seriously. Afghan and ISAF officials are assessing the incident," the ISAF statement said.

Civilian casualties - particularly those caused by air strikes - are a significant source of friction between Karzai and his international allies as the United States and Afghanistan negotiate over the size of a future American military presence following the departure of most international troops by the end of 2014.

Some Afghan officials say privately that limiting air strikes exposes the 352,000-strong Afghan security forces to greater danger as they take over the responsibilities of international forces.

Foreign air power is especially critical to cover the mountainous regions near the Pakistani border.

(Additional reporting by Mirwais Harooni and Katharine Houreld; Editing by Jeremy Laurence and Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nato-air-strike-kills-two-children-nine-suspected-102842850.html

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RECREATION CALENDAR - The Sports Desk

THE SPORTS DESK

The authority for sports coverage in the Fredericksburg region.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

March 30: 5K Rabbit Run, 8 a.m. at Spotsylvania Courthouse Village Pavilion. Cost: $20 for FARC members $25 on race day. Also, 1-mile ($15) and -mile kids? Bunny Chase ($5). Register online at racetimingunlimited.org.

April 1: Shirley Gray Scholarship Golf Outing, noon at Country Club of Culpeper. Cost: $300 per four-player team, $80 per individual. Information: Careen Angel (540/222-8708), Mike Wills (540/825-8310) or bluedevilbacker@gmail.com.

April 6: J. Brian?s Tap Room 15K, 7 a.m. in downtown Fredericksburg. Cost: $45. Register at racetimingunlimited.org.

April 12: Lexi Ray Golf Classic, 9 a.m. at Lee?s Hill Golf Club. Cost: $300 per team, $75 per player. Proceeds benefit Lexi Ray, a teen suffering from Legg-Calve Perthes Disease. Information: Jane Ray (540/710-7555 or 538-1980), Patrick Voit (540-809-5943) or pventerprises1@hotmail.com.

April 13: Stafford Hospital 5K, 8:30 a.m. at Stafford Hospital. Grand Prix event. Cost: $25 ($30 after March 29). Register at racetimingunlimited.org.

April 20: King George healthy kids day 5K, 8 a.m. at King George YMCA. Cost: $15 ($20 after April 14), $10 for kids? 1-mile fun run. Register at racetimingunlimited.org.

April 27: Festival of Feet 5K and 10K, 8 a.m. at Bowling Green Town Hall. Cost: $20 for 10K, $10 for 5K. Register at racetimingunlimited.org.

April 27: Spring Fling Golf Classic, 9 a.m. at Pendleton Golf Club in Ruther Glen. Cost: $85 per player, $320 per team. Information: 804/448-8428 or Wethclan@aol.com.

April 28: Park Ridge 5K, 8 a.m. at Park Ridge Elementary in Stafford. Cost: $25 for 5K ($27 after April 13, $30 on race day), $15 for 1-miler. Register at racetimingunlimited.org.

May 4: Virginia State Taekwondo Championship Qualifier, 10 a.m. at Massaponax High School. Cost: $15 for team forms, $65 for all others ($75 through May 1 deadline). Register online at tourneyreg.net. Information: 540/710-9094 or pilsungma@hotmail. com.

May 19: Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon, 7 a.m. in Fredericksburg. Costs: $75 for Historic Half Marathon, $45 for Historic 10K, $35 for Semper Fred 5K. Register, online at marinemarathon.com.

?

Send recreation calendar items?to sports@freelancestar.com.

Permalink: http://news.fredericksburg.com/sports/2013/03/28/recreation-calendar-36/

Source: http://news.fredericksburg.com/sports/2013/03/28/recreation-calendar-36/

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Virtual reality, goggles and all, attempts return

This publicity image provided by Oculus VR shows a virtual reality headset. The virtual reality headset, the doodad that was supposed to seamlessly transport wearers to three-dimensional virtual worlds, has made a remarkable return at this year's Game Developers Conference. After banking $2.4 million from crowd funding and drumming up hype over the past year, Oculus VR captured the conference's attention this week with a virtual reality headset that's more like a pair of ski goggles than those bulky gaming helmets of the 1990s. (AP Photo/Oculus VR)

This publicity image provided by Oculus VR shows a virtual reality headset. The virtual reality headset, the doodad that was supposed to seamlessly transport wearers to three-dimensional virtual worlds, has made a remarkable return at this year's Game Developers Conference. After banking $2.4 million from crowd funding and drumming up hype over the past year, Oculus VR captured the conference's attention this week with a virtual reality headset that's more like a pair of ski goggles than those bulky gaming helmets of the 1990s. (AP Photo/Oculus VR)

