Ryan Lochte beats Michael Phelps again, this time in semis

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Ryan Lochte beats Michael Phelps again, this time in semis

Jun. 26, 2012
OMAHA (USA TODAY) — A high-rise image of Michael Phelps hovers over these Olympic trials on a hotel building across the street from the CenturyLink Center. What's missing is a paired image of Ryan Lochte.

Once upon a time, Phelps stood alone. These days, his name flows with Lochte's as easily as Gilbert and Sullivan — or Ali and Frazier.

Tonight we get Round Two of the slugfest that is Phelps-Lochte — or is it Lochte-Phelps? — when they meet in the finals of the 200-meter freestyle, an event in which Lochte beat Phelps at the world championships in Shanghai a year ago.

Lochte beat Phelps in their semifinal heat of the 200 free Tuesday night, too — by a hair, 1:46.25 to 1:46.27.

Best Buy Founder Is Said to Consider a Takeover Bid

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Best Buy Founder Is Said to Consider a Takeover Bid

BY MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED AND STEPHANIE CLIFFORD
June26, 2012
Richard Schulze, the founder of Best Buy, is exploring putting together a bid to take the struggling electronics retailer private, according to people briefed on the matter.

Mr. Schulze, who resigned from the company’s board this month, has been begun working with bankers from Credit Suisse to consider such a move, these people said. They said he would probably team up with a private equity firm or other deep-pocketed investor. With a 20.1 percent stake, he is the company’s largest shareholder.

But Mr. Schulze may instead sell his stake, these people cautioned. On the same day that he said he had resigned from the board a year ahead of schedule, Mr. Schulze made public his intention to sell. The resignation helps free him to explore a takeover bid for the company he founded more than 40 years ago.

What's really, truly going on with Facebook?

What's really, truly going on with Facebook?

By John D. Sutter, CNN
June 26, 2012
(CNN) -- Every week, there's a new Facebook thing to gripe about.
This week, there have been two -- and it's only Tuesday.
On Sunday, it was discovered that the 900 million-person social network was "testing" a feature that would let people see a digital list of the people who were nearby in real life. Called "Find Friends Nearby," the app was pulled down by Tuesday morning after the Internet freaked out. Commenters said things like "Hell to the naw" and "BAD FACEBOOK!!" and generally complaining that the feature, which was difficult to find, much less use, invades privacy and will lead to stalking.
If that's not enough, a company named Friendthem reportedly threatened a lawsuit, saying Facebook stole its idea for the location-aware feature. Apparently, Friendthem would like to share the heat.

Item two: A blogger noticed over the weekend that Facebook, without asking permission, had changed the default e-mail addresses of all of its digital residents to @facebook.com accounts. It's easy enough to change back, as the site Lifehacker and others have detailed, but that little invasion of the hub of digital identity -- the Facebook Timeline -- was enough to make quite a few Facebookers fire back at their digital overlords. Security researchers called the move dangerous. Normal people felt violated.

On the red carpet, John Travolta kisses but doesn’t tell

On the red carpet, John Travolta kisses but doesn’t tell

By Bill Zwecker June 26, 2012
As Travolta and wife Kelly Preston made a big show of affection on the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of his new film “Savages,” the actor’s attorney Marty Singer was fighting off yet another lawsuit — one the top Hollywood lawyer called “ludicrous.” This latest suit was filed by ex-Royal Caribbean Cruise steward Fabian Zanzi, claiming the actor propositioned him sexually on a 2009 cruise and then, when turned down, offered Zanzi $12,000 to keep quiet.

“John is adamant about fighting these allegations he made inappropriate sexual advances to all those men, but it’s certainly taking a big toll. … I don’t know how he can deal with all of it,” my source said.

“If it’s untrue, I can understand his anger, but these people keep coming out of the closet, so to speak.”

† Many at the “Savages” premiere were very cynical about Travolta and Preston’s smooching, with several witnesses saying it looked “very staged.” The couple only posed for photos and took no questions from the assembled media. Travolta also avoided questions at the earlier “Savages” press junket by doing most of his interviews paired with other cast members — insuring there would be no personal questions, only ones related to the Oliver Stone movie Travolta was contractually required to promote.

