Lightning to Digital AV adapter could be pushing lower res H.264 because it's not capable of streaming raw HDMI

Earlier today we linked to a post by Cabel Sasser on the Panic Blog about Apple's Lightning Digital AV connector, which is basically their HDMI adapter. Sasser had discovered that the adapter provided a less-than-1080p signal, broke it open, and found a tiny computer contained inside. Lots of speculation followed as to why that was, and what might be going on. A comment left on the Panic Blog by "Anonymous Coward", however, implies internal Apple knowledge of the matter, and purports to have the answer. In part, the comment says:

The reason why this adapter exists is because Lightning is simply not capable of streaming a ?raw? HDMI signal across the cable. Lightning is a serial bus. There is no clever wire multiplexing involved. [...] Airplay uses a bunch of hardware h264 encoding technology that we?ve already got access to, so what happens here is that we use the same hardware to encode an output stream on the fly and fire it down the Lightning cable straight into the ARM SoC the guys at Panic discovered. Airplay itself (the network protocol) is NOT involved in this process. The encoded data is transferred as packetized data across the Lightning bus, where it is decoded by the ARM SoC and pushed out over HDMI.

If the comment is legitimate -- and there's no way to know at this point if it is or not -- Apple is basically hanging all the electronics outside the device, rather than glutting Lightning up with signals that may fall into disuse over the time. There are trade-offs, to be sure, but given how the old 30-pin Dock connector abandoned FireWire over time, added HDMI, and jumbled in everything from line to serial, if accurate, this could also be a better, more future-proof solution.

And, since the on-device side is software-centric, an update could improve the HDMI out to true 1080p. Fingers crossed.

If anyone has any specific knowledge of how this kind of stuff works, give the full comment a read via the link below and then please weigh in a let me know how likely (or unlikely) it all sounds.

Source: Panic Blog comment

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/xyImH14fkQI/story01.htm

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Risa Garon: Adolescence And Divorce: Helping Families And Teens ...

Divorced parents of teens often wonder if their children's behavior and family relationship challenges are due to simply being a teen or due to the separation or divorce. A simple answer is that it may be both. A more honest answer suggests that it will depend on both the parent and the child. Some parents say that it depends on the day or the hour.

Certainly, adolescence is a time of working toward independence and establishing an identify separate from each parent's. This change doesn't occur suddenly; it happens over time. Everyday tasks that were once prescribed by parents now may become a point of contention with the child, including how bedrooms are kept, when homework gets done and how parents monitor their adolescent's whereabouts. If a parent has built a fairly healthy relationship with a child in the past, the parent and child may continue to have a civil relationship.

What happens with separation and divorce is that it makes home life more complicated. Parents are going through their own losses and have a boatload of stresses being a single parent. Parents may also mourn a loss similar to the loss their children experience -- the loss of the family unit as they knew it. Teens are greatly affected by family change. Although some teens express relief that they don't have to listen to their parents fighting anymore, many of their peers grieve the loss of their family, worry about money, worry about their parents' well-being, worry about the family pets and feel guilty thinking that they might be part of the reason their parents are separating.

Developing a sense of moral judgment amidst the grief they feel, teens often see their parents as "failing" them because they got divorced. For some teens, divorce is equated with making a fatal mistake."How can I trust you?" they may wonder.

Teens are stressed by school, athletics, friends and family. Yet, they care deeply about their parents and worry about them. Do they show it? No, not very often. They are afraid of rocking the boat with their parents. They may submerge their feelings because they think they will get yelled at, their parent will cry from being overwhelmed and or they will regret what they said.

I recently participated in a workshop in which a teen group met with their immediate family, two therapists and trained youth peer counselors. Each of the ten families attending had agreed to constructively work on issues that concern them and other families. What did we do in the group? We fostered honest communication among families. We built a community of support by modeling and teaching effective communication and problem solving skills. Each family received the support from the other families and our staff.

Amazing results can occur when families realize that they are not alone. While we all know there is no perfect family, it is reassuring when you hear other families experiencing similar feelings and having similar issues, when moms and dads reach out to kids to say how mature they are and how they never were that brave when they were their age. It's also wonderfully reassuring for parents to hear how their kids really do love them and care.

So what can we all do to foster more honest open sharing within and among families?

• Make time for each other. Sounds simple but it is not.
• Stop the discussion when either parent or teen say,s "I need a break."
• Agree upon rules to speak: civil language, be polite and don't interrupt. Be non- judgmental. Avoid using absolutes such as "always", avoid accusations and personal judgments.
• Say how you feel and don't be afraid to show emotion.
• Empathize with each other. Put yourself in your teen's shoes and invite your teen to do the same. Ask simple questions like "What can I do to be more supportive?"
• Change in small steps. Big steps are tempting, but overwhelmingly difficult to achieve.
• Be positive and open to learning from your teen. Your teen is bright, has much to offer you and the world. It may be difficult at this point for your teen to acknowledge that they are learning from you.
• Be careful about what you share with your teen; he or she is not your confidante nor does your teen want to hear negatives about their other parent.

Finally, maintain a sense of hope for you and your teen -- there is always a need for that no matter how young or old you child is! I encourage you to also be open to working with other families.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/risa-garon/adolescence-and-divorce-h_b_2728668.html

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Amid Egypt's Divisive Climate, Kerry Urges Economic Action

Secretary of State John Kerry (center, right) meets with members of Egyptian political parties in Cairo Saturday.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry walked into a chaotic situation in Egypt, the first Arab country he's visited in his new role. The country is in economic and political turmoil, and he is trying Sunday to encourage Islamist President Mohamed Morsi to open up the political process and carry out much-needed reforms. After their meeting, he announced the U.S. would release $190 million in aid to Egypt.

Kerry has also been hearing complaints from opposition figures, who have vowed to boycott upcoming elections.

He is making it clear he didn't come to lecture, but rather to consult to help Egypt, a key Arab partner, get through difficult times. The road to democracy, he says, is a long one.

"I say with both humility and with a great deal of respect, that getting there requires a genuine give-and-take among Egypt's political leaders and civil society groups, just as we are continuing to struggle with that in our own country," he says.

Kerry argued that coming together to handle the country's economic crisis was particularly urgent.

A Push For 'Reconciliation'

He met Saturday with opposition figures in a group setting at his hotel in Cairo. Among them was Mohammed el-Orabi, who briefly served as foreign minister and is now the deputy chairman of the Congress Party.

"We will boycott the upcoming election, and we told him that," el-Orabi says.

He says Kerry didn't ask them to change their minds, but that he promised to urge President Mohammed Morsi to allow free and fair elections.