FILE - In this March 25, 2009 file photo, Video game enthusiasts attend the Game Developers Conference, in San Francisco. The schedule for the 2013 GDC held March 25-29, illustrates the dramatic changes that have reshaped the gaming industry in recent years, an evolution that's as much about business models as it is about pixels. GDC organizers have added a summit on free-to-play games, planned talks on topics like crowd funding and micro-transactions and coordinated panels with such titles as "Making Money with Mobile Gaming" and "Why Won't FarmVille Go Away?" (AP Photo/Ben Margo, Filet)

This publicity image provided by Oculus VR shows a virtual reality headset. The virtual reality headset, the doodad that was supposed to seamlessly transport wearers to three-dimensional virtual worlds, has made a remarkable return at this year's Game Developers Conference. After banking $2.4 million from crowd funding and drumming up hype over the past year, Oculus VR captured the conference's attention this week with a virtual reality headset that's more like a pair of ski goggles than those bulky gaming helmets of the 1990s. (AP Photo/Oculus VR)

FILE - In this March 25, 2009 file photo, Video game enthusiasts attend the Game Developers Conference, in San Francisco. The schedule for the 2013 GDC held March 25-29, illustrates the dramatic changes that have reshaped the gaming industry in recent years, an evolution that's as much about business models as it is about pixels. GDC organizers have added a summit on free-to-play games, planned talks on topics like crowd funding and micro-transactions and coordinated panels with such titles as "Making Money with Mobile Gaming" and "Why Won't FarmVille Go Away?" (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? It's back.

The virtual reality headset, the gizmo that was supposed to seamlessly transport wearers to three-dimensional virtual worlds, has made a remarkable return at this year's Game Developers Conference, an annual gathering of video game makers in San Francisco.

After drumming up hype over the past year and banking $2.4 million from crowdfunding, the Irvine, Calif.-based company Oculus VR captured the conference's attention this week with the Oculus Rift, its VR headset that's more like a pair of ski goggles than those bulky gaming helmets of the 1990s that usually left users with headaches.

"Developers who start working on VR games now are going to be able to do cool things," said Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey. "This is the first time when the technology, software, community and rendering power is all really there."

While VR technology has successfully been employed in recent years for military and medical training purposes, it's been too expensive, clunky or just plain bad for most at-home gamers. Oculus VR's headset is armed with stereoscopic 3-D, low-latency head tracking and a 110-degree field of view, and the company expects it to cost just a few hundred bucks.

A line at the conference snaked around the expo floor with attendees waiting for a chance to plop the glasses on their head and play a few minutes of "Hawken," an upcoming first-person shooter that puts players inside levitating war machines.

Attendance was also at capacity for a Thursday talk called "Virtual Reality: The Holy Grail of Gaming" led by Luckey. When he asked the crowd who'd ordered development prototypes of the technology, dozens of hands shot into the air.

"There's been a lot of promise over several decades with the VR helmet idea, but I think a lot of us feel like Oculus and other devices like it are starting to get it right," said Simon Carless, executive vice president at UBM Tech Game Network, which organizes the Game Developers Conference. "We may have a competitive and interesting-to-use device, which you could strap to your head and have really immersive gaming as a result."

Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. are reportedly working on similar peripherals, as are other companies. Luckey contends that the innovations Nintendo Co. made with its Wii U, Sony is planning with its upcoming PlayStation 4, and Microsoft is likely tinkering with for its successor to the Xbox 360 don't seem like enough.

"We're seeing better graphics and social networks, but those aren't things that are going to fundamentally change the kind of experiences that gamers can have," said Luckey.

A growing list of high-profile game makers have sung the device's praises, including Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, "Minecraft" mastermind Markus Persson, id Software's John Carmack, "Gears of War" chief Cliff Bleszinski and Valve boss Gabe Newell.

Valve is planning to release a VR version of its first-person shooter "Team Fortress 2" for the Rift, but Luckey is hoping that designers in attendance at this week's conference begin creating games especially for the doodad.

"The doors are already open," noted Luckey. "People are already telling us things they want to do with the Rift that they can't do with traditional games."

Luckey said prototype versions of the technology are being distributed to developers now, and he anticipates releasing a version for consumers by next year.

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang .

___

Online:

http://www.oculusvr.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-29-Games-Virtual%20Reality-Oculus/id-f9cfe6a5a32b4d31a29f4910a0ea0ed8

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Lawsuit claims Ford 'design defect' can cause sudden acceleration

Paul A. Eisenstein , The Detroit Bureau ? ? ? 1 day

A new lawsuit claims that nearly a decade?s worth of vehicles produced by the Ford Motor Co. suffer from a ?design defect? that can make them susceptible to suddenly and unexpectedly racing out of control.

The lawsuit, filed in West Virginia federal court on behalf of 20 different owners in 14 states, is seeking class-action status that could, if approved, come to involve the owners of millions of Ford vehicles produced between 2002 and 2010.

"For too long, Ford has put its own financial interests ahead of its consumers' safety," said lead attorney Adam Levitt. "We hope this lawsuit sheds light on this important situation and requires Ford to correct its ways, compensate its customers and put them first."

Chevy Rolls Out New 2014 Camaro

Ford is the latest in a string of manufacturers whose vehicles have been accused of experiencing so-called ?unintended acceleration,? dating back to the late 1980s when Audi?s U.S. subsidiary became embroiled in a case involving its old Audi 5000 model. In 2009 and 2010, Toyota recalled nearly 8 million vehicles due to a variety of problems including sticky accelerators and loose floor mats that could jam gas pedals wide open.

Audi ultimately was vindicated by federal regulators who largely put the blame on driver error. The automaker eventually redesigned the layout of its pedals to make it more difficult for consumers to inadvertently hit the gas instead of the brake. And Toyota is turning to so-called brake interlock systems that automatically throttle back if a motorist hits both pedals simultaneously.

In the lawsuit, attorneys insist Ford should have used a similar override as a ?failsafe.?

Subaru Plans More Hybrids, Battery Cars ? Eventually

According to the lawsuit, a 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Transportation found that Ford products racked up 22 percent of the complaints involving unintended acceleration between 2003 and 2009. Ford not only ?concealed? the defects cited in the lawsuit, but ?could have and should have? used a brake override system, the lawsuit alleges.

In response, Ford issued a statement asserting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ?has investigated alleged unintended accelerations many times over many years and has concluded that driver error is the predominant cause of these events. NHTSA's work is far more scientific and trustworthy than work done by personal injury lawyers and their paid experts. In rare situations, vehicle factors, such as floor mats or broken mechanical components, can interfere with proper throttle operation, and manufacturers have addressed these rare events in field service actions."

Virtually every automaker has, at one point or another, fielded complaints related to unintended acceleration. While a few, notably including Toyota, have been forced to take actions to deal with defects that could cause cars to race out of control, NHTSA has largely echoed Ford?s contentions.

The federal agency authorized two separate studies, one by the National Academy of Sciences, the other by NASA, that essentially cleared Toyota of electronic problems ? though NASA researchers did note that it can be next to impossible to track some digital issues that may not be repeatable.

Mercedes Plugs In With B-Class Electric Drive

Nonetheless, Toyota recently reached a $1.1 billion settlement involving owners who claimed the unintended acceleration scandal resulted in lower trade-in values for their vehicles. And it has negotiated settlements involving some claims of wrongful death and injury.

Among the Ford models targeted in the new lawsuit are the 2008-2010 Taurus sedan, 2007-2010 Edge Crossover and 2004 to 2010 Explorer, as well as the 2006-2010 Lincoln MKZ luxury sedan. A number of models produced by the now-abandoned Mercury division, such as the 2005 to 2009 Grand Marquis, also are cited.

(Ford official wants EPA to come up with more accurate mileage numbers. Click here for that report.)

Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

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E.P.A. Wants to Cut Amount of Sulfur in Gasoline

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The Environmental Protection Agency?s proposal to cut sulfur levels, to match standards used by California, could raise the cost of gasoline by up to 8 cents.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/business/energy-environment/epa-wants-to-cut-amount-of-sulfur-in-gasoline.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Understanding Acne Risks | Tips on Food Fitness Life Love

There are several factors that trigger risks of acne. It is important to understand these factors to be able to fight off acne and promote healthy, clear, and glowing skin.

First, it is important to understand that the tendency to develop acne runs in families. Hence, you are more likely to develop the condition if your parents suffered from the same. It has been proved that the risk of developing acne is highest during teenage. Another common period that is popular for acne development is young adult years.

During teenage, hormones such as testosterone are at their peak and keep on increasing. Women at the age of menstruation can also develop acne. Many women are known to have experienced acne flare-ups in the days just before their menstrual periods.

