June 16, 2012

Pettitte Pitches Into 7th, but Yanks Need 14 Innings to Top Nationals

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Pettitte Pitches Into 7th, but Yanks Need 14 Innings to Top Nationals

By DAVID WALDSTEIN
Published: June 16, 2012

WASHINGTON — Andy Pettitte has accomplished many great things in his career, winning five World Series rings, winning 21 games twice, and pitching in two All-Star Games. But in all his 537 previous games, including 42 in the postseason, he had not pitched at age 40.
On Saturday he showed he could do that, too.

One day after his 40th birthday Pettitte threw seven impressive innings, allowing only two runs. But by the time this game ended, it seemed as if Pettitte was another year older.

NBA Finals: Time for the Thunder to go small

Berry Tramel: Miami’s shooter-heavy lineup causes matchup problems for the Thunder. Going small will help counter that.
BY BERRY TRAMEL | Published: June 16, 2012 0
The Thunder keeps wanting to talk about its horrendous starts in the NBA Finals.

Game 1: Down 27-16 with two minutes left in the first quarter, down 39-26 with eight minutes left in the half.

Game 2: Down 18-2 after 7½ minutes, down 51-34 with two minutes left in the first half.
But the rest of us keep wanting to talk about lineups. Using only one post player. Which post player to use.
As the series moves to Miami tied 1-1, maybe the two focuses aren’t mutually exclusive. It seems clear that one reason the Thunder is digging such a quick hole is because Scotty Brooks is sticking too long with a big lineup that seems clearly ineffective.
Miami has fully committed to playing without a center. The Heat is using Chris Bosh or Udonis Haslem at power forward, but rarely are both on the court at the same time. Miami has played with only one post player 25 percent of the Finals’ 96 minutes.
Brooks has countered, but not enough. Not soon enough or totally enough.
“Small ball, medium ball, big ball, that did not lose the game,” Brooks said after a 100-96 loss in

Mini Darth Vader Has Successful Heart Surgery

Mini Darth Vader Has Successful Heart Surgery
By BEN FORER (@BenForer)
June 15, 2012
Max Page, the child actor who played Darth Vader in the enormously popular Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial in 2011, is recovering today after having undergone successful open heart surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles on Thursday.

"Max had a pretty peaceful night," his mother, Jennifer Page, said in a statement. "This morning he gave us the thumbs up and he said 'hi' to his brother, Els, and told him he loved him."

British researchers create robot that can learn simple words by conversing with humans

June 16, 2012 By Jon Bardin
In an attempt to replicate the early experiences of infants, researchers in England have created a robot that can learn simple words in minutes just by having a conversation with a human.
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The work, published this week in the journal PLoS One, offers insight into how babies transition from babbling to speaking their first words.

The three-foot-tall robot, named DeeChee, was built to produce any syllable in the English language. But it knew no words at the outset of the study, speaking only babble phrases like "een rain rain mahdl kross."

First Female Astronaut From China Blasts Into Space

By DAVID BARBOZA and KEVIN DREW
Published: June 16, 2012
SHANGHAI — China sent a crew of three, including the country’s first female astronaut, into space on Saturday to carry out its first manned docking mission, an important step in an ambitious plan to build a Chinese space station by 2020.

The successful launching of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, powered by a Long March 2F rocket, was shown live on state television from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in western China.

Facebook technology chief Bret Taylor to step down

15 June 2012 from bbc news

Facebook's chief technology officer Bret Taylor has announced he is leaving the social network site in the coming weeks to start up a new company.

Last month, Facebook floated part of the company on the Nasdaq stock exchange, making many of its employees millionaires overnight.

Observers speculated at the time that some would move on to other things.

Facebook shares have fallen sharply since the flotation to $30, 21% down on the launch price of $38.

The company is also being sued by disgruntled shareholders, who allege that Facebook's revised growth figures were not disclosed to all investors prior to the flotation.

Morgan Stanley, the lead underwriter on the share sale, said it had fully complied with the rules.