Rob Portman: Zombie Hunter

Rob Portman: Zombie Hunter

By Chris Moody
June 27, 2012
In the War on Drugs, it's Rob Portman 1, Flesh-Eating Zombies 0.

Following a recent string of attacks around the country involving people who ingested the synthetic drug known as "bath salts" and then attacked victims and ate their flesh, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman introduced an amendment to a Senate FDA bill that would implement a federal ban on the substance.

The bill passed the Senate 92-4 on Tuesday and is on its way to the White House, where the president is expected to sign it.

Romney's amazing hypocrisy

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Romney's amazing hypocrisy

By Donna Brazile, CNN Contributor
updated 7:36 AM EDT, Tue June 26, 2012
Editor's note: Donna Brazile, a CNN contributor and a Democratic strategist, is vice chairwoman for voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee. She is a nationally syndicated columnist, adjunct professor at Georgetown University and author of "Cooking With Grease." She was manager for the Gore-Lieberman presidential campaign in 2000.
(CNN) -- Recently, we learned two important things about Mitt Romney.
First, he would rather see the American economy fail than President Barack Obama win.
Second, the extent of his hypocrisy is amazing. While he laments the toll that outsourcing has taken on our workers and economy, he amassed a fortune by investing in companies that outsourced American jobs.
In word and deed, Romney roots for failure, and his insincerity reveals a disdain for the common good and disregard for people's common sense. Americans deserve better.

Home price index rises in April

Home price index rises in April after seven months of declines

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index of 20 large cities climbs 1.3% in April over March, signaling that the housing slump may be turning a corner nationally.
By Alejandro Lazo, Los Angeles Times
June 27, 2012
A key index of home prices in American cities turned positive in April, signaling that the housing slump may be turning a corner nationally despite considerable weakness in some hard-hit metropolitan areas.

Notching the first gain after seven months of declines, the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index of 20 large cities rose 1.3% in April over March. The index was still down 1.9% compared with April 2011, although that was the smallest year-over-year decline since November 2010.
Economists were optimistic that the uptick in prices was significant and that real estate may be contributing again toward building American wealth. But the rise in housing values also comes at a tenuous time for the U.S. economy, with fears about an impending fiscal crisis at the end of the year beginning to hurt job growth domestically and concerns abounding over a broader global slowdown.

"The pieces of the housing recovery are falling into place," said Stuart Gabriel, director of UCLA's Ziman Center for Real Estate. "But it is a housing recovery in the context of synchronous slowing in the major global economies, and that is where the trickiness lies."

A healthy recovery will require improvements in jobs, incomes and consumer confidence, Gabriel said, and those underpinnings don't look as strong as they did just a few months ago. On Tuesday, an index of national consumer sentiment showed a decline to 62 in June from 64.4 in May, the fourth consecutive drop.

Home sales this year have surged after last year's lackluster performance. Rock-bottom interest rates and cheap prices have helped boost affordability, even as homeownership has sunk to levels not seen in 15 years.

Nora Ephron dead at 71

Reports: Nora Ephron dead at 71

Jun 26, 2012
By Maria Puente, USA TODAY
Nora Ephron, the journalist-turned-successful Hollywood screenwriter/director, is dead. She was 71. The Washington Post was the first to report Ephron's death following some confusion this afternoon about the status of her health.

She died of complications from the blood disorder myelodysplasia, according to the Post.

Born in New York and raised in Beverly Hills, Ephron was the eldest daughter of two Hollywood screenwriters; two of her sisters also are screenwriters, and a third is journalist and author.

Ephron is best known for her romantic comedies, such as When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, but also as the ex-wife of Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein, her second husband and father of her two sons. His cheating during their marriage inspired her 1983 laughing-through-tears novel Heartburn and the 1986 movie of the same name starring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.