There are certain factors that can make acne worse or irritate the condition more. Some of these include the following listed below:

Skin Abuse

Wearing straps or other tight-fitting items that rub against the skin can promote irritation. Football players who wear shoulder pads may also experience the same problem.

Excess and Constant Rubbing

Using equipment that rubs against the body constantly is harmful. For instance, a violin that is held between the shoulder and cheek can make the condition worse. Other elements such as helmets, headbands, bra straps, turtleneck sweaters may also cause acne to get worse.

Products

Using certain skin and hair care products that contain irritating substances is harmful. This can trigger acne or make it worse.

Washing and Scrubbing

Washing the face too often or scrubbing the face too hard can develop acne.

Touch Me Not

Most people have a habit of touching the face a lot. This tends to irritate the skin or allow germs, dust, and other elements enter the skin pores. This can develop or aggravate acne.

Soap and Water

It is crucial to stay away from harsh soaps that keep disturb the pH balance of skin. Washing face with very hot water can also cause acne to get worse.

Medications

Certain medicines, such as corticosteroids, types of barbiturates, or lithium can cause acne. Those who take anabolic steroids are also at risk for getting acne.

Stress

Research and studies have proved that experiencing a lot of stress can make the condition worse.

Excess Sweating

People who sweat a lot or indulge in activities that make them sweat a lot are at risk of developing acne.

Hair on Face

If you adopt styles such as bangs, fringes or like having hair hanging in the face, the chances of developing acne are bright. This is because hair makes the skin oilier.

You may also interested in:

Tags: acne face wash, acne home remedies, acne scars, acne treatment, hand washing, home remedy for acne, home treatment for acne, how to wash hands, natural remedies for acne, remedies for acne, skin acne

Source: http://www.foodfitnesslifelove.com/beauty/understanding-acne-risks/

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AD OF THE DAY - Business Insider

In a new U.K. commercial from Somersby Cider, the beverage brand spoofs the Apple Inc. model of retail.

Brilliantly carried out, the ad is made to look like it was filmed at the launch of a new Apple product: fans lined up outside and rush in at the chic store's opening; product-savvy associates guide enchanted customers through the specs of the beverage; there's even a punny tagline to build upon the theme ? "Less Apps, More Apples."

Somersby is a new brand of hard cider made by Carlsberg. The agency is Fold7, UK.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/somersby-apple-store-cider-commercial-2013-3

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15 recipes for Easter dinner and spring

Creamy, rich yolks blended with cheese and pimentos to bring stuffed eggs to a new level. (The Runaway Spoon)

By?Perre Coleman Magness,?The Runaway Spoon?
Makes 24 stuffed eggs?

1 dozen eggs

2 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimentos

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon paprika (plus more for decoration)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Place the eggs in a single layer in a large pot and cover with cold water by one inch. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.? When the water is boiling, cook the eggs for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with water and ice. When the 8 minutes are up, use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs to the ice water.? Leave the eggs for at least 20 minutes, but up to 30.

As the eggs are cooling, grate the cheese on the fine holes of a box grater and leave to come to room temperature. Rinse and drain the pimentos and pat dry on paper towels.

When the eggs have cooled, roll them on the counter to crack the shells all over. Peel the eggs and rinse under cool water to remove any shell bits. Pat the eggs dry, then cut in halves and gently remove the yolks to a bowl. Set the whites on a tray to be stuffed.

Break the eggs up with a fork, then add the grated cheese and mayonnaise (save a little cheese to sprinkle over the tops). Mash together with the fork, then add the paprika, garlic powder?and generous amounts of salt and black pepper to taste. Continue to mash the filling with the fork until smooth. Add the pimentos and stir to distribute them evenly throughout the filling.

Fill the egg white halves with the pimento cheese filling, distributing it evenly among the whites. Refrigerate the eggs for at least an hour, but up to 4, to firm the filling. You may cover them loosely with plastic wrap. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and paprika.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/K9pxgk93mOg/15-recipes-for-Easter-dinner-and-spring

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UK services output rises in January, easing recession fears

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's services sector grew in January at its strongest pace in five months, official data showed on Thursday, potentially easing concerns that the economy is back in recession.

The Office for National Statistics said service output rose 0.3 percent in January from December, its best performance since August.

On a year-on-year basis, output was up 0.8 percent, the ONS said in a statement.

The data, which feeds into the ONS' calculation of gross domestic product, offers an early glimpse of how the biggest sector of Britain's economy fared in the first quarter.

