Whoops! Real phone sex numbers pop up in video game

Video games

Yannick LeJacq NBC News contributor

23 hours ago

The Last of Us / Sony

In what the developers are claiming is an "honest mistake," a number included in Naughty Dog and Sony's acclaimed zombie game "The Last of Us" lead players to a phone sex hotline.

Despite releasing one of the highest-rated video games ever made, developer Naughty Dog can't seem to catch a break for "The Last of Us." Already accused by actress Ellen Page and a Boston transit cartographer for borrowing some of their respective work without permission, this week the video game developer found itself in hot water once again for another hiccup in "The Last of Us": apparently, a phone number that players saw in the game advertising for pest control actually dialed up a real-world phone sex service.

I tested out the "quality pest control" number from "The Last of Us" on Friday and was met with a sultry female voice promising me that "we're smooth, wet, and ready for you right now!"

Naughty Dog didn't respond to a request for comment, but Sony provided NBC News with a statement explaining that the connection with a phone sex service was a mistake that will be rectified with a patch to be released Saturday:

We included some random phone numbers in the game starting with 555, which is a common practice in North American television shows, films and video games, as they are fictitious numbers. It has come to light that for certain 555 phone numbers that begin with an 800 area code, the same does not apply, so we are now creating a patch to address this issue, which we plan on deploying today.

Neil Druckmann, the game's creative director, told the video game site Kotaku that including the sex line in the game "was an artist's mistake" and was not intended as any sort of prank or Easter egg for players.

"What happened was, they put some phone numbers in the game and then they thought they could just change the area code to 555, then it's invalid because it's what they do in movies," Druckmann told Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton. "But I guess that doesn't work when you have a 1-800 in front of it.

"We're now working to take it out," Druckmann said. "It was just an honest mistake."

Earlier this week, Druckmann took to Twitter to stand behind the work of Ashley Johnson, who did the voice-over and motion-capture work for Ellie in the game, after Ellen Page suggested that Naughty Dog had unfairly "ripped off" her likeness for the zombie story.

This story was updated at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday.

Yannick LeJacq is a contributing writer for NBC News who has also covered technology and games for Kill Screen, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq and reach him by email at: ylejacq@gmail.com.

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Is Anthony Kennedy 'the first gay justice'? (CNN)

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Methane in Pennsylvania Groundwater May Originate in Fracked Gas Wells

Are natural gas wells in northeastern Pennsylvania contaminating the groundwater supply? Some researchers think so. Scientists at Duke University detected elevated levels of methane, ethane and propane in groundwater samples near active fracking sites. The scientists conclude that the gasses come from the wells, not natural sources, but that the problem could be solved with better-designed casings. "We think there's a well-integrity problem in this part of the Marcellus,? says Robert Jackson, a professor at Duke and lead author on the paper describing the findings. "And well problems are relatively easily fixed. They?re especially easier to fix than if there's some fundamental problem with fracking." Hydraulic fracturing?more commonly referred to as fracking?extracts natural gas reserves that are unreachable by conventional techniques. The process requires drilling wells thousands of meters down and then blasting them with a mix of water, sand and chemicals to induce fractures in the underlying rock. Gas seeps through these fractures and flows back up the well where it is captured. But if the wells aren?t properly sealed, then gas can leak into the groundwater. The wells are lined with metal casings that prevent extracted gas and contaminated water from leaching into the surrounding rock. To block gas from flowing up the outside of the well shaft, engineers pour cement around the outer casing to plug any gaps. If the cement or casing isn?t properly set, then gas from deep shale deposits can find its way in to shallow groundwater. If the casing ruptures, fracking chemicals can also enter the water supply. The researchers sampled well water from 141 homes in six counties. Many of the samples contained methane, but those wells within one kilometer of a gas well showed concentrations six times higher than average. Ethane in those nearby homes was 23 times above that of homes farther away. Ten homes also showed traces of propane. The paper, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, builds on a previous study done in 2011. The researchers added 81 homes to their data and expanded their analysis to identify the source of the stray gases. There are many natural sources of methane, none of which have to do with fracking. Microbes, for example, produce methane as they break down organic matter. Shallow gas pockets also can find their way through underground fissures and into water supplies. But methane has a way of telling researchers where it came from. Its molecule consists of one carbon atom attached to four hydrogen atoms. But not all carbon atoms are alike; some are slightly heavier than others. These heavier flavors, or isotopes, of methane can tell scientists where the gas has been. Microbes, for example, favor lighter carbon atoms. Deep natural gas reserves, like the Marcellus shale, tend to be heavier. Isotope analysis showed gases that look like they come from the Marcellus Formation. The appearance of ethane and propane also rules out microbes as a source in some cases. Biological sources of methane do not produce ethane and propane. Beyond one kilometer from the gas wells the background level of ethane and propane is almost zero. But within that radius, the level jumps dramatically. ?Where we find higher methane concentrations,? Jackson explains, ?sometimes it looks like natural background, sometimes it looks like Marcellus gas. When it?s Marcellus gas, that points to a problem with well casings.? He points out that the elevated gas level is not a criticism of fracking itself, but it does suggest that there are well problems and that these need to be addressed. ?The place to start is well integrity.? Fred Baldassare, owner and senior geochemist at ECHELON Applied Geosciences Consulting, disagrees. ?I don?t get a really strong sense of where they collected the water samples from,? he says. Without that information, he explained, it is difficult to independently assess the Duke study?s conclusions. ECHELON investigates stray gas incidents for clients such as the Marcellus Shale Coalition and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Lisa Molofsky, an environmental geologist at GSI Environmental, a consulting group that works with industry to manage and assess environmental risk, echoes Baldassare?s concerns. "How were these water wells selected?" she asks. "Are these from people who are already concerned? If so, there is a high potential for selection bias." John Connor, president of GSI, also cautions against extrapolating to a wider problem. "They're making very broad statements about things that could be very local," he says, referring to other studies that do not show evidence for methane contamination on a wider scale. "If you happen to pick the one place where a meteor hit the planet, you'll think meteors hit all the time. Maybe they're just standing on the edge of a smoking crater." Connor and Molofsky wrote a report in 2011 for the Oil & Gas Journal that challenges Jackson?s findings. They find methane to be not only common in groundwater in northeastern Pennsylvania, but also more concentrated in valleys as opposed to higher elevations. They argue that geology, not compromised well casings, is to blame for methane contamination. Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., owner of numerous wells in the Marcellus shale region, supported the research. "It's very important to talk about this candidly," Baldassare says. "There have been incidents related to gas well drilling, I'll be the first to admit that.? In 2009, for example, the town of Dimock, Pa, garnered attention when one water well exploded after an electric spark ignited methane in the water. Thirteen wells in the area showed dangerously high levels of a wide range of contaminants, including methane. "But from 2009 to 2013 the way the industry operates is like day and night. They're working hard to improve well integrity." Both Connor and Molofsky stress the importance of understanding the local geology and getting better baseline data. Whereas the ethane and propane data do seem to rule out a biological source, there are many ways natural gas can seep into the water supply. "It?s hard to say which hat a rabbit came from when all hats contain rabbits," Connor says. "We don't want to bash these guys,? Connor adds. ?No one has this really figured out. Papers like this are important in moving the ball forward. They're posing questions, important questions. It's helpful to the overall process." To move forward, researchers need water samples taken before wells are drilled. Pre-drilling data will establish a baseline for naturally occurring gases and help determine whether or not drilling is introducing methane into the water supply. Some of the homes in the Duke study were selected because they are in areas slated for wells in the next few years. "My motivation is to figure out why sometimes things go wrong and how to fix it," Jackson says. "We're not interested in shutting an industry down, we're interested in solving problems. We just want to make this better." ? Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
? 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/methane-pennsylvania-groundwater-may-originate-fracked-gas-wells-100000085.html