Consumer Confidence In U.S. Declines To A Five-Month Low

Consumer Confidence In U.S. Declines To A Five-Month Low

By Michelle Jamrisko - Jun 26, 2012
Confidence among U.S. consumers dropped in June for a fourth consecutive month as mounting concern over jobs and incomes dimmed the outlook for spending.
The Conference Board’s sentiment index fell to 62, a five- month low, from a revised 64.4 in May, figures from the New York-based private research group showed today. Another report showed home prices were stabilizing.
The slide in confidence raises the risk that the slowdown in hiring revealed by last month’s jobs report will cause households to retrench, restraining the spending that accounts for about 70 percent of the economy. The weak labor market is overshadowing the benefit of the lowest gasoline prices in five months, one reason why companies like Ford Motor Co. (F) are keeping an eye on attitudes.

Colorado wildfires spark concerns over tourism fallout

Colorado wildfires spark concerns over tourism fallout

By Jayne Clark, USA TODAY
June 26, 2012
The Pikes Peak Cog Railway and Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center will reopen tomorrow. An official of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb scheduled for July 8 says he's "cautiously optimistic" the event will go off as planned.
Original post: As crews worked Tuesday to contain eight separate fires in Colorado, tourism officials sought to quell concerns among travelers, noting that the fires are primarily in isolated areas and are not affecting major visitor areas.

But in Colorado Springs and nearby Manitou Springs, a handful of attractions remained closed since the outbreak Saturday of the Waldo Canyon Fire. They include the popular Pikes Peak Cog Railway and Cave of the Winds.

Tropical Storm Debby makes landfall on Fla. coast

Tropical Storm Debby makes landfall on Fla. coast

June26, 2012



CBS/AP) ST. GEORGE ISLAND, Fla. - Debby, the guest that wouldn't leave, is ruining things for a lot of other visitors.

Vacationers were wearing ponchos instead of swimsuits at the peak of the summer season because of the tropical storm, which has drenched Florida for at least four days straight like a giant shower head set up over the state's Gulf Coast. Debby has dumped as much as 26 inches of rain in some spots.

Disney World wasn't as crowded as usual, and one of its water parks closed because of the soggy, windy weather. Also, Sea World closed early on Monday.

Expats in China Grapple With Surging Costs

Expats in China Grapple With Surging Costs

By Rajeshni Naidu-Ghelani | CNBC
June26, 2012
James Carney, a 27-year-old New Yorker, who's been living in southern Chinese city Shenzhen for the past 16 months, says he's feeling the pinch from rising living costs.
The American expat, who works for a local property developer, says the monthly utility bill for his small one-bedroom apartment has doubled in the last five months.
"Power, water, building management fees - everything you'd associate with renting an apartment has gone up big time - it's been really noticeable in the last four to five months," Carney told CNBC.
"Shenzhen cabs are the most expensive in China," he added. "To get in a taxi you're going to go ten feet [and] it's $13 - if you're using a private driver, that's up as well."
While China's major business centers, Shanghai and Beijing are known to be among the most expensive cities for expats in Asia, the cost of living in other, less well-known Chinese cities is now

Public Universities See Familiar Fight at Virginia

Public Universities See Familiar Fight at Virginia

By TAMAR LEWIN
Published: June 25, 2012
The tumult at the University of Virginia — with the sudden ouster of President Teresa Sullivan on June 10, and the widespread anticipation that she will be reinstated on Tuesday — reflects a low-grade panic now spreading through much of public higher education.
“Is it possible to be a successful president of a public university?” mused Mark G. Yudof, the president of the University of California. “I’m not willing to say these jobs are impossible, but these are very difficult times. You want to be more efficient, but you don’t want to make changes so fast that you endanger academic values and traditions and alienate the faculty. But you can’t go too slow, or you alienate the board and the legislature. It’s a volatile mix.”