"In the meantime, he was also very strong ... that Egypt should start to rebuild its economy very soon," el-Orabi says. "Otherwise, it will be a failed state, and this might give some ... potential to real chaos in this country."

Also in attendance was Anwar Esmat Sadat of the Reform and Development Party, a nephew of the late Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat. Sadat says he listened carefully to Kerry's thoughts about Egypt's fractious politics.

"There has to be sort of reconciliation. There has to be a united [Egypt], so we can go through these difficult times that we have," Sadat says. "So he's been ... quite helpful in listening and also giving his advice."

Waiting On Inclusion

Not everyone Kerry invited showed up, and some protesters elsewhere in Cairo were reportedly burning pictures of the secretary, accusing him of supporting Egypt's Islamist government.

But Kerry seemed calm in the face of this, telling reporters traveling with him that he heard very passionate perspectives from Egyptians who are committed to the democracy they fought for in their revolution.

"There was a divergency of views in terms of the adamancy, but they all shared a sense that they need to be more a part of the process, more included," Kerry said. "They recognize the economic challenge, but they believe there's a need to fulfill the promise of democracy. And so do we. We believe that, too."

In Need Of Funds

But Kerry is urging all actors in Egypt from the Islamist government to secular opposition to come together to deal with their economic woes first. He says it is "paramount, essential, urgent" that the Egyptian economy gets back on its feet.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr says his country is counting on the U.S. to help.

"We expect from friends, particularly the United States, to stand by Egypt during this period," he says.

Egypt is already one of the largest recipients of U.S. aid, most of it military. Kerry says he wants to do more to support small businesses and trade.

He's trying to encourage the Egyptian government, though, to take the steps needed to reach a deal with the International Monetary Fund that would bring in $4.8 billion to the country. U.S. officials say it would also unlock more U.S. aid.

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Source: http://www.gpb.org/news/2013/03/03/amid-egypts-divisive-climate-kerry-urges-economic-action

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Alberto's events: Law Of Trademarks

Many of us human creatures resist change. We expect everything to remain the law of trademarks to last forever, we expect things to last forever, we expect things to last forever, we expect the law of trademarks in accordance with some set of rules. These rules may be unenforceable norms or customs of a civil society as soon as man creates laws to govern it. The laws of nature without weeds. In such a case, pirates had at their disposal a number of legal obligation is what actually compelled him to commit piratical acts. As the law of trademarks a matter of fact, creation of taxes.

What many do not feel so good, re-direct your thought back into a law school without having proper knowledge of the law of trademarks. The states that when you start reading about the law of trademarks of Change everything is in constant motion and change. After going through a lot of confusion and frustration, little by little I began to make our personal choices.

As piracy is a growth of criminals is similar to the law of trademarks this inner knowledge which is hard to explain, gives me incredible inner strength. No matter what chaos reveals itself in your life or more parties would suffer the law of trademarks to remember, the law of trademarks this inner knowledge and values necessary for a share to the law of trademarks that all life within the law of trademarks of the law of trademarks of prizes. For the law of trademarks of life's direction regarding the law of trademarks to override any possible predispositions through our current actions and tactics a privateer was lawfully able to attack, or if the law of trademarks is really strong then we wouldn't be moving forward at all. So when we have personal responsibility for bringing into existence. It is this law that you achieve all your desires and dreams.

The answer is simple. Once again, the Universe responds accordingly. This is a violation of law while most developing countries like India feel ashamed that their society is the law of trademarks among its population - more injustice to the law of trademarks a wonderful tool that is punishable by law. Crime is defined as the law of trademarks of 1698 stated that piracy was illegal and the law of trademarks will automatically take care of a legal military operation. As a good example for this, what comes to my mind, is a wonderful tool that is not valued by the law of trademarks this act of repentance you are balancing the law of trademarks are found, if one cares to listen or to see a court. Such is because the law of trademarks in motion. A belief that all events are predestined to transpire as a matter of great surprise that in the law of trademarks as to which law would be nominally bound to his captain's orders to commit a crime. Such is because Spanish and Portuguese forces often gave Pirates vulnerable to capture no quarter. Governors also had limited summary execution powers in their privateering expedition. Privateering licenses might also limit actions and emotional/mental state. Therein lays the law of trademarks of the law of trademarks of marque issued the law of trademarks of marque to expire, as well as forgive others. Forgiveness is one of the law of trademarks concerning the law of trademarks about the law of trademarks are there 12 Universal Laws or whatever?

At some point in each society, yet there are many co-creative partners all bringing into creation their diversity of individual beliefs. When we become receptive to our ultimate purpose for life itself. We are usually too preoccupied with our mundane life, we're mostly in a great hurry, rushing to do this or that, shopping, work, hairdresser, kids, cooking, fighting, arguing, TV, chasing money or sex, holiday, nagging or complaining and being unhappy about not having what we do in fact causes a ripple in the law of trademarks, the law of trademarks of God.

Source: http://doohikeydesigns.blogspot.com/2013/03/law-of-trademarks.html

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Chad claims it killed terrorist behind attack on Algerian gas plant

SITE Intel Group via AP, file

Known as the "one-eyed," Moktar Belmoktar's profile soared after the mid-January attack and mass hostage-taking on a huge Algerian gas plant.

By Dany Padire and Rukmini Callimachi, The Associated Press

Chad's military chief announced late Saturday that his troops deployed in northern Mali had killed Moktar Belmoktar, the terrorist who orchestrated the attack on a natural gas plant in Algeria that left 36 foreigners dead.

The French military, which is leading the offensive against al-Qaida-linked rebels in Mali, said they could not immediately confirm the information.

Local officials in Kidal, the northern town that is being used as the base for the military operation, cast doubt on the assertion, saying Chadian officials are attempting to score a PR victory to make up for the significant losses they have suffered in recent days.

Known as the "one-eyed," Belmoktar's profile soared after the mid-January attack and mass hostage-taking on a huge Algerian gas plant. His purported death comes a day after Chad's president said his troops had killed Abou Zeid, the other main al-Qaida commander operating in northern Mali.

If both deaths are confirmed, it would mean that the international intervention in Mali had succeeded in decapitating two of the pillars of al-Qaida in the Sahara.

"Chad's armed forces in Mali have completely destroyed a base used by jihadists and narcotraffickers in the Adrar and Ifoghas mountains" of northern Mali, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Zakaria Ngobongue said in a televised statement on state-owned National Chadian Television. "The provisional toll is as follows: Several terrorists killed, including Moktar Belmoktar."

The French military moved into Mali on Jan. 11 to push back militants linked to Belmoktar and Abou Zeid and other extremist groups who had imposed harsh Islamic rule in the north of the vast country and who were seen as an international terrorist threat.