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Ford Tremor: potent sport truck. Better fuel economy

Ford Tremor is the little brother of the F-150 SVT Raptor. Ford Tremor's mileage is 16 miles per gallon in the city, 22 m.p.g. on the highway.

By Viknesh Vijayenthiran,?Guest blogger / June 27, 2013

Ford Motor Company introduces it's newest member of the F-Series family, the F-150 Tremor, to members of the media in Dearborn, Mich., on Thursday, June 27, 2013. The Ford Tremor is the first sport truck powered by an EcoBoost engine.

Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.

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Ford?s universally popular F-150 SVT Raptor now has a little brother in the form of the all-new 2014 F-150 Tremor. The newcomer is the Ford Motor Company?s [NYSE:F] first EcoBoost-powered F-150 with the short-wheelbase, regular-cab design, and is aimed at buyers looking for a potent sport?truck?with decent fuel economy.

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Under the hood is the familiar 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, which combines direct injection, variable cam timing and turbocharging technologies to help deliver 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. Our favorite attribute is the torque band: 90 percent of peak torque is available from 1,700 to 5,000 rpm.

Fuel economy?is said to be 16/22 mpg city/highway, for the rear-wheel-drive model. Opting for all-wheel drive will diminish those figures slightly.

The engine is paired with a six-speed automatic and a launch-optimized 4.10 rear axle--the shortest final drive ratio offered in an EcoBoosted F-150. An electronic rear differential is also fitted as standard.

Video Interview for White House Down: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, and more

White House Down puts our nation's most important house in peril, but thankfully, Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, and Maggie Gyllenhaal are there to save it and the people inside. They reveal what Roland Emmerich is like as a director, how their roles mirror their real lives, and then Grae Channings all over their Tatum.

Click here to watch more video interviews

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1927750/news/1927750/

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The 969 catechism

YANGON (Reuters) - Wimala Biwuntha is a pint-sized monk with boyish features who could barely see over the lectern during his recent sermon to a mesmerized crowd at a Yangon monastery. Yet his stature in Myanmar grows daily, thanks to his stark message to fellow Buddhists: "We are digging our own graves."

Wimala's sermon in the low-rent suburb of Insein was billed as an "introduction to the Buddhist logo". To warm up the crowd, a catchy pop tune called "Song to Whip Up Religious Blood" was played at high volume on a continuous loop on the monastery's loudspeakers. "Buddhists should not stay calm anymore," ran the lyrics.