Previously released data has shown manufacturing output fell in January at the fastest pace since June, heightening fears that the economy made a weak start to the year.

Britain's economy contracted in the last quarter of 2012 and may be in its third recession in less than five years.

Services make up more than three quarters of British GDP and economists were awaiting Thursday's index to get a better sense of whether the country would escape a new recession.

Helping services in January was activity in the transport, storage and communications sector as well as in business services and finance.

Cold weather and snowfall in the month held back trade at some smaller retailers and at pubs and bars, an ONS official said.

A separate survey of Britain's services industry released earlier this month - the Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) - showed that the sector grew at its fastest pace in five months in February.

The ONS said on Thursday that in the three months to the end of January, services output was down 0.2 percent compared with the three months to the end of October when the London Olympics helped the economy. It was the weakest performance under that measure since June.

Separately, the statistics office reported that productivity across all sectors of the economy, as measured by output per hour, fell 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter compared with the third quarter.

Unit wage costs rose 0.5 percent in the October-December period compared with the previous three months.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-services-output-rises-january-easing-recession-fears-093418366--business.html

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U.S. debates how severely to penalize Russia in human rights spat

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a controversy underscoring continued stresses in U.S.-Russia relations, Obama administration officials are debating how many Russian officials to ban from the United States under a new law meant to penalize Moscow for alleged human rights abuses.

The debate's outcome, expected in about two weeks, is likely to illustrate how President Barack Obama will handle what critics say is a crackdown on dissent in Russia and set the tone for Washington-Moscow relations in the president's second term.

The new law is named for Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old anti-corruption lawyer who died in his jail cell in 2009. It requires the United States to deny visas and freeze the U.S. financial assets of Russians linked to the case, or to other alleged violations of human rights in Russia.

The act was passed in December as part of a broader bill to expand U.S. trade with Russia, and Obama signed it December 14. But the White House was never keen on the rights legislation, arguing that it was unnecessary because Washington had imposed visa restrictions on some Russians thought to have played a role in Magnitsky's death. The United States has declined to name those people.

The Magnitsky Act says the president must publish by mid-April the list of accused human rights abusers - or explain to Congress why their names can't be published. The reasons for not publishing must be tied to national security.

U.S. officials said there are differences within the Obama administration over what kind of list to produce - short or long - or whether to even produce two lists, one for the visa bans and another for the asset freezes.

"The difference is essentially between those who don't want to piss off the Russian government any more than we absolutely have to, and those who don't want to piss off Congress any more than we have to," a State Department official said on condition of anonymity.

Magnitsky worked for the equity fund Hermitage Capital in Moscow and was arrested on tax fraud charges shortly after he leveled similar accusations against Russian state officials in 2008. Family and former colleagues say he was mistreated and denied medical care during his year in Russian jails.

His death spooked investors and blackened Russia's image abroad. The Kremlin's own human rights council aired suspicions that he was beaten to death. Magnitsky currently is being tried posthumously in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was angered by the Magnitsky Act, and Russia retaliated by banning U.S. adoptions of Russian children. Asked to comment this week, a spokesman for Russia's embassy in Washington pointed to warnings that Moscow may issue its own list of alleged U.S. human rights abusers.

The White House also is hearing warnings from Congress. One of the law's authors, Representative James McGovern, wrote to Obama on Monday to caution against abbreviating the list. McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, enclosed over 230 names he said could potentially be included - such as senior Russian interior ministry and law enforcement officials who investigated and detained Magnitsky and oversaw his treatment.

McGovern said he heard some U.S. officials favor a "lax" approach to enforcing the law. "I think this would be a terrible message for the administration to send at this point in time, especially with Russia cracking down on human rights organizations," the congressman said in a telephone interview.

In recent weeks, Russian authorities have been searching the offices of advocacy groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Russia's oldest rights group, Memorial, in what activists say is part of a state campaign to stifle dissent.

Putin on Thursday dismissed criticism of state inspections of non-governmental organizations, saying the office searches that have prompted charges of harassment and caused concern in the West were routine.

After improvements under a "reset" Obama initiated in 2009, U.S. ties with Moscow have been strained by differences over the civil war in Syria; Putin's charges of U.S. meddling in internal Russian affairs; and his treatment of opponents since returning to Russia's presidency last May.

'CREDIBLE INFORMATION'

McGovern said that Congress intended that the administration put people on the visa ban list if there was "credible information" that they have violated human rights.

But some administration officials favor only putting people on the list if the evidence against them meets the strict standards used by the Treasury Department for freezing assets, which would produce a shorter list, the State Department official said.

