May 30, 2012

Kings, Devils set for Cup finals

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Unlikely matchup: Kings, Devils set for Cup finals

By Tom Canavan
AP Sports Writer / May 30, 2012
New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur makes a save during practice in preparation for Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Los Angeles Kings, Tuesday, May 29, 2012, in Newark, N.J.NEWARK, N.J.—Roughly two years ago, the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils were the finalists in the free-agent market battle for Ilya Kovalchuk.
The Devils won the right to keep the high-scoring Russian with a bid of $102 million.
Wednesday night, the teams will start fighting for a much bigger prize, the Stanley Cup. In this contest, skill, heart and desire will decide the outcome. Nothing else.
And it doesn't matter that the Devils and Kings aren't the two teams most experts expected to be left standing after three rounds of the playoffs.

Spurs take 2-0 advantage

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Spurs take 2-0 advantage

San Antonio gets 20th straight win

By Chris Duncan
Associated Press / May 30, 2012
SAN ANTONIO - San Antonio is halfway to turning the Western Conference finals into a runaway.
Tony Parker scored 34 points, Manu Ginobili added 20, and the Spurs stayed perfect in the playoffs with a 120-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
The Spurs set an NBA record with their 20th consecutive victory bridging the regular season and the playoffs. They came in sharing the longest such streak with the 2000-01 Lakers, who

Russia And China Warn ...

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Russia And China Warn Against Military Intervention In Syria

By Henry Meyer and Stepan Kravchenko - May 30, 2012

Russia and China warned against outside military intervention in Syria following the massacre of more than 100 people in the town of Houla that has been blamed by Western countries on regime-backed militia.
“To raise the possibility of some kind of military intervention is more the result of political emotions than careful consideration,” Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov told reporters

May 29, 2012

A Facebook Phone???

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A Facebook Phone: Ambitious Leap or Fatal Mistake?

Posted on GigaOm
By Mathew Ingram on May 29, 2012

A Facebook Phone: Ambitious Leap or Fatal Mistake?At this point, the fact that Facebook (FB) is struggling with its mobile strategy is not really news. The company itself flagged the issue in its pre-IPO documents, saying advertising revenue is not keeping up with expectations, and its $1 billion Instagram purchase was widely seen as an admission it needs a lot of help in the mobile department. But does it make any sense for the company to build its own phone? Some argue this would be a natural extension of the social network’s strategy, but others say it would be a monumentally stupid move to make and is almost inevitably doomed.

Talk of a dedicated Facebook phone resurfaced this weekend with a report from Nick Bilton in the New York Times that said the social network “hopes to release its own smartphone by next year” and has been hiring hardware engineers and developers—including several from Apple (AAPL)—as part of that effort. According to the sources Bilton talked to, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark

RIM warns of operating loss, layoffs to come

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RIM warns of operating loss, layoffs to come
By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Struggling BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion issued a dire warning about its business, saying Tuesday that it will post an operating loss for the second-straight quarter and will lay off a large number of employees this year.
RIM also said it has hired J.P. Morgan and RBC Capital Markets to help it evaluate strategies, including possibilities of partnering with other companies and licensing software, in addition to other alternatives.
Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM made no mention of a sale of the company. But new Chief Executive Thorsten Heins did not rule that out after RIM's last earnings report in late March.
"It's a disaster, it's bad," Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said. "The problem is you can't see a path to a

Williams out of French Open

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Williams out of French Open
 2012-05-29

PARIS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Serena Williams was bundled out of the French Open after she suffered the worst Grand Slam defeat of her career on Tuesday.

The favorite for the women's singles title slumped to a dramatic and thrilling 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 loss to

Sharapova, French Open

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Sharapova serves Cadantu double bagel in Paris

Tue May 29, 2012 


(Reuters) - A merciless Maria Sharapova whizzed past unheralded Romanian Alexandra Cadantu 6-0 6-0 to book her place in the second round of the French Open on Tuesday.

Russian second seed Sharapova was her usual sulky, aggressive self, peppering a sunsoaked Court Suzanne Lenglen with winners to crush the world number 78 in 48 minutes.

Sharapova, who has a chance of taking over from Victoria Azarenka as world number one depending of the Belarussian's run in Paris, blew kisses to the crowd after wrapping it up when Cadantu sent a backhand long on the first match point.

China paying billions for oil deals in the Americas

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China paying billions for oil deals in the Americas

 @CNNMoneyInvest May 29, 2012

China is paying billions for North and South American oil and other energy projects. Analysts say that should be good for all consumers.NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Eager to feed its growing energy appetite, China's worldwide buying binge for oil and other energy assets is spreading to North and South America.
Yet most analysts say China's newfound interest in American energy may actually be good for U.S. consumers, as it will likely increase oil and gas supplies worldwide and possibly lower prices.
Big deals: Earlier this month, reports said PetroChina (PTR) is close to buying an old refinery on Aruba owned by American refining giant Valero (VLOFortune 500).