Moderate exercise tied to lower breast cancer risk

Moderate exercise tied to lower breast cancer risk

By Amy Norton
NEW YORK | Mon Jun 25, 2012
(Reuters Health) - Women who exercise moderately may be less likely than their inactive peers to develop breast cancer after menopause, a study published Monday suggests.
Researchers found that of more than 3,000 women with and without breast cancer, those who'd exercised during their childbearing years were less likely to develop the cancer after menopause.

The same was true when women took up exercise after menopause.

And it did not take a vigorous workout; regular exercise at any intensity level was linked to a lower breast cancer risk, the researchers say.

Red Sox belted by Blue Jays

Red Sox belted by Blue Jays

Toronto smacks 3 2-run HRs in win
By Michael Vega | GLOBE STAFF JUNE 26, 2012
A torrent was unleashed Monday night at Fenway Park. It was accompanied by deafening thunderclaps and frightening cracks of lightning that lit up the sky.

And that was well before Mother Nature got into the act.

The Toronto Blue Jays proved a force of nature in pinning the Red Sox with a 9-6 loss before a Fenway Park crowd of 37,208, many of whom were sent scurrying for cover when a downpour suspended play for an hour and 56 minutes in the seventh inning.
The Blue Jays erupted for 13 hits, including three two-run homers.

Public pension finances could soon look shakier

Public pension finances could soon look shakier

By Tami Luhby @CNNMoney June 26, 2012
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- States and cities will soon have to reveal just how big their pension holes are ... and that disclosure is likely to prompt more calls to reform public pension plans.
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board on Monday approved new laws that require governments to disclose their unfunded pension liabilities for the first time.
Currently, states and municipalities report how much they're supposed to contribute to their pensions each year -- and the amount they actually do. But until now, they didn't reveal their total pension obligation and how much they've socked away to cover it.
The new standards will provide "a clearer picture of the size and nature of the financial obligations to current and former employees," said Robert Attmore, GASB's chairman.

Putin visits West Bank, tours key Christian shrine

Putin visits West Bank, tours key Christian shrine

By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH, Associated Press
June26,2012
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, after touring the church built over Jesus' traditional birth grotto in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
A day earlier, Putin visited Israel where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Russia to step up pressure on Iran to curb its suspect nuclear program. Putin said his talks with Netanyahu covered the situation in Iran and the bloody uprising in Syria, but added that he saw negotiations as the only solution for such matters.

Michael Phelps earns expected Olympic berth

Michael Phelps earns expected Olympic berth

By John Powers | GLOBE STAFF JUNE 26, 2012
OMAHA - All month long in chlorinated circles the question had been, would he or wouldn’t he? Would Michael Phelps take on archrival Ryan Lochte in the grueling 400-meter individual medley on opening evening of the Olympic swimming trials here? Or would he save his ammunition for the five other events that he has on his menu? If you know the man and what drives him, the answer was obvious.

Phelps would take the challenge, even at the risk of missing the Games in an event that he’s won twice.

Immigration reform back to square one

Immigration reform back to square one

By Allison Brennan, CNN
June 26, 2012
Washington, DC (CNN) -- After two years of protests, boycotts and lawsuits over Arizona's immigration law, Monday's Supreme Court decision leaves the state of immigration reform almost unchanged with states frustrated and Congress avoiding the debate.
"I would guess [Congress] won't touch this with a 10-foot pole until after they come back after the election," Charles H. Kuck, managing partner at Kuck Immigration Partners in Atlanta, told CNN.
The court's 5-3 ruling was a split decision, upholding the law's most controversial feature -- the "show

AB InBev in talks to buy Mexico's Modelo

AB InBev in talks to buy Mexico's Modelo

By Philip Blenkinsop and David Jones
June25,2012
BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch InBev SA's (ABI.BR) interest in buying the rest of Mexico's Grupo Modelo (GMODELOC.MX) on Monday warmed investors eager to see fresh consolidation in the global beer market.
Shares of both brewing giants rose after Modelo and Belgian-based AB InBev, which has a 50.4 percent noncontrolling stake in the Mexican company, said on Monday they are discussing expanding their joint relationship.
Fueled by Mexico's growing beer market, AB InBev could unlock big cost savings and give the company control of exports of Corona beer, the No. 1 imported brand in the United States.
The deal, which would follow a series of recent mergers in the industry, could be worth well over $10 billon, though the family-controlled Mexican brewer said nothing was set in stone.
"These talks may or may not result in the consummation of a deal and any speculation on the terms and conditions is premature," Modelo said in a statement.