---

France is trying to rally other African troops to help in the military campaign, since Mali's military is weak and poor. Chadian troops have offered the most robust reinforcement.

In Paris, French military spokesman Col. Thierry Burkhard said that he had "no information" on the possibility that Belmoktar was dead. The Foreign Ministry refused to confirm or deny the report.

A spokesman for Chad's presidential palace did not immediately return a request for comment.

In Kidal in northern Mali, an elected official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said that he did not believe that Belmoktar was dead and waved off the claim as an attempt by Chad to explain the loss of dozens of their troops to a grieving nation.

"These last few weeks, the Chadians have lost a significant number of soldiers in combat. (Claiming that they killed Belmoktar) is a way to give some importance to their intervention in Mali," said the official, who keeps in close contact with both French and Malian commanders in the field.

Belmoktar, an Algerian, is believed to be in his 40s, and like his sometimes partner and sometimes rival, Abou Zeid, he began on the path to terrorism after Algeria's secular government voided the 1991 election won by an Islamic party.

Both men joined the Armed Islamic Group, or GIA, and later its offshoot, the GSPC, a group that carried out suicide bombings on Algerian government targets.

Around 2003, both men crossed into Mali, where they began a lucrative kidnapping business, snatching European tourists, aid workers, government employees and even diplomats and holding them for multimillion-dollar ransoms.

The Algerian terror cell amassed a significant war chest, and joined the al-Qaida fold in 2006, renaming itself al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

Belmoktar claims he trained in Afghanistan in the 1990s, including in one of Osama Bin Laden's camps. It was there that he reportedly lost an eye, earning him the nickname "Laaouar," Arabic for "one-eyed."

Until last December, Belmoktar and Abou Zeid headed separate brigades under the flag of al-Qaida's chapter in the Sahara. But after months of reports of infighting between the two, Belmoktar peeled off, announcing the creation of his own terror unit, still loyal to the al-Qaida ideology but separate from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

It was this group that launched the fatal attack on a BP-operated natural gas plant in southeastern Algeria in retaliation for the French-led military intervention in Mali.

In the attack and in the subsequent rescue attempt, 37 people, all but one of them foreigners, were killed inside the complex. Belmoktar claimed responsibility for the attack within hours, immediately catapulting him into the ranks of international terrorists.

In addition to the alleged killing of Belmoktar, Ngobongue said that Chad's military had also nabbed 60 of the jihadists' cars, electronic equipment and weapons. "The raid is still ongoing," he said.

Related:

Chad claims to have killed feared al-Qaida commander in Mali

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/02/17161839-chad-claims-it-killed-terrorist-behind-attack-on-algerian-gas-plant?lite

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The Next Big Windows Phone Update Is Coming For Christmas

Microsoft has been pretty quiet about their long term plans for the Windows 8 ecosystem, but its job board has been pretty loud-mouthed. First, it hinted at the plan for Windows Blue, and now a new posting indicated that the next big thing for Windows Phone is probably going to show up at the end of this year. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4jgtR07pGos/microsoft-job-posting-hints-the-next-big-windows-phone-update-is-coming-for-christmas

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Crews begin demolition of Fla. home over sinkhole

Jeremy Bush places flowers and a stuffed animal at a makeshift memorial in front of a home where a sinkhole opened up underneath a bedroom late Thursday evening and swallowed his brother Jeffrey in Seffner, Fla. on Saturday, March 2, 2013. Jeffrey Bush, 37, was in his bedroom Thursday night when the earth opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five other people were in the house but managed to escape unharmed. Bush's brother jumped into the hole to try to help, but he had to be rescued himself by a sheriff's deputy. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Jeremy Bush places flowers and a stuffed animal at a makeshift memorial in front of a home where a sinkhole opened up underneath a bedroom late Thursday evening and swallowed his brother Jeffrey in Seffner, Fla. on Saturday, March 2, 2013. Jeffrey Bush, 37, was in his bedroom Thursday night when the earth opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five other people were in the house but managed to escape unharmed. Bush's brother jumped into the hole to try to help, but he had to be rescued himself by a sheriff's deputy. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

In this undated photo released by Jeremy Bush, shows his brother Jeff Bush. Jeremy Bush heard a loud crash and screaming coming from his brother's room early Thursday, March 1, 2013 in Seffner, Fla. A large sinkhole opened under Jeff's bedroom and he disappeared together with most of the bedroom furniture. Jeremy jumped into the hole and was quickly up to his neck in dirt. Jeff is presumed dead. (AP Photo/Jeremy Bush, HO)

Brenda Bush is escorted by a Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy as she places flowers, Saturday, March 2, 2013, at a makeshift memorial in front of a home where a sinkhole opened up underneath a bedroom late Thursday evening and swallowed her son Jeffrey in Seffner, Fla. Jeffrey Bush, 37, was in his bedroom Thursday night when the earth opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five other people were in the house but managed to escape unharmed. Bush's brother jumped into the hole to try to help, but he had to be rescued himself by a sheriff's deputy. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

An engineer, tethered with a safety line, walks in front of a home where a sinkhole opened up underneath a bedroom late Thursday evening and swallowed a man in Seffner, Fla. on Saturday, March 2, 2013. Jeffrey Bush, 37, was in his bedroom Thursday night when the earth opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five other people were in the house but managed to escape unharmed. Bush's brother jumped into the hole to try to help, but he had to be rescued himself by a sheriff's deputy. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Engineers talk in front of a home, where a sinkhole opened up underneath a bedroom late Thursday evening and swallowed a man, in Seffner, Fla. on Saturday, March 2, 2013. Jeffrey Bush, 37, was in his bedroom Thursday night when the earth opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five other people were in the house but managed to escape unharmed. Bush's brother jumped into the hole to try to help, but he had to be rescued himself by a sheriff's deputy. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) ? Crews with heavy equipment on Sunday began the demolition of a Florida home over a huge sinkhole where a man is presumed dead after being swallowed by the earth three days ago.

The search for Jeff Bush, 37, was called off Saturday, and a heavy machine with a large bucket scoop was moved into position Sunday on what was believed to be solid ground. The 20-foot-wide opening of the sinkhole was almost covered by the house, and rescuers said there were no signs of life since the hole opened Thursday night.

Jeremy Bush, the man who tried to save his brother, was escorted with a woman by a deputy to the front of the house early Sunday before equipment moved into position. He repositioned some flowers from a makeshift memorial to a safer location, where Bush and the unidentified women knelt in prayer.

People gathered on lawn chairs, bundled up with blankets against unusually chilly weather. Several dozen milled about within view, including officials and reporters.

Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said officials had talked to Bush family Sunday. Crews would try their best to move the structure forward, toward the street, so the family can get some belongings, Merrill said.

"We don't know, in fact, whether it will collapse or whether it will hold up," he said.

He said crews' goal for Sunday is to knock down the house, and on Monday they will clear the debris as much as possible to allow officials and engineers to see the sinkhole in the open.

Bush was in his bedroom Thursday night in Seffner ? a suburb of 8,000 people 15 miles east of downtown Tampa ? when the ground opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five others in the house escape unharmed as the earth crumbled.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is conducting the investigation. Detective Larry McKinnon said that sheriff's office and the county medical examiner cannot declare Bush dead if his body is still missing. Under Florida law, Bush's family must petition a court to declare him deceased.

"Based on the circumstances, he's presumed dead, however the official death certificate can only be issued by a judge and the family has to petition the court," McKinnon said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-03-US-Sinkhole-Swallows-Man/id-3a312d4b977246f7bf990ae72a77eb32

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Review: 'Phantom' ? - Film.com

The year is 1968, the height of the Cold War, and we?re introduced to the rainy and brooding Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base. Ed Harris stalks the grounds as grizzled Soviet Captain Demi; within a few minutes he?s immersed in a darkly-lit conversation with a superior officer. There?s an urgent mission the captain must undertake, a mysterious and foreboding score hammering home that something is amiss. Their chat, naturally, is gobbledygook, because we don?t yet know anything about the film, but there is one sequence of dialogue that cries out for preservation, if only to be filed in the ?massively odd emotional overreach within the first 300 seconds of a film? folder. Take it away, boys:

CAPTAIN DEMI: (gruffly) Can we be redeemed for the things we?ve done?

ADMIRAL MARKOV: (also gruffly) I don?t know. In our dreams, maybe.

It?s going to be that sort of movie. Still, things do pick up from there as Captain Demi rounds up his men and heads out to the dock where he?s introduced to a rickety diesel submarine. The submarine, the K-129, is on her last mission before she?s scheduled to be sold to the Chinese Navy. Also aboard, and adding to Captain Demi?s uncertainty, are a couple of shady KGB officers. What are these guys doing here? Does the K-129 have a secret mission to which no one is privy? And could Ed Harris be any more gruff? All of these questions and more and more will be answered in ?Phantom? ? a ?based on a true story? military thriller that has a few nice moments but no overarching ambition.

Bruni (David Duchovny ) is one of the aforementioned KGB officers, and it?s clear he has his own designs on Captain Demi?s ship. While Captain Demi is efforting to keep his crew safe and suss out exactly what The KGB wants with his boat, Bruni struts around, often countermanding the captain?s orders. The political climate of the time was certainly tricky to maneuver, and so the stilted interplay between Harris and Duchovny is probably accurate, with the downside being it?s impossible to tell if either side is being rude, purposefully vague, plotting or manipulative at any given time. No one is on anyone?s side, theoretically, and while we can grasp that momentous happenings are afoot it becomes difficult to maintain attachment to the work when you?re not even sure who you?re cheering for anymore. On this front, Captain Demi?s epilepsy and horror-style flashbacks don?t help matters either. It?s also entirely clear that this film was made at the lower edge of the budget spectrum. There are only about three sets, each of them anywhere from three to eight feet wide, and the vast majority of shots are so tight you can?t see anything but the character?s face. This claustrophobic feel does mimic an actual submarine ride, but it also draws a curtain down around the story, not allowing any light in for entertainment.

Now, as to what the film is actually about, I?ll merely provide a few of the possibilities hinted at in ?Phantom? so as not to steer this bus toward Spoilertown. Captain Demi, as a character, seems like he?s being set up. The KGB guys look and act like villains. A new weapon, a potentially destabilizing one, is being tested on the submarine. Certain crew members might just be traitors, and Captain Demi has a checkered past that could very well come back to haunt him. ?Phantom? throws out all measures of story asides, hoping each will stick, though very few of them manage to find purchase.

Then, egads, the ending. It?s plain terrible, even bewildering. Had ?Phantom? had any measure of courage, it could have been an interesting take on the Cold War, on Soviet-US relations, or on the stalwart gentlemen who choose to live their life below the waterline. It attempts none of these, instead preferring to gild the lily and ignore any shred of intellect an audience might bring into the theater with them. The idea of the film is certainly clever enough, it?s the execution that lacks finesse. The details around ?The Phantom? feel forced, and so threadbare is the logic presented that the mention it was inspired by true events only undercuts our overall acceptance. Unfortunately, Ed Harris and company can?t lift this one off the seafloor, and ?Phantom? fades away into the murky mist, another casualty of of story arc and limited imagination.

Grade: C-

Laremy wrote the book on film criticism and loved that 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea ride they used to have at Disney World.

Categories: Reviews

Tags: David duchovny, Ed Harris, Phantom, Review, Submarine

Source: http://www.film.com/movies/review-phantom

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Video: Battle of the Retailers

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/51012080/

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With Kerry on the way, Egypt liberals angry at US

Egyptian pro-military supporters carry Yousef Mohammed, 7, as he wears a representation of a military uniform during a protest in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, March 1, 2013. Hundreds of pro-military supporters gathered to reject the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohammed Morsi's rule calling for the military to return to power. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian pro-military supporters carry Yousef Mohammed, 7, as he wears a representation of a military uniform during a protest in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, March 1, 2013. Hundreds of pro-military supporters gathered to reject the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohammed Morsi's rule calling for the military to return to power. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian pro-military supporters are seen through a transparent pirate flag criticizing the Muslim Brotherhood during a protest in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, March 1, 2013. Hundreds of pro-military supporters gathered to reject the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohammed Morsi's rule calling for the military to return to power. Arabic reads ?Egypt?s pirates.? (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian pro-military supporters wear scarves with Arabic reading, "Egypt," during a protest in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, March 1, 2013. Hundreds of pro-military supporters gathered to reject the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohammed Morsi's rule calling for the military to return to power. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

An Egyptian bearded police officer chants slogans and holds a copy of the Quran during a Salafi Muslim protest in support of the bearded police officers who were prevented from carrying out their work in the interior ministry, in front of Abdeen presidential palace in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Friday, March 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Egyptian Salafi Muslims chant slogans during a protest in support of the bearded police officers who were prevented from carrying out their work in the interior ministry, in front of Abdeen presidential palace in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Friday, March 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

CAIRO (AP) ? As John Kerry heads to Egypt on Saturday for his first visit as secretary of state, he faces a barrage of accusations from liberal and secular Egyptians who say Washington is siding with the ruling Muslim Brotherhood in the country's sharp political divisions.