He said he expected the advocates of the shorter list to triumph initially, but noted that it could be updated later.

"I expect a fairly small list, in the 20-something range, will end up on this submission to Congress," he said, adding that he hoped it would go beyond the Magnitsky case to include names of some people involved in other alleged abuses in Russia.

The Treasury Department declined comment. "We will implement the law as required and make information available once we're in a position to do so," a White House spokeswoman said.

In addition to Magnitsky, the law lists other human rights cases it says illustrate the danger of exposing wrongdoing by Russian officials. The cases include Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist who was shot to death in Moscow in 2006, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a jailed former oil tycoon.

The only Russian official directly named in the Magnitsky law for "wrongdoing" is Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechnya region. Kadyrov is not linked to the Magnitsky case, but the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently said he "stands accused of involvement in murders, torture and disappearances of political opponents and human rights activists". He denies wrongdoing.

Tom Malinowski, director of the Washington office of Human Rights Watch, said the credibility of the initial Magnitsky list won't be so much the number of names but "whether the list at least touches on some of the most important cases that have the greatest resonance among people in Russia who are concerned about the absence of the rule of law."

(Editing by Warren Strobel and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-debates-severely-penalize-russia-human-rights-spat-220007116.html

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Court: Bosnian Serbs guilty of wartime persecution

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) ? The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal convicted two senior Bosnian Serbs on Wednesday of key roles in a campaign of murder, torture and persecution against Muslims and Croats during the 1992-95 Bosnian war and sentenced them each to 22 years in prison.

Mico Stanisic was the interior minister in the breakaway Bosnian Serb republic set up during his country's bitter war, while Stojan Zupljanin was a senior security official in charge of police.

Prosecutors had sought life sentences for both men after charging them with involvement in a criminal conspiracy led by Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic and his military chief, Gen. Ratko Mladic, to force Muslims and Croats out of what they considered to be Serb territory in Bosnia.

Presiding Judge Burton Hall said both men were in a position to prevent or punish crimes and neither did as Serb police and paramilitaries went on a rampage in early 1992, killing and mistreating non-Serbs as they tried to carve out a "Greater Serbia" during the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia.

The two men "both intended and significantly contributed to the plan to remove Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from the territory of the planned Serbian state," Hall said.

Zupljanin stood and crossed himself as Hall said he was guilty of persecution, extermination, murder and torture. Stanisic stood stoically as he was convicted of persecution, murder and torture but was acquitted of extermination.

Zupljanin was convicted of extermination in part because he set up a notorious police unit that the court ruled "committed heinous crimes against Muslims and Croats, including rape, torture and murder" and that he deliberately shielded police under his command from prosecution in at least two massacres of Muslims.

The court's detailed judgment, running more than 600 pages, provided a grim reminder of the horrors of war that erupted in Bosnia more than two decades ago.

Hall said one group of Serb paramilitaries, known as the Yellow Wasps, tortured Muslim prisoners near the town of Zvornik in April 1992, including forcing fathers and sons to perform sexual acts on each other. Other members of the Wasps forced prisoners to eat body parts cut off from other people, Hall said, adding "if a prisoner did not do so, he was killed."

Both Karadzic and Mladic are still on trial at the U.N. court on charges including genocide for allegedly masterminding the slaughter, persecution and mass deportation of non-Serbs during the Bosnian war, which left more than 100,000 people dead.

The tribunal has indicted 161 people for their roles in atrocities in the former Yugoslavia over a decade starting in 1991, most of them Serbs. Only six trials remain to be completed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/court-bosnian-serbs-guilty-wartime-persecution-172051180.html

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Founder Mike Lazaridis to leave Blackberry May 1st as vice-chairman and director

On the heels of today's earnings release, Blackberry vice chairman Mike Lazaridis announced that he'll leave the company on May 1st. The exec founded the company formerly known as Research in Motion almost 30 years ago, with Jim Balsillie as its early CEO -- who resigned this time last year himself and recently sold off his remaining shares. Lazaridis said that he'll focus instead on his new Quantum Valley Investments venture, which recently backed a research center in his home town of Waterloo, Ontario.

Filed under: Cellphones, Blackberry

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Rebuilding Productivity in Charlotte: Unified Communications

Unified communication refers to the integration of multiple real-time communication services into one source. It?s our way of providing Charlotte companies with a sense of organizational consolidation for the plethora of services and devices your company uses to communicate.?The main benefit is that it allows individuals to send and receive messages using different mediums.