'Grateful'

Mr Taylor said he was "sad to be leaving, but I'm excited to be starting a [new] company".

"While a transition like this is never easy, I'm extremely confident in the teams and leadership we have in place."

He said he was proud of the site's recent developments, including its Facebook Camera and integration with Apple products.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said he had enjoyed working with Mr Taylor and was "grateful for all he has done for Facebook and proud of what he and his teams have built."

Kate Hosts Kids at a Production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

BY SIMON PERRY
Saturday June 16, 2012

The Duchess of Cambridge brought smiles to the faces of many children on Friday.

She joined 150 young people from the Art Room, a charity that Kate, 30, volunteers with, aimed at 5 to 16-year-olds who experience emotional and behavioral difficulties.

The group was treated to a special production of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Threesixty Entertianment in the historic grounds of Kensington Gardens.

"Did you see all the animals on stilts? Wasn't it amazing?" she asked the children, adding, "I just loved the way it is held in a tent – really clever."

Kate was also overheard telling the kids, "Some of the characters are really quite frightening. I hope you [didn't] get too scared."

Apple 1 computer and Steve Jobs Atari memo sold at auction

A rare functioning Apple 1 computer - the company's first product - has been sold at an auction for $374,500 (£240,929).

The price was more than double Sotheby's high estimate and sets a new record for the collector's item.

A memo written by the firm's co-founder Steve Jobs when he worked at Atari sold for $27,500 at the same New York event.

The original estimate for the four-page handwritten note was up to $15,000.

Only about 200 Apple 1s were ever created. The computers were hand-built by Apple's co-founder

Suu Kyi: '91 Nobel Peace Prize shattered my isolation

6-16-2012

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Myanmar opposition leaderAung San Suu Kyi declared Saturday that the Nobel Peace Prize she won while under house arrest 21 years ago helped to shatter her sense of isolation and ensured that the world would demand democracy in her military-controlled homeland.

Suu Kyi received two standing ovations inside Oslo's city hall as she gave her long-delayed acceptance speech to the Norwegian Nobel Committee in front of Norway's King Harald, Queen Sonja and about 600 dignitaries. The 66-year-old champion of political freedom praised the power of her 1991 Nobel honor both for saving her from the depths of personal despair and shining an enduring spotlight on the injustices in distant Myanmar.

Obama dreams big

In praise of the President's bold, humane move to halt deportations of young undocumented immigrants

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, June 16, 2012

President Obama has made the American Dream come true for up to 800,000 young immigrants who were brought into the United States illegally by their parents. The heartiest of hails to the chief.

By the most humane order of his presidency, Obama boldly lifted the fear of deportation from the shoulders of thousands of New Yorkers who have been woven into the city’s fabric.

Kings no longer a hard sell

There's a good chance all their games will be sold out next season. And merchandise is flying off the shelves.

By Andrew Owens

June 14, 2012, 10:34 p.m.

<b>Complete coverage:</b> Kings Stanley Cup parade

As the Kings venture into unfamiliar territory after winning their first championship, they are quickly discovering the benefits of standing atop the National Hockey League.

Sure, there's the thrill of the Stanley Cup presentation and Thursday's subsequent parade and rally, but the team is also reaping immense financial benefits.

Microsoft Manufacturing Tablet to Rival Apple iPad, Says Insider

June 15 2012

Microsoft is set to unveil a tablet next week that will mark its entry into rival Apple’s territory with its own branded product, TheWrap has learned.

The company has scheduled a secretive event for Monday at 3:30 p.m. June 18 in Los Angeles, where it will make a "major" announcement whose nature has not been disclosed. Even the venue has not yet been announced.

But an individual with knowledge of the company said that Microsoft would introduce a Microsoft-manufactured tablet at the event, marking a foray into a new hardware category that would put the company in direct competition with giant rival Apple.