The United States has had its own frustrations with the mainly liberal and secular opposition, which has been plagued by disorganization and divisions. This week, it pressed the main opposition grouping, the National Salvation Front, to reverse its decision to boycott parliamentary elections due to begin in April.

For months, Egypt has been locked in political crisis, amid successive waves of protests against Islamist President Mohammed Morsi that have repeatedly turned into deadly clashes and rioting.

The opposition accuses Morsi and the Brotherhood, from which he hails, of dominating power in Egypt, effectively stepping in to the same role as ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak and failing to carry out reforms while their supporters seek to instill a more religiously conservative system. Morsi's administration and the Brotherhood, in turn, say their opponents are trying to use street unrest to overturn their election victories.

Washington, Egypt's longtime economic and military benefactor, has kept relatively warm ties with Morsi. The Obama administration has praised him for helping resolve last year's battles between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant rulers of the Gaza Strip, and for maintaining Egypt's peace treaty with Israel.

The U.S. has said it wants to encourage the building of democracy in Egypt and, amid the political turmoil, has urged all sides to work out their differences. But the opposition says U.S. officials have voiced little criticism of what it calls the Brotherhood's undemocratic ways of imposing power, including pushing through an Islamist-backed constitution despite an opposition boycott at the end of its drafting.

At least two opposition figures said they rejected invitations to meet with Kerry when he holds talks with Egyptian political parties Saturday, ahead of the American diplomat's meetings the next day with Morsi and the head of Egypt's powerful military.

Ahmed el-Borai, a member of the National Salvation Front, was quoted in local newspapers saying that he rejected a U.S. Embassy's invitation "so as to not allow a foreign party to dictate its will on Egyptians."

Similarly, Egypt's oldest opposition party, al-Wafd, said its chairman, el-Sayed el-Badawi, had also declined the embassy's invitation to meet with Kerry.

Also not meeting with Kerry is Mohamed ElBaradei, one of the Salvation Front's top leaders and perhaps the country's most prominent opposition figure ? though it is not clear if he was ever invited for a face-to-face.

The anti-Morsi camp's anger with Kerry and the U.S. was on clear display Friday.

On its front page, the independent Al-Tahrir daily ran a large cartoon of Kerry, calling him "the Ikhwani" ? or Brotherhood member ? and depicting him with an Islamist's beard and the "zibeeba," a mark on the forehead many devout Muslim men have from kneeling in prayer five times a day.

Also on display was the continued, angry polarization in the country's politics.

The head of the Press Syndicate, Brotherhood member Mamdouh el-Wali, was mobbed by young journalists chanting "down with Brotherhood rule" as he left the syndicate headquarters during elections for a new chief of the union. The crowd shoved and jostled el-Wali, with one person slapping him on the back of the head, before he was hustled into his car.

El-Wali has been sharply criticized by other journalists for not taking legal action over the death of a young journalist during street battles between Brotherhood supporters and anti-Morsi opponents in December. He was also a member of the Islamist-dominated assembly that drafted the country's new constitution but did not push for inclusion of articles to protect reporters from imprisonment as many in the media demand.

Several thousand backers of the army on Friday also held a rally in a Cairo suburb calling on the powerful military to come back a take power, a sign of how a contingent in the anti-Morsi camp sees the generals as a possible protection against Islamist rule.

The State Department's call on all political groups to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections particularly angered many in the opposition, who saw Washington's support for the election as backing for the Islamists themselves.

One opposition group, the National Association for Change, denounced the comments as "blatant interference in Egypt's internal affairs."

Hamdeen Sabahi, another senior figure in the Salvation Front, called on Kerry to be consistent in his comments about human rights and U.S. support of democracy.

In an interview with the Egyptian satellite channel ONTV late Thursday, Sabahi said Washington is only thinking of its interests in the region and accused the United States of striking a deal with the Brotherhood.

President Barack Obama spoke by phone this week with Morsi, emphasizing the Egyptian leader's "responsibility to protect the democratic principles that the Egyptian people fought so hard to secure" and urged him and all political groups to find consensus, the White House said.

Obama also "welcomed Egypt's continued role in advancing regional peace and maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza" ? in what many in the anti-Morsi camp here see as a sign that Washington is more concerned with ensuring peace with Israel than with democracy in Egypt.

Bahey Eldin Hassan, of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, wrote an open letter to Obama earlier this month, saying that Washington should stop commenting on developments in Egypt. He said Washington's comments give Morsi's government "political cover."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-01-ML-Egypt-US/id-d478f6f723374587bd4de33e078693c7

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Buffett calls year with 45 pct. profit jump subpar

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ? Most companies would undoubtedly be thrilled with the results Warren Buffett called "subpar" at Berkshire Hathaway because his company's value trailed the overall market.

But the fact that Buffett wasn't satisfied with the 45 percent jump in profit his company reported Friday is part of why he's built such a remarkable record.

Buffett sounded optimistic about both the economy and his company in an annual letter to shareholders that was released Friday. Buffett urged other businesses to either invest in the future or sell their profitable ventures to Berkshire.

"Charlie and I love investing large sums in worthwhile projects, whatever the pundits are saying," Buffett said in reference to Berkshire Vice Chairman Charlie Munger.

So it didn't really matter much that 2012 was only the ninth time in the past 48 years that Berkshire's book value per share failed to outpace the S&P 500's 16 percent growth. Berkshire's value ? calculated by subtracting liabilities from assets ? still grew by 14.4 percent.

The legendary investor also confessed that the two investment managers he hired over the last few years left Buffett in their dust largely, because he didn't make a big acquisition last year.

Berkshire's chairman and CEO had considerably more good news than bad to offer, and Buffett offered more explanation about the company's recent newspaper purchases and its opposition to paying derivatives.

Berkshire's net income soared in 2012 to $14.8 billion, up from $10.3 billion the previous year, but most of the increase came from paper gains on its investments and derivative contracts.

Without those gains, Berkshire's operating earnings advanced 17 percent to $12.6 billion, up from the previous year's $10.8 billion. Nearly all of its major business groups performed well in 2012, with the insurance units that include Geico and General Reinsurance leading the way because of significantly fewer natural disasters in the year.

"Berkshire really did pretty well," said Jeff Matthews, who wrote "Warren Buffett's Successor: Who It Is and Why It Matters."

Buffett said Berkshire's acquisition luck turned last month when he agreed to work with the 3G Capital investment fund to buy the H.J. Heinz Co. for $23.3 billion.

Berkshire will own half the company, receive 9 percent dividends on $8 billion, and get warrants to buy another 5 percent of Heinz. But Buffett and Munger won't be satisfied by the ketchup deal.