Venus Williams Loses in First Round

Venus Williams Loses in First Round

By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY
Published: June 25, 2012
WIMBLEDON, England — Pursed lips and grimaces are like shouts and howls for Venus Williams, the more poker-faced of the two sisters who have won so many Wimbledons.
But Williams’s subtle body language shouted volumes Monday, the opening day of this year’s championships. She has not always been at her sparkling best on the grass of her beloved All England Club, but she has perhaps never looked as lost on any lawn as she did against Elena Vesnina.

To the uninformed observer on Court 2, it would have come as quite a surprise to know that Williams

Facebook replaces users' e-mails...

Facebook replaces users' e-mails with site-specific address

By Nick Foley, USA TODAY
June25,2012
Facebook has done it again — alienated some of its 900 million members by making unannounced changes to the social network.
The latest kerfuffle is over Facebook's decision to replace the personal e-mail addresses on a user's profile page with an @facebook.com e-mail address. And it coincided with a decision Monday by Facebook to halt testing — at least temporarily — of a feature called Find Friends Nearby, a location service that identifies other Facebook users in the vicinity. Meredith Chin, Facebook's manager of product communications, said that no launch date has been set.

Obama criticizes Romney's 'outsourcing' jobs

Obama criticizes Romney's 'outsourcing' jobs

By KEN THOMAS, Associated Press
June25, 2012
BOSTON (AP) — President Barack Obama, campaigning in Mitt Romney's backyard, criticized his Republican rival anew Monday for what his re-election campaign says is a record of shipping American jobs overseas.
"Gov. Romney's commitment to outsourcing is not just part of his record, it's part of his overall economic vision that he and Republicans in Congress want to implement if they win this election," Obama said.
The Obama campaign has seized on reports that the private equity firm Romney once ran made investments in companies that were described as "pioneers" in outsourcing jobs to China and India. The Romney campaign says the reports do not differentiate between "domestic outsourcing" and

Home Sales Reach Two-Year High

Home Sales Reach Two-Year High As U.S. Rates Fall: Economy

By Lorraine Woellert - Jun 25, 2012

Demand for new U.S. homes rose more than forecast in May as mortgage rates dropped, bolstering the residential real-estate market while other parts of the world’s largest economy cool.
Purchases climbed to a 369,000 annual rate, the most since April 2010 and up 7.6 percent from the prior month, the Commerce Department reported today in Washington. The median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 67 economists was 347,000. The number of houses on the market held near a record low.

Debby threatens more floods, tornadoes in Florida

Debby threatens more floods, tornadoes in Florida

By Kevin Gray
MIAMI | Tue Jun 26, 2012
(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Debby lashed parts of Florida with driving rains and high winds on Monday, threatening to trigger more flooding and tornadoes as it hovered off the state's northern Gulf of Mexico coast.

With tropical storm-force winds extending outward up to 230 miles from its center off the northwest coastal town of Apalachicola late Monday afternoon, forecasters said Debby menaced a broad swath of inland territory with flash flooding from torrential downpours.

Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency and a tropical storm warning was in effect along much of the Gulf coastline, from the Florida Panhandle down through the central west coast.

Cyprus seeks EU aid

And then there were five: Cyprus seeks EU aid

* Cyprus needs money for troubled bank

* New Greek finance minister resigns

* Merkel says shared debt "wrong"

* Spain formally requests bank aid, number to come later

* Moody's downgrades Spanish banks on sovereign rating cut

By Michele Kambas and Harry Papachristou

NICOSIA/ATHENS, June 25, 2012(Reuters) - A fifth euro-zone country turned to Brussels for emergency funding on Monday when Cyprus announced it was seeking a lifeline for its banks and its budget, hours after Spain submitted a formal request to bail out its banks.