Wimala hails from Mon, a coastal state near Yangon. The Mon pride themselves on being Myanmar's earliest converts to Buddhism. In October, with violence raging in Rakhine, he and fellow Mon monks set up the "Gana Wasaka Sangha" network to propagate 969 teachings.

It distributes a map showing Myanmar surrounded by Muslim-majority countries where Buddhism once flourished, such as Indonesia. "If necessary," runs its slogan, "we will build a fence with our bones."

Wimala arrived for his sermon barefoot, his shaven head shielded from the searing pre-monsoon sun by white umbrellas held aloft by disciples. His sermon was filmed by two cameramen, who later burned it onto DVDs that are distributed across Myanmar. Now that junta-era controls on the Internet have gone, 969 speeches are also widely disseminated on Facebook and YouTube.

Wimala's preaching style is by turns intimate and hectoring. He cracks jokes. Often, he closes his eyes and intones like a revivalist preacher. Unfurling a poster of the 969 logo, he led the audience through the first of many renditions of the movement's catechism.

"When you eat?" he asked.

"Nine six nine!" shouted his followers.

"When you go?"

"Nine six nine!"

"When you buy?"

"Nine six nine!"

"When you wake up?"

"Nine six nine!"

"When you sleep?

"Nine six nine!"

Afterwards, Wimala spoke approvingly of monks in Karen State who fine Buddhists caught buying from Muslims.

The Mon monks have delivered dozens of sermons in known sectarian trouble-spots. Wimala's speech in the Bago farming town of Minhla in February was followed by rising communal tensions, Muslim residents told Reuters. Four weeks later, a Buddhist mob destroyed mosques and Muslim houses in the town. Many of Minhla's 500 Muslims fled.

In an interview, Wimala said 969 might have inspired followers to commit anti-Muslim violence. But they were an ill-educated minority whose actions had been exaggerated by "Muslim-owned media", he said.

Emboldened, Wimala wants to reach a younger audience. He and other abbots are promoting compulsory religious education for Buddhist children.

The Mon monks plan to teach 60,000 children at more than 160 schools in Yangon and Moulmein, said Yin Yin Htwe, 34, a Wimala donor and disciple who runs a jewelry business. "I want children to learn the dhamma (Buddhist teachings), improve their manners and protect the nation and religion," she said.

Outside, waiting to greet Wimala, are dozens of primary schoolchildren with 969 logos pinned to their shirts.

(Reporting by Andrew Marshall; editing by Bill Tarrant)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/969-catechism-030501195.html

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Nelson Mandela Sick: Family Gathers at Rural Home | Black ...

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Members of Nelson Mandela?s family and tribal elders gathered Tuesday at the former president?s rural hometown in eastern South Africa, as concern grew for the 94-year-old leader who spent a third day in critical condition in a hospital, local media reported.

The office of President Jacob Zuma said Mandela?s condition remained unchanged after reporting late Sunday that his health had deteriorated to critical, alarming many South Africans as well as people around the world who regard the former president as a symbol of sacrifice and reconciliation.

Mandela?s family members held a meeting at his home in Qunu village in the Eastern Cape province, 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) south of Johannesburg, where the anti-apartheid leader grew up. No details on what was discussed in the meeting were announced. Those at the gathering included Mandela?s grandsons Mandla and Ndaba Mandela, according to press reports.

The Mail & Guardian, a South African newspaper, reported on its website that some elders in the area were only told of the meeting shortly before it started.

?Many of us in the village were not aware and we were only told this morning, so a number of Mandela elders still need to be transported to Qunu for the meeting,? the newspaper quoted Silumko Mandela, a relative, as saying earlier in the day.

A military helicopter was also seen hovering over the Mandela home, reported the online edition of City Press, a South African newspaper.

As on previous days, other family members were seen visiting the hospital in Pretoria where the Nobel Peace Prize laureate is being treated. South Africa?s defense minister and an Anglican archbishop also visited the facility.

Dozens of doves were released on Tuesday outside the hospital, which has attracted well-wishers who have gathered outside to leave messages of support for Mandela.

Source: http://blackamericaweb.com/140245/nelson-mandela-family/

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Apple offers iTunes credits to parents for in-app purchases made by kids?

Apple

Suzanne Choney NBC News

June 24, 2013 at 2:02 PM ET

Apple

If your young ones went on a spending spree for Angry Birds or other games and apps from the Apple's iTunes Store, and you didn't know about it ? until you got the bill ? you may be due some money from the company, or at the very least, a $5 iTunes credit.

In 2011, five parents filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple, saying that some downloaded apps were purchased by their children using their parents' accounts, but without their knowledge or permission.

Apple settled the suit earlier this year, agreeing to pay as many as 23 million customers in the U.S. amounts varying from a $5 iTunes Store credit to larger cash refunds. In all, the settlement may cost the company up to $100 million. Apple now has posted information about the settlement details here, with claims to be filed online by Jan. 13, 2014.

Parents are eligible for a settlement benefit if before May 2, 2013 they paid for apps or in-app purchases that were charged to their iTunes account by a minor without the parents' "knowledge or permission," within one 45-day period ? and if they haven't already received a refund from Apple for the charge.