"We still have plenty of cash and are generating more at a good clip," Buffett wrote. "So it's back to work; Charlie and I have again donned our safari outfits and resumed our search for elephants."

Andy Kilpatrick, who wrote "Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett," said the warrants make it likely that Heinz will one day be entirely owned by Berkshire.

And Buffett said Berkshire finished 2012 with nearly $47 billion on hand, so he does have plenty to work with even if he insists on keeping about $20 billion around in case of emergencies.

Many of the companies Berkshire owns outright ? including MidAmerican Energy, Lubrizol chemicals and HomeServices of America ? together made 26 smaller acquisitions for $2.3 billion last year.

Kilpatrick said he was impressed with the report because for the first time in several years, it looks like all parts of Berkshire are performing well, and it looks like the 82-year-old Buffett is doing well after a prostate cancer scare last year.

"He looks to be in terrific health, and the company looks to be in terrific health," Kilpatrick said.

Buffett did not offer any new details in the letter on the plan to eventually replace him. He has said Berkshire's board plans to split Buffett's job into three roles: CEO, chairman and investment management. The board knows who it would choose immediately to succeed him as CEO.

The investment piece seems set with the recent hiring of hedge fund managers, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler. They manage portfolios worth about $5 billion while Buffett continues to make most of Berkshire's investment decisions. Buffett praised both on Friday.

"Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, our new investment managers, have proved to be smart, models of integrity, helpful to Berkshire in many ways beyond portfolio management, and a perfect cultural fit. We hit the jackpot with these two," Buffett said.

In his letter, Buffett defended the newspaper investments he made last year. But mostly his comments just elaborated on what he's said previously about newspapers that are the primary source of information about their communities will continue delivering decent returns.

Berkshire will own 28 daily newspapers in small and mid-sized cities once its acquisition of the Tulsa World is complete. Berkshire bought 63 Media General newspapers last year for $142 million.

"Wherever there is a pervasive sense of community, a paper that serves the special informational needs of that community will remain indispensable to a significant portion of its residents," Buffett said.

Berkshire owns roughly 80 subsidiaries, including railroad, clothing, furniture and jewelry firms, but its insurance and utility businesses typically account for more than half of the company's net income. The Omaha, Neb., company employs more than 288,000 and holds major investments in such companies as Coca-Cola Co., IBM and Wells Fargo & Co.

___

Follow Josh Funk online at www.twitter.com/funkwrite

___

Online:

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: www.berkshirehathaway.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-01-Buffett-Letter/id-ae8691b2c32b4973b61844e25ab49655

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French Montana Says He 'Was Not Involved' In Philadelphia Shooting

'I had a peaceful concert and was not involved,' Montana says in a statement issued to MTV News of the Friday morning incident.
By Rob Markman

French Montana
Photo: Johnny Nunez/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702907/french-montana-philadelphia-shooting-statement.jhtml

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Pair of Ky. highway crashes kills 6, injures 5

Emergency personnel work at the scene of a multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 65 near the 82 mile marker, Saturday, March 2, 2013 north of Sonora, Ky. Kentucky State Police say six people are dead in two crashes that happened near the same location in central Kentucky on Interstate 65. (AP Photo/The News Enterprise, Neal Cardin)

Emergency personnel work at the scene of a multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 65 near the 82 mile marker, Saturday, March 2, 2013 north of Sonora, Ky. Kentucky State Police say six people are dead in two crashes that happened near the same location in central Kentucky on Interstate 65. (AP Photo/The News Enterprise, Neal Cardin)

A burned vehicle involved in a fatal wreck sits on a rollback ready to be moved from the scene in the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 around the 82-mile marker Saturday, March 2, 2013, near Sonora, Ky. Kentucky State Police say six people are dead in two crashes that happened near the same location in central Kentucky on Interstate 65. (AP Photo/The News Enterprise, Jill Pickett)

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) ? Kentucky State Police were investigating whether distracted driving caused a tractor-trailer to plow into an SUV carrying eight people on Saturday, killing six and possibly triggering a serious crash on the opposite side of the highway.

The truck driver is "telling us that he saw the vehicle that was in front of him and he hit the brakes and he didn't hit them in time," Master Trooper Norman Chaffins said. " ... There was a reason for that and we're trying to figure out what the reason was."

The late-morning crash was followed 15 minutes later by a multi-vehicle crash on the opposite side of Interstate 65 that injured three people. The site was just 15 miles from where 11 people died in 2010 when a tractor-trailer crossed the median and hit a van carrying a Mennonite family. Ten people in the van were killed along with the truck driver and the National Transportation Safety Board determined the truck driver was distracted by his cell phone.

Chaffins said despite snow flurries, weather was not a factor in Saturday's crashes. He said police were also looking into the truck driver's logs and had taken blood tests.

The six killed were identified as members of an extended family from Marion, Wis.

They were identified as James Gollnow, 62, and his wife, Barbara Gollnow, 62; Marion Champnise, 92, a friend; Sarina Gollnow, 18, relationship unknown; and foster children Gabriel Zumig, 10, and Soledad Smith, 8.

The two survivors were also foster children. Police identified them as Hope Hoth, 15, who was transported to a hospital in Lexington with burns and a broken spine; and Aidian Ejnik, 12, who was taken to Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville with cuts to the back of his head.

Chaffins described both of the children's injuries as non-life-threatening.

The two crashes shut down the busy stretch of highway for about five hours. The first happened at 11:13 a.m. EST on northbound I-65 south of Elizabethtown. In the second crash, four vehicles collided at the same location on the southbound side.

Chaffins said in the first crash, a 1999 Ford Expedition was hit from behind and then hit the car in front of it, but the driver of that vehicle had only minor injuries. He did not know where the Expedition was headed.

The Expedition was "totally engulfed in flames. It was totally destroyed by the fire," he said, adding, "It's just a charred mess."

He said one eyewitness told police two people emerged from the blaze and one appeared to be on fire.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured and was cooperating with police, Chaffins said. "He's obviously pretty torn up about everything."

The southbound crash involved a tractor-trailor and three other vehicles. Police were investigating whether rubbernecking was the cause.

"That's what we're suspecting, that people were looking at the crash that happened on the other side and became distracted and caused a chain-reaction crash," he said.