Global share prices and the euro slid as investors bet that European leaders - due to meet this week for the 20th time since the currency zone's debt crisis hit Greece in 2010 - would fail to come up with radical measures to back up weak countries.

Obesity Screening for All

Task Force to Doctors: Obesity Screening for All

Experts Also Advise Counseling at-Risk Patients on Diet, Exercise
By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
June 25, 2012 -- Next time you see your doctor, be prepared to be weighed and measured -- and possibly referred to a weight loss program.

In an updated recommendation, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of experts, is recommending that doctors screen all patients for obesity.

The task force also recommended universal screening in its previous 2003 recommendation, but the new one goes a step farther, says David Grossman, MD, MPH, a USPSTF member who is also medical director for preventive care at Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.

It recommends that doctors refer obese patients to intensive counseling for weight loss.

Microsoft buys Yammer

Microsoft buys Yammer for $1.2 billion

The deal will boost the enterprise social networking capabilities in Office, SharePoint and other Microsoft collaboration products
By Juan Carlos Perez
June 25, 2012
IDG News Service - Microsoft has agreed to acquire Yammer, a maker of cloud-based enterprise social networking (ESN) software, for US$1.2 billion in cash, a deal rumored to be in the works for the past week-and-a-half.



Yammer, which was founded in 2008, will continue to be led by its CEO David Sacks as it becomes part of Microsoft's Office Division, headed by President Kurt DelBene, Microsoft said on Monday.

US East Coast set for severe sea level rise

US East Coast set for severe sea level rise

 June 25, 2012 by Kate Taylor
Sea level rises are accelerating along parts of the US East Coast as much as four times faster than the average for the rest of the world.
According to a new US Geological Survey report, sea-level rise in the 600-mile coastal zone from Cape Hatteras, NC, to north of Boston, Massachusetts, has increased by between two and 3.7 millimeters per year since about 1990. By contrast, the global increase over the same period was between 0.6 and 1.0 millimeters per year.

Improve your piano playing while you sleep

Improve your piano playing while you sleep

June 25, 2012 by Kate Taylor
Playing music while you sleep can help improve your ability to play the same tune, new Northwestern University research suggests.
The research supports existing evidence that memories can be reactivated during sleep, and storage of them strengthened in the process.

"Our results extend prior research by showing that external stimulation during sleep can influence a complex skill," says psychology professor Ken A Paller.

Participants were taught to play two artificially generated musical tunes with well-timed key presses. Then while the participants took a 90-minute nap, the researchers presented one of the tunes that had

Olympic trials 2012: Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh face coin toss as Justin Gatlin runs 9.8sec 100m

Olympic trials 2012: Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh face coin toss as Justin Gatlin runs 9.8sec 100m

June 25, 2012
By Telegraph Sport
Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh face either a run-off or a coin toss to determine the final place in the United States' women's 100 metres team for this summer's Olympics.
The pair yesterday dead-heated for third place in the National Championships in Eugene, Oregon – which double as the Olympic trials – with an initial announcement to the crowd suggesting Tarmoh had been given the verdict by 0.0001 seconds before the results were then reviewed.
With no tiebreak procedure included in USA Track and Field's regulations, the governing body considered their options before announcing that

'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek recovering after heart attack

'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek recovering after heart attack

June 25, 2012

LOS ANGELES – "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek was under observation at a Los Angeles hospital Sunday after suffering a heart attack.
Trebek, 71, was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Saturday after the "mild" heart attack, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In a statement Sunday, Sony Pictures Television said Trebek was "in good spirits" and expected to make a full recovery before the 29th season of "Jeopardy!" begins production in July.
Trebek, who has hosted the game show since 1984, previously suffered a heart attack in December

Samsung Galaxy S III to hit 10m sales during July

Samsung Galaxy S III to hit 10m sales during July

Ben Kersey, Jun 25th 2012

The Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note have both seen impressive sales figures, and the company isn’t being cautious about its sale expectations for its latest flagship, the Galaxy S III. Samsung believe that the phone will surpass the 10 million sales threshold next month once the effects of launching in the United States start to kick in. Launching on five carriers in the US along with today’s

Poll: Election winner won't impact economy much

Poll: Election winner won't impact economy much

CONNIE CASS, Associated Press
June 25, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to the economy, half of Americans in a new poll say it won't matter much whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney wins — even though the presidential candidates have staked their chances on which would be better at fixing the economic mess.