Long gone are the times of a single medium of communication. With technological improvements happening so frequently, the Charlotte businesses have more options for real-time communicate then ever before. Now that a sense of communicative preference has been introduced into day-to-day operations, some people gravitate to certain services over others.

Unified communications brings a company?s communications and collaborative capabilities together. ?For example, you can receive an e-mail and choose to reply using an instant message or cell phone. The flow of communication is effortless for all parties under this business concept. Embrace a business environment where more time is spent working and producing results rather than waiting!

?The consolidation of services saves a lot of time for businesses,? says Mike Canipe of TelWare. ?Customers experience more time to prioritize on projects they would have not been able to address otherwise.?

Mediums of Communication United

Here are a few of the different communication services that are included in unified communications:

• ?Instant messaging
• ?Conferencing
• ?Email
• ?Call control
• ?Data sharing
• ?Multimodal communications
• ?Unified messaging
• ?Paging
• ?Social media

Uses of Unified Communications

Here are some practical uses of unified communications:

• Shorten sales
• Emergencies
• Adaption to market shifts
• Transfer calls
• Simplified system management
• Real-time presence

Benefits of Unified Communications

Below are some of the benefits your company can expect:

• Decrease of productivity loss ? employees can complete work from remote locations without having to report into the office.
• Lower facility costs ? office space can be consolidated with access to more technology in one place.
• Reduction in travel expenses ? by way to video, web and audio conferencing
• Improved staff productivity ? with more immediate access to each other, coworkers can finish work quicker.

Companies are predisposed for success with unified communication. Adopting these business tools will result in quicker business interactions, enhanced productivity and the avoidance of miscommunication. Employees can communicate with each other from virtually anywhere, at virtually anytime.

We look forward to assisting you in the consolidation of your communication outlets into a unified system. If you would like to speak further about how?TelWare?s unified communications?has helped your business call Mike Canipe with Telware at 704-598-4700 or email Mike. Let us help you reenergize productivity and simplify your company?s communication systems by combing them into one!

Source: http://www.telware.com/unifying-communications-and-rebuilding-productivity-in-charlotte/

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Americans oppose paying for storm-ravaged beaches

WASHINGTON (AP) ? More than 4 out of 5 Americans want to prepare now for rising seas and stronger storms from climate change, a new national survey says. But most are unwilling to keep spending money to restore and protect stricken beaches.

The poll by Stanford University released Thursday found that only 1 in 3 people favored the government spending millions to construct big sea walls, replenish beaches or pay people to leave the coast.

This was the first time a large national poll looked at how Americans feel about adapting to the changes brought on by global warming, said survey director Jon Krosnick, a professor of political science and psychology at Stanford.

The more indirect options the majority preferred were making sure new buildings were stronger and reducing future coastal development. New building codes rated the highest with 62 percent of those surveyed favoring it.

Three in 5 people want those who are directly affected by rising seas to pay for protection, rather than all taxpayers.

Krosnick said the low favorability of sea walls and sand replenishment "reflect the public's fatalistic sense that it's more realistic to just give up the beach than to try to save it when other storms in the future will just wash it away again."

The nationally representative survey of 1,174 Americans conducted online by GfK Custom Research has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

University of Miami geology professor Harold Wanless, who wasn't involved in the survey, said he was at a Miami Beach meeting on Thursday with business and political leaders on how to try to keep from losing their "hugely expensive" land. But they are afraid of spending money in vain attempts that won't work.

There are three ways the public can deal with the effects of rising seas on beaches, said coastal geology professor S. Jeffress Williams of the University of Hawaii. He is an expert on sea level rise and methods of adapting to it. You can "hold the line" with expensive sea walls, retreat and leave the beach, or compromise with sand dunes and beach replenishing.

Sand dunes helped protect the New Jersey town of Seaside Park more than its dune-less neighbor Seaside Heights when Superstorm Sandy hit last fall, said Laurie Mcgilvray, a government coastline science expert.

Williams said the public's attitude about not doing much to protect current beach development would be fine if it were 100 years ago. "But we've got tremendous trillions of dollars of a tourist economy that depends on the coast.

"You should expect that if you are going to use the coast, you need to put some money in to maintain it," he said.

But people surveyed said money is an issue.

When it came to the general question of who should pay to protect the coast, 60 percent of the public said it should be paid for by local property owners and businesses, not the general taxpayers. And when it comes to specific solutions, about 80 percent of those surveyed said the money should come from local property taxes, not federal or state income taxes.