If you're not good with a $5 iTunes Store credit, for claims under $30, parents will need to identify and submit the names of the apps that were charged without permission. For claims over $30, you'll need to do the same thing, but also describe the circumstances that led to your children making those charges to your account.

After the lawsuit was filed, Apple added more stringent controls for in-game purchases, and has also tried to educate users about how app purchases work. Still, there are children out there who know their parents' iTunes passwords, including a 5-year-old boy in Britain who recently racked up about $2,500 in App Store charges for the iPad in only 15 minutes. (Apple said it would issue a complete refund to the parents.)

For more information about the settlement, check Apple's FAQ page about it here.

Check out Technology and TODAY Tech on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

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Excited, but cold: Scientists unveil the secret of a reaction for prebiotic synthesis of organic matter

June 24, 2013 ? How is it that a complex organism evolves from a pile of dead matter? How can lifeless materials become organic molecules that are the bricks of animals and plants? Scientists have been trying to answer these questions for ages. Researchers at the Max Planck Institut f?r Kohlenforschung have now disclosed the secret of a reaction that has to do with the synthesis of complex organic matter before the origin of life.

Since the 1960's it has been well known that when concentrated hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is irradiated by UV light, it forms an imidazole intermediate that is a key substance for synthesis of nucleobases and nucleotides in abiotic environment. The way how UV radiation acts in this reaction to produce complex organic matter was, however, never clarified. Dr. Mario Barbatti and his colleagues in Germany, India and Czech Republic have now shown how this process occurs via computer simulations.

Using diverse computational-chemistry methods, the team has arrived at astonishing conclusions: For example that the reaction does not take place in the hot spot created by the solar radiation. "This has nothing to do with heat, but with electrons," says Mario Barbatti.

The reaction proceeds through a series of electronically excited intermediates. The molecules get into the "electronic excited state" because of the UV radiation, which means that their electrons are distributed in a much different way than the usual. That changes the molecule's attitudes. "But this takes some time," says Mario Barbatti. They showed that the radiation energy is dissipated too fast, and because of that each reactant molecule absorbs hundreds of UV photons before it finally gets converted into the imidazole intermediate.

"This is very inefficient -- and quite extraordinary," says Mario Barbatti. That is why it was quite challenging to comprehend the reaction, explains the physicist from Brazil. He and his colleagues have calculated a lot of possible intermediates, tried -- and discarded most of them. Finally they found out that there is only one single pathway that is consistent with the fast energy dissipation and previous experimental observations.

But why did they work on the computer? Isn't it the case that chemical reactions are worked on in laboratories? "Some intermediates are too elusive to analyze them in the laboratory -- they disappear before we may see them," Barbatti explains. Computational Chemistry allows the scientists to comprehend the reactions in a theoretical way.

"As I said before, this reaction has nothing to do with heat," says Barbatti. The transformation works in a cold environment, as in comets and in terrestrial ices, where spontaneous HCN polymerization is most expected to occur.

The team has published their results, which help to understand the role of solar radiation on the origin of life, in the recent issue of Angewandte Chemie.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/Q7w5RJO2C7M/130624104213.htm

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Popovich: Spurs 'hurting' after Finals loss

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ? Gregg Popovich was reflective, loquacious, funny and even answered questions from the media without prompting.

It's easy to say it was all a bit out of character for Popovich, but the circumstances were new to the San Antonio Spurs coach and all those who have followed them.

San Antonio was 28 seconds away from going a perfect 5 for 5 in the NBA Finals under Popovich when everything went wrong. The Miami Heat rallied from a five-point deficit to tie Game 6, eventually winning in overtime Tuesday and then closing out their second straight title Thursday with a victory in Game 7.

So, instead of preparing for a victory parade along the San Antonio River, the Spurs spent Saturday morning cleaning out their lockers at the team's practice facility.

"I don't really want to do a soliloquy, but the elephant in the room is that we're all hurting because we had an opportunity to win a championship right in the palm of our hands and it didn't happen," Popovich said. "So, that hurts, and it will dissipate over time, but right now it hurts everyone to varying degrees."

San Antonio never trailed in the NBA Finals previously under Popovich and Tim Duncan, but they also never faced a player like LeBron James, not even when they swept a then 22-year-old James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2007 championship.

James' 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation helped tie Game 6 and his jumper with 1:43 left in overtime proved to be the winner in a 103-100 victory. He earned his second straight Finals MVP after finishing with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in Game 6 and 37 points and 12 boards in a 95-88 victory in Game 7.

Will losing the title in such heartbreaking fashion makes it tougher for the Spurs to rebound next season and compete for another title?

"That's the kind of articles you guys write," Popovich said, deflecting the question before cracking a smile, "that we always read. ... I read every one of them, I swear, I swear, I read every one."

Popovich's mood, along with the rest of the team, was lifted by the thousands of fans who greeted them at the airport Friday afternoon upon their return from Miami. The reception shamed, humbled, inspired and ultimately touched Popovich.

"I'll be honest with you, when you saw the crowd, the first feeling I had was embarrassment," Popovich. "We wanted to bring it home for them so badly. Was just embarrassed that we didn't get it done and then as you look at them all and they just keep cheering you realize, my gosh, you really felt the love and the way they care for these guys and their team and then it did make it easier. Like, 'Hey, they're with us.' "

Fans will likely be rooting for essentially the same team next season, which is good news for a franchise that won the Southwest Division title while reaching the postseason for the 16th consecutive year.