Copper,China, euro zone

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Copper up on China stimulus plan, euro zone woes limit gains

29 May 2012 
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - London copper prices edged up on Tuesday after Chinese equities gained on signals that China will soon launch an economic stimulus scheme, but fears that Spain's debt problems will worsen the euro zone debt crisis limited gains.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange inched up 0.4 percent to $7,723 a tonne by 0718 GMT, extending a three-session winning streak during which it has risen 2 percent by Monday's close.
The most-active September copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange closed 0.2

Tropical Storm

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Remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl spinning across south Georgia

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl continued to churn across extreme south Georgia early Tuesday, drenching the southern part of the state and bringing a chance of scattered showers to metro Atlanta later in the day.
At 5 a.m., Beryl was centered about 10 miles northwest of Valdosta, the National Weather Service said.
The storm, with sustained winds of 30 mph, was expected to take a turn toward the northeast and increase forward speed later in the day Tuesday, bringing the center of Beryl close to Savannah by

another earthquake

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Italy hit by another deadly earthquake

May 29, 2012
Strong quake rattles northern Italy
(CBS/AP) MILAN - A magnitude 5.8 earthquake rattled northern Italy on Tuesday, leaving at least ten people dead, according to local Italian media and officials.
The United States Geological Survey said the quake, which struck at 9:00 a.m. local time (0300 Eastern) Tuesday, was centered 25 miles northwest of the central city of Bologna.
It hit the same region where a stronger temblor measuring 6.0 earlier this month killed seven people.
CBS News' Costanza Barone reports that, according to local media, as many as 7,000 people were displaced as the result of the quakes in northern Italy. The exact death toll could not immediately be confirmed, but local emergency responders told Italian television networks that at least ten people were dead, and many more missing amid the rubble.
Italian media also said a tower in San Felice sul Panaro had collapsed.

May 28, 2012

Hunter back with Angels

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Angels ace Weaver leaves with back injury against Yankees

usatoday.com
5-28-2012
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Los Angeles Angels ace Jered Weaver left his start against the Yankees in the first inning Monday night after apparently injuring his back while pitching.

Weaver gave up two hits and a run in his first three batters before pulling up awkwardly after pitching to cleanup hitter Robinson Cano.
Weaver walked around the mound and eventually attempted to throw a warmup pitch that didn't have much zip, and he went to the Angels' clubhouse with their training staff. The Angels eventually announced Weaver apparently has a lower-back injury.
Weaver began the night 6-1 with a 2.61 ERA, second in the AL in victories. Any extended absence could be disastrous for the Angels, whose touted starting rotation hasn't been impressive beyond Weaver's steady play.

Meshing Microsoft With Skype

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Meshing Microsoft With Skype

As part of the deal, Microsoft gave Skype a longer leash than it grants most of its divisions, allowing Tony Bates, president of Skype, to work in Silicon Valley.



Man Says He's Armed

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Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed

By NOMAAN MERCHANT Associated Press
UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas May 29, 2012 (AP)


Police tried Monday to coax a man from a crane cab on the Southern Methodist University campus in suburban Dallas after he told officers he was armed and threatened to shoot anyone who approached him.
The crane towers about 150 feet over the campus in University Park, a posh north Dallas enclave.
Special tactics officers from the Dallas Police Department were working with SMU campus police to manage the scene and try to talk the man down from the crane. No injuries had been reported.
Dallas police Sr. Cpl. Melinda Gutierrez said campus police "did call us

Greek Polls Show...

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Greek Polls Show Gains by Right-Leaning New Democracy



Facebook has hired Apple engineers ...

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Facebook headhunts Apple engineers for 3rd smartphone attempt

    By     May 28, 2012
 According to the New York Times, citing multiple unnamed sources, Facebook has hired more than half a dozen former Apple engineers with experience working on the iPhone in order to create its own smartphone software and hardware in response to growing threats from the mobile web.
apple, facebook, tablet, smartphoThe social networking giant has tried this venture two times previously. The first attempt in 2010 was scrapped after the company realized the difficulties it would face in the transition from a software developer firm to a hardware manufacturer. Its second effort, which leaked late last year, is still under development with Taiwanese phone maker HTC. The project codenamed "Buffy" took over from the first failed attempt.
Now Facebook is making its third attempt to build a new smartphone for as early as next year. The company is reportedly delving "deeper into the process, by expanding the group working on Buffy, and exploring other smartphone projects too, creating a team of seasoned hardware engineers who have built the

who is best ?