People are especially pessimistic about the future president's influence over jobs, according to the Associated Press-GfK poll. Asked how much impact the November winner will have on unemployment, 6 in 10 gave answers ranging from slim to none.

Europe's Leaders Prepare for Summit

Market Gloom Prevails as Europe's Leaders Prepare for Summit

By STEPHEN CASTLE
Published: June 25, 2012
LONDON — Market gloom prevailed early Monday at the start of a crucial week for the euro, as Spain was expected to make a formal application for billions in aid for its sickly banks and European leaders prepare for talks over the creation of a European banking union to shore up the currency.
Stock markets and the euro dropped on Monday amid pessimism about the prospect that European
Union leaders, who are due to meet Thursday and Friday in Brussels, will achieve the far-reaching breakthrough needed to relieve pressure on Spain and Italy, both of which face elevated borrowing

Last Pinta giant tortoise Lonesome George dies

Last Pinta giant tortoise Lonesome George dies

24 June 2012
From bbc news
Staff at the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador say Lonesome George, a giant tortoise believed to be the last of its subspecies, has died.

Scientists estimate he was about 100 years old.

Park officials said they would carry out a post-mortem to determine the cause of his death.

With no offspring and no known individuals from his subspecies left, Lonesome George became known as the rarest creature in the world.

Seeing an Obama Army in Gay Pride Legions

Seeing an Obama Army in Gay Pride Legions

By JEREMY W. PETERS

Published: June 24, 2012
To most passers-by, the tens of thousands of people who jammed the sidewalks of Greenwich Village on Sunday were just the typical tank-top-clad revelers of a gay pride weekend.
But to Aaron Levine, a 19-year-old, clipboard-toting volunteer sent there by the Obama campaign, everyone was a potential get. A group of twenty-somethings huddled in the shade under a Starbucks awning trying to stay cool: “They’re perfect,” he said. The long line outside the Duplex, a nightclub with views of the parade route: “They have nothing else to do now but sign up. It’s great.”

Egypt's Islamist president

Egypt's Islamist president begins building government

By Edmund Blair and Alastair Macdonald
CAIRO | Sun Jun 24, 2012
(Reuters) - Mohamed Morsy of the Muslim Brotherhood sets about building a civilian administration for Egypt on Monday that can heal a divisive history of oppression and coax a mistrustful army into relaxing its grip on power.
Behind the scenes, talks were already under way between the Islamists and generals to resolve disputes that blew up this month over steps by the ruling military council to hem in the powers of the first freely elected president Egypt has known.

Cairo's Tahrir Square, theatre of the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak, exploded in joy - and relief - on Sunday as Morsy was declared the narrow but convincing winner of last weekend's

England's Willett wins BMW International Open

England's Willett wins BMW International Open

June 24, 2012
PULHEIM, Germany (AP) Danny Willett of England won his first European Tour title after beating Marcus Fraser of Australia in a playoff at the BMW International Open on Sunday.
Willett shot a final-round 73 for an 11 under total of 277 to finish with a share of the lead with Fraser, who shot a last day 71 in rainy conditions on the Gut Larcenhof course.
Willett then sealed his first tour win in 106 starts at the fourth extra hole with a par when Fraser bogeyed.
Both players started the playoff with pars on the first and bogeys on the second before again shooting par on the third.