Along with All-Star point guard Tony Parker, the most critical returning player is Duncan, who revived his career with two strenuous offseasons. The 37-year-old forward has lost 30 pounds over the past two years, enabling him to earn All-NBA First Team honors for the first time in six years. He averaged 17.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and shot a career-best 82 percent on free throws this season.

"I have a contract that says I am," Duncan said following Game 7 when asked if would return next season.

Asked specifically if he was planning on retiring, Duncan said, "Not right now."

Manu Ginobili is another matter. His contract expires this summer and the 35-year-old guard was unsure of his plans following Game 7.

Ginobili battled injuries and a declining game all season, and those struggles only exacerbated in the postseason. He averaged 11.5 points in the playoffs, his lowest total since his rookie season in 2003, and he committed eight turnovers in the Game 6 loss.

Barring a career renaissance like Duncan is enjoying, Ginobili's place amongst the team's Big 3 is likely at an end.

If Ginobili doesn't bounce back, the Spurs discovered a replacement in Kawhi Leonard.

After averaging 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in the regular season, the second-year forward averaged 13.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in the postseason while stymieing James defensively for much of the finals.

"(He is) unbelievably coachable, a hard worker," Popovich said. "He's going to be a future star because he's like a babe in the woods, still. I don't even call plays for him and you see what he does out on the court. He's just beginning to feel his way and he will be getting the ball more and more as time goes on."

Leonard was invited to play for USA Basketball, but his availability is in doubt because of chronic knee soreness he experienced in the final months of the season.

"It's obviously an honor, to be involved in USA basketball in any way, shape or form and Kawhi is thrilled with the selection," Popovich said, "but we need to talk to the doctors to make sure he is able to do it."

Leonard's continued development, along with those of younger players such as Danny Green, Gary Neal, Cory Joseph, Tiago Splitter and Nando De Colo will be key to the team's continued success because the Spurs are not expected to make any major trades or free-agent signings.

"People have been telling us to get younger for the last 15 years, I think," Popovich said. "So, we stopped listening to that a long time ago. At one point, I guess we will be too old, who knows when that is. Going to the conference finals last year and Finals this year kind of proves that something is going right."

With that, Popovich figuratively doffed his San Antonio Spurs cap at the media that had gathered on a Saturday morning and went back into the team's practice facility to continue working towards next season.

"Thanks for everything," he said. "You guys were great all year long, and ladies, but I am happy I don't have to do it again until September."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/popovich-spurs-hurting-finals-loss-220918421.html

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U.S. likely to extend old farm law after House derails new bill

By Charles Abbott

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congress is headed for a second stop-gap extension of current farm law if Republican leaders in the House of Representatives cannot get new legislation back on track after a stunning defeat.

Farm lobbyists and analysts on Friday said a short-term extension was the easiest resolution of the previous day's legislative chaos, which derailed Republican plans for major reform to crop subsidies and food stamps.

As the debate rolls on, there will be no impact on food stamps, which account for about 75 percent of farm bill spending, and crop insurance, now the largest part of the safety net for farmers.

Both programs are permanently authorized and would stay in operation if the current law is allowed to lapse, funded via annual appropriations bills.

On Thursday, the House, in an unprecedented step, defeated the five-year, $500 billion bill after Republican leaders were unable to get the votes they expected from fiscally conservative members of their party's Tea Party wing.

Congress is months late in writing a new farm law, broad-spectrum legislation that governs crop subsidies, public nutrition, soil conservation, international food aid, rural development and agricultural research programs.

After an emergency extension at the end of 2012 that runs through September 30, the farm law would revert to an underlying "permanent" 1949 law if new action is not taken.

Among other outcomes, milk prices in the grocery store would double due to the high commodity prices guaranteed to farmers by the 1949 law. That scenario, nicknamed the "Dairy Cliff," sparked lawmakers into action at the end of 2012.

Although the Democratic-run U.S. Senate passed its farm bill by a bipartisan 66-27 vote last week, the House, with its Republican majority, split into three factions on Thursday, denying a majority of votes for a new farm bill. The House version of the bill was defeated, 234-195.

Tea Party Republicans broke ranks with their leaders - notably Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor - to vote against the bill because they wanted deeper cuts. Democrats opposed the bill's hefty cuts to food stamps.

"They (Republican leaders) just have no path forward," said Ferd Hoefner of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, a small-farm advocate.

He said an extension of the 2008 law or passage of a "mini farm bill" with only a few changes from 2008 law were the most likely result "until the politics of the country calm down."

Farm lobbyists also viewed an extension as the simplest option.

There are also several other potential routes forward, including reviving the current House bill or using the Senate version as a vehicle to write a final compromise version of the farm law.

But any of these scenarios eventually would require a majority vote in the House, and that looks doubtful after Thursday's chaos.

"That's a Speaker question," said analyst Mark McMinimy of Guggenheim Partners, referring to Boehner. A spokesman for Cantor, meanwhile, said Republican leaders have not decided on a next step.