Also read: 2012: The Year Microsoft Finally Battles Back

june 15 2012

Movie review: 'That's My Boy'

“That's My Boy” easily achieves a rare feat as the grossest of Adam Sandler's late-model Happy Madison junk, and it gets points for going “all-in”: there are no half-measures in Sandler's race to the nasty, sticky bottom. But all the bodily functions, dreadfully unsexy sex and plopped-in-the-middle sentiment in this father-and-son comedy come off as random, barely considered ideas hurried to the page and screen. This is Sandler doing the bare minimum for maximum profit — again — and throwing movie legends, notable nonactors and noxious pseudo-celebrities into the same mess, seemingly just to prove he can do it.

Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg star in "That's My Boy." <strong>Tracy Bennett</strong>

Sandler and writer David Caspe (“Happy Endings”) bookend “That's My Boy” with toxically unfunny situations, beginning in 1984 with seventh-grade Bostonian Donny Berger (Justin Weaver) being seduced by his teacher, Mary McGarricle (Eva Amurri Martino) — that's “seduced” if you're being charitable, “sexually molested” if you're being legally accurate.

Sure, “That's My Boy” defenders can rationalize this as the logical next step in the Van Halen “Hot for Teacher” fantasy, but it is one thing to be hot for teacher, another thing for teacher to be hot for student.

At any rate, Donny and Miss McGarricle get busted in an act of epically stupid sex, and the teacher, now hilariously pregnant with a 13-year-old boy's child, gets sent to prison. Donny enjoys tabloid fame and is ordered to raise the baby, named Han Solo Berger, maintaining custody until his 18^th birthday.

Flash forward 28 years, and Donny (Sandler using an in-and-out South Boston accent) is a has-been strip-club patron with a big tax debt. In order to get out of serving time, he hatches a scheme to harvest some reality television cash by reuniting with Han Solo and Miss McGarricle during a prison visit. So he weasels his way back into his son's life just in time to see Han Solo, an investment banker living under an assumed name and played by former “Saturday Night Live” standout Andy Samberg, get married to a comely shrew (Leighton Meester) at the estate of his boss, played by Tony Orlando (of course).

Obama visits World Trade Center site with Christie, Cuomo, Bloomberg

By Shawn Boburg / The Record (Hackensack N.J.)
Friday, June 15, 2012

NEW YORK — President Barack Obama visited the World Trade Center site for the second time in nine months on Thursday, this time accompanied by three men of different political stripes who may figure prominently in his re-election bid.

Obama toured the rising One World Trade Center tower with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, getting a brief update on construction progress and signing a steel beam that will be laid on the top floor of the tower. Unlike past presidential visits, the tour did not coincide with any milestone, such as an anniversary of the terror attacks or the completion of a phase of the project.

Most of Obama’s trip, his second to New York City in 10 days, was spent at a pair of campaign events — including a $40,000-per-person dinner at the Manhattan home of actress Sarah Jessica Parker — illustrating the region’s prominence as candidates seek to raise cash. It comes as the presidential race enters a new, aggressive phase of fundraising and heated rhetoric.

Central Banks Warn Greek-Led Euro Stress Threatens World

By Simon Kennedy - Jun 15, 2012 2

Central banks intensified warnings that Europe’s failure to tame its debt crisis threatens to roil the world’s financial markets and economy as Greece’s election in two days looms as the next flashpoint for investors.

Monetary policy makers from the U.K. to Japan and Canada sounded the alert about potential fallout from the single currency bloc’s troubles. They spoke as Group of 20 leaders prepare to meet in Mexico next week amid the weakest international economy since the 2009 recession.

Heat survive Thunder rally for 100-96 win

June 15, 2012 form cbs news

Miami Heat small forward LeBron James is guarded by Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha (2) of Switzerland during the first half at Game 2 of the NBA finals basketball series, Thursday, June 14, 2012, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

OKLAHOMA CITY — LeBron James had received plenty of help from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and now he had to finish it on his own.

With what Wade called the loudest crowd he'd ever heard booing, certain James had just fouled Kevin Durant, the league's MVP walked to the free throw line with 7.1 seconds left and the Miami Heat's huge lead down to two points.