Verlander has complete game, Tigers beat Pirates

Verlander has complete game, Tigers beat Pirates

Published June 24, 2012
Associated Press
From foxnews
PITTSBURGH – Justin Verlander pitched a five-hitter Sunday, Quintin Berry hit a two-run shot for his first major league home run and the Detroit Tigers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2.
Berry also scored the go-ahead run on Delmon Young's single in the eighth, an inning after Garrett Jones tied it with a two-run homer.
Five weeks after he took a no-hitter into the ninth against the Pirates in Detroit on May 18, Verlander (8-4) had allowed only two infield hits through six innings Sunday before Pedro Alvarez singled with

Wildfires close in on Colorado tourist destinations

Wildfires close in on Colorado tourist destinations

Published June 24, 2012
Associated Press
From foxnews

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Wildfires moved in on some of Colorado's most popular summer tourist destinations over the weekend, demolishing nearly two dozen homes near Rocky Mountain National Park and emptying hotels and campgrounds at the base of Pikes Peak.
A wildfire near Colorado Springs erupted and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuations of more than 11,000 residents and an unknown number of

Box office report: 'Brave'...

Box office report: 'Brave' hits the bullseye with $66.7 million; 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' gets staked

by Grady Smith
JUN 24 2012
Tags: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Box Office, Brave, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, Movie Biz, Prometheus, Seeking A Friend For the End of the World, Snow White and the Huntsman, News
For the third time this year, following strong openings from The Hunger Games and Snow White and the Huntsman, a movie with a tough female protagonist topped the box office in a major way.
Disney-Pixar’s Brave was right on target in its debut weekend, opening to $66.7 million — the fifth-best debut ever for a Pixar film, and a faster start than last year’s Cars 2, which opened with $66.1 million. Brave continued Pixar’s streak of number one debuts, as all 13 of the studio’s releases have reached the peak position during their first weekend of wide release.

Spurs’ Tony Parker Suing NYC Club For $20M Over Eye Injury

Spurs’ Tony Parker Suing NYC Club For $20M Over Eye Injury

June 22, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker is suing a New York City club and its operators for $20 million over a scratched cornea he says he suffered during a fight involving singer Chris Brown and members of hip-hop star Drake’s entourage.

The suit was filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Thursday. It says the W.i.P club in SoHo and its operators were negligent in security and supervision, which allowed the fight to take place.

Chris Brown, his girlfriend and his bodyguard were among eight injured during the fight inside the club last week. Police say members of Drake’s entourage stopped Brown as he was leaving. The fight escalated and bottles were thrown.

Alan Turing: A multitude of lives in fiction

Alan Turing: A multitude of lives in fiction

By Graham Moore
Scriptwriter
24 June 2012
If Alan Turing had not existed, would we have had to invent him? The question seems to answer itself: Alan Turing very much did exist, and yet we have persisted in inventing him still.

Of all the roles Turing played during his all-too-brief life, there is one he played only after his all-too-early death - that of fictional character.

Obama marks 1972 law lifting education barriers to girls

Obama marks 1972 law lifting education barriers to girls

WASHINGTON | Sat Jun 23, 2012
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama, marking the 40th anniversary of landmark legislation that lifted barriers to girls and women in education and school sports, said on Saturday the law had achieved far-reaching gains in improving equality between the sexes.

In an op-ed piece published in Newsweek magazine, Obama said the legislation known as Title IX, signed in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, fostered a spirit of competition that has also helped girls and women succeed off the sports fields.

"Today, thanks in no small part to the confidence and determination they developed through competitive sports and the work ethic they learned with their teammates, girls who play sports are more likely to excel in school," he wrote.

Former foe of gay marriage in California now favors unions

Former foe of gay marriage in California now favors unions

LOS ANGELES | Sat Jun 23, 2012
(Reuters) - A key witness for lawyers seeking to defend California's ban on same-sex marriage in federal court in 2010 has changed his view on the subject, and pronounced his support for giving gay unions social recognition.

David Blankenhorn, founder of the Institute for American Values think tank, wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Times he now believes the time for "denigrating or stigmatizing same-sex relationships is over."