McMinimy said top Republicans might look for modifications to swing enough votes to the bill to pass it. But even if the original House bill were to pass, there would have to be a conference to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the bill, followed by another vote in each chamber.

Boehner and Cantor voted for the bill, which included lower limits on farm subsidies and the biggest cut in food stamps in a generation. But one-fourth of House Republicans voted against it, including Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, a former Agriculture Committee chairman.

The 62 Tea Party-influenced Republicans joined 172 Democrats to ensure the stunning defeat of the bill. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi called the outcome "amateur hour" for Republicans because of their inability to work together.

"They are going to have to make a decision on how to proceed," said Massachusetts Democrat Jim McGovern, who led the fight against food stamp cuts. McGovern said Republican leaders either must compromise with Democrats or try to satisfy Tea Party Republicans who "don't believe in the public sector."

Fiscal conservatives such as Republican Marlin Stutzman of Indiana say the farm bill should be split into two bills, on covering farm programs and the other covering food stamps. They want big budget cuts and reforms in Agriculture Department programs, especially food stamps.

Liberal-leaning and conservative groups each claimed victory from the failed farm bill vote.

Sallie James of the libertarian Cato Institute said defeat of the farm bill showed the demise of the coalition between rural and urban lawmakers that carried such legislation to passage in the past.

The "key to ending the role of government in agriculture once and for all," James said, would be repeal of the 1949 "permanent" farm law. The threat of reverting to the high supports and production controls of the 1949 law often motivates Congress to pass a farm bill.

(Reporting by Charles Abbott, editing by Ros Krasny and David Gregorio)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-likely-extend-old-farm-law-house-derails-004951555.html

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Game 7 NBA Finals: LeBron leads Heat to second straight title

Game 7 NBA Finals: LeBron James had 37 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Miami Heat to its second NBA championship with Thursday night's 95-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

By Jon Krawcynski,?AP Basketball Writer / June 21, 2013

The San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard (2) moves the ball against Miami Heat's Mario Chalmers (15) during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, June 20, in Miami.

Lynne Sladky / AP

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LeBron James had 37 points and 12 rebounds and the Miami Heat repeated as champions with a 95-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the?NBA?Finals on Thursday night.

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Dwyane Wade added 23 points and 10 rebounds and Shane Battier scored 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting from 3-point range for Miami. James made 5 of 10 3s, all the while hounding Spurs star Tony Parker on defense to make the Heat the first back-to-back champs since the Lakers in 2009-10.

Tim Duncan had 24 points and 12 rebound for the Spurs, who were trying to become the first road team to win a finals Game 7 since Washington in 1978. Kawhi Leonard added 19 points and 16 rebounds.

Mario Chalmers scored 14 for Miami.

San Antonio lost for the first time in five finals appearances.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/kGyLmRZNXYM/Game-7-NBA-Finals-LeBron-leads-Heat-to-second-straight-title

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Kid Rock tour offers 'best night ever' for $20

Celebs

Matt Murray TODAY

6 hours ago

Kid Rock says he's tired of fans having to shell out huge amounts of cash to see their favorite artists perform, and he's willing to put his money where his mouth is.

The Detroit rocker stopped by TODAY on Wednesday to talk about his "$20 Best Night Ever Tour," which lives up to its name, promising fans that every ticket on the tour will cost $20.

"Does that include some hookers and Vegas?" Kathie Lee joked.

"Don't get me started," Rock laughed. "It's too early and I have not had enough wine yet!"

Rock, 42, says the tour may result in a slight pay cut for him, but that he believes there's still a way to make a profit while keeping tours affordable.

"I don't know that $20 is the right number to change this business, but it's the right way to make a statement," Rock said. "You can still charge ... $4 for a 12-oz. beer, cheap parking, $20 t-shirts, and still make money if you do the numbers."

Rock also mentioned his "Chillin' the Most Cruise," essentially a five-day party on the ocean, which will kick off it's fifth annual voyage next March.

TODAY

The scene at a stop on Kid Rock's "Chillin' the Most Cruise."

"We actually got a new ship ... it's funny my name never came up in that Carnival Destiny, because that was our ship," Rock joked. "Did our shenanigans make that thing stop in the middle of the ocean?"

But Kathie Lee and Hoda couldn't let Rock leave before getting some fourth-hour treatment, presenting him with his drink of choice, whiskey and diet coke.

"You sure you're ready to see Bourbon Bobby?" Rock laughed before toasting the ladies.

The "$20 Best Night Ever Tour" kicked off in June and will wrap up its American leg in September.

Before hitting the road again, Rock walked TODAY.com through some of his favorite songs to listen to right now, and his music taste seems to range as much as his own sound. Do you like the songs on Rock's playlist? Give it a listen!

Click here to see what other TODAY guests are listening to.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/kid-rock-tour-offers-best-night-ever-20-6C10378278

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Sony chief says time needed to study proposal

TOKYO (AP) ? Sony Corp. needs more time to study a key proposal from a U.S. hedge fund to spin off a part of its entertainment unit as a way to propel its fledgling revival, the chief executive told shareholders Thursday.

Sony Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai was speaking to a Tokyo hall packed with thousands of investors for an annual general shareholders' meeting, where the proposal from Third Point hedge fund, led by activist investor and billionaire Daniel Loeb, was high on people's minds. It was the first question from the floor.