The guy who has endured too many fourth-quarter failures wasn't letting another NBA Finals game get away.

James made both free throws, completing a 12-for-12 performance at the line and a 32-point night, and the Heat held on for a 100-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night that evened the series at one game apiece.

TV maker Vizio debuts Mac-like PCs

by Dan Ackerman | 15 June 2012
NEW YORK--Vizio, a company best known for making TVs, is officially throwing its hat into the PC arena.

The company is taking the wraps off three distinct lines of Windows computers: Ultrabooks, mid-size laptops, and all-in-one desktops.

Vizio had previously announced its plans to jump into the PC market at the January Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but today's New York press event was the official coming-out party for the new systems.

While the company has previously dabbled in tablets, Vizio is known primarily as a scrappy competitor in the TV space. It's perhaps best remembered for helping to commoditize the burgeoning flat-panel television market during the last decade, gobbling up market share from the likes of Sony and Sharp. Of course, the PC market is already commoditized, with razor-thin profit margins for all the major players, save Apple.

Bank of England moves to boost British economy

By Ben Rooney June 14, 2012
The Bank of England and the Chancellor of the Exchequer are working on new policies to support the British economy, BoE governor Mervyn King said Thursday.
"With signs of a deterioration in the outlook, especially in world markets, the case for a further monetary easing is growing," King said in a speech to business leaders in London.
King said he is working with Chancellor George Osborne on a "funding for lending" scheme to help spur bank lending and stimulate economic activity.
"In present circumstances, when private sector spending is depressed by extreme uncertainty, there may be a case for a scheme to underwrite risks which the market itself is unwilling to take," said King.

Tiger fires 69; Thompson leads Open

UPDATED JUN 14, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)

Image: Michael Thompson at the US Open (© Ben Margot/AP Photo)

The lead at the US Open belonged to Michael Thompson. The buzz came from Tiger Woods.
Even as Thompson strung together four birdies on the back nine at Olympic Club that carried him to a 4-under 66, Woods put on a clinic on the other side of the course on how to handle the toughest test in golf.

He has never out of position. None of his tee shots found the deep, nasty rough lining the fairways. There was little stress for such a demanding major.

With consecutive birdies late in his round, including a 35-foot putt that banged into the back of the cup on No. 5, Woods opened with a 1-under 69 to raise hopes that he can finally end that four-year

Stanford gets 110 years for role in $7 billion Ponzi scheme

Published June 14, 2012
Associated Press

HOUSTON – Former jet-setting Texas tycoon R. Allen Stanford had plenty of things to say Thursday before a federal judge sentenced him to 110 years in prison for bilking investors out of more than $7 billion over two decades.
An apology was not one of them.
In a defiant, rambling statement that lasted more than 40 minutes, Stanford told the court about the injuries he suffered during a prison fight; criticized the government for its "gestapo tactics" when his companies were put in receivership and their assets sold off to pay back investors; described his financial empire as a victim of the 2008 credit collapse; and recalled riding horses with former President George W. Bush.

Vein grown from stem cells saves 10-year-old girl

June 14, 2012
Reuters

Doctors in Sweden have replaced a vital blocked blood vessel in a 10-year-old girl using the first vein grown in a lab from a patient's own stem cells.
The successful transplant operation, reported online in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday, marks a further advance in the search for ways to make new body parts.
It could open the door to stem cell-based grafts for heart bypass and dialysis patients who lack suitable blood vessels for replacement surgery, and the Swedish team said it is now working with an undisclosed company to commercialize the process.

The Web's most sought-after new domain name is...
By David Goldman @CNNMoneyTech June 13, 2012

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The Internet's domain system will soon grow astronomically to include .lol, .apple and .golf, but those weren't the most sought-after prizes.
Thirteeen applicants filed for .app, and 11 filed for .home and .inc, according to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the nonprofit organization that manages top-level domains -- the ".com" part of website addresses. ICANN announced the 1,930 proposals on Wednesday for the soon-to-be-expanded top-level domain system.
Right behind .home and .inc was .art with 10 applications. The domains .blog, .book, .shop and .llc drew nine each, and .design, .movie and .music each attracted eight applicants.