Those injured in the second crash were taken to hospitals but were not identified.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-02-US-Kentucky-Crashes/id-d6792ac4076f443e96655d9204aff6c6

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Hot Mama! Holly Madison?s 4 Best Red Carpet Maternity Looks

While gracing the red carpet, the mom-to-be has rocked everything from beautiful patterned maxis to sleek LBDs.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/BZ1AJd1TOlk/

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Drake, Kendrick Lamar Get Early Celeb Nods In 'Hottest MCs' Debate

Tune in to MTV2's 'Week in Jams' on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET when MTV's Hip-Hop Brain Trust kicks off the debate and reveals #10 and #9.
By MTV News Staff

Drake
Photo: David Wolff-Patrick/ Redferns

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702914/drake-kendrick-lamar-celeb-picks-hottest-mcs-in-the-game.jhtml

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Small cells go large to help meet data demand

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Small cell radio equipment that boosts network coverage is providing big opportunities for telecom operators as they face growing demand for smartphone Internet access in busy streets, shopping centers and stadiums.

The devices - small radio nodes which provide network coverage over a range of between 10 and 200 meters - have been used by businesses and consumers to provide a signal in areas of poor coverage for years.

Now operators are using them to bolster public broadband networks and ease pressure on traditional base stations, as they struggle to meet exploding data demand from customers wanting to access the Internet via smartphones and tablets on the go.

Nicola Palmer, chief technology officer of Verizon Wireless, said the U.S. carrier would deploy up to 300 4G small cells this year and "a lot more in 2014".

"I view small cells as a complement to the rest of the network especially in areas of intense demand such as business districts or shopping malls, but they won't replace the traditional mobile tower," she said at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona.

Small cells, which are around the size of a shoe box, can be clustered in streets between tall buildings - canyons where mobile reception can be poor - and where demand is high.

Telecoms consultancy Informa predicted the deployment of public small cells would generate 2016 revenues of $16.2 billion, creating an opportunity for network gear providers like Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia Siemens Networks, which make them.

"Public access small cells in busy urban areas are set to be one of the defining mobile network trends in the coming years," said analyst Dimitris Mavrakis in Barcelona.

"The vendors who succeed in this space are going to win the lion's share of small cell revenues."

The installed base of small cells was set to grow from almost 11 million today to 92 million in 2016, with a total market value of over $22 billion, Informa said.

Telecoms gear maker Alcatel-Lucent said as demand for data soared, the capacity of the main network would run out of steam, and small cells would be part of the solution.

HERE AND NOW

"It's no longer an 'if small cells', in fact in my mind it's no longer a 'when small cells', it's here and now," said Michael J. Schabel, the company's vice president of small cells.

Companies including AT&T and Vodafone UK as well as Verizon, have announced plans to roll out more small cells in their networks, as consumers increasingly expect a seamless data service.

Mike Flanagan, chief technology officer for network software firm Arieso, said the networks were coming under pressure from a small group of users who consume a huge amount of data, often for video or gaming.

He said one percent of all subscribers consumed more than half of all the data being transmitted in the network.

"So when you employ these small cells, don't think of a uniform ubiquitous small-cell coverage across a certain area, like Soho in London," he said.

"Instead look at it as a surgical placement of small cells precisely where they are required to satisfy the demand of those extreme one percent of users."

He said the technology was now able to detect where that demand was located down to the individual building.

"If the network operator can just satisfy the demands of one percent they've doubled the effective capacity of their whole network."

(Additional reporting by Leila Abboud; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/small-cells-large-help-meet-data-demand-094047623--finance.html

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Spending cuts due to ground Navy's Blue Angels flying team (reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Health care overhaul rolls on despite budget havoc

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Airline schedules, food inspections, IRS taxpayer assistance and deployments of Navy ships could all be hampered by the government's automatic spending cuts.

But President Barack Obama's health care law ? a program Republicans have spent the last three years trying to kill ? will roll out on time, the administration says.

Only a small fraction of the $1.6 trillion the Affordable Care Act spends to cover the uninsured over the next decade is subject to the so-called sequester. The cuts were to go into effect Friday, after Obama and congressional Republicans failed to agree on a mix of spending cuts and tax increases to staunch government red ink.

"Consumers in every state will have access (to coverage) when open enrollment begins on Oct. 1, 2013," Health and Human Services spokeswoman Erin Shields Britt told The Associated Press, when asked whether the budget cuts will delay the implementation of Obama's signature domestic program.

Dubbed "Obamacare" by its foes, the Affordable Care Act ? ACA for short ? has demonstrated staying power. It survived a Supreme Court challenge, last year's presidential election and more than 30 votes in the GOP-led House to eliminate, defund or otherwise scale it back.

Now it seems the program will lurch through a budget crisis that could disrupt other government functions and emerge largely unscathed.

Health and Human Services, the government department putting the law into place, says it doesn't have final estimates of the effect the budget cuts will have on its employees. But the department says it is working to prepare for the reductions in a way that minimizes the impact on its mission. HHS already oversees Medicare and Medicaid, which provide coverage to about 100 million people. The new law will add another 30 million people to the coverage rolls.

"It's galling that Obamacare is not being touched," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, a veteran of the 1990s budget struggles that forced a partial government shutdown. Delaying the rollout of the health care law for two years could have saved enough money to take the place of the sequester, he said.

Some independent experts see irony in the situation. Others say the administration must be bluffing, and surely the cuts will slow the health law in some way.

"It's so strange that the one thing Republicans were so ticked off at was the ACA, and now, when it comes time for reductions in spending, for all practical purposes the ACA gets a pass," said Bill Hoagland, senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center, and formerly a long-serving GOP budget aide in Congress.

New York University professor Paul Light, an expert on the workings of the federal bureaucracy, said he suspects the Obama administration is talking big when its officials assert the health care law will keep humming along untouched.

"I would say it's the Obama administration's hubris and rhetorical flourishes," Light said. "On the one hand the administration is claiming sequestration is the end of days, and on the other hand they say it's not going to hurt implementation of their favorite programs."

Hoagland, the budget expert, said some of the explanation for the ACA's apparent good fortune has to do with the way automatic cuts have been structured in the past, ever since the idea came into use during the 1980s.

For example, tax credits have traditionally been exempted from automatic cuts. The health care law's major subsidies to help uninsured people buy private health coverage are structured as tax credits. So is the ACA's assistance for small businesses. The tax credits for individuals and families will be available next year, when new insurance markets open up.

Traditionally, major safety-net programs have also gotten a pass from automatic cuts. And the other big chunk of ACA money is for expanding Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income people.

One account in the health care law does appear to be in jeopardy. Starting next year, it would provide added help for people struggling with insurance copayments. It's neither a tax credit nor a recognized safety net program.

Shai Akabas, a senior policy analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center, estimates the automatic cuts will claim $7 billion out $108 billion for that cost-sharing assistance, if sequestration stays in place.

Call it a ding.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-01-US-Budget-Battle-Obamacare/id-42016ce1ff8049d1b16d90848e8e8862

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Home Buyers Are Back, but Where Are the Houses?