Hirai reiterated his position that Sony takes the proposal seriously, and it will be discussed by the company board. But he ruled out a quick decision.

"This is an important proposal that will influence the future of Sony," he said. "This will take time, and we are not going to come to a conclusion for the sake of coming to a conclusion."

Loeb has proposed selling up to a 20 percent stake in Sony's relatively healthy movie, TV and music business.

Third Point, one of Sony's top shareholders, said this week it has raised its stake to 6.9 percent from the 6.5 percent Loeb had said the fund owned, when it first made the proposal last month.

Loeb is best known for instigating a mass shake-up at Yahoo Inc.

He is proposing the money raised from selling a part of Sony's entertainment division be used to strengthen its troubled electronics operations.

His proposal was not up for a vote at the nearly two-hour shareholders' meeting, which approved new board members and a proposal on stock options. Sony said more than 10,000 people took part in the meeting.

Some analysts have been advocating changes at Sony, similar to what Loeb has suggested.

Takao Miyake, a retired shareholder who had attended the meeting, agreed.

"I think Sony is caught up in their own ways," he said. "Working with the hedge fund is the only way to survive."

Others were unsure. Takeshi Kawamata, 56, a businessman who owns 100 Sony shares, hadn't heard about the hedge fund proposal before.

"How should we know if we can trust the hedge fund or not?" he said.

Tokyo-based Sony has run into hard times in recent years despite a glorious nearly seven-decade history of having pioneered products, such as the Walkman portable player.

Sony, which also makes the PlayStation 3 game machine and Bravia flat-panel TVs, has fallen behind rivals such as Apple Inc. of the U.S. and South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co.

It was also battered by natural disasters in Japan in 2011, as well as an unfavorable currency rate, although that disadvantage has lessened with the yen cheapening in recent months.

The company barely turned a profit for the fiscal year ended March 31, its first in five years.

Hirai, who took office last year, promised a revival at Sony, focusing on smartphones, digital imaging and games, as well as turning around its money-losing TV operations. Sony is also trying to move into new fields such as medical equipment, having set up a joint venture with Olympus Corp.

He said Sony has undergone drastic restructuring under his helm over the last year, an effort that he called unprecedented in company history. He said he was talking frequently with Sony engineers to prevent any brain drain and boost morale. He said he was determined to make sure all products were "fitting of putting S-O-N-Y on them."

"We want people to say that a world without Sony would be no fun at all," he said.

___

Azusa Uchikura contributed to this report. Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at www.twitter.com/yurikageyama

Follow Uchikura on Twitter at www.twitter.com/auchikura

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sony-chief-says-time-needed-study-proposal-024639342.html

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Skills gap myth (finally) falls, but will anyone hear it? (Balloon Juice)

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Minnesota Poll shows support for DFL tax hikes (Star Tribune)

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Facebook releases info on US government data requests

Facebook

Staff Reuters

2 hours ago

Michael Dalder / Reuters file

Facebook received between 9,000 and 10,000 requests for user data from various U.S. government entities in 2012's second half, involving 18,000 to 19,000 of its users' accounts, the world's largest social network said Friday.

Microsoft Corp said that in the same period it received between 6,000 and 7,000 criminal and national security warrants, subpoenas and orders affecting between 31,000 and 32,000 consumer accounts from local, state and federal U.S. governmental entities.

The companies said they released the information after reaching agreements about disclosures with U.S. national security authorities.

Several Internet companies have struck an agreement with the U.S. government to release limited information about the number of surveillance requests they receive, two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters.

The agreements underscore the pressure imposed on the U.S. government and Internet companies after news leaked last week of a controversial National Security Agency program involving surveillance of foreigners. The disclosure of that program triggered concern about the scope and extent of the information-gathering exercise.

Other Internet companies are expected to release numbers of government requests without breaking out how many originate from the National Security Agency, the sources said.

Google, Facebook and Microsoft have publicly urged the U.S. government to allow them to reveal the number and scope of the surveillance requests they receive, including confidential requests made under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Google declined to comment.

Ted Ullyot, Facebook general counsel, wrote on the site's blog late Friday:

Since this story was first reported, we?ve been in discussions with U.S. national security authorities urging them to allow more transparency and flexibility around national security-related orders we are required to comply with. We?re pleased that as a result of our discussions, we can now include in a transparency report all U.S. national security-related requests (including FISA as well as National Security Letters) ? which until now no company has been permitted to do. As of today, the government will only authorize us to communicate about these numbers in aggregate, and as a range. This is progress, but we?re continuing to push for even more transparency, so that our users around the world can understand how infrequently we are asked to provide user data on national security grounds.

Ullyot wrote that for the six months ending Dec. 31, 2012, the "total number of user-data requests Facebook received from any and all government entities in the U.S. (including local, state, and federal, and including criminal and national security-related requests) ? was between 9,000 and 10,000."

Those requests, he said, "run the gamut ? from things like a local sheriff trying to find a missing child, to a federal marshal tracking a fugitive, to a police department investigating an assault, to a national security official investigating a terrorist threat. The total number of Facebook user accounts for which data was requested pursuant to the entirety of those" 9,000 to 10,000 requests was "between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts."