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For Romney, beating Obama on education could be tricky



Herman Cain had 9-9-9. Lately, Mitt Romney is all about E-E-E.
As in, the economy, energy and -- new this week -- education.
Obama: Romney's 'prairie fire of debt' a 'cow pie of distortion'Romney rolled out his education plan at a speech in Washington last week, and followed up with a visit to a charter school in West Philadelphia. Now, both the Associated Press and Education Week are taking him to task for what they deem to be misstatements about President Obama’s education record.
Fair?
Would Romney really cut spending on 'Day One'?Along with touting his own education record as governor of Massachusetts, the presumptive Republican nominee attacked Obama for, among other things, being a tool of the teachers unions.
Not everyone is willing to give Romney credit, but there's no question that Massachusetts schools are near the top nationally – in student achievement and in per-pupil spending. But Romney is catching heat over his comment that Obama "has been unable to stand up to union bosses."

short-haired bees return to UK

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Homecoming buzz: short-haired bees return to UK
5-28-2012

LONDON (AP) — A conservationist says she is releasing 100 short-haired bees into the wild, 20 years after they were wiped out in the British countryside.
The bees' population has declined dramatically across Europe in the last two decades as their habitats were destroyed.
They were declared extinct in Britain twelve years ago, however a colony had survived in southern Sweden.
Nicky Gammans told the AP she collected the bees in April, and held them in quarantine for several weeks before releasing them into the wild Monday in a nature reserve in Dungeness, Kent in southeast England.

Venus 'Transit of Sun'

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Venus 'Transit of Sun' is next amazing sky sight


venus-transit-gipa.jpg


The "ring of fire" solar eclipse may be history, but skywatchers have another stunning event to look forward to — June's historic Venus transit of the sun.

NBA May 28, 2012 time at 8:30 p.m. ET

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NBA Playoffs 2012, Celtics Vs. Heat Game 1: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Heat and Celtics meet in the Eastern Conference Finals for a chance to play for the NBA title.
May 28, 2012 - The 2012 Eastern Conference Finals features the last two Eastern Conference champions: the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. The series tips on Monday, so get to a TV for the Game 1 scheduled start time at 8:30 p.m. ET in Miami.
Miami is considered by most to be the overwhelming favorite against Boston even without one-third of its Big Three, Chris Bosh. See, the Heat still have LeBron James andDwyane Wade. The Celtics counter with puppeteer Rajon Rondo manipulating the marionettes of an aging cast of future NBA Hall of Famers.



Get Ready: Celtics Vs. Heat Schedule | Heat Playoff Run | Celtics Playoff Run




Johnny Tapia dead

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5-time boxing champion Johnny Tapia dead at 45Johnny Tapia, right, was a five-time champion in three weight classes as a professional boxer.



Johnny Tapia, the five-time boxing champion whose turbulent career was marked by cocaine addiction, alcohol, depression and run-ins with the law, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque, N.M., home.
He was 45.
Authorities were called to the house at about 7:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, spokesman Robert Gibbs

Spain Borrowing Costs...

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Spain Borrowing Costs Hit New High

5-28-2012
MADRID—Concerns about Spain's ability to overhaul an ailing banking system while it tries to shore up its financially shaky regions and plug a gaping budget deficit sent Spanish borrowing costs to a record high Monday, prompting a new call from Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for the European Union to take action to calm market turmoil.
"We need clear statements in defense of the euro and of the sustainability of euro-zone debt," Mr. Rajoy said in a news conference. Spain's 10-year government bond yield rose 0.18 percentage point to 6.47% Monday, a new 2012 high, after Spain announced a €19 billion ($23.78 billion) bailout for ailing lender Bankia SA,BKIA.MC -11.66% a

Vatican says trust in Church hurt by scandal

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Mon May 28, 2012

* Vatican denies cardinal involved

* Crisis worst in Benedict's papacy

* Vatican tries to play down extent of scandal (Recasts with Vatican news conference)


VATICAN CITY, May 28, (Reuters) - The Vatican acknowledged on Monday that the worst crisis in Pope Benedict's papacy had hurt the faith of Roman Catholics in their Church, but denied any cardinal was a suspect in a deepening scandal over leaked documents.

The scandal exploded last week when, within a few days, the head of the Vatican's own bank was abruptly dismissed, the pope's butler was arrested for leaking documents and a book was published alleging conspiracies among the cardinals or "princes of the Church".

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told a news conference: "This is naturally something that

May 26, 2012

'Men in Black 3'

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Box office update: 'Men in Black 3' earns $18 million on Friday; 'Avengers' holds strong
by Grady Smith 5-26-2012
men-in-black-III-review

After 10 years away from the big screen, the alien-hunting Men In Black (Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and now, Josh Brolin) are back on top of the box office.
Men In Black 3 ended The Avengers‘ 21-day reign in first place with an $18 million Friday, which puts

Reese Witherspoon

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Reese Witherspoon debuts baby bump at Cannes film festival
Reese Witherspoon appears at a photo call for Mud at the Cannes film festival on Saturday, May 26, 2012. / Reese Witherspoon appears at the premiere of Mud at the Cannes film festival in Cannes, southern France on Saturday, May 26, 2012. - Provided courtesy of Versace
Reese Witherspoon showed off her growing baby bump at the premiere of "Mud" at the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, May 26.
The actress, who has a supporting role in the film, donned a custom-made navy silk chiffon Atelier Versace gown covered in Swarovski crystals with a cut-out back. She completed her look with silver Versace shoes.