Nearly half, 47 percent, said the government should prohibit people from rebuilding structures damaged by storms.

The survey also found that 82 percent of the public believes global warming is already happening. About 3 out of 4 people said rising sea levels caused by global warming is a serious problem.

___

Online:

Stanford study: http://stanford.io/16kTvKo

___

Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-28-Climate%20Poll/id-4bb2c34e6cdc4a05b7f40cf5d7fcfb03

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Judge approves American-US Airways merger

FILE - American Airlines and US Airways jets prepare for flight at gate at the Philadelphia International Airport, in this Feb. 14, 2013 file photo taken in Philadelphia. The merger of US Airways and American Airlines has been arroved by the bankruptcy court Wednesday March 27, 2013 giving birth to a mega airline with more passengers than any other in the world. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

FILE - American Airlines and US Airways jets prepare for flight at gate at the Philadelphia International Airport, in this Feb. 14, 2013 file photo taken in Philadelphia. The merger of US Airways and American Airlines has been arroved by the bankruptcy court Wednesday March 27, 2013 giving birth to a mega airline with more passengers than any other in the world. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

FILE - From left; US Airways Group Chairman and CEO Douglas Parker with American Airlines and AMR Corporation, Chairman, President and CEO Thomas Horton, and American Antitrust Institute Director and Vice President Diana Moss, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this March 19, 2013 file photo, before the Senate subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. American Airlines won bankruptcy court approval Wednesday March 27, 2013 to combine with US Airways and form the world's biggest airline. But the judge declined to sign off on a proposed $20 million severance package for Tom Horton, currently the CEO of American's parent AMR Corp. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? American Airlines won bankruptcy court approval Wednesday to combine with US Airways and form the world's biggest airline.

"The merger is an excellent result. I don't think anybody disputes that," Judge Sean H. Lane said before issuing his decision.

But the judge declined to sign off on a proposed $20 million severance package for Tom Horton, currently the CEO of American's parent AMR Corp.

The approval is an important milestone for American, which filed for Chapter 11 in November 2011 after having long resisted using the bankruptcy process to cut labor and other costs. The merger still needs approval from Department of Justice antitrust regulators and US Airways shareholders. It is expected to close by the fall.

The combined airline will have 6,700 daily flights and annual revenue of roughly $40 billion. The new American Airlines will fly slightly more passengers than United, the current No. 1. It will be run by Doug Parker, the CEO of US Airways Group Inc., who began pursuing a merger shortly after American entered bankruptcy protection.

The U.S. trustee, a federal bankruptcy watchdog, had objected to the severance package for Horton. While he didn't question the amount, Lane agreed that the timing of it seemed to violate prohibitions in the bankruptcy law.

"Approving it today is just not appropriate," Lane said. The judge plans to issue a written decision at a later date detailing his reasoning.

Horton has spent nearly his entire career at American, becoming CEO when the company filed for bankruptcy. Horton will cede the CEO position to Parker when the deal closes, and has agreed to leave the company's board within a year of the closing date.

In 2011, Horton was paid a salary of $618,135. He also got stock awards and options that were valued that year at nearly $2.7 million, but the company argued those could be nearly worthless after the bankruptcy reorganization. Figures for 2012 aren't yet available.

The proposed severance package includes $19.9 million in cash and stock as well as a lifetime of free first-class tickets on American for Horton and his wife.

Horton could still receive the payout. American's lawyers offered a possible solution during the hearing: American and US Airways would amend their merger agreement to say that Horton's severance would be subject to ratification of the board of directors of the new airline, after the merger closes.

Jack Butler, a lawyer with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, said he expects Horton to eventually get his payout. Butler's firm represents American's creditors, who support the merger.

"Tom has never made this case about himself, and I don't expect him to start now," Butler said.

In most bankruptcy cases, creditors lose part of the money they are owed. Thanks in part to the merger, creditors in this case will get back what they are owed. Onetime shareholders of AMR Corp. are slated to get a 3.5 percent of the new airline.

Separately, Lane approved a motion to extend American's exclusive period for filing a reorganization plan until May 29, the last such extension allowed under law. There is then a 60-day waiting period for creditors to object to the plan before Lane can sign off on American's emergence from bankruptcy protection.

__

Airlines Writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this article.

__

Scott Mayerowitz can be reached at http://twitter.com/GlobeTrotScott.

.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-28-American%20Airlines-Bankruptcy/id-8c53cfb6230e4d599c2428ece1f4285c

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