With more than 1 billion users worldwide, "This means that a tiny fraction of one percent of our user accounts were the subject of any kind of U.S. state, local, or federal U.S. government request (including criminal and national security-related requests) in the past six months," he wrote.

In a blog post on a company website, Microsoft said its agreement with the FBI and the Department of Justice allowed it to report FISA orders and directives, "but only if aggregated with law enforcement requests from all other U.S. local, state and federal law enforcement agencies; only for the six-month period of July 1, 2012 thru December 31, 2012; only if the totals are presented in bands of 1,000; and all Microsoft consumer services had to be reported together."

The post, by vice president and deputy general counsel John Frank, concluded: "Transparency alone may not be enough to restore public confidence, but it?s a great place to start."

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

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Apple announces new Mac Pro with cylindrical design, 12-core Intel Xeon E5 CPU, flash storage, Thunderbolt 2.0 and support for up to three 4K displays

It's been brewing for a while, and now Apple has finally redesigned its flagship cheese grater pro desktop. The 2013-era Mac Pro has been totally redesigned with a new, cylindrical chassis and vastly upgraded internals that have been designed to last for "(another) 10 years." At the center of the new Mac Pro is a 12-core, 256-bit Intel Xeon E5 processor with 1,866MHz DDR3 RAM capable of 60GB/s data transmission. Following the trend of the MacBooks, the new power tower uses PCIe-based flash storage, and so pro users will be relying upon four USB 3.0 and six Lightning 2.0 ports (that can take up to 6 devices per port with 20Gbps throughput) for expandability. Fortunately, for those of you who intend on placing the hardware beneath your desk, the expansion ports light up to help you find your connections in the gloom. Other connections include HDMI-out 1.4, dual gigabit Ethernet jacks, WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0 and the usual pair of 3.5mm audio in and out ports.

This machine is also the first Mac that'll ship with dual AMD FirePro GPUs as standard, which'll support 4K displays. Of course, the most striking change is in the design, which occupies 1/8th the volume of the current Mac Pro and stands 9.9-inches tall and 6.6-inches wide. The chance is thanks to a new thermal core, a triangular air duct that runs through the center of the hardware -- with one huge fan mounted at the top. Presumably, this new model has also been tweaked to conform to new regulations concerning electrical shielding, meaning that the hardware can finally return to European shores when it arrives later in the year -- at a (probably high) price that's still to be decided.

Gallery: WWDC 2013: Mac Pro

Update: You can now check out our eyes-on of the new machine here!

Follow our liveblog for all of the latest news from WWDC 2013.

Filed under: Desktops, Apple

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Source: Apple

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/10/apple-mac-pro-2013-redesign/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Gabon senator arrested in ritual killing case

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - A member of Gabon's senate has been arrested in an investigation into the ritual killing of a 12-year-old girl in the central African nation four years ago, the first time a senior politician has been detained in such a case.

Rising public anger at a spate of ritual killings in Gabon, an oil-rich former French colony on the Gulf of Guinea, sparked a march by thousands of people in the capital Libreville last month after mutilated bodies washed up on beaches.

President Ali Bongo promised the protesters that anyone convicted of such killings would be jailed for life.

Senator Gabriel Eyeghe Ekomie, who was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in December, was arrested on Friday after failing to appear before a court on May 31, his lawyer said.

Eyeghe Ekomie was summoned for questioning by the court after a man convicted of the girl's killing said at his trial in May 2012 that he did it on the senator's orders. Eyeghe Ekomie has denied the accusation.

"This is an unjust decision because my client was not correctly summoned," said lawyer Gisele Eyue Bekale. "We asked the judge to re-issue the summons but he did not. We will continue to appeal this decision."

Human and animal body parts are prized by some in the region, who believe they confer magical powers. Gabon's Association for the Prevention of Ritual Crimes estimates that at least 20 people have been killed so far this year and their lips, tongues, genitals and other organs removed.

Earlier this week, a sack containing human genitalia was found in a building in Libreville. An investigation is underway.

Gabon is not the only African country with a black market trade in human organs.

Grave robbers dug up more than 100 bodies in Benin's capital in November. Cameroonian authorities in September arrested five people for trafficking when they were stopped at a checkpoint with a severed human head.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gabon-senator-arrested-ritual-killing-case-120516287.html

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N.M. crews fight wildfires, smoke pours into capital

JEMEZ SPRINGS, N.M. (AP) ? Fire crews are battling a pair of wildfires in New Mexico that have scorched thousands of acres, spurred evacuation calls for dozens of homes and poured smoke into the touristy state capital.

State forestry officials say the Thompson Ridge fire near Jemez Springs started Friday and had grown to an estimated 725 acres. Between 40 and 50 homes in the area were evacuated as around 80 crew members and a helicopter were pulled from another blaze to help control this one.

Meanwhile, firefighters continued Saturday to battle a fire in New Mexico's Santa Fe National Forest.

The nearly 4-square-mile blaze was totally uncontained and dumping smoke into Santa Fe, putting a haze over the city just 25 miles from the fire.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nm-crews-fight-wildfires-smoke-pours-capital-162548748.html

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