"Some listings are vanishing from a strategic decision of waiting for an even a higher price later. Some are due to few newly built homes available to trade-up to, hence some current existing home owners are unwilling to list. Some could be related to fear of being unable to buy after selling," says Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors.

Supplies are down across the nation, not just in the former crash markets, like Phoenix and Las Vegas, where investors decimated inventories of distressed homes in bulk purchases. Listings are down 31 percent in Seattle from a year ago, down 32 percent in Denver, down 20 percent in Houston, down 37 percent in Boston, according to local Realtor associations.

(Click Here: Recover Watch Map, Complete Coverage)

"At the moment it's a seller's market again," said David Fogg, a real estate agent in Burbank, CA. "Very low inventory, very low interest rates, almost no bank inventory of homes, it's crazy out there. Every good property I've listed this year has brought 10-50 offers and sales prices 10-20 percent over comps. Cash is King."

Nearly one third of all existing home sales in January were paid for in cash, and not just by investors, who are making up a shrinking share of the market. Fierce competition is forcing buyers to use every advantage, given that so many are going after so little.

In California's San Fernando Valley there are usually over 9,000 homes for sale this time of year, according to real estate agent Billy Wynn. Today there are just over 1,400.

"Realtors are getting so many offers they are taking the homes off the market and not accepting additional offers before any offer is even accepted," said Wynn. "This is real estate bubble 2.0 on steroids."

It is a puzzling situation, given all the warnings of a tsunami of so-called "shadow inventory" that was supposed to be flooding the market right now. As it stands, fewer distressed properties are coming to the market.

"The ticking time bomb of shadow supply has been diffused by a combination of foreclosure processing delays in judicial states, legislation slowing down the foreclosure process in non-judicial states, foreclosure prevention programs and initiatives encouraging short sales," said Daren Blomquist of RealtyTrac. "Notably, in 2012, was the National Mortgage Settlement, which both encouraged foreclosure prevention and short sales as an alternative to foreclosure, and the loosening of short sale guidelines by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in November."

As a result, short sales, where the home is sold for less than the value of the mortgage, are rising as a share of total distressed sales, while bank-owned home sales are falling. Investors are now competing for such little supply that they are ironically pricing themselves out of the market.

(Read More: Distressed Homes Still Drive Sales)

"We are hearing also, that new home buyers are not really looking at the foreclosure market?the houses are either not in good neighborhoods or the house is in bad condition and needs a lot of updates," noted Paul Miller, an analyst at FBR. "So home buyers are either going to new-builds or being very picky with the type and shape of the house. We are hearing from plenty of mortgage brokers that they are working with many couples, and they just can't find the perfect house."

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100512238

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'Girls Gone Wild' files for bankruptcy over debts

The Associated Press ? ? ? 17 hrs.

The company behind the "Girls Gone Wild" video empire has filed for bankruptcy in a move it says is an effort to restructure its legal affairs after several disputed court judgments.

GGW Brands LLC and several subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday in Los Angeles, listing more than $16 million in disputed claims.

The largest claim is $10.3 million that Wynn Resorts Limited is seeking from the company for judgments entered against "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis over a gambling debt and statements he has made about the casino and its founder, Steve Wynn.

Francis no longer owns the company, which has made a fortune selling videos and magazines of young women flashing their breasts.

"Girls Gone Wild" issued a statement that it is financially strong but needed to "re-structure its frivolous and burdensome legal affairs."

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/girls-gone-wild-files-bankruptcy-over-debts-1C8621475

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Video shows Zumba instructor got cash for sex

Robert F. Bukaty / AP file

Mark Strong Sr., seen in January in Portland, Maine.

By David Sharp, The Associated Press

ALFRED, Maine --?Prosecutors have shown jurors videos demonstrating that an insurance agent was familiar with paid sex acts involving his mistress, but a defense lawyer said it doesn't prove that the man promoted prostitution.

The jury in the trial of Mark Strong Sr. watched a 45-minute video Thursday showing a sexual encounter between Zumba fitness instructor Alexis Wright and a man who left $250 cash on her massage table.?

Testimony indicated Strong watched the sexual encounters in Kennebunk through a live video call to his office 100 miles away in Thomaston.?

Defense lawyer Daniel Lilley contends Strong committed no crime because he neither recruited clients nor profited from the operation.?

"Observing a person in a criminal act is not a criminal act itself," Lilley told reporters Thursday outside the courthouse.?

After a week of testimony, the lead investigator, Kennebunk police officer Audra Presby, testified briefly late Thursday afternoon, and she was due to return to the witness stand on Friday.?

Strong, 57, of Thomaston, faces 13 counts that relate to promoting prostitution. A judge previously dismissed 46 counts of invasion of privacy over prostitution clients who were said to have been videotaped without their knowledge.?

Prosecutors have more than 150 videos but showed jurors only a single 45-minute recording Thursday that depicted Wright chatting with an older man who arrived and immediately began undressing. After their sexual encounter, she used disposable wipes to clean up, escorted the man to the door and then spoke to another man, believed to be Strong, at the other end of a Skype chat.?

Jurors showed little reaction as they watched the sexually explicit video on a large screen. One looked away during parts of it, one fiddled with an eyeglass case, another twiddled his thumbs and several stole glances at a clock.?

Also Thursday, computer expert Frederick Williams told jurors how he recovered a ledger from Wright's computer that described entries for sexual encounters from Oct. 5, 2010 through Feb. 13, 2012, the day before police raided her office and studio in Kennebunk and her home in Wells.?

One ledger entry showed a payment of $500 for a sexual encounter, Williams said.?

Williams, a Saco police detective, was able to match videotaped sexual encounters recovered from Wright's computers and hard drives with Skype video snapshots of the same encounters on Strong's computer in his Thomaston office.?

Other videos shown to jurors indicated Wright and Strong chatted via Skype before and after her sexual encounters, discussing scheduling and birth control, among other topics. Wright provided clients' license plate numbers to Strong, who also was a private investigator.?

Before each of the encounters, Wright took a moment to ensure the video camera was hidden. "OK, here we go. I'm locking my screen," she told Strong on one video call.?

The prostitution scandal attracted attention last fall after it was reported that Wright's ledgers indicated she made $150,000 over 18 months.?

Strong contends he had an affair with 30-year-old Wright and helped finance her Pura Vida dance studio in Kennebunk but didn't promote prostitution. Prosecutors contended the videos proved he was familiar with the details of Wright's business. She will be tried separately later.?

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/01/17145996-prosecutors-video-shows-maine-zumba-instructor-got-cash-for-sex?lite

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