Matt Cain pitches first perfect game in Giants franchise history to beat Astros

JANIE McCAULEY
AP Baseball Writer
June 14, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Matt Cain and his wife, Chelsea, returned to the field an hour and a half later for a few more perfect memories. They snapped photos on the mound, posing with the workers who tore it down so the dirt could be sent to the Hall of Fame.

Then they walked away hand in hand, stopping in left field for an embrace and long kiss.
The Giants franchise waited a long time for a perfect game, and Cain became the one to finally do it. Not Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson or Juan Marichal or Gaylord Perry before him.

Merkel rejects "miracle solutions", Spain debt costs soar

Jun 14, 2012By Noah Barkin

* Merkel says economic union a "Herculean task"
* Spain borrowing costs hit 7 percent for first time
* Italian yields jump at auction
* Greek elections cast long shadow over markets

BERLIN, June 14 (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel rebuffed pressure on Thursday for Germany, Europe's most powerful economy, to underwrite debt or guarantee bank deposits in the euro zone as Spain's soaring borrowing costs raised new alarm.

Spain's 10-year bond yield hit a euro lifetime high of 7 percent - a staging post above which Greece, Ireland and Portugal were driven to seek international rescues - despite last weekend's euro zone agreement to lend Madrid up to 100 billion euros ($125 billion) to recapitalise ailing banks.

Moody's Investor Service slashed Spain's sovereign credit rating by three notches to Baa3, just one level above junk, late on Wednesday, adding to the sense of emergency in financial markets ahead of

Divided Politics, Creaky Economy Put Egypt On Edge

by STEVE INSKEEP
June 14, 2012
NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep is nearing the end of his Revolutionary Road Trip, a journey of some 2,500 miles across North Africa to see how the countries that staged revolutions last year are remaking themselves. Steve and his team have traveled from Tunisia's ancient city of Carthage across the deserts of Libya and have now reached the third and final country, Egypt.

On the road eastward from the Libyan border, the Egyptian desert became a blur. Then we started to run low on fuel.

Federal Charges Dropped Against John Edwards

By MICHAEL BIESECKER Associated Press
June 14, 2012 (AP)
A relieved John Edwards said after his mistrial on campaign corruption charges that he believed good things were still in store for him, though image makers and his friends agree that does not include politics.

The ex-presidential candidate who turned 59 this week will no longer have to face that future with federal charges hanging over his head after prosecutors on Wednesday dropped their campaign fraud case against him. After a six-week trial in North Carolina, jurors acquitted Edwards May 31 on one count of accepting illegal campaign contributions and deadlocked on five other felony counts. The

Spanish Yield Hits Fresh High

June 14, 2012
By MICHELE MAATOUK
Spanish government bond yields hit a fresh euro-era high Thursday after Moody's Investors Service became the latest ratings agency to downgrade the beleaguered nation's debt, increasing speculation that a full bailout for Spain isn't far away. Equity markets were moving lower after being mostly flat in the European morning.
Italian debt yields also climbed sharply ahead of a key bond auction, while German Bunds benefited from the resulting flight to safety, ending their recent weak run.

The asking yield on the Spanish 10-year benchmark bond traded at a new euro-era high of 7.01%, according to data from Tradeweb, while the Italian 10-year was quoted higher at 6.34%, the highest

Sheldon Adelson shakes up race with $10 million pro-Romney donation

By Matea Gold / Tribune Washington Bureau
Thursday, June 14, 2012
WASHINGTON — The news that casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is pumping $10 million into a "super PAC" backing Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney underscores how swiftly this campaign’s state of play can be affected by a single wealthy donor.

The contribution by Adelson — reported Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal and confirmed by the Los Angeles Times/Tribune Washington Bureau — comes after he and his family pumped $21.5 million into a super PAC that supported former House Speaker Newt Gingrich during the GOP primaries. The Adelson family effectively subsidized the entire Gingrich super PAC — its

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